Best and Favorite 2006 Releases

[Spudman***]

Since the end of the year is coming I thought it might be a good idea to put down some of the CD's that I thought were really good and came out in 2006.

If anyone else has some they feel were outstanding then please post them too. Just stick to 2006 releases, not ones that you only purchased in 2006.

Here are mine in no particular order.

Cheap Trick - Rockford
The Feeling- 12 Stops And Home
Glenn Hughes - Music For The Divine
Andy Timmons - Resolution
Frost - Milliontown
The Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel
Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard
Joe Satriani - Super Colossal
L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling
Queensryche - Mindcrime 2
Prince - 3121
Stiltskin - She
John Mayer - Continuum
A.C.T. - Silence


Best DVD 2006 - The Flower Kings - Instant Delivery

[Tone2TheBone]

Spock's Beard and the Flower Kings definately have my vote! You compiled a good list of others too.

[marnold***]

Dragonforce "Inhuman Rampage"

It's not an album you want to listen to if you intend on falling asleep anytime soon, but, man, those boys can play! And no Cookie Monster vocals!

[Lev]

Joe Bonamassa - You & Me
Razorlight - Razorlight
John Mayer - Continuum

[oldguy]

Neil Young- "Living with War".

[sunvalleylaw]

Neil Young- "Living with War".

Hear, Hear!! I couldn't stop listening to it when I bought it. The Restless Consumer and Shock and Awe are my favorite tracks. Also Wolfmother's 06 US release is pretty fun. Very 70s in tone. Haven't purchased much else that was released in 06, but am waiting to hopefully receive Continuum and the latest Chili Peppers effort for Christmas. I am also going to check out the lists I am seeing here. I get a little isolated musically here in SV. I miss my Seattle radio stations.

[Iago]

hummm nothing! the "newest" stuff I heard this year is probably from 1976!

[kerc]

Wolfmother - Wolfmother
The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers

[mad4teles]

for me not alot really
status quo .... the party aint over yet
the frattelis ....costello music
bowling for soup the great barritto.....etc
my chemical romance ....black parade
i wanna get the new who album and the pick of destiny just cos i reckon it will be funny!!!

[Robert****]

Scott Kinsey - Kinesthetics
Michael Landau Group - Live
Prince - 3121
John Mayer - Continuum

[Ro3b]

I've been wearing out my copy of "Blood Mountain" by Mastodon. Wicked good stuff.

[marnold***]

Prince - 3121
John Mayer - Continuum

I've wanted to hear the rest of that Prince disc. "Fury" is a great track, but I wondered how the rest of it held up. I listened to some clips from Continuum, but unfortunately "Waiting on the World to Change" seemed to be the only track I would really like from it. I keep hoping that someday John Mayer will channel SRV, but that day doesn't seem to be coming.

[sunvalleylaw]

I forgot to mention, and it may be silly, but I really like Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack. The kids love it in the car and I can get along with it.

[Spudman***]

I've wanted to hear the rest of that Prince disc. "Fury" is a great track, but I wondered how the rest of it held up. I listened to some clips from Continuum, but unfortunately "Waiting on the World to Change" seemed to be the only track I would really like from it. I keep hoping that someday John Mayer will channel SRV, but that day doesn't seem to be coming.

Continuum is one that grows on you and slowly sinks under your skin. The songs are pretty infectious and he gets some great guitar sounds, but doesn't get real fiery with his playing. Good note choices though.

[ted s]

I vote for nannonannobooboo by Oldguy.

[r_a_smith3530]

Here's what I was listening to in the way of new releases in 2006.

"3121" by Prince was mentioned already. Although an interesting album, it wasn't anywhere near the groundbreaking level of "Rainbow Children."

Another previous mention was Neil Young's "Living With War." I heard it was written in a day and it shows. Still it is an album that had to be released! Stop the insanity.

More in the mainstream (if you can consider anything that a member of Primus performed to be mainstream) is Les Claypool's "Of Whales and Woe." Being a bass player, it was a "must buy."

Even more in the mainstream is Govt. Mule's "High & Mighty." Warren Haynes kicks butt like usual.

If you've never heard Sue Foley before, you've been missing out on one of the blues' best female singers to come along in the past fifteen years. She can also lay down some mean riffs on her Paisley Tele's. Her latest is "New Used Car," and it includes a nice mix of blues and soulful ballads.

Now, I'm going to start taking you down a road I've been travelling of late, and that road is jazz. First, a couple of bass players (what, you expected a 'bone?).

Wayman Tisdale ROCKS! He does this with the Funk. "Way Up!" shows Tisdale's genius from one track to the next. My favorite, and one that I am actually working on with another bass player, is a rendition of Sly & the Family Stone's hit, "If You Want Me To Stay."

Next up is a 3 disc set that was actually recorded early in 2005, but not released until the summer of 2006. It is Christian McBride's "Live At Tonic." McBride is a modern jazz icon, and he lets you know it with his upright playing on this collection.

Walking down the street, Mindi Abair would surely turn your head with her blonde mane and striking good looks, but on "Life Less Ordinary," it is her stellar saxophone performances that will knock you off your feet.

Also very pleasant to look at, and just as pleasant to listen to is Joyce Cooling. I first heard of her last year with her release, "This Girl's Got To Play." For 2006, she followed up that wonderful album with her latest, "Revolving Door." This lady can lay down some serious jazz guitar, and that is saying something!

Back on a political note, we have the World Saxophone Quartet with their release, "Political Blues." Their twentieth release since the '70s, it's a very funked out form of jazz. I love the influence that the funk of George Clinton, Bootsey Collins and others had on some jazz artists, and the Quartet's album is right there.

Charnett Moffett plays a very free-form jazz on his collection of uprights, piccolo, and electric bass guitars. Charnett's world is a land of pure improvisation, and "Internet" tries to explore quite a bit of this landscape.

I'm sure there's a Stray Cats fan (or three or four) out there, and if you liked the Stray Cats, you are sure to love their bass player's latest solo effort, "Racin' the Devil." Lee has one of the most appropriate last names because he is most certainly a Rocker! I immediately fell in love with this album's first track. We all know her. At one point or another she's been in all our lives. I speak of none other than "The Girl From Hell." You've got to hear it!

Next up is Richard Bona. In "Tiki," his Afro-Cuban rhythms will knock you out. From what I hear, he has the intensity of Jaco, and this album would surely point to that. Like Jaco, I also hear that he sleps with his bass guitars, only where Jaco had one, Richard has several.

The next two albums are coming into a 2006 collection via the back door. The Rippington's have amassed a fair library of recordings over the years, and for 2006, they released their 20th Anniversary album. It's a great collection, and if you like jazz, it should probably be on your shelf.

I have been waiting for over a decade for this next album. Originally released in 1969, it gave creedance to the fact that Bill Cosby was not just a funny guy, but that he could sing as well. I'm guessing that the album, "Silver Throat," came out of Cosby's association with Quincy Jones when they were cutting the tracks for "The Cosby Show." Anyway, you haven't lived until you've heard Bill singing the tune "Little Old Man." Thank you Warner and Rhino for finally releasing this long overdue masterpiece to CD.

As a parting gesture, I leave you with "Mojo Priest," Steven Seagal's venture into the world of blues music. While none of the performances strike me as standing out and grabbing me by the throat, I commend Steven for trying and having the guts to put his music out on the world's stage. One thing Steven has going for him is his drawing power. As a major screen star, he has the credentials to get soem real good talent to play with. When you have the likes of Robert Lockwood Jr. laying down additional tracks on your album.....