Thursday, December 30, 2010

Best of 2010 Part 6

In a few short hours I'll be done with Moncton and continue my east coast tour to my final destination, sunny Freddy Beach. You can catch me at the Phoenix tonight, complete with some kind of new "t-shirt". There might be a couple new songs in there too. I recommend stopping in to say hello, there's no cover tonight and you won't see me again until 2011. Sounds scary, but that's really only a week. Meh, come say hello anyway.

We're nearly there. Today we have three awesome must-have albums, which means tomorrow will be even better. I like these kinds of lists. I should do more. Just a little more condensed next time. This has been a bit of an effort. No more chatter, let's get back at 'er.

#6
Shad
TSOL


Comin' atcha now straight from London, Ontario (another one?) is Shadrach Kabango. If that isn't a name that says "destined for greatness" all over it, I don't know what is. Shad was pretty good before. He's now proved once and for all that he's pretty much awesome. Forget Kanye, this is the album that he should have made. There's no darkness here, only light.

You want tight lyrics, you got it. You want tight production, you got it. You want funk, you got it. You want soul, you got it. It's hard to find faults on this album. This should almost be number one. I guess the difference is the ones that beat this are all artists at their peak. You get the feeling that Shad isn't done by a damn sight just yet. Just listen to this, and listen to this:

Yaa I Get It


Rose Garden


Keep Shining


#5
Massive Attack
Heligoland


I'm a little biased with this pick. No wait, this is all biased. It's my list, if you don't like it, get stuffed. Massive Attack, comprised of Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall, tore up the script in 1998, and have done it again in 2010. When this came out I knew it would be a contender for album of the year, and at first I had it as my number one, but if I'm honest the four ahead of it got more playtime, so five is where it will be.

This album is not for everyone. It is overtly dark, brooding, menacing, and intimately powerful and moving. It also produced my favourite post of the year, which featured my favourite song and video of the year, "Paradise Circus". These guys have a gift for making simple productions that seem to have infinite depth. Turn off the lights, put on your headphones, and open your mind to this album and it will have you reaching for corners and things to hold on to like no other album this year.

Psyche


Splitting The Atom


Pray For Rain


#4
Cee-Lo Green
The Lady Killer


You had to know this was coming at some point. I'm a big Cee-Lo fan, and as soon as THAT single came out, it was clear this album was going to be special. For those who haven't heard his earlier stuff, I recommend checking it out. He's really good. The quality of this album was not a surprise. Given how much awesome stuff he's put out with Gnarls Barkley recently I have a hard time believing it was a surprise to anyone else either.

Just when we wanted more soul in the world, just when we needed more funk, Cee-Lo stormed out of the box and jammed it right down our collective throats. This album is the pinnacle of his career so far, there's no question. His distinct voice coupled with a soaring orchestral sound that harkens back to the best of Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke. And he did with a lyrical zeal that everyone can relate to, and he made you want to jump up and down and sing it as loud as you could. Well now's your time. Take a minute, think back to all the crappy things that happened to in 2010, think how 2011 will be so much better and give 'er all you've got. Fuck you!

Bright Lights, Bigger City


I Want You


Old Fashioned


BONUS BEATS!

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand [Pimpsoul & DJP Remix]


Tomorrow's the big day... numero uno awaits!

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