Posted December 3, 200717 yr "Blackout" Named One of the Best Albums of '07 by The Times' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://entertainment.timesonline.co....cle2961411.ece 1 ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS Raising Sand (Rounder/Decca) The pitch for this album – screaming rock god meets bluegrass fiddle-player – wouldn’t convince anyone. So how did it emerge as such a sumptuous musical feast? The impeccable taste of the producer T Bone Burnett, the intriguing song selection, the masterful band and the unexpectedly gorgeous marriage of those two voices. Click here to listen 2 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Sound of Silver (DFA/EMI) On his second album, James Murphy dug deep into the vaults to relocate the core values of dance music and electronica, emerging with a sequence of songs that nailed for ever the lie that machine music is incapable of emotion. Sound of Silver courses with it. A masterpiece.Click here to watch the video for Someone Great 3 ARCTIC MONKEYS Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino) Difficult second album? I don’t think so. The Monkeys made light of following up the fastest-selling debut of all time, creating an album that plays to their strengths, but also manages to move their sound on and even to drop intriguing hints about where they might be off to next. Click here to watch the video for Brianstorm 4 CLIPSE Hell Hath No Fury (RCA) This long-delayed second release from the Virginian brothers was a claustrophobically edgy account of drug-dealing and paranoia, whipped up by the Neptunes into a storm of sonic inventiveness no other hip-hop release in 2007 came close to matching. Click here to listen 5 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Hey Venus! (Rough Trade) Pardon the hyperbole, but the last time we had a band who put together albums with this level of melodic invention, lyrical wit, eclectic bravery, sheer charm and peerless quality control, it was the 1960s, they were from Liverpool, and there were four of them. Click here to listen 6 MAVIS STAPLES We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti) The gospel queen’s latest is a collection of songs that inspired the civil-rights movement in America, but if that makes it sound dry and worthy, don’t be misled. Staples’s passion combines with Ry Cooder – producing and playing guitar – to create a subtly funky soul treat. Click here to listen 7 DAVID FORD Songs for the Road (Independiente) Salvaging the male singer-songwriter tradition after years of abuse by less talented but more successful rivals, Ford provided a devastating reminder that an artist with a keening voice, an ear for melody and a willingness, lyrically, to wrestle with demons can still take the breath away. Click here to listen 8 FEIST The Reminder (Polydor) The use of her song 1234 in an iPod ad may have given her a long-deserved breakthrough, but this spine-tinglingly talented Canadian chanteuse was already a hit with many music-lovers, who wondered if she could equal the magic of the jazz- and soul-tinged Let It Die, and discovered, to their relief, that she had. Click here to listen 9 STEVEN LINDSAY Kite (Echo) This beautiful album is an antidote for all those suffering from “they don’t write songs like they used to” syndrome. Steven Lindsay does. Classic pop songwriting – somewhere near Blue Nile territory – topped off by a brilliant reworking of Pixies’ Monkey Gone to Heaven. Click here to listen 10 BRITNEY SPEARS Blackout (SonyBMG) Most chart pop plays it safe, but we can only assume that Britney’s producers reckoned there was nothing to lose on this one, and just went for it. The result is the most sonically exciting dance-pop album of the year (against, admittedly, some fairly uninspiring competition). Click here to watch the video for Gimme More -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all the people who like to compare it to Kylie's "X"... DUDS OF THE YEAR 1 IAN BROWN The World Is Yours (Polydor) Railing against politicians is admirable; doing so with the lamest lyrics of 2007 is unacceptable. 2 HARD-FI Once Upon a Time in the West (Atlantic) Supposed to be their breakthrough, but dull songs and zero subtlety proved a turn-off. The album nose-dived out of the charts. 3 DEBORAH HARRY Necessary Evil (Universal) She’s adored and copied by a new generation of singers. So what does Debbie do? Makes the worst album of her career, of course. 4 KYLIE X (Parlophone) Making your coldest and most disengaged album when your public is cheering your recovery and looking for some heartfelt emotion: that’s weird, isn’t it? 5 PRINCE Planet Earth (NPG) Despite the Purple One’s successful month-long London residency, this wasn’t Prince’s brilliant new album; it was his latest bad one.
December 3, 200717 yr I don't agree with that list at all. How can they call Kylie & Hard-Fi some of the worst albums?
December 3, 200717 yr Kylie and Prince on the worst albums? They don't know what they're talking about tbh...
December 3, 200717 yr That's pretty cool. :D Shocking at Kylie. I can't really comment since I haven't heard anything besides the single. 2 Hearts doesn't impress me all that much though.
December 3, 200717 yr Author Kylie and Prince on the worst albums? They don't know what they're talking about tbh... Personally his new album sucks in comparison to his old albums.
December 3, 200717 yr Kylie doens't deserve to be one of the worst. :( The rest do though. Hard-Fi's album was so dull.
December 3, 200717 yr 'Blackout' is quite simply a fantastic album, one of my faves of 2007 too. :D Kylie's 'X' is pretty poor too... only a few songs I really like on there.
December 4, 200717 yr Kylie's album is amazing. Looking at the best list, apart from Brits, they all suck anyway.
December 4, 200717 yr Kylie's album is amazing. Looking at the best list, apart from Brits, they all suck anyway. Erm... Arctic Monkeys is one of the best this year and SFA is pretty good as well.
December 4, 200717 yr Erm... Arctic Monkeys is one of the best this year and SFA is pretty good as well. I hate those acts, especially AM. That's my opinion.
December 5, 200717 yr Author Critic wise all the albums listed under duds have not recieved many good reviews. The top ten of the year however have recieved raving reviews from critics. MAY I ALSO POINT OUT, that Britney is the only pop/dance artist on the list, whish is deffinitely saying something for her credibility! :D
December 5, 200717 yr Author i love your new siggah tyler! Thanks! Sadly I have to admit that I didn't make this one!
December 5, 200717 yr Arctics album sucked, as did Kylie's. Britney's is fantastic though. Critics disagree with you. =/ http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/ar...rctic%20monkeys I loved it. Less commercial, but just as amazing as their first.
