2006 IN REVIEW
NICK'S TOP FIVE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Lostprophets
Liberation Transmission
(Columbia)
This Transmission keeps the momentum, retaining most of its predecessor's depth in an even catchier way ("Rooftops" and "Heaven for the Weather, Hell for the Company"), and is a complete work from top to bottom.
Don't overlook this special act — if this business was fair, most other "album of the year" lists sure wouldn't.
Mew
And the Glass Handed Kites
(Columbia)
Some artists make albums that are a simple collection of songs; some create lavish lyrical concepts. But the quartet Mew, with its new masterpiece And the Glass Handed Kites, has created a musical voyage that's ethereal, sparkling and powerful.
We Are Scientists
With Love and Squalor
(Virgin)
For a band that describes its sound as "advanced high-level sectional articulation," you know you're going to get something interesting — and you get just that on With Love and Squalor, the debut by crafty rock trio We Are Scientists. This experiment truly worked perfectly.
OSI
Free
(Inside Out)
The strategy was brilliant on OSI's 2003 debut, a hard prog-rock style that dazzled with ambiance instead of flash. Free sees the Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos chemistry churning again with even stronger songs. "Free," "Sure You Will" and "Better" are triumphant, carrying the band's best aspect — the contradictive blend of striking guitars with Moore's deadpan. Awesome!
Winger
IV
(Shrapnel)
The comeback record from a reformed Winger shows just how underrated and musically misunderstood this act was during its early '90's heyday. Anthems such as "Right Up Ahead" and the moving single, "Blue Suede Shoes" lead an album similar in feel and style to the band's overlooked 1992 great Pull.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sparta
Threes
(Hollywood)
Secret Machines
Ten Silver Drops
(Reprise)
Paul Stanley
Live to Win
(UME)
Slayer
Christ Illusion
(American)
Nick Lachey
What's Left of Me
(Jive)
Wolfmother
Wolfmother
(Interscope)
Elton John
The Captain & the Kid
(Interscope)
Angels & Airwaves
We Don't Need to Whisper
(Roadrunner)
... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
So Divided
(Interscope)
Under the Influence of Giants
Under the Influence of Giants
(Island)
BEST REISSUE PACKAGE:BARRY MANILOW
I used to consider his music a guilty pleasure, something I'd hide in my Pearl Jam "Ten" case and croon along to on long drives — after my friends left the car, of course.
But with more years came the realization that there's nothing shameful about being a Barry Manilow fan.
His music has tons of integrity, especially his timeless hits, and was a big part of a generation that actually used to buy records and listen to them time and time again.
It's that caliber of Manilow fan who will rejoice at Sony Legacy's recent reissue campaign, remastering his first seven albums with bonus unreleased demos, outtakes and, of course, some of the most memorable music of the 1970s.
Included are 1973's Barry Manilow 1 (including the stunning "Could it Be Magic"), 1974's Barry Manilow II (featuring the infamous "Mandy"), Tryin' to Get the Feeling (1975), This One's For You (1976), Even Now (1978) and 1979's One Voice.
But the true highlight of this series is the Legacy Edition, two-disc treatment of 1977's Barry Manilow Live, which finally gets a full CD release true to the content of the original LP, but is also enhanced with eight extra songs, including a version of "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again."
He wrote the songs, so don't be ashamed — just enjoy!
GO
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