That Vince Gill is pretty good. I know almost nothing about him,
although my wife is huge fan. I took her to see him when he played
Charlotte in November and was completely entertained for the entire 3+
hour show. Excellent musician and singer. Big Al (who is kind of
difficult to recognize as he's not so big anymore) is one of his
guitarists, so I could always fall back on just watching him if
necessary.

-----Original Message-----
From: audities-owner@smoe.org [mailto:audities-owner@smoe.org] On Behalf
Of Bill Douglas
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 3:13 PM
To: audities@smoe.org
Cc: mrhonorama@hotmail.com
Subject: For what it's worth...my Top 20 for 2006

Happy New Year, Auditeers!
 
 And without further ado, Bill's Top 20 Albums for the '06, with a
little bit o' commentary provided here and there because I felt like it:
 
 01. The Nines 'Calling Distance Stations'
 Pound for pound, no other album came close to matching this for
rotation on my stereo, from car to iPod to home, and it still sounds
fresh 40 plays later!
 
 02. L.E.O. 'Alpacas Orgling'
 Yeah, it's gooey slick...but that's the point. Pop maestros at the top
of their game givin' props to the legendary ELO. I can dig it...and I
did many times. Welcome back, Andy! Thanks, Bleu!
 
 03. Honeydogs 'Amygdala'
 This one came out late in the year and is for sure going to be one of
my faves in the '07 so I'm giving it its righteous due now. It's got a
different, more organically acoustic feel compared to their last two
outstanding albums, but the writing is top-notch and well worth the
investment. Now that XTC is done, they're my new favorite band.
 
 04. Sean Watkins 'Blinders On'
 I discovered Nickel Creek this past year, thanks to my friend Kerry
turning me onto the band's third (and, for now, last new studio)
release, 'How Does The Fire Die?' Along the way, I became aware of
guitarist Sean's new solo disc, who apparently has been listening to a
lot of pop music on the road with NC. This album...or statement...is a
sweet reflection of that. Jon Brion's on it, if that helps get you in
the mood.
 
 05. Paul Simon 'Surprise'
 Who would've thought that Paul Simon and Brian Eno would make an album
together? Not me, but upon hearing the songs 'Outrageous' and
'Beautiful', I'm glad they did.
 
 06. Neko Case 'Fox Confessor Brings The Flood'
 Great songs, amazing voice. Sold. 
 
 07. Beck 'The Information'
 The Jellyfish connection continues with funky bass supplied here and
there by Jason Falkner. Beck's SNL appearance was one of the coolest
things I've seen on that show in decades.
 
 08. Vince Gill 'These Days'
 I was tempted to list all 4 albums individually, it's that good. How
cool it was to learn that ex-NRBQ guitarist 'Big' Al Anderson is all
over this one. And then there's all the guest players...incredible all
the way around.
 
 09. KT Tunstall 'Eye To The Telescope'
 Lots of hooks. Solid.
 
 10. Chris Thile 'How To Grow A Woman From The Ground'
 Great neo-traditional bluegrass stuff!
 
 11. David Mead 'Tangerine'
 This time with pop producer Brad Jones onboard, Mead makes another
album of hummable tunes, including the infectious 'Chatterbox'.
 
 12. Josh Rouse 'Subtitulo'
 Great summer soundtrack. I used 'It Looks Like Love' quite a bit for my
various mixes.
 
 13. The Flaming Lips 'At War With The Mystics'
 Not my favorite of theirs, but a fun listen nonetheless.
 
 14. Snow Patrol 'Eyes Open'
 Fun for me. Fun for you? 
 
 15. Rosanne Cash 'Black Cadillac'
 Another artistic triumph for Rosanne borne from personal tragedy. 
 
 16. Elton John 'The Captain And The Kid'
 I got this the weekend my wife and I had our baby girl. A welcome
return to form from Elton and Bernie.
 
 17. Bob Dylan 'Modern Times'
 
 18. Tom Petty 'Highway Companion'
 
 19. Audioslave 'Revelations'
 
 20. My Chemical Romance 'The Black Parade'
 
 And what's any list like this without an honorable mention or two? For
me, I have to give props to The Beatles 'Love' release since I danced a
lot with my newborn daughter listening to it. Beyond that, I have to
give it up for Andy Partridge and the Fuzzy Warbles Box Set - the song
'Sonic Boom' is almost worth the price of admission alone, but there are
lots of other reasons to add this one to your collection (as if most of
you Auditeers reading this haven't already). And then there's the Tom
Waits box...ah, let's stop now while we're ahead.
 
 When all's said and done, your mileage may indeed vary...thanks for
compiling all this info, Mike B.
 
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