Music for Grownups: Top Albums of 2008

By: Richard Gehr | Source: AARP.org | 2008-12-18

To paraphrase a popular expression from the '60s: Music will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no music. Coincidentally, it's also been four decades since so much popular music has alluded to current events, for better or worse. And if you need any help coping with these all-too-interesting times, the 10 finest albums of 2008 are great places to look for it. 

1. David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"
The year's best album is an unexpectedly optimistic blend of what former Talking Heads front man David Byrne characterizes as "simple, heartfelt" tunes and what British music producer and musician Brian Eno refers to as "electric gospel." Their gorgeous and uplifting anthems offer an uplifting antidote for uncertain times.

2. Dr. John and the Lower 911, "City That Care Forgot"
The gravelly voiced R-and-B singer and rollicking pianist Mac Rebennack, aka Dr. John, doesn't reside in New Orleans anymore. But you wouldn't know it from the exuberance with which he serenades the Crescent City on quite possibly the funkiest protest album since Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On."

3. Gustavo Dudamel Conducting the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, "Fiesta"
The Los Angeles Philharmonic's upcoming conductor is a 27-year-old genius with a knack for transforming classical music into a festival. He leads an amazing group of young Venezuelan musicians through the often-ecstatic, dance-inspired work of eight Latin American composers here along with Leonard Bernstein's "Mambo" from "West Side Story."

4. Randy Newman, "Harps and Angels"
The laid-back Los Angeleno's conversational drawl and New Orleans-inspired piano style lend a casual intimacy to the acerbic and often hilarious material on "Harps and Angels," Newman's first album of new songs in nine years. The Bush administration and pushy Korean parents both find themselves on the receiving end of Newman's acid wit, although his sentimental streak shines through in songs such as "Losing You."

5. Carla Bley, "Appearing Nightly"/Paul Shapiro, "Essen"
"Food and the places people consume it" inspired the year's tastiest and wittiest jazz albums. Pianist Carla Bley whips her Remarkable Big Band through "Greasy Gravy," "Awful Coffee," and other not-so-nourishing numbers. Meanwhile, saxophonist Paul Shapiro and his quintet recapture a long-ago era when jazz and Yiddish music blended into a zany kind of swing in which shtick meets sizzle.

6. Irma Thomas, "Simply Grand"
A dozen dazzling keyboardists--including Henry Butler, Dr. John, and Randy Newman--join the sixtysomething queen of New Orleans rhythm and blues on an album celebrating the instrument that has long been at the heart of the Crescent City sound. Thomas's version of John Fogerty's "River Is Waiting" is just one of several emotional tracks alluding to Katrina and its aftermath.

7. Brad Paisley, "Play"
The country star pulls out all the stops on this rollicking, gleeful, and mostly wordless tribute to the joys of lickety-split guitar fireworks. Highlights include the country-surf hybrid "Turf's Up" and a solo acoustic version of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." The album's few vocal tracks also celebrate the fretman's trade with the help of guests such as B.B. King and Keith Urban.

8. Drive-By Truckers, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark"
The eighth album by this powerful country-rock outfit from Georgia offers a hard-hitting, documentary-length glimpse of tough Southern life. Tracks such as "You and Your Crystal Meth," "That Man I Shot," and "Daddy Needs a Drink" describe a milieu as decadent as the Stones' "Exile on Main Street," yet are as unflinchingly humane as Springsteen's "The River."

9. Peggy Lee, "The Lost '40s & '50s Capitol Masters"
It's easy to forget how versatile the "girl singer" in Benny Goodman's band could be. The 39 songs appearing here on CD for the first time, however, reveal why Ms. Lee was such an influential artist, whether singing the blues, ballads, or the gospel-tinged novelty tune "Love Ye."

10. The Donkeys, "Living on the Other Side"
Warmed up to laid-back perfection in their local roadhouse, the Donkeys in their second album owe a lot to the '60s country-rock sounds of Neil Young, Poco, and Gram Parson's Byrds. This time around, though, the cozy harmonies and taciturn riffs of this young group from Southern California are accompanied by a sly, slacker sense of humor.