Michael Andrews’ Top 10 Albums Worth a Damn and Your Dollar in ’08
1. Ry Cooder — I, Flathead (Nonesuch)
Does it have a song that makes you wanna cry? Yes. One that makes you wanna dance? Several. How’s about intertwining thematic elements that include the decline of country and western music, flirting with underground communism, and an unsatisfied traveling jones propelled by a well-worn Caddy with red interior? I, Flathead has all that and more, making it Cooder’s best “songwriter” album since the late ’70s.
2. Todd Snider — Peace Queer (MRI Associated)
3. Kings of Leon — Only by the Night (RCA)
4. Lucinda Williams — Little Honey (Lost Highway)
5. Randall Bramblett — Now It’s Tomorrow (New West)
6. Pavement — Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition (Matador)
7. Old Crow Medicine Show — Tennessee Pusher (Nettwerk)
8. Bob Dylan — Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Columbia/Legacy)
9. Loudon Wainwright III — Recovery (Yep Roc)
10. Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm — 2 Man Wrecking Crew (Delta Groove)
Michael Andrews is freelance writer and regular music contributor based in Jasper, Ga. His collection of rock, country, and roots music is a teetering phenomenon
Next critic’s “Best of 2008″ list: Andrea Warner.
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