#1 - Rufus Wainwright - Want One
Wainwright's third album is the first true masterpiece I've heard in years. It lands not only atop this list but possibly the list of my favorite albums ever -- how exciting
to be able to say that about any work of art. Theatrical but intimate, rocking but delicate, emotionally raw but bright and witty; this CD aims for the stars and miraculously
never comes close to missing its mark.
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#2 - Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
What a shock to hear the masters of melancholy tearing through a collection of jaunty doo wop and new wave confections. Even more shocking is how much they
still sound like Belle & Sebastian -- delivering their trademark wit, infectious melodies and knack for masterful reinventions of the 3-minute pop song. One of the finest
albums in their impressive discography.
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#3 - Stew - Something Deeper Than These Changes
A wonderful new discovery (thanks Alex and NPR!). Comparisons to Elvis Costello, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Lyle Lovett are on target but
beside the point. Stew is a startling original, fully worthy of being listed alongside those great songwriters -- not just compared to them. I'm not sure who else could
elicit tears from a song narrated by a statue.
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#4 - John Mayer - Heavier Things
No sophomore slump for this boy wonder. Mayer switches to the electric guitar on his second album and delivers a collection every bit as catchy as his award-winning
debut but musically richer and more confident. These jazzy tunes evoke Sting at his least pretentious. Though it's annoying to share this talent with teeny-boppers,
I'm glad critics haven't held his fame against him.
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#5 - Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
Of all the songwriting duos battling for the title of modern-day Lennon and McCartney, I'll throw my hat in the ring with Adam Schlesinger and Chris Collingwood, the
wildly talented front men of Fountains of Wayne. Here they deliver their best album yet, with songs alternately hilarious and poignant, exploring the bittersweet
existentialism of suburban life.
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#6 - Guster - Keep it Together
This album was all the way up at #2 at one point. It contains some of the best melodies, vocals and performances I've heard in quite awhile. I realized as it started
slipping that many of the lyrics don't grab me the way those in the top five do. But this album is as pretty and enjoyable a thing as you can ask for on a lazy afternoon.
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#7 - Travis - 12 Memories
I'm happy to see that Travis and Coldplay have overshadowed Radiohead in the whiney Brit-pop genre -- they write actual songs, not ambient sound effect tracks. But I
digress. 12 Memories is a somber, effective album that never quite reaches the heights of their previous efforts but is often gorgeous nonetheless. It also
deserves credit for being political but not pedantic.
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#8 - Jewel - 0304
I've never been a big Jewel fan, so imagine my surprise when she finally won me over by apparently morphing into a Britney Spears clone. Far from the sell-out it's been
called by critics, 0304 is a smart and sunny collection of danceable pop gems that free Jewel from the earnestness bogging down her earlier work. It might be bubble gum,
but it's still good for you.
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#9 - Barenaked Ladies - Everything to Everyone
The Ladies have yet to match the combination of quirkiness and depth that makes their first three albums classics, and this album offers more of the same power
pop on display in their last two good-not-great efforts. Still, a handful of gems is more than you find on most albums and the best songs here are on par with their
finest work.
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