Top Ten CDs of 2007

by Rob Johnson
1. What Happened To Television? - the Greyboy Allstars
2. Bad Blood in the City - James "Blood" Ulmer
3. The Conch - moe.
4. Country Ghetto - JJ Grey and Mofro
5. It's Life - George Porter Jr.
6. New Monsoon V - New Monsoon
7. Do Your Thing - Papa Mali
8. LIVELOVEDIE - Perpetual Groove
9. Lunar Orbit - Karl Denson Trio
10. Live at Jazz Fest - the Allman Brothers Band

One of the reasons I wanted to do this list is because, for the first time in recent memory, there are actually ten CDs worth mentioning at the end of the year. I've been as grouchy about the current state of music as anybody over the past few years, but there was a lot of great music out there in 2007. There were several quality discs that I left off this list, and any year that produces a dozen CDs worth listening to over and over again can't be all bad. Let's go through it one by one, shall we?

1. What Happened To Television? - For someone like me who worships at the altar of old-school funk music, this CD was nothing less than a gift from the gods. It's like some great lost Meters record fell through a time warp from 1972. Tight, soulful funk grooves with just a touch of jazz sensibility to keep it loose and interesting. Although the band is well-balanced and worthy of the Allstar name, Karl Denson is out front on sax and vocals most of the time, and he delivers James Brown-level soul power. "Knowledge Room" alone is reason enough to own this recording. Drummer Zak Najor gives a clinic in Funky Backbeat 101, Robert Walter lays down a solid foundation of organ, guitarist Elgin Park and bassist Chris Stillwell lock in together, and Karl's flute floats over it all.

2. Bad Blood In The City - A blues concept record about Hurricane Katrina is an idea that is rich in possibilities, and New Orleans resident James Ulmer does everything right on this remarkable CD. Originals like "Katrina" and "Survivors of the Hurricane" ring with righteous anger, and well chosen covers like "Commit a Crime" put these blues classics in a completely different context. After half an album of savage criticism of George Bush's handling of Katrina, "Dead Presidents" takes on a chilling undertone. John Lee Hooker's "This Land Is No One's Land" is another standard that seems to resonate with new meaning. The buzzsaw guitar and heartbroken vocals of Ulmer are center stage throughout the disc, and he gives a bone-chilling performance that shows just how real the blues can get. For my money, the best blues record of the decade so far.

3. The Conch - moe. has always existed around the fringes of the jamband movement, highly regarded as a group, but never seriously considered a threat to scene heavyweights like Widespread Panic and Phish. With this disc, they broke through to a new level, and can now be taken as serious contenders for the jamband crown. "Wind It Up" and "Blue Jeans Pizza" are two examples of how their songwriting skill has caught up with their jamming ability, and the sublime acoustic piece "McIntyre Range" shows that the band has acquired maturity with age. Even so, the demonic "The Pit" proves moe. can still rock out with the best of them. A major step forward, solidified with the excellent Sticks and Stones, the new CD the band recorded in a New England church. (See the next issue of Hittin' the Note for more details.)

4. Country Ghetto - Hittin' the Note has always had a soft spot for the Southern fried funk-blues of Mofro, and their most recent disc is their best yet by far. JJ Grey's soulful vocals are out front where they belong, and as JJ explained to HTN in a recent interview, he has always wanted a Stax-style horn section, and now he's got one. The title song and "War" are bound to stir up controversy due to their subject matter, but there is nothing controversial about feel good jams like "Mississippi" and the scorched-earth slow burn of "Turpentine."

5. New Monsoon V - It's a question I ask myself all the time - why aren't these guys the biggest thing in the jamband world? Their latest disc doesn't capture their live power fully, but it's packed with great-sounding versions of classic tunes like "Rattlesnake Ride" and "Alaska." The band's strength has always been their instrumentals, and this record packs two great ones, the banjo-driven, uptempo "Romp" and the very Dickey Betts-flavored "Song For Marie." The combo of electric guitarist Jeff Miller and acoustic guitarist and banjo picker Bo Carper is a unique and powerful one, and they create beautiful music together on this disc.

6. Do Your Thing - This CD saw some very-limited release at the end of 2006, but for all intents and purposes, it counts towards the best year in recent music history. If you had told me in January that I would hear five better discs than this in 2007, I would have been deeply skeptical. Papa Mali has become one of the premier ambassadors of New Orleans music, and tunes like the Mardi Gras Indian staple "Early In the Morning" and a requiem for a street preacher called "Little Moses" could only come from the Crescent City. Don't be surprised if you hear hints of NOLA artists from Dr. John to the Meters here, and when Mali whips out the slide, it will remind you of Derek Trucks or Duane Allman. Even so, as the title indicates, it never seems like Papa is a copycat, and he is definitely doing his own thing.

7. It's Life - George Porter is the funkiest bassist on Earth - this much we already knew. On this disc, he makes a solid effort at being the most soulful vocalist around, and he succeeds more often than not. That's not to say there isn't plenty of woofer-shaking bass mastery on this disc, but the focus is more on tightly arranged horn parts, bluesy vocals, and some of George's best original songwriting. The covers are well-chosen and fit well, and this version of Curtis Mayfield's "Here But I'm Gone" is particularly powerful.

8. LIVELOVEDIE - Perpetual Groove is an interesting group, one that sometimes seems to be going in two directions at once. Like many young jambands, they have a strong techno influence, one shown here on songs like "Crapshoot." On the other hand, they have an emotional side to them, reminiscent of more singer/songwriter oriented music. When Brock Butler sings, "You live, you love, you die/Some things in life will never go your way" he shows a reflective side that is rare in such a young man. At the same time, the sheer body-slamming power of "Speed Queen" doesn't need any words to get its message across.

9. Lunar Orbit - Karl Denson is the only artist with two discs on this list, and, simply put, he deserves to be. With each passing year, Karl cements his reputation as one of the purest and hardest-working artists in the music world. This trio record showed a more jazzy side to Denson, and the title track was some of the most avant-garde music he's ever been associated with. Even so, he can't help blowing some hot funk licks on the best-named song of the year, "Ghetto Fireworks."

10. Live at Jazz Fest - I know, I know, I can hear the objections already. It wasn't a proper commercial release, it wasn't even necessarily the best Allmans show of 2007, etc. However, this was the most widely-released ABB performance in years, and as such represents a significant addition to their discography. This two-disc set showed the band playing in front of one of the largest crowds they have played for in recent memory, and to say they rose to the occasion would be an understatement. These versions of "Jessica" and "Desdemona" take a back seat to nobody, with Chuck Leavell adding keyboards to the former, as well as to a great version of "The Weight" with Susan Tedeschi. The gushing comments from Jazz Fest honcho Quint Davis say it all: "Undefeated, and still the heavyweight champion of the world, the Allman Brothers Band."

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