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Tuesday, January 16, 2007 Jim Connelly's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Monday, January 15, 2007 Jesse Steichen's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Friday, January 12, 2007 Bill Bentley's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Wednesday, January 10, 2007 Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Thursday, January 4, 2007 Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Anthony Carew's 13 Fave Albums Of 2006 Monday, March 27, 2006 SXSW 2006: Finding Some Hope In Austin Tuesday, February 28, 2006 Letter From New Orleans Saturday, February 18, 2006 Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums of 2005 Tuesday, January 31, 2006 Music For Dwindling Days: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2005 Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Sean Fennessey's 'Best-Of' 2005 Thursday, January 12, 2006 Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Albums Of 2005 Wednesday, January 11, 2006 Lee Templeton's Favorite Recordings of 2005 Thursday, January 5, 2006 Michael Lach - Old Soul Songs For A New World Order Wednesday, January 4, 2006 Found In Translation — Emme Stone's Year In Music 2005 Tuesday, January 3, 2006 Dave Allen's 'Best-Of' 2005 Monday, January 2, 2006 Steve Gozdecki's Favorite Albums Of 2005 Tuesday, December 20, 2005 Johnny Walker Black's Top 10 Of 2005 Monday, December 19, 2005 Neal Block's Favorite Recordings Of 2005 Thursday, December 15, 2005 Jenny Tatone's Year In Review Tuesday, December 13, 2005 Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2005 Monday, December 12, 2005 Jennifer Kelly's Fave Recordings Of 2005 Thursday, December 8, 2005 Tom Ridge's Favorite Recordings Of 2005 Tuesday, December 6, 2005 Ben Gook's Beloved Albums Of 2005 Monday, December 5, 2005 Anthony Carew's Fave Albums Of 2005 Thursday, November 10, 2005 Prince, Spoon And The Magic Of The Dead Stop Monday, September 12, 2005 The Truth About America Monday, September 5, 2005 Tryin' To Wash Us Away Monday, August 1, 2005 A Psyche-Folk Heat Wave In Western Massachusetts Monday, July 18, 2005 Soggy But Happy At Glastonbury 2005 Monday, April 4, 2005 The SXSW Experience, Part 3: All Together Now Friday, April 1, 2005 The SXSW Experience, Part 2: Dr. Dog's Happy Chords Thursday, March 31, 2005 The SXSW Experience, Part 1: Waiting, Waiting And More Waiting Friday, March 25, 2005 Final Day At SXSW's Charnel House Monday, March 21, 2005 Day Three At SXSW Saturday, March 19, 2005 Day Two In SXSW's Hall Of Mirrors Thursday, March 17, 2005 Report #1: SXSW 2005 And Its Hall Of Mirrors Monday, February 14, 2005 Matt Landry's Fave Recordings Of 2004 Wednesday, February 2, 2005 David Howie's 'Moments' From The Year 2004 Thursday, January 27, 2005 Lori Miller Barrett's Fave Recordings Of 2004 Thursday, January 20, 2005 Noah Bonaparte's Fave Recordings Of 2004 Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Kevin John's Fave Albums Of 2004 Friday, January 14, 2005 Music For Those Nights: Max Schaefer's Fave Recordings Of 2004 Thursday, January 13, 2005 Dave Renard's Fave Recordings Of 2004 Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Neal Block's Top Ten Of 2004 Tuesday, January 11, 2005 Jenny Tatone's Fave Albums Of 2004 Monday, January 10, 2005 Wayne Robins' Top Ten Of 2004 Friday, January 7, 2005 Brian Orloff's Fave Albums Of 2004 Thursday, January 6, 2005 Johnny Walker (Black)'s Top 10 Of 2004 Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Jennifer Przybylski's Fave Albums (And Book) Of 2004 Tuesday, January 4, 2005 Mark Mordue's Fave Albums Of 2004 Monday, January 3, 2005 Lee Templeton's Fave Recordings Of 2004

Friday, January 12, 2007 Bill Bentley's Favorite Recordings Of 2006 Neumu's Michael Goldberg writes: In case you're wondering why things slowed down to a crawl at Neumu last year, the answer, in a word (and in a web site), is MOG (www.mog.com). I've been spending most of my time working on MOG, the awesome music-focused social networking site, and Neumu has suffered (and if you haven't been there yet, check out my MOG: www.mog.com/Michael_Goldberg). Still, with 2006 over, I asked Neumu contributors and friends to share some of the albums that rocked their world. Today, music expert Bill Bentley provides us with his faves of last year. Bill Bentley writes: Always a fun exercise in frustration, choosing only 10 albums for a list like this calls for the knife. Leaving out worthy releases by Watermelon Slim & the Workers and James Hunter, plus Willie Nelson's touching tribute to songwriter Cindy Walker, Dion's blues bash and country killer James Hand, was hard, but that's life in the big city. Have fun. Joseph Arthur, Nuclear Daydream (Lonely Astronaut): This artist has been a critic's darling for many years, creating music that is as dense as it is addictive. On Nuclear Daydream, Joseph Arthur has opened the windows all the way, with songs that should appeal to a much wider audience. But even better, he's accomplished that without losing an ounce of originality, proving that accessibility doesn't have to come at the price of vision. Cat Power, The Greatest (Matador): It takes nerve to call yourself The Greatest, but it worked for Muhammad Ali, just like it does for Cat Power, AKA singer Chan Marshall. Recording with a few of Memphis' finest soul men on their home turf, Marshall zeros in on the sound of eternity, never blinking but always believing in redemption and the power of love. Jesse DeNatale, Soul Parade (Jackpine): If you love Steve Forbert or John Prine, this man is for you. Not that Jesse DeNatale sounds like either, because he doesn't, but he does have their poet's ear for words, capturing the up-and-down spirit of his San Francisco home with an eye for the ages. Easily the best lost album of the year. Brett Dennen, So Much More (Dualtone): No other release this year was a stronger surprise. Brett Dennen's debut came out in 2005, but remained a complete secret. That's OK, because it just made So Much More an even deeper delight. There is joy, heartbreak, life and death on these 10 songs, and you won't hear it done better anywhere else. By the end of next year, the whole world will know. Ali Farka Toure, Savane (Nonesuch): If Savane doesn't get your mojo working, it's time for a tune-up. Ali Farka Toure left the planet this year, but not before he completed the ultimate signoff set. This is music for the ages, made in the one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, and something we can savor forever. Stefon Harris, African Tarantella (Blue Note): Though it seems like contemporary jazz is in a holding pattern, that's not really right, because now that the entire history of the music is being reissued, it's not a fair fight to compare what's new with the tidal wave of old. Vibraphone heavyweight Stefon Harris has been a huge talent since first stepping onto the stage a decade ago, and his interpretations of two Duke Ellington suites, along with one original piece, are simply stunning. Bert Jansch, The Black Swan (Drag City): For too many years, it felt like true folk music had gone the way of the turntable, with very few artists focusing on the style. Leave it to one of the most intriguing of the lot to remind us how original it can be in the hands and heart of a master, and show the emerging folkedelic crowd just how it's done. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love): Jenny Lewis made her bones with the band Rilo Kiley, which is all well and good, but on this solo set Lewis proves she can stand apart and not give an inch. Her voice has the seductiveness of a woman all grown up, but she also keeps the shy wonder of a wide-eyed twentysomething. That's a treacherous combo, and with the Watson Twins adding their soulful voices in glorious harmony, Rabbit Fur Coat announces the arrival of a real star. Bo Ramsey, Stranger Blues (BRR): Blues is such personal expression it's a revelation when someone comes along with a whole new slant on that most elemental of sounds. Bo Ramsey usually stays behind the curtain, but lucky for us, he recently sent this message in a bottle that is a love letter to the blues. Between striking covers of the masters, an undercover instrumental of Elizabeth Cotten's "Freight Train” and an album ender, "Where the Sun Never Goes Down,” guaranteed to leave you breathless, we can only hope for a local appearance so this Iowan can demonstrate the deed done live. Silversun Pickups, Carnavas (Dangerbird): Turn up the guitar, crank the bass, tell the drummer to hit them harder and make the keyboard player add more amps, because there comes a time when only a loud rock band will get the job done. And it better be one with songs as fine as their sound, like the Silversun Pickups. The group's got it covered in aces on all fronts, and has burst through the marine layer to become Los Angeles' bright new hope. Here's betting they go all the way. The InsiderOne Daily Report appears on occasion.