Albums 90 thru 81

90. Nas – “God Son” Soul Samples and Nas go together like bread and butter. He samples Beethoven’s “Für Elise” in the track, “I Can”, which is an empowering anthem for all ages. This album is an example of how Nas can be a rapper you can hear in a fun club atmosphere, while he’s also talking about real world issues at the same time.

Key Tracks – “I Can”, “Revolutionary Warfare”, “Get Down” and “Made You Look”

89. Elliot Smith - “From The Basement On The Hill” This is amazing song writing that reached critical acclaim only after his death. After listening to this last album made before his demise, it feels like he knew he was going to take his own life after finishing. Regardless, this album is just the taste of his entire catalog.

Key Tracks – “A Fond Farewell”, “Coast To Coast” and “King’s Crossing”

88. Sufjan Stevens – “Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State” If you have never heard this artist, this is a great place to start. His arrangements make the music feel alive. His vocals are soft which makes for great contrast to the intense instrumentals. This album came out in 2003 but with songs like, “Detroit, Lift Up Your Heads! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)”, sure fit the economic land shape of 2009.

Key Tracks - “All Good Naysayer, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!”, “Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)” and “For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti

87. The Coup - “Party Music” This is totally on the radical side of Hip-Hop. With a song called “5 Million Ways To Kill A CEO” you can tell they’re a little pissed off at the Man, but the reason I like this album is because of the sound. It is a perfect west coast, bay area album. Think of the funk beat you would hear on an old “Too Short” album. If you ever want to see the most foretelling album cover, google “The Coup Party Music original albums cover”. It got pulled before it went on sale in late 2001, which is all I am going to say, so check it out!

Key Tracks – “5 Million Ways To Kill A CEO”, “Ghetto Manifesto” and “Tight”

86. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – “It’s Blitz” The third album from this Alt-rock group finally gave them a radio hit with, “Zero”. I like it when great bands make it to the main stream because that means less time on the radio for crappy music. (*editor’s note: Creeping synths mixed with haunting vocals create the perfect sound for a truly epic album. The song’s lyrics are easy to relate to, but are presented in a way that forces you to think. This is going in my personal top 10 for sure.)

Key Tracks – “Heads Will Roll”, “Zero” and “Hysteric”

85. John Mayer – “Continuum” John Mayer is one of those artists that you either love or hate. The thing that I like about him and this album is his song writing. “Waiting For The World To Change” is a song that comes around not very often and was a statement for our times. It’s a lot like, but not on the same level as Bob Dylan’s, “Times They Are A-Changin’”. I’m sure Dylan inspired Mayer.

Key Track – “Waiting For The World To Change”, “The Heart Of Life” and “Belief”

84. The Beastie Boys - “To The 5 Boroughs” After the Beasties blow us all away with their rock sound in the 90’s, they came back with this all hip-hop album. The beats and the rhymes reaffirmed to me that these guy are hip-hop.




Key Tracks – “Che-Check It Out”, “3 The Hard Way” and “An Open Letter To NYC”

83. Bon Iver – “From Emma, Forever Ago” Where do I start? This is a sad album, but so soulful. “Skinny Lover” is a track you could just listen to over and over again. The album was written by Justin Vernon supposedly after a break-up of his band, his girlfriend and while he was fighting a sickness. The writing took place in this fathers cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. Crazy stories make for great music.

Key Tracks – “Skinny Love”, “Flume” and “For Emma”

82. Tegan and Sara – “So Jealous” I will never forget the first time hearing these twin sisters. I was standing duty on my ship and I just took over the watch at midnight and it was going to be a long night. I turned on the tv to Late Night with Conan O’Brian and they were the musical guest. After they played “Walking With A Ghost” I was blown away. The simple cord and the catchy hook are everything a great pop song needs!

Key Tracks – “Walking With A Ghost”, “So Jealous” and “Where Does The Good Go”

81. Mos Def – “The Ecstatic” Mos Def went somewhere new with this album and you can tell when you hear him include rock and roll samples along with flavors from the middle east and around the world. It’s very original, but what else would you expect from one of the greatest artist from the last 15 years? The Ecstatic is Def’s best album since his first. Last night I caught him on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon while he performed “History” alongside Talib Kwali and the girls from The Dirty Projectors with The Roots Backing them. It was Amazing.

Key Tracks – “Casa Bay”, “History” and “Priority”