Scott B. Bomar's 20 Favorite Albums of 2004 + 5 Reissues of Note

Here are my 20 favorite albums of 2004, including brief reviews/summaries for each. I also included a few key reissue projects that are well worth mentioning.



1.  Norah Jones - Feels Like Home

Along with a billion other people I think Norah Jones is one of the best things that’s happened to music in the last ten years.  This album includes more of the trademark laid back jazzy pop of her already-classic debut, but also features a slightly more country-tinged flavor.  There’s even a duet with Dolly Parton that doesn’t completely fit but is fun nonetheless.  Of course Norah Jones could sing the phone book and I’d listen, so picking Feels Like Home as my top choice of 2004 is a no-brainer.

2.  Buddy Miller - The Universal United House of Prayer

Buddy Miller is one of the best rough-around-the-edges country soul singers on the planet.  His guitar work is pretty amazing, too.  This CD is a little different from his typical stuff but no less excellent.  It’s actually a gospel album with a few interesting twists (such as a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1964 satirical protest song “With God on Our Side” that sounds as fresh and relevant as ever in the contemporary political climate).  Despite the spiritual content The Universal United House of Prayer is not on a gospel record label.  In fact, its real-life intensity might even be a turn-off for some gospel fans who prefer the vanilla stuff that seems to sell well in Christian bookstores.  No matter your spiritual interests (or lack thereof) the honest, rootsy organic groove of this record (no to mention the killer black gospel background vocals of sisters Regina and Ann McCrary) will make a Buddy Miller convert out of you.   

3.  Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

It kind of bugs me when an aging country star is “discovered” by a hip rock artist or producer and is suddenly re-baptized as the new icon of cool by Rolling Stone or whoever else declares what’s cool (i.e. the Johnny Cash phenomenon).  I already thought Loretta Lynn was pretty cool before Jack White (from the White Stripes) “found” her and produced this record.  As I feared, some of it is a little too out there for Loretta (think the Coal Miner’s Daughter fronting Led Zepplin on a couple of the tracks) and the backing band’s charming garage-y rough-around the edges quality sometimes veers a bit far into distracting sloppiness.  Over all, though, it’s a very cool collection.  Loretta wrote every song on it (which I think might be a first) and a few of them (“Family Tree,” “High on a Mountain Top” and “Miss Being Mrs.”) are absolutely great additions to her classic country canon.  I gotta applaud her for taking big musical risks late in her career.  With accolades, critical attention, record sales  and Grammy’s  the best part is that another generation is being introduced to a great pioneer of country music.  I hate to say it, but thanks, Jack White.

4.  Todd Snider - East Nashville Skyline

This guy is one of the best (and most underrated) songwriters around.  His compositions are often hilarious and frequently poignant little snapshots of the realities of people’s lives.  He’s especially skilled at being thoughtful, penetrating and funny at the same time (without coming off as “cute.”).  It’s hard to describe his laid back part-country part-rock part-folk troubadour style, but his razor sharp wit and clever, articulate observations make him the most insightful self-described hippy around.  Although I love all his stuff, this is probably one of his consistently best studio album in several years. 

5.  Gretchen Wilson - Here For The Party

I love this album as much for what it represents as for what it actually is.  Gretchen Wilson is a gritty, rude redneck honky-tonk girl who brings a much-needed edge back to country radio.  Sure Faith and Shania are great singers, but are they country singers?  Gretchen Wilson is the real deal – a trailer park princess who actually dips snuff and proudly waves the hillbilly banner.  Her voice, image and attitude just seem to embody that elusive “real” country spirit.  I hope her success will usher in a renewed era of classic sounding rip-your-heart out country songs like “When I Think About Cheatin’.”  This CD’s well worth it for that track alone.

6.    Tift Merritt - Tambourine

One of my favorite albums of all time is the Black Crowes' 1990 debut Shake Your Money Maker.  That record (along with some great Jayhawks albums) was produced by the wonderful George Drakoulias, who also worked on this CD.  Tift Merritt’s 2002 debut was a much-hyped rootsy alt-country effort that I always felt like I was supposed to enjoy more than I actually did.  With Tambourine, however, the North Carolina native veers in a different direction with some strong guitar driven blue-eyed soul that feels great.  Her voice is stronger (and more soulful) than before, the tracks are edgier and there’s some cool elements (horns, etc.) that make for a more interesting sound.  Good stuff.

7.  Various Artists - Night Train To Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues

This album, released in connection with the 2004 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s exhibition of the same name, pulls together the best in Nashville-based R&B from 1945-1970.  Obviously Nashville rose to prominence as the country music capital of the world during this era so it’s nice to learn more about the historical role of black music in my Tennessee hometown.  Although there are a few familiar names on this two disc collection (Etta James, Joe Tex, Ruth Brown, Arthur Alexander, etc.) it’s primarily one of those “best music you’ve never heard” kind of deals.  Nashville was certainly no Memphis, Chicago or Detroit, but Music City certainly made some significant contributions to R&B.  It would be pretty hard to claim this is a new album of 2004, but several of these tracks have never been released on CD before.  Fun to listen to AND educational.

8.  Mindy Smith - One Moment More

The debut record from this alternative country critical darling actually lives up to the hype.  The original songs are well crafted but have an emotionally raw immediacy that is much more compelling than the pop fluff on country radio.  I really like the acoustic-based earthy vibe and have fully accepted this CD into my personal canon of airplane music (music I like to listen to while flying because flying makes me jittery and I need something to calm the soul – i.e. The Dixie Chicks’ Home, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me and Kelly Willis’ Easy).

9.  Wilco - A Ghost Is Born

It’s not too cool among the musical elite to prefer Wilco’s earliest albums (Being There and A.M.) because they’re not as wildly experimental.  They are, however, great for repeated listening, so I confess that I love the early stuff.  In fact, I love it so much I keep buying their subsequent, increasingly experimental albums even though they bear little resemblance to the Wilco of old.  While it’s a sonically fascinating experience to hear A Ghost is Born it’s not a record that’s going to make it into heavy rotation in my car’s CD player.  Nevertheless, Wilco continues to break barriers and try new things, and I applaud them for that.  I think they’re an important band and it’s great that they’re somewhat unpredictable.  More importantly, they continue to be interesting and it’s hard for a lot of bands to pull that off over the long haul.  This ain’t a roll-down-the-windows kind of album, but it is engaging.

10.  Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

This much-acclaimed Scottish four-piece plays some great guitar-driven slightly punky pop rock that just feels good.  They sort of remind of me of The Strokes in some ways, but are a bit more polished and have a hint of 80’s revivalism that’s actually……appealing.  Unlike Wilco, this is great roll-down-the-windows music.

11.  Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts...Now

I’ve always been a big fan of Steve Earle’s songwriting. Being highly politically outspoken, Earle rushed this album out just before the 2004 election as a hyper timely commentary on Iraq and the state of the world.  Two songs that sit right in the middle of the record are somewhat distracting:  “F the CC” (where we find out exactly what Steve thinks of the FCC the FBI and the CIA) and “Condi Condi” (an admittedly catchy, although inane, reggae flavored song about Condoleezza Rice).  These two tracks are unfortunately fairly silly and would be pretty easy for conservatives to hate, or at least dismiss (i.e. “Michael Moore Syndrome” – a guy with some worthwhile questions and agendas whose theatrics make it pretty simple for the “other side” to not take him seriously).  The majority of the other selections on The Revolution Starts…Now, however, aren’t as heavy-handed in their effort to bring Earle’s left wing political ideology to life.  He’s a masterful storyteller and his subtle way of humanizing political concepts is probably much more effective at fostering dialog than the more in-your-face approach of the two aforementioned tracks.  This 2004 album was so timely that it already sounds dated in some ways.  Nevertheless, it won for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the Grammys, and it certainly deserves a fair listen. 

12.  Velvet Revolver – Contraband

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Velvet Revolver is made up of most of the former members of Guns n’ Roses plus Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots and some other guy.  I loved Guns n’ Roses in the 80’s (Appetite for Destruction still stands up as a great hard rock record) and I always liked Stone Temple Pilots during my high school grunge years.  I guess this album plays right into my rock n’ roll nostalgia (which, if I were to take the cynical view, I might imagine is what some scheming record label A&R guys were thinking when they put this group together).  Most of the tracks are anchored by Slash’s fat arena rock guitar riffs.  There are, however, plenty of forward-looking, edgy (and even semi-dangerous) moments that signify that Velvet Revolver is not just a revival group (although they do make me want to wear ripped jeans).  What can I say?  Awesome.

13.  U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

In many ways this effort is pretty much in the same vein as the excellent All That You Can’t Leave Behind from a couple years back.  The songs are strong and the band, after twenty-five years, is still very relevant.  U2 are at their best when Daniel Lanois is producing (The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind).  Unfortunately Lanois sits this album out, but legendary British pop producer Steve Lillywhite (who did U2’s first three albums; Boy, October, and War - and added a lot of his mixing skills to the later records) does an adequate job.  As such, it’s not quite as good as their previous album, but it still stands out as one of their best in the last decade.  That’s a pretty good accomplishment for a group that’s slated to be inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame this year.  They’re definitely not ready to be put on the shelf just yet.  

14.  Patty Griffin - Impossible Dream

This is Patty Griffin’s fifth studio album (and only the fourth to actually be released) and, in my opinion, is her weakest.  Nevertheless, even the weakest album from a writer this absolutely incredible is still strong enough to make it on my “best of” list.  Patty’s achingly beautiful lyrics set a new standard for quality storytelling.  She’s probably best known for penning the Dixie Chicks tunes “Fly,” “Truth #2,” and “Top of the World” (the latter is included on this record).  If you haven’t heard Patty do her own stuff you’re missing a real treat.  I would recommend starting with the almost-perfect 1,000 Kisses, but all her stuff is high quality, and Impossible Dream, while a little moodier in production style than some of her other material, certainly adds some nice additions to her wonderful body of songs.

15.  Kanye West – The College Dropout

My CD collection numbers into the multiple thousands and exactly fourteen of them are rap or hip hop.  I’m no expert on the genre but this record was nominated for so many Grammys I figured I had a social obligation to check it out.  Turns out it’s fairly interesting.  The tracks are richly produced and the samples are used in pretty engaging ways.  The beats don’t all sound like the same old stuff, and Kanye’s commentaries are often wickedly funny.  There’s a notable spiritual strand woven throughout the record.  “Jesus Walks,” for example, is probably one of the best (and rawest) gospel songs I’ve ever heard.  Funny that it takes a record with the “Parental Advisory” sticker to hear some blunt spiritual truth.  Interesting stuff.

16.  Kasey Chambers - Wayward Angel

There seems to be a theme developing on my list this year of great artists putting out strong albums that aren’t quite their best.  The same could be said of Wayward Angel.  I love Kasey Chambers for her unique voice (part sweet and fragile, part powerhouse) and her sensitive lyrics.  This Australian superstar is one of the best young rootsy performers, and I don’t think she’s really capable of putting out a bad album.  I still prefer her previous efforts - The Captain and Barricades and Brickwalls - but for fans of this kind of music there’ll be no disappointment here.

17.  Prince - Musicology

This past summer Prince did an arena tour in which every ticket holder received a copy of Musicology on the way into the show.  Here’s what ingenious about this arrangement: Since the price of the disc was included in the ticket price each person who received a copy technically bought it.  So, guess what?  Prince’s record sales were through the roof – a great marketing strategy whose inventiveness alone warrants the appearance of Musicology on this “best of” list.  I attended the Los Angeles show (which was indescribably jaw-dropping in terms of musical prowess) and thus received my “free” (or already paid for) copy.  The great news is that Musicology is by far the best album that The Purple One (a term which music writers use with as much annoying frequency as the term "plied with wine" whenever they write about the allegations against Michael Jackson - but I digress) has released in at least fifteen years.  It’s old school funky with some dazzling players and great R&B hooks.  I know Prince never technically went away but this feels like a triumphant return to his glory days.  Now that he’s a devout Jehovah’s Witness he’s toned down the raciness a bit, but this record still has that classic Prince fusion of the sacred and the sensual. 

18.  Brian Wilson - Smile

Rock lore has it that The Beatles inspired Brian Wilson to push musical boundaries with The Beach Boys’ 1966 classic Pet Sounds.  That record, in turn, ultimately inspired Paul McCartney to take the Beatles to the next level with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Wilson and The Beach Boys' follow-up to Pet Sounds was to be Smile, a rumored masterpiece initially slated for release in January of 1967.  Four decades later Wilson has finally released what is undoubtedly the most anticipated record in rock history.  None of the old tracks were used, though some were recreated and others were newly conceived.  Wilson, who’s highly troubled personal life has been much publicized, has always been an inventive composer and producer.  This record is significant for obvious reasons and it’s nice to see Brian Wilson triumphant at this stage of his career.

19.  Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man

This nice collection of songs has an almost live immediacy as it explores a range of American music from rock to blues to soul to country.  Costello is a prolific talent and has probably released around twenty-five albums.  This isn’t his best, but it certainly captures some of the raw energy of his earlier work that made him so endearing in the first place.  It took me a few listens to really get into it, but this is ultimately a very good record.  

20.  Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company

The term “genius” is thrown around way too loosely in the musical world.  Ray Charles, however, actually probably was one.  I emphasize was.  Not for the obvious reason that he passed away in 2004 (making this his final album) but because I don’t think he really did much after the early to mid 1970s that would be considered stellar.  In his early years Ray was capable of unbelievably raw and inventive soul music.  To be honest, though, he was also capable of putting out some sickeningly sweet string-burdened schmaltz.  This album of duets hints at the genius (the duet “Heaven Help Us All” with Gladys Knight) but also reminds us of the blandness (“It Was a Very Good Year” with Willie Nelson).  At times his voice betrays his failing health but shining moments (such as with Van Morrison on “Crazy Love”) remind me why we love Ray Charles.  It’s certainly not his most important album by a long shot, but because it’s our chance to say goodbye to Ray Charles, it’s certainly notable as an important disc for 2004.

Bonus – 5 Collections / Reissues of Note Released in 2004

1.  George Jones - 50 Years Of Hits

George Jones is one of the greatest, if not the greatest country singer ever.  This is a wonderful career retrospective of a true living legend.  Even the artwork is tastefully done, which means a lot in a genre that is often its own worst enemy in the image department.  If you’re a die hard Jones fan you’ve already got most of this stuff, but if you’re just getting into him, this is all you’ll need to give you a complete picture of this larger-than-life musical icon.

2.  The Beatles – The Capitol Albums, Vol. 1

When the Beatles’ stuff was first released on CD in the 1980s it appeared in its original British format.  That meant different track listings, album titles, and artwork than what U.S. fans grew up with.  This collection features the American versions of those early records - Meet the Beatles, The Beatles Second Album, Something New, and Beatles '65.  Presented here are both the stereo and mono mixes (originally only the mono was available on CD) and includes hits like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You,” which were left off the previously released British versions.  Hear it the way you (or your parents – or grandparents?) heard it the first time!

3.  Bobbie Gentry – Chickasaw County Child: The Artistry of Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry was one of the first female artists to blend country, blues, rock, soul and folk into that swampy Southern gothic sound that later came to be known as “Americana.”  Then she wrapped it all in lush pop orchestrations that defy categorization.  Although primarily known for her 1967 single “Ode to Billie Joe,” Gentry is worth re-discovering for her smoky-voiced genre bending style.  She was a great (and sometimes unusual) songwriter who released only five albums before disappearing from public life in the late 1970s.  If you like Dusty Springfield you’ll hear echoes of her (and so much more) in this forgotten trailblazing female artist.  It’s time for the world to remember the great Bobbie Gentry!

4.  Earl Scruggs – The Essential Earl Scruggs     

His rolling “three-finger style” of banjo picking has solidified Earl Scruggs’ place in history as the godfather of bluegrass banjo.   This two disc collection includes recordings from his stint in Bill Monroe’s mid-1940’s era Bluegrass Boys, plus songs with fellow former Bluegrass Boy Lester Flatt (with whom he made up half of the wildly popular Flatt & Scruggs), as well as a few representative experimental recordings he made after parting ways with Flatt in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  This is a great overview of Scruggs’ career.  It won’t satisfy die hard fans, but it will give the average listener a great introduction to this bluegrass legend (and the development of the bluegrass genre).

5.  The Clash – London Calling (Legacy Edition)

Rolling Stone magazine once named The Clash’s 1979 London Calling the best album of all time.  I don’t know about that, but it is really, really good.  This re-release (how many times is this album going to be repackaged?) includes three discs:  The original record, a bonus disc called The Vanilla Tapes and a DVD entitled The Last Testament that is a less than hard-hitting documentary with mildly interesting footage.  Disc one (the original remastered album) is excellent.  The Clash were much more than a punk band, covering territory from pop to jazz to reggae - and this album captures their raw energy at its peak.  The Vanilla Tapes is a collection of poor sounding demos that will only appeal to Clash fanatics (who probably already have these recordings in bootleg form) and those who are interested in hearing the nitty-gritty of the creative recording process.  It’s definitely not something you’d put on the stereo to chill out to.  If you don’t already have this record you’ll probably just want to buy the remastered single disc version.