Brown Brothers Top Long Players of '04 12/24/04

Wilco "a ghost is born" - No unifying theme this
time, just an albumful of great songs and inspired
production.
James Carter "Live at Baker's Keyboard Lounge" - He
does live what 10 sax players would need weeks in a
studio to achieve.
Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose" - Jack White rocks the
country.
Laura Veirs "Carbon Glacier" - Spooky and tight at
the same time. A true left-field gem.
Kathryn Williams "Relations" - One of the best
writers working today covers some familiar and some
obscure songs. Sublime stuff from England's quiet
queen.
Pavement "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" - If they
re-issue it again in 2014 it will be on that year's
list too.
Fabolous "Real Talk" - The best of a weak year for
gangstas.
Bob Dylan "Bootleg Series, Volume 6, Halloween
1964" - 'I've got my Bob Dylan mask on. I'm
masquerading.' No Bob, that was the real thing.
Jerry Garcia Band "Live at Kean College, 2/28/80" -
The wizened one in peak form. For every jagoff who
thinks Jerry's music is for hopheads, name us a more
liquid guitar player.
Jill Scott "Beautifully Human; Words and Sounds
Volume II" - The best record no one talked about by a
formerly popular (critics and fans) singer.
Kanye West "College Dropout" - Not exactly the Albert
Einstein of rap like he's being portrayed, but this
record contained some of the wittiest rhymes, if no
innovative beats, of the year, perhaps only bettered
in its rhyming by . . .
Mark Lanegan "Bubblegum" - Lanegan does it again. The man is a grunge survivor that continues to deliver some of the most soulful and passionate music of this generation.
Eminem "Encore" - Ok, he's a one trick pony, but oh
that one trick. His rhymes are still amusing, even if
we are sick of his faux-nihilistic point of view.