I have always been a music lover.  Over the past few years my hunger for surrounding myself with all kinds of music has become quite ravenous!  Whenever I am driving, writing, walking, cooking, drifting off to sleep I seem to always have music playing these days.  I love music that has feels honest and has something to say.  Here is what I am grooving on now...



10 - Leavetaking - Peter Bradley Adams 


From  his songs "The Longer I Run" to "Ohio"  I often feel like when I listen to Leavetaking that Mr. Adams has produced this album just for me.  I dig his voice (both singing and lyrical) a lot.  I love this album!  I have over listened to it over the past few months so it is about to exit my top ten list....



9 - Nakedsongs - Ashley Chambliss

Nakedsongs is packed full of beautiful songs that are sung hauntingly by Ashley Chambliss.  To be completly honest I am a sucker for emotive female singers who play the piano....but this collection of songs is among my favorite because of how different it sounds from other artists.  Chambliss sings each verse with such deep emotion and tenderness that I would be a chump-o not to include it!  Her song "Iron Hands" is my hands down favorite of all the songs she crafted for "Nakedsongs".



8 - Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live!


Meloy is brillant.  As the lead singer of The Decemberists I have always enjoyed his unique voice and style.  In this solo performance of quirky and catchy tunes we get to hear a musician who is at the peak of his game.  The best thing about the album is not his interesting songs, but rather, it is his stories and bantering with the audience.  We get to eavesdrop on a performer who is completly comfortable living in the skin of a rock star.  He is funny, engaging, and talented in a really different way.  Colin Meloy does not take himself seriously, but I do...


7-  Only By The Night - Kings of Leon


Normally I don't get hooked into bands that my local radio stations are trying to shove into my eardrums.  If it ain't country, Daughtry, or No Doubt then Cheyenne radio seemingly won't play it.  I was surprised when I started hearing some Kings on the airwaves.  I immediatly really enjoyed it.  The entire album of "Only By The Night" is a masterpiece.  One song flows so well into the next and they really are a unique sound.  I have listened to it more than nine times now and I have no even grown close to being disinterested yet...and that my friends I think is the proof of a good CD.


6- Jagged Little Pill Acoustic - Alannis Morrisette


This is a little old school to be sure.  But apparently it took me a while to figure out this CD existed.  I have always kind of dug on the music of Alanis M, but had never taken the plunge and bought anything by her.  I am a big a fan of getting acoustic albums of artists that have a very full sound.  I like hearing them stripped down to their voice and not mega-producded or tracked music.  I bought this one on a leap of faith that I would like it.  I loved it.  I heard all of her radio songs in a completly different way!  Morrisette's voice has many more tones to it than I had ever given credit to.  She has such a tenderness that I had never allowed myself to pay attention to before. 
 



 5 - Nightmares Are For Dreamers - Backseat Goodbye

Listening to anything by Backseat Goodbye can only be likened to hearing someone sing their diary.  That is what lead singer Chad Sugg does it seems with his songs.  It is just a stream of consciousness that sometimes has a chorus and sometimes does not need one.  The song you are listening to at the begining may or may not be the same song you are listening to at the end.  I am a big fan of those "broken rules" of music making.  His sound, voice, and lyrics are very very creative.  I have never heard anyone like him before.  "Nightmares Are For Dreamers" is a trip and probably not for everyone...but it is for me!


4 - Bon Iver - For Emma, Years Ago  - Bon Iver

Recorded in a cabin in the woods this album is right on top of my playlist.  This is another artist who sings which such conviction that you would buy anything he is singing.  The moodiness of his voice matches perfectly the arrangement of the songs, and while for most of the album I have no idea what he is talking about I really don't care. Bon Iver's song "Re: Stacks" could very well make my top 10 songs of the year.  I can loop that song over and over and never not want to hear it.  Would love to see Bon Iver in person!



3 - Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol

Another older CD that is still a mega-ultra-uber-goodie!  On my deathbed I have no doubt that "Open Your Eyes" will still be one of my favorite albums of all time.  This is a rare album where I cannot find one weak link in it.  There is not a song in this collection that I don't adore.  Each song blends into the next and hooks me in for the entire ride.  Of course "Chasing Cars" was overdone on the radio, but there are so many audio gems ripe for people to discover.  Snow Patrol is on my must see list! 


2 - Viva La Vida - Coldplay

I am uncertain why there is so much hate out there for Coldplay.  I can understand if it is not people's favorite kind of music, but I can't get why people wish so much ill upon them.  It's not like they are Creed or something.  Chris Martin and his band are interesting, and are always pushing the envelope with the kind of music they produce.  Yes they could have sat back and kept throwing out songs like "Yellow" and "Clocks, but they didn't.  They sought some Middle-Eastern influence and created what is one of the best albums in years.  The whole album contains such a variety of sounds and arrangements that I cannot see how people cannot be impressed with it, even if they don't like Coldplay.  This is one that has been out for a while and still gets serious playing time at Roedel Radio.




1 -  Live From The Downtown Studios - William Fitzsimmons

I have always been a fan of this chap.  I love his mellow and expressive voice just as much as I do the stories he tells in his songs.  To be sure his vocal talent is matched by his guitar skills as he softly picks his way through most of his tunes.  I recently purchased "Live From The Downtown Studios" and I have come to appreciate Fitzsimmons even more!  Listening to this album I can imagine myself being in some swanky coffee house being put into a trance by his musical awesomeness.  His voice in this CD captivates and his lyrics will break your heart.  While most of the songs are pretty sad, I can't help but feel inspired when I am done listening to it.  This is a new entry on my top ten list...and it shot right to the top!









Also receiving votes:

Priscilla Ahn


Peter Broderick


The Boxer Rebellion


The Airborne Toxic Event


Aimee Mann




This list will of course change in the next couple days......