Sorry.
In fact, it was damn near pathetic.
A lot of fiery Tweets and a lot of trash talk from various artists following the election and then what?
Eminem?
That was embarrassing.
He talks big at an awards show and then puts out that stale REVIVAL?
Push it away and say, “Pa, I want something fresh, not last year’s left overs.”
If only it was just last year.
2016, where they failed in songwriting, they often succeeded in singing. This year?
One long yawn.
They punch in practically every note
of a ‘vocal’ for Katy Perry (and multi-track and auto tune her voice)
and yet WITNESS still didn’t add up to anything. GEMINI seemed to only
prove that Ryan Lewis had been doing all the heavy lifting
for Macklemore.
Beck underwhelmed with COLORS.
And U2?
Well I’m going to make them number ten for the year.
10) SONGS OF EXPERIENCE by U2.
Forget Bono's "girly" remark, this album contains bits
of brilliance, a ton of familiar that rolls along quickly on a tire so
bald the band’s praying they don’t hydroplane on a puddle of water. The
best news? The album’s a mess. A frantic mess. Didn’t
know they had the life left in them for this. A mess is always
prepared to one of Bono’s master plans that bleed the life out of
everyone. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE is not another WAR or THE JOSHUA TREE.
But it’s got at least as much life in it as ACHTUNG BABY.
After enduring HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB, NO LINE ON THE HORIZON
and SONGS OF INNOCENCE, the fact that U2 seems interested in life and,
dare I say it, even fun. Bono lost me long ago with his hypocrisy but
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE reminds the world that
U2 is (a) more than just Bono and (b) still able to surprise you.
9) Blondie’s POLLINATOR.
If you saw
them in concert (I did, twice) you know this album had some solid
songs. I wish they’d put out a live album of this tour because I
honestly thought some of the songs sounded better live than in the
studio. But this was still a strong album hitting all the classic
notes (and, yes, poses) that reminded you why you loved Debbie Harry and
the gang in the first place. And any time they want to lay down a
track like “Doom or Destiny,” they’re going to be
welcomed with open arms.
8) Bjork’s UTOPIA. Of all the albums I
liked in 2017 but never got around to reviewing, this is the one I
wished I could have written about. Bjork either grabs you or she
doesn’t. She grabbed me here. And if I was a painter, I’d start
with a fluorescent background, maybe some acrylic pink paint and splash
some pastel blue on top of it in an attempt to reflect ocean waves.
But to actually verbalize UTOPIA? It was beyond my abilities. Let’s
just note it was one of 2017’s rare gems.
7) Conor Oberst's SALUTATIONS.
The last of the independents? The last standing male singer-songwriter? What is Conor?
SALUTATIONS says, whatever he is, he's back. And then some.
For anyone who ever felt Conor was speaking directly to them, prepare to feel that he's been stalking you on social media to get to know you even better. He's wiser and more tuneful.
6) Taylor Swift's REPUTATION.
With REPUTATION, Taylor's no longer one of the best pop songwriters under 30, she's the best. And this album's a huge growth spurt for her as an artist. If "New Year's Day" was the only song on the album, it would still be worth buying. Fortunately, it's just one of many great songs REPUTATION showcases.
5) Aimee Mann’s MENTAL ILLNESS.
More and more, it’s looking like THE
FORGOTTEN ARM will be Aimee’s masterpiece. That’s fine. BLUE remains
Joni Mitchell’s masterpiece but her canon still contains such classics
as FOR THE ROSES, COURT & SPARK, THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS,
HEJIRA, DOG EAT DOG and LADIES OF THE CANYON. Saying MENTAL ILLNESS is
Aimee’s second best album ever may not seem like praise if you haven’t
heard THE FORGOTTEN ARM. On MENTAL ILLNESS, she serves up the songs in a
fresh way and, when she grabs you, she
really grabs you. “You Never Loved Me” remains my favorite song and
the one I wish radio had gotten behind.
4) Miguel’s WAR AND LEISURE.
A big surprise for me and, sadly, I didn’t hear the album until December. You
know I’m lazy. And if I get anything done in December it’s usually
buying presents and making fudge for the family (homemade fudge,
from scratch, just to note that I’m not always lazy). I’d heard
“Skywalker” already (and Wally does a great job playing that song on
guitar). I’d liked it. But “Told You So” was the first thing, when
listening to the album, that really blew my mind. Then
came “Pineapple Skies.” This album shimmers. It’s one that really
grabs your ear and I want to complain, again, that December’s not really
the month to release a new album. Especially if the label’s RCA.
December albums either have to have a big media
push behind them or they have to be a greatest hits. (Or a Christmas
album.) Otherwise, they can get lost in the shuffle. My big hope for
early 2018 is that people continue to discover Miguel’s latest because
it’s really something.
3) Tyler, The Creator’s FLOWER BOY.
Where Kendrick lost me (“Humble” is huge with many but I really can’t
stand it or the sentiment and I really don’t think Kendrick Lamar would
respond so well to someone telling him to be humble), FLOWER
BOY hooked me in. I was new to Tyler, The Creator but didn’t need to
catch up on his three previous albums to enjoy FLOWER BOY. Though I
have since snapped up the other three. You will too if you give FLOWER
BOY a listen.
2) Sam Smith's THE THRILL OF IT ALL.
The most soulful album of the year? Possibly. For ten solid tracks, Sam Smith grabs your ears and your heart and makes you wonder why England's produced Sam, Amy Winehouse, George Michael and Adele but, in the US, we keep churning out Disney Snaps who require a lot of studio technology just to appear to carry a five note tune?
1) Tori Amos' NATIVE INVADER.
Tori returned in 2017 with the best album of the year -- and also one of her own finest -- really saying something when you consider her discography already includes UNDER THE PINK, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, SCARLET'S WALK and UNREPENTANT GERALDINES. Argue over whether "Wildwood," "Broken Arrow," "Bang," "Wings" or "Climb" is the best song -- and do so with friends because this is an album that only gets richer with repeated listens and contemplation. In the end, it's about healing and renewal.
Click here for my 2004 music piece, here for 2005, 2006 in music, 2007 in music, here for 2008, here for my 2009 piece, here for my look at the decade, here for my 2010 piece, here for my 2011 piece, here for my 2012 piece, here for my 2013 piece, here for my 2014 piece, here for my 2015 piece and here for my 2016 piece.
