Kyle's Top 10 for 2007

This year it was an interesting challenge to put together my top 10. For me, all of the harder albums of the year disappointed unlike last year's Saosin and Underoath, Lupe's album came a bit too late for me to fully digest, and I could never really wrap my head around the double-disc Say Anything album (great tunes for the most part...just a bit too much for me). Not only that, but there were no real clear-cut, stand-out albums. A bunch of really great ones, but not one that stood above all of the rest like last years Rocky Votolato album. With that, I hope you enjoy the top 10 that I put together this year.

10. Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Home


Looking back, this was actually one of my first posts of the year. Well, Please Come Home has stuck with me all year with its slight twang, soothing harmonica, and easy feel. Kensrue's lyrics are thought-provoking and his voice shows a different side of him from his usual singing in rock band Thrice. Here is one more track that I didn't have in my last post. Check this short but sweet album out.

Dustin Kensrue - Pistol




9. Kanye West - Graduation


Alec wrote about this album a while back, and it is definitely a fun one to put in. I don't put this one up with Kanye's other albums mainly for the fact that there are about 3 absolutely terrible tracks on it. However, the others bring it up enough to get a spot here. In a just ok year for hip-hop in my book, Kanye slides in with some gems on his new disc.


Kanye West - Homecoming





8. The New Amsterdams - At the Foot of My Rival


Another album that was touched on in a previous post, the New Amsterdams put out a disc that I really enjoyed after their abysmal Story Like A Scar. This album really pulls together the parts from many of their previous efforts: slow and acoustic, upbeat and summery, strong and thoughtful. Fans of the New Amsterdams and people who have never heard of them would be hard pressed to not like this release.

The New Amsterdams - Fortunate Fool






7. Common - Finding Forever


Common's previous release Be is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. Needless to say, I was pumped for this one to come out. For about a month I really didn't care for it, and then I finally began to understand it. Common keeps it nice and bare, which suits his natural flow quite well. He doesn't need overproduced backgrounds to make his songs great...just sit back, relax, and enjoy the flow.

Common - A Dream (feat Will.I.Am)






6. Steel Train - Trampoline

This album was by far the biggest surprise of the year for me. I loved going to Steel Train shows and seeing Jack on the guitar weave in and out of songs, soloing his ass off. Then one day he played a show mostly dominated by poppy tunes that left him playing simple chords for the entire show. Alec wrote about the transition here. But after seeing the new Steel Train a few times, the tunes started to grow on me. Then the album came out, and I really dug the new style. A little U2, a little Beatles, and a little Steel Train makes for one solid album.

Steel Train - Leave You Traveling




5. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger


I was finally able to catch my favorite songwriter in concert this year, and it was really all that I had hoped for. He played a lot of songs from his newest full-length Easy Tiger which I touched on here. This album shows that even when Ryan is off the sauce and the coke he can still put out solid albums. He perhaps has the single of the year in 'Two', and continues to show the world that writing proficiently doesn't always mean writing poorly.

Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows





4. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter


So as I'm nearing the end of this post I've realized that if you have kept up with the blog at all...you've probably heard all of my top 10 already, haha. But, if you haven't checked out these entire albums rather than just the posted songs, now is the time to do it. For a description of this folk-pop album, check it out right here. This album is a bit more upbeat than his previous effort The Animal Years, and I think it suits him very well.

Josh Ritter - Empty Hearts





3. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights


Sharon Jones is simply in my opinion the best neo-soul singer of our generation. She brings so much energy to the table, quite a bit of sauciness, and a whole lot of sexy. She may not get quite the publicity of an Amy Winehouse or Joss Stone, but I am sure she can outperform them any evening of any week. Welcome in the new torch-bearer or modern soul and pick up the album. You won't be disappointed.


Sharon Jones - Keep on Looking




2. Streetlight Manifesto - Somewhere in the Between


This is the best ska album to come out since Big D's Good Luck in 1999, and in time could become one of the all time classics. Leaving Catch 22 was the best thing Kalnoky could have done for himself. He put out an incredibly energetic album that can please ska-lovers and people who aren't so sure about ska alike. Great horn lines, sick breaks, and Kalnoky's rough voice all make for one hell of an album. This is one of two CD's released this year in which I like every track. Hence the #2 place in my top 10.

Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together




1. Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves


By now you probably think that Alec and I have a love affair with these guys from posting about them once and then christening them our 2007 discovery of the year. But, I tell you it is for good reason. This was the only other CD of the year that I couldn't skip a track on. Beautifully crafted and incredibly versatile, this album was pretty much a no-brainer for my number 1 spot in the end. Play it in the car, play it in your room, play it at a party, hell, play it on a boombox in the street. And then, enjoy it.

Dear and the Headlights - Oh No!