Lucero "Tennessee" (2002)

Don't get me wrong:  I really like what Lucero has been doing the last several years.  Unfortunately, this record comes from before that time.  There's some serious problems here with lack of melody and rather plodding midtempo rhythm.

Bruce Springsteen "The Wild, the innocent and the E Street Shuffle" (1973)

Wow.  Just wow.  If you've only heard the hits, you will be totally unprepared for this one.  I always forget just how good this is.  wow.

Various "Jamaica to Toronto Soul Funk & Reggae 1967 - 1974" (2006)

There's something that I absolutely love when various sounds and areas collide.  This is a collection of Caribbean musicians playing soul. Absolutely brilliant stuff!

Jackie Mittoo "Last Train to Skaville" (2004)

Ever wonder why ska was so beloved?  This will let you in on the secret.  It's packed full of funky jams from Jamaica in the 60s.  Brilliant brilliant stuff.

Madvillain "Madvillainy" (2004)

If you're wondering where the line is between commercial viability and experimentation, it's here.  This is the collaboration between two outre musicians blending their warped sensibilities into one woozy vision of supervillains blunts and crimes.  It is as much a commentary on the gangsta ethos of hip hop as anything else, a fact which seems to have been forgotten by the larger community.  It's a shame, as this record shows a way out of the lowest common denominator trap that has become so prevalent.

Ghostface Killah "Fishscale" (2006)

By the first decade of the new millennium, there had been enough history to speak of backwards looking hip hop.  That's what we have with Fishscale.  It's classicist, in that it sounds like it could have come from virtually any period of hip hop's history.  If you're looking for hiphop that is clearly indebted to the 70s pulp literature of Goines or Iceberg Slim, look no further.

Iron & Wine "The Sea & the Rhythm" (2003)

Comprised of outtakes from the sessions that produced "The Creek Drank the Cradle", some of this material is amongst the strongest he's ever produced.  It's short, but absolutely essential if you're a fan.