10. cycle one - the butterfly effect: Lack of musical talent within the Saint John area was something I had all but resigned myself to over the years. There are a handful of exceptions, but for the most part the Port City is where aspiring artists go to kill their careers. Thanks to our hosting of the ECMA's this year, however, a few local diamonds set themselves apart from our otherwise ordinary music scene. The Butterfly Effect happened to be one of them. With an introspective style, they compiled a dandy of an EP with cycle one, a mix of percussive hues and muted melodies. With the right kind of managerial representation, the band could turn a lot of heads in 2003.
9. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones: A newcomer to the world of pop music, Norah Jones has a sultry voice of disarming power. Her style, perhaps best described as jazz meets soul meets country, could easily be compared to the likes of Diana Krall or Holly Cole. However, the biggest difference is the quantity of original material. Whereas Krall and Cole drown themselves in cover after cover, most of Jones's album Come Away With Me features new compositions. The result is a listening experience characterized by longing and yearning, and an intimate understanding of the human heart. Choice tracks include "Turn Me On", "I've Got To See You Again", and "Nightingale".
8. Are You Passionate - Neil Young: This one's a bit tricky to rate. Canadian rocker Neil Young can churn out an album of new songs in his sleep, but every once in a while he sounds as if he was sleepwalking through the recording sessions too. His last CD Silver and Gold was the best album of 2000, a tender homage to folk music and simple, lyrical imagery. For Are You Passionate, Young plugs his guitar back in and stomps about with nostalgic refrains that serve as reminders he's still a living legend. There are times, as in the dragging "Differently", when it seems like the sleepwalking is taking effect and someone up in the booth should fade out, but at other points he's, without question, the king of his domain.
7. Heathen - David Bowie: When David Bowie toured this summer to support his latest album, I picked it up in the hopes of familiarizing myself with the new material. Even if I wasn't blow away by his superior performance when I saw him in concert in Boston, the CD itself would still have been an easy sell. Heathen represents a pop-pier Bowie, an artist who isn't as hell-bent on swimming against the stream as he once was. Having dabbled in so many different genres over the years, he's able to play the role of veteran with barely any strain. This confidence -- a 2002 modification of his '70's glam boy persona -- is crucial when you're singing the kind of lyrics that Bowie does. Standouts include "Slip Away" and "Afraid".
6. 88th and Jump Street - Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne: So what if the "Blues Boss" does get ample back-up support on his album 88th and Jump Street? The fact of the matter is that Kenny Wayne tackles his songs with the exuberance of a kid in a candy store. With his trusty piano (and portable, wind-operated keyboard kazoo), he makes new, original tracks seem like boogie-woogie classics. The best of Little Richard, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry drip from his recordings. Even when he slows the tempo down, there is an implied bundle of energy about to erupt. Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne is the right man living in the wrong time. Given the current state of music, you'll have to trust that I mean that as a compliment.
5. Blood Money - Tom Waits: Though technically not a new release in the strictest sense of the word (they had previously been obtainable only via bootlegs), 2002's pair of Tom Waits recordings still triumphed over many other releases in terms of quality, depth, and originality. And while Blood Money may not be a candidate for The Album that successfully converts the non-fans over, it is still a formidable effort all the same. Repetition is the key to the freshness of the songs, but not to the point of overkill. When he's not repeating lyrics, he continues his experimentation into the realm of instrumentals. In fact, the singer drags some odd-sounding instruments onto the record because, well, because it's Tom Waits.
4. Maladroit - Weezer: If the lustre of Maladroit has slightly worn off since it was first released, it isn't by any fault of Weezer. Excessive airplay of certain key songs have partially dulled my enthusiasm for the CD, but it is still an entertaining, tantalizing offering. Perhaps the onslaught of Nickelback's, Creed's, Filter's and the sort have made River Cuomo's short ditties on love and loss seem unimportant or trivial, but the fact remains that the musicianship is agressively charged and re-vitalizes three chord rock as we used to know it. One listen to cuts such as "Take Control", "Keep Fishin'" and "Space Rock", and it's clear that a world without Weezer would be a frightfully dull one indeed.
3. The Ragpicker's Dream - Mark Knopfler: The unmistakable, virtuoso skill of Mark Knopfler made a post-Dire Straits solo career inevitable. Having scored numerous film soundtracks and previously testing the waters by dabbling about on Sailing to Philadelphia, his latest album reflects a musician at the top of his class. A fine, intelligent effort ripe with marvellous lyrics, the Ragpicker's Dream features many shades of the working man's life. Not wanting to paint himself into a corner though, he brightens things on "Devil Baby", a jab at Jerry Springer fanatics, and a "King of the Road"-esque cut entitled "Quality Shoe". Knopfler is at his best on "You Don't Know You're Born" and "Coyote", two of the catchiest songs of the year.
2. Alice - Tom Waits: He's so offbeat, he could make the Alphabet Song sound morbid. He's Tom Waits, and in 2002 he proved he may have been gone for a short spell, but he was not forgotten. Certainly, the longlost score for Alice was one of the most spiritual and emotive releases of the year. Based on the life experiences of famous author Lewis Carroll, the album showcases Waits's renowned grim reapers and grand weepers in perfect harmony. Vocally, the album is among his most daring, as he laments the fate of "Poor Edward" but toying with whiny bluegrass on a track like "Table Top Joe". By nearly every measurable standard, Alice is a bona fide gem.
1. As society and pop culture move forward, it's getting harder and harder to find genuine creativity. For people such as myself, who have had our fill of the bubble gum explosion that started in the mid 1990's, I find myself looking more and more frequently for artists who aren't afraid to expand their horizons. Creators who take risks but who also work to produce a lot of output, then revise what they've done and select what tracks and sounds they feel best reflect the mood they want for their album. When I first reviewed 18 by Moby in July, I was approaching it as one who had listened to some of the tracks but had hardly counted on their catchy riffs and melodies lingering in my brain. For the last six months, this CD has regularly been playing in my stereo, and I see no end in sight to my obsession with it. Where once I believed 18 might be a disappointment for Moby purists, I have since decided the techno vegan's motives were different from what I initially expected. In fact, I had it the wrong way around. Rather than make another Play, 1999's multi-platinum phenomenon which moved through different musical stages, his latest is an experience to be listened to all at once (although certain tracks, namely "Extreme Ways", "Signs of Love", "the Rafters" and "We Are All Made of Stars" are four of the funkiest, individual tracks you'll ever hear). Moby is a gift to radio and particularly to the younger crowd, who often dictate the direction in which music will go. There is no question that my initial reaction to 18 was wrong. It is without a doubt the album of the year.
Honourable Mention: the Beaneater Collection (Disc 1: with Wet Yeti and Phil Spectre / Disc 2: Back in Poorer Quality)
Special Note: I do not own, nor have I heard The Rising by Bruce Springsteen in its entirety, so I have not included it.
10. Signs: This poignant thriller managed to make lots of money at the box office, but the performances and the cerebral screenplay vault it ahead of louder, shallower offerings from this past summer.
9. Insomnia: Al Pacino, as a detective with a dark secret of his own, grounds this film. The man he plays makes mistakes but continues to step to his own time, much like a stubborn Hitchcock character would.
8. Die Another Day: One of the better James Bond films in recent memory, it's also one of the darker outings for the Fleming uber-hero. The lavish, exquisite set designs are worthy of Oscar consideration.
7. About Schmidt: At first glance, this mild-mannered road-trip flick doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Then it revs into high gear, the dividends become remarkably affecting, and Alexander Payne's great script takes front and centre stage.
6. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones: A worthy return to the swashbuckling style of the first trilogy. With a lighter approach to the political subplots, George Lucas takes an animated approach to movie serials.
5. Bowling for Columbine: Michael Moore's chilling and often humourous examination of America's fascination with guns and its seemingly innate propensity to shoot each other more frequently than any other country in the world.
4. Chicago: This one's for all the musical lovers out there. With surprisingly solid singing and dancing from a cast not typically associated with such things, this is the film Moulin Rouge! could only have dreamed of being.
3. One Hour Photo: A fine, smart film with a stalwart performance by Robin Williams. The eerie underbelly of neglected loners has never been more poignant or disturbing. This has been a daring year for Williams.
2. The Hours: This adaptation of an award-winning novel is one of the most intelligent and well executed pictures of recent years. Director Stephen Daldry, armed with an ensemble cast to be reckoned with, ties together the stories of three women with remarkable fluidity and grace.
1. Minority Report: Possibly the most entertaining film noir ever. Even the naysayers had to admit their attention was rapt from beginning to end. I just saw this again recently for the second time, and it's still my favourite movie of 2002.
10. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
9. Law & Order
8. Everybody Loves Raymond
7. The Practice
6. Ebert & Roeper at the Movies
5. The Osbournes
4. The Simpsons
3. Boston Public
2. 24
1. ER
BEST LIVE EVENTS OF 2002
5. Just for Laughs arrives in Saint John
4. Bob Dylan performs in Saint John
3. KVHS performs "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2. B.B. King performs in Saint John
1. David Bowie and Moby in concert in Boston
