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George Graham's Best of 2004 Albums List

This is a the list of albums featured during the ten-part Best of 2004 series presented during December on Mixed Bag, heard on WVIA-FM. These albums were selected by series host George Graham from the over 500 CDs featured during the year on the New Releases segments presented daily on Mixed Bag. The Mixed Bag musical styles include rock, folk, blues, reggae, world music, Celtic, electronic, and other varieties presented on the program. The emphasis is on records that received little or no attention in the commercial media. Selection criteria include originality, uniqueness of sound, and quality of musicianship.

The lists are arranged chronologically by month of release.

* designates Homegrown Music Artists.


January

* Ron Sunshine: DELUXE (Golden Bug)
Kate Rusby: UNDERNEATH THE STARS (Compass)
Marc Erelli: HILLBILLY PILGRIM (SignatureSounds)
HALLOWEEN, ALASKA (Princess)
Leika and the Cosmonauts: LOCAL WARMING (Yep Roc)
Holmes Brothers: SIMPLE TRUTHS (Alligator)
Daude: NEGUINHA TE AMO (Realworld)
Kila: LUNA PARK (World Village)
Grazyna Auguscik: PAST FORWARD (GMA)
Solas: ANOTHER DAY (Shanachie)
* Swearingen/Beedle: PAPER WALLS (independent)
Robert Walter's 20th Congress: GIVING UP THE GHOST (Magnatude)
Eddi Reader: SINGS THE SONGS OF ROBERT BURNS (Compass)

February

Viktor Krauss: FAR FROM ENOUGH (Nonesuch)
Kieskagato: YOU, ARE THE ONE, WHO CAN. (Iconic Rocket)
Poozies: CHANGED DAYS (Compass)
Indigo Girls: ALL THAT WE LET IN (Epic)
Susan Werner: I CAN'T BE NEW (Koch)
The Coral: MAGIC AND MEDICINE (Deltasonic)
Peter Mulvey: KITCHEN RADIO (Signature Sounds)
Slaid Cleaves: WISHBONES (Philo)
* Dakota: DEEP 6 (Melody Blvd.)
* Neil Nicastro: THE DHARMA BUMS (independent)
* Lisa Moscatiello & Rosie Shipley: WELL KEPT SECRETS (Shipwhistle)


March

Nellie McKay: GET AWAY FROM ME (Columbia)
* Dan Pelletier: WILD HEART RADIO (Hudson Valley)
* Gladshot: STAND (Frankly Mills)
Chris Difford: I DIDN'T GET WHERE I AM (DRT)
Frankenixon: AMORPHOUS (BiFi)
Warner Williams: BLUES HIGHWAY (Folkways)
* John Flynn: DRAGON (Meta Four)
The Bobs: 20 SONGS 20 YEARS BEST OF THE BOBS (Primarily A Cappella)
Catie Curtis: DREAMING IN ROMANCE LANGUAGES (Vanguard)
David Byrne: GROWN BACKWARDS (Nonesuch)
Ollabelle: OLLABELLE (DMZ/Columbia)
Toots and the Maytals: TRUE LOVE (V2)
Tangle Eye: ALAN LOMAX' SOURTHERN JOURNEY REMIXED (Zoe)
* Joe Rathbone: I CAN HEAR THE WINDOWS OF YOUR HEART (Zakz)
Tad Robinson: DID YOU EVER WONDER (Severn)
Particle: LAUNCHPAD (Or)
Susan McKeown: SWEET LIBERTY (World Village)
Wasis Diop: EVERYTHING IS NEVER QUITE ENOUGH (Triloka)

April

JamGrass: A PHISH TRIBUTE (Compendia)
Honeydogs: 10,000 YEARS (United Musicians)
Sam Bush: KING OF MY WORLD (Sugar Hill)
Stolen Ogre: ROAD TO JERICHO (Shadowhawk)
LEFTOVER SALMON (Compendia)
Lori McKenna: BITTERTOWN (SignatureSounds)
Stephanie Davis: CROCUS IN THE SNOW (Recluse)
Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer: MUSIC FOR TWO (Sony)
Eric Burdon: MY SECRET LIFE (SPV)
Loretta Lynn: VAN LEAR ROSE (Interscope)
Epigene: POPULAR DISSENT (independent)

May

Blueprintmusic: GHOSTS AND ESKIMOS (blueprintmusic)
* JP Jones: JEREMIAH (jpjones.net)
Henry Butler: HOMELAND (Basin Street)
The Magnetic Fields: i (Nonesuch)
* Goodbye Girl Friday: SILVER OR GOLD (Sus 4)
Angelique Kidjo: OYAYA (Columbia)
* Kerry Kearney: ESSENTIAL K (Hipbone)
Terry Bowness: STICK FIGURES (Aardvark)
* Fat Handsome: UNCLE HANK'S ATTIC VOL. 2 (fathandsome.com)
Glenn Tilbrook: TRANSATLANTIC PING PONG (Compass)
Los Lobos: THE RIDE (Mammoth)


June

Rod MacDonald: RECOGNITION (Wind River)
Tarika: 10: BEASTS, GHOSTS & DANCING WITH HISTORY (Triloka)
Youssou N'Dour: EGYPT (Nonesuch)
Jam Camp: BLACK HILLS JAM PRESERVES VOL. 2 (Flying Spot)
* Charles Havira: HOLIDAY (independent)
Terri Hendrix: THE ART OF REMOVING WALLPAPER (Willory)
Umphrey's McGee: ANCHOR DAYS (SCI Fidelity)
* John Train: THE SUGAR DITCH (Record Cellar)
David Rovics: SONGS FOR MAHMOUD (Ever Reviled)
W.C. Clark: DEEP IN THE HEART (Alligator)
* Eric Hansen: A LOVER'S LULLABY (HalfMoonFullStar)
* Railroad Earth: THE GOOD LIFE (Sugar Hill)
Jim Gilmour: QUARTERLINE (Foolish)
BEBEL GILBERTO (Six Degrees)
Leo Kottke: TRY AND STOP ME (RCA Bluebird)
* The Brindley Brothers: PLAYING IN THE LIGHT (Paste)

July

* Dave Isaacs: FLYING (Shadow Brook)
Richie Havens: GRACE OF THE SUN (Stormy Forest)
Jeffrey Foucault: STRIPPIN CANE (SignatureSounds)
Richard Shindell: VUELTA (Koch)
Carbon Leaf: INDIAN SUMMER (Vanguard)
Noam Pikelny: IN THE MAZE (Compass)
Tennessee HeartStrings Band: NEW SONGS, NEW HEARTS (independent)
Chick Corea Elektric Band: TO THE STARS (Stretch)
Ray Charles: GENIUS LOVES COMPANY (Concord)

August

Miriam Makeba: REFLECTIONS (Heads Up)
Antibalas: WHO IS THIS AMERICA (Ropeadope)
* Aztec Two Step: DAYS OF HORSES (Red Engine)
They Might Be Giants: THE SPINE (Zoe)
* LIT RIFFS: THE SOUNDTRACK: [various artists] (SaturationAcres)
Pierce Pettis: GREAT BIG WORLD (Compass)
Bruce Hornsby: HALCYON DAYS (Columbia)
Steel Pulse: AFRICAN HOLOCAUST (R.A.S.)
Mavis Staples: HAVE A LITTLE FAITH (Alligator)
Laura Love: YOU AIN'T GOT NO EASTER CLOTHES (Koch)
* Carla Ulbrich: SICK HUMOR (Official Seal)
* Steve Brosky: TROUBLE (Darktown)
Bill Frisell: UNSPEAKABLE (Nonesuch)
Kenny White: SYMPHONY IN 16 BARS (kennywhite.net)
Madeleine Peyroux: CARELESS LOVE (Rounder)
Kings of Convenience: RIOT ON AN EMPTY STREET (Astralwerks)
Percy Sledge: SHINING THROUGH THE RAIN (VereseSarabande)
Bruce Katz Band: A DEEPER BLUE (Severn)

September

Fairport Convention: OVER THE NEXT HILL (Compass)
Dolly Parton: LIVE AND WELL (Sugar Hill)
David Holt: PERPETUAL MOTION (Blue Corn)
Raq: CARBOHYDRATES (independent)
Mory Kante: SABOU (Riverboat)
Strunz & Farah: Zona Torrida (Selva)
* E.G. Kight: TAKIN' IT EASY (Blue South)

October

Adrian Legg: INHERITANCE (Favored Nations)
Gov't Mule: DEJA VOODOO (ATO)
Elvis Costello: THE DELIVERY MAN (Lost Highway)
Tom Waits: REAL GONE (Anti)
Peter Rowan & Tony Rice: YOU WERE THERE (Rounder)
* Erik Balkey: WHILE THE PAINT DRIES (Hudson Harding)
David Jacobs-Strain: OCEAN OR A TEARDROP (Northern Blues)
Acoustic Syndicate: LONG WAY ROUND (Sugar Hill)
Al Pettaway & Amy White: ACOUSTIC JOURNEY (Maggie's Music)
Chris Thile: DECEIVER (Sugar Hill)
A GUITAR SUPREME: GIANT STEPS IN FUSION GUITAR (Tone Center)
Paso Fino: INTO THE CACTUS PLAIN (I-Town)
* Jack Hardy: COIN OF THE REALM (Great Divide)
Kaki King: LEGS TO MAKE US LONGER (Red Ink/Epic)
* Eddy Lawrence: INSIDE MY SECRET POCKET (Snowplow)
MELONIE CANNON (Skaggs Family)

November

Jarvis Humby: ASSUME THE POSITION (HardSoul)
Ben Harper: THERE WILL BE A LIGHT (Virgin)
* We're About 9: LIVE WHEREVER YOU ARE (wa9.org)
* E.G. Kight: TAKIN' IT EASY (Blue South)
Marta Gomez: CANTOS DE AGUA DULCE (Chesky)
IT IS ROLLING BOB: REGGAE TRIBUTE TO BOB DYLAN (Sanctuary)
Govinda: WORLDS WITHIN (Intentcity)
Scott Ainslie: THE FERAL COW (Cattail)
Cantinero: CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (Artemis)
Alex Schultz: THINK ABOUT IT (Severn)
Alison Krauss & Union Station: LONELY RUNS BOTH WAYS (Rounder)
* Van Wagner: ALONE (vanwagnermusic)
* Townhall: AMERICAN DREAMS (independent)
Sharon Shannon: LIBERTANGO (Compass)


December

* BLOOMSBURG TO BANGLADESH (Blue Buddha)
* Sterling Koch: HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION (Full Force)
One Star Hotel: GOOD MORNING WEST GORDON
Sarah Fimm: NEXUS (independent)

(c) Copyright 2004 George D. Graham. All rights reseved.
This review may not be copied to another Web site without written permission.


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