Best of 2006 - Music

I know you have been dying for this...you don't have to wait any longer. It's the J-Wild Best of 2006 List!

First up music!
This year I added 656 songs to my iTunes library. Of those 656 songs, my most listened to song was "One" off of Mary J Blige's The Breakthrough (iTunes Version) album. It's also my favorite song of the year. An already amazing song, taken to new heights by Mary J. Definately check it out.

But my artist of the year is John Mayer because of his albums TRY and Continuum. Before downloading the "TRY" album I had absolutely no interest in him or his music. I considered everything he had done up to that point "floppy haired, dorm lobby, pop!" But these albums completely changed my feelings. The first track on the album TRY makes it clear that whatever preconceived notions of John Mayer the listener was bringing are about to broken into a million little pieces. His band (Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino) definitely channels Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble on just about all of the 11 live tracks. And most importantly they pull it off with Mayer absolutely holding his own on the guitar and vocally.

When his latest album, "Continuum" came out I hesitated to purchase it for fear that he might have reverted back to his earlier days. I couldn't have been more mistaken. He continues the heavy guitar work, and his lyrics take on bigger and more global themes. It's a worthy follow up to TRY, and it makes me look forward to where he is going to take his talent and musicality in the future.

The best tracks on "TRY" are Gravity and Who Did You Think I Was. And on "Continuum" they are Belief and Vulture. These are fantastic album that you can feel safe getting any guitar loving person in your family for Christmas. Do not let the year's odometer turn to '07 without getting these two albums.

Runner's Up For Album of the Year:

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Derek Webb - Mockingbird
Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
Manixview - Distance to Brunei
JET - Get Born, JET
Alison Krauss and Union Station - Restless
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble

Coming up next, my movie of the year.