Name the most recent album that has shaped your musical world


Every now and then, sometimes when you're least expecting it, an album comes along that shifts, develops, and extends the shape of your music world.The album/artist/creation doesn't have to be a sea-change from your previous taste, but it does have to add a flavor to that taste palette that was missing before.

In the past few years, creations like M83's "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming", TV on the Radio's "Quartz", and Wye Oak's "The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs" have all done this. But most recently, Janelle Monae's "Dirty Computer" eased me into a new musical shape, itself populated by Erykah Badu, Dominique Fils-Aime, and others I wouldn't have discovered had it not been for Monae's brilliant, game-changing release.
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Jamie Cullum- Twentysomething CD/SACD (Verve) 2004
easily became my Reference disc upon purchase.
Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball. I'm working on getting all her albums now and have found I like some traditional country music, and bluegrass too, enough to actually acquire some. Having grown up near New York City where Country and Western was almost anathema that certainly represents a shift. No danger of going to any NASCAR races though.

Mike
skyscraper, don't miss her musical partner Rodney Crowell. Listening to him made the same change for me into (some) country music. Together with Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. A showstopper.
A great recent discovery was Dead Can Dance - In Concert. Massive electronic music with eastern rhythms. 
The recent reissue of the Heshoo Beshoo Group - Armitage Road was a recent game changer for me. 

I'm a big fan of African Music but this reissue of the only studio record put out by this short lived South African Jazz Ensemble is really cool.  Despite the age and quality of the recording options they had in Joburg in the late 60's early 70's, it still come across and a wonderful exploration of American jazz & South African rhythms merged.  

The cover is an awesome play off Abbey Road.

I also listened to Duke Ellington's Money Jungle (w/ Mingus) recording from decades ago.  I am used to listening to tight jazz trio, quartets and quintets, so this took some getting used to.  Couldn't quite figure out Duke's playing.  Then it struck me - his playing in a small group created a much bigger sound to the music.  It wasn't intended to be a Bill Evans-esque solo, but a layer to the music that resulted in a wonderful band sound, ala big band without the big band.  I now get Duke.