Audiogon "RECORDINGS TO DIE FOR" list

I have quite a few, but my recent favorite is "Duke of Earl" performed by Last Forever. The group is Apalation/Blue Grass/Scotts-Irish (whatever you want to call it) influenced and the rest of the CD is very nice as well. This version of The Duke however gives me goose bumps.

Just some favorites form the last 5 years (no reissues, which is another list)
1.Joshua Redman, Beyond (do not miss him live, his earlier period is well summed up on Joshua Redman, At the Village Vanguard)
2.Keb Moe, Slow Down
3.Habana, Roy Hargrove (begins with a neglected jazz classic that your non jazz friends will respond to)
4. Nouveau Swing, Donald Harrison (not as profound as Joshua's Redman, but not just recycled 60s jazz either, lots of good ideas)
5. Johnny Lang, the young Minnisota blues player has made to great albums, I cannot really pick a favorite. Don't miss him live.
5.

Megadeth: Rust in Peace

I can sit and listen all night to anything by Diana Krall. Also, I like the way the Verve recordings sound and their artists too. I enjoy their Dave Brubeck, the Antonio Carlos Jobim Bosanova recordings. I'm also a big fan of guitarist Robby Longley. He's from New Orleans and has a wonderful sound influenced by the Big Easy's rich local tradition mixed with his passion for flamenco. Best thing is, I can go to the local Border's bookstores here in Los Angeles and see him perform for two hours for free. His performances are loud but never as harsh as my music system at home once WAS. I also like Sunny Sumter's recording for Mappleshade. She sounds so soulful.

Wow -- it's impossible to pick the 5 best, since I'm listening to totally different stuff every couple of months. I'll leave the jazz alone (and Steely Dan), since they are so well covered already.

Here's 5 real good ones off the top of my head:

1. Grateful Dead - "Reckoning" - Excellent live acoustic set

2. Lyle Lovett - "Joshua Judges Ruth" - fantastic recording

3. Phish - "Picture of Nectar" - their most fun album and nice recording (not as quite as well recorded as Farmhouse, but tastier)

4. Bjork - "Homogenic" - astonishing blend of strings, electronica and Bjork's vocals (for jazz lovers who like Bjork's vocals, also check out "Gling-Glo" - a hard to find import with an Icelandic Jazz combo - sung in Icelandic!)

5. The Roots - "Things Fall Apart" -- I had to add this because this list has no hip hop on it (for good reason). But the Roots (I used to see them in Philly when they were known as the Square Roots) play their own instruments (even an acoustic upright bass!), and the album is one of the few well-recorded rap albums. One of the tracks features nice vocals from Erykah Badou (on their live album, the part is sung by Jill Scott).

Happy Listening!