music recommendations

i decided to recommend some new music once a week, because its basically consumed my time and i want to talk about it. i probably have music on as much as i can, in my waking hours. i will list the artist and album, a mini review, standout tracks, and my ratings.

john mayer - continuum.
one of my favorite releases of 2006. while i was never a huge fan of his earlier work (but they were mighty catchy), he caught my ear ever since i heard his live tracks. then, he released the john mayer trio live album, which was heavily blues influenced and really showed what he was capable of. this album is close to the top soul album this year. soul you say? yea. soul. it doesnt matter if hes white, because his style is soulful. much more soulful than other singers this year.

standout tracks:
i dont trust myself (with loving you)
vultures
slow dancing in a burning room
im gonna find another you

rating: 9/10


amy winehouse - back to black.
another good release of 2006. the music is quite alluring and her jazzy, mature voice fits the production almost too well. the songwriting on this album is high quality. each track allows you to delve deep into her mind and soul. hearing each song allows you to visualize the experiences shes been through from a young age.

standout tracks:
you know i'm no good
me and mr jones
back to black
he can only hold her

rating: 8.5/10

robin thicke - the evolution of robin thicke.
a white boy with soul. this year, we have seen a lot of soul artists drop albums, and the white artists have made albums that are strong contenders for the title of best soul album. this is definitely a r&b/soul album, unlike amy or john, this album does have a lot of love/sex songs, but is more instrospective than most r&b ive ever heard. robin thicke doesnt have a standard one trick pony voice like justin, but explores his vocal range throughout the whole album. from prince to marvin, the influences for his music is clear. seriously though, i love this album. there was an advance bootleg version that leaked earlier last year, which has a couple tracks that didnt make the final cut. those tracks were just as good as the tracks that made the final cut. check this out. if you are a fan of good music, you wont be disappointed.

standout tracks:
lost without u <---- YEAAAA I LOVE THIS SONG.
complicated
ask myself
teach u a lesson
lonely world
angels

rating:
9.5/10


more to come.