Vinyl Finds 1 (In Chicago)

I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog lately. I've been busy with work, including some business travel that landed me in Chicago for a few days.

During my visit, I had a chance to walk to Reckless Records. I was hoping to find a vinyl copy of Gaslight Anthem's latest but no such luck.

I did pick up two used albums though: a nice original copy of Joni Mitchell's Blue and an original copy of Dr. John's 1973 release In The Right Place.

Blue is just a classic. The 1971 release remains the quintessential singer-songwriter album. It includes "Carey," "California," and "River." Not a weak song in the bunch.

On In The Right Place, Dr. John is backed by The Meters. The album is also produced by Allen Touissant. Now, that can't be bad.

Best of 2010 So Far

It is the end of June, which calls for a list of the best albums of the first half of the year.

In no particular order:

The Black Keys-Brothers: The duo's raw, bluesy sound gets a nice polished finish with this one. A classic. The vinyl album comes with a poster along with a CD version of the album.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings-I Learned The Hard Way: The soul singer's finest so far.

Kurt Vile-Square Shells: The Philadelphia singer and guitarist has made several good low-key albums. His latest doesn't disappoint, giving listeners a bit of everything. Vile remains someone to watch.

Joanna Newsom-Have One On Me: I admit that her earlier releases didn't connect with me, but I've become a fan with Have One On Me, her most accessible effort, yet. "Good Intentions Paving Company" is my favorite song of the year.

The vinyl version comes in a nice three-album package for about $30.

Titus Andronicus-The Monitor: A beautifully packaged album that has a loose Civil War theme. While rich in historic references, the album still captures the band's punk attitude.

The Mynabirds-What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood: A nice country-tinged rock album. I got a copy autographed by singer Laura Burhenn from the Saddle Creek label's Web site.