Best Music of 2007

Quote of the day:
“Put your money somewhere not idiotic and leave it alone as much as possible.”
--Ken Jennings, who won more than $3 million on Jeopardy in 2004, when asked for investment advice.

I’ve listened to a lot of music this year. Picking the best is therefore challenging.

As you likely know already, I can be a little slow to discover music, so my selections may have been released a few years ago. I don’t limit my listening to new stuff. This very short list might be entitled “Music I Stumbled on in 2008.”

First is Iron & Wine’s “Our Endless Numbered Days” which came out in 2004. It’s official genre is “alternative,” but I would classify the music as neo-folk. The compositions are mostly acoustic with a light seasoning of rock and roll.

This album is sophisticated, well performed and very well produced. Most important, the music is beautiful.

Second is “Hypnotica” by Benny Benassi and the Biz. I know this will please all the closet ravers out there. Just put this on and bounce in your living room with your arms in the air. Don’t laugh. You know you love it.

I really like the deceptive simplicity of this 2003 release. At first it seems like hundreds of other dance/electronica albums. But listen for a while (and dance, because it’s hard not to) and you’ll find sly, self-aware and surprisingly sophisticated music, very well-performed.

Third is Lise De La Salle’s recording of piano music by Mozart and Prokofiev. She’s 19 years old, and this is her fourth CD. Yes, she’s talented. I wish we’d hear more of her and less Britney Spears.

I usually favor music by more-seasoned performers because I find that experience almost always improves recorded performances. But when I listen to these CDs (it’s a 2-CD set), I am amazed at the sensitivity and insight with which De La Salle plays. Just listen to the last Mozart Variation. It’s extraordinary. And the production is excellent.

Fourth is a classical guitar album perfect for those who want to step beyond Bach transcriptions but stay in the Baroque. It’s a 2007 CD by William Carter called “La Guitarra Espanola.” It is truly stunning.

It’s all music by the Spanish composer Santiago de Murcia (1682-1732), exquisitely played in a state-of-the-art recording. This CD might be a little hard to find. But it’s worth finding.