The year in music, A to Z

My top album of 2012.

A is anniversary and there has been no bigger anniversary than Mick and the Boys celebrating 50 years as a band. To celebrate, The Rolling Stones issued Grrrr, one of the better greatest hits/best of compilations around. The mix of songs is wonderfully quirky and worth the price of admission, but you may want to buy it just to get the fiery “Doom and Gloom” single.

Golden Stones.

Bruce is no. 5 on the Kalet charts.

B is for Bruuuuuce. Not only did he release Wrecking Ball, a tremendous set of songs that marries the sound of the E Street Band to the work he did with the Session Band, he has been touring tirelessly and playing at a level that few musical acts half his age can hope to attain.

C is for The Cherry Thing, Neneh Cherry’s return to recording and — for my money — the album of the year. One part hip-hop, two parts jazz, a smidgeon of R’n’B, some old-school rock and pop — if she never records another album, her place in the pantheon has now been secured.

D is for disappointment, led by Mumford & Sons thoroughly unimpressive sophomore disc. Also on the disappointment list: Alicia Keys, Neil Young, No Doubt, Rihanna, The Shinns, Gary Clarke, Jr., P!nk and Green Day.

E is for enigmatic, the best word to describe Neil Young. Young issued two discs this year and a highly acclaimed autobiography. The first disc, Americana, reimagines classic folk through the prism of Crazy Horse and is a classic; the second, Psychedelic Pill, is why Young finds himself listed under D (see above).

F is for film soundtrack. Adele’s Bond theme — “Skyfall” — is easily the best Bond song in years, and possibly decades.

Album no. 3 on the Kalet hit list

G is for genius, which is the best word to describe Jack White. Anyone who had not been convinced as to White’s brilliance by his work with The White Stripes, the Raconteurs or Dead Weather just has to listen to Blunderbuss, his fabulous solo album and one of the year’s five best.

H is for hip-hop, thanks to strong discs by Killer Mike, El-P and Lupe Fiasco.

I is for In tandem, which is a good way of saying that the Buddy Miller-Jim Lauderdale pairing produced one of the better roots-rock/country albums of the year.

J is for junk. Soundgarden, why bother putting out a record after all these years if it is going to be as bad as King Animal?

K is for konsistent (for the spelling challenged), and consistency is the hallmark of Alejandro Escovedo and Chuck Prophet, both of whom continued to put out worthy recordings this year.
 L is for live — as in live albums, of which there were many good ones this year, including from Toots and the Maytals and the Pogues.

M is for McCartney. While his CD of old-timey tunes was a bit of a snooze, his performance at the 121212 Concert reminded everyone what Sir Paul can do — especially during his performance with Nirvana.

N is for newcomers. The Alabama Shakes, JD McPherson, Allen Stone, Nick Waterhouse, The Lumineers, Frank Ocean, Father John Misty, all released outstanding debut discs in 2012.

O is for overrated, which is how I would describe Lana Del Ray. Her debut album was surrounded by a level of buzz that is rare for newcomers, creating a sense of expectation that was impossible to meet. While it features a few good tunes, Born to Die does little for me. Also on this list: Gotye, Grizzly Bear, Smashing Pumpkins and Fun.

Patti Smith is no. 2 on the Kalet charts.

P is for Patti Smith, whose Banga takes down No. 2 on my top albums list — though not by much. Banga is intoxicating and maybe her best work since Horses — and, yes, I know that includes Easter, Radio Ethiopia and Wave.

Q is for questionable pairings, as in the Lou Reed-Metallica pairing that ended up producing not only the year’s worst record but one of the worst in recent memory.

R is for reggae and the return of Jimmy Cliff. In a year in which Snoop Dogg attempted to reinvent himself as a reggae artists, Cliff issued the best pure reggae album in decades. Rebirth certainly lives up to its name.

S is for super sophomore sets: Avette Brothers, The Carpenter; Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox; Tame Impala, Lonerism.

Dylan hits no. 4 in 2012.

T is for Temptest, Bob Dylan’s latest late-career renaissance work. Rank it No. 4 on the year’s best.

U is for unexpected, i.e., Bill Fay’s first album in 41 years, the bittersweet Life is People, and Bobbie Womack’s comeback album, The Bravest Man in the Universe.

V is for Van. Van Morrison’s Born to Sing: No Plan B is both aptly named and one of his most soulful records.

W is for women. Along with Neneh Cherry and Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt’s Slipstream and Brandi Carlisle’s Bear Creek and Kelly Hogan’s I Like to Keep Myself in Pain hit my top 10. Also putting out stellar albums: Santigold,

X is for extra work (OK, this is a stretch) — or side projects. See The Divine Fits.

Y is for Yoakam — meaning Dwight Yoakam and his genre-busting 3 Pears.

Z is for zero, which is the number of reasons I can count for why the Who are still performing live.