Charles Hughes writes:

1. “Umbrella” by Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z)
You’d think we would’ve had enough of silly love songs.  On the other hand, when they sound like this skittering blend of island soul and New York flow, why would we want to live without them?  A Marvin-and-Tammi cut for the new generation.

2. “Harder Than You Think” by Public Enemy
After a decade of mediocrity, Chuck, Flav and company return with a bang, delivering this explosive funk sermon that sounds like the best of their early days, while also reflecting the added wisdom of the subsequent years.

3. “Struggle No More” by Anthony Hamilton
In a year when he didn’t release an album, Hamilton sprinkled a sizable handful of tracks across various soundtracks and guest-shots that are as good as any official release.  While several of these tracks deservedly have their partisans, I’ll take the workaday blues of “Struggle No More,” which matches Hamilton’s rich church tenor with the desperate populism of Merle Haggard.

4. “Hit That” by M.I.A.
The biggest mistake that M.I.A. made this year was not putting this incendiary dancehall track on her Kala album, since its pungent sexuality, and choice homage to “Rump Shaker,” would’ve probably provided her with her first breakthrough hit.

5. “I Wonder” by Kellie Pickler
Yet another American Idol also-ran comes through with a knockout single.  Pickler’s autobiographical remembrance of her absent mother is as angry as it is mournful, and the soaring melody allows both emotions to take center stage.  Pickler’s aw-shucks persona seemed contrived on the show, but she now seems like the latest link in the Dolly-Reba-Lee Ann chain of strong, sophisticated country women whose willingness to wear their pain on their embroidered sleeves should never be confused with weakness.

6. “The Great Divide” by Hanson
If “MMMBop” was the group’s Jackson 5 homage, this is their take on solo Michael, a thrusting pop-soul jam that – beneath the driving funk and throat-ripping vocals  – boils down a humanist gospel that resounds with centuries of struggle: “I find hope in the beating chest/I find hope and it gives me rest/Have no fear when the waters rise/We will conquer this great divide.”  Amen.

7. “Baby” by Angie Stone (feat. Betty Wright)
Grown-folks music from soul sisters of two generations, “Baby” calls out the fakers, celebrates the steadfast, and has the wisdom to know the difference.  On top of that, the mixture of the percolating  rhythms, rich arrangements and the singers’ near-identical voices make this one of the best-sounding R&B tracks of the year.

8. “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse
I’m incredibly sick of the Winehouse hype, for three reasons: 1)I honestly think that the celebration of her self-destructive tendencies are the last thing she needs; 2)She’s simply not that good, and nowhere near the equal of her backing band The Dap Kings’  more famous client, Sharon Jones; and 3)This track is that good, a flawless concoction of Motown, Philly and even a little New Jack Swing.

9. “Walk Of Life” by Shooter Jennings
Shooter released this note-perfect Dire Straits cover at the tail-end of summer, but – if it had come out in June – I imagine that its country-rock blast would’ve sounded perfect for summertime drives, parties and cook-outs.

10. “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama
Spare, basic and thrilling; the sound of young America.  From the first, snarling “What you know ‘bout me? What, what you know ‘bout me?,” this announces itself as not only a striking hip-hop cut, but also as a classic rock-and-roll challenge as well.

11. “Laff At ‘Em (remix)” by Timbaland (feat. Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z)
Timbaland’s solo album was good,, but nothing on it came close to this remix of hit “Give It To Me,” on which Timbo proves himself a capable rhymer, skipping over his verse with the dexterity of a true microphone wrecker.  His skillz, combined with JT’s breathy hook, perhaps inspires Jay-Z to drop one of the best verses of his very good year.  The Kings Of Pop are united, and they sound like they’re having as much fun as we are.

12. “Chuck Baby” by Chuck Brown (feat. K.K.)
Go-go king Chuck Brown, and his daughter K.K., drop some Rufus-and-Carla interplay over an irresistibly playful beat.

13. “Truth Be Told” by Bill Kirchen
Kirchen’s solo work has gone sadly undervalued, and his latest solo album – which is essentially a reunion of one of his former bands, Nick Lowe and the Impossible Birds – is as good as he’s ever produced.  In the middle of it all, this beautiful gospel-soul ballad reveals that Kirchen’s as delicate a singer/songwriter as he is a guitarist.

14. “I Want You To Want Me” by The Holmes Brothers
Over the years, the Holmes Brothers have made many diverse songs their own, but they have never pulled off a feat of reinvention as they do with Cheap Trick’s hit, transforming it into a soul-shaking, piano-driven ballad that wrings from the power-pop classic every last bit of rich, painful emotion.

15. “International Players’ Anthem” by UGK (feat. OutKast)
The Mount Rushmore of Southern hip-hop joins forces on this elegant, swirling track that now – thanks to the tragic early death of UGK’s Pimp C – will never be recreated.  Thankfully, all four members of the Houston/Atlanta alliance sound on top of their game.

16. “Ice Cream Girl” by Wale (feat. TCB)
“This is rap with a go-go attachment,” Wale says in the second verse of this infectious trifle, and there’s no better description of it.  Nothing monumental, just a bit of pure fun.

17. “Stayin’ Alive” by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
Available only at Stuart’s compelling live shows, this Bee Gees cover pulls off a miracle: it’s a bluegrass cover of a pop song that doesn’t sound ironic.  I think this is due to the sheer brilliance of the playing and singing of Stuart’s band (featuring bassist Brian Glenn on lead vocals), along with the fact that – in a certain sense – the Bee Gees were always country boys at heart, anyway.

18. “Magnolia Soul” by Ozomatli
Ozomatli is one of the greatest treasures in modern music, and this tribute to the continuing spirit of New Orleans reveals two of the most important reasons why: 1)they know exactly how to confront the painful issues of the past and present, and 2)they know how to keep the hopeful spirit alive.

19. “On Everything (remix)” by Radioclit (feat. David Banner and Twista)
This obscure remix by a European DJ duo that is really an excuse for the  “Chi-sippi” duo of Banner and Twista to unleash five full minutes of unsparing, razor-sharp rhymes.  Hip-hop with no coastal posturing, only a “Great Migration” cipher where we all come out the winners.

20. “Do Right Woman” by Angela Hacker
She won “Nashville Star,” and she’s from Muscle Shoals, and this astounding interpretation of the Dan Penn classic reveals that Ms. Hacker has as clear an understanding of “country-soul” connections as do her more “studied” counterparts. 

Next: Charles’ picks for the year’s top reissues.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.