OK, so my #1 albums HAS TO be Counting Crows, August and Everything After because it was the first CD that spoke to me and the first CD that really made me feel something for music. And after seeing them live way back in 1997 I was hooked and all I wanted to do was find more Counting Crows music and see as much of them as I could. They really started my passion for music, which has continued. August is their first album and in my opinion one of the best albums of all time. It is very mellow but extremely lyrical. Lyrics are what drive Counting Crows' songs and this was the start of that. "Round Here" is an epic song and my favorite song - period - of all time. There's such a great story running through that song about wanting to belong somewhere and finding a place. The lines in the song are poetic... "step out the front door like a ghost into the fog where no one notice the contrast of white on white"... what a great way to describe the way people can feel invisible! The song builds throughout and only gets better and has more meaning when you see it performed live!
"Anna Begins" is another song from the album I just could not live without! It's a song about falling in love and not being ready for it, not knowing how to handle it. Again, a beautifully told story. This song, if you look and listen to the lyrics, is an inward struggle - almost like someone's thoughts as they try not to fall in love, because it can't work out in the end due to circumstance, but then also just can't help themselves and in the end have to deal with the pain that comes from falling in love and having to let it go.
Every song on this album is a classic as far as I am concerned, which makes it a must on my list. Again, the tone is a bit somber and the songs are rather depressing at times so I need to think of something different for my next choices.
My #2 album doesn't stray too much from the emotional lyrics of Counting Crows but is from an artist that I have not been able to stop listening to lately. So for my second choice I would take Ray Lamontagne's Trouble.
Ray Lamontagne has a unique style that I would say is like a folk-rock-blues. His voice is unique and his songwriting is poetry in motion.
The way he sings the song "Trouble" just grabs me and reels me in. His raspy, bluesy voice only adds depth to the song he sings about being "saved by a woman." The songs are not as slow as the Counting Crows album and I know that I could listen to without ever getting tired of them
Even though the tempo is fairly mild (but hey, I've never really been a hard rock person myself) the songs are inspirational and talk of promise and supporting one another, like "Forever My Friend," "Shelter," and "Hold You In My Arms." These songs just remind me of love and feel like I'm wrapped up in a nice warm blanket when I listen to them.
So, I'm down to only one more... and this is hard. This is list is something that would probably change daily, as it sort of depends on my mood. But I'm being pretty true to who I am and the music I listen to. Lyrics and vocals are what get me. I love Adam Duritz's voice (from Counting Crows), love Ray's voice, but the voice I could never ever live without is that of Ryan Adams, and so I will choose Ryan Adams' album Gold as my #3 album.
Gold has it all and Ryan's voice shines as he sings all types of songs. I think I picked the best for last... The variety of this album is what made me pick it. Not only does it have interesting lyrics, it has ballads, rocking songs, piano songs, and some harmonica (which I love thrown in there as well). I'm not sure it it's my all time favorite Ryan album but it definitely has a few of my favorite songs. "La Cienega Just Smiled" is a beautiful slow song, and one of the first songs that really got to me - and I still can't pinpoint why. "Sylvia Plath" is a quiet piano song that pays tribute to a wonderful poet, and the rockin' that I like in the current version of Ryan that shows in a way in "Enemy Fire." I think Ryan has some better writing under his belt since Gold, but this album would surely get me the Ryan fix that I would need if I could only listen to three CDs for the rest of my life!
There are my three! Take a listen and a look and let me know what you think!
So, I'm down to only one more... and this is hard. This is list is something that would probably change daily, as it sort of depends on my mood. But I'm being pretty true to who I am and the music I listen to. Lyrics and vocals are what get me. I love Adam Duritz's voice (from Counting Crows), love Ray's voice, but the voice I could never ever live without is that of Ryan Adams, and so I will choose Ryan Adams' album Gold as my #3 album.
Gold has it all and Ryan's voice shines as he sings all types of songs. I think I picked the best for last... The variety of this album is what made me pick it. Not only does it have interesting lyrics, it has ballads, rocking songs, piano songs, and some harmonica (which I love thrown in there as well). I'm not sure it it's my all time favorite Ryan album but it definitely has a few of my favorite songs. "La Cienega Just Smiled" is a beautiful slow song, and one of the first songs that really got to me - and I still can't pinpoint why. "Sylvia Plath" is a quiet piano song that pays tribute to a wonderful poet, and the rockin' that I like in the current version of Ryan that shows in a way in "Enemy Fire." I think Ryan has some better writing under his belt since Gold, but this album would surely get me the Ryan fix that I would need if I could only listen to three CDs for the rest of my life!
There are my three! Take a listen and a look and let me know what you think!
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