What were the best CDs of 2002? We have a few ideas!By The WCBE Music Staff
The WCBE music staff reviewed, debated, and finally forged a list of the Choice Albums of 2002. Whether you want to add to your personal music library, or need a handy reference for gift-giving, this list of the best music released in the past year is a must-have for every music aficionado. Most of these CD's are also available for purchase. Just go to www.amazon.com. A portion of each order directed through this link will benefit your public radio station - WCBE!
Los De Abajo - Cybertropic Chilango Power (Luaka Bop)
Ryan Adams - Demolition (Lost Highway)
Altan - The Blue Idol (Narada)
Tori Amos - Scarlet?s Walk (Epic)
Trey Anastasio - Trey Anastasio (Elektra)
Orchestra Baobab - Specialists In All Styles (Nonesuch)
Beck - Sea (Change Geffen)
Norman Blake - Old Ties (Rounder)
The Blasters - Trouble Bound (Hightone)
The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Higher Ground (Realworld)
Alpha Blondy - Merci (Shanachie)
Billy Bragg and The Blokes - England, Half English (Elektra)
Greg Brown - Milk Of The Moon (Red House)
John Brown?s Body - Spirits All Around Us (Shanachie)
Jeff Buckley & Gary Lucas - Songs To No One (Knitting Factory)
Caitlin Cary - While You Weren?t Looking (Yep Roc)
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around (American)
Cephas & Wiggins - Somebody Told The Truth (Alligator)
The Chieftans - Down The Old Plank Road (RCA)
Guy Clark - The Dark (Sugar Hill)
John Coltrane - Selections From Legacy And A Love Supreme: Deluxe Edition (Impulse)
Shemekica Copeland - Talking To Strangers (Alligator)
Cornershop - Handcream For A Generation (V2 Records)
Mark Olson & The Creekdippers - December?s Child (Dualtone)
Cuig - Prospect (Green Linnet)
Culture - Live In Africa (RAS)
Guy Davis - Give In Kind (Red House)
Joe Deninzon - The Adventures Of Stratospheerius (D Zone )
Karl Denson?s Tiny Universe - The Bridge (Relaxed)
The Derek Trucks Band - Joyful Noise (Columbia)
Ani Difranco - So Much Shouting/So Much Laughter (Righteous Babe)
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Medicated Magic (Rope-a-Dope)
Jerry Douglas- Look Out For Hope (Sugar Hill)
Youssou N?Dour - Nothing?s In Vain (Nonesuch)
Bob Dylan - Live 1975:The Bootleg Series (Columbia)
Steve Earle - Jerusalem (Artemis)
Railroad Earth - Bird In A House (Sugar Hill)
Greg Ellis - Kala Rupa (Narada)
Marianne Faithful - Kissin Time (Virgin)
The Flatlanders - Easy Now (New West)
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Live At The Quick (Columbia)
Ben Folds - Ben Folds Live (Epic)
Sue Foley - Where The Action Is? (Shanachie)
Tony Furtado - American Gypsy (W.A.R.?)
Mary Gauthier - Filth & Fire (Signature Sounds)
Ghost Train - The Hot Club of Cowtown (Hightone)
The Gladiators - Something A Gwann! (RAS)
Gomez - In Our Gun (Virgin)
David Gray - A New Day At Midnight Peter Case - Bee-Line (Vanguard)
Nanci Griffith - Winter Marquee (Rounder)
Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses (ATO)
David Grisman Quintet - Dawgnation (Acoustic Disc)
Ed Harcout - Here Be Monsters
Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Un Gran Dia En El Barrio (Rope-a-Dope)
Corey Harris - Downhome Sophisticate (Rounder)
George Harrison - Brainwashed (Capitol)
Tin Hat Trio - The Rodeo Eroded (Rope-a-Dope)
Hem - Rabbit Songs (Waveland)
Bruce Hornsby - Big Swing Face (RCA)
Sixteen Horsepower - Folklore (Jetset)
Etta James and The Roots Band - Burnin? Down The House(Private Music)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (Blue Note)
Kabul Workshop - Trigana (Tinder)
Kieran Kane - Shadows On The Ground (Dead Reckoning)
Jorma Kaukonen - Blue Country Heart (Columbia)
Angelique Kidjo - Black Ivory Soul (Columbia)
Kodo- Mondo Head (Red Ink)
Diana Krall - Live In Paris (Blue Note)
Alison Krauss + Union Station - Live (Rounder)
Tony Levin - Pieces Of The Sun (Narada)
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Brothers)
Liquid Soul - Evolution (Shanachie)
The Lonesome River Band - Window Of Time (Doobie Shea Records)
Herbie Mann - Eastern European Roost (Light Year)
Medeski Martin And Wood - Uninvisible (Blue Note)
Delbert McClinton - Room To Breathe (New West)
James McMurtry - Saint Mary Of The Woods (Sugar Hill)
Brad Mehldau - Largo (Warner Brothers)
Tift Merritt - Bramble Rose (Lost Highway)
Rhett Miller - The Instigator (Elektra)
Misty In Roots - Roots Controller (Realworld)
Moby - 18 (V2)
Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies (Side One Dummy)
Morcheeba - Charango (Reprise)
Van Morrison - Down The Road (Universal)
Olivet Mtukudzi - Vhunze Moto (Putumayo)
Gov?t Mule - The Deep End Vol. 2 (ATO)
Charlie Musselwhite - One Night In America (Telarc)
Spirit Nation - Winter Moons (Karuna)
Nerissa & Katrina Neilds - Love And China (Zoe)
Jeb Loy Nichols - Easy Now (Rykodisc)
Old & In The Gray - Old & In The Gray (Acoustic Disc)
Beth Orton - Daybreaker (Astralwerks)
Anders Osborne with Monk Boudreaux - Bury The Hatchet (Shanachie)
Willy Porter - Willy Porter (Six Degrees)
Chuck Prophet - No Other Love (New West)
Kronos Quartet - Nuevo (Nonesuch)
Bonnie Raitt - Silver Lining (Capitol)
Joshua Redman - Elastic (Warner Brothers)
Renee Rosnes - Life On Earth (Blue Note)
Kim Richey - Rise (Lost Highway)
Romero - Un Segundo Una Vida (333 Entertainment)
Ron Sexsmith - Cobblestone Runway (Nettwerk)
The John Scofield Band - Uberjam (Verve)
The Slip - Angels Come On Time (Rykodisc)
Solas - The Edge Of Silence (Shanacie)
Jimmy Sturr - Top Of The World (Rounder)
Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me (Tone-Cool)
Linda Thompson - Fashionably Late (Rounder)
Tom Waits - Alice (Anti)
Tom Waits - Blood Money (Anti)
Chuck E. Weiss- Old Souls & Wolf Tickets (Rykodisc)
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch)
Keller Williams - Laugh (Sci-Fidelity)
Victoria Williams - Sings Some Ol? Songs (Dualtone)
Kelly Willis - Easy (Rykodisc)
Cassandra Wilson - Belly Of The Sun (Blue Note)
Neil Young - Are You Passionate? (Reprise)
VARIOUS ARTISTS 2002:
Various - Asian Groove (Putumayo)
Various - Bonnaroo (Sanctuary)
Various - Cuisine Non-Stop New French Generation (Luaka Bop)
Various - Dressed In Black (Dualtone)
Various - La Musica Della Mafia Il Canto Di Malavita (Piasa)
Various - Red Hot + Riot (Red Hot Organization)
Various - The Rough Guide To The Music Of The Indian Ocean (World Music Netwerk)
Various - Samba Bossa Nova (Putumayo)
Various - Trance Planet (Triloka)
Various - Verve//Remixed (Verve)
Various - Verve//Unmixed (Verve)
Various - World 2002 (Narada World)
Various - Zen And The Art Of Chilling Volume 1 (Mondo Rythmica)
Various - Zen And The Art Of Chilling Volume 2
(Mondo Rythmica)