DPs~

Last week I humbly offered you my personal favorite Top 40 Songs Of 2009. This week, I attempted to take on the entire past decade of music. The oughties, or whatever you want to call them, are rapidly coming to a close and I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the artists and songs that stood out in a big way, along the way, at least in my stereo and perhaps in yours as well.

I gave a lot of thought as to how best to tackle this and the end result was a bit unconventional. I didn't do a countdown like last week and this is a not a chart with any kind of rankings. Instead I came up with 30 categories of distinction and presented them in chronological order.

Below is the list of the categories as well as the comments I made about them on the show last night. If you just want information about the songs sans the added verbage, check out the separate playlist blog that I've posted which contains just that.

As you'll see, I had a lot to say....consider yourself warned!

Rosanna

BEST TAKE TWO: Joni Mitchell

“BOTH SIDES NOW” 

BOTH SIDES NOW/Reprise 2000

40 years and thousands of cigarettes after releasing the original version of “Both Sides Now” on the album “Clouds” in 1969, the master tackled it again with a full orchestra. Released in February 2000, just as the new decade was dawning, this concept album about the cycle of a love relationship set the somber tone for the next ten years before any of us knew just how somber they would be. Leave it to Joni to give us the soundtrack we needed before we knew we needed it. “Both Sides Now” is the 12^th and final track on the album, because this song is what the end of something grand sounds like. At the very least, the ‘00s were certainly the end of the booming America of the ‘90s…and perhaps much, much more than that.

BEST VEGEMITE TO VEGAN: Colin Hay

“WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN”           

GOING SOMEWHERE/Self-Release 2000

Who can it be now, you ask? A musician who has undergone a startling transformation since the heady days of the early ‘80s when he and his mates in Men At Work put Australia atop the international music charts with the utterly irresistible “Down Under”. That Colin Hay leered at us from MTV and seemed slightly deranged in a friendly pop star kind of way. Talented to be sure, but not to be taken too seriously. Flash forward to the early ‘00s when Hay’s acoustic side brought him a second round of success. He’d been releasing mellower solo albums since the late ‘80s with titles like “Topanga” (where he now lives) and “Transcendental Highway” and word of his new sound spread. By 2004, his haunting song “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” was on the hugely successful “Garden State” soundtrack with a bunch of ‘00s cool kids like The Shins, Iron & Wine, and Frou Frou. Turned out that he was serious as a heart attack with lyrics like the ones in "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin" for us to think about. Hard.

BEST BIG TIME: Jay-Z

“I JUST WANNA LUV U (Give It 2 Me)” (Live)

MTV UNPLUGGED: JAY-Z (Live)/Roc-A-Fella 2001

Who knew Jay-Z was just warming up in the ‘90s? He put out his debut “Reasonable Doubt” in 1996 and released 3 more before that decade ended. Then he came out with 7 more in this one. He is currently the record holder for the solo artist with the most #1 albums on the Billboard Top 200 with 9. The days of mega stars in the Prince/Madonna mode may be over, but Jay-Z seems to be drawing up a new template. On a typical night out, he can get dressed in clothes from his own line, wear cologne from his own company, watched a basketball game played by a team he co-owns, then go to an after-party at his own club, and at the end of it all, go home with is wife who happens to

be Beyonce. If that’s not living large, no one is. H.O.V.A. turns 40 on December 4^th and the rap game does not have a whole lot of elder statesmen. I for one will be watching to see how long he can keep this up.

BEST SENSITIVE BRITS: Travis

“THE CAGE”

THE INVISIBLE BAND/Epic 2001

Coldplay? Keane? Snow Patrol? Travis. These Scots came first, releasing their debut album “Good Feeling” in 1997. From the start they have made the prettiest, smartest pop from across the pond, but for some reason have gotten the least credit. And there’s no reason to just take my word for it. In 2005, even Chris Martin conceded that he is “a poor man’s Fran Healy”, namely Travis’ lead singer and songwriter. As right as Martin is (and extra points for him for such grace and self-awareness), most of us would probably not recognize Fran Healy or any other members of the band if we had to pick them out of a line-up. At least they have a sense of humor about their lack of, shall we say, media presence as is evident in the title of the 2001 masterpiece "The Invisible Band”. The irony is that the Travis boys are perfectly decent looking. So it’s not that they shy away from the spotlight due to image issues. Maybe the problem is that none of them is a raging narcissist and so we never hear about them in relation to anything other than their music. But the only thing that’s supposed to determine success in the music business is the quality of music on a record…right? RIGHT?

BEST BEYOND THE GRAVE: Chris Whitley

“RADAR”

ROCKET HOUSE/ATO 2001

When I think of Chris Whitley I think of regret. Regret that I didn’t pay attention when I had the chance. Someone told me about “Dirt Floor” back in 1998 when it came out and what can I say? I just completely blew it. Didn’t listen, dummy that I was. Maybe I though he was going to be too country for me, or too rootsy, or too something. Then in 2005, I vaguely remember hearing something about his death but as I didn’t know the music I didn’t know the depth of the loss that the music world suffered when he died. I honestly don’t remember what changed last fall, but something must have and I finally tuned it. When I did, the enormity of my oversight hit me almost as hard as the music itself. Listening to songs like “Big Sky Country” and “Living With The Law” literally hurt.  “These songs are so beautiful,” I thought. “And I will never get to hear Chris Whitley sing them live. And that is completely my fault.” Christopher Becker Whitley died of lung cancer at age 45 and when he did a folk/blues genius left this earth. There is no better example of his talent than “Rocket House”, his completely unique collaboration with DJ Logic from 2001. It sounds modern and ancient at the same time with production from right now combined with vocals of ghosts. I can’t listen to him sing without feeling remorse, but god knows that doesn’t stop me. I don’t know how I lived without his music as long as I did and now that I’ve found it, there’s no turning it off. So, here’s to that bed of roses in the big sky country….I sincerely hope that’s where Chris Whitley is.

BEST SIX DEGREES: Neil Finn

ANYTIME (Live)/Neil Finn & Friends  

7 WORLDS COLLIDE: Live At The Saint James/Nettwerk 2002

In certain musical circles, it seems like Neil was everywhere, all the time these last ten years. Maybe he was fated to be connected to so many other major talents through friendship because from the beginning he was connected to one major talent by blood. His start in the music biz came when he joined his big brother Tim’s band Spliz Enz in the ‘70s as their lead singer and ultimately biggest hit writer. After that came the creation of Crowded House in the ‘80s. And then in the ‘90s he began releasing incredible solo records, as well as records with Tim. In this decade, records with “friends” followed….friends like Eddie Vedder, Jeff Tweedy, and Johnny Marr. He’s also duetted with Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin and Jonatha Brooke. And finally, as if all that weren’t enough, he also produced a son Liam who is proving that he can give his dad a serious run for his musical money as the ‘00s come to a close. Neil Finn is not a household name for being one of the greatest craftsmen like Dylan, Lennon, Wilson, Newman, Simon are, but he ought to be. Maybe by the time his grandchildren are carrying on the family tradition, Mr. Finn will get the recognition he deserves for being giving us so many gems since the late ‘70s, as well as for being the glue in a loose collective of some of the biggest artists around.

BEST PINT-SIZED POWERHOUSE: Patty Griffin

“LONG RIDE HOME”

1000 KISSES (EP)/ATO 2002            

The first song on Patty Griffin’s first record was “Moses” from “Living With Ghosts” in 1996. If you’ve ever heard it, you know that she was putting us all on notice that a major talent had arrived, albeit in small package. Thirteen years later, Griffin has delivered on the promise of her debut with music that consistently packs a lyrical and vocal punch that is virtually unmatched right now. At the start of this decade, Patty’s situation was uncertain at best as she got caught in the dreaded label limbo that can strike artists at a moment’s notice when the companies that own their music change regimes or crumble altogether. Her album “Silver Bell” never did see the light of day and Patty junkies the world over grew restless as four long years passed between “Flaming Red” in 1998 and her triumphant return on Dave Matthews’ newly formed ATO Records with “1000 Kisses” in 2002. But the wait was beyond worth it and I would even argue that Matthews’ rescue of Griffin and resurrection of her stalled career was a greater contribution to the world of music than his own music has been. I know that statement will ruffle the feathers of diehard DMB fans, but I mean that as a compliment. If you don’t believe me, go see Patty live. If you’ve heard her records before you see her on stage, you’ll be surprised by how a voice that big can come out of a person that small. She’s charming and humble and tells the stories behind her songs in a light, easy way…and then she blows the roof off of whatever joint she’s in.

BEST ALBUM-A-YEAR: Ryan Adams

“SO ALIVE”

ROCK ‘N ROLL/Lost Highway 2003

Speaking of debut albums that put the world on notice, Ryan Adams’ “Heartbreaker” did exactly that back in 2000. While established that the former Whiskeytown frontman was the real deal, no one could have know that this opening shot would be followed by 9 more before the decade was out. Ten full-length albums in ten years is amazing. Ten good ones is astounding. Having the support of a major label for the last 9 of them is astonishing. Sure, some were better than others but the overall quality was incredibly high. Along the way, he tried his hand at country, folk, and rock and proved that he is a musical chameleon who can do it all. Known for a fair amount of personal turbulence on-stage and off, it will be fascinating to see what the restless pen of the newly married Mr. Adams has to say us in the ‘Tweens (or whatever we’re going to call this new decade).

BEST QUILL: Deb Talan

“UNRAVELING”

A BIRD FLIES OUT/Self-Release 2003

I first heard Deb Talan at the end of the summer of 2000 at the legendary Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. She is now part of The Weepies but initially she set out to do her own music. That night, she wasn’t headlining or even opening for someone or on the bill in any official way. She was simply sitting in for someone else who cancelled last minute in a round of local songwriters. I think there were four of them and they each got to play maybe 3 or 4 songs over the course of an hour. I’d never heard Deb or even heard of her before. She got up and let loose a song called “Unraveling” that wouldn’t get out of my head or come out on a record for 3 more years. It was a long, long three years that I waited to hear it again. Why? Because I knew in an instant that the lyrical baton had just been passed from Suzanne, and Shawn, and Tracy, and Jonatha to a new writer whose lyrics could level you. Exhibit A:

“You’re a river of tangled string

You are unraveling

And no one else seems to mind

You keep it to yourself, shake him off and act fine

You wear your shame under your soul

Like a pebble

It makes you limp and sway

But it will out someday…”

Talan’s solo writing had a bite to it that I’ve yet to hear in her Weepies work. As lovely as their music is, I hope that she’ll log some more solo time in a studio someday soon…

BEST BUZZ: Ray LaMontagne

“SHELTER”

TROUBLE/RCA 2004

In these days of media overload, it’s not easy to cut through the noise. That is, unless you sound like Ray LaMontagne. There was one week back in the fall of 2004 when it seemed like everyone I talked to was talking about him. Or rather his music. It’s not every shoe factory worked in Lewiston, ME (or anywhere) who possesses a voice for the ages, but thankfully Ray believed in his talent enough to leave Lewiston and see what would happen if he sang and other people heard him. He started to hit the road and his debut “Trouble” came out and what happened was that people FREAKED out. He’d play a show for 50 people his first time in a city, then play for 500 the second time, and 5000 the third. This was happening without a big single, or big video or big gimmick of any kind. I think Ray’s instant success was the result of true talent as well as timing since it was clear by the middle of the ‘00s that times were tough and likely to get tougher. To see him perform live is to see a bearded shaman of soul sent to soothe us in our darkest hours. On stage, he doesn’t chit chat. He doesn’t charm. He just channels.

BEST PERSPECTIVE: Anais Mitchell

“TWO KIDS” 

HYMNS FOR THE EXILED/Waterbug 2004

A new voice emerged from Vermont in the ‘00s. Her name was Anais Mitchell and she had the goods to audition at one of her gigs in front of Ani DiFranco and get signed to Righteous Babe Records, something only a fearless person could do. In a time of war, she found a way to write about fear from the perspective of two children, one American and one Iraqi, which has haunted me since the moment I first heard it.  “Two Kids” isn’t just the most moving song I heard this decade about the Iraq war. It might be the most moving song I’ve heard about any war.

BEST SCENE SONG SYNERGY: Sia

“BREATHE ME”

SIX FEET UNDER, VOL. 2: EVERYTHING ENDS/Astralwerks 2005

I haven’t been hearing a lot of talk about the epic Alan Ball series “Six Feet Under” as the ‘00s come to an end and I find this deeply troubling as it was my favorite show of the decade. It debuted in June 2001 and concluded in August 2005 and in between I became very attached to that crazy Fisher family and their assorted friends and lovers. Gary Calamar and Thomas Golubic were the music supervisors for the show and they consistently outdid themselves with selections new and old which added another layer to a show that was full of them. Calamar and Golubic truly saved the best for last as did Ball with a searing series finale episode that said goodbye to each of the main characters while introducing us to a vibrant new voice in Sia Furler. The final five minutes of the final show are a montage of what happens to the leads while Sia’s “Breathe Me” blasts out of the stereo in Clare Fisher’s green Prius. In those minutes, the song and the show merged into one. This was the most powerful and perfect pairing of sound and image that I have ever seen on TV or anywhere else.

BEST BUBBLING UNDER: Leela James

“LONG TIME COMING”

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/Warner 2005

When I listen to Leela James sing “Long Time Coming”, I am amazed that she is not a big, huge, STAR. This chick’s got more talent in her little finger than most r&b divas have in their entire bodies…so what gives? Good question. So far she’s put out her Warner debut from 2005 and earlier this year she released an all-covers album called “Let’s Do It Again” on Shanachie Records as part of their covers series. But I’d like to hear more. A lot more. And I think she can do better. What I wish for her is that she’ll find a situation like Aretha did on Atlantic where she finds the right label, the right material and the right producers to unleash her full potential. There’s always room for another dynamo at the diva table and I’d like like Leela to claim her rightful seat in the decade to come.

BEST BEHIND THE BOARDS: Danger Mouse

DIRTY HARRY/Gorillaz 

DEMON DAYS/Virgin 2005

Brian Joseph Burton (aka Danger Mouse) was all that and more in the ‘00s. First he released “The Grey Album” putting vocals from Jay-Z’s “The Black Album” together with music from The Beatles’ “White Album” in 2004. Then he formed Gnarls Barkley with Cee-Lo Green, a union which spawned the classic single “Crazy” and two strong albums in “St. Elsewhere” and “The Odd Couple”. In his spare time he produced the Gorillaz’ second album “Demon Days” from 2005 as well as Beck’s “Modern Guilt” from 2008. Basically, he produced more quality albums in one decade than a lot of big name producers put out in a lifetime. On the song “Dirty Harry”, if you listen closely, I swear you can hear him roar.

BEST ‘00s AXE: Jack White

“BLUE ORCHID” 

GET BEHIND ME SATAN/V2 2005

Jack White went from small-time to big time in the blink of an eye. The White Stripes released their self-titled debut in June 1999 and before the decade was out they’d released five more full-length studio albums. In addition to these records, White also released albums as part of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather and in his spare time produced one for Loretta Lynn. The man can write, he can sing, and most of all, he can shred. You can debate who the best guitarists are all day long but there’s no question that White’s got to be in the conversation. Documentary filmmaker David Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) seems to think so as he chose White as one of three guitarists to profile in his 2009 documentary about the electric guitar called “It Might Get Loud”. The other two guitarists in it are Jimmy Page and The Edge. Nice company, if you’re good enough to be in it. And he is.

BEST GADGET GIRL: Imogen Heap

“HIDE AND SEEK”

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF/RCA Victor 2005

Boys seem to get most of the credit for twiddling knobs and pushing buttons when it comes to recording and producing rock and roll. But in the ‘00s, one London girl emerged as an electronic force to be reckoned with. Imogen Heap arrived during the Lilith era and then returned as the vocalist for the “Frou Frou” project with producer Guy Sigsworth, but her 2005 release “Speak For Yourself” speaks for itself as a testament to her talent on both sides of the booth.  It’s a lush and loop filled album that she produced by herself and to see her live is to know that she is the man when it comes to the machines.

BEST REPEATER: The Knife

“HEARTBEATS” (Live) 

ONEMUSIC SESSION/Rabid 2005

No, this is not a category that has anything to do with Fugazi. The Knife are a Swedish sibling duo who formed in 1999. Their music is serious and synthesizer-heavy and still not all that well known here in the States. “Heartbeats” is probably their biggest song and that’s in large part due to the exposure it got through Jose Gonzalez’s acoustic cover of it in 2003. I’m partial to this live version by The Knife themselves. Actually, “partial” is putting it mildly. Perpetually playing is more like it, if not actually out of my computer, stereo or iPod, then simply in my head. I never seem to get sick of it and have given some thought as to why this is. Maybe it’s because this song sounds like falling in love feels.

BEST BLAST: Mary J. Blige ft. U2

“ONE” 

THE BREAKTHROUGH/Geffen 2005

I’ve been a big Mary J. fan since 1992, but my appreciation for her talent kicked into a whole new gear on September 10, 2005 when I heard her perform the song “One” with U2 in the wake of Katrina as part of the TV fundraiser “Shelter From The Storm: A Concert For The Gulf Coast”. This wasn’t some slick Dr. Dre jam. This was Mary putting the whole country on blast. There was no way to listen to her performance without feeling a deep sense of collective shame for what had just happened in one of the great American cities. I think we knew even before we heard her sing that a new low had been reached in a decade full of them, and if you weren’t sure, Mary confirmed it for us. She later polished up that performance and released it on her album “The Breakthrough” and the little hairs on the back of my neck still stand up every time I hear her sing it.

BEST SETH COHEN: Death Cab For Cutie

“MARCHING BANDS OF MANHATTAN”

PLANS/Atlantic 2005

If you ever watched “The O.C.” then this category will need no explanation. For the rest of you, this is my way of outing myself. My little sister watched it when it first came on, so I decided to check it out…and am ashamed to admit that I kept watching it long after she stopped, which is to say all the way until its final episode in 2007. For better, and I’m sure some might say, for worse, “The O.C” and its music supervisor Alex Patsavas broke the whole concept of placing “new” music in TV shows wide open. As other outlets for new music dried up, placements in TV shows opened up after “The O.C” showed everyone how it’s done. One of the main ways was by having a main character who loved indie music the way that Seth Cohen (played so winningly by Adam Brody) did. And the band that he loved best of all was Death Cab For Cutie. As the show’s popularity grew, so did the band’s, and for a while there, the whole new music on teen-oriented TV shows thing seemed like a win/win. Now there is so much music on so many shows that it’s hard to tell if these placements really make much of a difference, although I’m sure the bands that receive the paychecks appreciate them.

BEST SCENE STEALER: Gary Jules

“FALLING AWAKE”

GARY JULES/Down Up Down 2006

Gary Jules is a guy from Fresno who managed to make Hollywood the center of the national singer/songwriter universe. Gary is also a singer/songwriter who released his debut on A&M in 1998 and then followed that up with “Trading Snakeoil For Wolftickets” in 2001. That album contained his gorgeous cover of the Tears For Fears’ song “Mad World”. When it was included on the soundtrack to the cult film "Donnie Darko" later that year, things started to build. Jules lived in LA and was looking to do a residency somewhere a little more low key than Largo was at the time and stumbled upon Hotel Café. He booked his residency there and then began booking the club altogether. It quickly became ground zero for the best up and coming singer/songwriters in the city, and then the country and now arguably the world. What made this so impressive is that just about that the time that Hotel Café was getting off the ground in 2002/2003, a similar venue called The Living Room in New York was getting major national attention as the launch pad for Norah Jones. The Living Room is still there, but it’s Hotel Café that has captured the international spotlight. Gary has moved on but the venue continues to thrive in his wake. 4-5 artists play there 7 nights a week and an inordinate number of them are really freaking good. It also sponsors tours, puts out records, and looms large in the minds of aspiring artists worldwide as the place they one day hope to play.

BEST CONCEPTION: Easy Star All-Stars

“KARMA POLICE”

RADIODREAD/Easy-Star 2006

The concept album is a concept that doesn’t always work, but NYC’s reggae group the Easy Star All-Stars have a concept that is most definitely working for them. To date, they have bravely taken on three classic albums and turned them into mini-classics of their own. First, they tackled Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of the Moon” and turned it into their 2003 release “Dub Side Of The Moon”. Then in 2006, they turned their attention to Radiohead’s “OK Computer” and turned that into “Radiodread”. And this year, they took on The Beatles and put out “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band”. They choose killer albums and collaborators and the results are captivating, nowhere more so than on their version of “Karma Police” featuring the guest vocals of the great Citizen Cope. It’s not easy to follow in the footsteps of artists like the ones they are covering, but they truly make the music their own and offer us something worth owning in the process.

BEST NET: CSS

“MUSIC IS MY HOT, HOT SEX”

CANSEI DE SER SEXY/Sub Pop 2006

The ‘00s were nothing if not the decade of the digital in music. We got iPods and iTunes and MySpace and Wi-Fi and YouTube and music will never be the same again. Neither will music distribution. All kinds of doors opened up for artists to walk through that never existed before and walk they did. As a result, the world got ever smaller and it got easier for us to check out and hear music from other countries by doing nothing more than clicking a mouse. CSS is a band from Sao Paolo, Brazil that is but one of many shining examples of this paradigm at work. They formed in 2003 and immediately began to get attention online. This led to a deal with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records and (ironically) huge international exposure through the use of their song “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex” in a worldwide iPod commercial. Further evidence of the cross-polinization of music and culture in the wake of this decade’s many technological advances is the fact that Cansei De Ser Sexy means “tired of being sexy” in Portugese. Apparently, the band was inspired to name themselves this after hearing that Beyonce said as much about herself. I feel you, girl.

BEST MASH MAGIC: Go Home Productions

“MAKE LOVE IN A UNIFORM”

GHP COMPLETE-CD 12: RARITIES & UNRELEASED: GHP 2006

The advances in technology mentioned above also paved the way for the production and promotion of mash-ups. Producers worldwide began to have some serious fun combining two or more songs at a time into entirely new entities and then posting the files on blogs and playing them at clubs. While most mash-ups have something of a disco sensibility with fun being the name of the game, some are quite beautiful and boundary stretching. One of the biggest names in the mash-up universe and my personal favorite is Mark Vidler, aka Go Home Productions. The breadth and depth of the music he draws from is unparalleled and the range of emotions his mash-ups inspire is too. It’s hard to pick just one as a highlight but “Make Love In A Uniform” does an excellent job of showing off his ability to take two seemingly disparate works (The 2004 Public Enemy/Moby single “Make Love F*** War” and the 1982 Gang of Four song “I Love A Man In A Uniform”) and combine them into something daring…as well as danceable.

BEST RESCUE: Jamie Spears

“GIMME MORE (Eli Escobar & Doug Grayson Remix)”/Britney Spears

GIMME MORE (Remixes) (EP)/Zomba 2007

Watching Britney Spears lose her innocence was entertaining. Watching her lose her mind was not. We’ll never know what was really going on and we don’t need to. All that mattered to me was that she is a mother to two little boys and I wanted her to find a way to get her s*** together for them. The creepy people who had latched on to her were clearly no good for her and her father’s re-entrance into her life was met by a collective sigh of relief by an entire nation. What Jamie Spears accomplished is a miracle and other families with troubled starlets ought to take note. I am talking to you, Dina Lohan. Just as it’s hard to remember that Lindsay was once a talented young actress with a bright future, it was equally hard to imagine Britney ever performing or recording in a coherent way again. But she has and she is and she has her father to thank for saving her life. I want to take this opportunity to thank him as well. Team Jamie, all the way.....

BEST RONSON: Mark Ronson

“STOP ME”

VERSION/Columbia 2007

Speaking of Dina and Lindsay brings me to Samantha. She may the Ronson who grabbed the most headlines in the ‘00s, but she wasn’t the Ronson who deserved them. He older brother Mark did. You might not have heard of him, but you’ve definitely heard the music he produced. His crowning achievement of the decade was his work on Amy Winehouse’s “Back In Black” but that came on the heels of his auspicious work on Nikka Costa’s adult debut “Everybody Got Their Something” in 2001 and two solo albums of his own in 2003 and 2007. His signature sound has a raw timelessness that is full of soul for a new generation. His cover of The Smith’s song “Stop Me” featuring Daniel Merriweather is a prime example of it.

BEST SESAME SINGER/SONGWRITER: Feist

“1, 2, 3, 4” (Muppets Version) (Live)

BOOTLEG/2008

If Leslie Feist isn’t the most likeable musician to come along this decade, I don’t know who is. Even the Muppets dig Feist and can you blame them? There’s something intrinsically warm and inviting about her voice that is utterly unique. Her success is a great example of a slow build with her first solo release “Monarch” coming out in 1999, followed by the increasing success of her sophomore effort “Let It Die” in 2004 and then world domination with her third album “The Reminder” in 2007. I saw her play The Greek sold-out in 2008 and more than once the place was pin-drop quiet because everyone wanted to hear the subtle inflections of her unforgettable instrument.

BEST NASHVILLE NAUGHTINESS: Kings Of Leon

“CLOSER”

ONLY BY THE NIGHT/RCA 2008

Like Feist, Kings Of Leon got rolling in 1999. By decade’s end they had four albums under their belts with the last one “Only By The Night” landing them squarely at the top of the American rock and roll heap. The group is made up of three brothers and one cousin who don’t look like they bathe all that much. I’ve also read that they drink a lot and party too hard. Despite all that, or perhaps because of it, there’s something undeniably hot about this band of boozing brothers and I’m pretty sure they know it. If Caleb Followill wants to sing to me about his sex being on fire, I’m here to listen. Closely.

BEST A&R TO SUPERSTAR: Santigold

“YOU’LL FIND A WAY” 

SANTIGOLD/Downtown 2008

A&R people generally have a bad rap in the music world for trying to be too cool, for not having ears, and for wishing they were the rock stars. Santi White is the exception to the rule. After graduating from Wesleyan, she did A&R for Epic Records but changed teams when she released two albums with a punk band she fronted called Stiffed. Then she put out her self-titled solo debut in 2008 and anyone could see that Santigold is cool, has ears, and doesn’t have to wish she was a rock star because she’s the real deal. Wannabees definitely don’t sound like this.

BEST SECOND DECADE: Radiohead

“ALL I NEED”

IN RAINBOWS/Self-Release 2008

Radiohead gave us the best rock record of the ‘90s in “OK Computer” and then they largely left rock behind on their next three albums, opting for beats and squiggles and sounds over conventional songs. However, on their fourth and final album of the ‘00s, the decided to remind us that they can come back to the rock anytime they want to and do it more melodically and meaningfully than anyone else. With “In Rainbows”, they are going out of this decade just like they went out of the last one….on top.

BEST ZEITGEIST: The Roots ft. Mos Def & Styles P

“RISING DOWN”

RISING DOWN/Def Jam 2008

I hate to end on a down note, but let’s face it…it’s been a tough ten. Time Magazine’s latest cover is calling it “The Decade From Hell” and I can’t disagree. The music of the ‘00s has reflected the times and The Roots’ song “Rising Down” from 2008 is a 3 minute and 40 second mirror. Listen to it and you’ll hear the confusion and chaos that have dominated our days.

I truly hope that the next decade will be easier on us all. Whatever it brings, I look forward to what the music has to say about it.

Thank you so much as always for listening (and if you’ve made it this far, for reading!)...Happy New Year...Happy New START…

Last week I humbly offered you my personal favorite Top 40 Songs Of 2009. This week, I attempted to take on the entire past decade of music. The oughties, or whatever you want to call them, are rapidly coming to a close and I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the artists and songs that stood out in a big way, along the way, at least in my stereo and perhaps in yours as well.

I gave a lot of thought as to how best to tackle this and the end result was a bit unconventional. I didn't do a countdown like last week and this is a not a chart with any kind of rankings. Instead I came up with 30 categories of distinction and presented them in chronological order.

Below is the list of the categories. For those of you who might be interested in a further explanation of them (and the winners), I'm also going to post a version of this "Best Of" list with full commentary included in a separate blog.

Here goes...enjoy!

Rosanna

BEST TAKE TWO: Joni Mitchell

“BOTH SIDES NOW” 

BOTH SIDES NOW/Reprise 2000

BEST VEGIMITE TO VEGAN: Colin Hay

“WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE TO BEGIN”           

GOING SOMEWHERE/Self-Release 2000

BEST BIG TIME: Jay-Z

“I JUST WANNA LUV U (Give It 2 Me)” (Live)

MTV UNPLUGGED: JAY-Z (Live)/Roc-A-Fella 2001

BEST SENSITIVE BRITS: Travis

“THE CAGE”

THE INVISIBLE BAND/Epic 2001

BEST BEYOND THE GRAVE: Chris Whitley

“RADAR”

ROCKET HOUSE/ATO 2001

BEST SIX DEGREES: Neil Finn

ANYTIME (Live)/Neil Finn & Friends  

7 WORLDS COLLIDE: Live At The Saint James/Nettwerk 2002

BEST PINT-SIZED POWERHOUSE: Patty Griffin

“LONG RIDE HOME”

1000 KISSES (EP)/ATO 2002            

BEST ALBUM-A-YEAR: Ryan Adams

“SO ALIVE”

ROCK ‘N ROLL/Lost Highway 2003

BEST QUILL: Deb Talan

“UNRAVELING”

A BIRD FLIES OUT/Self-Release 2003

BEST BUZZ: Ray LaMontagne

“SHELTER”

TROUBLE/RCA 2004

BEST PERSPECTIVE: Anais Mitchell

“TWO KIDS” 

HYMNS FOR THE EXILED/Waterbug 2004

BEST SCENE SONG SYNERGY: Sia

“BREATHE ME”

SIX FEET UNDER, VOL. 2: EVERYTHING ENDS/Astralwerks 2005

BEST BUBBLING UNDER: Leela James

“LONG TIME COMING”

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME/Warner 2005

BEST BEHIND THE BOARDS: Danger Mouse

DIRTY HARRY/Gorillaz 

DEMON DAYS/Virgin 2005

BEST ‘00s AXE: Jack White

“BLUE ORCHID” 

GET BEHIND ME SATAN/V2 2005

BEST GADGET GIRL: Imogen Heap

“HIDE AND SEEK”

SPEAK FOR YOURSELF/RCA Victor 2005

BEST REPEATER: The Knife

“HEARTBEATS” (Live) 

ONEMUSIC SESSION/Rabid 2005

BEST BLAST: Mary J. Blige ft. U2

“ONE” 

THE BREAKTHROUGH/Geffen 2005

BEST SETH COHEN: Death Cab For Cutie

“MARCHING BANDS OF MANHATTAN”

PLANS/Atlantic 2005

BEST SCENE STEALER: Gary Jules

“FALLING AWAKE”

GARY JULES/Down Up Down 2006

BEST CONCEPTION: Easy Star All-Stars

“KARMA POLICE”

RADIODREAD/Easy-Star 2006

BEST NET: CSS

“MUSIC IS MY HOT, HOT SEX”

CANSEI DE SER SEXY/Sub Pop 2006

BEST MASH MAGIC: Go Home Productions

“MAKE LOVE IN A UNIFORM”

GHP COMPLETE-CD 12: RARITIES & UNRELEASED: GHP 2006

BEST RESCUE: Jamie Spears

“GIMME MORE (Eli Escobar & Doug Grayson Remix)”/Britney Spears

GIMME MORE (Remixes) (EP)/Zomba 2007

BEST RONSON: Mark Ronson

“STOP ME”

VERSION/Columbia 2007

BEST SESAME SINGER/SONGWRITER: Feist

“1, 2, 3, 4” (Muppets Version) (Live)

BOOTLEG/2008

BEST NASHVILLE NAUGHTINESS: Kings Of Leon

“CLOSER”

ONLY BY THE NIGHT/RCA 2008

BEST A&R TO SUPERSTAR: Santigold

“YOU’LL FIND A WAY” 

SANTIGOLD/Downtown 2008

BEST SECOND DECADE: Radiohead

“ALL I NEED”

IN RAINBOWS/Self-Release 2008

BEST ZEITGEIST: The Roots ft. Mos Def & Styles P

“RISING DOWN”

RISING DOWN/Def Jam 2008

Alright Deep Peeps~

It's that time of year. Thanksgiving is on Thursday so there's no denying it....summer is over. Really.

As always, new music from around the country and the world has been a big part of the show in 2009. In addition to songs from artists all over the US, the UK and Canada, you'll find contributions from Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, France, and Germany. Heavy hitters like the Indigo Girls, the Beastie Boys and Rickie Lee Jones are joined by newcomers such as RuRu, The Big Pink and Fitz & The Tantrums. Altogether, I have played 441 new songs from 315 different artists since January. Not bad for a show that's only on once a week for three hours.

The Top 40 list below represents my personal favorites from the '09 onslaught, not anything more or anything less...it certainly does not measure sales, airplay or any other kind of conventional assessment tool. After all, how do you measure the impact of a song on your heart? Or your feet? Or your soul?

It was challenging enough to come up with a list of favorites for the past year. Next Saturday I am going to attempt to comment on music from this entire decade. Yikes.

Until then, happy feasting...and thanks for listening!

Rosanna

THE DEEP END’S TOP 40 SONGS OF 2009

(KCSN 88.5 FM/LOS ANGELES)

1. HELP I’M ALIVE/Metric                                                                 

2. ZEPHYRUS (Phase One Remix)/Bloc Party                 

3. DANIEL (Death Metal Disco Scene Remix)/Bat For Lashes 

4. TOO MANY RAPPERS/Beastie Boys ft. Nas                                      

5. FOOL’S GOLD/Lhasa                                                                            

6. ELIZABETH/RuRu                            

7. FOUR LETTER WORD/Gossip                      

8. ON YOUR SIDE/Liam Finn & Eliza Jane 

9. BROKEN HEADLIGHTS/Joey Ryan w/Sara Bareilles        

10. SECRET LOVE/Heather Masse                                     

11. PERCUSSION GUN/White Rabbits                                     

12. YOU, ME & THE BOURGEOISIE/The Submarines

13. THE LAST DAY ON EARTH/Kate Miller-Heidke       

14. BAYLESS ST./Rickie Lee Jones                                                 

15. SLIPPIN’ AWAY/Brother Ali

16. ISLANDS/The xx                                                                                          

17. HALO/Kate Havnevik                                                            

18. BIG BLACK CAR/Gregory Alan Isakov

19. LAST DANCE/The Raveonettes                       

20. I STILL MISS SOMEONE/Kasey Anderson                 

21. BOUNDARIES/Kyte                                                                                        

22. CLASSIC/Ancient Astronauts ft. The Pharcyde              

23. YOU’VE CHANGED/Lauren Flax ft. Sia                

24. ON A WHIM/Flying Machines                                                 

25. BLOOD FROM A STONE/Hanne Hukkelberg 

26. ALL MY TEARS/Po’ Girl                                   

27. SUPERHUMAN TOUCH/Athlete             

28. SOVIETS/The Boxer Rebellion                                                            

29. LAST TRAIN HOME/David Mead           

30. CONEY ISLAND/Antje Duvekot

31. PICTURE FACE/Input                                                                 

32. ROME/Phoenix

33. I’LL CHANGE/Indigo Girls             

34. DOMINOS/The Big Pink                                              

35. WINDS OF CHANGE/Fitz & The Tantrums 

36. LIGHT AS A FEATHER/Jesse Harris                      

37. SLEEPYHEAD/Passion Pit                                                                   

38. HYSTERIC/Yeah Yeah Yeahs   

39. GETTING UP ANTHEM (Remix)/Rakim & Talib Kweli

40. I BELIEVE/Jonny Lang                                                   

THE ADVENTURES OF GRANDMASTER FLASH ON THE WHEELS OF STEEL/

Grandmaster Flash                                                                  

SINGLE/Sugar Hill 1981

RED BELT/Tegan & Sara                                                                 

SAINTHOOD/Sire 2009

I LEAVE ON FRIDAY/John Garrison                          

DEPARTURES/Self-Release 2009

SATELLITE RADIO/Steve Earle  

WASHINGTON SQUARE SERENADE/New West 2007

HELICOPTER/The Feeling               

TWELVE STOPS AND HOME/Interscope 2007

YOU’VE RUINED ME/Norah Jones                                   

THE FALL/Blue Note 2009

SAY BACK SOMETHING/Tapes ‘n Tapes                            

WALK IT OFF/XL 2008

SO LONG?/Uh Huh Her                                        

COMMON REACTION/Nettwerk 2008

THE FUTURE WILL COME/The Juan MacLean

THE FUTURE WILL COME/DFA 2009

BOOGIE/Dudley Perkins                                                               

HOLY SMOKES/E1 2009

WHO’S THAT GIRL/Eurythmics                                                   

TOUCH/RCA 1983

GLASS/Julian Casablancas                  

PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG/Cult-RCA 2009

THAT YEAR/Brandi Carlile                                

GIVE UP THE GHOST/Columbia 2009

MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION/Horace Andy        

MR. BASSIE/Heartbeat 1998

WE CAN WORK IT OUT/Stevie Wonder

SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED/Motown 1970

LEGENDARY/Nas                                                                 

TYSON (OST)/N/A 2008

IN HERE/OUT THERE/Hanne Hukkelberg

BLOOD FROM A STONE/Nettwerk 2009

YOU’RE MY STAR/Stereophonics

DECADE IN THE SUN: BEST OF STEREOPHONICS/Universal 2008

TAKE ON ME (Live)/Sara Bareilles                                                       

BOOTLEG/N/A

SON OF A PREACHER MAN (Live)/Ike & Tina Turner

GET YER YA-YAS OUT! (40^th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set)/Abkco 2009

TURN MY TV ON/Van Hunt       

THE POPULAR MACHINE (EP)/Blue Note 2007                

THE RATTLE AND ROLL/Bobby Long  

DIRTY POND SONGS/Self-Release 2009

LITTLE LOVIN’/Lissie                          

WHY YOU RUNNIN’ (EP)/Fat Possum 2009

ANOTHER WAY TO DIE/Jack White & Alicia Keys

THE QUANTUM OF SOLACE/Columbia 2008

YOU GOTTA MOVE (Live)/The Rolling Stones

GET YER YA-YAS OUT! (40^th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set)/Abkco 2009

BIKO/Playing For Change                   

PLAYING FOR CHANGE/Hear Music 2009

EASY TO BE HARD/Three Dog Night

SUITABLE FOR FRAMING/Dunhill 1969

54-46 (THAT’S MY NUMBER)/Toots & The Maytals                         

SINGLE/Trojan 1971

SUPERBURN/Lifesavas

GUTTERFLY (The Original Soundtrack)/Quannum Projects 2007

THE WINTER IN NEW YORK/Hurricane Bells

TONIGHT IS THE GHOST/Vagrant 2009

MANHATTAN COWBOY (Live)/Susan Cagle

THE SUBWAY RECORDINGS/Self-Release 2006

THE GOSPEL OF CARLOS, NORMAN AND SMITH/Rickie Lee Jones

BALM IN GILEAD/Fantasy 2009

ALWAYS (Alternate Acoustic Version)/Switchfoot

HELLO HURRICANE/Atlantic 2009

CAST NO SHADOW (Live)/Noel Gallagher

THE DREAMS WE HAVE AS CHILDREN/Big Brother 2009

THE GRASS IS BLUE/Dolly Parton         

DOLLY: LIVE IN LONDON/Dolly 2009

YOU’RE GONNA MAKE IT/Tom Langford   

HERE COMES MEMORY/Self-Release 2005

COMING UP CLOSE/Til Tuesday                               

WELCOME HOME/Epic 1986

HOLD MY BREATH/Milosh                                                         

III/Plug Research 2008

I WILL SURVIVOR/DJ Lobsterdust                                      

SINGLE/Self-Release 2009

CAN IT BE (Half A Million And 18 Months Later)/Murs 

MURS FOR PRESIDENT/Warner 2008

LIKE A DAYDREAM/Styrofoam  

OTHER SIDE OF TOWN (Single)/Nettwerk 2008

SYSTEM/LaBelle                                                           

BACK TO NOW/Verve 2008

ON MY BLOCK/Bedouin Soundclash

WHERE HAVE THE SONGS PLAYED GONE TO? (EP)/Side One Dummy 2009

IT=LOVE/Spouse                                                      

RELOCATION TACTICS/Pigeon 2007

GETTING READY/Patty Griffin      

CHILDREN RUNNING THROUGH/ATO 2007

REALITIES/Edie                                                                     

REALITIES/Stick Figure 2007

SUPERHUMAN TOUCH/Athlete                  

THE GETAWAY (EP)/Universal Motown 2009

GRACE/Me’Shell Ndge’Ocello                                                       

BITTER/Maverick 1999

ONE STEP AHEAD (Live)/Split Enz                       

EXTRAVAGENZA/Liberation 2005

OOH GOOD/Wrongkong                                                 

WRONGKONG/Minty Fresh 2008

WALKING/Jonatha Brooke                                           

STEADY PULL/Bad Dog 2001

BAYLESS ST./Rickie Lee Jones                                         

BALM IN GILEAD/Fantasy 2009

MARCH INTO THE SUN/Curtis Harvey                   

BOX OF STONES/Fat Cat 2009

FAILSAFE/The New Pornographers                              

CHALLENGERS/Matador 2007

IN THE MORNING/Junior Boys                              

SO THIS IS GOODBYE/Domino 2006

FALLIN’/De La Soul & Teenage Fanclub       

JUDGMENT NIGHT/Immortal 1994

ALL OVER THE WORLD/Pet Shop Boys                           

YES/Astralwerks 2009

SERMONETTE/Georgia Anne Muldrow                    

UMSINDO/Stones Throw 2009

END OF THE ROAD (A Capella)/Boyz II Men ft. Brian McKnight

                                 MOTOWN: A JOURNEY THROUGH HITSVILLE USA/Decca 2007

.. ..

LUDLOW ST./Julian Casablancas   

PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG/Cult-RCA 2009

MEET ME BY THE BACK DOOR/Charlie Mars

LIKE A BIRD, LIKE A PLANE/Rockingham 6/6

BOLD SOUL SISTER, BOLD SOUL BROTHER/Black On White Affair

WHEEDLE’S GROOVE: SEATTLE’S FINEST IN FUNK & SOUL 1965-1974/

Light In The Attic 2004

GOT THE HUNGER? (Ticklah Remix)/Alice Russell

POT OF GOLD REMIXES VOL. 1 & VOL. 2/Six Degrees-Fontana 2009

DON’T GO TELLIN’ THE WHOLE WORLD/Gus Black

AUTUMN DAYS/Cheap Lullaby 2006

THE LAST DAY ON EARTH/Kate Miller-Heidke      

CURIOUSER/Sony-Australia 2008

STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE/The Smiths

STRANGEWAYS: HERE WE COME/Rough Trade 1987

JOLENE/Dolly Parton                                                                          

JOLENE/RCA 1974

TOUCHING THE GROUND/Brandi Carlile 

GIVE UP THE GHOST/Columbia 2009

DRIVER 8 (Live)/R.E.M.                            

LIVE AT THE OLYMPIA/Warner 2009

GONE FOREVER/The Raveonettes            

IN AND OUT OF CONTROL/Vice 2009

KATHLEEN/David Gray ft. Jolie Holland     

DRAW THE LINE/Mercer Street 2009

ALL IS WHOLE (Remix)/Whitley

THE SUBMARINE/Dew Process-Universal 2007

DR. SO AND SO/Alec Ounsworth                            

MO BEAUTY/Anti 2009

EMPTY HEARTED TOWN/Warren Zevon

PRELUDES: RARE AND UNRELEASED RECORDINGS/New West 2007

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU (Live)/Keane

HOPES AND FEARS (Expanded Edition)/Interscope 2009

GOD’S HIGHWAY/Tobias Froberg

SOMEWHERE IN THE CITY/Cheap Lullaby 2006

TOMORROW, WENDY/Concrete Blonde                       

BLOODLETTING/IRS 1990

INSIDE YOUR HEAD (Halfbrain RMX)/Eberg

INSIDE YOUR HEAD (The Remixes) (EP)/Instant Karma 2006

15 TO 20 (Radio Version)/The Phenomenal Handclap Band

15 TO 20/YOU’LL DISAPPEAR REMIXES/Friendly Fire 2009

CANDYMAN/Cornershop

WHEN I WAS BORN FOR THE 7th TIME/Warner 1997

66/The Afghan Whigs                                                                        

1965/Columbia 1998

THE ITCH/Belleruche                     

TURNTABLE SOUL MUSIC/Tru Thoughts 2007

DIE YOUNG STAY PRETTY (Live)/Blondie 

EAT TO THE BEAT (Expanded Edition)/Chrysalis 2001

ROME/Phoenix                               

WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX/Glassnote 2009

THE LOOK YOU GIVE THAT GUY/Eels                     

HOMBRE LOBO/Vagrant 2009

THE FACTS ABOUT JIMMY/Shawn Colvin w/Lyle Lovett

A FEW SMALL REPAIRS/Columbia 1996

BEFORE YOU COME HOME/Kiddeaux                                        

DEMO/Self-Release 2008

OUT OF OUR HANDS/Gemma Hayes  

THE HOLLOW OF MORNING/ATC 2008

DLZ/TV On The Radio                                                   

DEAR SCIENCE/Interscope 2008

CHANGE/Daniel Merriweather ft. Wale                                                

SINGLE/J 2009

MURDER, THEY WANT MURDER/Clare & The Reasons 

ARROW/Frog Stand 2009

COBRA CON/Derek Webb              

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME/INO-Columbia 2009

VAMPIRE/Peter Tosh                                                

NO NUCLEAR WAR/Capitol 1987

KILLALADY(The Tape Remix Edit)/Justine Electra

KILLALADY(EP)/City Slang 2007

CLASSIC/Ancient Astronauts ft. The Pharcyde

WE ARE TO ANSWER/Switchstance 2009

FRIENDS/Band Of Skulls

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON/ChopShop-Atlantic 2009

THAT’S LIFE/Frank Sinatra                    

SINATRA: NEW YORK/Reprise 2009

SEPTEMBER GURLS/Big Star                                         

RADIO CITY/Ardent 1974

ALL FLOWERS IN TIME BEND TOWARDS THE SUN/Jeff Buckley & Elizabeth Fraser

BOOTLEG

BIG BLACK CAR/Gregory Alan Isakov

THIS EMPTY NORTHERN HEMISPHERE/Self-Release 2009

LITTLE TORCH/Chris Whitley                                             

ROCKET HOUSE/ATO 2001

THE EQUALISER/Clinic                                          

WALKING WITH THEE/Domino 2002

SO LONELY WAS THE BALLAD/Jamie T.     

PANIC PREVENTION/Virgin 2007

THE DARKEST SEASON/Deb Talan   

SOMETHING BURNING/Self-Release 2000

WEIGHTY GHOST/Wintersleep

WELCOME TO THE NIGHT SKY/Labworks 2007

FOR KEEPS/Gossip

MUSIC FOR MEN/Columbia 2009

HARRIET THUGMAN/Rah Digga  

HARRIET THUGMAN/Flipmode/Elektra 1999

LULLABY IN YOUR EYES/Bobby Martini               

DOUBLE 8/Self-Release 2006

YOU’D BETTER LISTEN/Roman Carter  

NEVER SLOW DOWN/Bong Load 2007

SAY YES (DJ Format Remix)/Wax Tailor  

SAY YES (ft. ASM) (EP)/Le Plan- Lab’Oratoire 2009

DARK HOTEL/k.s. rhoads                            

DEAD LANGUAGE/Self-Release 2007

NATURAL ONE/The Folk Implosion                             

KIDS (OST)/London 1995

POSITIVELY 4^th STREET/Lucinda Williams 

THE VILLAGE: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF GREENWICH VILLAGE/429 2009

MIDNIGHT/Yaz                                                               

UPSTAIRS AT ERIC’S/Sire 1981

LIVING IN JUNGLES/Bedouin Soundclash   

SOUNDING A MOSAIC/Stomp 2004

STAR-CROSSED KILLER/Boy In Static

CANDYCIGARETTE/Circle Into Square 2009

HAUNTED HOUSE OF ROCK/Whodini                                     

WHODINI/Jive 1983

THE KOBE JORDAN SONG/The Benchwarmers                

SINGLE/Divine Nine 2009

FOUR LETTER WORD/Gossip                                     

MUSIC FOR MEN/Columbia 2009

HIGH HORSES/The Swell Season                                         

STRICT JOY/Anti 2009

NOTION (Live)/Kings Of Leon                                 

NOTION (Digital Single)/RCA 2009

WHITE ELEPHANT COAT (Early Demo Mix)/School Of Seven Bells           

ALPINISMS/Vagrant-Ghostly International 2009

WE’RE THROUGH/James Pants                                         

WELCOME/Stones Throw 2008

OH DEAR/Brandi Carlile                                           

GIVE UP THE GHOST/Columbia 2009

WOULDN’T IT BE NICE (Stack-O-Vocals)/The Beach Boys

ESSENTIAL BEACH BOYS: PERFECT HARMONY (Limited Edition 1998)/Capitol 2006

THE LAST THING ON YOUR MIND/Lights                         

THE LISTENING/Sire 2009

WHETSTONES/Deb Talan                     

SOMETHING BURNING/Self-Release 2000

DON’T BREAK THIS RHYTHM/Peter Gabriel                       

SO+/Self-Release 2009

3AM SPANISH/Hockey                                                            

MIND CHAOS/Capitol 2009

SIGNS/Bloc Party                                                                           

INTIMACY/Atlantic 2008

BROKEN HEADLIGHTS/Joey Ryan w/Sara Bareilles  

KENTER CANYON (EP)/ Self-Release 2009

SEE IT NO OTHER WAYS/Slightly Stoopid

CLOSER TO THE SUN/Reincarnate 2005

POSSE IN EFFECT/Beastie Boys                             

LICENSE TO ILL/Def Jam 1986

HARLEM/Bill Withers                                                            

JUST AS I AM/Sussex 1971

I WANT YOU BACK (Z-Trip Remix)/Jackson 5 

MOTOWN REMIXED/Motown 2005

SHE’S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR/Prince   

RASPBERRY BERET (Single/B-Side)/Paisley Park-Warner 1985

I WALK A LITTLE FASTER/Fiona Apple   

THE BEST IS YET TO COME: THE SONGS OF CY COLEMAN/New West 2009

ALL THIS LIVE/DeBarge                                             

ALL THIS LOVE/Gordy 1982

EASY STREET/Josh Rouse                           

VALENCIA (EP)/Bedroom Classics 2009

SUPERFICIAL CAT/Edwyn Collins               

I’M NOT FOLLOWING YOU/Epic 1997

KISS THEM FOR ME/Siouxie & The Banshees          

SUPERSTITION/Geffen 1991

LAST DANCE/Raveonettes                             

IN AND OUT OF CONTROL/Vice 2009

DEVIL’S HALO                       

DEVIL’S HALO/Me’Shell Ndge’Ocello Mercer Street 2009

100 DIRECTIONS/Pictures And Sound   

PICTURES AND SOUND/Vanguard 2008

BOTH SIDES NOW/Rachel Yamagata

THE VILLAGE: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF GREENWICH VILLAGE/428 2009

RAIN CITY/Turin Brakes                                       

ETHER SONG/Astralwerks 2003

STELLA THE ARTIST/David Gray

DRAW THE LINE/Mercer Street 2009

I DON'T WANT TO GO TO CHELSEA (Live)/Elvis Costello

LIVE AT THE EL MOCAMBO/Hip-O 2009

GOTTA GET THRU THIS (D&D Radio Edit)/Daniel Bedingfield

GOTTA GET THRU THIS/Universal 2002

I WANNA DANCE WITH SOME BONO/Go Home Productions

GHP COMPLETE: CD 01 THE BOOTLEGS 2002

WHOOPING CRANE/Lyle Lovett

NATURAL FORCES/Curb-Lost Highway 2009

THE DIFFICULT KIND (Live)/Sheryl Crow w/Shelby Lynne

BOOTLEG/2001

EARLY IN THE MORNING/Tina Turner                                 

NOW/Musicom 2005

WE USED TO BE FRIENDS/The Dandy Warhols 

WELCOME TO THE MONKEY HOUSE/Capitol 2003

POEM FOR THE NATIVE/Johnette Napolitano                             

SCARRED/Hybrid 2007

Dear Deep Peeps~

Fall is upon us which means that KCSN's Fall Pledge Drive is too. It is happening NOW through Sunday October 18th.  Every show of support, no matter the size, counts in a big way. 

Here's how you can help keep KCSN and "The Deep End" on the air: 

The #1 BEST/EASIEST/FASTEST way to make a donation to KCSN is to make a pledge online. You can use it ANYTIME btw. RIGHT NOW and next Sunday October 18th. Here is the link to the online pledge form: https://fredkcsn.fatcow.com/support_working.html

Here are the CD titles that we are offering in connection with my show (though they encompass a range of musical genres as my show does):

1. Pete Yorn "Back & Fourth" (Shimmering American folk/pop)

2. Bat For Lashes "Two Suns"  (Ethereal UK songstress in the vein of Kate Bush/Annie Lennox/Sarah McLachlan)     

3. Liam Finn & Eliza Jane "Champagne In Seashells"  (Liam Finn is the son of Crowded House's leader Neil Finn....incredible intelligent folk/rock)

4. Heather Masse "Many Moons"  (Gorgeous DIY Jazz/Folk vocalist)

5. James Yuill "Turning Water Down For Air" (New English Folk/Electronica artist)

6. Easy Star All-Stars "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Dub Band" (Inspired reggae reworking of "Sgt. Peppers...")

7."Oh Happy Day" (powerful Gospel compilation featuring Jonny Lang, Mavis Staples w/Patty Griffin, Al Green, Aaron Neville, Joss Stone...)

You can specify the CDs that you would like to receive in that comments box  on the online pledge form.

OR, if you'd prefer to make a donation by phone, the BEST time to call to support "The Deep End" is while it's on TONIGHT Saturday October 10 from 9pm-Midnight PST or next Saturday October 17 from 9pm-Midnight PST. The # to call is: 

(800) 795-5276

Rock & Roll!!

~Rosanna