1. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings The Flood 
Possessing one of the strongest, more genuine voices in music today, this New Pornographer’s spring release proved to be the year’s best. With understated, minimalist instrumentation, Fox Confessor proved how far Case had come as a songwriter, which until now had been the weak link in her arsenal. Dynamic, organic, and beautifully orchestrated, Fox Confessor contains several of the year’s most memorable songs, including Star Witness and the haunting A Widow’s Toast.
2. Paul Simon – Surprise 
Surprise is instantly recognizable as a Paul Simon record – melodically and rhythmically fresh, with lyrics reconciling the philosophical, political, natural, and spiritual realms in a way few other artists would have the experience and insight to attempt. Ever an experimenter, Simon’s collaboration with ‘sonic landscape’ architect Brian Eno adds depth and richness to the record. Simon’s value as an artist is in his ability to inspire and be inspired, and in this regard he only gets better with time.
3. The Hold Steady – Boys And Girls In America 
Right from the opening lyric, Boys and Girls in America artfully examines a stage of life far too few of us understood for what it was as we went through it. Lyrically, Craig Finn’s storytelling deftly balances the earnestness and satire, hope and pessimism of youth against an appropriately energetic backdrop of power pop rock featuring several of the year’s most addictive melodies.
4. k-os – Atlantis – Hymns For Disco 
At a time when mainstream hip-hop continues to be about money, ego, and status at the expense of one’s message and craft, K-Os again proves the exception. Though not as strong as his 2004 masterpiece Joyful Rebellion (and how could it be?), the organic/electronic hybrids and genre-hopping continue, as Canada’s finest rapper continues to be a beacon for the full artistic potential of hip-hop. With his third straight winner, it’s to the point where you could be forgiven for assuming that whatever K-Os creates is going to be a classic.
5. Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways 
With the fifth and possibly final installment in the now-legendary American series, Johnny Cash and producer Rick Rubin offer another acoustic CD of covers (including standouts Further On Up The Road and Four Strong Winds) and the occasional Cash original (including his final song, Like the 309.) While this package really doesn’t do anything issues 1-4 didn’t, it conveys Cash’s class, sincerity, and soul in a fitting career and life epitaph for one of music’s most impacting artists.
And the Worst … November 21, 2006, as a microcosm of the music industry
November 21 saw the release of several gratuitous Christmas-season cash grabs from legendary artists, including Oasis (Stop The Clocks), The Beatles (Love), and U2 (18 singles), as record labels attempt to wring every last cent from material that deserved more respect. Oasis’ Noel Gallagher admitted that the band released a best-of only after a SonyBMG ultimatum: we own your publishing rights, so whether you’re on board or not, a best-of is coming out. Credit Oasis for deciding to start their own label rather than re-sign at the conclusion of their contract. Here’s hoping that 2007 sees the industry becoming ‘smaller,’ with less power in the hands of the major labels, and more power in the hands of the artists and fans.
