Shady Groove 2010 Year In Review
Well folks, 2010 is drawing to a close and I feel the need to put a cap on this year in true blogger fashion. With a review and the all-popular “Best of” list. I preferred to make a couple of lists: Top 5 Albums of 2010, Top 5 Songs of 2010, and Top 10 Live Shows of 2010. So here we go. Shady Groove comin’ at you one last time for 2010 with a thoughful year review.
When I stopped to think of this year I thought of several ways to approach this review. How do you summarize a year? How do you summarize a year…….in music? After hours of mind expanding thought I realized that 2010, and every year for that matter, is different for everyone. Musical tastes differ. Everyone takes a different musical path to lead them to where they are. So that being the case, this is MY 2010 evolution through music. Totally and completely biased. I leave no mysteries. I write from a Philadelphia, local, folk, gourd-fan point of view. It should be said that I love the complex, the energetic, the earthy, freewheeling, playful, and the weird. Feel free to take my ideas, reply, criticize, comment, love, hate, enjoy them…..
I’ll leave you with some “Top 5” lists. There is also a SG Year in Review Podcast. Make sure to download it as well as Top 5 Songs of 2010. Giddy up.
2010 for me saw quite a revitalization of the classic soul and Motown. The funky rhythms that came from that era were fascinating me all year. I found myself diggin deep into these classic artists such as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Wilson Pickett, Arthur Conley, The Isley Brothers, James Brown, etc…As I dug deeper into soul, I also tended to dip deep into the roots of rock and roll, blues, rhythm and blues. Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly. The more I listened the more I wanted to search. The more I searched, the more I heard these classic songs consistently covered by todays artists. An artist cover of another artists song is a powerful endorsement. It is the highest praise that an artist can give another. These are the building blocks of influence on the musical culture. The songs from these artists from our past can be felt and heard in all of the music being released today. Without Chuck Berry we would have no Beatles, no Stones, no Leon Russell. Without Sam Cooke we would have no Aretha Franklin, no Otis Redding, no Isley Brothers. Without the Isley’s we’d have no Black Keys. Without Willie Nelson or Hank Williams we’d have no Shinyribs, no Mason Porter.
I found this year important to pay tribute to the greats. Also to note this year is the live music scene, which is booming in Philadelphia and New York, my usual stomping grounds. Shady Groove caught some kick ass shows this year and we hope that will continue into 2011. Look to the list below for the top 10 live shows.
Yours in Rock. Shady Groove out.
Top 5 Songs of 2010:
1. Shinyribs: If You Need the (442) — Well After Awhile
2. Joe Pug: Speak Plainly, Diana — Nation Of Heat
3. Mason Porter: Old Freight Train — Thunder In The Valley
4. The Black Keys: Tighten Up — Brothers
5. Harlem: Friendly Ghost — Hippies
Top 5 Albums of 2010:
1. Shinyribs — Well After Awhile
2. The Black Keys — Brothers
3. Sharon Jones and the Dapkings — I Learned The Hard Way
4. Mason Porter — Thunder In The Valley
5. Joe Pug — Nation of Heat
Top 10 Live Shows of 2010:
1. Hoots and Hellmouth
2. Cheers Elephant
3. The Black Keys
4. Mason Porter
5. Sharon Jones and The Dapkings
6. The Gourds/Shinyribs
7. Levon Helm
8. The Avett Brothers
9. Leon Russell
10. Joe Pug
Shady Groove Year in Review Podcast 2010:
the track listing went as follows: Booker T and the MG’s – Hang em High ++ Chuck Berry – Roll Over Beethoven ++ Little Richard – Long Tall Sally ++ Arthur Conley – Sweet Soul Music ++ Harlem – Friendly Ghost ++ The Black Keys – Tighten Up ++ Mason Porter – Old Freight Train ++ Joe Pug – Speak Plainly, Diana ++ Shinyribs – If You Need the (442) ++ Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man ++ Belle and Sebastian – I Want the World to Stop ++ Leon Russell – Dixie Lullaby ++ Dr. John – Big Chief ++ Local Natives – Wide Eyes ++ Talking Heads – Warning Sign ++ The Avett Brothers – Salvation Song ++ Hazmat Modine – It Calls Me ++ Blitzen Trapper – Dragon’s Song ++ The Gourds – Luddite Juice ++ Joe Pug – Nation of Heat ++ Mason Porter – Hangman ++ Sharon Jones and the Dapkings – Better Things ++ The Black Keys – Howlin For You ++ Shinyribs – Shores of Galilee
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