The Red Hot Chili Peppers—Stadium Arcadium
Though it was a hard call between Californication and Stadium Arcadium, I'm goign to have to go with the Chili Peppers' latest album. While Californication served as my introduction to the Chili Peppers (courtesy of my 7th grade pal, Adam, with whom I shared a love of The Beatles as well), Stadium Arcadium presents a more continuously cohesive group sound than any of their albums to date. This, however, doesn't detract from the stylistic elements that are each member's signature. Flea is still rocking his slap/funk/punk bass, which is nothing short of amazing, and Frusciante's guitar seems more beautiful and incendiary (to borrow from Almost Famous) with every song you listen to.
Again, it was a hard decision to pick just one Beatles album. My entire list could easily have been Beatles, but I decided that I didn't want to end up hating everything the Beatles every did while on my desert island stint, so it came down to a choice between Rubber Soul and Abbey Road. While I really love The Beatles' older stuff, the later albums are a well deserved move from pure pop to whatever they wanted pop to be. Abbey Road had calmed down from the psychedelic sound of Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine and even when it's rough, Abbey Road has a smoothness rivaled only by Let it Be. Additionally, "The End" contains one of the best guitar solos in history (though, technically, it's a duet).
Julie London—The Very Best of Julie London
What's not to love about Julie London? Her torchy, sensual vocal qualities are enough to make any girl want to quit school and sing in a smoky lounge somewhere. She imbues every word of every song with meaning and leaves meaning to the imagination at just the right moment. One listen to "Cry Me a River" reaffirms every woman who's every been slighted and took a firm stand. And what other singer has every pronounced the word "plebeian" with so much grace?
John Mayer has quickly established himself as, arguably, one of the most talented guitarists on the scene today. Aside from his comfortably pop/blues-y guitar work, his lyrics are poetic enough to be a bit cryptic at points, but still able to be related to by all those angst ridden 13 year old girls who adore him. This album is the only thing I ever listen to while studying as it seems to flow perfectly with my work rhythm. As an added bonus, it includes a really sexy cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Bold as Love".
Originally, this fifth place was going to belong to Stevie Wonder, but James Taylor has helped me through some of the worst moments in my life and I'd have to make sure he was around to get me through the rest of my life on an uninhabited island. The music is a simple, stunning blend of folk and rock with true harmonies and an open invitation to sit down and make a connection.
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