2005 in Music … A Few Days Late Jan 11 '06    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Revelation [Digipak] by Journey From $12 Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned From $40 The Bottom Line There was no shortage of music I liked from 2005. Here is a list of my favorites and least favorite albums, songs and concerts from this year. With 2005 ending not too long ago, this undoubtedly has been a popular time for end-of-the-year lists. Going along with this spirit of list-making, I've decided to do my first "official" year-in-music column. I think that it's noteworthy that this year I've made more of an effort to seek out lesser-known artists that typically don't get a lot of publicity. This provided its own set of challenges in terms of finding and obtaining such music. Fortunately, music bulletin boards were particularly helpful to me in discovering new music. My efforts in the end proved to be worthwhile, as I am highly satisfied with my top 10 albums list for this year. So without any further ado, here's a recap of some music highlights, and a few occasional lowlights, of this past year. MY TOP ALBUMS OF THE YEAR - HONORABLE MENTION Even though these albums fell short of my top 10 for the year, I felt the quality of the albums was sufficient for them to earn a mention here. Bleach - Farewell Old Friends Bleach said farewell on a strong note as they turned in their most musically diverse album. Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die? The musical experimentation continued for Nickel Creek, and more often than not, it worked. The Rocket Summer - Hello, Good Friend This album gets my vote as one of the most fun albums of the year, as long as you can put up with Bryce Avary's voice. Sara Groves - Add to the Beauty Even though this album was not terribly groundbreaking musically, it was still very well written and played to Sara's strengths quite well. The Evan Anthem - Sens Although the vague lyrics annoyed me a little bit, varying musical moods and instrumentation made this one a worthwhile listen. John Reuben - The Boy vs. The Cynic A bold message and excellent lyrics (especially on the "cynic" songs) highlight an album that could have easily made my top 10 had the music been a little more memorable. The Myriad - You Can't Trust a Ladder A solid debut CD that combined intelligent lyrics with a sound melding influences ranging from The Police to Radiohead. Switchfoot - Nothing is Sound While this album did not have as many standout tracks as previous albums had, it was still a fairly solid effort that was one of the more enjoyable albums of the year. MY TOP 10 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 10. Jars of Clay - Redemption Songs I'll admit it took awhile before I really got into this album. However, once I did, the album established itself as one of my favorites of the year. Even though there was a glut of hymns albums released this year, the instrumentation on this album made it stand out from the others, as it helped to bring out the more up-tempo songs, while also keeping the quieter songs respectful. The Jars also get bonus points for taking a few obscure hymns (notably "God Will Lift Up Your Head" and "Hiding Place") and writing new music for them. Granted, there were a few missteps here, most notably "It is Well With My Soul." Regardless of that, this was a well-executed hymns album, for the most part, that even critics of the modern worship movement can enjoy. Favorite Tracks: "God Will Lift Up Your Head", "I'll Fly Away", "Hiding Place" 9. Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal With their latest album Anberlin decided not to tinker too much with a good thing as this album had a similar edgy, '80's-tinged, faced-paced rock sound to its predecessor, Blueprints For the BlackMarket. The biggest difference here was that the sound was tweaked slightly to allow for some varying instrumentation at the intros of some songs, and there was even a ballad on this album. Fortunately, none of the catchiness of the first album was sacrificed, resulting in yet another highly enjoyable album that at the same time did not sound like a complete rehash of the first album. Favorite Tracks:: "Paperthin Hymn", "Audrey, Start The Revolution!", "The Feel Good Drag" 8. Kevin Max - The Imposter Kevin Max's first full-length album since 2001's Stereotype BE turned out to be a winner, as he made several changes in his music for the better. One such change was the unification of the musical focus of his album, as The Imposter was primarily rooted in the rock genre, as opposed to the dabbling in different genres on Stereotype BE. This allowed his latest album to sound like a more coherent collection of songs than its predecessor. Additionally, Kevin continued to show diversity by branching out into different styles or rock, as the songs ranged from electronic rock to post-alternative. Lyrically, this album was more straightforward than its predecessor while still remaining thoughtful at the same time with "Platform" being a particular standout in that area. Additionally, there was not a single track I disliked on this album. All of this made for one of the best Christian rock albums of this past year. Favorite Tracks: "The Imposter", "Sanctuary", "The Royal Path of Life" 7. Eisley - Room Noises This gets my vote for the top National debut album of last year. The dream-like instrumentation was what initially caught my attention, with the presence of multiple female vocals also helping to draw me into the music. It also helped that the music was solidly played throughout the CD and fairly well written, even if the lyrics were a bit cryptic in some places Granted, I do feel that Eisley has a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to both lyrical and vocal maturity. Additionally, there were also a few instances where I thought the band wore their Sixpence None the Richer influence a bit too much on their sleeves. Those few nit-picks notwithstanding, there's a lot to like about this well-done whimsical pop album. Favorite Tracks:: "Marvelous Things", "Plenty of Paper", "Memories" 6. David Crowder Band - A Collision Given that many modern worship albums nowadays are criticized for a lack of originality, it was refreshing to see the David Crowder Band come out with such a creative worship album this past year. One of the more interesting features of this album was its division into four parts. The A Part was mostly the familiar-sounding Crowder done more energetically than in the past. The B and C parts were where most of the experimentation took place, as the electronic elements were explored more here, and there was even a brief foray into bluegrass. I found the C part to be some of Crowder's most rewarding works to date, as I felt that was the best example of creativity and musical execution put together. The songs in the D part had a theme of conclusion, although not without a few awkward moments, especially during "A Conversation." Still, when you combine the concepts with some of Crowder's best-sounding music to date, and you'll get an album that will likely be one of those setting the bar for future worship efforts. Favorite Tracks: "You Are My Joy", "Do Not Move", "Be Lifted or Hope Rising" 5. Shaun Groves - White Flag This year one of my perennial favorites, Shaun Groves, decided to do a concept album on the Beatitudes. However, instead of just rehashing them, he applied them to his own life, using inspirations ranging from his reaction to 9/11 ("Sad Song") to his wife's previous relationship ("Heaven Hang On"), while also throwing in his own personal struggles with the teachings. This made for one very rewarding listening experience. If you also consider that the songs were well-written, as usual, with many thoughtful lyrics and memorable melodies abounding, you will get yet another example as to why Shaun Groves has become one of my favorite singer/songwriters as of late. Favorite Tracks: "White Flag", "Bless The Lord", "What's Wrong With This World" 4. Andrew Peterson - The Far Country Another perennial favorite of mine shows up in my top 5 for the year. This time, Andrew did especially well with the instrumentation on the album as he tweaked his folk-pop sound just enough to keenly keep my interest. Highlights with the instrumentation included the driving rock beat added to the piano leads in "The Far Country", the use of the dulcimer as the lead instrument in "Mystery of Mercy", and the prominent use of an accordion in "The Havens Gray." Additionally on this album, Andrew and pianist Ben Shive played off each other as well as I've heard, with Shive especially shining on "The Far Country" and "Little Boy Heart Alive." As usual, the songwriting and storytelling were also first-rate. The only real complaint I had about this album was that the last four songs sounded a little too much like his previous material. That notwithstanding, this is a highly recommended album that could have easily been my #1 or #2 album of the year had the back half been a little better. Favorite Tracks: "The Far Country", "Mystery of Mercy", "Little Boy Heart Alive" 3. Mae – The Everglow Mae turned in one of the more interesting concepts of the year, as their album had the feel of a child's audio storybook, especially given the album's spoken introductory and closing tracks. Additionally, the CD booklet complemented the music by illustrating a story that supposedly went along with the music. This possibly implied that the songs were meant to tell a story themselves, and upon closer analysis of the songs, I personally thought that the songs could be about someone's "journey" to heaven, with the songs in between telling about the person's thoughts and struggles along the way. Regardless of what the songs really were meant to be, if the songs themselves weren't very good, then the concept would not be effective at all. Fortunately this was not the case, as Mae turned in a strong set of piano-tinged modern rock songs that were catchy enough for me to want to keep coming back for more. Especially effective were the instrumentation and the extremely smooth flow of the songs, both of which helping this CD stand out from the other modern rock albums released this year. Combine the successful concept with good music, and you get a worthy entry in my top 3 for the year. Favorite Tracks: "Painless", "The Ocean", "Cover Me" 2. Justin McRoberts - Grace Must Wound... This gets my vote for the "Best Album You're Not Listening To." In fact, your average Christian music fan probably doesn't even know that Justin is still making music, considering that he has been independent artist ever since his former record label, 5 Minute Walk Records, folded earlier this decade. However, those who had been following Justin as an indie were richly rewarded this past Fall when he released arguably his strongest album ever. For this latest album, Justin was inspired by a Flannery O'Connor quote, "grace must wound before it heals" and went on to write on album that focused on experiencing pain, suffering and darkness before truly understanding forgiveness and love. This translated into some of the boldest messages Justin has ever written. Many songs on the CD challenged the church today, especially those in the "Christian bubble" ("Safe"), those who use Christianity as a political tool ("Picking Sides") and the people who only accept the parts of Christianity that make them feel good ("Into Your Home.") Justin was also on top of his game in the musical department, putting together a well-played folk-pop album. In some parts of the album, he picked up where the Derek Webb era Caedmon's Call left off, while other parts used instruments such as the harmonica and the steel guitar to give this album a tinge of Americana. All of this adds up to an album that is well worth seeking out. Favorite Tracks: "Picking Sides", "Safe", "Be Not Far Off (Psalm 22)" 1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois So is it possible to write complex music with unusual instrumentation, write thought-provoking lyrics to go with it, and then tie it all to a central theme while arranging the songs in a musically sound manner, and most importantly, manage to make it all sound good? Sufjan Stevens did just that with his 2nd state-themed album. For this musical adventure through the state of Illinois, Sufjan made references to different places and historical events in the state, while often doing so in a musical style popular to the state. The latter is most evident in the jazzy style of "The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders." Sufjan colors this journey through Illinois using unique instrumentation which includes banjos, accordions, organs, numerous winds and brass (such as the oboe, saxophone, flute, etc.) and various percussive instruments. Furthermore, some of the songs have complicated rhythms, as there are songs in 5/4- and 11/8- time on the album. On top of that, there are many thoughtful lyrics throughout this CD, as they range from Sufjan pointing out similarities between himself and a serial killer in "John Wayne Gacy Jr." to his references to the Tower of Babel in "The Seers' Tower." Put all these elements together, and the songs still manage to flow fairly well. So when you get an album that succeeds at this many levels, it has to be my #1 album for the year. Favorite Tracks: "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts", "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!", "The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders." 2003-2004 HOLDOVERS As is the case with every year, there are always some quality albums that I don't get a chance to check out until after the year is over. Here are a few notable albums from the last two years that I didn't get a chance to hear until this year: Sleeping at Last - Ghosts I wasn't really too familiar with Sleeping at Last's music until I saw them at Cornerstone Florida this past May, but their performance was good enough to pique my interest in their album. This led me to check out this album of well-played ethereal rock with thought-provoking lyrics. It took a few listens for it to grow on me, but once it did it became a quick favorite of mine, as it is now one of my top 5 albums released in 2003. Andrew Peterson - Behold The Lamb of God I'll admit I'm generally not a big fan of Christmas albums because so many of the ones I've heard came off as extremely cheesy to me. Therefore, it's no small feat for a Christmas album to grab my attention the way Andrew Peterson's 2004 album did. What Andy especially did right was focus the album on the real reason for the Christmas season (the birth of Jesus), while also paying special attention to the instrumentation and vocalization of the songs, which were well-written as usual. All of this resulted in easily my favorite Christmas album ever that even ranks highly among my favorite Andrew Peterson albums. Fernando Ortega - self-titled Showing that you're never too old to reinvent yourself, Fernando went a bit out of his comfort zone musically in his 2004 self-titled release, and the results were mostly rewarding. Combine that with fairly decent lyrics and pleasant vocals, and you'll get one of the most solid adult contemporary-leaning albums I've heard recently. MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUM I hesitate to call this the "worst" album of the year, because chances are if an album is bad enough to be a candidate for such a dishonor, I won't even bother buying it. However, every year there is at least one album I buy that falls well below my expectations. Lifehouse - self-titled It's not that this was a bad album, per se. This album was fairly pleasant-sounding upon initial listen, and there were also a few songs on this album I truly enjoyed. Rather, the problem here was that the album dragged badly, especially in its middle portion. This was at its worst on tracks 5 - 8, as none of those songs have any replay value with me at all. It also didn't help that the lyrics weren't anything special, and the music wasn't anything that hasn't been done before, and done better by other artists. This all adds up to a mediocre album from an artist that I feel is capable of much better. In fact, I think Lifehouse has gone downhill since No Name Face, and I hope for their sake that this trend does not continue into the future. NOTABLE NEW ARTISTS Even though I do not think this year's crop of new artists (to the National scene) was as strong as previous years, there were still a few who managed to catch my attention. Two of the more interesting new artists of the year were artists who have had previous ties to Mainstream music. One was the hip-hop act 4th Avenue Jones, whose front-man, Ahmad Jones, previously had a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Back in the Day.") The other was John Davis the former lead singer of the rock band Superdrag, who was most famous for their rock radio hit, "Sucked Out." Both artists turned in interesting efforts musically on their debut CDs. 4th Avenue Jones stood out by blending rock, hip-hop and soul, while John Davis's solo debut featured a wide variety of musical styles with a highly detectable Brian Wilson influence. However, both CDs were plagued by mediocre lyrics. Also catching my ear were three new artists from Floodgate Records. One of them was Forever Changed, a band with whom I was already familiar because they're from North Florida and I had seen them as an opening act in concert a few times. Even though their CD didn't really stand out much to me, it was still a fairly solid effort that would interest those who like a little bit of '80's rock influence. Also getting my attention was Yellow Second, who managed to hook me with one infectious power-pop song after another. Unfortunately though, it looks like they will be a one-album wonder as they broke up before the end of the year. The other notable Floodgate band was The Myriad, as their debut CD caught my interest with a unique sound melding many different influences and intelligent lyrics. That CD had quite a few standout songs, and it just barely missed making my top 10 for the year. Other notable new artists included House of Heroes and The Rocket Summer. Even though I felt House of Heroes' self-titled CD was a bit uneven and arranged awkwardly, at the same time I thought they showed a lot of potential. They have an interesting sound blending numerous influences ranging from Jimmy Eat World to Cool Hand Luke without actually aping them. Additionally, there were a few very catchy songs on their CD, so I think with a little more development, they could become one of the best bands in Christian Rock. The Rocket Summer's CD was also quite catchy, and I liked the mix of guitar-based and piano-based songs. The biggest drawback was Bryce Avary's voice, which was a bit whiny for my taste. Still, Bryce is a good songwriter who has a knack for writing good hooks, and I think he's another new artist to watch. After all was said and done, though, the new artist this year that impressed me the most was Eisley. They were the only new artist to place an album in my top 10 for the year, primarily thanks to excellent instrumentation and solid songwriting. As I mentioned in the "Top 10" section, as much as I enjoyed Room Noises, I do also see significant room for improvement, so they could very well become a staple on my year-end lists before long. FAVORITE RADIO SINGLES (Listed Alphabetically by Title) As much as I tend to complain about what is on the radio nowadays, I will admit that not everything they play is bad. Here are ten songs that were sent to radio this year that I liked a lot, with a brief sentence or two stating what I liked about them. "Be My Escape" by Relient K: This was a song I didn't really appreciate until this past year. What stood out about it to me was the excellent interplay between the guitar and the piano throughout the song. "Bless The Lord" by Shaun Groves: I realize it's a typical worship song, but Shaun Groves did it in such a way that got it stuck in my head a lot. "City of Blinding Lights" by U2: Out of all the songs U2 released to radio this year, this one was my favorite, primarily due to the instrumentation, especially when it came to how the keyboard was used throughout the song. "God Will Lift Up Your Head" by Jars of Clay: This was a prime example of Jars taking an obscure hymn, writing new music to it and making it upbeat in their own unique way. I found this to be an irresistible combination. "Nuisance" by John Reuben f/ Matt Theissen: A combination of catchy music and a thought-provoking message challenging us to expect better of each other made this one of this year's standout songs in my mind. "Paperthin Hymn" by Anberlin: This was one of my favorite "rock out" songs of the year, and a good message of not taking your loved ones for granted certainly helped too. "Sanctuary" by Kevin Max: I thought this song had a complete package of catchy music, good instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics. "Suspension" by Mae: This was another song that got stuck in my head a lot, as the keyboard-laced instrumentation and driving beats certainly helped get it there. "The Far Country" by Andrew Peterson: Andrew veered a little bit into keyboard rock territory (a la Keane), while maintaining nice imagery in his lyrics, especially during the bridge. "You Are The Sun" by Sara Groves: Sara used excellent instrumentation (especially with the inclusion of a cello) and good imagery to grab me here. FAVORITE NON-SINGLES (Listed Alphabetically by Title) While these songs were overlooked by radio, they were still songs I enjoyed immensely, and I wouldn't mind at all if every single one of these songs was picked up by radio. "Friday Night" by House of Heroes: You'd be hard pressed to find too many songs catchier than this one. I think this is the song that has been stuck in my head the most often this past year. "Happy is a Yuppie Word" by Switchfoot: This song gets my vote for my favorite guitar lick of the year, and the backing of a driving beat also helped draw me in to the music. "I Want a Broken Heart" by Derek Webb: This was another song that I didn't truly appreciate until this past year, and it is quite a thought-provoking song too. I actually enjoy the acoustic version (made available on iTunes) over the album version (from I See Things Upside Down.), mostly because it's easier to focus on the message with the former. "Mystery of Mercy" by Andrew Peterson: Andrew pumped some more energy into a song originally recorded by Caedmon's Call by turning up the tempo a little bit and coloring the instrumentation with a dulcimer. "Painless" by Mae: This song gets my vote for my favorite piano lick of the year, which certainly helped the song get stuck in my head so much. "Picking Sides" by Justin McRoberts: I especially appreciate this song for its extremely poignant message. The lyrics remind me of the phrase "God is not a Republican, God is not a Democrat." "Tethered" by The Myriad: This is a catchy song where enough subtle things were done with the instrumentation for it to stand out from the pack. "The Final Move" by Chris Rice: I liked Chris's imagery a lot here, and musically this is one of my favorite songs on the Amusing CD. "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" by Sufjan Stevens: This is the closest Sufjan comes to rocking out on his Illinois album, although what really stood out for me was the lyrics. Sufjan makes an interesting contrast here where he talks about Superman ("The man of steel"), yet attributes such tender qualities to him such as love and sharing. This is definitely a song that makes me think. "You Are My Joy" by David Crowder Band: Crowder's version of a "rock opera" is about as fun of a track as I've heard this year. LEAST FAVORITE RADIO SINGLES – MAINSTREAM (Listed Alphabetically by Title) Now moving to the other end of the spectrum, here are some songs I've heard on the radio that for whatever reason, I just didn't like. "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls: The biggest problem I had with this song was its message, which sounded like an attractive woman trying to tempt a guy into cheating. I don't like that kind of message at all. "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani: This easily was the song that annoyed me the most this year. First, didn't this whole cheerleading in a song get old after Toni Basil's "Mickey" in the '80's? Furthermore, I know how to spell "b-a-n-a-n-a-s." "It's Like That" by Mariah Carey: I've never been much of a fan of Mariah Carey's music, and I personally thought out of all her radio singles this year, this one was the worst. I couldn't make out much of a melody here. "La La" by Ashlee Simpson: Ashlee Simpson's whiny voice gets on my nerves after awhile, and I vehemently disliked the lyrics in this song, which I interpreted to have a sexual connotation. "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas: I'm just not a big fan of sexually explicit songs, and the annoying music didn't help either. LEAST FAVORITE RADIO SINGLES – CHRISTIAN (Listed Alphabetically by Title) Just because a song has a Christian message, that doesn't mean I have to like the way it was done. This was the case for each of these songs. "Absolute" by Thousand Foot Krutch: I realize that Trevor McNevan isn't exactly a lyrical genius, but you do have to try harder than "We want the truth, give us the absolute." It also didn't help that musically I thought this song was just a bunch of noise. "Heaven" by Salvador: This gets my vote for the most unnecessary cover of the year. What was wrong Los Lonely Boys' version of the song (which was just released the previous year) anyway? Furthermore, if you absolutely had to cover this song, at least put more energy into it than you did. "I'm So Sick" by Flyleaf: This song just sounded like a bunch of atonal noise to me. I really don't get what the big fuss is about them. "King" by Audio Adrenaline: The most frustrating thing about this song was that it sounded like just about every other rock worship song out there. C'mon, AudioA, you can do better than that. "Life is Good" by Stellar Kart: This song just plain insulted my intelligence. It basically just repeated "Life is good, eternal life is better" over and over in an extremely whiny fashion. Add guitar riffs that sound like they were ripped off from Fountain of Wayne's "Stacy's Mom" (another song I didn't like BTW), and you get another song that annoyed me a lot this past year. "Next Thing You Know (Thirteen)" by Matthew West: Chances are if you spend most of your song talking to overly peppy music, and your chorus is just "La la la la la la", then I'm probably not going to like your song at all. "Strong Tower" by Kutless: This wasn't nearly the worst-sounding song on this list, but the song's tempo dragged so much that it was one rather painful listen. The verses also seemed to meander aimlessly, which really didn't help matters at all. "The Space In Between Us" by Building 429: I didn't find this song to be too bad the first few times I listened to it. However, the chorus of the song got very annoying after awhile, and it didn't help that the verses had absolutely no hooks, and the lyrics weren't terribly profound either. "The Way to Begin" by Krystal Meyers: When you sound eerily similar to Avril Lavigne and you fill your song with a bunch of clichés while having very little to no sense of musicality, chances are your song is going to grate on my nerves very quickly. "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns: While I appreciated the intent of this song, I must admit the verses sounded very awkward. It's as if Mark Hall was trying to squeeze in more words than time allowed. It also didn't help that this song sounded way too much like a second-rate MercyMe song for my liking. FAVORITE CONCERTS I attended a lot of enjoyable concerts this past year. Here were my favorites: 5. Justin McRoberts in Jacksonville, FL - 3/1: This was an example of an intimate acoustic set done well. For this concert, it was just Justin and his guitar with no opening act. Fortunately, Justin didn't need anything else to keep the crowd entertained, as he played very well, with "Love" and "Learning to Need You" sounding especially powerful. In between songs, Justin also threw in a few one-liners (including one about Ashlee Simpson) and told funny stories about his past, many of which were used to segue into his next song. So this not only was a concert I enjoyed greatly, but additionally it helped reacquaint me to Justin's music, allowing me to realize again how much I liked it. 4. Bebo Norman in Gainesville, FL - 8/27: Continuing on the theme of well-done intimate acoustic sets, here was another one from an artist well-known for doing such a good job with them. In Bebo's latest stop to Gainesville (where he has become somewhat of a regular), he only brought Gabe Scott with him to perform an acoustic set. As usual, Bebo did a good job, as he sounded better live than he does on CD. Additionally, he and Gabe played off each other quite well, helping to enhance the experience. Usual standouts "Great Light of the World" and "The Hammer Holds" once again sounded great. Additionally, Bebo's stories and comments also helped to lighten the mood in between songs. This all added up to yet another strong performance from an artist who is quickly becoming one of my favorite live acts. 3. Rock The Universe (Highlights included Jars of Clay, David Crowder Band, Michael W. Smith and Day of Fire) in Orlando, FL - 9/9: A big reason why the Friday of Rock the Universe scores so high here was that it featured Jars of Clay sounding as good as I've ever heard them. This time it was only the four official members of Jars performing (no bassist or drummer) and yet the Jars still pulled off an amazing performance. The guys were all able to play off each other very well with each instrument added in just the right place to color the music appropriately. The hymns were especially well-done, with "Hiding Place", "Nothing But The Blood" and "I'll Fly Away" among the standouts. In fact, the hymns were performed so well, it helped to rekindle my interest in the Redemption Songs CD. The Jars weren't the only highlights of the night, as Michael W. Smith and David Crowder Band also sounded good in their performances, and Day of Fire was a lot of fun to watch. The only significant complaint I had was witnessing a few minutes of an incomprehensible performance from Building 429. That notwithstanding, this was a fairly memorable evening of concerts. 2. Derek Webb Trio, John Davis and Sandra McCracken in Jacksonville, FL - 11/17: This was the third time I had seen Derek Webb in concert, and this was different from the other two times in that Derek actually brought along two other accompanying musicians, namely his wife Sandra and Cason Cooley, the former keyboardist of The Normals. Although Derek sounded quite good by himself the other two times I had seen him, the addition of a few band mates greatly enhanced his sound this time. Cason and Sandra inserted keyboard and guitar licks, respectively with Sandra also providing a few harmonies, all of which helping to give the songs a more full sound. This particular performance mostly featured songs from Derek's unreleased-at-the-time CD Mockingbird, and I thought the new songs sounded pretty good live. As usual, between songs Derek also threw in some jokes and funny stories, and at times also had some poignant messages for us. All in all, this made for the most satisfying Derek Webb performance I have seen. As for the opening acts, I thought John Davis fared okay, even if his backing 4-track hindered him a little bit. Derek's wife, Sandra opened the evening with a fairly solid acoustic performance, which featured accompaniments from Derek on a few songs. I do give Sandra props for rearranging the instrumentation on her songs, changing them from guitar to keyboard in order to fit the concert arrangement. Overall, this was a very worthwhile show to attend. 1. Cornerstone Florida Festival (Highlights included Mute Math, Over The Rhine, Sleeping at Last, Anberlin, Relient K, Mourning September, Mat Kearney, The Myriad, Brandtson, Copeland, Glenn Kaiser Band and The Evan Anthem) in Jacksonville, FL - 5/13-14: Given that my first few reviews on Epinions were covering various sets from Cornerstone Florida festival this year, it should probably come as no surprise that it ends up as my #1 Concert Event of the year. Even though this year's festival didn't bring in as many big names as the previous year's festival did, the incredible depth of this year's lineup more than made up for that. I would estimate that in over 90% of the time slots for the entire festival, there was at least one artist that interested me, with some slots having multiple interesting artists. Even though the festival primarily caters to rock fans, there were still ample numbers of mellower artists who excelled in the execution of their music, such as Over The Rhine and Sleeping at Last. For those on the opposite end of the spectrum, there were also a lot of high-energy rock bands there, such as Anberlin, Relient K and Mourning September. Also included were bands like The O.C. Supertones and Last Tuesday who provided lots of fun. Additionally, the festival gave me the opportunity to check out a few bands that were unfamiliar to me at the time, including the aforementioned Sleeping at Last as well as The Myriad and The Evan Anthem. For me though, the biggest highlight of the festival was Earthsuit offshoot Mute Math, whose combination of masterful musicianship and skillful playing to the crowd made for one incredible performance. So overall, it was well worth making the weekend trip to Orlando to catch this festival. Honorable Mentions: This past October in Jacksonville, Falling Up, John Reuben, The Wedding and Mainstay all put on a very energetic rock show. Even though the last few Third Day albums have been disappointing to me, at the Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival in May they showed they can still put on a good live show. Finally, I will give Inside The Outside props for putting on a classy final show in the Tampa area back in late April before calling it a career. LOOKING AHEAD TO 2006 Here are my ten most anticipated albums for next year. Maybe we'll see a lot of them in my year-in-review column for 2006. 1. Jars of Clay 2. Sufjan Stevens 3. Cool Hand Luke 4. Sleeping at Last 5. Mute Math 6. Leigh Nash 7. downhere 8. The Elms 9. Plumb 10. Jennifer Knapp (live) Honorable Mention: Jill Paquette (assuming she can find a distributor.) So this concludes my look at 2005 in music. For 2006 I will make a resolution to use this site more to tell you more about the music that has left an impression on me, whether it is for better or for worse.

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