Hi folks!
Since I have now completed my two countdown radio shows for the Top 50 albums of 2020 see the big takeover “radio” button above to hear one song from each! here is my complete list of the 180 best albums, 100 best archive/retrospective/reissue releases, and 100 best stand-alone singles and EPs of this previous year my best bets on another great year for music, old and new.
And in one of the worst years of our lifetimes, here’s a small tip of my well-worn ballcap in profound gratitude to the artists below, for giving us this music to listen to while stuck at home. Perhaps half the below had already been recorded and was in process before COVID-19 shut us all down, which also curtailed many a scheduled recording session to go with all the cancelled tours.
My Beauty (Cherry Red Records)
The album you needed but didn’t know existed. Originally released in 1999, this was the
Dexys Midnight Runners frontman’s second solo release.
My Beauty regrettably slipped under the radar the first time round. But, like a good wine it has aged gracefully, and is without compromise a masterpiece. Made up of cover versions – “The Long And Winding Road”, “This Guy’s In Love With You”, Mister Rowland rewrote some of the lyrics to reflect his then life struggles. This in turn gave
My Beauty a very personal atmosphere. The songs are performed with a majestic, blue collar soul, and as a reissue this year it appeared on vinyl for the first time. Along with this, the excluded cover of