Top Ten New Albums of 2007

The last surviving Righteous Brother's first new album since the untimely 2003 death of partner Bobby Hatfield is an idea whose time should have come long ago: get Medley in a studio and let him wrap his booming baritone around a slew of blues classics. Of course, Earl King's "Trick Bag" comes closer to the blue-eyed soul tag usually placed on Bill, and there's a cover of Dylan's "Just Like A Woman," too, but that only shows his range on the rootsier stuff, as does an unprecedented collaboration with Phil Everly and Brian Wilson himself on the Beach Boys' "In My Room." A classy and surprisingly relevant solo statement.

For his first all-new studio release since 1995's Young Blood, the Killer went the duets route, assembling 21 tracks from all over the rock, blues, and country spectrum and recording them with as many different guest artists. But while that may seem like trend overkill, the results were pure Jerry Lee... and he hadn't sounded this dangerous away from a stage since Nixon's resignation. Although you can think of this as a companion live CD/DVD to the original comeback album that bears its name, Last Man Standing Live is more of an event all its own, one that makes up for in daring what it lacks in sheer energy (although there's a good bit of that, as well).

You couldn't ask for a better tribute to Fats Domino's musical legacy than this... the ratio of hits to misses is surprisingly good for this type of endeavor, everyone involved understands the greatness of the Fat Man's catalog, and the roster of local (New Orleans) and national acts is absolutely first-rate. The result is slightly uneven, but what large gathering of performances from across the pop and rock spectrum isn't?

The ex-Beatle's groundbreaking (heartbreaking?) partnership with Starbucks and their new Hear Music label results in some mostly ungroundbreaking music, largely avoiding even the elder-statesmen ruminations of 2006's Grammy-winning Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. It sounds great -- and Sir Paul's post Flaming Pie winning streak continues -- but it plays things too safe, especially for a billionaire whose last surprising move occurred sometime around our other Iranian crisis.

Despite the title, the lead vocalist in the Staple Singers is looking back with this, her first release of all-new material since 2004's comeback [i]Have A Little Faith[/i], specifically, looking back lyrically to the civil-rights movement of the Sixties and her memories of same. However, there's a point that cuts much deeper than mere nostalgia -- that racism is still endemic in America, despite those struggles -- and perhaps to drive that point home, she enlisted Ry Cooder to do for her voice what he did for Buena Vista Social Club; that is, make an old sound new again. The result's a little tamer than its message, but in re-establishing Mavis as a salable artistic force, it works wonders.

Three of country music's most venerable voices combine in this historic collaboration, which finds the trio warbling together on twenty-two classic tracks that stretch from mountain standards to countrypolitan crossovers. The real miracle, though, is that the blend works -- Nelson's Americana croak, Price's easy-listening croon, and Hag's simple working-man's statements all fit together, and prove surprisingly versatile on everything from Hank's "Lost Highway" to Gene Autry's "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." If that's not enough, add in guests Kris Kristofferson, Vince Gill, and the Jordanaires for a real summit meeting of classic country.

There are no new classics here on the order of his CCR hits, or even the strongest material on his original solo comeback, 1985's Centerfield. But time has proven remarkably kind to Fogerty and his belief in the power of old-fashioned roots rock... if only he didn't spend so much time on Revival reminding us who he is and trying to reestablish his position as a grassroots poet.

If you're looking for your oldies artists to stay true to their original sound, Koko Taylor never disappoints, delivering the same fiery brand of no-bull Chicago blues, raw and with plenty of attitude. But there's a new fire in her this time out -- a possible side effect of her recent near-death experience, undergoing hospitalization for gastrointestinal bleeding in '03. Her first release in seven years finds her taking on Memphis Minnie, Magic Sam, and Willie Dixon classics as if they'd just been written yesterday, along with five new originals that sound as sepiatoned as the covers. With the blues, that's a good thing.

As a relevant, vital performer, Dion DiMucci -- he of "The Wanderer" and "Runaround Sue" half a century ago -- only exists in the mind of a few critics and hardcore Noo Yawk fans who appreciate his legacy. But that Dion hasn't been around for decades now, and this one, who's already made a fine traditional blues album with last year's Bronx In Blue, strips things down even further for this audacious new CD. He's not only aligning himself with blues masters like Skip James, he's aligning himself publicly with his own faith.

Time has now marched on far enough for some things to enter the realm of classicism, in this case, Chaka Khan's seminal funk work with the band Rufus in the Seventies. And as the title suggests, she's stopped trying to be relevant and focus on playing to her strengths -- she covers two Rufus covers, tackles Prince's "Sign O' The Times," and teams up with Michael McDonald for a rendition of his own "You Belong To Me." Of course, the retro vibe gets tweaked a little by her duet with Mary J. Blige, "Disrespectful," but even that track proves Chaka's new sense of purpose -- Blige recorded her vocals first, but had to go back into the studio and step up her game after Chaka laid hers down. Now that's diva power.