Thursday Thirteen

This was the idea that got gobbled by blogger last week.

13 albums that I own that you most likely haven't heard of but should.

01. The Moody Blues - Strange Times



Only true Moody Blues fans will know of this album. Most casual fans seem to stop at Long Distance Voyager. Shame on them! This is a wonderful album. Justin Hayward and John Lodge have some wonderful songs on this one. I think of all their albums since Long Distance Voyager that this one is the finest.

02. The Moody Blues - December



I blame Universal for this album being so underappreciated. There was no promotion for it. Universal just shipped some out to the stores and told them to hide it in a corner somewhere. Half the fans didn't even know it existed and its really a beautiful collection of holiday tunes. Your life isn't complete until you hear Don't Need A Reindeer. And if you want to, just ask and I'll see to it that you get to hear it.

03. Bernie Barlow - Golden



Bernie is the backup singer for Moody Blues when she isn't on maternity leave. Golden is her first album and it's one of my favorites. Her disc can be purchased on the evil i(f-ing)tunes and on her site.

04. Tremblers - Twice Nightly


Anything Peter Noone did after the Hermits disbanded is pretty much unheard of unless you are a fan. This disc was done in the early 80's and it's done in a punky new wavey kinda way. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Peter covers Elvis Costello's Green Shirt in a most amusing way.

05. Alison Moyet - Voice



This is Alison's most recent album of standards and covers. She's done two Elvis Costello tracks on this one and both God Give Me Strength and Almost Blue are glorious.

06. Nick Lowe - Party Of One



I should face facts that very few people know who Nick Lowe is and those that do only know a handful of songs he's recorded. This is one of his 90's albums and it's wonderful. The beauty of Nick is his ability to sing country pop while hailing from the UK.

07. Bridin Brennan - Eyes Of Innocence



Bridin is the sister of Enya and Moya Brennan. The odd thing about Bridin is that while her album is absolutely beautiful she chooses not to follow the steps of her sisters. Her album is more new age/adult contemporary rather than celtic. She has a soft lilting voice that's just as beautiful as her two famous sisters, one can only hope she'll be able to forge ahead in the industry on her own merits.

08. Cliff Richard - Something's Goin'On



Brits will groan and say, not him, but if you are in the US, Cliff Richard is all but unknown, except for the song Devil Woman. I'm all for good pop music and for me Cliff always delivers. This album is more than cheesy pop music though. There are some really lovely heartfelt numbers on this one and it's countrypop feel is something that I wouldn't expect from Sir Cliff.

09. Julia Fordham - Falling Forward



Here's another uniquely beautiful voice. I picked up one of her CDs on a whim after hearing a song on a listening post at Borders, back when Borders was a cool and reasonable place to buy music. I was soon addicted. This CD has one of my favorite Julia songs on it, Hope Prayer and Time. It's such a gorgeous song. If any song has really left an impression on me, this song is it.

10. Caroline Lavelle - Spirit



Another album discovered at Borders. The cover alone is gorgeous. The music within is better. Caroline covers Joni Mitchell's A Case Of You beautifully. Caroline has worked with Loreena McKennitt, touring with her on many occassions, so there's a celtic feel to this disc, but with William Orbit producing, it's also has a bit of an ambient feel as well.

11. Annie Haslam - Annie Haslam



This is the Rennaisance's lead singer's first solo offering. Annie sings Justin Hayward's lovely The Angel's Cry beautifully, with a little help from Mr. Hayward himself. She also does a haunting version of Mike Oldfield's Moonlight Shadow. This disc isn't easy to find but it's worth every wonderful minute of listening pleasure if you can find it.

12. Gary Puckett - Europa (or In Europe)



Gary does a collection of new songs as well as reworking a few old classics. The new version of Lady Willpower is stunning though a bit slow for my liking. Gary has one of those voices. Ok, Gary sings in a key in which I am not familiar and likely no one else is either. The man should have made it on Broadway. The man boggles why that never happened.

13. Keri Noble - Lullaby



I am lucky enough to own a copy of Keri's first album. There are still a few copies to be had on her site. $20 is a bit pricey for an indie disc, but Keri is so wonderful that it's worth the cost. This disc is so rare these days that I'm kind of scared to rip it to my hard drive for fear of something happening to it.