1) Ariel Abshire, Exclamation Love (Darla)
2) Eve & the Exiles, Blow Your Mind
It’s ridiculous to try and number the rest of these in order. I really loved all these releases and in a heartbreak year when I needed a hard dose of feminine moral support, I got it in various degrees from these local (or locally related) CDs. Ariel Abshire’s debut Exclamation Love and Eve & the Exiles’ sophomore effort Blow Your Mind were my hands-down favorites but the releases below also kept me going.
After the jump, they’re in absolutely no particular order.
Carolyn Wonderland, Miss Understood
Petals, He Loves Me Not
Carrie Rodriguez, She Ain’t Me (Manhattan/Back Porch)
Paula Nelson Band, Lucky 13 (Justice)
Shotgun Party
Jo Carol Pierce, Dog of Love
Izzy Cox, Love Letters from the Electric Chair
Eliza Gilkyson, Beautiful World (Red House)
Patty David, One Step Above the Blues
Southern Drama, Little Broken
Christine Albert, Paris, Texasfrance (Moon House)
Aimee Bobruk, The Safety Match Journal
Robyn Ludwick, Too Much Desire (Freedom)
Annabella, Say Goodnight
Bobbie Nelson, Audiobiography (Justice)
Kacy Crowley, Cave (Stable)
Owl Morrison, Playing with Matches
Gretchen Phillips, I Was Just Comforting Her (Seasick Sailor)
Abi Tapia, The Beauty in the Ruin (MoonHouse)
Tovah, Escapologist
Favorite Single: The Platforms, “Hot Little Ride”
Favorite DVD: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (Rhino/Paramount)
Favorite Reissue: Rosie Flores (American Beat)
Favorite Dance Partner: Toni Price at Eve & the Exiles, Continental Club, 12/27/08
Favorite Book: The Musician’s Guide to the Road by Susan Voelz (Billboard Books)
RIP: Yma Sumac, Odetta, Miriam Makeba
This article appears in 2008.