Summing up the year, musically/blogwise, i can happily note the following:

* Melody Gardot finally got her contract.
Universal UK puts a new front cover on worrisome heart, and removes one track, and it will be released early next year. The "promo machinery" is starting. In europe, Gilles Peterson played it in his worldwide mix-show the other saturday). Melody is busy/has been busy recording a new album (Guess who is producing?, It's the ex husband of Joni Michell (Larry Klein)... who has worked with "everybody" (including Herbie Hancock for example)! T'will be exciting to see were this leads..., and especially what supermusicians that will be involved in the recordings. Verve just scheduled a release in february with Melody. The performances in London earlier this year (London Jazz Festival) were a success.

BUY


* John Weinland got signed to badman recording co (My Morning Jacket/Mark Kozelek et al).

BUY

* Success for Dawn Landes. She is earning more and more recognition everywhere :)

Congratulations!


Very well, here's the obligatory "favourite 2007"-list:

It's been a difficult year.



Bettye Lavette - The scene of the crime

As another blogger said it best "Bettye now owns these covers". This album gave me so much hope and joy this year.

My review

Bettye Lavette - Talking Old Soldiers.mp3

Buy The LP!

Buy CD



James Blood Ulmer - Bad In the City

The catastrophical flooding of Tabasco. I was listening to this album.

Vernon Reid on guitar, Charlie Burnham on fiddle, David Barnes on harmonica, Leon Gruenbaum on various keyboards, Mark Peterson on bass and Aubrey Dayle on drums. This is the third album they're recording together as a band and the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed No Escape From the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions released in 2003, which i also highly recommend. Queen Esther sings on that album!

My review

Buy



Diego el Cigala - Picasso en mis ojos

Well, what can i say. I've love flamenco, from when i lived in Spain, and this is one of the best albums released, since the days of Camaron, i'd dare to say.

Buy



Tiny Vipers - Hands Across The Void

Jesy Fortino did it. Character. Good music comes when you least expect it.

Tiny Vipers - On this side.mp3

Interview with Jesy

Buy



Krantz - Siberia

Not many real good swedish albums this year unfortunately, but this was definately one.

Krantz - Polperro.mp3

My review

Buy



Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Twelve years after they formed. A relaxed recording.

Buy the deluxe double vinyl!



Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back

An amazing important album. Timeless quality. A strong heart.

My posting

Buy




Marissa Nadler - Songs III - Bird On The Water

Marissa Nadler - Diamond Heart.mp3

Marissa Nadler "Take-Away-Show" What a great idea (i actually had plans of arranging something like that, earlier this spring, but it didn't happen. Artist integrity i suppose. Or perhaps a question of economy? God only knows)

MOKB did an interview with Marissa.

Buy




Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer

My review

Buy



New Buffalo - Somewhere, Anywhere

Tired of Feist already ? Me too. This is better.

Buy


Honorable mentions
----------------------------
I finally had to have only the absolute 10 that on the favourite list.
the following are all, very good albums too.
(You won't be dissapointed if buying any of these as a christmas gift for yourself, or give it to someone you love). Conside that as a "guarantee" from me ;-)

Carol Bui - everyone wore white (my review)
Aaron Nazrul - Butterfly Man (my review)
Maquinado - O homen binario (A project by Lucio Maia (guitarist of Nação Zumbi)
Cirkus - laylower (my review) Buy!
Jenn Grant - Orchestra For The Moon (my review)
The Lodger - Grown-Ups
Jon Hardy and the public - Working in love (my review)
Cass McCombs - Dropping the Writ (My review)
Robert Wyatt - Comicopera Buy the double LP!
The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse Buy
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime Buy
Menomena - Friend and Foe Buy
Eluvium: Copia Buy
Of Montreal - Hissing fauna Buy the double LP!
Tinariwen: Water Is Life Buy
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: 100 Days & 100 Nights Buy The LP!
Claire Lynch: New day Buy

For 2008, in case this blog ends, or changes direction:

I'd like you to please check out, and keep a close eye (ear?) to all the following bands, among many that i have written about, that will all come with new albums:

The Mighty Orq (still unsigned),
John Weinland (who now have changed name to Weinland) ,
Sun Domingo,
The Idaho Falls,
The Sweet Hurt,
The Bloody Romance (My review) and Peter Panagakos (Taki76, he has a new project together with Onedependent and Narykcin that will be a killer funk album!), oh, and
Ginger Jackson (she has new great songs ready for a new album).

And, Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago" is officialy released on February 19.

It will be an interesting year!

Best unsigned artist in the u.k ? Well, that's easy: Shona Foster. 2008 will be her year, i think. Watch this Mini Documentary...

I'd like to take the opportunity to say thank you to all readers (especially to the few ones of you that took the time to make a comment. It means a lot to any blogger.), and here's to you all:

Merry Christmas!!

p.s: Here's the link to the list of 2006, and here, well, is the rest of the ever increasing jungle of so called music blogs.
p.s 2: I opened an amazon store with all the records mentioned in this post

---------
Update 10 Mar 2008:
05:40 CET: Melody Gardot is #1 on Amazon Bestsellers in Music!
Follow Clay's Daily Double for the stats...
CDBaby is out of stock at the moment, but you can get the cd here