Neil Young is the undeniable master of innovation. 2003's Greendale is a prime example of Neil's willingness to take chances and approach new projects with a sense of unconventional wisdom. Trans is a prime example of Neil's ability to shock even his most adoring fans. Imagine it's 1982, and you've just picked up an LP of Trans at the local shop, enjoy the very typical first track "Little Thing Called Love". Next thing you know, Neil has strapped on the voice coder and has embarked on a futuristic tirade called "Computer Age." Songs like "Transformer Man" and "Sample and Hold" are hauntingly beautiful and far beyond their years. In short, the album grows on you. Finally, Trans concludes with the incredible "Like an Inca" which follows in the footsteps of Dangerbird and Cortez, reflecting Neil's obsession with Latin American/Native American themes of spirituality and perseverance.

This is Neil Young and Crazy Horse in their finest hour. From the very first chords of Country Home, the Horse grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Passion and intensity abound as the music triumphs over all else.

I am surprised this book isn't getting more recognition. Adult authors frequently try to recapture the memories of their adolescence or write from the perspective of a teenager, some with great results (Catcher in the Rye, Russell Banks' Rule of Bone, and best of all, CD Payne's Youth in Revolt), some mixed (Tom Petotta's Bad Haircut). I think Dan Pope has written an important period piece that recalls growing up in the 70s, warts and all. While the book generally reads more like a series of short stories, there is continuity and character development. Sensitive topics, such as parental infidelity and suicide are addressed without pulling punches, yet Pope clearly has a great sense of humor, from the hand farts of a big sister's friend to tongue twisters concerning the fig plucker's son. In The Cherry Tree is worth picking up and knocking off in a few nights of bedtime reading. I look forward to Dan's next book.

While the synth based background of this album might not be for everyone, there is no denying the fact that Hearts and Flowers is not only one of Joan Armatrading's best albums but a staple of any solid music collection of the 1990s. It's a tale of liberation, love, and self-reliance that Armatrading has taught us time and time again. In an era where the artists of the day rarely have anything memorable to say, it's worth going back to a musically brilliant album that has true meaning and the ability to inspire.

To those reviewers bashing the board book version, I say: get over it! The board book version makes it possible to hold a squirming infant and read and turn the pages at the same time. Accordingly, the baby is exposed to the process of reading at a time when it would otherwise be prohibitive. My five month old loves this book, clearly tries to mimic the sounds of Mr. Brown, and smiles beyond belief as I loudly moo, whoo, buzz, and tick-tock. I think above all else, Suess would want youngsters exposed to his works as early as possible, abridged or otherwise.

Jeff Tweedy has transcended all boundaries of time and space and reveals the kind of maturity in his songwriting that will endear this album to future generations. Substantively, the lyrics alone are poetry for our times: Jesus etc., Ashes of American Flags and War on War--even though all written before 9/11, memorialize the mood of the nation after that tragic day forever: Voices whine/Skyscrapers are scraping together your voice it's smoking/Last cigarettes are all you can get/Turning your orbit around.

But beyond the lyrics are songs so remarkable and texturally rich, you can't stop listening and like a painting, each song takes on an alternative meaning and a different mood upon repeated listenings. And unlike Summerteeth and Being There, both stellar in their own right, there's no filler or missteps. From the simplicity of Radio Cure to the cacaphonious
I'm The Man Who Loves You, I've never heard anything quite like YHF, and I doubt I will ever again.

In "Jennifer and The Ess Dog", SM's tale of trans-generational romance, he howls "Let me out of here, get me out of here!" and you know Pavement's come to an end so to those who can't stomach the idea of SM on his own: get over it. This eponymous release is a delicious slice--"Phantasies" could appear on a Velvet Underground Album, "Church on White" may contain SM's most beautiful playing on any cd to date and shows strong Nigel Godrich influence that must have rubbed off during Pavement's Brighten The Corners and Terror Twiglight. "Troubble" is just damn good fun. The only thing that's missing is the live barnburner, "One Percent of One" but here's hoping for a new release soon with more growth and new horizons charted.

Summerteeth is a remarkable coming of age for Jeff Tweedy, a broad brush stroke that is complex on so many levels. "Shot In The Arm" may be the best song about a relationship ending that I've ever heard: ("The ashtray says/you were up all night/when you went to bed/with your darkest mind") which quickly transcends to boiling anger and the need for a tonic--anything to take the pain away. But there's hope at the end of the cd--another, sunnier version of "Shot" which leaves the listener with both a sense of redemption and hope. And while the entire album doesn't necessarily work to perfection, the gems (I Can't Stand It, Shot, I'm Always In Love, Nothingsever, Via Chicago) are 99% better than anything else out there. In sum, Tweedy is willing to take risks in a day when many others pursue the commercially acceptable practice. For those who haven't heard YHF, you are in for another delicious and timely outing. "Jesus Etc." may well be the most haunting and daring song Jeff has penned to date, although "I'm The Man Who Loves You" is my personal favorite and more Beatlesque than anything on Teeth, with it's Revolver era horns and sunny twanging guitars. If Neil Young wasn't on Reprise, I'd probably boycott the label altogether. Finally, to the prior reviewer that didn't like "War on War" or "Heavy Metal Drummer", I would say Let Tweedy be Tweedy--the more he explores, whether it be with drum machines or a Fleetwood Mac era sound, we the fans are unquestionably the true beneficiaries.

I had lost touch with Aimee Man for some time--always a big fan of Til Tuesday classics like "Voices Carry" (probably still the best video ever shown on MTV back when MTV used to show videos) and "Coming Up Close". With Bachelor, I am back--for good. This great set of songs in the tradition of Beatles/Costello is truly moving, and Mann wears her emotions on her sleeve on the best tracks--"Deathly" "Red Vines" Nothing is Good Enough". But it's all good, and I can't think of a cd that I have purchased in the last year where I can't wait to get home and put it back on the stereo. In sum, it's so rare to find an artist these days whose songwriting craft is backed up with talented playing. Aimee is truly a breath of fresh air.

Just finished Jernigan and was nothing short of blown away. A modern day Catcher in the Rye, Peter Jernigan tells us his twisted tale from the same padded room where Holden told his. Gates has crafted an important work, which is better than his most recent Preston Falls, because we actually care for the people in this book, despite their chronic alcoholism, atrocious parenting, and undeniable taste for bunny meat. The publisher should be ashamed that this book is out of print!