17. Bettye LaVette-Scene of the Crime (Review)
19. Kate Nash-Made of Bricks.
Although Lily Allen will probably get her Grammy nomination this year, because her U.S. release dropped in early ’07, true music fans were already hip to her and, in my case, sick of her. I like Lily’s album, it’s catchy pop, but like most sugar highs, it wore off quick and left me wanting more. This year’s answer to Lily Allen (and a far superior artist), is Kate Nash. Syrupy pop voice? Check. Songs about sex and sexiness? Check. Verse chorus hook? Check. But Kate also offers a few more eccentric 
songs on her record, like Skeleton Song, which approaches Tori Amos territory in both its weird lyrics and its hard-to-capture melody. I haven’t had this much fun listening to an album for the first time since I heard King Missle’s debut. On the exact opposite of this spectrum is Betty LaVette, a hard-working, hard-living blueswoman who has produced several pretty-good albums in the past but this year released a tour-de-force answer to every record company who ever screwed her over. Every song is brimming with bitterness, sadness, and love. It gets my vote for most heartfelt record of the year.
You Don’t Know Me At All Bettye LaVette w/Drive-By Truckers
