2. Lisa Hannigan – Passenger [ATO Records 2011]

3. Common – The Dreamer, The Believer [Think Common 2011]

4. Various Artists – Heart and Soul Riddim [Notice Productions 2011]

5. Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials [Universal Records 2011]

6. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Magic of Youth [Big Rig Records 2011]

7. Major Lazer – Original Don [Downtown Records 2011]

8. Raging Fyah – Judgement Day [Raging Fyah 2011]

9. Beirut – The Rip Tide [Pompeii Records 2011]

10. Various Artists - Dancehall Reggae Playlist Vol. 2 [Tad's Records 2011]

11. Cults – Cults [Columbia 2011]

12. Ry Cooder – Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down [Nonesuch 2011]

13. Sierra Hull – Daybreak [Rounder Records 2011]

14. Various Artists – Solid Gold, Vol. 1 [Don Corleon Records 2011]

15. Various Artists – Bomboflow Riddim [Upsetta Records 2011]

16. Ital Noiz – Everyday Jungle [Universal Egg 2011]

1. Mac Miller – Blue Side Park [Rostrum Records 2011]

2. Various Artists – Strictly the Best, Volume 45 [VP Records 2011]

3. The Black Keys – El Camino [Nonesuch 2011]

4. Willie Nelson – Remember Me, Vol. 1 [R&J Records 2011]

5. The Gourds – Old Mad Joy [Vanguard 2011]

6. The Roots – Undun [Def Jam 2011]

7. Amy Winehouse – Lioness: Hidden Treasures [Universal 2011]

8. Various Artists – Strictly the Best, Vol. 44 [VP Records 2011]

9. Bazil – Stand Up Strong [Tiger Records 2011]

10. Omar Perry – The Journey [Bonfire.Pr 2011]

11. Ray Bonneville – Bad Man’s Blood [Red House Records 2011]

12. Derajah – Paris Is Burning [Chapter Two Records 2011]

2. Alborosie - 2 Times Revolution [Greensleeves 2011]

3. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead [Capital Records 2011]

4. Various Artists – Reggae’s Gone Country [VP Records 2011]

5. Bright Eyes – The People’s Key [Saddle Creek 2011]

6. Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What [Hear Music 2011]

7. Hayes Carll – KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories) [Lost Highway 2011]

8. Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three – Middle of Everywhere [Free Dirt Records 2011]

9. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest [Acony Records 2011]

10. Richie Spice – Book of Job [VP Records 2011]

Stephen Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, & Buju Banton – Jah Army

Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO

The Decemberists - This Is Why We Fight

Busy Signal – The Gambler

Stevie Face - Can’t Go Round

Emmylou Harris - My Name Is Emmett Till

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley – Wanted (Just Ain’t The Same)

Bright Eyes – One For You, One For Me

Courtney John – Never Keep You Waiting

Gyptian – Duggu Duggu

Pokey LaForge & the South City Three – Feel So Good

Richie Spice – My Life

Paul Simon - Getting Ready For Christmas

Alborosie & Junior Reid – Respect

Peter Bjorn & John - Second Chance

Iron & Wine – Tree By The River

Third World, Damian Marley, & Stephen Marley – 96 Degrees 

Amos Lee - Windows Are Rolled Down

Mr. Vegas, Shaggy, and Josey Wales – Sweet Jamaica

The Uprising Roots Band - Steamers

Mac Miller – Party On Fifth Ave

Richie Spice – Soothing Sound 

Raging Fyah – Irie Vibe

Stuart Duncan, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, & Yo-Yo Ma – Attaboy

Sanchez – El Paso

The Decemberists - Down By The Water

Courtney John - Everyday

The Beastie Boys & Santigold - Don’t Play No Games

Cham - Stronger

Bright Eyes - Firewall

I-Wayne - Pure As the Nile

The Decemberists – June Hymn

Vybz Kartel – Poor People Land

Protoje – Take Control

Tarrus Riley – The Chair

Lil Wayne, Bun B, Nas, Shyne, & Busta Rhymes - Outro

Chino - Driving Me Insane

Iba Mahr – Will I Wait

Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear

Laza – One By One

Gillian Welch - Scarlet Town

Stephen Marley - Pale Moonlight (How Many Times)

Robert Earl Keen, Jr. - Waves on the Ocean

Alborosie - La Revolucion

Brian Wilson - Listen To Me

Assassin - How Mi Feel

James Blake - Limit to Your Love

Shaggy  & Tarrus Riley - Just Another Girl

Stephen Marley – Can’t Keep I Down

Lyle Lovett - Well…Alright

Shabba Ranks - None Ah Dem

Wilco – I Might

Freddie McGregor – A House Is Not A Home

Smith Westerns - Weekend

Romain Virgo & Larry Gatlin – California

Das Racist - Booty in the Air

DeMarco - Love My Life

Tune-Yards – You Yes You

Richie Spice – Legal

Gillian Welch – The Way It Goes

Easy Star All Stars - Paid My Dues

Queen Ifrica – Pot Still Haffi Bubble

Wiz Khalifa & Too Short - On My Level

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three – So Long Honeybee, Goodbye

Stephen Marley – No Cigarette Smoking In My Room

Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What

Collie Buddz – Playback

Bright Eyes – Shell Games

Gyptian – My Number One

The Decemberists – All Arise!

L.U.S.T. – Flowers on the Wall

Lil Wayne – How To Love

Romain Virgo – The System

Alexi Murdoch – Crinan Wood

Easy Star All Stars, Daddy Lion Chandell, & Junior Jazz - One Likkle Draw

Bright Eyes – A Machine Spiritual (In The People’s Key)

Richie Spice – Father

YACHT - Dystopia

Alborosie & Giuseppe Tarantino – International Drama

Zooey Deschanel - It’s So Easy

Tarrus Riley – Never Leave I

The Decemberists – January Hymn

Beres Hammond – Pull Up

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three – Keep Your Hands of My Gal

Paul Simon – Love Is Eternal Sacred Light

Richie Spice – Yap Yap

Coldplay – Paradise

Stephen Marley - Old Slaves

Gillian Welch – Hard Times

Gramps Morgan – Feels So Right

The Decemberists – Calamity Song

Alborosie – Rolling Like A Rock

Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

Beres Hammond – He Stopped Loving Her Today

Adele – Rolling in the Deep

Queen Ifrica – Times Like These

Gillian Welch – Six White Horses

Stephen Marley & Spragga Benz – Working Ways

James Blake – Wilhelm Scream

Tarrus Riley – Shaka Zulu Pickney

Robbie Robertson & Robert Randolph – How To Become Clairvoyant

Chino – God Nah Sleep (Rise and Fall Story)

Jeff Lynne – Words of Love

Richie Spice – Black Woman

Adele – Someone Like You

Alborosie – Ragamuffin

Paul Simon – The Afterlife

Stephen Marley – Freedom Time

Lil Wayne – President Carter

Vybz Kartel - Summertime

Alexander – In the Twilight

SuperHeavy – Miracle Worker

Ziggy Marley & Heavy D - It

Paul Simon - Rewrite

Alexi Murdoch – Through the Dark

Bounty Killer – Ready Fi Dem

Alexander – Truth

Snoop Dogg & T-Pain – Boom

Easy Star All Stars – Reggae Pension

Alexander – Awake My Body

Stephen Marley - Tight Ship

Robert Earl Keen, Jr. – Black Baldy Stallion

Luciano – He’ll Have To Go

Wilco – Dawned On Me

Vybz Kartel – Whine (Wine)

Ringo Starr – Think It Over

Stephen Marley - Now I Know

Robbie Robertson, Eric Clapton, & Steve Winwood – Fear of Falling

The Beastie Boys & Nas – Too Many Rappers (New Reactionaries Version)

Easy Star All Stars – Don’t Stop the Music

Smith Westerns – Only One

Lupe Fiasco – The Show Goes On

Ziggy Marley – Personal Revolution

Pokey LaForge & the South City Three – Drinking Whiskey Tonight

Alborosie – One Draw

Paul Simon - Love and Blessings

Stephen Marley – Break Us Apart

Das Racist – Relax

Richie Spice – Got To Make It

Wanda Jackson – You Know That I’m No Good

Beres Hammond – I Am Missing You

Mavado – Peppa

Hayes Carll – Stomp and Holler

Tarrus Riley – Groovy Little Thing

Tune-Yards – Bizness

Snoop Dogg & Willie Nelson – Superman

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three – Weedwacker Rag

Shaggy & Agent Sasco (aka Assassin) – Feeling Alive

Alexander – Let’s Win

Alborosie – Camilla

Bright Eyes – Haile Selassie

Richie Spice – Serious Woman

Robert Earl Keen – Top Down

Stephen Marley – The Chapel

Alborosei & Etana – You Make Me Feel Good

Gillian Welch – The Way The Whole Thing Ends

Shaggy & Alaine - For Yur Eyez Only

Alexander – Let’s Make To Not Make A Deal

The Decemberists – Rise To Me

Etana – People Talk

Smith Westerns – Still New

Richie Spice – Confirmation

The Decemberists – Rox in the Box

Dr. Dre – Kush

Richie Spice – Mother of Creation

The Beastie Boys – Funky Donkey

Tune-Yards – Killa

Hayes Carll – Another Like You

Alborosie – Who You Think You Are

Robert Earl Keen, Jr. – Who Do Man

Hayes Carll – Hard Out Here

Richie Spice – Jah Never Let Us Down

Paul Simon – Questions For the Angels

Stephen Marley – She Knows Now

The Decemberists – Dear Avery

Wiz Khalifa – Black & Yellow

Jamelody – This Time

Stuart Duncan, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, & Yo Yo Ma – Less Is Moi

Chipmunk – Every Gal

Wanda Jackson – Thunder On The Mountain

Etana – Crazy

The Beastie Boys - Here’s A Little Something For You

Beenie Man – Let’s Go

Tessanne Chin – Firework

Dr. Dre - I Need A Doctor

Alexander – A Million Years

Easy Star All Stars, Lady Ann, Tony Tuff, and the Meditations – Easy Now Star

Paul Simon – Dazzling Blue

Stephen Marley – False Friends

Alexander – Bad Bad Love

Tune-Yards – Gangsta

Harvey and Mista Brown – Hot Gyal

Robbie Robertson – Tango for Django

The Decemberists – Don’t Carry It All

Mavado – Final Destination

Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three – River Rock Bottom

Thievery Corporation – Overstand

Richie Spice - Better Tomorrow

Lil Wayne – 6 Foot 7 Foot

I-Octane – Nuh Ramp Wid We

Top Ranking Albums of October 2011

1. Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Myer, & Chris Thile – The Goat Rodeo Sessions [Sony 2011]
2. Dubmatix – presents Clash Of The Titans (The System Shakedown Remixes) [Collision 2011]
3. Various Artists –  Listen To Me: Buddy Holly [Verve Forecast 2011]
4. Merle Haggard – Working in Tennessee [Vanguard 2011]
5. Sugar Minott – Reggae Anthology: Sugar Minott – Hard Time Pressure [VP Records 2011]
6. Gregory Issacs – Reggae Anthology: Gregory Isaacs – The Ruler (1972-1990) [VP Records 2011]
7. Green – Love & Affection EP [Easy Star 2011]
8. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire [Capitol Records 2011]
9. Das Racist – Relax [Greedhead 2011]
10. Various Artists - Greensleeves Dubstep Chapter 1 [Greensleeves 2011]
11. Various Artists – The Lost Notebooks Of Hank Williams [Egyptian/Columbia 2011]

Alison Kraus with the voice of an angel and bluegrass band from heaven performed a sweet set of classics. The band Union Station includes the fantastic pickers Jerry Douglas and Dan Tyminski.  Tyminski sang the crowd please “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow,” the hit track from the Cohen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. Alison Krauss and Union Station’s set list also included my favorites “When You Say Nothing At All,” “The Lucky One,” and “Let Me Touch You for Awhile.”

From the soft bluegrass of Alison Kraus to the ear crushing dubstep of Skrillex was a nice juxtaposition. Skrillex’s wobbling sounds and remixes included samples from Damian Marley and Major Lazer. This was the youngest and most energetic crowd I have seen in a long time. It reminded me of the grunge rock shows of the 1990s in an odd way. Skrillex has a punky feel in a in your face type of way. The music literally fucks with your brain. The crowd responded with gusto to the hit single “Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites.” 

Cee-Lo followed Skrillex with a poppy soul set that included the summer banger and middle finger to the world jam “Fuck You.” He also performed the Gnarlz Barkley smash hit “Crazy.” The real musicianship though was under the tent where the Del McCoury Band joined forces with the Preservation Jazz Hall Band playing songs like “I’ll Fly Away” and ”Jambalaya“ from their album American Legacies.

The evening concluded with a magnificent set by the king of Motown Stevie Wonder. “Superstition,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” “Sir Duke,” “For Once In My Life” and ”My Cherie Amour” were all on the set list.  The funky politicized jam ”Living For The City” rocked the park while the reggaefied funk of Master Blaster (Jammin’) brought people to their feet. My favorite song of the day was Stevie’s high powered ”Higher Ground.”

I caught the end of the Theophilus London set. Banging beats, fresh rhymes, and creative samples impressed this particular listener. For example, London looped a sample of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” over a fat beat dropping science in the rain. London also played his hit “Love Is Real.” The juxtaposition of hip hop with the sweet sounds of the Secret Sisters, in my opinion, is the beauty of a good festival. Diversity is essential.

The Secret Sisters played their hit song “Tennessee Me,” but it was their song selections from past country legends Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, the Everly Brothers, and Patsy Cline that really hit the spot. Take for example, their cover of “Why Baby Why,” which was soft and pure sweetness. These sisters from Muscle Shoals, Alabama strike a sentimental chord in me. The Southern ladies also played the Rufus Wainwright tune “Do You Love An Apple.”

We followed Secret Sisters with the electronic soul man James Blake. The Englishman opened with “Unluck” and ”Give Me My Month.” For the most part the talented composer form London stuck with songs from his debut album James Blake, including the tracks “I Never Learnt To Share,” “Lindisfarne I,”and ”Lindisfarne II.” I especially liked his Fiest cover “Limit To Your Love.” And, he spaced out “The Wilhelm Scream,” which concluded a nice set.

Big Boi from the Outkast crew brought Dirty South bounce and swagger into Zilker Park. Unlike many of the recent hip hop shows I’ve seen lately, Big Boi’s flow was exquisite and the sound clear. The set included tracks “General Patton” and ”Follow Us” from the new album Sir Lucious Left Foot…The Son Of Chico Dusty. But the afternoon also saw a fair share of classics like the “cooler than a polar bear’s toenail” track ”ATLiens” and the harmonica banger ”Rosa Parks.” Big Boi proved he had a deep catalog with crowd pleasers ”So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson.” He also brought rock and roll rap fusion with the protest song “B.O.B.” And, I was very pleased that the Atlanta native unleashed my personal favorite Outkast gem ”The Way You Move.”  Nas & Damian Marley followed the Atlanta native rapper making this a lively stage.

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley entered the stage as the flag bearing the red, gold, and green and the Lion of Judah flew. “As We Enter” kicked off the set. One of my favorite things to do is to see a Marley brother in Austin. Mr. Marley brought the reggae magic while the rhyme-smith Nas dropped serious science. In reality both of these cats are amazing lyricists and when done in tag-team fashion over dope beats booties commence to shake. “As We Enter” the lead track off the excellent Distant Relatives album is a great example of the combination of danceable sounds spiced with tangling hip hop and patois rhymes. The hard-hitting “Nah Mean” kept the vibe alive displaying the perfect marriage of reggae dancehall, African culture, and American rap.

Then Nas unleashed one of my favorite old school rap gems “If I Ruled The World (imagine that).” Following on the heels of the rap standard the Africanized “Dispear” brought down the house. Rebellion drips from this tune. I love it. The fevered pitch of the pounding “Dispear” was cooled off nicely by the roots reggae jam “Land Of Promise.” This Dennis Brown infused track is modern reggae at its best. Positive messages entwined with earth crushing roots reggae sounds made for a perfect evening. Jr. Gong’s “More Justice” from 2001′s Halfway Tree kept the show on this track.

Marley played several songs from his popular album Welcome to Jamrock. “Move!” sampled Bob Marley’s “Exodus” merging classic reggae and new ragamuffin styles and phrasings. Similarly the title track “Welcome To Jamrock” mixes Ini Kamoze’s “out in the street they call it murder” sample and a riddim straight from Kamoze’s “World A Music” into the biggest reggae hit of the 2000s. Marley and Nas then displayed their skills on the “Road To Zion,” which I believe  set the original mood for the Distant Relatives collaboration. They closed with the Bob Marley smash hit “Could You Be Loved.”

Mavis Staples performed under the tent producing a revivalist feeling in the middle of Zilker Park. Civil Rights, spiritualism, and good music swirled under the tent, take for example, the songs “Freedom Highway” and “Creep Along Moses.” Staples made everyone dance and sing to the soul classic “I’ll Take You There.” To experience the best of soul music and to get a taste of what soul music was like in the 1970s go see Mavis Staples. The energy is extraordinary! We concluded the evening with the English rock group Coldplay. “The Scientist” and “Clocks” made the set list, while an Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” set up a very nice “Fix You.”

1. Graham Wilkinson - The Spiritual Accessories EP [Little Windmill Records 2011]
2. Trombone Shorty – For True [Verve Forecast 2011]
3. Various Artists – O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Lost Highway 2011]
4. SuperHeavy – Super Heavy [Universal 2011]
5. Preservation Jazz Hall Band and the Del McCoury Band –  American Legacies [McCoury Music 2011]
6. Various Artists - Our Favorite Beres Hammond Songs [VP Records 2011]
7. The Secret Sisters –  The Secret Sisters [Universal Records 2010]
8. Bunny Lee – Dub Will Change Your Mind [King Spinna Records 2011]
9. Aloe Blacc - Good Things [Stones Throw Records 2010]
10. Various Artists – Listen To Me: Buddy Holly [Verve Forecast 2011]
11. Augustus Pablo – This Is Augustus Pablo [VP Records 2011]
12. Various Artists – The Biggest Ragga Dancehall Anthems 2011 [VP Records 2011]
13. Wilco – The Whole Love [dBPM Records 2011]
14. James Blake and Bon Iver – Fall Creek Boys Choir [Universal Records 2011]
15. Tom Waits – Bad As Me [Anti/Epitaph 2011]
16. Olivia Tremor Control – The Game You Play is in Your Head, Parts 1, 2, & 3 [Cloud Recordings 2011]
17. Theophilus London – Timez Are Weird These Days [Warner Brothers 2011]
18. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy [4AD 2011]
19. George Strait – Here For A Good Time [MCA Nashville 2011]
20. Zee Avi – Ghostbird [Brushfire Records 2011]
21. Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah – Hysterical [CYHSY 2011]
22. Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter - Marble Son [Station Grey Records 2011]
23. Pedro Soler & Gaspar Claus - Barlande [InFine 2011]
24. Lisa Hannigan - Passenger [ATO Records 2011]
25. Lenny Kravitz – Black And White America [Atlantic Records 2011]

Top Ranking Albums of August 2011

1. Various Artists – We Remember Gregory Isaacs [VP Records 2011]
2. Digitaldubs – #1 [ROIR 2011]
3. Robert Earl Keen, Jr. – Ready For Confetti [Lost Highway 2011]
4. Fyah T & Next Generation Family – Familywise [Family Music 2011]
5. Various Artists – Maximum Sound 2011 [Maximum Sound 2011]
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You [Warner Brothers 2011]
7. Various Artists – Steely & Clevie Presents Memories [VP Records 2011]
8. 10 Ft. Ganja Plant – Shake Up The Place [ROIR 2011]
9. Bassnectar – Divergent Spectrum [Amorphous Music 2011]
10. I-Wayne – Life Teachings [VP Records 2011]
11. Guy Clark – Songs And Stories [Dualtone Records 2011]
12. J Boog – Back Yard Boogie[Washouse Records 2011]
13. John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans And Mudslide Hymns [New West 2011]
14. Shaggy  – Summer In Kingston [Ranch Entertainment 2011]
15. Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch The Throne [Roc-A-Fella 2011]

1. Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three – Middle Of Everywhere [Free Dirt Records 2011]
2. Holiday – Things Can Be Different [Township Records 2011]
3. Various Artists – The Biggest Reggae One Drop Anthems 2011 [VP Records 2011]
4. I-Wayne – Life Teachings [VP Records 2011]
5. The Felice Brothers – Celebration, Florida [Fat Possum Records 2011]
6. Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain [Nonesuch 2011]
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie [Warner Brothers 2011]
8. Augustus Pablo – Message Music: Augustus Pablo’s Digital Productions 1986-1994 [Pressure Sounds 2011]
9. Sanchez – Love You More [VP Records 2011]
10. Neil Young – A Treasure [Silver Bow 2011]
11. David Rodigan – Dubwize Shower [BBE 2011]
12. The Secret Sisters – The Secret Sisters [Universal 2010
13. J-Boog - J Boog [Washhouse Hawaii 2011]
14. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest [Acony Records 2011]
15. Various Artists – Invasion of the Mysteron Killer Sounds [Soul Jazz 2011]
16. The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow [Sensibility 2011]
17. Ce’Cile – Jamaicanization [Kingstone Records 2011]
18. Tribal Seeds – SoundWaves EP [Tribal Seeds 2011]
19. Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator [Masterworks 2011]
20. Vernon Maytone – Words Of Wisdom [Music Life 2011]
21. Levon Helm – Ramble At The Ryman [Dirt Farmer Music 2011]
22. Sublime with Rome – Yours Truly [Fueled By Ramen 2011]
23. 311 – Universal Pulse [ATO Records 2011]
24. Joss Stone – LP1 [Surfdog 2011]