The Internet and digital technology make it easier than ever for young musicians to record and release music — and make a living. But when it comes to the best albums of 2012, this was a year for the old guard, and my picks for the top 10 feature many AARP-eligible artists. Maybe next year youth will be served, but experience and skill ruled in 2012.
1. Jack White: "Blunderbuss" (Third Man/Columbia). White's first solo album exhibits the varied range of music he had hinted at in his band work with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and Dead Weather. So we get a country weeper (the title song) and the rootsy honky-tonk pop of "Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy." We hear echoes of the White Stripes' thunder in "Sixteen Saltines" and the jumping jive of "I'm Shakin." "Blunderbuss" may be too varied for some, but along with the quality of the songs, White's command of many styles is impressive.
2. Bob Dylan: "Tempest" (Columbia). Over the past decade and a half, Dylan has reinvented his sound, settling into his own distinct flavor of rough-edged, rootsy folk and blues. At the same time, he's found the songwriting magic again. "Tempest" continues both trends. It's a tough-sounding album, with songs about love, betrayal, the death of John Lennon and the fate of the Titanic, among other topics. A couple of songs don't click musically, but most of "Tempest" is powerful and a worthy addition to the formidable Dylan canon.
3. Graham Parker and the Rumour: "Three Chords Good" (Primary Wave). This reunion, 32 years after Parker split with the Rumour, his original backing group, reinforces the notion that the band was always his best. Parker's sound has softened around the edges over the years, but "Three Chords Good" has one of his best collections of songs — all strengthened by the supple playing of the Rumour. Good? Sorry, this is more like "Three Chords Great."
4. Dr. John: "Locked Down" (Nonesuch). "Locked Down" suggests that his producer on this album, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, unlocked some dormant creativity in Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John). This tasty collection stands as the best Dr. John album in many years.
5. Bruce Springsteen: "Wrecking Ball" (Columbia). "Wrecking Ball" finds Springsteen blending his anthemic rock with the folkier influences he first explored on his 2006 album "We Shall Overcome/The Seeger Sessions." It doesn't always mesh, but "Wrecking Ball" has its share of keepers. What's more, it shows that Springsteen remains ambitious, adventurous and vital.
6. Green Day: "Dos!" (Reprise). All three of Green Day's 2012 albums have landed in my top 20. "Dos!" — the second installment in the trilogy — gets the highest ranking for its consistent quality and rocking attitude. On all but a couple of tunes, Green Day goes full throttle, launching one hook-filled buzz bomb after another.
7. John Fullbright: "From the Ground Up" (Blue Dirt). Fullbright has been touted as the latest in the ever-lengthening line of "next" Bob Dylans. He might come close to living up to such hype. Between his perceptive and at times moving lyrics and his ability to write uncommonly pretty melodies, Fullbright makes a heck of an impression with his first studio effort.
8. Alejandro Escovedo: "Big Station" (Fantasy/Concord). After making the two hardest rocking — and arguably best — records of his long career in "Real Animal" and "Street Songs of Love," Escovedo goes for a more layered and varied sound on "Big Station." It works because the songs are excellent. Escovedo continues to make some of the best music rock has seen over the past decade.
9. John Hiatt: "Mystic Pinball" (New West). Since his stellar 1987 release "Bring the Family," Hiatt has cranked out a string of albums ranging from good to downright exceptional. "Mystic Pinball" comes closer to the latter category, as Hiatt delivers a mostly rocking and cheery batch of fine songs.
10. Green Day: "Tre!" (Reprise). The most diverse of this year's trio of Green Day albums, "Tre!" sees the band transcending pop-punk in convincing style.
Honorable mention: Lucero: “Women & Work” (ATO); Ben Kweller: “Go Fly A Kite” (the Noise Company); Nada Surf: “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy” (Barsuk); Dave Matthews Band: “Away From the World” (RCA); Alabama Shakes: “Boys & Girls” (ATO); Green Day: “Uno!” (Reprise); Mindy Smith: “Mindy Smith” (Giant Leap); Best Coast: “The Only Place” (Mexican Summer); Frank Ocean: “Channel Orange” (Island Def Jam); Garbage, “Not Your Kind of People” (V2).
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