My 2013 Top Ten Albums:
The Final Countdown

Last day of the year. The wrapping paper's all gone into the trash compactor, the needles are already dropping from the tree, and even the dog doesn't want what's left of the turkey carcass. You're grudgingly facing the forced hilarity of the evening ahead, and the hangover that may come with it.  The holiday spirit tank has almost run out of gas.

But damn it, you didn't get enough new CDs this year, and maybe you're thinking about going into a record shop -- or failing that, on line -- to treat yourself to the tunes YOU want.  So here's a little shopping guide.

A few things to note: This list is in no particular order, other than the order I wrote these posts in. (Click on the titles to go to my reviews.)  Having culled these 10 albums from the barrage of new releases, I couldn't discriminate any further.  I apologize in advance to Kasey Kasem (I almost wrote, "the ghost of Kasey Kasem," but I see he's still alive), who always delivered a definitive #1 song on the New Year's Eve "Kasey's Coast-to-Coast" countdown I listened to so ardently as a pre-teen.

Looking back on my choices, I notice a significant tilt towards twang. (Say that three times, fast.) I used to declare, growing up in Indianapolis, how much I hated country music. Well, I still don't like mainstream commercial country music, but I can't deny my fondness for Americana, roots, whatever you like to call it. So be it.

As for the rest -- I think you'll find almost no overlap between this and Amazon Top 100 albums of 2013, or iTunes's Top 100 album picks of the year, or the New York Times' Best of 2013 list. But then, that's why you need this list instead.

The Wood Brothers -- Muse
Listen to Muse

The Avett Brothers -- Magpie and the Dandelion
Listen to Magpie and the Dandelion

Amos Lee -- Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song
Listen to Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song

Robyn Hitchcock -- Love From London
Listen to Love from London

Chris Stamey -- Lovesick Blues
Listen to Lovesick Blues

Greg Trooper -- Incident on Willow Street
Listen to Incident on Willow Street

Arcade Fire -- Reflektor
Listen to Reflektor

The Mavericks -- In Time
Listen to In Time

Willie Nile -- American Ride
Listen to American Ride

Billy Bragg -- Tooth & Nail
Listen to Tooth & Nail

And a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My 2013 Top Ten Albums

The Mavericks -- In Time

"Come Unto Me"

They're ba-a-ack.

Oh, sure, various members of the Mavericks have been working here and there since they split in 2004; front man/vocalist Raul Malo alone released five solo albums in that time. But since I myself didn't discover them until 2008, I've been frustrated to think there'd be no new music coming from this rootsy Miami Tex-Mex quintet.

And then, late in 2011, the reunion buzz started, with the band -- or at least the most recent iteration of the band, with Eddie Perez on guitar -- slated to appear at a couple of festivals, including a September 2012 performance at the Americana Music Awards that nearly blew the roof off of Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The fruit of this re-collaboration, In Time was released in February 2013, and I'm here to tell you it does not disappoint.

Everybody talks about Raul Malo's incredible voice, a dead ringer for Roy Orbison's, and yes, it's still in fine lonesome heart-melting form. (Whew!) Tracks like "In Another's Arms," "Call Me When You Get To Heaven"and the ultra-torchy "Forgive Me" definitely give the people what they want.

But this is no whine fest -- far from it. (Am I wrong in thinking that the track "That's Not My Name" is at least partly inspired by Malo's desire to get away from that Orbison image?) There's a taste of rockabilly ("Lies"), polka ("Fall Apart"), boogie-woogie ("As Long As There's Loving Tonight"), mariachi ("All Over Again"), and of course the alt-country crowd-pleasers "Back In Your Arms Again" and "Born To Be Blue."

And then this haunting beauty:

Like the soundtrack from a spaghetti western, this minor-key tango hints of danger, of sinister forces at work. But Malo's earnest vocals set him up as a champion against the forces of night: "If your world has only done you wrong /  And all you find yourself is all alone /  And if there's no one there to see you through /  I'll be there for you." That pulsating tango beat makes me see the white knight riding out to do battle, or perhaps a bullfighter stepping confidently into the arena.

The bridge is even more passionate, adding syncopation and vocal trills as the bravura emotion ratchets higher: "There is nothing that anyone can say to me /  To persuade me to change my mind needlessly / For here I am and I will stay /  To long for you in every way." He's flinging his heart into the ring, and right behind him are the other Mavericks, repeating his vows, Sancho Panzas to his Don Quixote.

That archaic wording in the title/refrain, "Come Unto Me"?  Somehow it seems just right, old-fashioned in a good way, a noble way. And -- dare I say it, ladies? -- it's sexy as hell. Not that we need a man to take care of us; far from it. But it sure would be nice to have a partner you never have to explain yourself to.

Dig that snaky surf guitar by Eddie Perez, Jerry Dale McFadden's Tejano-flavored accordion, the way Paul Deakins' drum kit sounds like super-sized maracas. That crusader trumpet at the end -- oh, my my my.

These guys seem so on the same page, instinctually playing together, getting into the full-blooded spirit of this track. I hate reunions that seem half-hearted, grudging, as if old hatchets hadn't really been buried.  I get no sense of that here. Even Malo, who had forged himself a decent solo career in the meantime, seems to be having a gas playing with his old mates again. And me, I'm having a gas listening to them do it.