Top Five On Friday

Here's the Top Five for this week:

Top 5 albums that you would recommend to all your fellow memers and why.

I'll try my best to stick with albums people typically haven't heard before, except for . . .

1) London Calling by The Clash. There's something for everyone. Punk ("London Calling"), reggae ("Guns Of Brixton"), rockabilly ("Brand New Cadillac") and even a romantic song ("Lover's Rock"). There's a lot to like on this album, so even if you don't like punk, check it out.

2) Grace by Jeff Buckley. I'm not sure exactly how popular this album is, but it was one of the best albums of the 90s. Jeff had an amazing voice and incredible talent, and that's all you really need to know.

3) Volume 3: Further In Time by Afro Celt Sound System. Intense, spiritual, joyous, dance-worthy, electronic, beautiful, inspirational, entertaining - these are just some of the adjectives I can use to describe this album. Still, you just have to listen for yourself to get what it's all about. This is my favorite album, period.

4) Colorblind by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. I like his first album, Unclassified, better, but I think his second album is better suited for a newcomer to the Family Band. It has everything - rock, funk, soul, church, and a whole lotta steel guitar!

5) Live by Natalie MacMaster. I think this is a good introduction to Natalie. On one disc, you get her contemporary live stuff, the kind of thing she does on tour. It includes some definite concert favorites of mine. The second disc is closer to her roots - a live concert from a tiny dance hall in rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It's raw, it's traditional, and it's packed full of energy. Listening to both discs will give you a good idea of what this Canadian fiddle-mistress is all about.