Before 1996, I generally only listened to the music my parents played. This meant classic rock with my mother, and disco/Love Songs With Delilah with my dad. Us kids always hated when dad had control of the dial at night, because we'd be subjected to that garbage. Anyways, when we moved to Bexley (where I grew up), I got my own radio and started scanning the dial to find more. One of the first songs I remember hearing was "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba. I know, right? On a side note, that's a pretty good album as well (IMO), but it's not on this list. This list covers the years of 1996-2004. In that time-frame, I spent most of my money buying CDs and most of my time glued to my radio/Walkman or MTV/VH1. My obsession with music truly exploded from grades 7-10 when I was home-schooled and I essentially listened to the radio all day, and had access to downloading MP3s on the internet.
Part 2 covers the softer albums of that time. Not all of these albums are "soft" per se, but Part 3 will cover the heavier acts, such as Slipknot and Korn. You may notice that there are a lot of gigantic albums of my teen years missing from Parts 2 and 3, but I promise I will cover them in Part 4, which covers the Radio U albums of this era.
Andrew WK - I Get Wet
The first time I heard and saw AWK, I was a bit off-put. Dude was a nasty looking weirdo on SNL, a show that I don't even normally watch. But once I started listening to his music, I realized he was absolutely amazing. First of all, he plays a pizza-slice shaped guitar, is a tremendous pianist and drummer, and writes songs about things that the average man can relate with. He is also one of the most positive musicians I have ever seen. This album may not be easy to get in to because of his voice, but musically it is outstanding.
Deadsy - Commencement
This album got a lot of critical flack, but it is absolutely one of my all-time favorite synth-rock alt-metal industrial (whatever you want ot call it?) albums. I love Elijah Blue's voice, love the sound of the z-tar mixed with the chaotic blipping synths, and love the melancholy approach the band takes to its songs. True, the album was delayed many times for a multitude of reasons, and they eventually broke up after a second album was delayed, but this one is one that I'd want people to hear, just because like I Get Wet, it sounds like nothing else you'll hear.
Eminem - Eminem Show
The Slim Shady LP brought Eminem to the public spotlight, and The Marshall Mathers LP continued to skyrocket the controversial rapper, but The Eminem Show is where he made his true explosion. Em did most of the production on this album and showed that he can cover many different lyrical attacks, from the acerbic Cleanin' Out My Closest, to the odd-ball single Without Me, to the controversial White America, and so on. The only downside to Eminem's brilliant writing ability and flow is the fact that it spawned hundreds of terrible white rappers who want to be Em, despite claiming otherwise. But this album is as good as rap got in the 2000s.
Audioslave - Audioslave
Following the downfall of Rage Against The Machine, Tom Morello and the boys needed a singer for all their brilliant work. Enter Chris Cornell, one of the greatest vocalists of ALL TIME. Top to bottom, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. While RATM focused more on the rap-rock stylings of Zach de la Rocha and heavy-leaning political views, Audioslave brought Chris Cornell's explosive voice together with Morello's brilliant strumming. This album starts with the crunching intro of Cochise, reaches it's apex on the guitar solo of Like A Stone, and also showcases the boys ability to be mellow in I Am The Highway and The Last Remaining Light. A true super-group album, if ever there was one.
Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy up the Girl
It's hard to believe that the Goo Goo Dolls had 4 major record label albums before Dizzy. It's also hard to believe that they were on Metal Blade records. The album was propelled forward by the super-smash, #1 debuting hit Iris, but powers forward with catchy song after catchy song. Johnny Rzeznik had established himself as the main vocalist, even though Robbie Takac still showed his abilities on songs like Amigone and January Friend. This album is a late 90's alt-rock staple and it's just an easy album to pop in and chill with. Even if Iris burnt you out, there are plenty of other songs that work perfectly.
Johnny Cash - the American series.
Is this cheating? I don't think so. The first of the American Recordings with Rick Rubin dropped in 1994 and the last in 2010, but the 3 biggest of the compilation (Unchained, Solitary Man, The Man Comes Around) fall into our timeline, and all 3 are tremendous. Johnny's voice was failing him near the end, but he still sounded better than most singers do these days. His brilliant re-imaginings of classic hits span from country contemporaries (I've Been Everywhere, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Desperado) to more recent alternative hits (Personal Jesus, Rusty Cage, and the mega-hit Hurt). There is also the box set, Unearthed, featuring hits like Bob Marley's Redemption Song. Johnny was spot on, and he and Rick did amazing things in his twilight years. If you listen to no other Cash albums, I'd listen to these.
Matchbox Twenty - Mad Season
Rob Thomas and his boys had already established themselves in 1996 with the super hits 3 AM. and Push, but in 2000 they dropped an album that would cement them as pop-rock legends with Mad Season. I could go into detail why this album is essential, but what could I say? Nothing but hits? 13 songs you HAVE to hear before you die? Kyle Cook is a brilliant guitarists, as referenced in songs like Rest Stop, Crutch and Bent. Rob Thomas can sing your face off with songs like Mad Season and Angry, but also features his the ability to tear your heart out with ballads like Bed of Lies and Last Beautiful Girl. If you don't have this album, go get it. Right now. I'll wait.
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
If you've never heard Norah Jones' sweet-as-sugar, soulful voice, you are truly missing out. This is the most chilled out, bluesy-jazz-pop-soul album I've ever come across. Norah's voice will take you to places inside that you've never felt. I never truly appreciated this album (despite loving the singles) until I listened to it in a coffee shop, waiting for a ride home. It just trickles down over you and takes you to a happy place. The album placed #1 on 13 different charts and won 8 different awards. Oh, and 11 million+ in sales in the US alone. If you haven't heard it, where have you been?
Vanessa Carlton - Be Not Nobody
oh, Vanessa. You stole my heart in 2002 and you have yet to give it back. A brilliant pianist with the ability to capture emotion on paper and in her voice, Vanessa Carlton struck gold with the smash hit 1000 Miles, but this entire album is tremendous. She may not have been as popular as Norah Jones or Michelle Branch, but it's undeniable that this was a great year for female pop vocalists. Vanessa's career took off and abruptly landed with her tumultuous relationship with Third Eye Blind vocalist Stephan Jenkins after this album, but it's still a wondeful thing to lean on and a piano standard for the 2000s.
The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse
Unless you lived under a rock in 1996-97, you knew about this album. Even if you did live under a rock, you still probably heard the mega-smash One Headlight, or one of the many singles that poured out of this album. Jakob Dylan might look just like his legendary father, but his voice and songwriting ability carved his own path. As producer T-Bone Burnett stated at the time, "I wonder how many Wallflowers fans even know who Bob Dylan is...". Anyways, this album is on this list if only for the fact that One Headlight was a life changing song for me. That doesn't discredit songs like The Difference and 6th Avenue Heartache, but it serves notice as to how great One Headlight is as a song.
Santana - Supernatural
Carlos Santana was a famous musician in the '60s and '70s, but by 1992 he had burned out and essentially fallen off the globe. 7 years without an album and only a small amount of touring, and then BANG. Supernatural. A brilliant concept of Carlos and his band rocking it out with guest singers on several of the tracks. Dave Matthews. Rob Thomas. Eric Clapton. Huge names equaled huge success. I include this album because Santana is a tremendous guitarist and this album, led by the smash single Smooth was a game-changer at the time. 9 Grammy's and millions upon millions of sales across the globe. It is one of music's greatest comeback stories and a solid album to boot. The genres are all blended together in a wonderful disc.
Part 3 will be the harder discs of this era.
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