Ok, it's not quite the end of the year (but, hey, close enough).

So here they are:

• Patricia Barber - Verse
  Guitar takes center stage on this one, a change of pace for Barber...and not an unwelcome one.
  
• Brad Mehldau - Largo
  If, a while back, somebody had told me that I would enjoy a jazz cover of a Radiohead tune I would have laughed them out of the room...guess I was wrong.
  
• Cassandra Wilson - Belly Of The Sun
  I just cannot get enough of her voice.
  
• Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
  I don't really care if she's a "true jazz singer" or not. She's got a great voice and the tunes just stick in my head.
  
• John Scofield Band - Uberjam
  Scofield adds a second guitarist. Funk happens.
  
• Branford Marsalis - Footsteps Of Our Fathers
  Branford starts his own label and releases a fine tribute to his influences.
  
• Beck - Sea Change
  I don't usually go for this kind of thing (in fact, I can't deal with most of what I call "mope rock") but Sea Change is very heartfelt...and sounds gorgeous.
  
• Drums And Tuba - Mostly Ape
  Are they a rock band? A jazz band? Who cares?! They're fun!!
  
• Tom Waits - Alice/Blood Money
  Is the old man starting to repeat himself? Maybe...just a little. But nobody sounds like this. He's a true original.
  
• Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
  A great response the the events of 9/11.