Since it's the end of the year, and since I vaguely promised a few weeks ago that I'd reel off a list of musical recommendations at about this time, here are my 101 most played MP3 files of the year, at leaast according to the counters on the files, as played in Audion. Doesn't count tunes played on CD, vinyl or tape (all of which have become very occasional) or played elsewhere. These are not necessarily my favourite tracks by these artists, and by no means all my favourite artists, nor even my favourite types of music are represented - I don't think there's any jazz in here, for example, and not very much blues. Still:

1. Leavin' - Shelby Lynne (45)
2. I'll Fly Away - Alison Krauss / Gillian Welch (37)
   Valentine's Day - Steve Earle
3. Love Itself - Leonard Cohen (36)
   Tears Are In Your Eyes - Yo La Tengo
   The Beast In Me - Nick Lowe
4. Cold Cold Heart - Lucinda Williams (34)
5. No Woman No Cry - Fugees (33)
6. Do You Want My Job - Little Village (32)
   Sometimes She Forgets - Steve Earle
   Alexandra Leaving - Leonard Cohen
   Every Grain of Sand - Bob Dylan
7. Still Too Soon To Know - Elvis Costello (31)
8. Angel Band - Stanley Brothers (30)
   Malaika - Angelique Kidjo
   You Can Have It All - Yo La Tengo
   Down To The River To Pray - Alison Krauss / Gillian Welch
9. Guantanamera - Wyclef Jean (29)
   Carwash Hair - Mercury Rev
   Dread Heights - Fat Man Rydim Section
10. Why Not Smile - REM (28)
    Give Me The Flowers - Terry Allen
11. Spinning Away - Brian Eno & John Cale (27)
    Searching For My Love - Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces
    Caroline - Millls Brothers
    Bizarre Love Triangle - Frente
12. Devoted To You - Everly Brothers (26)
    Indian War Whoop - Hoyt Ming & His Pep Steppers
13. Walking In The Rain - Grace Jones (25)
    Stan - Eminem
    Rasta Train - Raphael Green & Dr Alimantado
    Dear Someone - Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch
    Goodbye - Steve Earle
    Most of The Time - Bob Dylan
    Nothing I Haven't Seen - Beck
    Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson
    Carey - Joni Mitchell
14. Old Man - Love (24)
    Bulbs - Van Morrison
    El Medahey - Master Musicians of Jajouka
    Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
    Pennies From Heaven - Mills Brothers
    Love Letters - Kitty Lester
    Don't Stay Away - Phyllis Dillon
    Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
    A Thousand Kisses Deep - Leonard Cohen
15. U Don't Dance 2 Tekno Anymore - Alabama 3 (23)
    Blade Runner Theme - Vangelis
    La Maison Ou J'ai Grandi - Francoise Hardy
    Stardust - Timi Yuro
    In My Secret Life - Leonard Cohen
    Gone Til November - Wyclef Jean
    Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Ink Spots
16. Dance of Death - John Fahey (22)
    Thoughts of Mary Jane - Nick Drake
    Why Must I Plead - Richard Thompson
    The Long Road - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Eddy Vedder
    Let Me Die In My Footsteps - Bob Dylan
    One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, end titles - Jack Nitzsche
    Crazy - Patsy Cline
    Say You - Ken Boothe
    I Get Along Without You Very Well - Sam Browne & The Lew Stone Band
    Song To The Siren - This Mortal Coil
    Verdi Cries - 10,000 Maniacs
    Caislean na nor / Bobby Casey's hornpipe - Kevin Burke
17. I've Seen That Face Before - Grace Jones (21)
    Book of Rules - Heptones
    Allah Uya - Ali Farka Toure
    Untitled (from Green) - REM
    Opportunity - George Faith
    Sail Away - Neil Young
    Crying, Waiting Hoping - Wreckless Eric
    Perfidia - Phyllis Dillon
    Backwood - Shantel
    To Be A Lover (Have Mercy) - George Faith
    Rave On - Steeleye Span
    Anna (Go To Him) - Beatles
    Next Sens - Beth Hirsh
    Why Not Smile (Oxford American Version) - REM
    The Wild Waggoner — Jilson Setters
18. You And Your Sister - This Mortal Coil (20)
    You Set The Scene - Love
    Ohm Sweet Ohm - Kraftwerk
    Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen
    Picking Up After You - Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle
    Red Sails In the Sunset - Spaniels
    Wendell Gee - REM
    Moonlight Lover - Joya Landis
    Things You Say You Love - Jamaicans
    Baby Mine - Bonnie Raitt & Was (Not Was)
    Another Dance - Bunny Wailer
    Never Ever - All Saints
    I'm Not In Love - 10cc
    Supernatural thing - Ben E King
    Sisters of Mercy - Leonard Cohen
    Downtown Lights - The Blue Nile
    Truckload of Art - Terry Allen
    Perfect Circle - REM
    A Kerry Reel / Michael Coleman's / The Wheels of the World / Julia Delaney - Kevin Burke
    Georgia Stomp - Andrew & Jim Baxter
    Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part One - Flaming Lips

This list probably reveals all sorts of things about me, the most obvious of which, at least to me, being that I'm no longer particularly devoted to contemporary music, and that for at least the past year I've been using my music collection as something of a security blanket...