8. The Cannonball Adderley Quintet at the Lighthouse

This album is like jumping into a pool on a scorching hot day.

So crisp, so clean, so fresh - hard bop at its best.

Never saw Cannonball live, of course, but one of my first jazz concerts was seeing his brother Nat at Sweet Basil (I think).

Just love this album - it swings from start to finish - definitely check it out!

7. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

A few years ago, when I was living in Cincinnati, my colleague/friend Stephanie loaned me this CD to check out.  My reaction then was almost identical to the one I had in 2012.  I vividly remember driving on 275 when IT happened.

The album has one of the most bizarre openings ever - about 30 seconds of Ryan Adams and David Rawlings arguing about which album or albums a Morrissey song is on.  After that, it kicks into some good Americana that's feels like Bob Dylan and the Band.

Then Amy happens.

This song is so beautiful that it grabs you right by the throat and doesn't let you go.  Frankly, I think it's as good as anything written by the Beatles ("For No One" from Revolver has a similar simplicity and beauty).

After that comes a gorgeous duet with Emmylou Harris and the rest of the album never coasts from there.

An amazing album.

6. Introduction to Johnny Adams

Well, as promised, I've gone rogue.

The book had a different Johnny Adams album listed, but it wasn't available on Spotify.  I listened to some snippets on Amazon, though - and loved the sound of his voice.  So I checked out this album and really liked it!

Great soulful voice, terrific R&B arrangements and searing blues guitar make up this collection.  It gets a little schmaltzy by the end, but I'd definitely recommend checking it out.

On another note, I'm thrilled to have been discovered by the "1000 Recordings" community - like-minded music nuts who are going through the book and blogging their listening experiences.  Check out Recording the Recordings, which includes a blogroll of others doing this.

UPDATE 9-26-18

Happily, I'm 2 for 2 on albums being added to Spotify during my long break. I had really liked Johnny Adams' voice when listening to the album above, and this one really doesn't disappoint either! It's a rollicking set of songs. I do wish I had read the description in the book before listening - didn't know it was Dr. John playing piano on this. C'est la vie.