review07: booklist

From Booklist, the magazine of the American Library Association:

Rather than be fettered by silly traditions like choosing with regard to the music and performers limned, “the only full-time rock critic, experienced music editor, or for that matter professional journalist ever to assemble one of these books” (i.e., Robert Christgau) selected what he thought was well written. So the book is full of good writing. What about the music discussed? Michaelangelo Matos contributes a deeper look than most fans have probably taken at “Love Child,” one of the Supremes’ last smash hits; Sasha Freer-Jones assesses Mariah Carey’s career; and Jay Boronski considers “classic rock that rocks” in a wandering piece that must have a point, or the irascible Mr. C wouldn’t have included it. Kelefa Sannen writes affectionately of Gangsta Gumbo, New Orleans’ brand of hip-hop; Richard Hell eulogizes CBGB’s and all that it wrought; and Dylan Hicks makes Barbra Streisand-obsessed fans seem interesting. Throw in Jonathan Lethem’s “epic portrait of James Brown,” whom Christgau calls “the greatest rock and roll musician of all time,” and this reliable, occasionally vital series delivers another winner. – Booklist (November 1)

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This year's book

Best Music Writing 2008 will arrive in shops September 8, 2008.

Best Music Writing 2007 has been available since October 22, 2007. Get it from:

Your favorite indie book shop, Powell's Books, for $15.95

Or:
Border's, for $15.95

Barnes & Noble, for $14.35

Books A Million, for $11.51

Amazon, for $10.85

Praise for the BMW Series

“A diverse time capsule that grapples with pop music’s most engaging issues.”—Blender

“The stories behind the music can be as inspiring as the music itself…
will likely inspire the reader to seek out a lot of new music.”—New York Press

“…one of the few regular publications to be dependably open to every type of music imaginable…Whether an authoritative aggregation or merely a starting point,
it’s a shame it’s only an annual.”—Relix

“In all it’s quite a celebration of the vast enterprise known as music.”—Signal to Noise

Praise for the 2006 Edition

“Our favorite year-end read.”—Cleveland Scene

“Terrorism, sexual misconduct, and wholesome nostalgia, treated with a discernible backbeat and sprightly writing make for an excellent anthology.” ––Booklist

“the book finally reflects the current state of not just music journalism but music listening… These essays encapsulate a chilly, malefic year for music indeed.” —The Stranger

“Da Capo’s Best Music Writing 2006’s essays create a confrontational, challenging, and varied portrait of music criticism that highlights a visceral reaction to music over academic posturing…”—VenusZine