CARY ZEL - Miami Beach, FL

Better late than never:

In no order, really:

Reel Big Fish & Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer – Duet All Night: Covers EP with tongue firmly entrenched in cheek. Great stuff though. And you can’t beat the name.

Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope: This has become one of my desert island disks. I know is was 2006, but I guess I got on the boat late.

J.J. Grey & Mofro – Country Ghetto: Swampy blues from outside of Jacksonville, FL.

Lily Allen – Alright, Still: Really fun early 2007 irreverence.

Rilo Kiley – Under the Black Light: Maybe not as good as the last disk, but “15” and others are great.

The Ike Reilly Assassination – We Belong to the Staggering Evening: Rootsy, down and dirty character studies by Chicago’s Reilly. Who says rock is dead?

Tim Armstrong – A Poet’s Life: Armstrong fronted Operation Ivy & Rancid, but here puts out some great old-school ska/reggae grooves backed by the Aggrolites. I will admit this took a few listens to grow on me, but now I love it.

The Fratellis – Costello Music: Songs you can sing along to the first time you hear them! Have another beer!

Ruthie Foster – The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster: Great authentic soul.

Cat Empire – Two Shoes: Take an Australian rock band with a big horn section and send them to Cuba to record. This is what you get, and it’s pretty good shit.

Great concerts of 2007:
Macy Gray: Hard Rock, Ft. Lauderdale
Rocco DeLuca: Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale
Regina Spektor: Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC
Lily Allen: Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale