Fave Records of 2007, part 3

The most enigmatic man I've ever met... and perhaps the most handsome (which is honestly a superfluous observation, for his male beauty is the least of his commendable attributes), the magnificent musical talent, Harlan T Bobo, whom it has been nearly impossible for me to photograph solo... he released I'm Your Man this year... an album of great intensity and complexity, much like Harlan himself.

Another enigma, but for completely different reasons, Nick Lowe released a brilliant album, At My Age, where he takes in stride the autumn of his years, yet remains the clever wordsmith, embracing tenderness and a slight hint of menace, with a lot of Americana feel. Lowe, who produced The Pretenders, wrote Elvis Costello's most notable song (What's So Funny About Peace Love & Understanding and whose rock n roll pedigree is pure in each genre that he's touched, has grown up gracefully from the once self-proclaimed Jesus of Cool to a humble fellow At My Age.



Ian Hunter (seen above with Georgia Satellites Mauro Magellan & Rick Richards) is another prolific legend... a classic rock icon whose punk rock cred outshines that of some so-called bonafide punks. Hunter produced Generation X and wrote the anthems of all times in Cleveland Rocks and All The Way From Memphis, name-checking two American cities that bore witness to rock n roll's earliest days - Cleveland being the home of Alan Freed, the famous DJ and Memphis, the birthplace of Rock n Roll, Sun Records and the best years of Elvis' career. Shrunken Heads is Hunter's latest instant classic.

Finally, on my list of 2007 records that rocked my world - new, original recordings that is (because they were some brilliant re-issues this year too!) Nick Cave's latest project, the eponymous Grinderman. Angry, drunk and hirsute... these old punk rockers have grown old without losing a scintilla of their youthful anger, piss & vinegar. Urgent, primal and full of swagger... I expect nothing less than greatness from Nick Cave and he always delivers.