"I like the music, the beat's in my head..."

Because Lucas did it, I'll do it too. No, not impregnate his wife. That's already done.

I mean, post a non-ordered Top Ten CD List.

" *Gasp* You mean, you're going to pin yourself down to a list of favorite CD's, Dave?"

Well, not "pin down" exactly. Since every person's list is different, and since any new CD has the potential of being a Top Ten contender, I will qualify the list by calling it...

TEN CD'S I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
(in no particular order)

I'm going to be lazy and not link to anywhere. If you really want to find out more, Google it yourself, you lazy bums.

1) Counting Crows: their full catalogue. Luke did a combo; so can I. My favorite band as well. I even loved "Hard Candy."

2) Wallflowers: Bringing Down the Horse. A soulful, bittersweet album that includes several outstanding tracks. "Sixth Avenue Heartache" alone could justify this album being on the list.

3) Over the Rhine: Ohio. My co-workers are sick of this album. This is because I play it every. single. day. For those familiar, I prefer the first disc.

4) Ben Folds: Ben Folds Live. A man, a piano, and an adoring crowd who sings along on almost every song. Somehow Ben is able to compensate for the lack of accompanying instruments and voices. I prefer almost every version of the BFF tracks on this album to the originals.

5) U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind*. Some purists say that old U2 (pre-1990) is superior, but I have to disagree. The wiser, sometimes world-weary sentiments on the later U2 albums belie a life and career in and out of the spotlight. And this album is the perfect combination of grief and hope, culminating in a rumination on the nature of grace.

6) Barenaked Ladies: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001). I love every song on this album. And as corny and immature as their music can be, they can also be heartbreakingly sincere. "What a Good Boy" is absolute beauty.

7) Jars of Clay: Much Afraid. I don't know why I fell in love with this album when I did. But I still love it. Melancholy and wistful, this album is a sweet-sounding sigh, and a welcome contrast to the peaches-and-cream Christian music of the era.

8) Don Chaffer: What You Don't Know. I've been a fan of Waterdeep since college, and Don's solo project is as good or better than the stuff he did with Waterdeep. Some songs aren't as catchy as "Take Jericho" or "Sweet River Roll", but there's a real heart and soul at the bottom.

9) Grant-Lee Phillips: Virginia Creeper. I've listened to this one over fifty times, and I still haveto fight the urge to play it daily, right after Ohio. Awesome.

10) Seth Woods: The Sky is Cyan. The truth is my favorite song of his isn't even on this disc, but it's still a great debut album. I look forward to hearing more from this guy in the future.

*Thanks to Josh for catching my error. The U2 tour for this album was called the "Elevation" tour, and so was the concert DVD. Dave wasn't paying attention and called the album "Elevation" as well, but this is certainly not accurate. Many thanks to clever readers like Josh who catch these things.