 | Beautiful Wasteland by Capecaillie
Buy used from: $0.64 The epitome of a world music album, fusing Gaelic and other influences. Karen Matheson is the Scottish Maire Brennan (Clannad).
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 | Stories by Maura O'Connell
Buy used from: $1.00 A chanteuse in every respect who infuses passion into most songs. Her Beatle covers are the best ("If I Fell" here). Great vocal on "Poetic Justice."
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 | No More to the Dance by Maddy Prior
Buy new: $17.98 / Used from: $6.98 Trad-Scottish, beautiful harmony with magestic guitar by Dan Ar Braz.
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 | O by Damien Rice
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $5.61 Renee Zellwegger's boyfriend. Maybe you heard "The Blower's Daughter" in the movie Closer (Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts). Also, "I Remember."
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 | Enlightenment by Van Morrison
Buy used from: $1.99 Along with Avalon Sunset and Hymns to the Silence, the pinnacle of Van's career.
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 | Strangers World by Patty Larkin
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $0.50 One of the great undiscovered CDs. "Mary Magdalene" most heartfelt.
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 | Back in the Circus by Jonatha Brooke
Buy used from: $1.97 A cover of Alan Parson's "Eye in the Sky" is worth the price alone.
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 | Bare by Annie Lennox
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.50 Annie finally gets it all together. One of the most stunning visual performers, it's unfortunate she's aging and losing that sonic voice.
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 | 1000 Kisses by Patty Griffin
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $5.09 Compare her own "Goodbye" (from Living With Ghosts) with Martina McBride's. Strong as McBride's vocal talents are, her version gets thoroughly Nashvilled. Griffin's feels like she's really leaving!
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 | Flaming Red by Patty Griffin
Buy new: $12.99 / Used from: $4.29 Patty rocks! In my mind, the reigning American songstress.
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 | Love Is Everything: Anthology (Dig) by Jane Siberry
Buy new: $24.96 / Used from: $12.59 Jane Siberry is an absolute compositional genius.
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 | Grace by Jeff Buckley
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.56 A real tragedy (his accidental passing). One of the greatest albums ever. Especially haunting is the Leonard Cohen cover, "Hallelujah."
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 | Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $3.43 Just dig their jam.
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 | Then Play On by Fleetwood Mac
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $5.07 Probably the greatest English blues-rock album ever. Peter Green era with Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwan, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie. The smoking original version of "Oh Well."
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 | Live at Leeds by The Who
Buy used from: $2.49 Don't get the Deluxe/Extra Tracks Editions (with added tracks in front of the original six songs). It spoils it. John Entwistle was surely rock's greatest bassist. The Who were a superb live band.
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 | Sunflower/Surf's Up by The Beach Boys
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $5.48 No Beach Boys fan, but Surf's Up is a masterpiece. See Vince Gill's soaring version of "Surf's Up" (the song) on An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson (TV, 2001).
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 | Déjà Vu by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Buy new: $11.99 / Used from: $6.41 A sum of all parts. Love the title cut "Déjà Vu," "Almost Cut my Hair," and "Country Girl."
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 | Songs for Beginners by Graham Nash
Buy used from: $12.99 Dubbed one of the 25 biggest songwriting wusses by Blender magazine, this lovelorn paean to Joni Mitchell proves that songs for beginners might remain the same, but their subjects don't.
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 | Killer by Alice Cooper
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $3.49 Alice Cooper before they became a self-parody. Jim Morrison imitation on "Desperado" (no, not the Eagles tune!).
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 | QE2 by Mike Oldfield
Buy used from: $44.99 Especially "Wonderful Land." See also Oldfield's Five Miles Out album with "Family Man" (made popular by Hall & Oates but better here).
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 | Pop Pop by Rickie Lee Jones
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $0.01 A jazzy tribute to chestnuts delivered only as Rickie can, this CD features the most breathtaking rendition of "Comin' Back To Me" (Airplane) ever delivered. Takes awhile to get used to.
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 | Cathedral Collection by Cathedrals
Buy used from: $13.01 Pick up The Cathedrals Acapella if you can find it. A classic Southern Gospel effort.
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 | Mercy by Andrae Crouch
Buy used from: $1.75 This guy grooves Gospel! Say So!
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 | Alabaster Box by CeCe Winans
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $5.00 The best black female Gospel voice out there.
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 | The Secret of Time by Charlie Peacock
Buy used from: $2.49 One of the best contemporary Christian efforts.
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