Favorite Albums of 2012 - Nos. 12-9

OK... Getting up there now, about to break the top 10! I'm getting excited!

12. Steve Vai - The Story of Light - Always been a fan of Steve Vai. From when he played for David Lee Roth's solo albums, to playing ALL guitar parts on Whitesnake's "Slip of the Tongue" album, (the other guitarist had surgery and couldn't record.), to him playing Satan's guitarist in the movie "Crossroads."  He plays so well, he may just be possessed. The problem with many instrumental guitarists is that it shows off their awesome soloing TOO much, and the song becomes a 5 minute free form mess. Vai, on the other hand shows off his compositional skills and creativity on this album. The guitar is his voice as he interprets the awesomely passionate music.

11. John Mayer - Born and Raised - You may have noticed that I don't get very specific in these reviews. What is unique and special about this particular album? Well, as I mentioned at the onset, a lot of these albums are not anything new and innovative. New and Innovative often yields horrible and stupid. What's unique about this John Mayer album? Nothing. John Mayer is just a great songwriter, and this collection of his songs is simply great. He's a great guitarist, too, but "Born and Raised" doesn't show off his Guitar chops, it shows off his knack for lyric writing and great melodies. It's just great. Have I mentioned how great it is?

10. Tim McGraw - Emotional Traffic - If you told me 5 years ago that Tim McGraw would record one of my favorite albums this year, I'd have asked you to get your head examined. However, he did. And he did it by moving on from his redneck country origins, and incorporating more pop styles into his songs. The only real hick-y song is "Touchdown Jesus," but that song is just so great, I can forgive him.

9. Rush - Clockwork Angels - I really shouldn't have to tell you why Rush is so great. But even they have been getting overly arty on recent albums. "Clockwork Angels" returns them to the idea of a concept album, their first since Hemispheres. And for the first time in a while, their music is really accessible to the non-fanatic. If you're not a hardcore fan, and want to know what all the fuss is about, check out this album.