The best of the rest

So many great new CDs, so little space - which means a lot of music never receives the praise it deserves. To remedy that, we present our 10 favorite overlooked albums of 2008.

HOTEL LIGHTS Firecracker People (Bar/None) As the drummer in the piano pop trio Ben Folds Five, Darren Jessee proved both gifted timekeeper and zany foil for the piano man. In 2004 he stepped out as a multi-instrumentalist with his own band and unearthed the gentle, country-tinged heart beating within. This tender, atmospheric sophomore effort is a beauty that falls somewhere between the twangier side of Wilco and the impressionist hush of Elliott Smith. With his rustic vocals and layers of instruments, "Firecracker" pops with a pleasing low-key energy and sense of handmade melancholy. Diehard BFF fans will recognize the title "Amelia Bright."

SARAH RODMAN

COLOURMUSIC f, Monday, orange, February, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13 (Great Society) More members of the beard brigade of 2008 step up. Unlike their brooding, bushy-faced peers, this Oklahoma-spawned crew is all about the absurd and the upbeat, the poppy and the peculiar - not to mention the odd English accent. Influences float by in waves: Everyone from the Breeders to the Beatles to the B-52s seem to have had an effect on the white-jumpsuit-loving quintet. It all translates into wild guitar sonics, gorgeous harmonies, rhythmic left turns, and general quirkiness. The tunes are great and the styles - from old-fashioned choral sounds to rock guitars - coexist peacefully. (Colourmusic will play at T.T. the Bear's Place on Jan. 20.) - S.R.

THE STEELDRIVERS The SteelDrivers (Rounder) If you've ever wondered what some of those crackerjack Nashville session players would sound like playing their own material, here's the very exciting answer. Mandolinist Mike Henderson, hit songwriter and vocalist Chris Stapleton, fiddler Tammy Rogers, banjo player Richard Bailey, and bassist Mike Fleming cook up a vibrant mix of bluegrass, country, and soul on this dynamic debut. The group takes you from the bright lights and white lies of Saturday night to the dim corners and regrets of Sunday morning. The SteelDrivers capped the year by scoring a Grammy nomination for best country performance by a duo or group. - S.R.

MUDCRUTCH Mudcrutch (Reprise) This reunion of Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band didn't exactly fly under the radar, but it didn't make a huge commercial splash and is too good to let go without a mention. The back-to-the-future journey clearly energized Petty, who exudes loose-limbed assuredness on a set of folk- and country-flavored rock that sounds both vintage and timeless, hearkening back to seminal influences like the Byrds. With fellow Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell on keyboards and guitar, respectively, the differences between the two bands are subtle but sublime. - S.R.

UH HUH HER Common Reaction (Nettwerk) This electro-pop duo is equal parts bubbly and brooding. Bassist-vocalist Camila Grey and keyboardist-vocalist Leisha Hailey - Alice on Showtime's "The L Word" and former member of the Murmurs - are a simpatico pair. They share a clear love of the shiny, relentless synth throb of the '80s dance floor as well as of the lo-fi, wobbly guitar aesthetic of the indie rock dive. It's a shockingly effective combo that manages to locate the warm-blooded veins running through chilly electronic soundscapes. - S.R.

ATERCIOPELADOS Rio (Nacional) As Aterciopelados, Colombian rockers Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago have spent the past 15 years slicing and dicing punk, cumbia, electronica, hip-hop, Latin-American folk music, and any other genre they've felt like sampling. As they've evolved - and every album has sounded distinct from the last - they've used their music for a greater purpose. On "Rio," their seventh studio release, they've become fully formed activists, as concerned about the music as the environmental issues they ad dress so passionately. If an album can be green, "Rio" is exactly that. It opens with a snippet of ambient sound that eventually leads one song into the next: It's the sound of flowing water, which makes sense since the album title translates to "River." JAMES REED

ARTHUR RUSSELL Love Is Overtaking Me (Audika) An experimental cellist, composer, singer, and pioneer of disco and dance music, Russell died in 1992. But his legacy has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with a slew of posthumously released albums exploring different sides of his art. "Love Is Overtaking Me" is something entirely new, though: It collects Russell's small but fascinating catalog of folk, pop, and country songs, all of which he tries on surprisingly well. Many of the songs have a lo-fi charm, as if the first take were the best one. There's an eerie Lou Reed vibe to the story-song "What It's Like," and on "Close My Eyes," it's Russell as we've never heard him. Presenting Arthur Russell, troubadour. - J.R.

MICHAEL CHAPMAN Time Past & Time Passing (Electric Ragtime) In the pantheon of celebrated British guitarists, Michael Chapman is the underdog who plays like a hound dog. He came of age in the late '60s alongside future guitar heroes Bert Jansch, John Martyn, and the late, great Davy Graham, but Chapman isn't well known outside his native England. That's hard to fathom after listening to his new album. Mostly instrumental and acoustic, Chapman's compositions here are notable for how unharried they are; they unfold at their own pace, allowing him sudden tempo changes and complex countermelodies. Chapman's voice has weathered into a lulling husk that drifts in and out of the songs like a hobo riding the rails. When Chapman switches to an electric guitar on the shape-shifting "Fahey's Flag," it does its namesake (that would be John) proud, as if the torch has been passed. - J.R.

THE FINAL SOLUTION Brotherman (The Numero Group) Once upon a time - 1975, to be specific - there was a blaxploitation film called "Brotherman." The premise was gold: a pimp who becomes a preacher. The producers commissioned the Final Solution, a vocal group out of Chicago, to create the soundtrack, but the film was canned before the script was even finished. Courtesy of the Numero Group, a boutique record label in Chicago devoted to rescuing rarities, that would-be soundtrack has now been released and what do you know, it's the year's tastiest bit of '70s soul and funk. We'll probably never know what happened to that hapless hustler turned holy man, but with slow jams like "We Can Work It Out," you can use your imagination. - J.R.

EL PERRO DEL MAR From the Valley to the Stars (The Control Group) The sophomore release from El Perro del Mar, the artistic name of Swedish singer-songwriter Sarah Assbring, is a wisp of an album. It's truly the kind of record you must hear from start to finish; in fact, when played out of context (read: individual downloads), the delicate and elliptical songs tend to trail off like vapors. Together, though, they paint a spectral portrait of a broken heart trying to mend itself. The cover image is an angel comforting a young woman, and Assbring's palette is accordingly sanctimonious. There's a lot of reverent organ accompaniment, and she sings about jubilation and "Glory to the World." But an otherworldly patina blankets any sunshine poking through the clouds, reminding us that sometimes it's a lonely journey from the valley to the stars. - J.R.