With the release of the album, Narrow Stairs, Death Cab returned to their independent and unconventional roots. It is a difficult art to play songs from multiple albums and eras but Ben Gibbard's honest voice sang every song like it was the last and provided one spectacuar show. He, like every artist that plays Red Rocks, paid homage to the great acts that have played on the stage at Red Rocks, specifically U2. It is a luxury to have Red Rocks in your backyard. Good shows become great and great bands perform some of their most memorable moments.

I have never seen a band enjoy playing music as much as Elbow. Five men well into their 30's there was not one ounce of "rock-star" on the stage. Instead it was over an hour of pure musical bliss as restraint and technique were flawless and the reminder that some of the best musicians are left unknown to millions. Both of the guys I went with appreciate music, one a sound engineer and the other a drummer. One of them said it best, "it's great watching an old dog his tricks."

We first heard James Morrison's music while on holiday in London in December 2006. His album reached the US in March 2007 with little publicity. He played The Larimer Lounge in Denver for an audience of sixty-five and was brilliant. A room with no backstage, he asked for a beer and whiskey before he continued with the encore. His voice has a soulful air and there are moments you can't believe the voice is of a twenty year old boy from England.

We joined several friends to see Snow Patrol perform one of the best shows I have seen at Red Rocks. The antics and artistry of the lead singer created a most memorable experience. The concert seemed to be one amazing anthem after another. The encore included "Run", a song I first heard in London on the return from Uganda in 2006, which still brings up emotion and memories of friends and their struggles.    

We saw John Mayer in 2002, at The Fillmore Auditorium when Room For Squares was released. Three years later and two more shows Mayer is proving to be one of the most talented and enjoyable artist to watch play the guitar. I was accompanied by several friends who were experiencing the magic of Red Rocks for the first time which made the evening all the more enjoyable. Fairly wide consensus that Continuum is the best display to date of his musical abilities. 

The next piece of art from the band that is a personal favorite. Too biased to call it anything other than the best disc of the year (without listening to it more than once).

Listen: Life in Technicolor, Viva la Vida

Only after seeing them live did I begin to appreciate the mature music and depth of lyrics. The disc is an assortment of emotions and sounds, which the more you listen you realize is remarkably like life.

Listen: One Day Like This, Weather to Fly

"A finicky disc" is the way one friend describes this disc; I think he is correct. It is wonderful music to sit and listen to but is not interested in being played for driving, working, or background noise.

Listen: Grapevine Fires,  Long Division, Cath..., Bixby Canyon Bridge

The Delirious? album that puts notes to the growing awareness and tension of following Christ from a "kingdom of comfort".

Listen: God is Smiling, My Soul Sings

An Irish band formerly led by Damien Rice that I bought because I liked the design of the album cover. It is an enjoyable mix of sounds and a creative litany of lyrics.

Listen: Eve, The Apple of My Eye; Bad Skin Day

Album of the Year for 2007 if it is up to me. The vocal is dark, the drums are dynamic, and every song is crafted as the next. It may take a dozen listens to truly appreciate it but it is worth the investment.

Listen: Fake Empire, Brainy, Gospel 

He was born in England in 1984 but has an old soul in his lyrics and his voice. The story is his raspy voice came from a whopping cough that he almost died of as a child.

Listen: Wonderful World, You Give Me Something, Undiscovered

Aqualung, Memory Man

A musician and album that has a wide spectrum of sounds but every one of them as creative and enjoyable as the last.

Listen: Outside, Pressure Suit, Rolls So Deep

A British based jazz and electronic group that provides smooth and sincere music. 

Listen: That Home, Ma Fleur, To Build a Home,

A group from Iceland that is changing the music industry. As passionate and powerful as anything ever recorded. This double album is part live, part new, but all good.

Listen: Staralfur, Samskeyti, Hijomalind

One guy named James in Northampton, England with lots of creativity and patience to create some of the most enjoyable electronic music. 

Listen: Liquid Sugar; So Low, So High; When You Leave

An album from a band that always offers distinct sounds and lyrics about 9/11, globalization, and our relationships that are caught everywhere in between.

Listen: Hurricane, Second Hand Stores, In the Library, Best Not to Think About It

William Fitzsimmons, Goodnight

A child of two blind parents, both who were musicians. An acoustic album with electronic influence and  deep lyrics based on his parent's divorce.

Listen: It's Not True, Please Don't Go, Everything Has Changed