Two albums to add to favorites of 2008:

Beth Rowley’s Little Dreamer, a nice mix of bluesy material and more pop-oriented tunes. Her take on Nobody’s Fault But Mine is a show-stopper.

Sunday At Devil Dirt by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan. Campbell, from Belle and Sebastian, writes everything and produces. Most of the tunes are sung by Lanegan (Screaming Tress), who sounds like a latter day Leonard Cohen. The deep moody voice contrasted with Campbell’s airy vocals that stream in and out on some of the tracks makes for a startling yet pleasing combination.