NG Presents: NG's Top 30 Albums of 2008 (#24-22)
24. Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain
Released: October 14, 2008.
Best Tracks: Let It Be Me, You Are the Best Thing, I Still Care for You, Be Here Now
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/XplicitzNG/yearend08/albumnumbers/24.png)
Possibly one of the most surprising albums to be on my list is Ray LaMontagne's
Gossip in the Grain. Ray LaMontagne likes to keep a low profile so you would not see him do interviews or make music videos, but thanks to the Conan show, I am able to catch a glimpse of his heartfelt performance. The track he performed, "You Are the Best Thing" was channeling his inner Memphis soul and that leads me to download his Nick Drake-inspired album. LaMontagne is a soft-spoken singer-songwriter who is able to create varying yet webbed atmospheres in his songs. His songs can be depressed, but they are filled with loveliness. For a listener like me, having mainstreams feeding to your ears all the time can be tiring so I'm happy that
Gossip in the Grain opens me up to this emotional ride.
23. T.I. - Paper Trail
Released: September 26, 2008.
Best Tracks: Swagga Like Us (Feat. Jay-Z, Kanye West & Lil' Wayne), Dead and Gone (Feat. Justin Timberlake), **** Star, Live Your Life (Feat. Rihanna), No Matter What
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/XplicitzNG/yearend08/albumnumbers/23.png)
What a big step since T.I. vs. T.I.P! T.I. manages to step up his game with
Paper Trail, an album which is full of self-reflection laced with gangsta aficionado. T.I. wrote and recorded most of Paper Trail while under house arrest and it shows his level of maturity increasing from the previous projects. The Danja-produced "No Matter What" encapsulates the disc's mood and attitude while "**** Star" brings T.I. to the softness root with R&B melodies. Epic collaboration "Swagga Like Us" sampling M.I.A.'s Paper Planes is proves to be listeners' favorite since Jay-Z, Kanye, and Lil' Wayne join the power. Despite strong bookends, Paper Trail’s middle is a disorganized string of pop songs with "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna or "Dead and Gone" with Justin Timberlake proving
Paper Trail to be one of the biggest albums of '08.
22. The Killers - Day & Age
Released: November 24, 2008.
Best Tracks: Human, I Can't Stay, Losing Touch, Spaceman
![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/XplicitzNG/yearend08/albumnumbers/22.png)
The amazing "When You Were Young" aside, Sam’s Town was a huge disappointment to me. However, these guys bounce back and make a killer album,
Day & Age. Opening song “Losing Touch” is brassy and snazzy and once the music struck, you cannot help but sing along with Brandon Flowers. With tracks like the epic, synth-framed "Human" and Bowie-influenced, "Spaceman", the album is raised to a level of disco cheerfulness as well as a pleasurable listening party jam. Most tracks on
Day & Age are more expressive and you can hear a lot of 80's campy music in the background. If you haven't checked this album out, you are missing out on all the fun.
We're getting into the top 20 albums tomorrow!