and the winner is.................

“Come On Like the Fast Lane” by the Silos, "Here Tomorrow, Gone Today" by North Carolina's Two Dollar Pistols and Jonathan Rundman’s “ The Best of Jonathan Rundman:20 Songs from the 20th Century” were three discs released in 2007 that lived in my cd player for weeks on end. In contrast, the anticipated new releases by Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams and Ryan Adams never made it into heavy rotation and I never would have predicted that Ian Hunter’s "Shrunken Heads" would be my choice for Album, Comeback Album and Protest Album of the Year. I have to admit I lost touch with Mr. Hunter midway through his post Mott the Hoople solo career. Luckily, North Carolina’s Yep Roc Records sent HickoryWind a review copy of his latest disc.

This probably isn’t an album you’ll find on the President’s iPOD (although Rockin’ Ronnie misunderstood the meaning of “Born in the USA” so there is a Presidential precedent for musical misinterpretation). “Shrunken Heads” is a solid disc from start to finish but its heart can be found on tracks 2 through 7, playing like a political mini rock opera offering biting commentary on the State of the Nation.

Fuss About Nothin’: “But if it’s left to the left…there won’t be nothin’ left. You’re making a fuss about nothin”

When The World Was Round : “There’s too much information but not enough to go on I think I liked it better when the world was round”

Brainwashed: “Running up those credit cards, you know you can’t afford it. Brainwashed brainwashed“

Shrunken Heads “The house is haunted and the streets are dead we’re all at the mercy of shrunken heads”

Soul Of America: “And the Manhattan skyline blew my mind the first time We went down to the scene of the crime Lookin’ for the soul of America”

How’s Your House: “If F.E.M.A won’t help me, I know the good book will”

If these songs were written by Dylan or Springsteen this disc would be a lock for a Grammy. Treat yourself to 2007's most eloquent, intelligent and rocking disc about America: Ian Hunter's "Shrunken Heads".