Cyprus Avenue's Top Music Picks Of 2009

Host Bill Shapiro shares the recordings that have grabbed his ear this past year.

2009 marked the 31st anniversary of Cyprus Avenue on KCUR- FM making Bill Shapiro the longest-serving volunteer in the station's history.

During that time we've witnessed a veritable sea change in the world in which we live, primarily brought on by the onset of the cyberage.

Music lovers have shifted their focus from the album/cd format to the downloadable single. The market has fractionalized from a few recognizable formats; rock, country, soul and rap to more individualized smaller categories each supported by its own ardent niche audience.

We now have ready access to the broadest, deepest trove of music ever available. After all these years and through all these changes, Cyprus Avenue still draws a large weekly audience which covers a wide age range with a taste for musical variety.

Cyprus Avenue's Top Music Picks of 2009

Eilen Jewell, Sea of Tears
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women
Bob Dylan, Together Through Life
Calexico, Carried to Dust
M. Ward, Hold Time
War Child, Heroes
Elvis Costello, Secret, Profane & Hurricane
Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi
Sam Baker, Cotton
Rosanne Cash, The List