Chuck Prophet's "Brother Aldo" is at the top of my list. Followed not far behind by "Stranger's Almanac" and take-you-pick of the Al Escovedo albums that made him ND's Artist of the Decade at the turn of the century.

It remains baffling to me how little rewarded Mr. Prophet is for the richness and sublime generosity of his work. What he accomplished with his heavy lifting for Alejando with "Real Animal" was something I hope and pray I'll never stop admiring: he co-wrote (at least) every song on the record, tore the mortal frenzy out of every stringed instrument, penned frighteningly subtle lyrics -- and even managed to tolerate Tony Visconti at the production helm.

Hey! You heard it here first: Chuck Prophet will quite likely be the last of the huge-beast epoch of rock and roll stars. And it'll happen soon.

Betting against me is almost as bone-headed as pushing me in my own bar. Only the uninformed don't delight in Chuck Prophet's great talent and his incomparable career.