Every year we see countless “Best of” lists come out starting about November. These are interesting to come up with, but can lead to guilt and remorse because of glaring omissions noticed after the fact.

While I’ve come in off the ledge and don’t plan on jumping anymore, my list would be different today if I had received all the ‘07 releases I have now actually IN 2007. One of the CDs that would be at or near the top is by one of several fine female artist that are new to me, Sarah Benck and her band The Robbers. The 2007 CD Neighbor’s Garden is a fantastic CD by a truly wonderful singer and songwriter. Neighbor’s Garden is the sophomore effort for the Omaha resident and her band, consisting of Jason Ferguson on guitar (a graduate of the Musicians Institute in Hollywood), James Carrig on bass and Scott “Zip” Zimmerman on drums. This CD had me from right from the first energetic beats of the opening title track. When Sarah opens her mouth its like she’s opening a can of “whup-ass” on you; you’d never imagine a package this petite could pack so much punch. After hearing all the styles she handles on this disc, I’m not sure there’s a style she couldn’t handle. Her bluesy-rock stuff is great, such as the title track. “Dump the Truck” has a bit of a funky feel to it. Slower ballad? Covered, with “Good Man.” She even straps on the acoustic guitar for a solo acoustic tune “Once a Week,” which also displays Sarah’s great vocal range. She adds a bluesy horn section to the upbeat “Trails,” another standout cut. This is definitely a performer you need to check out!