We live in a time when stores start erecting Christmas displays long before the last Snickers is distributed on Halloween.

But, we have a few weeks before music critics start putting out their annual "best of" lists.

The following comment is directed at writers planning such an endeavor:

Put Todd Snider on it.

Twice.

Seriously. Snider, who will be performing tonight at Shank Hall, is one of the great underappreciated talents of our time. His latest album "The Devil You Know," is like a lot of his work. You'll sing. You'll laugh. You'll hum the songs in the shower. And, you'll tell your friends how good the guy is and that the fact that he is not a bigger star is an indictment of all that is wrong with American pop culture.

OK, that may be a little much.

But, you're going to like the songs. If you dive deeper into his catalog, you're going to like his early work, too. And, if you head to Shank tonight, you're going to really like the show.

As for us, we won't respect any "best of" list that doesn't have Todd Snider on it.

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