At least once a year, the folks at LitKicks corporate headquarters drag me out of my dungeon and demand my yearly report on the latest audio gems in the literary world. From spoken word to more traditional poetry readings, a verse takes on a life of its own when read by the voice that dreamed it up in the first place. I have a special affinity for the blending of poetry, personality and music, so it’s my pleasure to bring you the 2006 Audio Roundup:

— I have to admit: at first I wasn’t sure what to make of Beat Reality, a new CD by poet Les Merton and the Moontones. I wondered if we’d pushed the idea of “Beat Reality” just about as far as it could go. In this new release, it’s apparent that the beat influence has only just begun to be explored. Les Merton‘s Cornish accent alone would be enough to prompt you to let this CD play on, however it’s the combination of his voice stretched over the jazzy, freewheeling style of his poetry that draws you in deeper, begging further inspection of the stories inside. Backed by the sounds of the somewhat quirky Moontones, Merton’s poetry is Beat to the core, though it has moments where it comes dangerously close to clich