SiriusXM highlights CLXXII

Eight standout tracks heard today:

Bakersfield Beat

• I've Got My Fingers Crossed-John Jorgenson Quintet (Instrumentally, this is an appealing blend of Dixieland and Grand Ole Opry styles.  Vocally, John Pizzarelli wound sound right covering this.)

Classic Folk

• Down By The Riverside-Joe & Eddie (A vocally spirited rendition.)

Escape

• One On One-Ronnie Aldrich (This Hall & Oates hit translates easily to a piano-and-strings easy listening instrumental.)

Hawaiian Vacation

• Kaliponi Slack Key-Keola and Kapono Beamer (A pleasant, upbeat slack key guitar melody, suitable for driving or traveling by train.)

Holiday Traditions

• Silver Bells-Margaret Whiting/Jimmy Wakely (The stronger vocal renditions of "Silver Bells" are often unhurried and capture a nostalgic feeling about Christmas.  This is one such version.)

Real Jazz Just Music

• Prime Time-Joe Farnsworth (This propulsive, drum-powered instrumental could segue into "Compared To What" by Eddie Harris and Les McCann.)

RockBar

• Take Me Down-The Pretty Reckless (Committed vocals over a rhythmically solid foundation.  Lyrically, "Take Me Down" confronts the question, "How much are you willing to do to become a rock star?") 

SiriusXM Chill

• Behind Her Eyes-Sultan & Shepard (A steady beat without the underlying turbulence that underscores a lot of Chill genre tracks.) 

One cool cat

Earlier this week, I was pleased to see my cat, Collette, get on board right away with Joe Henderson's "So Near, So Far" album.  She picked right up on the rhythm of the opening track, "Miles Ahead," and started washing her fur in time to it. 

I'm proud to have a cat who appreciates Henderson's masterful tenor sax playing--and a strong Miles Davis tune, as well.

A petty fixation LI

I was irritated with myself once when I finished an air break on KCOU.  "'Sit back and relax?'  Did I really just say that on the air?" I thought.  "That's such a cliche.  From now on, I'm resolving not to tell listeners to sit back and relax, even when I'm about to play relaxing music.  For good measure, I won't tell them to be tense and uptight, either--not that I was planning to say that anyway."  

Segue suggestion XVI

As I listened to Sarah McLachlan's "Drawn To The Rhythm" last night, I thought about how well Fairport Convention's version of Joni Mitchell's "Eastern Rain" would flow into it.  "Eastern Rain" fades in slowly, and "Drawn To The Rhythm" continues along a comparably subtle path.

With such quality contemplative material, it's reasonable to ask listeners to lean in, as these songs do.

FM dial scan highlights CCCIII

Five standout tunes heard today:

WSIE 88.7 FM

• If That's True-Esperanza Spalding (This jazz combo cooks, to say the least, and Spalding's bass playing provides the foundation.)
• Scenes From An Italian Restaurant-Billy Joel (Joel's best song, in my opinion; the way the song comes full circle, the well-told coming together and estrangement of Brenda and Eddie, an impressive piano part...There's a lot to like here.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• 'Til My Heart Stops-The Beths (There's an endearingly honest vulnerability in the lyrics and vocals.  The more I hear of The Beths, the more their consistency impresses me.)

KWUR 90.3 FM

• Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?-Grant Green (A hip jazz guitar cover of the Chicago hit.  Green plays the theme upfront and then expands upon it compellingly for the duration.)
• Anna-The Menzingers (A high energy, appealingly guitar-heavy way of conveying how much you miss someone.)  

The allure of shuffle mode XCVI

I was intrigued this afternoon when iTunes shuffle mode segued Erin Bode's "Out Of Time" with "A Darker Kind Of Blue" by Brooks Williams.  After listening to those songs separately for years, I hadn't thought to pair them.  Lyrically, it's a compatible twosome; whether it's a relationship or a problem-plagued life, possible solutions come with expiration dates.

Persistent earworm alert CDXXXI

Since enduring a storm with loud hail this morning, "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, a synthesizer instrumental, has been on my mind.  Popcorn, to me, mimics the sound of hail, and Hot Butter's 1972 hit conveys the turbulence of a storm.  With an ominous forecast for more stormy weather later today, "Popcorn" will likely park itself in my mind again for hours.

Incidentally, I don't think I've ever heard anyone play "Popcorn" outside of "American Top 40."  It's one of those set-firmly-in-its-time instrumentals that didn't make the jump to oldies radio rotations.