Community Radio St. Louis highlights XIV

Five standout tunes heard today:

Fresh Start

• Agitations Tropicales-L'Imperatrice (Instrumentally and vocally, this 2015 release pulls off a convincing '70s dance pastiche.)
• Carry The Weight-Beth Bombara (These reassuring, uplifting lyrics remind me of "Trouble Me" by 10,000 Maniacs and "I'll Come Over" by The Kennedys.)
• X-Ray Hip-Bona Fide (This uptempo smooth jazz/funk instrumental's catchy hook works equally well on the piano, guitar, and vibraphone.)

Backroads

• Black Pine Waltz-Doc & Merle Watson (This fiddle-and-guitar instrumental would flow well into various renditions of "Tennessee Waltz.")
• Ode To Earl-Bela Fleck (Spirited banjo playing and impressive mandolin playing with ample tremolos.) 

FM dial scan highlights CCCXI

Five recommended tunes heard today:

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Sincerely-Claudia Hayden (An uptempo smooth jazz flute number with a dash of mystery, released in July.)
• Francisco-Jackie McLean (McLean's dominant saxophone playing steers the course of this energetic Latin jazz-meets-bop track.  I'd segue this with Vince Guaraldi's "The Love Of A Rose.")

KSHE 94.7 FM

• It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference-Todd Rundgren (This is one of Rundgren's softer, subtler tracks.  Alison Krauss covered it effectively.)
• Titles-Barclay James Harvest (The vocal harmonies and guitar strumming on this strung together list of Beatles song titles sounds like a group of friends playing around a campfire.  The Thorns would have sounded smooth covering this.)

KLOU 103.3 FM

• Dare Me-The Pointer Sisters (Rhythmically and vocally, this is one of the group's stronger hits.  I'm surprised that KLOU's 1985 rebroadcast of "American Top 40" marks the first time I've heard it in decades.)

SiriusXM highlights CLXXVIII

Saturday morning highlights:

The Elevator

• Up On The Roof-John Fox (This flute, guitar, and strings rendition of the classic Drifters hit slows the tempo down, giving it a tasteful, easy listening sheen.)

B.B. King's Bluesville

• Every Step Of The Way-Keb' Mo' (An honest acknowledgment that not every decision we make in life will be perfect, but what we learn along the way helps us navigate life more gracefully.)

Lo-Fi Sleep

• Over The Moon-Team Astro (A warm piano riff with crackling vinyl sound effects.)

Luna

• Brigas, Nuncas Mais (Fights Never More)-Antonio Carlos Jobim & Elis Regina (Rhythmically, these vocals and keyboard accompaniment could segue with various versions of "One Note Samba.")

Piano Instrumentals

• Changing Winds-Alexandra Streliski (Fit for a soap opera scene in which a character contemplates a major life decision.)

SiriusXMU

• Knocking At The Sky-The Last Dinner Party (For lyrical contrast, Samia's "Spine Oil" would be an interesting tune to segue with this.)

Spectrum Discovery

• Haunted-Phoebe Bridgers (How do you regroup and soldier on after a setback, especially when it's one that's not visible to others?  This new release ponders this thoughtfully and takes a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other attitude toward recovery.) 

Stevie's Coolest Songs

• Casablanca-Susanna Hoffs (Hoffs has maintained an earnest sincerity in her vocals over decades, as this new release illustrates.) 

Online radio sampler highlights CCCVIII

Today's standouts:

KAFM (Grand Junction, CO)

• Dance Floor-The Apples In Stereo (I'm guessing that one or more band members intended to channel ELO here.  Also recommended: "Tidal Wave.")

KCSM (San Mateo, CA)

• My Whole Life Through-The James Carter Organ Trio (A slow, relaxed melody with prominent saxophone over a backdrop of organ.)
• Dolphin's View-Alex Sipiagin (The piano underscores Sipiagin's trumpet playing compellingly, giving the tune some dark turbulence.)

WQED (Pittsburgh, PA)

• Felix Mendelssohn: Paulus (St. Paul), Op. 26, MWV A14: Overture (City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Edward Gardner, conductor) (I'd like to have played any of the stringed instruments on this recording so I could say I pulled off the piece's inherent tension and its ultimately heroic conclusion.)  

WRUJ (Richmond, VT)

• I Know But I Don't Know-Blondie (This track has more of a freewheeling, punk rock vibe than the group's hits.)
• Burning Out-The Linda Lindas (As this June release conveys, we all have our going-through-the-motions days.)

A petty fixation LII

In retrospect, it amuses me how seriously I used to take radio station format changes.  In 1985, I thought, "A new soft rock station is making its debut.  I'd better listen to it often for at least the first week."

As I listened, I thought, "This is a pleasant selection of soft rock hits, but it's also a rather safe, predictable playlist.  The DJs sound alright, but there's nothing particularly innovative or unique about what they're doing.  This is a paint-by-numbers soft rock station in a city that already has multiple stations with this format."

I kept listening throughout the station's first two months, though, because it was new.  Initial curiosity doesn't guarantee that an audience will stay with a station, but it often gets them to give the station a chance, however short-lived.

Community Radio St. Louis highlights XIII

Wednesday morning standouts:

Feel Like Going Home

• See You Later, I'm Gone-Whitney (The subtle arrangement of this vocals-and-guitar track, released in May, makes its lyrics sound all the more sincere.)
• Rockets & Flowers-The Bamboos (This new release has a pleasant '70s R&B feel that could segue with  Greenflow's "I Got'cha'.")
• Beyond That Moon-Madison Cunningham (One of 2026's more heartfelt singer-songwriter tracks.  Cunningham's vocals acknowledge how painful the end of a relationship is when it's not your desired outcome.)
• Human Mind-Mavis Staples (Lyrically and vocally, "Human Mind" works on two levels; it speaks to the resilience one needs when grappling with a personal setback or loss and also to the coping mechanisms people need as a collective during unjust times.) 

Shady Grove

• Blue Moon Waltz-Roger Netherton (This tasteful fiddle piece could segue with Gloria Attoun's "Barefoot Waltz."  I'd be curious to hear Nickel Creek cover this.)
• Salt Spring-John Reischman (A sunny, steady mandolin melody.)

An atypical standout XVII

It escaped my notice for the longest time that Patty Griffin is the singer behind "One Big Love."  When I think of Griffin's singer-songwriter material, I typically think of such tracks as "Rain," "Making Pies," or "The Wheel."  Generally, her songs make the listener lean in and ingest the discomforting or heart-wrenching topics about which she sings.

Yesterday, I wrote about being reminded that Donna Summer sang "Love Is In Control."  As with "...Control," I remembered the rhythm of "One Big Love" for years without recalling its lyrics.  Given its fun, upbeat vibe, I was surprised to learn it was Griffin's song--and that I already own the CD that includes it.

It's amazing what you find when you delve into your own music collection thoroughly.