More of my favorite song pairings:
1. I Think I'll Call It Morning-Gil Scott-Heron
2. Walking Man-James Taylor
(For years, I've played these songs back to back during Autumn. Both sets of lyrics give convincing reasons to appreciate what's around you. "Walking Man" is particularly Autumn-centric in its references and came to mind today as I saw the first signs of yellow leaves outside the living room window.)
---
3. Super Blue-Freddie Hubbard
4. Wow!-Barbara Dennerlein
(Dennerlein approaches the organ on "Wow!" in the way Hubbard approaches the trumpet on "Super Blue." Neither artist is afraid to be as expansive as necessary in keeping a vibe going.)
---
5. The Soundtrack Of Your Life-A Girl Called Eddy
6. The Edge-Michelle Malone
(Both artists show that a melancholy state of mind doesn't make concerned, somewhat downcast lyrics any less appealing.)
---
7. Drowning In Your Eyes-Ephraim Lewis
8. Hackensack-Fountains Of Wayne
(Instrumentally, these tracks have a similar feel. Interestingly, though, the outlooks conveyed in the lyrics differ; "Drowning In Your Eyes" is hopeful, while "Hackensack" has a more tempered wistfulness.)
---
9. (Keep Feeling) Fascination-The Human League
10. Der Kommissar-After The Fire
(Two of the most memorable synthesized pop hits of 1983; if you gravitate toward '80s music, you probably smiled upon reading at least one of those titles just now.)
---
11. The Littlest Birds-The Be Good Tanyas
12. If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out-Cat Stevens
(Two more songs about appreciating what's around you...The Be Good Tanyas encourage us to notice life's sometimes overlooked simple pleasures; Cat Stevens encourages us to acknowledge them.)
---
13. Medley: New York State Of Mind/Return To The City-Mark-Almond
14. Big Apple-Kerry Hallam
(I've never been to New York, but if the atmosphere these songs conjure up of the city is accurate, maybe it's time to visit.)
---
15. Sleepin' Bee-Johnny Hartman
16. (They Call It) Stormy Monday-Lou Rawls with Les McCann Ltd.
(Two of the best versions of these standards; the performances resonate with equal measures of class.)
---
17. Breathing Underwater-Metric
18. Rotten World Blues-Eels
(Because life is like this sometimes...)
---
19. The Lighthouse's Tale-Nickel Creek
20. Planets-Kate Rusby featuring Sarah Jarosz
(Lost your way? Experiencing grief? In an uncertain transitional state? You're not alone in these respects. The lighthouse understands; so do a lot of people around you.)
