The tracks in my iTunes library have started shuffling, and the first one that comes up is...
...1. Lucky-Halie Loren
(Loren sings movingly about counting her blessings in a style reminiscent of Tori Amos.)
2. One Voice (Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House)-The Wailin' Jennys
(Three beautiful voices show how one or more voices can use their powers for good.)
3. Pink Panther Theme-Laurence Juber
(A strong guitar reading that captures the spirit of the original version.)
4. Rainin' Inside-The Trishas
(Powerful, bluesy emoting and harmonizing.)
5. Blackbird-Brad Mehldau
(Mehldau gives this Beatles favorite its due on the piano, and the trio gives it a cool, expansive workout that doesn't make the mistake, as some jazz covers do, of discarding the original melody.)
6. Forever-Haim
(My favorite song of 2013; this is what pop music should sound like. Three sisters execute a great hook, as they also do on "Falling" and "The Wire.")
7. Pickup Truck-The Boorays
(One of my two favorite tracks by this St. Louis band. I've always liked the lyrics about taking a risk when your resources are limited. I also like that the lyrics are sung at a more contemplative pace the first time and at a much faster clip halfway through.)
8. Desafinado-Andre Kostelanetz and his orchestra
(Time to cue up the new stereophonic platter on the newfangled hi-fi system in the den...)
9. Brooke's Waltz-Don Ross
("This station now concludes its broadcast day. Stay tuned for our overnight test pattern, following this ambling guitar melody.")
10. Someday, Someway-Marshall Crenshaw
(Why on Earth wasn't this a bigger hit? Why weren't at least 10 other Crenshaw songs hits, as well? Crenshaw knows his way around a well-crafted, radio-friendly hook, and this studio version is the best one.)
11. Sweets For My Sweet-The Drifters
(This overlooked Drifters track features one of the catchiest piano riffs of the '60s.)
12. Riu Chiu-The Monkees
(Thank you to the KCOU staffer who brought this carol to my attention years ago. If I hadn't seen the CD label, I would never have guessed that The Monkees sang this.)
13. River Of Fallen Stars (Live)-The Kennedys
(The Kennedys perform one of the first song of theirs I ever heard. The guitars jangle, Maura Kennedy's voice shimmers, and the lyrical idealism shines through. I still enjoy this song just as much 20 years later.)
14. The Road-The 442s featuring Erin Bode
(Bode joins her husband, bassist Syd Rodway, in this great mesh of vocals and strings from 2013.)
15. A Road Is Just A Road-Mary Chapin Carpenter
(A country/crossover gem and one of Mary Chapin Carpenter's best uptempo tracks. I also recommend her slower, more introspective song, "I Am A Town.")
16. Rock Of Ages-The Mills Brothers
(iTunes shuffle mode has good taste in hymns and vocal ensembles.)
17. Rockin' Alone (In An Old Rockin' Chair)-Billie Joe & Norah
(A surprising pairing of the Green Day singer and Norah Jones pull of a thoughtful take on this Everly Brothers tune about an elderly woman looking back on her life.)
18. Rocking Horse-Adrian Legg
(An aptly titled guitar instrumental.)
19. Roof Garden-Al Jarreau
("Roof Garden" is equally infectious in its studio incarnation or live, as I discovered at a Jarreau concert in 1989.)
