Today's shuffling of my iTunes music library turned out this way:
1. Ravel: Bolero For Two Pianos (sampler excerpt) (Ruth Laredo, Jacques Rouvier)
(Strong, novel instrumentation for an especially strong piece.)
2. Ain't Nothing But A House Party-Show Stoppers
(I wonder if Jeff Lynne was inspired by the melody of this catchy, accessible R&B track when he wrote "Slipping Away" for Dave Edmunds?)
3. The Love Letter-Carrie Newcomer
("Things can look better in the distance, but that's not the way I want to love you," Newcomer sings. Newcomer conveys a brave, refreshingly honest outlook here.)
4. Stolen Car-Beth Orton
(One of Orton's most memorable tracks. Also recommended: "Concrete Sky" and "Dawn Chorus.")
5. The Wire-Haim
(One of several infectious hooks from the 2013 CD, "Days Are Gone.")
6. Memories-Etienne Charles
(A standout track, with reflective, Miles Davis-inspired trumpet playing.)
7. Bye Bye Blackbird-Ron Carter
(Bass and piano drive home this impressive tribute to Miles Davis.)
8. Home By The Sea-Genesis
(I'm sure I'm not the only listener who turns up the volume when KSHE plays this. A great driving rhythm is established within the first two notes. This is one of my two favorite tracks from the band's self-titled album...)
9. October Rain-Dan Golfus Project
(The guitar evokes the song's title accurately in this easy-going instrumental.)
10. 5-22-02-Golden Smog
(It's hard not to sing the date involuntarily when it comes up; a good hook with a brassy backing track.)
11. Hello Stranger-Barbara Lewis
(The "shoo bop, shoo bop" backing conveys the era in which this track was recorded. I wish I'd played it more often on WEW. Yvonne Elliman's cover of it is also impressive.)
12. Just A Job To Do-Genesis
(..."Just A Job To Do" is the other. See my review of "Home By The Sea.")
13. Peace Behind The Bridge-Carolina Chocolate Drops
(Compelling fiddling.)
14. Aquamarine-Ben Watt
(A spacy, new age style of arranging on display.)
15. Rappin' Duke (instrumental)-Rappin' Duke
(The instrumental version holds up better than the vocal version; it's very of its time as an '80s music bed.)
16. Somewhere All The Time-Samantha Crain
(My favorite track of Crain's; it segues well with Kim Richey's "I Know.")
17. The Toy Guitar-Earl Klugh
(Several years ago, I paired this on a mix CD with Harry Belafonte's "Don't Ever Love Me." There's a shared island feel in both songs. Klugh's track has the more optimistic vibe of the two.)
18. Change The Ending-Maia Sharp
(Who hasn't wanted to edit reality this way?)
19. Philosophy Machine-The Groupers
(It's unusual to hear a strong, introspective tune that's played and sung this fast, but this St. Louis band pulls it off. This song contains one of my favorite choruses, "I've been walkin' by myself. I've been talkin' to myself--to an audience of one, who would rather be at home." Kudos to KPNT for playing this back in the day.)
20. Throwback-Tony Banks
(This should have been a huge hit for the Genesis songwriter/keyboardist. To me, it sounds like a ready-made theme for a TV show about time travel gone wrong.)
21. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis (Live)-Ray McKinley
(This goes all the way back to the '40s...It cooks! I used to play the studio version on WEW and never tired of it. McKinley and his band pack a lot of energy into this relatively short version.)
22. Rain In Spain-Sea Level
(The piano line just draws you in.)
23. Mongonucleosis-Chicago
(An overlooked, mostly instrumental jam from "Chicago VII." It should have been a hit; the horn lines starting at 1:05 and 1:26 should have guaranteed that.)
24. Where To Now?-Darol Anger and the American Fiddle Ensemble
(A great uptempo number for fiddle and guitar.)
25. Flavor Of The Month (Live)-The Posies
(Although this seems meant to be electrified, it works just as well acoustically. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow sing great harmonies. It's no wonder they became members of the great power pop band, Big Star.)
26. Mountain Sun-Beth Bombara
(A tempered view of feeling "good to be alive.")
27. Dawn Of The Sunset-Cyrus Chestnut
(Appealing piano and trumpet, with just enough dissonance.)
28. Cruisin'-Smokey Robinson
(Still one of Robinson's best grooves, ranking up there with his excellent album, "A Quiet Storm.")
