'80s On 8
- Automatic-The Pointer Sisters (One of the catchier songs of 1984.)
- Louisiana 1927-Marcia Ball (A solid cover of Randy Newman's song about a flood that wreaked considerable havoc.)
- The New Ground (Live @ SiriusXM)-Kristin Andreassen (A singer-songwriter highlight of 2015, so far; pleasant vocals in a well-crafted song.)
- What's New?-Beegie Adair (There's a comforting consistency in Adair's piano playing from album to album.)
- Fight The Power-The Isley Brothers (Even if your idea of rebellion is akin to Willow's "I'm eating this banana now; lunchtime, be damned," declaration in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," this is still an empowering tune.)
- I Really Don't Need No Light-Jeffrey Osborne (An energetic, appealing groove; when making a mix CD for myself years ago, I found that it segues well after Stevie Wonder's "I Love You Too Much.")
- On Sir Francis Drake-The Youngbloods (This track starts strong, with a great keyboard part that's sustained for close to three minutes. If Vince Guaraldi had played in this band, it might have sounded a lot like this.)
- Ciao, Ciao-Stanley Turrentine & Shirley Scott (Smooth sax-based jazz with a Brazilian flavor.)
- Cottontail-Roger Kellaway (A strong piano and vibes track.)
- Heavy Things-Phish (My favorite song by Phish, due to its sing-along quality, lyrics, guitar, and percussion.)
- Leos Janacek: The Lord's Prayer (Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford/Stephen Darlington, director) (A moving, reverential rendition.)
