KDHX 88.1 FM
- Baltimore-Randy Newman (For decades, Newman's lyrics have taken clever, unflinching looks at less-than-flattering people and places. Sometimes, as in "Political Science," he makes his points sarcastically. In other tunes, such as "Baltimore," he sings the unvarnished truth, as he sees it.)
- Change The Sheets-Kathleen Edwards (An uptempo, driving melody paired with effective lyrics about a flawed relationship.)
- It's A Wonderful Time For Love-Norah Jones (A highlights of last year's "Day Breaks" release; Jones excels at sly, sultry piano-and-vocal numbers such as these; this tune has the added bonus of flowing naturally into or out of Van Morrison's "Moondance.")
- St. Thomas-Ray Obiedo featuring Norbert Stachel and Peter Horvath (One of the most instantly appealing jazz melodies, to my ears; Sonny Rollins and Ron Carter proved that it works equally well on the saxophone and the bass. This version conveys more of a Caribbean feel than I've heard in any rendition.)
- For The Love Of You-The Isley Brothers (These smooth, heartfelt vocals should be a staple of any Quiet Storm format. Also recommended: Earl Klugh's cover, which shows the tune works just as well as a guitar instrumental. I'm glad to have a solid blend of new and old school R&B on the FM dial again, under the MAJIC identifier.)
- Friends And Strangers-Ronnie Laws (If you don't recognize the title, you still might have heard this as the on-hold music for any number of businesses or started singing along while hearing it on any credible smooth jazz or R&B station without realizing it. Laws pulled off the impressive feat of crafting an unobtrusive but firmly memorable melody with appealing, recurring background vocals.)
