Alt Country-Americana
- Nobody Knows Me-Lyle Lovett (No one sings lyrics about betrayal quite as effectively as Lovett.)
- Walk In The Night-Jr. Walker & The All Stars (Some fine wailing saxophone.)
- Brown Grass-Gregory Porter (One of the most eloquently sung and played tunes about squandering a relationship I've heard. It's one of many strong tracks from Porter's "Liquid Spirit" release.)
- Tiger In The Rain-Michael Franks (Franks sings with his trademark subtlety. This tune deserves more airplay on smooth jazz stations.)
- This Time I Know It's For Real-Donna Summer (With the possible exception of "On The Radio," Summer's 1989 comeback hit holds up better, in my view, than her '70s hits. Its similarity to Swing Out Sister's "Breakout" helps the tune.)
- Forget About It-Alison Krauss (Lyrically, "Forget About It" segues well with Lyle Lovett's "Nobody Knows Me.")
- Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)-Christopher Cross (I was indifferent to this song when it was a hit, but over time, I've come to like it. It's yet another pop hit that we sang in sixth grade chorus class. It's amusing to recall all of us singing, "When you get caught between the moon and New York City...," at the ages of 11 and 12. "Sailing" is Cross's best hit, in my opinion, but "Arthur's Theme"'s respectable, relatable lyrics have aged well.)
