KAFM (Grand Junction, CO)
- Fight-Vanessa Peters (A new release with refreshingly honest lyrics about fearing failure and feeling weary--and a good pep talk about finding inner strength.)
- The Mayor Of Simpleton-XTC (One of XTC's strongest tracks, with powerful, confident vocals and
percussion that makes you want to drum along on the dashboard.
Lyrically, the tune reminds me of Sam Cooke's "(What A) Wonderful
World." In each song, the protagonist claims not to know much; it's
obvious, however, that both protagonists are smarter than they claim to
be. As much as I love music, I'm parsimonious about giving songs A grades. "The Mayor Of Simpleton," in my view, deserves an A.)
- Theme From Konono No. 2-The Ex & Brass Unbound (While listening to the intro, I half-expected to hear Saga start singing an alternative arrangement of "On The Loose." Instrumentally, this is an appealingly energetic mix of guitar and trumpet. It was also an interesting way to segue from a polka show to a rock show.)
- Early Autumn-Stan Getz (One of the warmest saxophone tones any listener could want.)
- What's New-George Benson (A sublime, melodic rendition for guitar and piano.)
