KJZZ-HD2 (Phoenix, AZ)
- Relaxin' With Nick-Nicholas Payton (Not just any musician can excel at piano and trumpet, but Payton does. He drives this bouncy, straight ahead melody on both instruments with fine support on bass and drums.)
- Aren't You Glad You're You?-Chet Baker & Gerry Mulligan (There's an appealing brightness in this melody and an easy synergy between trumpet and baritone sax.)
- Small Talk-Immaculate Machine (If They Might Be Giants attempted to write a pop song with Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet providing the instrumental backdrop, this might be the result. Points for the great hook, "There were nine of us in the photograph...")
- Sincerely-Rachael Kilgour (An endearing, sincere voice and guitar; I can imagine a vocalist singing this for her own enjoyment after an audience has gone home.)
- Old Enough To Wonder Why (East Side-West Side)-Hiss Golden Messenger (It's unusual for me to describe a tune with bluegrass elements as mysterious, but that's an accurate term for these lyrics and the dichotomy between old school and modern instrumentation.)
- I Still Love You (Now And Then)-Josh Ritter (Refreshing honesty in the lyrics; I'd like to see this sentiment on a Hallmark card.)
- Anytime-Mavis Staples (A bluesy, engaging groove, with lyrics that are a testament to strength, resilience, and adaptability.)
