Six standout tunes heard today:
KDHX 88.1 FM
- Black And White Rag (Live)-Asleep At The Wheel (The tune's throwback Americana feel, particularly in the fiddle, guitar, and piano, makes this an enjoyable instrumental. I could imagine this as intermission music on "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Live From Here.")
- I Fall To Pieces-Linda Ronstadt (Listeners might be more familiar with Patsy Cline's earlier version. This is an impressively emotive cover. It's interesting hearing Ronstadt sing in a country style as convincingly as she sang pop hits.)
WSIE 88.7 FM
- Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise-Emily Remler (I hear elements of Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, and Kenny Burrell in Remler's guitar tone. This is one of many fine covers of this standard. Remler's music is underplayed on the radio, so it's good to finally hear a station play a track of hers.)
- Summer Strut-Yada Yada (Catchy, danceable synergy between the trumpet and keyboard; "Always There" by Ronnie Laws would sound right before or after this.)
KCLC 89.1 FM
- She's So High-Tal Bachman (Lyrics about putting someone on a pedestal are sometimes tricky to pull off without sounding brainwashed or unrealistic. Bachman strikes the right balance in the vocals here, though. I remember this being played frequently on WVRV, "The River," in 1999. The lyrics about desiring someone you won't likely get should hold up in any era.)
WFUN 96.3 FM
- Don't You Know That?-Luther Vandross ("Never Too Much" is the best Vandross track, in my opinion, due to its infectious intro and Vandross's commitment in the vocals. This track from that same album also deserves its due, though, for conveying similar sentiments. Sidebar: In case anyone was still unaware of it, WFUN, formerly on 95.5 FM, has switched frequencies.)
