Nine early morning highlights:
KWMU-2 (St. Louis, MO)
- Body And Soul-Johnny "Hammond" Smith (A swingin' organ-propelled rendition.)
- Singing In My Soul-Lizz Wright (Who wouldn't want to approach a new day with this positive outlook?)
- Blues March-Frank Cunimondo (A strong piano rendition of a Benny Golson tune; multiple versions of "Night Train" would sound right after it.)
KXCI (Tucson, AZ)
- In C (Terry Riley)-Dylan Henner (A strangely comforting instrumental loop, suitable for a documentary about plants blossoming or possibly an alternate theme song for "13 Reasons Why.")
WOMM (Burlington, VT)
- Some Imaginary Cause-Ben Patton Band (Tuneful, lyrical, and catchy in a low-key way. This solid AAA-format track has good lyrics about squandering one's opportunities.)
WPKN (Bridgeport, CT)
- Nos Toca Decidir-Jose Madera Nino & 3er.mundo (Instrumentally and vocally festive and spirited...)
- No Sera Facil-Frank Marquez y Su Orquesta (...and it segues seamlessly with this similarly spirited, brassy track.)
WSCS (New London, NH)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff: Prelude in D major, Op. 23, No. 4 (Christopher O'Riley, piano) (Evidence that a romantic, lyrical piece can be appropriately forceful; it doesn't always have to be tender.)
WXPN (Philadelphia, PA)
- Light On-Maggie Rogers (This is an endearing way of admitting that being successful sometimes entails a dizzying array of choices to make and more public exposure than you might want. The energetic, accessible hook sounds familiar but doesn't wear out its welcome. In 2019, I rated this as my ninth favorite song of the year. That's a compliment, as any song that makes the top 10 in any of my year-end countdowns is a particularly strong track. If I were assembling that countdown now, I think I'd rank it even higher.)
