Thursday afternoon U-verse standouts:
Adult Alternative
- Hypotheticals-Lake Street Dive (When the tempo picks up, the vocals and instrumentation have an appealing '70s pop/R&B feel. This could segue with Lenny Kravitz's "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over.")
The Chill Lounge
- Goodness-Emancipator (This jazzy instrumental uses flute punctuation effectively.)
Cool Jazz
- To Each His Dulcinea-Eliane Elias (This is some of Elias's most impressive uptempo piano playing.)
East Africa Gospel
- Mwamba-Jessica Honore (Even if the listener doesn't understand this language, it's impossible to miss the uplifting, rejoicing feel of Honore's vocals.)
Easy Listening
- Send In The Clowns-Ferrante & Teicher (A tasteful two-piano rendition of the Judy Collins hit that wisely doesn't go overboard on embellishments.)
Folk Roots
- Big Mover-Sarah Eide (Sincere vocal harmonies and tasteful guitar.)
- Mother Song-T with The Maggies (This reminds me somewhat of how Loreena McKennitt might sound with piano and tin whistle accompaniment.)
Hungarian Pop & Rock
- Papirsarkany-Ruzsa Magdolna (Rock backing fit for an Alanis Morissette song.)
Jazz Masters
- Cool And Easy-Toots Thielemans (This appropriately titled track features impeccable harmonica playing from Thielemans, as usual. The walking bass line and piano accompaniment are also crucial to the tune's mood.)
- Un Bel Di-Aria (The ethereal-sounding vocals make this track a potential candidate for a Halloween soundtrack. The instrumentation sounds to me like an unusual blend of Tangerine Dream and Dave Koz.)
