Eight ear-catching tunes heard this morning:
'80s Deep Cuts
- Don't Tell Me Lies-Breathe (For a time in 1989, soft rock stations were all over this hit. In retrospect, it's easy to hear why; the uptempo hook doesn't leave your mind easily. I should dig this out of my collection and play it again.)
'80s On 8
- The Salt In My Tears-Martin Briley (Cathartic lyrics for getting over a breakup. I still hear this every once in a while on album rock stations, but it should have been a bigger hit.)
Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals
- Fall Leaves-Karl Backstrom (A contemplative, bittersweet, appropriately titled guitar piece.)
- Simply The Best-Billianne (Although I don't dislike the arena rock approach Bonnie Tyler and Tina Turner take on their versions, I think Billianne's quieter approach to the vocals is more appealing. The acoustic guitar adds appropriate shading, as well.)
The Coffee House Discovery
- Losing Time-Mia Giovina (These are poignant lyrics to hear on the eve of my 53rd birthday. Giovina is right; when you get older, you aren't the person you were at eighteen. That isn't a bad thing, though. You might not be as energetic or idealistic when you're older, but you learn an awful lot as you age. This is a good new track by a promising, relatively young artist.)
- Vanilla Extract-Eddie Palmieri (A steady, percolating rhythm for piano.)
- Night Train-Christian McBride (This is one of the most covered jazz tunes, for good reason. With just the acoustic bass, McBride achieves what it usually takes a full ensemble to pull off.)
- Camille-Ana Roxanne (Grim, haunting, ambient vocals and instrumentation.)
