Standout selections heard yesterday:
KDHX 88.1 FM
- Kyrie Eleison-Lydia McCauley (Haunting vocals with poignant acoustic instrumentation.)
- Kenny MacDonald's Jigs-Capercaillie (Since discovering that I'm 15% Scottish, I'm all the more pleased to know that this fun instrumental romp is part of my heritage.)
WSIE 88.7 FM
- Where Are We Going?-Donald Byrd (An appealing "Grazing In The Grass" feel.)
- Sunkissed-The TNR Collective (Warm, inviting smooth jazz piano and guitar.)
KWUR 90.3 FM
- Haven't You Heard?-Patrice Rushen (This 1979 dance track has a strongly sustained rhythm and a chorus that plants itself firmly in the listener's mind.)
KWMU 90.7 FM
- Sweethearts On Parade-Oscar Peterson & Count Basie (Spirited, jaunty playing from two jazz piano giants.)
KSHE 94.7 FM
- Everything's Coming Our Way-Santana (As with many Santana tracks, this has a fast, joyous, celebratory vibe. The Quantic Soul Orchestra's "Paintings And Journeys" is rhythmically compatible with this.)
- Dance On A Volcano-Genesis (Proof, along with every other track on the band's best album, "A Trick Of The Tail," that Phil Collins hit the ground running as lead vocalist after Peter Gabriel's departure. "Dance..." is also a strong example of how to build tension and maintain it, vocally and instrumentally. Also recommended: Basically everything on "A Trick Of The Tail," but especially "Entangled," which features vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar stylings that aren't typical of Genesis.)
KLOU 103.3 FM
- I Still Can't Get Over Loving You-Ray Parker, Jr. (Parker avoids the trap into which many songs with such titles fall; he refrains from overemoting or promising to climb the highest mountain or swim the deepest ocean. In essence he just says, "Hey, I miss you," and leaves it at that. This was on the charts 41 years ago this week, as KLOU's rerun of "American Top 40" reminded me. It's one of Parker's underrated tunes, and it was a bigger hit than I realized.)
- Owner Of A Lonely Heart-Yes (This was the number one song in the country this week in 1984, and it still leaps out of the speakers just as effectively. It's a strong example of how a '70s prog rock band adjusted its sound for the more mechanized '80s pop scene.)
