Wednesday standouts:
KDHX 88.1 FM
- Riding On A Load Of Hay/Carving The Pumpkin-Goldmine Pickers (This instrumental is an appealing fusion of bluegrass and Celtic styles. The opening minute or so of fiddling reminds me of Natalie MacMaster's approach to the violin. After that, the tune accelerates and kicks up some dust.)
- I Say A Little Prayer-Aretha Franklin (Dionne Warwick sings my default version of this, but Franklin's declarative "This is my prayer!" gives the outro additional spice.)
WSIE 88.7 FM
- She Spoke To Me Of Angels-Vincent Varvel (An airy, melancholy guitar piece.)
- Tribe-Andrea Lisa (Sunny, uptempo smooth jazz guitar and appropriately warm backing vocals.)
KWUR 90.3 FM
- Je M'ennuie-Hi-Fi Set (By American standards, this is an obscurity--laid-back Japanese jazzy pop/lounge vocals and instrumentation from 1976. The trumpet backing reminds me somewhat of Herb Alpert, which is always a plus. Don't be misled by the English translation of the title, "I'm Bored.")
WFUN 96.3 FM
- Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough-Michael Jackson (One of Jackson's most enduring, energetic pop grooves. While the album "Thriller" was a smash in its time, I still contend that the four best tracks on Jackson's prior album, "Off The Wall," (i.e. "Rock With You," "Off The Wall," "I Cam't Help It," and "Don't Stop...") hold up better.)
K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2
- Thomas Campion: Move Now With Measured Sound (Venere Lute Quartet) (Without any prior knowledge of this composer, I could immediately tell that this is a Baroque-era piece. Those who don't favor Baroque music might doubt that it's possible to sound stately yet warm, but that's the case here. This is a spirited melody fit for a music box.)
