Six standouts heard today:
KBEM (Minneapolis, MN)
- Sweet Baby-George Duke & Stanley Clarke (An equally strong fit in soft adult contemporary, old school R&B, and smooth jazz playlists. Sincere vocals and timeless lyrics should guarantee that there will always be an outlet for this tune. It puzzles me that we didn't play it more frequently on KNJZ.)
- Bumpin' On Sunet-Wes Montgomery (This sly, in-its-own-time guitar rhythm has held up over the decades, and it's not surprising that multiple artists have covered it.)
KFFR (Winter Park, CO)
- Love Train-Keb' Mo' (The original version by The O'Jays emphasizes the tune's rhythmic dance quality, while Keb' Mo''s take brings out more of the social justice aspirations of the lyrics.)
WFMT (Chicago, IL)
- Traditional Irish: The Foggy Dew (Carol Thompson, Celtic harp) (Appropriately delicate playing and a long, effective reverberation on the last note.)
WGMC (Rochester, NY)
- All I Want-Rachel Z Trio (Rachel Z honors the essence of this Joni Mitchell melody on the piano but makes the tune her own with a jazzier, freewheeling bent.)
- Unsquare Dance-Dave Brubeck Quartet (It's challenging to compose and play a compelling melody in 7/4 time, so the quartet's success on both counts impresses me. As I've written previously, it appeals to my cat, Collette, as well.)
