Stingray Music highlights LIV

Highlights from U-verse this morning:

The Blues

• Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Crying-Danielle Nicole (Strong, powerful vocals; I'd be curious to hear Susan Tedeschi cover this.)

Cocktail Lounge

• Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me-Nat King Cole Trio (Some of Cole's best, most heartfelt vocals; I played this several times on WEW.)

Cool Jazz

• Wintertime-Karen Mantler (Appealingly soft, breathy vocals and subtle underscoring.) 

Folk Roots

• Who Knows Where The Time Goes?-Nanci Griffith (No one can top Sandy Denny's interpretation, as far as I'm concerned, but Griffith's version is appropriately moving and cathartic.)
• Trouble In The Fields-Kyle Carey (Speaking of Nanci Griffith, this is a strong cover of one of her songs.  Carey's vocals are thoughtful, and the folk/Celtic instrumental backing fits the tune well.  It also has one of the most appealing fades I've heard.)

Jazz Latino

• Condiciones Que Existen-Alfredo Falu y su Latin Jazz Ensemble (I'd be curious to hear a cover of this with War on vocals and The Meters providing the instrumentation.)

Latin Lounge

• Tranquility 2001-Mettle Music (A steady, uptempo guitar and bass groove fit for a smooth jazz station.)

You're a true St. Louisan when...

...you hear a newscaster on any radio station say, "We'll be back with sports," and you immediately say or think, in the style of Cardinal baseball broadcasters Jack Buck or Mike Shannon, "We'll check the ticker and come back in a minute."

Setting the scene for a relaxing vacation

I wonder if any airline, division of tourism, or travel agency has ever used Nancy Wilson's version of "Trip With Me" in a commercial.  This track from 1970, in which Wilson sings about inviting someone to go on vacation with her, makes a getaway sound enticing.  Vocally, it reminds me of '60s era Dionne Warwick and The Fifth Dimension.  Its endearing retro vibe would likely catch a lot of customers' ears.

Persistent earworm alert XCI

Since yesterday, a techno song I haven't heard in at least 25 years has been firmly lodged in my mind.  I'll be reading a depressing editorial in the newspaper or online, and the Utah Saints tune,  "Something Good," comes to mind ironically.  In retrospect, its chorus is pretty catchy, and it's one of the rare tunes in which a band shouts out its name without sounding trite.

In memory of Yvonne Staples

Reading about the passing of Staple Singers vocalist Yvonne Staples triggered this memory:

In college, I attended an animated film festival.  Although I haven't seen the short since 1992, I still remember "I'll Take You There" being used effectively in a film about toys suddenly coming to life and marching around a room.  I thought then and still think "I'll Take You There" was the perfect musical accompaniment for that scenario.  Everything about that justifiably chart-topping hit clicks.  As I wrote previously, the tune sports one of the more effective, attention-getting opening notes and a sense of conviction in the vocals that sounds just as convincing today.

I also recommend the driving groove of "Heavy Makes You Happy," which segues well with Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance To The Music."

A more serious recommendation: "This Is A Perfect World."  The tune's lyrics differentiate the world from the people in it effectively.  It also weaves "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" appropriately into the mix.  This energetic track from 1971 about trying to show the creator that people from different backgrounds can coexist peacefully holds up today.

To jazz up Classical music or not?

I knew a violinist in college who didn't care for watered down versions of Classical pieces.  She was not a "Hooked On Classics" fan and thought Classical pieces should be played as they were intended.  It's a given, then, that she wouldn't have liked Walter Murphy's "A Fifth Of Beethoven."  I wonder what she thinks of Pink Martini's "Bolero," though.  Even the most militant Classical purist ought to appreciate the group's reverence for Ravel's masterpiece.

"Stable announcers wanted. Abrupt departures discouraged."

The longtime FM DJ told those of us at a broadcasting school seminar, "If you're going to quit a job, don't just walk out before your shift is over.  That kind of thing follows you.  If I were going to hire someone and came across the resume of someone who had done that, I'd say, 'OK, let's just put this (resume) off to the side.'  No one wants to risk hiring someone who might blow up the station when he's having a bad day."

Obvious advice?  Yes, but it's still valid.