FM dial scan highlights CXXXIX

Happy 33rd birthday, KDHX!  I've heard such an eclectic array of artists from so many diverse genres on that station over the years.  I don't know if I'll be around 33 years from now, but if I am, I hope I'm congratulating KDHX then on 66 years of invaluable service to St. Louis and beyond.  Here are nine noteworthy tunes I've heard on KDHX and two other stations this morning:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Little Lamb-Tim Heidecker (How do you tell people that their image of you is outdated or incomplete?  This August release's lyrics are one polite way of doing that.)
• Release & Let Go-Acceptance (This well-produced, well-sung August release is energetic rock suited for a huge venue.  It could segue with A Sunny Day In Glasgow's "In Love With Useless.")
• Saskatchewan To Chicago-Dolly Varden (This husband and wife duo sing compellingly, suggesting to me how Tracy Chapman or The Kennedys might sound as indie country-rock artists.) 
• Through My Sails-Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Young provides lyrical reassurance that a fresh start will likely turn out well.  This is one of Young's warmer tunes, so I should get to know it better.) 
• Dying To Believe-The Beths (This infectious, guitar-laden April release from vocalist Elizabeth Stokes and company segues well with the band's own "Happy Unhappy."  Also recommended: the tune's video in which the band helpfully shows how to write a song.)
  

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You-Erin Bode (I'm impressed that WSIE plays Bode's excellent cover of this Bob Dylan tune.  I saw Bode perform this live in 2007 and '08, and the synergy between the keyboard and Bode's vocals was perfect.)
• African Breeze-Jonathan Butler (A sunny, fast--and yes, breezy--melody for guitar and flute.)
• Godchild-Miles Davis (This is my favorite and most-played tune from the renowned "Birth Of The Cool" album.  This recording from 1949 finds Davis playing trumpet in more of a big band style than he would adopt in later phases of his distinguished career.) 

KEZK 102.5 FM

• Lovefool-The Cardigans (If you listened to WVRV when this was a hit, you probably heard it a lot.  Nina Persson's quirky vocals and the tune's memorable chorus plant themselves firmly in the listener's mind and don't leave easily.  This was the group's big American hit starting in late 1996 and lasting through the majority of 1997.  If you like the tune's hook, seek out "Carnival" and "Fine," which should have been American hits, as well.)
  

Online radio sampler highlights CXVI

Seven tunes, covering a 55-year span of music, heard today:

KPTZ (Port Townsend, WA)  

• Farewell Babylon-Kate Wallace (Wallace's strong alto vocals on this 2010 release remind me of how Carrie Newcomer might sound with bluegrass instrumentation.)
• Nice Time-Johnny Nash (Nash's voice is perfect for this pleasant 1974 rendition of a Bob Marley-penned tune.)
• Skulk-Steve Gadd Band (A cool, drum-propelled instrumental that could pass for a Steely Dan backing track.  I'm not sure how I missed this in 2018.)

KZSC (Santa Cruz, CA)

• Roxy Funk-The Sure Fire Jazz Ensemble (A brassy jazz-funk rendering of a Roy Ayers tune.  If I didn't know otherwise, I would have thought this ensemble released this in the '70s.  It's actually a 2019 cover, though.  Also recommended: "Backyard Boogie," which features wah-wah guitar, elements of The Meters and Tower Of Power, and segue potential with Rusty Bryant's "Ga Gang Gang Goong.")

WCBN (Ann Arbor, MI)

• My Conversation-The Uniques (R&B through the reggae filter of 1968; a nice blend of welcoming vocals with comforting, recurring piano punctuation.)

WRTI (Philadelphia, PA)

• The Green Leaves Of Summer-Hampton Hawes (This title track from a 1964 LP starts off as an evocative, reflective piano piece, not unlike that of Bill Evans.  Then, the bass and drums come in and add some energy to the proceedings.  Hawes also plays a strong version of "St. Thomas" on this album.)

WXYC (Chapel Hill, NC)

• Feel The Sunshine (Vocal Mix)-Alex Reece (To borrow from my review of "The Green Leaves Of Summer," this 1995 piece of electronica starts off with a mood in Deborah Anderson's mysterious vocals and the instrumentation that suggests a desolate street at night.  Then, the bass and drums come in, adding energy to the proceedings.)
  

Only in college LXXVIII

After hearing me answer the phone in KCOU's business office, the general manager, who liked my polite phone voice, asked, "If I give you a cookie, will you answer the phone all the time?"  I thanked her for the compliment but declined to answer the phone constantly.

Maybe I was too rigid in my refusal.  After all, if the reward is good enough for Cookie Monster...

Live and learn

In the '80s, while recording radio shows on tape for a radio station that wasn't actually on the dial, I started a short-lived pick hit feature.  I chose a song that wasn't a hit that I thought had the potential to make the charts.  One pick hit I chose was the Daryl Hall/John Oates tune, "The Reason Why."  Looking back, there were at least three reasons why it was naive of me to think it would ever be a hit:

• It wasn't from a current album.  It was a re-release of some of the duo's early work.
• As well written and smoothly crooned as it was, it didn't sound like Hall & Oates.  Listeners expecting another "You Make My Dreams," "Private Eyes," or "I Can't Go For That" might have respected this reflective ballad about a breakup, but most of them wouldn't have sought it out.
• It was out of step with pop hit sensibilities of the time.  On occasion, such songs become hits.  Roger Whittaker had a hit in 1975 with his fervently sung rendering of Ron A. Webster's poem, "The Last Farewell."  Taco had a smash hit in 1983 with his cover of Irving Berlin's "Puttin' On The Ritz." Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers brought "In The Mood," best known in its Glenn Miller incarnation, back to the public's attention through the medley, "Swing The Mood," in 1989.  Such instances, however, are usually few and far between.

After realizing the error of my ways, I stopped trying to pick hits on my radio shows.  Granted, no one could hear these shows, but I still think I made the right decision.

An overlooked cover tune LXVII

Perhaps it's jumping the gun to call a cover tune released eight days ago overlooked.  Nevertheless, I recommend Bill Baird's new rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time."  A faster tempo, a calliope feel in the instrumentation, and modest, somewhat buried vocals make up this fun, infectious take on Lauper's 1984 hit.  If "Time After Time"'s lyrics move you, but you wish to take the edge off of them, this is your cover.

Music Choice highlights

Thursday night standouts, heard through Spectrum's cable service:

Easy Listening

• A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square-John Wilson Orchestra (A lush, tasteful rendition.  If you prefer it sung, check out The Manhattan Transfer's version.)
  

Jazz

• 'S Wonderful-Steve Turre (This Gershwin standard adapts more naturally to the trombone than I would have thought.) 
• Bebo-Chucho Valdes (A great celebration-of-life showcase for piano, trumpet, saxophone, and percussion.) 
  

Light Classical

• Frederic Chopin: Prelude in C minor, Op. 28, No. 20 (Marian Pivka, piano) (One of the most famous melancholy Classical melodies; some listeners might not know it by name, but they've almost certainly heard it.) 
• Alexander Scriabin: Nocturne For The Left Hand, Op. 9, No. 2 (Danielle Loriano, piano) (This piece segues well with the Chopin prelude reviewed above.  When you play them back to back, the stark bleakness of Chopin's renowned melody gives way to Scriabin's serious melody, which offers glimmers of hope.)

R&B Soul

• BRB-Mahalia (For radio stations with Quiet Storm shows or formats that focus on more recent music, this should fit your playlist--lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally.) 

Solid Gold Oldies

• Kind Of A Drag-The Buckinghams (In just two minutes and change, The Buckinghams convey how much an inevitable breakup hurts--without sounding overwrought.  Keeping the vocals matter-of-fact with whirling organ accompaniment made this a 1967 chart-topper.) 
  

Sounds Of The Seasons

• Halloween Theme-John Carpenter (Gripping underscoring for an escape; a "Twilight Show"-style theme for the modern era.) 
  

Online radio sampler highlights CXV

Wednesday and Thursday highlights:

KUTX (Austin, TX)

• Hollow World-Elephant Stone (For times when you want to reinforce your belief that there's no hope...)
• I Can See For Miles-Petra Haden (Haden's a cappella rendition captures the spacey vibe of The Who's original version impressively.)

KVSF (Santa Fe, NM)

• Minor Vamp-Blue Mitchell (A sly, energetic trumpet piece fit for a film's chase scene or underscoring someone attempting to meet a tight deadline, such as getting to a store before it closes.)

WFMT (Chicago, IL)

• Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54: Finale, Allegro vivace (Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy, conductor; Rudolf Serkin, piano) (Need motivation for getting out of bed and achieving great things?  Let this be your inspiration...)
• Leos Janacek: Lachian Dances, No. 4, Starodavny (Old-Time Dance) (Czech State Philharmonic/Jose Serebrier, conductor) (...Or, perhaps you'd prefer far more tempered optimism instead.)

WNMC (Traverse City, MI)

• Kentucky Mandolin-Bill Monroe (Monroe is known as the father of bluegrass for a reason; this is one of many examples of his dexterity on the mandolin.)
• Shine The Light-The Persuasions (Regardless of one's religious or lack of religious beliefs, respect for the uplifting songwriting and vocals is due here.)

WRUV (Burlington, VT)

• Hazey Jane I-Nick Drake (In a more just world, Drake would have gotten far more acclaim for his introspective singing and songwriting when he was alive.  This is one of many standout tracks from his "Bryter Layter" album.)

WTUL (New Orleans, LA)

• I've Got To Be Strong-Doris Troy (Troy's vocals sound convincingly determined; the instrumental backing from top-notch rhythm players adds to the feeling of resolution.  Troy and company give the tune an infectious bounce.)