Ann Peebles

Heard this song in Memphis and CANNOT get over how good it is. Listen to the funky notes at the beginning, and the way she affects the word "rain" right off the bat. Close your eyes and feel this one. You are her, and you cannot stand the rain against your window. I tried several of the covers of this song and none of them hold a candle to the funky emotion in this one:


I Can't Stand the Rain

Gustav Holst

I really just want to bring to your attention Jupiter from The Planets by Holst. If you close your eyes and listen to it, you can imagine yourself in a spaceship, approaching the giant mass that is the planet Jupiter. Imagine seeing its massive terrain and sweeping landscapes for the first time. Imagine traveling over it's humongous canyons and through it's towering mountains. Imagine seeing its enormity, up close in person, for the very first time. That's what this piece of music does to me.

Also, when I first heard it, I recognized that a part in the middle is often used to create church songs. While I am not a church goer, the memory of the familiarity of everyone singing in unity about a common belief adds just enough passion and drama to the piece to make it truly spectacular.

Watch it performed live:
Jupiter from The Planets

Regina Spektor

Shake it up...

...uh-oh!

Two words can describe Regina Spektor: damn catchy.

Although she's definitely a singer-songerwriter, Regina does not fit the standard mold. Her music as a whole doesn't really have one style. Some songs are jazzy, some are pop-y, some are folky, some have a Russian flair to them, and some are just bizarre. Many of the songs experiment with the human voice and the sounds it can produce, though most of them tend to utilize typical instruments, notably piano. Some songs have literary references, while others refer to other musicians and songs. Her lyrics are simple at times when they need to be, but more often they are ingenious. She really tells a story in each song, whether that story is an actual tale or just an emotion. She describes the things that you're feeling and thinking that you couldn't express. And somehow each song moves me in a way I can't describe.

The best part of a Regina Spektor song, though, is that it sticks in your head. And that's okay.

"Fidelity"

One of my favorites:

"Consequence of Sounds"

This is just plain fun (and describes life so well):

"On the Radio"

And if you like something a little softer and sweeter:

"Samson"

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is a rock n roll god. I could go on and on about his importance to music, his mix of rock and blues and pop and reggae and everything else. I could tell you about his amazing songwriting. I could tell you that he is one of the foremost guitarists to ever play.

But instead I'll give you the only song that matters:

Layla by Derek and the Dominos

Damien Rice

Sometimes you're not in the mood for dancing or a killer guitar solo. You don't want anything loud and crazy. Sometimes you're in the mood for something soft and sweet. Something beautiful. In these situations, I recommend you turn to singer-songwriter Damien Rice.

His lyrics are heartfelt, and his passion breaks your heart. Sometimes, he makes you want to cry. But not because you're sad. And not because you're happy. It's because he takes you there and you feel it, whatever it is.

Rice is Irish, and you can kind of tell. He uses a lot of strings in his songs (obviously guitar, but also violin & cello definitely). Drums and piano as well. He is honest and intense in his music. He often collaborates with Lisa Hannigan, who compliments his voice beautifully.

I could listen to The Blower's Daughter all day, every day if I was in the right mindset. I have a stripped version of Cannonball that is possibly the most beautiful song I've ever heard (possibly second to the aforementioned Blower's Daughter). And I Remember is that song for when you're feeling a passion that starts slow but is burning up inside you that you know is going to eventually explode. It's pretty raw, but in a good way.

The Blower's Daughter

Cannonball The normal version; can't find the acoustic one I have. If you can find a version without that drum track, it's really gorgeous.

I Remember Mindblowing version. Slow to start, crazy at the end.

Cotton Mather

I'm going to be honest: I only know one song by this band. I never bothered to look further into their work. I was young when I heard it, and all I needed was the "repeat" button, their other work be damned.

The song that I do love, and have today chosen to encourage you to check out, is called Lily Dreams On. The song can probably be classified as powerpop. It's got a mid-era Beatles feel to it, though it is a late 90s song. The entire composition of the song is gorgeous, and it has one of the most wonderful lines of lyric that I've ever heard:

Put down your King James Bible/You don't need no kings

Also, it was placed brilliantly at the conclusion of one of the greatest season finale episodes of one of the greatest shows ever.

Lily Dreams On

The Guess Who

No, I'm not asking you to guess who my next selection is. That's the name of the band. The Guess Who rocked us hard in the '70s, hailing from Canada and begetting another important band in their wake: Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The Guess Who was the first Canadian rock band to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, thus forever telling our neighbors to the north "We think you rock, too, eh?"

The Guess Who is a classic '70s rock band, pairing gritty vocals with music that mixed rock, blues, and even a little jazz. It rocks hard in its rock/blues genre, and still holds up today. The Guess Who is one of my favorite bands for their great lyrics, slammin' guitars (yeah, I said "slammin'"), great all-around classic ROCK sound.

To share with you, I've chosen their #1 U.S. single American Woman (yes, it was their song!) AND its B-side, No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature.

You almost get 4 songs in one. The full version of American Woman starts out as a mix between a swanky blues song and an old-western cowboy tune with a great intro that is usually cut out in radio play. A perfect introduction for an American woman; blues & country-western are THE American genres. After this great intro, we are welcomed with a completely different take on the same song we're already hearing, the now-familiar "opening" guitar chords of American Woman, one of the most bad-ass (and covered) songs of all time. The song is both political and sexual in all the ways it can be in 1970. And it's just a rockin' song.

Now, flip it to the B-side, and we experience a two-fer. Of course they have another amazing songs, notably "No Time" and "Hand Me Down World." If you like rock, blues, 70s music in general, or just music with some real passion in, you owe it to yourself to give The Guess Who a chance.

American Woman

No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature