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Jessie - Joshua Kadison
I had heard this song on the radio before going to college, but it was my roommate, Ryan McCall, and Sarajane "Blade" Osborn that re-exposed me to it in tag-team fashion. Beyond that, Kadison's disc bore several other great tunes, but this one is a good way to start a disc. Told in a very narrative style, Kadison talks about this girl for whom the song's named (her name comes up at the end of the album, too...obviously very much on his mind). |
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The Good Book Song - The New Main Street Singers
You gotta love Christopher Guest. First, "Spinal Tap", and then "A Mighty Wind", both lampooning musical genres. While I greatly prefer their earlier work, the folk satire was supported by an arsenal of wonderfully clichéd songs, including this one, recounting the Bible and the excellent lessons for life therein. This one's just funny--"oh yeah!/yeah yeah!" And that's only the beginning. |
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Try Not To Breathe - R.E.M.
I bought Automatic For The People before I could really appreciate it. It just seemed like everybody and their uncle had this disc, so I conformed. I like the 6/8 feel to this song, the absence of contractions in the lyrics, and the accordion. The accordion always feels so American. It's like pizza...one of the many things we stole from a distant land and adopted as our own. |
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First Song That I Sing - Sara Groves
As always, Sara Groves' material is blessed indeed. Every song is an accountability partner. In this one, she starts by singing, "In the morning when I rise/help me to prioritize". This is quickly supported by BGVs and veteran SG organist Jeff Roach. There's a cool section in the bridge when Sara gets to do her "c'mon everybody"s. |
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Open The Eyes Of My Heart - Michael W. Smith
I've always loved this song, which I first heard at Grace Church - St. Louis. It's so very simple, but when it's played in a fiery manner, it becomes all the more powerful, and God's grace really gets a chance to shine through. Smitty does a great reproduction on his Worship album, but that's pretty much par for his course. This man's hands are blessed as well. |
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Satisfied - Josh Dodes
When Josh finally released his sophomore album, I knew a track was going to be going into the next mix. I got seven tracks deep before I found my funky, chordally-complex one that caught my ear and didn't talk about the devil. Josh recently left the music business, and that's a shame--he's got a fantastic, punctuated style, evidenced here most apparently in his Rhodes playing. But, the road can be hard, and his time had come. When you've enjoyed sell-out success in New York City, you can't walk away all that disappointed. |
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Avalon - The Rippingtons
Russ Freeman and his band have unfortunately continued the descent into vanilla-smooth-jazz, lowering themselves to the depth of tracks usually concocted by a saxophonist with a MOTU 828 and limited chordal knowledge. However, on Let It Ripp, their latest studio album, Russ and Eric Marienthal pulled out the stops with this soulful piece. I could swear I'd heard it someplace before, but it doesn't matter--I'm perfectly content listening to this one over and over. After "Avalon", the rest of the album doesn't seem so bad as a whole, but I wish they'd continue to make music of the quality they've shown themselves to be capable of. |
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Green Book - Steely Dan
Straight off their recent release, the Dan came together once again, and whipped out this little emerald. It'll likely never chart, definitely a B-side, but it bumps along, a dark, seedy groove about virtual girlfriends (but, like most of the Dan catalog, the true meaning escapes me). I particularly love the ending, full of vocal harmonies and a glistening, phased-out Fender Rhodes. It's as pretty an ending as I've ever heard on a song, save for "New York State Of Mind". |
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Healing Waters - Yellowjackets
Scott Jones encouraged me to pick up Time Squared shortly after its release. I really enjoyed this song, a mellow piece in 6/8, sung by Jean Baylor, wife of drummer Marcus. She totally understands the genre, and her vocalese style reminds me of a recording I heard of Matt Gaskins', where he enlisted a girl to sing on this lovely track, which I'm still trying to get hold of. |
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A Little Bit Of Pain (II) - Vanessa Daou
I read a review which stated this song was one "to have sex to....kinky sex." I'm sure it would be great. It burns along, the bass so present it almost distorts, with a steamy ride cymbal providing the rhythmic lubrication. Vanessa's airy vox seem to tame the musical beast created by husband Peter Daou, who jams out at the end with a bebop piano solo. Merging tasteful jazz with seductive house beats should be done more often. |
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Jump - Van Halen
Every time I pull up my "Square Wave" patch on any of my General MIDI keyboards, there are two songs that are a given: Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F" and this one. We used to fake the swing audiences out by playing the top of this tune before going into "Jump, Jive An' Wail". Embarassingly, though, I didn't really know the tune beyond the opening synth chords. Once I focused on the form and heard Eddie's flashy tap solo during the bridge, I finally understood where the legions of rock wannabes got their influence. |
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Not Coming Home - Maroon5
Justin Sharbono turned me on to these guys almost a year before their singles starting scoring high chart positions. Half of the songs were great (if not ripped off...you can't tell me "Sunday Morning" wasn't heisted from Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity"), and near the end was this phat groove. Justin referred to them as a "rock band with boy-band harmonies", which is spot-on. During the verse, they make excellent use of the triplet, which gives it that R&B feel. |
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Something To Remind You - Pat Metheny Group
This mellow piece by one of the most amazing collectives in instrumental music came off their We Live Here album, otherwise filled with drum loops and dangerously toeing the line between tasteful pop-new age-jazz and modern smooth jazz dreck. Between Metheny and keyboardist Lyle Mays, though, there's nothing to worry about...the chord changes are totally magical, and they continue their perfect amalgam of virtuosic musicianship, melded into a blissful soundscape. |
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Meditation - Gary Fiorino
I've cited my brother in the Gospel, Gary Fiorino, several times, but now I can finally address one of his songs directly. When Gary released his solo piano CD, it contained mostly hymns and traditional praise music, with a generous dollop of his flair a la mode. This piece is an original, utilizing the "piano+strings" sound on the Kurzweil PC2X, and is simple, yet dextrous, and, as the title would suggest, is quite capable of aiding one when entering into meditation. |
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One On One - Daryl Hall & John Oates
When I saw Hall & Oates with Todd Rundgren, I didn't realize just how many hits they had. This one is full of major-9 chords, which I'm always drawn to. Its mellow intro segued nicely from Gary's "Meditation", and affords Daryl Hall the chance to strut what he got. And, in that, he's not subtle, either...."I wanna play with you, girl." Mercy! |
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Nobody - Du C'zon
Jeremy Flagg completed work on a worship CD distributed initially through Kent Henry Ministries called "Halfway Between Here And Somewhere", on which he played drums. Singer Du C'zon lays down an R&B vocal over Flagg's tight groove and bassist Carl Caspersen's almost mechanically perfect bass. I've always secretly enjoyed these kind of slow jams. |
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Not Afraid - Dry Bones Dancing
This is what led me to move back to Minnesota--playing with these guys. Initially, guitarist Justin Sharbono asked whether I'd be able to make it up to Minneapolis to lend some keys to the New Union band competition, in which he and DBD were participating. I said sure, and up I went, taking my Jetta on its last long-distance trip (replaced immediately by the Element, which I love dearly). This track closed out our set, and, though the band didn't win anything, it was fun to have this record of our performance. |
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