1. Because- The Beatles

• "Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you, because the sky is blue, it makes me cry, because the sky is blue." Great band or greatest band? Put me down for greatest band. This version of "Because" is from the album "Love" which does a masterful job of remixing a number of classic Beatles tunes. The change to the original version here is obvious- the song is presented acapella. It does showcase the Beach Boys style vocals/harmonies which is nice but I prefer the original "Abbey Road" version driven by the harpsichord. I've come to accept "Abbey Road" as the greatest Beatles album. For a good read on the break up of the Fab Four check out the latest issue of Rolling Stone. If you have a lack of Beatles in your collection you are in luck-The Beatles catalogue is being remastered and reissued on 9-9-09 along with the release of the Rock Band game.

2. Shiver- Coldplay

• "From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep, I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me, I'll be waitin' in line, just to see if you care." I'd have to put "Shiver" in the great tradition of "stalker songs" like "Every Breath You Take" and "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get". The guy isn't going to give up easily...and this is what girls want, right? The endless maddening pursuit. If "Say Anything" taught us anything it's that if you really want to get the girl you should show up on her property uninvited... and maybe bring a boom box for good measure. "Shiver" is featured on Coldplay's debut "Parachutes" and there is a nice acoustic version available on the "Trouble (B-Sides) EP". The song is fantastic vocally, melodically, lyrically, and sonically. It will help you make friends and influence people.

3. All At Sea- Jamie Cullum

• "I’m all at sea where no one can bother me, I sleep by myself, I drink on my own, I don’t speak to nobody, I gave away my phone." In 2004 Jamie Cullum became a VH1 "You oughta know" artist of the month when he corned the market on pop/alt-jazz with the release of the album "Twentysomething". The album features original numbers like "All At Sea" as well as a number of well done covers. Plenty of songs take on personal meaning in our lives and the "I gave away my phone" makes this one personal for me. About 4 years ago for no particular reason I decided to ignore my phone, voicemail and text messages for a few days...I think I wanted to escape technology for a bit. You would have thought it was the end of days by the reaction from people not being able to get in touch with me...and trust me, I'm not important. Not long after the release of "Twentysomething" I had the fortune of seeing Jamie Cullum at Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia. Zanzibar was the premiere jazz club in the city- a landmark so to speak...sadly it is gone. I'm glad I was able to catch a great show there.