Turkey Day Edition

1. Freedom (Live from KCRW)- Amos Lee

• "Don't wanna be a martyr in this war, don't wanna hear the same excuses anymore." "Freedom is seldom found by beating someone to the ground, telling them how everything is gonna be now." Philadelphia singer songwriter Amos Lee blends folk, soul, jazz and blues into an amazing blend. In some ways it is difficult to categorize his music. Philadelphia Eagles back up quarterback Kelvin Kolb (who listens to Lee prior to each game) compared Lee's music to Bob Marley despite the fact he doesnt have a reggae sound. Some voices are simply filled with soul. Singers like Sam Cooke, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass. Amos Lee is in that class. Freedom comes from the superb "Supply and Demand" (2006) album. "Supply and Demand' is perhaps best known for the song "Sweet Pea" thanks to it's inclusion in an AT&T commercial. I'm not sure if "Freedom" is a reaction to the Iraq War but given the lyrics and timing it certainly could be. This particular version is from a live iTunes EP that finds Lee and his band in great form.

2. Hey! Baby (Single Version)- Bruce Channel

• "Hey, hey baby (uhh ahh), I wanna know if you'll be my girl." "When I saw you walking down the street, I said that's the kind of gal I'd like to meet, she's so pretty, Lord she's fine, I'm gonna make her mine, all mine." There are fun songs and then there are fun songs. I'm putting this in the fun song category. If you are a Penn State football fan and you hear this song you know it is the end of the 3rd quarter...it also means you are in Beaver Stadium. Pick up the beat and clap along to "Hey! Baby". If you are an 80s movie fan then you may associate this song with Dirty Dancing. I haven't seen the whole film but I hear people like it. If we are talking 80's Swayze movies, I'm probably more partial to the Roadhouse soundtrack and the music of Jeff Healey. "Hey! Baby" has a 60's feel- the production is reminiscent of early Beatles records, but at the end of the day the song is timeless.

3. Hummingbird- Wilco

• "His goal in life was to be an echo, the type of sound that floats around and then back down like a feather, but in the deep chrome canyons of the loudest Manhattans no one could hear him, or anything." " Remember to remember me standing still in your past floating fast like a hummingbird." Some bands have a hard time following up an album that was a critical/commercial success. "A Ghost is Born" (2004) proved that Wilco would have no such problem, in this case following the sucess of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (2002). "A Ghost is Born" is a great collection of songs including "Hummingbird". The album serves as the basis for their first live recording "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (2005). The sing song-y nature of "Hummingbird" makes it a great song to hear live; when the crowd sings along with the chorus you feel like there is something going on...if you are one of the people singing you may feel like you are a part of that something. There is an interesting alternate/demo version of "Hummingbird" on the "The Wilco Book CD" which comes with the Wilco Book. If you are leery of books, this one has a lot of pictures and there is a CD included.

1. Ghost Town- Cat Stevens

• "Come on lets go down, everybody's waiting for us down at the ghost town." "Lovely Queen Anne Boleyn learning new tricks from the Great Houdini, woah woah, now thats the way shes gonna make it woah woah." In 1974 Cat Stevens dropped "Buddha and the Chocolate Box", an album best known for the hit "Oh Very Young". As a Cat Stevens fan it is hard not to buy this album. This Buddha you mention sounds intriguing and a chocolate box only sweetens the deal. "Ghost Town" is a fun upbeat number based on acoustic guitar and piano (staples for Cat Stevens) and is augmented with harmonica and slide guitar. The singer songwriter would go on to convert to Islam, change his name to Yusef Islam and dismiss his work as Cat Stevens. In the past few years he has loosened his stance and taken to performing his old material including a marvelous rendition of "Peace Train" during the 2007 Live Earth concerts.

2. You Say You Don't Love Me- Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

• "You say you don't love me, well that's alright with me 'cos I'm in love with you, and I wouldn't want you doing things you don't want to do, oh you know I've always wanted you to be in love with me." A few years ago 90's power pop icon Matthew Sweet and 80s pop star Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) teamed up for "Under The Covers, Vol. 1", an album of 60's covers. This past year the duo teamed up again on "Under The Covers, Vol. 2" to tackle the 70s. "You Say You Don't Love Me" is a Buzzcocks cover, the Buzzcocks being a seminal 70s punk band from the UK. Sweet and Hoffs also pay tribute to the Ramones on this album. Neither of these punk covers find the duo at their best. On a personal note one of my 1st crushes growing up (aside from the one on my older sister's best friend) was on Susanna Hoffs.. I've aslo asked a friend of mine to sing "Eternal Flame" at my funeral.

3. At The Party- The Treacherous Three

• "(Kool Moe Dee) Remember me to the rhythm I'm Kool Moe Dee, (Special K) remember me Special K at the t-o-p, (L.A. Sunshine) remember me Sunshine and you will agree (All) nobody rocks (huh!) like the Treacherous Three." "(All) We'll rock the house without a doubt, and young ladies say we're guaranteed to turn it out, and if you don't believe it's true just check out how we rock for you." The Treacherous Three became one of the 1st hip hop acts to record in 1980 with a number of singles for the Enjoy! label including songs like "At The Party", "Feel The Heartbeat" and "Body Rock". The group would later move to the Sugar Hill label and MC Kool Moe Dee would go on to have a successful solo career. "At the Party" is 7 and a half minutes of old school hip hop pleasure. The synth hook which drives the song was used later in the decade by MC Shan in the song "Down By Law". Mariah Carey (who is "kinda scary") would use the bass line from "Body Rock" for her 1997 hit "Honey". If you need further proof of the group's impact, The Beastie Boys cite The Treacherous Three as an important influence- Moe Dee, Special K and L.A. Sunshine provided a template for how three MCs can work in unison.

1. Burning Bridges- Jason Mraz

• "You know exactly what I want so I don't have to be so damn upfront." "Oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire it won't bring you back." In 2005 to supplement the release of his sophomore release "Mr. A-Z" Jason Mraz offered an exclusive iTunes EP with a few gems including "Burning Bridges" and the original version of "I'm Yours". "I'm Yours" would resurface years later and set the record as the longest running song on the Billboard "Hot 100" list with 70 weeks on the chart. "Burning Bridges" finds Mraz at his mellow acoustic best. Mraz's live shows (well documented in the new "Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth" CD/DVD) mainly give us the singer songwriter surrounded by horns, percussion, keyboards, et all. The soul/funk/reggae sound of the full band is great but some of Mraz's best moments are with nothing more than an acoustic guitar. "Burning Bridges" is a rare song that showcases the singer in great form.

2. Creep- Radiohead

• "I don't care if it hurts, I wanna have control, I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul, I want you to notice when I'm not around." Radiohead burst on the scene in the early 90s with the album Pablo Honey and the debut single "Creep". I don't think I possess the perspicacity to quantify this bands importance or their influence on modern rock music. I'll leave that to actual music critics. At a minimum it is fair to say that Radiohead is an "albums" band- their work (often conceptual) is meant to be consumed as a whole, versus a single here and there. That being said I'm guilty of having downloaded a single here and there from the band. I think it goes without saying that "Creep" is a 4 minute masterpiece. If you take away the feel of the song (which is remarkable) the lyrics alone are other worldly. If this song hasn't spoken to you at some point, I'm not sure what to tell you. Ask around- I'm sure someone thinks you are a creep.

3. Stupid- Toad The Wet Sprocket

• "And it's frightening, Ooooh I didn't expect that from you, it's blinding, serious are you seriously, I am feeling really stupid now." A few months into this blog and it is probably obvious that former/somteimes Toad front man Glen Phillips is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. "Stupid" comes to us from the 1994 Toad album "Dulcinea" perhaps most notable for the hits "Fall Down" and "Something's Always Wrong". For me the highlight of "Dulcinea" is "Windmills", a Toad crown jewel that I'll salivate over when it comes up on the blog. I'll try to focus in the meantime. "Stupid" is a fun mid tempo number featuring strong vocal harmonies and references to a "carpenter's belt" and "sanding down the ceiling". Even if you lack construction experience this is a song you should be able to relate to. Ask around- I'm sure someone thinks you are stupid.

4 Days Rest Edition

1. Told You So- BareNaked Ladies

• "I never jumped in and rescued you, but I wanted to, I didn't tell you which way to go, 'cause I thought you'd know." "I never told you I told you so, but I told you so." In 1998 BareNaked Ladies climbed the charts with their LP "Stunt" featuring hits like "One Week" and "It's All Been Done". "Told You So" is an acoustic number from this set sung by guitarist Ed Robertson. While not a stand out song it is decent in it's own right. This is an "album track"- it was never a single and won't find it's way onto any greatest hits collections. Of course in 1998 people were still purchasing full length albums so there was a need for such songs. The "Stunt"album is great from start to finish surpassed only by the band's debut "Gordon". The Ladies are set to release a new album in early 2010 without co-founding front man/singer Steve Page. I'm quite curious to hear the results.

2. Mint Car- The Cure

• "I really don't think it gets any better than this, vanilla smile and a gorgeous strawberry kiss!, birds sing we swing, clouds drift by and everything is like a dream, it's everything I wished." I don't have a lot of The Cure in my collection and when I was in middle school I probably thought anyone that listened to and dressed like the band were strange. It turns out the music is good and I'm far more strange than anyone I went to middle school with. "Mint Car" is an ultra upbeat with colorful lead guitar work, an easy companion in tone to the band's hit "Friday I'm in Love". The song is available on the band's 2001 Greatest Hits collection but comes originally from the album "Wild Mood Swings". That title alone suggests I should dig deeper into The Cure's catalogue.

3. Son Of Byford- Run D.M.C.

• "I was born son of Byford, brother of Al, bad as my mamma and Run's my pal, it's McDaniels, not McDonald's, these rhymes are Darryl's, those burgers are RONALD'S." It took a long time for hip hop to go from the streets of the south Bronx to the suburbs. Run D.M.C. helped pave the way in 1986 with their groundbreaking album "Raising Hell". Songs like "It's Tricky", "Peter Piper" and the built to crossover "Walk This Way" made Run D.M.C. household names beyond the rap community. In the song "Bring the Noise" Public Enemy's Chuck D asserted that "Run D.M.C. first said a DJ could be a band." While Run D.M.C. will readily admit that they built their structure around the Cold Crush Brothers, the point is not lost. Run D.M.C. provided the template for hip hop success- validation that hip hop artists could compete with rock acts. "Son of Byford" is a short acapella song featuring D.M.C. on vocals and some human beat boxing thrown in for good measure. I never caught Run D.M.C. in their prime, but I did catch them live in the early 2000s before the passing of legendary Jam Master Jay.