1. It's Alright- Jay-Z

• "Bounce if you wanna bounce, ball if you wanna ball, play if you wanna play, floss if you wanna floss, it's alright, you heard? it's alright, holla back." If you find Jay-Z on my iPod it means that someone put it on a mix for me (I'm not going to purchase Jay-Z anytime soon). I'm trying to let this rapper grow on me but as time goes on it seems less and less likely. The best thing I can say about this song is the sample is good- "Once In a Lifetime" by the Talking Heads (one of my favorite songs of all time). I was recently unpacking some boxes and came across a bunch of "old school" hip hop CDs including 1993's "Home Invasion" by Ice-T. I hadn't listened to the CD in years and years. I was surprised to find a song called "99 Problems"and sure enough it's the basis for the Jay-Z hit. I guess he's more of a biter than a writer.

2. Common Pleasure- Jason Mraz

• "I'm gonna keep on keeping on, I'm gonna reap being strong, and I got my head on, though misconnected, it's alright cause I do it protected." This particular version of "Common Pleasure" comes from the 1999 debut independent release "A Jason Mraz Demonstration". I didn't become familiar with Mraz until a few years later but I recently came across a number of his early independent releases thanks to a combination of the Internet and not having a girlfriend. This original version is based on acoustic guitar and has a mellow coffee shop vibe. The more well known live version from the "Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom" CD/DVD is performed on electric guitar with a sped up tempo. Both versions feature great percussion (compliments of Toca Rivera) and scat lyrics that are quite fun to sing along with. If you are a die hard Mraz fan I'd recommend digging around for a copy of "A Jason Mraz Demonstration". In addition to "Common Pleasure" you'll find the original versions of "Sleep All Day" and "0% Interest" among others.

3. Out Of The Woods- Nickel Creek

• "I roller coaster for you, time out of mind must be heavenly, it's all enchanted and wild, just like my heart said it was gonna be. If this is gonna run 'round in my head I might as well be dreaming." I can remember the 1st time I heard Nickel Creek. I was in a car heading from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon in 2000. I think it was an NPR program that we stumbled upon- I was blown away by Nickel Creek's musicianship. There isn't much in the way of bluegrass in my collection but this is too good to pass up. "Out of the Woods" is gorgeous....dare I say achingly beautiful. It's also smooth as hell. A friend of mine had me watch a few episodes of the Internet series "Yacht Rock" this past weekend. "Out Of The Woods" might as well be a bluegrass tribute to the Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald genre. "Yacht Rock" suggests that "Sailing" by Christopher Cross is the smoothest song of all time. I won't argue that, but "Out Of The Woods" is not far behind.