1. End of the Line- The Traveling Wilburys

• "Maybe somewhere down the road aways (end of the line), you'll think of me and wonder where I am these days (end of the line), maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays (end of the line), purple haze." For those not in the know, The Traveling Wilburys were a late 80s/early 90s super group featuring Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and Bob Dylan. These old white guys could really make a great song. How much do I like this song? A lot. Why should you care? I'm not sure but that is kinda the premise of this blog. I'm not into Elvis much, but the "well it's all right" chorus of "End of The Line" has a great 50's Elvis feel. Perhaps the chorus reminds me of "That's Alright Mama", the Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup cover which was Presley's 1st single. This may be the last time I reference "The King" as he's not on my iPod and I'm not a fan. "End of the Line" is worth checking out for any fans of Tom Petty or classic rock in general.

2. Space Between The Lines- Pictures and Sound

• "There's a little sparrow singing, and a ring around the sun, and I'm right here by the shoulder, just stickin' out my thumb. Now I'm right back where I started, in the space between the lines, I come expecting nothing, but what i find." Blue Merle had a handful of original songs- "Road to Town", "Foreign Girls" and "Space Between The Lines" that did not find their way onto their debut (and only) studio album "Burning in the Sun". "Space Between The Lines" became a live staple for the band. Blue Merle front man/songwriter/singer Lucas Reynolds recorded the song as the title track for his 2006 solo EP. He re-recorded it in 2008 as Pictures and Sound. The various versions of "Space Between The Lines" are pretty much the same- plodding, moody and introspective...but that's right up my alley. Lucas Reynolds, who now goes by Luke, has a great new independent album available online. You can stream it for free and supposedly a physical CD version exists (I'm still waiting for mine in the mail). Very recently Luke became a full time member of Guster. Perhaps the lads from Guster will give us another incarnation of "Space Between The Lines".

3. Lucky (Suerte) [feat. Ximena Sarinana]- Jason Mraz

• "Se que te quiero cuando te vas, supe desde tiempo atras, Es que mi corazon no sabe querer hasta volverte a ver, suerte que despierto junto a ti, suerte que senti lo que senti, suerte que regresas para mi." Who said this blog has no international appeal? This re-recording of "Lucky" finds Jason Mraz ditching duet partner Colbie Caillat and teaming up with Ximena Sarinana. Jason kicks a few verses in English, Ximena answers back in Espanol and they sing together in Spanish. The original version of this song is so sugary that repeated listening could cause tooth decay. With this version I'm less aware of what they're singing about so I can focus on the nice melodies and harmonies. The melodies are so nice that I took the time to teach myself this song on guitar (with help from the We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things "Play It Like It Is" song book) despite the fact that I have no chick to sing it with. I've been playing guitar for years and years but I still haven't found the "Juliana next to my Evan" or the Natalie next to my J.R. (despite my best efforts).