Let's Undress Just Like Cross-eyed Strangers Edition

1. Tired Of Being Alone- Al Green

• "I'm so tired of being alone, I'm so tired of on my own, won't you help me girl soon as you can, I guess you know that I (huh) love you so, even though you don't want me no more." There is nothing about this song I don't like. The guitar, the horns (oh my yes the horns), the melody, the lyrics and oh yea...Al Green's flawless vocals. This is soul music. Does being desperately alone make this song sound better? Probably, but I'm pretty sure it sounds good for people who have someone that cares about them as well. In the hip hop DJ documentary "Scratch", DJ Premiere talks about sampling records and how they don't make the funk like they used to. "Tired of Being Alone" is a great example of how the funk used to sound.

2. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- BareNaked Ladies

• "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb), and if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows (like a light bulb), all of the other reindeers used to laugh and call him names (like stupid)." In 2004 the Ladies released "BareNaked For The Holidays", a collection of holiday music (imagine that). The album contained a brief instrumental version of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" from Kevin Hearn on what I can only imagine is a Casio keyboard. This version comes from a live performance at the tail end of 2008...complete with lyrics. This concert performance would mark one of the last times that co-founding front man/lead singer Steven J Page would sing with the band. The Ladies (now a four piece) released "All In Good Time" in early 2010. Earlier this month, Steven Page released his first true solo effort "Page One" which oddly sounds more like BNL than "All In Good Time".

3. Rock With You (Single Version)- Michael Jackson

• "Out on the floor, there ain't nobody there but us, girl when you dance, there's magic that must be love, just take it slow, 'cause we got so far to go, when you feel that heat, and we gonna ride the boogie, share that beat of love." The iTunes review for Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" describes "Rock With You" as a "dance-floor workout". I won't argue that. I set a few dance floors on fire in my day to songs like this and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". (On that note- you can't call 911 every time shawty fire burning on the dance floor.) I suppose I have the benefit of enjoying the best of the disco/dance era without having had to live through it. "Rock With You" is silky smooth. The track and Jackson's laid back vocals draw you in...by the time the hook comes around you're shaking the ass your momma gave you whether you realize it or not.

1-2-1 Edition

Staff Notes- soul music lost a legend with the recent passing of Solomon Burke. We have the recipe but Memphis Soul Stew will never taste the same.

1. Belief- John Mayer

1. "Belief is a beautiful armor that makes for the heaviest sword, like punching underwater you never can hit who you're trying for. What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand, belief can, belief can, what puts a folded flag inside his mother's hands, belief can, belief can." JM batting lead off for the 2nd week in a row (I have baseball on the brain). "Waiting On The World To Change", the debut single from the album "Continuum" drew musical and thematic comparisons to the Marvin Gaye classic "What's Going On". That groundbreaking work (which will forever be included in my desert island top 5 albums) is a true concept piece where the story is told over the course of the album. "Continuum" doesn't have a unified thematic thread but "Belief" and "Waiting On The World To Change" are brothers in arms. Both songs question the war, just from different angles. "Waiting On The World To Change" questions how we got there- "when you trust your television, what you get it what you've got, cause when they own the information oh they can bend it all they want." "Belief" questions how we'll ever get out of it- "we're never gonna win the world, we're never gonna stop the war, we're never gonna beat this if belief is what we're fighting for." Like Gaye before him, Mayer doesn't claim to have the answers to the challenging issues of the day, but as an artist he calls his audience to question how we got here and where we should go. Before I head to that desert island I'm grabbing my copy of "Continuum" as well.
2. Family (featuring Jack Johnson)- Zack Gill

• "She was feeling the yuletide burn, cause her family was wearing on her nerves, she was tired of fighting and feeling frustrated, finding it hard to relate to those of whom she was related." You may think that you've never heard Zack Gill but chances are you have. Zack plays piano and accordion for Jack Johnson and is a member of this touring band. As much as Jack Johnson's sound is defined by the simple elements of his voice and guitar, more and more his signature sound includes his partner Zack. It turns out that Zack is a decent songwriter in his own right and has a warm soulful voice (file Zack under blue eyed soul). "Family" is a holiday themed song about the struggles of spending time with relatives but ultimately understanding and appreciating the bond. I should probably listen to this song more as I often find extended family holiday events a serious strain on my mental health. A few years ago I caught Zack Gill open for Mason Jennings (who is on Jack Johnson's record label) at the TLA in Philly. The highlight of Zack's set, without a doubt, was a German themed rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band classic "Devil Went Down to Georgia". In this version the protagonist battles the devil on accordion with hilarious results. Believe it or not I once saw Charlie Daniels sing the national anthem. It came before the 2007 Outback Bowl between Penn State and the University of Tennessee. I wasn't all that moved but the redneck UT fans were in their glory.

1. Powder Blue- BareNaked Ladies

• "With each mistake you either bend or break, with every word I chose, you only seem to bruise. You're going off the deep end, I'm going over all the things I've got to say. I made love blind and lost my mind." It was bound to happen and it happened today...we've gotten into some obscure BareNaked Ladies. "Powder Blue" is a left over from the sessions that gave us the album "Maroon". You probably know "Maroon" for songs like "Pinch Me" and "Too Little Too Late". You may be interested to know the album was produced by Don Was, who brought us "Everybody Walk the Dinosaur" when Was was in Was (Not Was). "Powder Blue" first found life on an Australian "Pinch Me" CD single import which featured a few songs that didn't make it off the cutting room floor. This is by far the best of that collection...."Born Human" a song about dating a girl raised by wolves is by far the quirkiest. "Powder Blue" shows up as a live number on the "Talk To The Hand: Live in Michigan" CD/DVD/Blu-ray and the original Ships and Dip album. While the Ladies are best known for upbeat pop tunes they've recorded a number of songs with very dark undercurrents. Songs like "I'll Be That Girl" (references to auto erotic asphyxiation and suicide), "War on Drugs" (depression and suicide), "The Flag" (spousal abuse) and "I Live With It Everyday" (suicide) to name a few. "Powder Blue" fits into that tradition nicely. Someone queue up a happy song.

1. Say- John Mayer

• "Even if your hands are shaking, and your faith is broken, even as the eyes are closing, do it with a heart wide open (a wide heart), say what you need to say." You might think I have a lot to say about this song. You'd be wrong. You might think I'm crazy. That's a whole 'nother story. "Say" was released as a single in late 2007. It was written for the film "The Bucket List". I haven't seen the film but I understand the song plays such a critical role in the movie that it is used over the end credits (and at no other time in the film). I do like "Say" but it doesn't do a whole lot for me. I suppose the song lacks the emotional depth it strives so much to achieve. Musically I do enjoy the 1:05 mark when the band kicks in and the song gets a little more punch. In 2009 "Say" won the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal performance over Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" which in terms of chart longevity proved to be the biggest pop song of all time. Mayer has won The Best Male Pop Vocal Grammy 4 out of the last 8 years and was nominated one other time so it's almost his category. In 2008 John Mayer re-released the Continuum with "Say" appended as the final song.

2. Till There Was You- The Beatles

• "And there was music, and wonderful roses, they tell me, in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew, there was love all around, but I never heard it singing, no I never heard it at all, till there was you." What a sweet song. The Beatles were known to cover rock n roll songs early in their career. Songs like "Roll Over Beethoven", "Twist and Shout" and "Rock and Roll Music" to name just a few. They also dipped into Broadway show tunes with their cover of "Till There Was You", a song written in 1957 by Meredith Wilson (a dude) for the musical "The Music Man". I'm not big into musicals (discount the fact that I recently saw a production of "Oklahoma") but "The Music Man" does have a bunch of great tunes. "Seventy Six Trombones" and "Gary, Indiana" are classics. Fans of the cartoon series "Family Guy" are inadvertently familiar with the musical thanks to their rendition of "Shipoopi", which believe it or not does not alter the lyrics. Getting back to the fab four... The Beatles performed "Till There Was You" regularly-it was one of the songs they played on their 1st appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, an appearance which proved to be a defining moment in pop culture history.

3. Ring The Alarm- Fu-Schnickens

• "Ring the alarm, and not a sound is dying, woah, aye. So take heed to this lesson I bring or the lesson I brought, which was taught to one another, all slack MC's better ring the alarm, in other words run for cover." My first introduction to Fu-Schnickens was hearing "Ring The Alarm" on the radio (I've been a true fu-schnick ever since). It was most likely on Philadelphia's "Power 99", which at the time (1991) relegated hip hop to the late evenings and weekends. The normal broadcasting hours were saved for the "quiet storm" R&B nonsense the average hip hop fan looked at with disgust. "Ring The Alarm" provides quite an introduction to the Fu-Schnicken style of speed rapping and occasional backwards lyrics. I didn't discover the origins of this tune until a number of years ago. "Ring The Alarm" is based on a mid 1980's reggae song of the same name by Tenor Saw. It's one of those songs where you don't need to be a fan of the reggae genre to appreciate what's going on. The Fu-Schnickens speed up the Tenor Saw sample and bust rhymes that will make your head spin.

1. Cigarette- Ben Folds 5

• "Fred Jones was worn out, from caring for his often, screaming and crying wife, during the day but, he couldn't sleep at night for fear that she, in a stupor from the drugs that didn't even, ease the pain would set the house a blaze, with a cigarette." I can remember buying Ben Folds Five "Whatever and Ever Amen" and BareNaked Ladies "Rock Spectacle" in the summer of 97 at a store called Circuit City. Last week's episode of Family Guy mocked the now extinct electronics chain;"Circuit City- even our name was bad". I can remember playing both CDs when I moved into my apartment for my senior year of college. You know, you hook your stereo system and speakers up early so you can listen to music as you do the rest of your unpacking. That semester I listened to the Ben Folds 5 CD a sane amount (the same can't be said for "Rock Spectacle"). "Whatever and Ever Amen" features great songs like "Brick", "Kate", "Battle Of Who Could Care Less", and "Song For The Dumped". It also features "Cigarette", a slow moper that clocks in at 1:38. Lyrically I've given you the whole deal. Musically it features solo Ben on piano (the other dudes that make up the 5 are not represented). The music is pleasant and sounds like something you might hear at your local piano recital.

2. Hoodoo Voodoo- Wilco

• "Black birdy, blue jay, one, two, three, four, trash sack, jump back, E F G, biggy hat, little hat, fatty man, skinny man, grasshopper, green snake, hold my hand." Back in the late 90s (when I was listening to "Rock Spectacle" on repeat) Wilco hooked up with alt-folk singer Billy Bragg to record a number of unreleased Woody Guthrie songs. Woody Guthrie sits alongside Pete Seeger as a godfather of folk music. "Mermaid Avenue" and "Mermaid Avenue" Vol. II" document the fruits of this unique recording endeavor. If I'm to believe what I read online, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy was ambivalent about the project and Billy Bragg didn't want the band mixing/touching his recordings. If Tweedy wasn't sure about the project I'm guessing he was fairly pleased with the results. Songs like "California Stars", "One By One" "Airline to Heaven" and "Hoodoo Voodoo" have become Wilco concert staples. "Hoodoo Voodoo" is a fun nonsense song. At least I can't make any sense of it. Musically it reminds me of "Picture Book" by the Kinks. If you listen to the two side by side I dare you to not draw that comparison. This particular version of "Hoodoo Voodoo" comes from a concert at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA in 2008. It was my first Wilco show and I was not prepared for how good the band was. I was blown away.

3. Different Names for the Same Thing- Death Cab For Cutie

• "Alone on a train aimless in wonder, an outdated map crumpled in my pocket, but I didn't care where I was going, 'cause they're all different names for the same place." Some people must find charm in lo-fi recordings. Why else would a band with access to multi-million dollar recording equipment and studios produce a song that sounds like it was sung into a tape recorder? "Different Names for the Same Thing" is classic depressing Death Cab, at least for the first two minutes. After that we get a slow build into the electro-sound more associated with lead singer Ben Gibbard's side project The Postal Service. "Different Names for the Same Thing" comes from Death Cab For Cutie's first major label record "Plans". The band had previously released albums on a smaller independent label. I can't remember if The O.C. explicitly referenced "Plans" (it probably did) but Death Cab was Seth Cohen's favorite band so you know he was listening to this back in the day when he was pinning for Summer Roberts. I can't blame him. Summer Roberts, yum.

1. What Do You Need- Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons

• "And my lovers they don't understand what ever needed you for, but I needed you for me, they don't understand anything about me, they don't understand what it is about me that loves." A year ago I had no idea who Cory Chisel was. I had the fortune of seeing him open up for Brendan Benson at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. I became a fan that night. Cory Chisel reminds one of a young Bruce Springsteen in his hey'. The friend I saw the show with commented that Cory offers all the things he liked about Springsteen (the sound) without all of the stuff he didn't (the pretense). More on that show in a bit. "What Do You Need" comes from the full length "Death Won't Send a Letter" album. It's a straight forward rock song that won't change your world. "Born Again", "So Wrong For Me" and the gorgeous "Tennessee" are the standout songs from the album. As an encore to the show Brendan brought Cory back on stage for a cover of Tom Petty's classic "American Girl". Brendan sang the first verse but forgot the opening lyrics. It's funny to me because the opening lyric is basically the name of the song.

2. Sunday Kind of Love- Etta James

• "And my arms need someone, someone to enfold, to keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold, love for all my life to have and to hold, oh and I want a Sunday kind of love." Hey ladies, how do you when a guy really likes you? It's when he gets seeing his friends out of the way on Friday and Saturday to spend his Sunday with you. Etta James is best known for her smash "At Last" but she has a handful of other classics in her collection including "Sunday Kind of Love". James was recently portrayed by Beyonce Knowles in the film Cadillac Records and Beyonce recorded a few of her songs on the soundtrack. Given that Beyonce is an icon in her own right it's not hard to imagine a yet to be born signer playing miss Knowles in the movies decades from now. I hope when that soundtrack comes out it features "Bug A Boo". Getting back to Etta James I definitely recommend that you listen to this song...just try to resist the urge to go out and buy Dockers.

3. Born Under a Bad Sign- Albert King (featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan)

• "Wine and women is all I crave, a big legged woman is going to carry me to my grave, born under a bad sign, I been down since I began to crawl, if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all." Albert, Freddie and B.B. represent the three kings of blues guitar. If you spend any time listening to these cats you'll hear where guys like Clapton, Page, Beck, etc got their sound from. In 1983 Albert King played a concert with Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was the hot blues guitarist of day. The concert was filmed for the show "In Session". That show was released as a CD years later but for whatever reason this particular song (perhaps Albert King's best known song) was left out. Years later the song was included in an Albert King Stax Profiles greatest hits collection. I first came across "Born Under a Bad Sign" as an instrumental cover on the Jimi Hendrix "Jimi Blues" album. Jimi's version is of course amazing but this version takes the cake; you get the lyrics and Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan trading licks. A DVD of the King/Vaughan In Session concert is being released next month.