1. Half a Heart- BareNaked Ladies

• "Standing on a crumbling wall, tethered to a cannonball, anyone with half a heart would help me out, before they ever let the other half find out." Not to be confused with "Half of My Heart" (a song John Mayer recorded as a vehicle to knock Taylor Swift's country boots from here to Czechoslovakia) this is BNL song that does not feature any teen tarts. "Half of My Heart" comes courtesy of the "BareNaked Ladies Are Men" album; a rapid fire follow up to "BareNaked Ladies Are Me". I like the idea that the title of their 8th studio album could be used to clear up any ambiguity with the band's name....15 years into their recording career. On "BareNaked Ladies Are Men", "Half a Heart" serves a much welcomed mid-tempo acoustic number. It is surrounded by a number of upbeat/up-tempo electric guitar rock songs that are a bit too peppy, collectively speaking. "Half A Heart" is a cardio cool down on the treadmill of life. With no more insight into this song and space to fill, I feel the urge to share a story from the day I met the BareNaked Ladies. I remember being struck by seeing Kevin Hearn (piano, accordion, guitar, et al) relaxing with a copy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", presumably reading it for pleasure. Having read the book for an AP English class in high school I couldn't imagine it as light reading for anyone but there we were. I told Kevin when he was done with the book to check out the film as it features William Shatner. He seemed both surprised and amused. Books are always better than the movie but when Shatner is involved all bets are off.

2. Nightingale Song- Toad The Wet Sprocket

• "And little ever changes when you view it from the sky, and the damage we encounter, the earth just passes by, and little ever changes if anything at all, just reminds ourselves how small we are." What is it about a sweet acoustic guitar riff, great lyrics/vocals/harmonies, and hand claps that I like so much? Oh yea, all of it. A tambourine is a nice touch as well. "Nightingale Song" gives me all that in 2:03. Toad The Wet Sprocket, who are touring as we speak, really hit their stride in 1991 with the album "Fear". The album is most remembered for songs like "Walk On The Ocean" and "All I Want" but it's superb from top to bottom. "Fear" found an audience when alternative rock was alternative; a pre-grunge era when the college charts bore no resemblance whatsoever to the pop charts. In the interest of full disclosure I didn't find out about this album until I was in college. In 1991 I was far too immersed in Public Enemy in particular and overthrowing the establishment in general to appreciate songs like "Butterflies" and "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted." These days I enjoy my Glen Phillips autographed guitar and long walks on the beach.

3. They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)- Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

• "I reminisce so you never forget this, the days of way back, so many bear witness to fitness, take the first letter out of each word in this joint, listen close as I prove my point." For our next number we are returning to the classics. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is a tribute to "Trouble" T. Roy, a dancer for Heavy D & The Boyz who died in a tragic accident in 1990. Shortly before his death I saw him perform at the old Spectrum when Heavy D helped open for Public Enemy in 1990. "Trouble" T. Roy is also referenced by Q-Tip on A Tribe Called Quest's "Vibes And Stuff". Pete Rock's work on "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is brilliant. We're not talking about an obvious sample of a hook from an old hit song. The samples-"Today" by Tom Scott (the main sax part) and "When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End (the intro) are brief moments from rather obscure songs. With a masterful track to work with C.L. Smooth does not disappoint. Instead of the mindless "cash, money, hoes" mantra en vogue in popular hip-hop thanks to rappers like Jay-Z, C.L. Smooth is a lyrical emcee....a storyteller with something to say. This is early 90's hip-hop at it's best before "The Chronic" ushered in an era that pushed positive/conscious/politically aware hip-hop out of the mainstream. Speaking of that 1990 P.E. show, another one of the opening acts was Digital Underground. I did the humpty dance that night along with a then-unknown backup dancer for Digital Underground named Tupac Shukar. Sure, I was at my seat and he was on stage but at that moment Pac and I were together.