This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.
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Paul McCartney stays at the top for another week. The Black Keys are right behind him as several songs move towards the top in a post holidays rush. Steve Martin even has two songs on the list and there are even two instrumentals. A pretty diversified list, I’d say…………..
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of January 8, 2012
1. Best Love—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers with Paul McCartney
2. Lonely Boy—The Black Keys
3. Mosquitoes—Joanie Leeds
4. The Afterlife—Paul Simon
5. Rare Bird Alert—Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers
6. 7th Galaxy—Dennis Coffey
7. Drip Drop—The Drifters
8. In Your Arms—Kina Grannis
9. Shenandoah—Suzy Bogguss
10. Rainbow Connection—The Moopets
1) “Best Love”— Paul McCartney, along with the rest of The Beatles—and some more than others, always had a respect and fondness for country music. This is probably his best “country” vocal since “Sally G,” another underrated song. Right now, I can’t hear this song enough!
2) “Lonely Boy”—Guitars and drums get lost in this swamp mix that is just perfect! Another simbie that I just happen to spontaneously start singing!
3) “Mosquitoes”—The drums in this song are mixed right up front and would be a very good rock song in almost any era you want to examine! The lyrics get to the “point” and are quite humorous! It’s difficult to make a funny song that’s both cute and good. This one does it with ease! I think Joanie Leeds grew up listening to some good music!
4) “The Afterlife”—Another simbie! The humor in this song is soooooo dry! I just love it that when Paul Simon finally gets to meet God face to face, the only thing he can blurt to say are gibberish lyrics to “Be Bop-a-Lula” and “Oop Poo Pa Doo!” Too funny!
5) “Rare Bird Alerts”—I’ve been listening to this title track instrumental for the past several weeks and it has grown on me. There are a lot of stops in it that always catch my attention. It is a hot bluegrass scorcher!
6) “7th Galaxy”—Dennis Coffey shows that his skills haven’t diminished over the years. They’ve only gotten better, if that’s even possible! One of the nice things on this instrumental is that Dennis always left room for a nice drum break and this song has one as well! Welcome back! We’ve missed you!
7) “Drip Drop”—I dug this song out on purpose and it worked its magic on me all over again! It has an incredible sax solo that had to influence Clarence Clemons, and the rest of the time there is a nice sax rhythm section! A really cool forgotten classic!
8) “In Your Arms”—This song by Kina Grannis is continuing to grow on me—even without the video! I need to check out more stuff by her……………….
9) “Shenandoah”—For some reason, I kept running across this song in the past week. I heard it by Erich Kunzel and somebody else whom I can’t remember. Suzy Bogguss does a very emotive interpretation of this classic from her American Folk Songbook CD! And by being in the right place at the right time, she brings some class to this week’s list! I’m sure she would find that quite funny—if I was counting on her to “bring the class!” But she has such style, even if she downplays it………………………..
10) “Rainbow Connection”—The list finishes off with a purposely non-classy song from “The Muppets Soundtrack.’’ This song cracks me up as Fozzie Bear shills for some dive casino where some of the former Muppets are working as a lounge act as “The Moopets!” The parody skewers the original song for comedic effect!
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Too many compilnmets too little space, thanks!