Phil’s Faves:Songs, July 15, 2012

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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Jimmy Fallon as Jim Morrison jumps into the top spot. But don’t get too comfortable, Jimmy. “Summertime” is gaining on you………………………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of July 15, 2012

1. The Doors Sing “Reading Rainbow”—Jimmy Fallon
2. Angel Eyes—Love and Theft
3. Summertime—Jessica Dayle
4. Sunglasses—Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
5. Pontoon—Little Big Town
6. The Sun Is Shining—The Fireman (Paul McCartney)
7. Bright Red—Vanessa Peters
8. Black Sheep—SRC
9. Fire—M.A.K.U. Sound System
10. Wild Weekend—Tinsley Ellis & The Heartfixers

1) “The Doors Sing ‘Reading Rainbow’”—Most of the fun of listening to Jimmy Fallon’s take on Jim Morrison, is playing it for someone who is familiar with The Doors’ catalog but isn’t aware of the parody. The look on their face as they try to quickly flip through their mental filing cabinet to figure out why they don’t recognize “Reading Rainbow” is priceless!
2) “Angel Eyes”—The eyes drop out of the top spot, but you can’t count Love and Theft out yet. After all, they’re “angel eyes!”
3) “Summertime”— Jessica Dayle’s beautiful summertime song continues to move up as it anchors its way into my musical psyche! One of the reasons has to do with a line in the song that says “you’re my world.” She actually gives my an extra beat. (Or two beats if you’re quick timing it.) What it amounts to is an extra measure when world is added. I’m going to guess – and I could be wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time – is that it probably caused a little confusion or slight grief with the other musicians playing on the song. (By the way, the band does an incredible understated job, too–especially the steel guitar player!) It’s not a natural sequence. Maybe somebody even suggested to change it. I don’t know because I wasn’t there. But what that section ends up doing, as she sings the line to the boyfriend in the song, is to give the listener a kind of “verbal hug,” too, because the line “wraps around” into what would be the next line. It is a truly remarkable hook and makes the song even better!
4) “Sunglasses”— Joanie Leeds’ and The Nightlights’ song is still good, but competition is getting tough right now…………..
5) “Pontoon”—Little Big Town’s easy going blues-based song is starting to fall, but I’m really glad it came along!
6) “The Sun Is Shining”— I’m starting to get attached to this song and I didn’t think I would. It must be the infectious na-na-nas on the chorus—probably the best ones since he wrote them for The Beatles’ “Hey Jude!”
7) “Bright Red”— Vanessa Peters is a Texas based singer/songwriter who has put out a really good summer song where she remembers one of the hottest summers in 30 years. (Hmm…just like this year) where she just went a little crazy and colored her hair dark red. It’s very nice, melodic, and descriptive in a Mary Chapin Carpenter way!
8) “Black Sheep”— SRC was a prog rock staple in the Detroit area in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I hadn’t heard this song in quite a few years and it was like a blast of musical fresh air! Gary Quackenbush’s distinctive guitar lines sounded phenomenal—especially when I got to see them perform this at The Magic Bag in Ferndale in June! “Black Sheep” is a psychedelic masterpiece!
9) “Fire”— Columbian rhythyms weave a frenetic dance pattern on this world music instrumental! The beat is hypnotic, and it will definitely set your speakers or earbuds on “fire!”
10) “Wild Weekend”—I’ve had a lot of fun listening to Tinsley Ellis cover one of the most perfect summer oldies classics, but it might be time to retire this one for now…………..
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