Phil’s Faves: Songs, October 7, 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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Halloween looms in the distance, but Jessica Dayle’s “Summertime” reaches double digits as it reigns on top for a 10th week! A few autumnal songs appear to represent for their season………………………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of October 7, 2012

1. Summertime—Jessica Dayle
2. Stars—Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
3. Maybe I’ll Fly—Barbara Lynn Doran
4. My Bet’s I’m a Fool—Jessica Dayle
5. The Leaves Are Changing—Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys
6. Copperleaf—Dana Falconberry
7. Sweet Cider—Gathering Time
8. She’s So Mean—Matchbox 20
9. Time Is Love—Josh Turner
10. After School-Randy Starr

1) “Summertime”—All right. Hard to believe, but I may have finally reached my limit on analyzing Jessica Dayle’s superb musical gem! I still haven’t gotten tired of it, and I smile every time I hear it! Find it at jessicadayle.com or iTunes.
2) “Stars”—A song that begins with the incredible lyric, “I lit a fire with the love you left behind,” and the fact that Grace Potter can’t look at the stars anymore because they remind her of someone who now brings her pain is an amazing personal revelation—and a great start to a song!
3) “Maybe I’ll Fly”—Barbara Lynn Doran plateau’s for another week……………..
4) “My Bet’s I’m a Fool”—My “bet’s” Jessica Dayle’s other song has unfortunately peaked……..
5) “The Leaves Are Changing”—Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys play some really nice folk/bluegrass. The songs are usually upbeat like the title of their second album, “Release Your Shrouds.” If autumn could ever sound upbeat and happy along the lines of Jessica Dayle’s “Summertime,” this song would be a perfect example—even as she sings about a “co-wo-wo-wold winter!”
6) “Copperleaf”—Dana Falconberry explores the Michigan landscape on her new CD, “Leelanau,” which is a separate peninsula in the Lower Peninsula west of Traverse City. She almost makes losing summer as the leaves change sound like fun!
7) “Sweet Cider”—Gathering Time, a singing folk trio, have put together a nice happy paean to apple cider! (Could there be an unhappy one?) Find it at gatheringtimetrio.com or iTunes!
8) “She’s So Mean”—“She’s so mean” she’s getting Matchbox 20 kicked off this list. I think this is the best thing they’ve done since “Unwell!”
9) “Time Is Love”—Josh Turner is ending his run……….
10) “After School”—A wistful “angsty” song from 1957(?!!!) by Randy Starr, a male singer who later wrote songs for Elvis Presley, scored a minor hit with this little song about a boy anxiously waiting for a girl after school who wonders if he’s being played for doing it. A hefty dose of whistling and a few echo drenched handclaps draw the listener’s attention away from the fact that this might be a sad song…but we never find out. I really like this haunting melody! You can find the song on youtube.com. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ