I’ve heard it said before that a song or single is kind of like a musical business card.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the songwriter or the artist that made that statement.
I construct every one of my shows thinking that it was the best music for those moments in time.
I rarely ever wish I could take one of them back!
I treat my weekly shows as if I am the music programmer at my own radio station.
And from those shows, I construct my weekly Fave Song lists, just like in the radio days, when almost every station had a music guide of what songs they played.
A song cannot appear on my year end list without having been played on one of my shows.
Those same lists then get analyzed for my year end list.
So, here we are.
I like to think that the songs I select are a piece of someone’s heart, or soul, if you will.
They certainly are much more than a song!
My putting the them together in this list is more an effort to rank how I, as well as other listeners, reacted to the songs.
The songs cover such a variety of styles, it would be impossible to say that one is better than another. But where I felt that someone exceeded at what they did on their project, I gave them a special award. Those are truly mine!
Also, this is the first time that I put links to the songs to examine for yourself.
That was a whole other experience!
I discovered many videos I didn’t know existed. I also found live versions of songs when there wasn’t an official audio version of the song. Some were spectacular!
This makes the list, in a sense, it’s own piece of art. It makes it a fresh and breathing list for anyone to explore!
87 of the tracks are represented, and I tried to find them all! I didn’t time it out, but I’m sure it would take 5 to 6 hours to explore the songs on it that have links.
Regardless, this will be a list for further exploration!
So here it is!
This year’s song list of brilliant musical achievement!!!
- One Water—Mike Gentry (Mike Gentry) [Best Arrangement, Best Production]
2. Light This Candle—Deni Bonet (Bright Shiny Objects) [Instrumental of the Year, Best Fiddle Song]
3. Whatcha Got—The Bayonets (Crash! Boom Bang!)[Best Rock Duet: Lucrecia Lopez Sanz and Brian Ray, Best Rhythm Track: Oliver Lieber]
4. Parlez—Moi D’Amour—Olivia Millerschin (The Strings of Frankie Pesto)[Best Foreign Language Song, Best Big Band Song]
5. The Curse of Finger Pointing—The Ragbirds (The Threshold and The Hearth)[Best World Song]
6. How Was I to Know?—Gregory Stovetop (The Good Stuff)[Best Rock Song]
7. I Fall to the Ground—Billy Brandt and Sarana VerLin (Are You Listening?)[Best Americana Duet]
8. Your Heart and Mine—Wendy Webb (Edge of Town)[Best Female Pop Vocal]
9. Every Time—J.C. And The Disciples (Hammered)[Best Guitar Solo]
10. Heavy Flag—The Accidentals (Single)[Best Political Song]
11. Hide—Donny Brown (Altered Sweet: A Tribute to Matthew Sweet)[Best Male Pop Vocal]
12. Tendency to Riot—Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles (Good and Dirty)[Best Female Rock Vocal]
13. Build a Bridge—Tosha Owens (Single)(Detroit Strong)[Best R&B Vocal, Best Gospel Vocal]
14. La Bega’s Carousel—Luke Winslow—King (Everlasting Arms)[Best Calypso Song, Best Trumpet Solo]
15. Certain Distance—Bob Malone (Mojo Deluxe)[Best Rock/Blues Song]
16. Look at This Light—M.J. Bishop (Circling the Moon: The Songs of Mike Stephens) [Best Story Song]
17. Blazing Red—The Dirk Kroll Band (Living Inside)
18. Last Second Chance—The Steepwater Band (Shake Your Faith)[Best Blues/Rock Song]
19. Roscoe’s Tune—Billy Brandt and The Sugaree’s (Riverside)[Best Americana Instrumental]
20. Brooklyn Baby—Joanie Leeds and The Nightlights (Brooklyn Baby)[Best Kindie Vocal]
21. Pawnbroker—Vegas Strip Kings (Jackpot!)[Best Zydeco Song]
22. Turn It Up—Samantha Fish (Wild Heart)[Best Female Blues Vocal]
23. Struggle Street—Ball Park Music (Puddinghead) (Language Warning)
24. Nothing Touches (Rock and Roll)—Vandenberg’s MoonKings (MoonKings)(Language Warning)[Best Male Rock Vocal]
25. Reel Time—The Breakfast (Phantasmagoria)[Best Prog Song]
26. Barons to Break—Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers (Native Heart)
27. 383 Dodge Charger—The Forty Nineteens (Rebooted)
28. Bad Sushi—ShwizZ (ShwizZ II)[Best Jazz Instrumental]
29. Buried Alive—Jillian Rae (I Can’t Be Who You Want Me to Be)
30. Back in Town—Angela Perley (4:30)
31. We Break the World—The Liquid Scene (Single)
32. Till the Day I Die—Frank Bang and The Cook County Kings (The Blues Don’t Care)[Best Blues Song]
33. Go On—The Cordial Sins (Only Human)
34. Lovergirl—Tommy Z (Blizzard of Blues)
35. Who Would Want This?—Blueflowers (Circus on Fire)
36. Trouble on Oxford Street—Skinny Lister (Down on Deptford Broadway)[Best Celtic Punk Song]
37. Jolene—Joseph Veloz with Jennifer Westwood and Dylan Dunbar (Offerings)
38. Good Egg—The Dustbowl Revival (The Dustbowl Revival)
39. Cryin’ ‘Bout My Baby—Coral Creek (Coral Creek)[Best Piano Solo]
40. Under the Rug—Ryan Link (Reverberations)
41. Tell Me I’m Good For You—Jason Hawk Harris (Formaldehyde, Tobacco, and Tulips)
42. Could’ve Been Worse—Allan Thomas (Two Sides to Every Story)[Best Jazz Vocal]
43. Temporary High—Nick Piunti (Temporary High) [Best Pop/Rock Vocal]
44. That Don’t Mean I’m Blue—Bill Edwards (Here Lately)[Best Real Country Song, Best Twin Fiddle Song]
45. Box for My Banana—Jehova Waitresses (Route 5)[Best Banana Song]
46. Woodchuck Blues—John Latini (The Blues Just Make Me Feel Good)
[Best Woodchuck Song]
47. Watcha Got?—Red City Radio (Red City Radio)[Best Punk Song]
48 Tear My Stillhouse Down—Judy Banker (Devils Never Cry)
49. Hip Shakin’ Mama—Ray Fuller and The Bluesrockers (Long Black Train)
50. Off the Rack—Craig Moreau (A Different Kind of Train)
51. Deaf in One Eye—Michael Snyder—Barker (Bark’s Wagon Tales)
52. I Gotta Sang the Blues—Thornetta Davis (Honest Woman)
53. Best of Me—The Vegabonds (What We’re Made Of)
54. Won’t You Be My Lighthouse Tonight?—The Pennock/Stephens Project(The Pennock/Stephens Project)[Best Folk Song]
55. Acre of Shells—Sarah Jane Scouten (When The Bloom Falls From the Rose)
56. A Little More—May Erlewine(A Little More)
57. Wichita—Green Denim (Green Denim)
58. Angel With a Broken Wing—Jesse Xavier (Single)
59. Freedom—Diana Chittester (Paradox)
60. Cumha an Oileain—Altan (The Gap of Dreams)[Best Celtic Folk Song]
61. I Dug It Up—Whit Hill (I Dug It Up)
62. Love Blows—Lissie (Castles)
63. Sweeter—Katie Stump (Feels Like Home)
64. Means to My Heart—Kristen Toedtman (Limbo)
65. Cassandra—Greg Kihn (Rekihndled)
66. Paper Bird—American Housewife (In Like a Lion)
67. Full Moon—The Whiskey Charmers (The Valley)
68. Challenged—Animal Hours(Do Over)
69. Let It Shine—Adrianne Serna (Let It Shine)
70. High Country—Chris Murphy (Red Mountain Blues)
71. The One Who Brung Me—Boudreaux’s Back Porch (Anniversary Dance)
72. Love Dr. Love—Eliza Neals (Single)
73. Big Mouth Blues—Reverend Freakchild (Illogical Optimism)
74. Broken Heart Tattoo—Matty T Wall (Blue Skies)
75. If I Were Me—Jo Serrapere and The LaFawndas (Dollar Store Nation)
76. Good to Be Young—Royal Wood (Ghost Light)
77. In Waves—Sarah Blacker (In Waves)
78. Stranger Blues—SIMO (Let Love Show the Way)
79. As Long As You’re Buying—Tim Bennett (The View From Here)
80. Spinning Plates—Amy Petty (House of Doors)
81. I Wait For Your Guitar—The Prime Ministers (Youngstown Milk Run)
82. Waking Up From You—Katy Guillen and The Girls (Heavy Days)
83. Delaware—Morgan Treni with Angela Perley (The Dreamer and Other Essays)
84. I’m Back in the USA—Elliot Schneider (Better a Fool Than Aloof)
85. Hang On—Rich Hopkins and The Luminarios (Tombstone)
86. The Art of Escape—Tom Curless (Songs of Movement)
87. Finally Something Good—Paul Kelly (Life Is Fine)
88. End of the Sunrise—The Simon Kennedy Band (Make Up Your Mind)
89. Love Sickness—Andy Santana and The West Coast Playboys (Watch Your Step)
90. Wonderful Land—California Guitar Trio (Komorebi)
91. Once Was a Girl—Sutter Zachman (Repeat Offender)
92. Red and Gold—The Brother Brothers (Some People I Know)
93. Motions—Alex Kostka (Single)
94. OK—The Valery Trails(Chameleon Bones)
95. Whatever’s on Your Mind—Avid Dancer(1st Bath)
96. You Put the Hurt on Me Baby—George Bedard(Further On)
97. Wine Spodeeodee—Dave Boutette and Kristi Lynn Davis(Gotcha Covered: The Songs of Johnny Williams)
98. No One to Kill—Michael on Fire(The Solstice Sessions)
99. Soulsville—Happy Curmudgeons(Meant 2 Be)
100.Motor City Woman—Shawn Adam Williams (Single)
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I do a weekly show at WHFR in Dearborn, Michigan:
“Prime Time Theme Attic” on Monday nights from 8PM-10PM ET.
You can hear it locally at 89.3 FM in the Dearborn-Detroit area or use this streaming link:
https://www.whfr.fm/streamer/ (Press the “Listen Live Now” button), RadioFM or ask Alexa to find the show for you!!!
I’d be honored if you check me out some time…and then come back to listen again! You can even ask your friends to listen, too-not only just to my show, but to the wonderful variety of music the DJs at WHFR play!
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If you like what you see, don’t forget to spread the word by hitting the “like” button on my Facebook page, Phil Maq!
