“Q” Bombs: August 5, 2012

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Another week that Luke Bryan stays “drunk on you.” I’m not buying his sincerity……….
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Worst Videos for the week of August 5, 2012

1. Drunk on You—Luke Bryan
2. 5-1-5-0—Dierks Bentley
3. Cowboys and Angels—Dustin Lynch
4. Scream—Usher
5. The A Team—Ed Sheeran
6. Payphone—Maroon 5 with Wiz Khalifa
7. Let’s Go—Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo
8. Springsteen—Eric Church
9. Glass—Thompson Square
10. Ho Hey—The Lumineers

1) “Drunk on You”Luke Bryan drops out of the top spot on CMT but for the moment is still #1 on this list. Isn’t there a line about a yo-yo? Superlative songwriting……….
2) “5-1-5-0”—I really don’t like to say this when comparing artists but I’d much rather listen to “5150” by Van Halen than Dierks Bentley’s song……………
3) “Cowboys and Angels”—There is much more life in Dustin Lynch’s music than what’s depicted in the washed out and faded landscape of this video…………
4) “Scream”Usher’s video is still going strong. It looks like it’s going to be around for awhile—unfortunately………………..
5) “The A Team”Ed Sheeran’s voice reminds me of James Blunt. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad one………………
6)“Payphone”—Apparently, there’s only one payphone left in the country and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 is using it in this video……………………
7) “Let’s Go”—Let’s not go………………………
8)“Springsteen”—Wow. A big drop for Eric Church this week. The end is in sight……….
9) “Glass”—Can someone please “break” this Thompson Square video so they can’t play it anymore……………..
10) “Ho Hey”—I hope The Lumineers don’t turn into this year’s The Civil Wars. The video would be a strong argument for that happening………….. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, July 29, 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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“Summertime” is in full bloom this week for Jessica Dayle! It should be admired for its uncommon but spectacular beauty! This is a song that is probably best experienced while looking at nature’s wonders wherever you are—especially if you can listen to it outside. That way, all of your senses can enjoy the experience! I think “Summertime” is still going to be around for a while……………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of July 29, 2012

1. Summertime—Jessica Dayle
2. The Sun Is Shining—The Fireman (Paul McCartney)
3. Angel Eyes—Love and Theft
4. (Kissed You) Good Night—Gloriana
5. Little Talks—Of Monsters and Men
6. Pontoon—Little Big Town
7. The Doors Sing “Reading Rainbow”—Jimmy Fallon
8. Over—Blake Shelton
9. The Wind—Zac Brown Band
10. Not Too Much to Ask—Mary Chapin Carpenter and Joe Diffie

1) “Summertime”—I can’t listen to Jessica Dayle’s song enough! It’s one of those songs that I make a new and different discovery almost every time I hear it! I don’t even want to admit how many times I listened to it before I realized that the cute little whistle in the song is actually the singing birds! “Summertime” gets better each and every listen and more than lives up to my favorite season!
2) “The Sun Is Shining”—The sun is still shining on Paul McCartney as he moves up higher!
3) “Angel Eyes”Love and Theft drop from the top spot for the second time. Is it the last time? I don’t know. It still seems to be catching on which means I’m hearing it more and that often creates a positive reaction………………
4) “(Kissed You)” Good Night”—Great harmonies! A rockin’ little country tune explained from both sides! Gloriana’s song provides its own video in your head without having to see the official video!
5) “Little Talks”Of Monsters and Men’s pop song is one of the few songs that I haven’t even listened to the words. I am just happy to bop along to it. Ususally, when I don’t pay attention to the words and then find out what they are, I wind up disappointed.
(Just reference Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” in my archives.) But for now, I’m more than content to just enjoy the music!
6) “Pontoon”Little Big Town appears to be stabilizing! That’s good because I don’t want “Pontoon” to disappear this soon!
7) “The Doors Sing ‘Reading Rainbow’”—This is probably the end of the line for Jimmy and Jim, but they sure made things fun this summer!
8) “Over”Blake Shelton’s hefty power ballad seems to get better every time I hear it!
9) “The Wind”—The video of Zac Brown’s song gets my attention, but without the hyperactivity of the visuals, the hyperactivity of this rapid bluegrass romp stands on its own!
10) “Not Too Much to Ask”Mary Chapin Carpenter and Joe Diffie’s voices blend so beautifully on this “second time around” love song! The words are sincere and both characters share equally in the hope of a new love. The song sounds understated and tentative, just what you would expect from two burned lovers approaching the subject!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, July 29, 2012

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Little Big Town is still on top but I’m wondering if they’re starting to feel the wind coming from the Zac Brown Band…………
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of July 29, 2012

1. Pontoon—Little Big Town
2. The Wind—Zac Brown Band
3. Wide Awake—Katy Perry
4. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye—Train
5. Little Talks—Of Monsters and Men
6. Angel Eyes—Love and Theft
7. Both of Us—B.O.B. and Taylor Swift
8. Over—Blake Shelton
9. (Kissed You) Good Night—Gloriana
10. Call Me Maybe—Carly Rae Jepsen

1) “Pontoon”—I like the fact that there is enough space on the pontoon to do a line dance to this Little Big Town song!
2) “The Wind”—I really like the way the robot plays most of the fast solos!
3) “Wide Awake”—Catchy Katy Perry video and song but I’m growing tired of it. I won’t be “wide awake” for long if I keep watching it…………..
4) “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”David Hasselhoff seems like the perfect choice to listen to Pat Monahan of Train tell him his problems in a grocery strore that can partially pass for a lunatic asylum!
5) “Little Talks”Of Monsters and Men’s video seems creepy but I still like it!
6) “Angel Eyes”Love and Theft are getting ready to fall off of my video list……..
7) “Both of Us”—In general, the video for this song isn’t very exciting and probably won’t be around very long……..
8) “Over”—I think Blake Shelton’s song is better than the video so I wasn’t totally wrong on this one…
9) “(Kissed You) Good Night”—One more week on the list for Gloriana…..
10) “Call Me Maybe”—Well, Carly Rae, thanks for stopping by. Don’t be a stranger. Call me maybe…….
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“Q” Bombs, July 29, 2012

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Luke Bryan stays on top for a second week. Need I say more…………………
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Worst Videos for the week of July 29, 2012

1. Drunk on You—Luke Bryan
2. 5-1-5-0—Dierks Bentley
3. Scream—Usher
4. Cowboys and Angels—Dustin Lynch
5. Springsteen—Eric Church
6. Payphone—Maroon 5 with Wiz Khalifa
7. The A Team—Ed Sheeran
8. Let’s Go—Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo
9. Glass—Thompson Square
10. Ho Hey—The Lumineers

1) “Drunk on You”Luke Bryan is still #1 on CMT. TRIPLE ODWITS!!!
2) “5-1-5-0”Dierks Bentley’s video shows a lot of mud flying. Here’s a little bit of it coming back……..
3) “Scream”—Please “usher” me away from this video before I SCREAM!
4) “Cowboys and Angels”—Wow. It hurts my eyes to watch Dustin Lynch’s video…
5) “Springsteen”Eric Church’s video is finally dropping………..
6)“Payphone”—I think it’s the beginning of the end for this Maroon 5 stinker………..
7) “The A Team”—I really wanted to like Ed Sheeran’s song because it seemed so sincere, but I can’t stand it anymore………………
8) “Let’s Go”Calvin Harris doesn’t appear to be going anywhere but up for the moment……
9) “Glass”Thompson Square have done so much better videos than this song. I don’t see what the fascination is with this song………….
10) “Ho Hey”—I can’t believe that the one time that CMT actually picks a video that’s on VH1 first and this Lumineers’ song is the one they choose to crossover???
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Phil’s Faves:Songs, July 22, 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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Love and Theft reclaim the top spot. You shouldn’t be surprised, though. Come on. They have “theft” in their band name…………………………………
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of July 22, 2012

1. Angel Eyes—Love and Theft
2. Summertime—Jessica Dayle
3. The Sun Is Shining—The Fireman (Paul McCartney)
4. The Doors Sing “Reading Rainbow”—Jimmy Fallon
5. Bright Red—Vanessa Peters
6. Pontoon—Little Big Town
7. (Kissed You) Good Night—Gloriana
8. Little Talks—Of Monsters and Men
9. I’m a Lonesome Fugitive—Dave Alvin
10. Leland, Mississippi—Johnny Winter

1) “Angel Eyes”Love and Theft’s retro country harmonies just sound new all over again! I think I also like songs about angels and eyes, so if you put the two together, it’s a pretty potent combination!
2) “Summertime”—I still have plenty to write and say about Jessica Dayle’s “Summertime,” but I’m going to go light this week—for a reason. The song fades out with some “na-na-nas.” Sometimes nonsense syllables seem kind of gratuitous and silly. Jessica has already said so much throughout the rest of the song that they just add to the cute quotient! It’s a totally perfect ending, and since it’s the last song on her self-titled EP, it leaves the door open for the promise of her next batch of songs!
3) “The Sun Is Shining”—The Paul McCartney “na-na-na” chorus is a real “simbie” for me! The second one on this list with na-na-nas……………
4) “The Doors Sing ‘Reading Rainbow’”—Ah, it’s just too bad that a video clip was never officially released for this brilliant Jimmy Fallon parody……………….
5) “Bright Red”—Wow! Another week on the list for Vanessa Peters! I’m right there with her when she sings about her tennis shoes melting because the summer was so hot!
6) “Pontoon”—I’m starting to get tired of this Little Big Town song. It’s had a good run but I thought it would have been bigger……………….
7) “(Kissed You) Good Night”—I’ve liked the video by Gloriana for quite awhile now so it only seems fitting that the song should appear on my songs list. It’s kind of intense…in a good way!
8) “Little Talks”—Of Monsters and Men’s marching melody with its great trumpet hook has finally won me over!
9) “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”Dave Alvin has done a collection of Americana albums since separating with The Blasters, but I think this one is his best! It’s on a compilation called “The I-10 Chronicles.2” (I’m letting you know because I had a difficult time locating it.) His character is a “bad seed” who chronicles his lifetime of hard knocks–starting with his mother, and bad breaks. The chorus is his complaint that he’d like to stop this running but he knows they’ll catch up to him eventually, so he has to stay on the run. The song is a mid tempo country rocker with a lot of extended guitar solos. Forget “Radar Love” by Golden Earring and other songs like it. THIS IS THE GREATEST DRIVING SONG EVER! You may disagree, but all I know is that when I have a lot of driving to do, when the road disappears into the horizon, when there are mesas on the sides of me and white capped mountains in the distance, THIS is the song I want cranked up and playing in my car! (“I’d like to settle down/but they won’t let me…The highway is my home!”)
10) “Leland, Mississippi”—All I need from this Johnny Winter classic is the intro of the great song! The rest of it is a bonus! This is on Johnny Winter’s major label eponymous album, and I think it’s the best song! It starts with a bass drum and snare, bass, an awesome blues guitar lick, and Johnny Winter alternately growling “Oh, yeah” and “Uh, huh.” Then the song really kicks in to the groove. There is a really nice guitar solo with some syncopation and time changes! The reason why the rest of the song is a bonus because I honestly can’t understand anything else he says except “Leland, Mississippi.” Johnny Winter has recorded volumes of blues songs over the decades, some of it really good and some of it really bad. To me, this is Johnny Winter in his prime and it doesn’t get any better!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, July 22, 2012

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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This summer, the pontoon rules supremely at the top of the video list!
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of July 22, 2012

1. Pontoon—Little Big Town
2. Wide Awake—Katy Perry
3. The Wind—Zac Brown Band
4. Angel Eyes—Love and Theft
5. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye—Train
6. (Kissed You) Good Night—Gloriana
7. Little Talks—Of Monsters and Men
8. Both of Us—B.O.B. and Taylor Swift
9. Over—Blake Shelton
10. Call Me Maybe—Carly Rae Jepsen

1) “Pontoon”Little Big Town have at least made my favorite summer video since Toby Keith’s “Trailerhood!” It’s not as good, but I love it!
2) “Wide Awake”—There is so much production put into this video of an allegorical tale, that I almost feel sorry for what Katy Perry has gone through in her personal life. I said almost…..
3) “The Wind”—Thank God Pervis had some tools to build the “Robo Redneck” in Zac Brown’s video!
4) “Angel Eyes”—That poor preacher who has such a wild daughter…………….
5) “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”—I think Train’s video is the best sick humor video since Jaron and the Long Road to Love’s “I Pray For You!”
6) “(Kissed You) Good Night”—Well, I think it’s getting close to when Gloriana will get a goodnight kiss off of this list………………
7) “Little Talks”—I would think Of Monsters and Men would have had more success especially since the song is featured in an advertisement. Maybe no one knows about it…
8) “Both of Us”“Both of Us” isn’t as good as “Airplanes” by Taylor Swift’s good friend Hayley Williams of Paramore, who teamed up with B.O.B. for a huge hit, but this video and song is so much better than her last collaboration with The Civil Wars!
9) “Over”—Alright. Now that I’ve gotten “over” the shock of some of the similarities between Blake Shelton’s video and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood’s “Remind Me,” I can step back and see that this is a fairly good video and a really good song. Carry on, Blake!
10) “Call Me Maybe”—OK, Carly. Since you’re hanging around, would you like something to drink……………………….
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“Q” Bombs:July 22, 2012

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Luke Bryan hits the top on CMT so I have to respond in kind. This rendezvous appears to have been inevitable……………………………..
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Worst Videos for the week of July 22, 2012

1. Drunk on You—Luke Bryan
2. 5-1-5-0—Dierks Bentley
3. Payphone—Maroon 5 with Wiz Khalifa
4. Scream—Usher
5. Springsteen—Eric Church
6. Cowboys and Angels—Dustin Lynch
7. Ho Hey—The Lumineers
8. Let’s Go—Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo
9. Glass—Thompson Square
10. Titanium—David Guetta and Sia

1) “Drunk on You”—#1 on CMT. DOUBLE ODWITS!!
2) “5-1-5-0”—How come the po-po don’t know about this Dierks Bentley crime of a video…………………….
3) “Payphone”Maroon 5’s video slowly tries to climb back to the top of the ooze………
4) “Scream”—I guess nobody can hear me scream about Usher’s boring video………………
5) “Springsteen”—Thankfully, Eric Church only spent one week on top. Maybe the video can finally disappear……………
6) “Cowboys and Angels”—Name two groups that probably don’t like Dustin Lynch’s video………………………….
7) “Ho Hey”—Ho Hey. I guess The Lumineers decided to hang around……………..
8) “Let’s Go”—I’m getting the impression that Calvin Harris doesn’t want to follow his video instructions………………
9) “Glass”—I just swapped out a one boring black-and-white Hunter Hayes video for a Thompson Square boring black-and-white video……………………..
10) “Titanium”David Guetta’s title is a misnomer: Titanium is a precious metal. The video is neither precious nor a metal………………………… QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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Hotel Transylvania Trailer – Always makes me laugh!

I can’t wait until Hotel Transylvania comes out, if this trailer is any indication of just how funny the movie will be. I love the part where Count Dracula says, “I do not say blah-blah-blah!”

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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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