I'm old enough that I still remember making cassette tapes from radio shows. I probably shouldn't be, but it took a while for CDs to get out to the country. I do still remember my first CDs, though--Suzy Boggess's Voices In the Wind and Tanya Tucker's Can't Run From Yourself. What can I say? It was 1992 and I wasn't always this cool. Anyway, I say all that to say that I have always loved music and specifically, the mixtape. So here's another installment of what I have been listening to (not necessarily new music to the world, but new to me), in which there's probably something for everyone... (As always, I will be using the "Song"-Artist-Album set-up.)
"Brooklyn" - Wakey!Wakey! - War Sweater EP - I actually heard this song on One Tree Hill. Watching Michael Grubbs play the intro might be the only thing more dramatic than listening to it. And the lyrics just melt me.
"Always Summer" - Yellowcard - Always Summer-Single - Because more rock bands need violins and I dare you not to dance around your living room to this.
"Loaded Gun" - Tyler Hilton - Forget The Storm - This song is dirty. And it makes me giggle like a middle school girl. But when you turn it up on your summer drive, you will feel like a total bad a$$.
"Queen of California" - John Mayer - Born and Raised - Okay, so John hit a rough patch there for a bit where he came across like a total jerk. Hey, maybe he really is one. But he has gone back to making music that is almost as good as Room for Squares.
"If Tonight Is My Last" - Laura Izibor - Let The Truth Be Told - Another One Tree Hill find. And she is every thing that is good about R&B.
"Whiskey" - Jana Kramer - Jana Kramer - Okay, so I am a total One Tree Hill fan. Say what you will, but the music they used is some of the best out there. (I own all the seasons.) Jana shared her talent on the show as Alex, but has proven this summer that she has what it takes to be a bonafide country star. This is my favorite song, on an album of great ones! (Perfect for summer...go buy it...I'll wait.)
"Stars" - Grace Potter and Kenny Chesney - The Lion The Beat The Beast (Deluxe) - If you know me, you know that I have a thing about stars, so my love for this song comes as no surprise. But there's something about their voices that is just perfect. (see also: "You and Tequila")
"The Wind" - Zac Brown Band - The Wind-Single - This is a wisp of a song with a great bluegrass/country feel and I can't get enough it. I think it will also be on their new album which drops sometime this month.
"The Party" - Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats - Featured this one recently, but I still love it. My sister likes to rewrite it, with gems such as "You taste like Thanksgiving, you look like President's Day..."
"Race You" - Elizabeth & the Catapult - Taller Children - There's something about this song that is just so freeing. She does a great job of capturing what it's like to be a kid in the summertime. (Whether that was her goal or not!)
"Little Talks" - Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal - I love a good "Hey" in the chorus. Also, saw them perform on Leno last week and they were so good. (As always, bonus points for being good live!)
"Springsteen" - Eric Church - Chief - Speaking of being good live, I wasn't really a huge Eric Church fan until I saw him play at CMA Fest. But being part of 50,000 people singing along made this song even sweeter.
"God Help My Man" - Joey + Rory - Album Number Two - Every girl needs to know at least one good cheating song. This is my new favorite. Makes me think of Loretta Lynn.
"Gold" - Steve Kazee - Once - A New Musical - If there was one show I really would like to see, it would be this one. They were so brilliant on the Tonys, also.
"Somethin' 'Bout A Truck" (Acoustic) - Kip Moore - Up All Night (Deluxe Edition) - His voice is raw with a nice growl and that makes it perfect for this acoustic version, which I like much better than the radio cut. (Imagine that, me loving something acoustic, right?)
I could go on forever. But I will stop here. I've been listening to a lot of country, so I may do a country-only post soonish. But the real question is what have you all been listening to?
You should dive in red dirt country...randy rogers band, josh abbott band, reckless kelly, Whiskey myers(they have one of amber's favorite songs), and the list goes on and on. i recommend randy rogers band pandora station.
ReplyDeleteI love Randy Rogers Band! (We have had this conversation before, Nick James!) And Josh Abbott Band is on my iTunes wish list. Like I said, country-only post in my future. And look at you, stopping by and commenting.
DeleteArgh! My daughter likes the top 40 station, but I think I have resorted to the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack when she isn't in the car...time to switch it out though!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with Top 40 in theory, but I tend to mostly listen to things that they don't play on the radio unless you have satellite radio. And I don't.
DeleteI remember waiting forever and missing the first few seconds of a song to get it on the stupid tape. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI'll go on the record as saying this is the first time I've liked John Mayer. I hated everything he's ever done. Until now.
I loved Room For Squares. Listened to it all the time when I was renovating the house. Then I liked maybe one song off of the albums in the middle. But I really like Born and Raised. A lot.
DeleteAnd I didn't tape too many songs off the radio because Barbie always had all the good cassette singles.
I like some of your choices Katie! And, I agree with you that acoustic is so pure and nice. I've always preferred to listen to something acoustic vs. electric and overly produced. I love Jana Kramer's song on the radio right now and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Eric Church! Yes, he was amazing at the CMA FEst, wasn't he?
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