Brant's July 2012 Playlist

This month's playlist came out a little heavy on the retro sounds.  Normally throughout the month, I drop songs I like into one "bucket", then spend the last few days of the month listening to everything and whittling the list down to 16-20 favorites.  I try to make sure I have a little of everything (pop, rock, R&B, etc) and usually that works out.  This month, I never really gravitated to the newer sounding stuff.  I finally decided that since our little nation is turning 236, maybe it was okay that a lot of the music on this month's list sounded like years gone by.  At the end of the day - it's still a list that I am excited about sharing.  Enjoy!

1.  Radio (Raphael Saadiq) - Former Tony!Toni!Tone'! member goes solo and sounds like early Stevie (Stevy!Steve'!) Wonder.

2.  Free (Graffiti6) - I had "Annie You Save Me" on last August's list, and this is their latest.  Three Dog Night smiles every time this is played.

3.  Somewhere (Scissor Sisters) - Another band worth repeating (they were also on last month's list).  Reminds me of the sound Giorgio Morodor pioneered with Berlin and other 80s acts.  If you ever get the chance to see them live, DO IT!!!  They put on a fantastic show.  Right, Josh & Adam???

4.  Soul Salvation of Love (Cocktail Slippers) - Norwegian female garage-rockers return with a new song, and establish themselves in my heart as the Go-Go's of the new millennium.

5.  Only You /Imogen Heap mix/ (Joshua Radin) - Imogen Heap teams with Joshua Radin on this lullaby-like remake of the classic Yaz tune.

6.  Good Riddance (Glen Campbell) - Aging country singer sings Green Day.  At first I was like, "Really?!"  Then I was like, "Whoa, this is beyond awesome".

7.  Warrior (Kimbra) - "Somebody That I Used to Know" co-singer steps away from Gotye and into the solo spotlight with this upbeat, uplifting anthem.

8.  Forgive Forget (Caligola) - Swedish band serves up some perky blue-eyed soul.

9.  Two Melodies (Audra Mae & the Almighty Sound) - Judy Garland's great-great niece definitely inherited the family's powerful pipes. Elton John has "Your Song", but Audra Mae's got twice as many to give you!  Boom!

10.  Orange Blossoms (JJ Grey & Mofro) - Jill turned me on to this song.  These guys are always great, and Amazon gives you this download for free!!!

11.  Glitter and Gold (Rebecca Ferguson) - I had her on last month's playlist, and she is also worth a second listen.  Sounds like 1960s/1970s Aretha.

12.  Is That Clear (Nick Waterhouse) - More retro rock sounds!  I don't know anything about this guy except that he totally rocks and appreciates the classic sounds of the 1950s and 1960s.  Will definitely be paying attention to him from now on.  If he and Pete Molinari ever tour together, I'm there!

13.  The A Team (Ed Sheeran) - Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" is still my favorite song about prostitution, but this one isn't bad either.

14.  Greatest Hit (Annie) - Sampling Madonna's 1982 song "Everybody" gives this a charmingly dated sound.  Once again, other people seem to be doing Madonna better than Madonna these days.

15.  Hold Back Love (Kraak & Smaak) - Not sure why the title isn't "Hold Baak Love" given the group's name, but it's some fun straightforward disco.  Is that a cowbell I hear in the background???

16.  Shady (Adam Lambert featuring Sam Sparro and Nile Rodgers) - La Lambert returns with Sam Sparro and the guy from Chic ("Le Freak" and "Good Times").  Glorious, glam, and glad he's back.

17.  Fire Burning (the Urges) - These guys have definitely been listening to their parent's 1960's rock albums.  Another fun band in the spirit of Fitz & the Tantrums and Sonny & the Sunsets.  *NOTE:  they didn't have this song on Spotify, so I subbed it for another fun Urges song - "You Don't Look So Good".

18.  We've Got Tonight (Patti Austin) - Phillip Phillips sang this on "American Idol", so I Googled it to see who else had done it.  Was thrilled to find this version by one of my favorite Jazz singers.

19.  Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John) - Just like some of our best Christmas tunes have been written by Jewish songwriters, one of my favorite American patriotic tunes is performed by a Brit.  Never get tired of it, though.  God Bless America, and the British singers who don't hold the American Revolution against us!

Hope everyone has a safe & fun Independence Day and July!  See you in August!!!

Brant's June 2012 Playlist

What a month we've had!  Usually I only have one song on the playlist from an artist who has passed away, but this month we lost Donna Summer AND Robin Gibb - both of whom I thoroughly enjoyed.  It's so depressing to see the Idols of one's youth disappear to that great disco in the sky.  Hopefully this month's list will not only honor their memory, but provide some uplifting moments to carry us through in their absence.

1.  Heart on Fire (Scars on 45) - I hate their name, but love their sound!!! Is it just me or does it seem reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac circa the "Rumours" years?

2.  Sunshine (Matisyahu) - America's favorite Hasidic Hebrew reggae singer is back with more positive vibes!

3.  Brokenhearted (Karmin) - Bouncy pop by supercute duo.  Katy Perry better watch her back!

4.  Every Man & Woman Is a Star (the Cult) - Ian Astbury & the gang return with this new rocker and sound as great as ever!

5.  Young Homie (Chris Rene) - Wistful rap-pop by one of the X Factor (USA version) kids.

6.  Nothing's Real But Love (Rebecca Ferguson) - Another ex-X Factor performer, this time from the British version.  Love the old school soul sound!

7.  Heaven Knows (Donna Summer) - Le sigh.  We lost Donna this year - but she has left behind a HUGE catalogue of disco and dance anthems.  I struggled over which one to pick for the playlist, but finally landed on this personal fave.  I think it holds up well even today (some of the other disco songs seem a tad dated, IMHO - for example Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell").

8.    Only the Horses (Scissor Sisters) - YAAAAAYYYY!!!  New Scissor Sisters!  Thanks Jordan for bringing this to my attention!  A soaring club anthem to get your summer dance party started.

9.  Walk Over Me (All-American Rejects) - Nothing puts a pep in your step like a dysfunctional relationship!

10.  I Make My Own Sunshine (Alyssa Bonagura) - Okay, this is a jingle from a Lowes commercial, but still I kinda dig it.

11.  Bright Whites (Kishi Bashi) - Totally plagiarized from Jill's list last month, but I wasn't ready to say 'goodbye' to it yet.  Love the summery World Music sounds.

12.  The Brightest Lights (King Charles) - Mumford & Sons lend a hand with this singalong folk ditty.

13.  Cinnamon Tree (Esperanza Spalding) - Smooth jazz to sip your Pinot Grigio to on a warm summer evening.

14.  Shining Star (Nneka) - Nigerian soul singer serves up some catchy R&B.

15.  Party Line (Joey Ramone featuring Holly Beth Vincent) - Usually posthumous duets creep me out ("Hello, Natalie Cole!") but this one I enjoy.  Sounds like a classic Phil Spector tune from the 1960's.

16.  Fanny Be Tender With My Love (Bee Gees) - Robin Gibb also passed away recently, so I wanted to include a Bee Gees song in his honor.  This was always one of my favorites (although I believe it is Barry who's singing lead on this track).  Wikipedia says "The group did not perform "Fanny" live because of the layers of harmonies used to create the studio recording." Bummer.  It's still a great song.

17.  Miss Mood /Satin Jackets remix/ (Novika) - Dark, sexy, cool.  Basically it's everything I wanted Madonna's new CD to be (but wasn't).  Makes me want to sip something exotic and refreshing under an oversized umbrella by an infinity pool. 

So that's June's list!  Try to stay cool in this summer sun, and I'll see you next month.