Brant's March 2019 Playlist

Dang it.  I forgot to ask if this tuxedo gown is water resistant!

Welp, March is upon us and the only thing I can say is that at least all the rain is keeping the pollen out of the air.  Fortunately, consecutive days indoors gave me plenty of time to browse new music.  This month's playlist is ret 2 go - so let's dive in!  To listen on Spotify, click HERE.

1.  Hard Place (H.E.R.) - We've had Gabi Wilson (aka H.E.R.) on other playlists, but after seeing her perform this song on the Grammys I HAD to start us off with it.  She won two well-deserved Grammys for her music this year.

2.  Norman Rockwell (the Mowgli's) - Sometimes a band slips off my radar only to gloriously show up again!  I put their song "Great Divide" on my March 2013 playlist.  Six years later they're back with this easygoing ode to existential ennui. 

3.   Dearly Departed (Aaron Carter) - I just caught Aaron a few weeks ago when he came through Charlotte, and I found the songs from his comeback album to be really solid.  This particular tune had the entire crowd on their feet!  Easily could've been a Justin Bieber song.

4.  No More Darkness, No More Light (Amos Lee) - I don't think anyone who came of age in the 80s did so without listening to Paul Simon's "Graceland", and that's what I get from this song.  Upbeat, South African instrumentation and vibes! 

5.  Faceplant (Ruston Kelly) - I'll be honest.  Kacey Musgraves bores me.  Her husband, however, does not.  Tales of self-destruction like they used to do in classic country songs.

6.  Heads Gonna Roll (Jenny Lewis) - Another singer who never disappoints.  'Nuff said.

7.  Not Ready to Go (Diane Coffee) - I adore this new artist.  He's always engaging on social media, and I love everything he's recorded.  Hopefully he will have a long, lucrative career.  This plaintive, New Wavey song is off his upcoming album "Internet Arms".

8.  Follow Your Heart (Rat Boy) - Another new artist I'm currently enjoying.  This tune is more in the punk/British genre.  Think Billy Idol.

9.  Only You and Me (Lack of Afro feat. Wax, Alyssa Marie, and Camila Recchio) - A glorious mashup of old school disco, perhaps a dash of Janet Jackson, and hip hop!

10.  It Makes You Forget (the Orielles) - Frenetic and psychedelic Indie rock from young English band!

11. You Got What You Wanted (fDeluxe) - Last month we had St. Paul Peterson on the list.  Upon digging a tad deeper into his catalogue, I found this jazzy funk ditty he recorded with members of his old band The Family.  Thought I'd share it!

12.  Bag Pipe Blues (Gunhild Carling) - Okay, I know bag pipes are more traditionally associated with Scotland - but Ireland has them too!  Tossing this song into the mix as my St. Paddy's Day offering, and also because I love Gunhild.

13.  Medicated Goo (P.P. Arnold) - I adore her version of "First Cut Is the Deepest", so I was intrigued when I read that a previously unreleased 1967 album (produced by Barry Gibb and Eric Clapton!!!) by P.P. Arnold was going to be released.  It totally lived up to the hype.  Here, she covers Steve Winwood/Traffic with stellar results!

14.  Life on Mars? (Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real) - Willie Nelson's son and his band are kicking butt these days.  First, they backed Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in "A Star Is Born" and now they've released this delightful cover of the David Bowie classic.  Can't wait for what's next!  Thanks to my college fraternity bro Al for turning me onto them.

15.  What About Us (Gary Clark Jr) - Guitar aficionado comes storming back with his latest socially conscious album!

16.  Love Is Light (Yola) - Newcomer shines on her country-flavored debut, with an assist from The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.

17.  Golden Hour (Oliver Heimach) - Somewhere in that Bee Gees/Scissor Sisters realm that always makes me smile.  Disco beats and falsetto vocals that are perfect to get you in the mood to go out on a weekend night.

18.  Glass House (Kyle Dion) - More falsettos, but this time with a decidedly 80s R&B influence.

19.  One Breath Away /Paul Oakenfold Remix/ (Billy Idol) - Did someone mention Billy Idol???  Sean turned me on to this, and it's been on repeat ever since!  Oakenfold takes a late-career ballad from Idol's catalog and turns it into a darkly gorgeous dance floor anthem!

So that's March. Hope it eventually dries up and that my sinuses will do the same.  Have a safe and festive St. Paddy's Day, and I'll see you in April!