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Song of the Day #6,604a: ‘Stop This Train’ – John Mayer

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…

#5 – Continuum – John Mayer

John Mayer’s third album signaled a shift from the pop-rock of his first two efforts toward a blues and soul sound more consistent with his live shows. It also brought the oft-maligned wunderkind his first taste of widespread critical acclaim.

I was already a big Mayer fan but Continuum solidified him as one of my favorites. I loved the musical direction and more sophisticated songwriting, and the way the album fleshed out his already impressive catalog.

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Song of the Day #6,604: ‘Summer in the City’ – The Lovin’ Spoonful

The Lovin’ Spoonful held the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 9, 1969, with ‘Summer in the City,’ the folk rock band’s first and only #1 hit. This was also the most overtly rocking song they had released to that point.

Dropping in the middle of a record heat wave in New York City, ‘Summer in the City’ was the right song at the right time. It spent three weeks in the top spot and earned critical acclaim for its shifting keys and use of sound effects.

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Song of the Day #6,603a: ‘My Prayer’ – The Platters

Throwing back to the week of August 8, 1956, we find the doo-wop group The Platters atop the Billboard singles chart with ‘My Prayer.’

The song was written in 1939 by Romanian violinist Georges Boulanger as an instrumental titled Avant de Mourir, with lyrics later added by Carlos Gomez Barrera and Jimmy Kennedy. It found some success in the U.S. that year as ‘My Prayer,’ including in a recording by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.

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Song of the Day #6,603: ‘Back to Black’ – Amy Winehouse

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…

#6 – Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

Apparently 2006 was a great year for brash young English women, because I’m following Lily Allen’s debut with the classic sophomore album by Amy Winehouse.

Back to Black, inspired by Winehouse’s temporary split from Blake Fielder-Civil, is one of the great breakup albums of all-time, and the greatest example of the neo soul movement that spiked in the 2000s.

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Song of the Day #6,602a: ‘LDN’ – Lily Allen

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…

#7 – Alright, Still – Lily Allen

I say this every time I revisit the Decades series, but it’s worth saying again. The best part of Decades is revisiting albums I haven’t listened to in forever and remembering how much I liked (and usually still like) them.

That’s certainly the case for English singer-songwriter Lily Allen’s debut album Alright, Still, which I haven’t played in full for probably a decade and a half. Listening to it today, I was instantly reminded of every lively little nuance, every endearing quirk that made this record such a refreshing blast.

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