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Song of the Day #4,511: ‘My Immortal’ – Evanescence

My only exposure to Evanescence — whose album Fallen is next up in my Decades look at the year 2003 — is through this record’s cover image. I recall seeing lead singer Amy Lee’s white face and big eyes staring at me when browsing music aisles back in the day.

Evanescence is a nu metal band out of Little Rock, Arkansas. Their sound is a mix of heavy guitars and lilting piano, Metallica meets Diana Krall. It’s not surprising that they’re completely off my radar because this is not my kind of music.

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Song of the Day #4,510: ‘Is Anybody Going To San Antone’ – Ron Sexsmith

‘Is Anybody Going To San Antone’ is the closing track on Ron Sexsmith’s 2015 album Carousel One.

The song is a cover of a song released by country music singer Charley Pride in 1970. You can hear that version here.

Pride was a top-selling artist in the 70s. Over the course of his career, he scored 30 #1 Country hits and put 52 songs on the top 10.

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Song of the Day #4,509: ‘Stop in Nevada’ – Billy Joel

If you’re a Billy Joel fan, as I am, you find gems no matter where in his catalog you go. OK, maybe his last couple of albums were a bit thin on great material, but prior to the mid-80s, he was firing on all cylinders.

Take today’s SOTD, a cut from the second half of Piano Man, Joel’s 1973 sophomore album and his commercial breakthrough. ‘Stop in Nevada’ is a great song in the same country rock vein as much of the record. Casual Joel fans have probably never heard it. But if you know and love the man, this is one more solid song in a sea of them.

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Song of the Day #4,508: ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ – Alicia Keys

I never really got into Alicia Keys when she was making a big splash in the 2000’s. While I appreciated her singer-songwriter chops and her use of classical piano in an modern soul setting, ultimately she just wasn’t making the kind of music I like. R&B has always been one of my blind spots.

I’ve come to appreciate Keys more in recent years thanks to her charming work as host of the Grammys. She is so earnest, positive and full of love that it’s hard to remain cynical in the face of her infectious brightness.

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Song of the Day #4,507: ‘Decoration Day’ – Drive-By Truckers

I’ve wanted to give Drive-By Truckers a listen ever since I discovered Jason Isbell a few years back. I knew he spent time in the Athens-based Southern rock band before he went solo and released some of the best albums I’ve heard in a long time.

2003’s Decoration Day, the Truckers’ fourth studio album, was Isbell’s first with the band. He replaced a departing guitarist and eventually became one of the principal songwriters. His tenure was short, however, because his drug and alcohol abuse made him impossible, and forced the band to boot him a few years later. Fortunately, he got clean and embarked on an extraordinary solo career.

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