This track, from Lucinda Williams’ 2001 album Essence, is a perfect example of that record’s spare, haunting loveliness.
Like many songs on the album, ‘Are You Down’ has few lyrics and a whole lot of atmosphere. The interplay of guitar and drums on this track has a distinct Dire Straits vibe, which is certainly a good thing in my book.
Today is my birthday, and because it falls on a weekend, the Random iTunes Fairy gets the chance to serve me up something appropriate, ironic, bizarre or boring to mark the occasion.
Let’s spin the dial and see what song sums me up as I turn 47…
Well, Bruce Hornsby’s ‘Look Out Any Window’ doesn’t have much meaning to me personally, but it’s a great song about the state of the world, and one just as relevant today as when it was released in 1988.
Eleven years ago, I ranked R.E.M.’s albums and placed 1986’s Lifes Rich Pageant at #3. I have some quibbles about that list and would likely shuffle some titles were I to revisit it today, but I stand by the placement of this album.
Pageant was the album where R.E.M. started the transition from the alternative to the mainstream. It’s more polished and muscular than its predecessors, but not as radio-friendly as what was to come. It sits nicely in that sweet spot.
Sara Bareilles wrote this song, from her 2010 album Kaleidoscope Heart, to herself after she moved into a new house on her own.
About halfway through, the track samples a BBC interview with Alfred Hitchcock. Bareilles included the clip because she felt it fit with the “sinister” air of the song.
Tomorrow I will start a countdown of my favorite albums of the decade. If this were 20 years ago — 1999 instead of 2019 — that list would include Lauryn Hill’s ’97 classic The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill somewhere near the top.
This blend of hip hop, soul and R&B sounds as bold and vital today as it did when it made such a splash 22 years ago. It is even more special for remaining the only solo studio recording Hill ever released (her one follow-up record was a live recording of an MTV Unplugged appearance).
Meet Me In Montauk 