Top Songs of 2012 – #8
I’ve gotten used to the high quality of Bob Dylan’s recent albums. Unlike the 80s and 90s, there is no longer a fear in the back of my head that his next release might be a real head-scratcher.
This is probably where some of you will chime in and bring up his recent Christmas album (appropriate given the date), to which I’d reply that I actually enjoy that novelty release quite a bit. I’ll take Dylan’s gravelly ‘Little Drummer Boy‘ over most versions, thank you very much.
Top Songs of 2012 – #9
First things first… Merry Christmas, everyone! This post marks my fifth Christmas since starting the Song of the Day series, and I still haven’t missed a day.
Now, on to the matter at hand.
John Mayer returned to form this year with Born and Raised, his best album since 2006’s Continuum. The record has a laid-back 70s California vibe, complete with mentions of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan and backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash.
Top Songs of 2012 – #10
Tift Merritt’s fifth studio album, Traveling Alone, is a lower key affair than her previous releases. It is made up primarily of acoustic ballads with melodies that take a little while to seep in.
But in a few spots, Merritt and her band open up and settle into a blues-rock groove. Those songs quickly became favorites of mine, probably because they are more immediately accessible.
My family and I always play the “what song will be first?” game when we attend concerts.
I remember seeing Lyle Lovett perform with his Large Band once in Pompano Beach and throwing out a bunch of great guesses only to have him take the stage and launch into ‘Penguins,’ a minor track nestled in the middle of I Love Everybody, itself a collection of odds and ends.
This is the second track from the Davd Byrne and Brian Eno collaboration, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, to show up on a Random Weekend.
And as much as I enjoy David Byrne’s work, both as a solo artist and as leader of Talking Heads, I just can’t make it through his work with Eno. This track runs six and a half minutes and I have yet to make it through three of them without turning it off.
