Special Edition: 5 Cover Songs You Need to Hear

   Hey kids, it's time for a special bonus edition of 5 Songs that I've been threatening for some time now. While I am no doubt an avid fan of original music, I have a soft spot in my heart for re-interpretations of classic songs by new artists. I especially like it when it takes the song in a whole new direction, almost making their version of the song an original song of their own.

   There has been a resurgence of interpreting cover songs in the past few years. The results have been everything from amazing to ridiculous, but here are 5 Cover Songs You Need to hear right this very minute....

1. Just What I Needed - Punch Brothers. Regular readers of this blog may recall I referenced this clip in an earlier edition. This version of the classic Cars song is nothing short of a blast. What do you call it when you take a New Wave song from the late seventies and give it to a bluegrass band in the 2010s? New Grass? Blue Wave? Whatever it is, it's awesome.

2. Wish You Were Here - Crowder. Just discovered this one a week ago. A buddy of mine asked me if I had seen the video of Crowder doing Pink Floyd, to which I replied, "No, but I know what I'm doing as soon as I get back to my computer!" Fans of Crowder may think this a weird choice for a cover, and they would be right. But it's weirdly brilliant! Enjoy!

3. Shake It Off - Zeke Duhon.  Last week I introduced readers to this wunderkind singer-songwriter from Nashville. While trying to find the best video for the song I was highlighting I stumbled on this fascinating minor key cover of the Taylor Swift pop sensation. Recorded entirely in his bedroom on nothing but piano strings, this version casts the lyrics in a more pensive and somber light. Cool factor here is off the charts.

4. I Can't Feel My Face- Walk Off the Earth. I don't know what the heck you call that crazy instrument they all play together, but this is one of the funkiest jams I've heard in a while. For my money, it's superior to the original. If you have never heard Walk Off the Earth, go ahead and plan to carve out a few hours and check out this remarkable group. They specialize in doing other people's music better than they do it themselves.

5. 1979 - Darlingside. Hats off to Darlingside for this loving tribute to those 90s juggernauts of alternative rock, Smashing Pumpkins. I imagine Billy Corgan smiling broadly at the sound of this trippy folk version of their megahit. Great song, cool cover, and a fun way to round out our special edition of 5 songs.

If you have a cool cover version you want me to hear, please share it in the comments section. I am always on the lookout for unique interpretations of classic music. Thanks for reading and listening!

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 11

Insert clever comment here. Follow with some witty banter about said comment. Transition into introduction to this week's collection of new music. Then say something like.... "What are we awaiting for? Here are 5 Songs YOU NEED to Hear.... right now!" There. My work here is finished. :-)

1. Friends - Raury. This is my current jam in the car. I stumbled upon this song one day as a suggestion from Spotify. I had a little free time to spare so I was exploring some of the recommended music the Spot-Bots generated based on what I have previously listened to. Out of nowhere comes this free-spirited anthem of unity and community, hearkening back to the kind of hippy, flower-power, peace-love-and-groovy-daffodils vibe of the late Sixties. There's a cool backstory to the video, too. Apparently, Raury is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/musician/rapper/producer wunderkind from Stone Mountain, GA right here in the ATL. He and a buddy wanted to get to Chicago so they decided to use Twitter to catch rides from their fans as far as they would take them. They would crash at their house, go out to eat with them, get to know them personally. They videoed their adventures along the way and edited them into the video for his song.  
Warning: Although Raury is an amazing, creative talent, much of his other music contains explicit lyrics, so please be aware if you decide to check out any of his other songs.

2. Faith and Hope - Zeke Duhon. I found this gem on Noisetrade last week. Download the whole album. It is all great. But if I had to pick a favorite from this Nashville based singer-songwriter, it would be this one. The studio version is really good, but the best video I could find is an acoustic version he filmed and recorded himself in the tunnels of downtown Tulsa, OK. Apparently, this is a well-known place that a lot of indie artists use for their videos. Cool song, great lyrics, and I really love this guy's whole attitude and approach.
Bonus: Check out Zeke's unique, minor-key approach to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off." Exceptionally cool. Look for it on an upcoming 5 Covers You Ned to Hear edition.
 

3. Do Not Destroy - Cicada Rhythm. And the award for most hipster song of the week goes to..... Cicada Rhythm. Andrea DeMarcus is a Julliard trained musician who plays the upright bass. Her partner, Dave Kirslis plays acoustic guitar. They blend these unique talents and voices into a mesmerizing sound I have never heard anywhere else. While I really enjoy the music, I can't help but feel like I am not nearly cool enough to appreciate them. I get the feeling just from listening to them and watching them play that if I knew them, they wouldn't let me hang around them. Or they would constantly look at me with a mixture of loathing and pity, like "Oh, he still thinks U2 is cool. Poor thing." But I still think you need to hear this music. And for the record, U2 is  still cool.

4. Other Suns - MAGIC GIANT. Another great Noisetrade discovery from last week. These guys make an exuberant, joyful, magic noise. They look like refugees from a traveling carnival and they are the musical equivalent of a whole bag of Skittles dumped into your mouth all at once. This song was my favorite from the sampler I downloaded...

5. Waiting on June - Holly Williams. I saved this one for lat because by the end of it, you will be crying and I don't want you to fry your computer with your tears and not hear the other songs first. Holly Williams is the grand-daughter of country music pioneer Hank Williams, and the daughter of equally legendary Hank Williams, Jr. She wrote this song about her maternal grandparents' 58 year marriage from the point of view of her grandfather. It's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Touching, tender, genuine, heartfelt. It's a new all time favorite for me and hopefully soon will be for you, too.

Insert clever ending comments here. Encourage people to support new music. Say good-bye.

"Good-bye." :-)

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 10

As a pastor, I share an affinity with Jesus for the underdog, the outcast, the outliers of society. I love that He went out of His way to find those people whom everyone else ignored, disregarded, disrespected, or even didn't know existed. I am learning to be more like Him every day (some days are better than others) and I'm trying to apply this same principle across the board in my life. I think some of the best songwriters, artists, musicians, thinkers, poets, whatever will never be known or recognized in this life. I think the New Heaven and New Earth we are promised in the scriptures will be filled with many amazing and gifted innovatives in every area of life.

Wow, that's a deep thought. And fun to think about. That's what makes it so satisfying to discover great new music from people most of us have never heard of. Not all of it is Christian. But all of it is good and deserves a shot at being heard. So here are 5 Songs (in my humble opinion) You Need To Hear...

1. Leaving Woman - The Trigger Code. Well, well, well.... somebody found their dad's Zeppelin records. This is a really convincing and sincere homage to the Sozo boys of the Seventies and I like it a lot. Great for crankin' loud at red lights next to the guy blasting Ariana Grande or some such ridiculous sugar-coated radio-pop nonsense as that. Just turn your head slowly, lower your shades and look at him as if to say, "This is what grown-ups listen to." Then watch him screech away when the light turns because he is in a big hurry to go nowhere. (Ha! That was cynical, but a lot of fun to write.)

     Tragically, there is not one video anywhere on the internet of this song. So here is the link for the song on a compilation on Noisetrade.com. You can listen to it streaming on your device. Enjoy!


2. The Ancestor - Darlingside. I love the neo-folk revival we are experiencing in music right now. So many great artists, so many good songs. This song reminds me of The Association from the Sixties, with the choral vocals and harmonies. Imagine The Association covering The Lumineers and you've got Darlingside. Really cool animated music video, too.

3. Passepied - Punch Brothers. This will be the coolest thing you hear all day. That's a promise. Chris Thile (Nickel Creek) is a freakin' genius anyway and this adaptation of a Debussy piece breaks down all previous notions of what bluegrass music can be. Don't get me wrong; I love me some front porch "Salty Dog" with the Darlin' boys as much as the next hillbilly, but this is a breath of unexpected innovation and creativity that opens the genre up to so many possibilities. I realize I'm a little late to the Punch Brothers party, but let me do you a favor and introduce you to this song. And let me say it now.... You're welcome. P.S. - If you like that, you absolutely HAVE to check out their cover of the Cars' classic "Just What I Needed" here.

4. 5678! - Butterfly Bouche. This is just cool. It's a few years old now but it came up on my iTunes shuffle last week and reminded me that I need to share this song with you all. Not a huge Butterfly Bouche fan personally, but a big fan of this song. She's like Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club; weird, odd, a little sideways... but endearing in her own way. Plus it's a really catchy song.

5. Your Love Will Blow Me Away When My Heart Aches - Son Little.  Great way to close out this edition of 5 Songs. This guy is cool at a level few will ever attain to. His music doesn't fit neatly into any category -- kinda R&B but not exactly, sorta soul but sometimes reggae but not quite... Who cares? Stop trying to categorize everything and just listen, for cryin' out loud. Sheesh.

Hope you liked some or all or at least one of these songs. If you did, go buy it and support the hardworking artists and songwriters that create this stuff so they can feed their families and continue to make great music for the world to enjoy. Do your part!

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 9

Why five? What is so special about the number five? People stop me in the street all the time and ask me, "Why, Jerry, why?! Why is it always FIVE!?!" Not really. No one ever stops me in the street. Mostly, because I don't walk in the street. That would be stupid and dangerous. But also because no one really reads this blog anyways so they have no idea it even exists.

I have always liked 5. It's easy to count by. I love that old Schoolhouse Rock song where the guy is playing hide-and-seek with a bunch of kids and he counts by fives. There were five Rolling Stones (in the classic line-up before Bill Wyman left). David picked up "five smooth stones" to battle Goliath. There were five original X-men before they became the most convoluted and impossible to follow soap-opera in all of comicdom. And there were arguably five Beatles. Yes, there were. George Martin played on the albums as much as any member of the band and was probably more responsible for their sound than they were.

Anyway, I just like five. It's not too few. It's not too many. It's just right. So, here are some new songs I want you to hear. Five, in fact. Not too many, not too few, just right. Here we go....


1. Montevideo - Blisses B. Part Mutemath, part Talking Heads, with a singer that at times hearkens back to Genesis-era Peter Gabriel and you've got Blisses B. Not sure where they came from or what their deal is, but it is refreshingly different, but not at the expense of the song. The songs on the album I downloaded from Noisetrade.com are odd and unconventional in their structure and approach, but very infectious and catchy. I couldn't find a video of this particular song but you can stream it from Noisetrade or by clicking this link. Check it out...

2. Look Closer (Can't You See the Signs?) - Saun & Starr.  I don't know what sparked the Soul Train revival movement, but I love it! More and more new R&B artists are sounding more and more like the classic 70s soul artists that Don Cornelius used to introduce on TV when I was a kid. (If you were born in the 80s and have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, do a search for Soul Train TV show on YouTube and you will get it immediately.) This track with it's spacy, reverb-drenched congas and staccato funk guitar licks sounds like AM radio in 1972. It's not only an amazing authentic-sounding homage to artists like Isaac Hayes, Stylistics, and Rose Royce, but it's just a great song in its own right.

3. Dreaming - Charlie Whitten. Man, could it get any mellower than this? If Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon  and Gary Wright's Dreamweaver got together, this would be their love child. Smooth, dreamy, and evocative of late seventies post-psychadelia. This track is the sonic equivalent of a really good massage -- relaxing and enjoyable without getting creepy at any point. Warning: Do not attempt to drive or operate heavy machinery while listening to this song. Also, if you have hay fever or suffer from allergies, you may want to turn your head and not look at the video.

4. Weep No More - Canton Junction. OK, this is a first and very likely a last on 5 Songs -- a Southern Gospel quartet. Let me just go on record and say officially, I am NOT a fan of this particular genre. I don't know if it's because I grew up being force-fed this stuff by my parents or if it's because they always look like creepy, mafia-types with the three-piece suits. Whatever the reason, Southern Gospel is not my thing.
   So imagine my surprise when I heard this song the other day and not only really liked it, but I actually purchased it with my own money that I worked for! To be fair, it sounds absolutely NOTHING like anything else this group (or any other gospel quartet) does. I came across it while sampling songs from the soundtrack of Four Blood Moons,  John Hagee's film about end-times prophecy and such. Don't know anything about the movie (though the trailer looks kinda cheesy), but the soundtrack is actually pretty decent as Christian music goes these days. I ended up buying three or four songs from it by artists like JJ Weeks Band and Walk Through The Fire.
   This tune caught my ear for the bluegrass instrumentation and haunting, minor key feel. It reminds me of something that might be on an old Steve Earle record from the 80s. Give it a fair listen. You might be surprised as I was.

5. Stained Glass - Jon Guerra. Imagine if Paul Simon became a Christ follower, what kind of songs would he write? What would he sound like singing them? Jon Guerra kinda reminds me a little of Paul Simon's winsome-yet-world-weary style. There are some obvious similarities in his voice, but more than enough originality to be an artist deserving of respect in his own right. I met Jon at a Vertical Church Band conference that came through Georgia a few months ago. He was a genuinely kind and patient guy, taking time to listen and answer questions from a host of attenders. I found him very wise and thoughtful for his young years and bought his CD just because I liked the guy. I'm glad I did.
   This is probably my favorite track, albeit I prefer this stripped-down acoustic version in the  video to the studio version on his CD. I saved it for last because I like this to be what you come away with: "We're all broken, it's true/but when Your Light shines through/We all look like stained glass windows to You."

 

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 8

There are few things that stir my heart quite like discovering a great song. For me, music is something that causes the veil that separates heaven and earth to grow very, very thin. I sense the presence of God in the songs I love most, even if they are not overtly Christian or even remotely spiritual in the usual sense. There is just something about music -- the interplay of melody, harmony, chord structure, arrangement, lyrics, and raw emotional power -- that is primal to who we are. It's the noise humans make. Image bearers of God, even broken ones, cannot help themselves. We love to sing and make music.

So one of my great joys is finding great new music and sharing it with other people who feel the same way. I've got 5 songs here I'd wager you have never heard before but might just possibly be your new favorite jam before the day is out. Let's find out, shall we? Here we go...

1. Vintage - High Dive Heart. Found this one for free on Noisetrade.comhttp://www.noisetrade.com/highdiveheart just about an hour ago. High Dive Heart is a guy-girl duo comprised of multi-platinum award winning singer/songwriter Jason Reeves (collaborations with Colbie Caillat, Lenka, Katharine McPhee, Angel Taylor, etc) and Nelly Joy, one-half of the ACM nominated country duo the JaneDear girls. This is not their first rodeo. And you can tell. "Vintage" is the first single from their project, and it is one of the catchiest, brightest, just plain fun songs I've heard since Sheppard's "Geronimo." It's the musical equivalent of smelling honeysuckles. You know what I mean? Sure you do.

2. Home Again - Michael Kiwanuka. I think this one was a freebie off iTunes one day a few years ago. It completely took me by surprise. There is an honesty and sense of emotional transparency in this tender acoustic track from the British (yes, British) singer-songwriter. No matter what your actual home was like, there is in each of us a nagging feeling we aren't there yet, but we long to be. Home again. Let me just go ahead and say this now... You. Are. Welcome.

3. Mystic - Charlie Peacock. Yes, that's his real name. Charlie Peacock has been around a long, long time. Though an established artist and songwriter in his own right, Peacock is probably better known as a producer these days, most notably of The Civil Wars' Barton Hollow. This track was part of a Christmas compilation of all things, though what it has to do with Christmas is beyond me. I've had this in my collection for a few years now and didn't think much of it. Then the other day when I was mowing my grass and listeing to random tunes on wide open shuffle, this song came on and nearly knocked me off my Troy-Bilt Pony. I don't know if it's the Cajun vibe or the powerful sense of yearning for answers about his life, or some combination of all that... I really like this song. I think you will, too.

4. Soubour - Songhoy Blues. I have no idea what these guys are singing about but I think they mean it. This is a blues band from the Republic of Mali in West Africa. I can't find an English translation of the lyrics anywhere but I imagine it's about suffering or oppression or something horrible.... not because they are from West Africa but because they are a blues band and that's why they call it the blues. I don't have to understand the words to know I like the music.

5. Make it Out Alive - Nick Flora. I really like this tune a lot! Flora is a guy out of Nashville with a great sense of humor, keen pop songwriting instincts, and a real love for what he does. I think I could hang with this guy. He sounds like Elvis Costello's long lost son. I got his latest album free on Noisetrade.com and hadn't even listened to it all the way through when this song cam up on shuffle one day in my office. It stopped me on my tracks and I thought, "Well, there's one of my next 5 Songs You Need to Hear!" And it is. Enjoy!

OK, kids, there you have it. Get busy. Listen. Support. Share. Don't be like a miser who hoards all his treasures for himself, and then dies rich but friendless. That stinks. Be like a Johnny Appleseed... or something. Scatter freely and generously those things that have been so freely shared with you.

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 7

Don't you just love the word nugget? I do. It makes me smile. Every time I hear it. In the right context, it even makes me giggle. What exactly is a nugget? The dictionary defines it as "a lump of gold or precious metal," "a bite size piece of fish or chicken," or "an Australian slang term for a strong, thickset man."(that's a new one for me, I must admit). But I define it as "an especially good song from a relatively unknown band or artist."

No matter how you define it, nuggets are awesome. And today I have 5 such nuggets that are precious as gold, tasty as fish and/or chicken, and..... strong... and, er.... thickset?

Never mind. Here are 5 nuggets  you NEED to hear:

1. Terminal - Jon Foreman. This guy is a genius. Period. End of discussion. I'm not wrong. As the brains behind Switchfoot Foreman has already forever secured himself as a tour de force in songwriting, production, musicianship, and boundless creativity. He is constantly reinventing himself and that's one of my favorite things about him. He never lets his fans get lazy. You have to keep up with him. This song is from a brand new set of solo EPs he has just released that chronicle a day in his life. I think this one falls around 11:00 AM or something... Whatever. It's just plain great.

Hey... P.S. There is a great video of Foreman performing this song with just an acoustic guitar and his voice worth looking up. But I wanted you all to hear the studio recording of the song first.


2. Take It Back - The Temperance Movement. Ah, Temperance Movement, to what shall I compare thee? The Stooges? MC5? The Black Crowes on steroids maybe? Make sure you are alone when you listen to this song the first time, because you are going to start dancing or singing or playing air guitar or grooving in some visibly awkward way (especially if you're rhythmically challenged. You know who you are). People are going to stare at you and either think you are weird or that you are listening to some great nugget of rock and roll they wish they knew about. Watch and see. It will go down exactly like I said. And, guess what.... yep. You're welcome.

3. Keep On Pushing - Mason Jar Music & Friends (feat. Emily Elbert). I am so excited to share this discovery with you. Mason Jar Music is a collective of musicians and creative types out of Brooklyn, NY. Every year they have a tradition of getting together and recording a series of covers chosen around a particular theme. One year they did a collection of R&B songs featuring brilliant covers by the likes of Bill Withers, Koko Taylor, and Curtis Mayfield. This particular song is from that collection and features an amazing vocal from Emily Elbert. The playing is nothing less than spot-on. This is a cover of the original by the Impressions. And as great as this track is, every other track on that record is just as good. It's free on Noisetrade here, so you have no excuse whatsoever not to add this to your collection immediately.

4. Running for Cover - Ivan & Alyosha. I think I found this one on Spotify one day while following the trail of related artists from artists I already knew and liked. That, BTW, is an excellent way to discover new bands and great songs. Too bad they don't make any money off Spotify, but I did go buy their record so it wasn't a total loss.
The guys are not actually named Ivan & Alyosha (they are actually called Tim, Ryan, Pete, & Tim); they took the band name from the brothers in Dostoevsky's classic The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan & Alyosha represent two clashing worldviews about life, God, right, wrong, etc. This song wrestles with similar tensions but in a much shorter and far more catchy way.

5. Hey Homies! - The Aquabats. OK, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Aquabats are a cross between Devo, comic books, and Pee Wee Herman. But this song is undeniably awesome. If there were any justice in the world this would be the number one song in every country, And if it were, we would see a lot less war, hate, bigotry, racism, violence, crime, etc. Ya wanna know why? Because we would all be too busy hugging each other! "We don't need no thugs unless those thugs was givin' out hugs!"
Warning: This song requires that you stop pretending to be a stuck-up musical snob who thinks he knows it all and just enjoy something fun. Think you can do that? Huh? OK, then....

Nuggets. Each and every one. Different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, but each one a nugget in its own right. Now it's your turn: listen, buy, support, and share your favorite nuggets with someone you love. Spread the nugget love.

 

5 Songs You Need To Hear, Vol. 6

Greetings lovers of new and undiscovered music! It's back -- an all-new, all-awesome edition of 5 Songs You Need To Hear. My job is simple: introduce you to new songs from new artists you've most likely never heard. Your job is also simple: listen, purchase, share, support.

I apologize for the delay in publishing volume 6; I was sick all week last week. But I'm feeling much better and ready to share some of my favorite new songs and artists with you. Let's do this thing...

1. Salt - Bad Suns. I admit there is a good chance that you may have heard this song. Bad Suns got some decent airplay from an earlier song called Cardiac Arrest on alternative stations. I heard this song in a Rue21 store with my daughter. It immediately reminded me of the classic 80s MTV band, The Fixx, in their heyday. Catchy, funky, grooving pop with some surprisingly deep lyrics. I am posting the lyric video because 1) the official music video is distractingly awful, and 2) I don't want yo to miss what this song is about.

2. Postcard - Jukebox the Ghost. Here's another band you may have heard before if you follow alternative music radio. They've been around for a while now garnering a rather large, mostly cult following. I first heard this particular song on a sampler of SXSW festival bands. It's clever and funny and really, really well-written. This one is a gem!

3. Work It Out - Knox Hamilton. I don't even remember where I heard this song but I'm so glad I did. There is just nothing to not like about this song. The hook is brilliant and the tones and textures these guys use are a testimony to their love of what they do. It's just stunning in it's stark contrast to the bland fodder that pollutes so much of the musical landscape these days. Don't let the video fool you! They may look like a bunch of Dr.-Who -watching, World-of-Warcraft-playing, whiter-than-whitey-white college nerds who have never been on a date in their lives... but they can play!
For the first time this week, let me just say it.......... you're welcome.

4. None of These Things - The Damnwells. OK, look at me. Look me in the eye. I want to make sure you hear me. DO. NOT. MISS. THIS. SONG. If you only listen to one track from this blog this week, it's this one. Beautiful, mesmerizing, forlorn, haunting, achingly sad. It takes talent to evoke these things in a time when it's been done so many times so brilliantly by so many artists. It takes something special. Apparently, it takes the Damnwells. Cuz this thing is already one of my picks for Best Song of the Year. Trust me when I say, forget 5 songs... this is ONE song you NEED to hear.

5. Bike Ride - Nora Jane Struthers. OK, consider this kind of like a palate cleanser from that last song... Refreshingly simple and fun, I just love this song. A cynic will probably listen to this song, waiting with a sneer for some innuendo or double-meaning. But, no, it really is about riding a bike. Not a metaphorical bike. A real bike. On a real road. Because it's enjoyable. And so is this song.

Alright, kids, there they are. You've got some work to do now. Go buy these songs, support the artists, share them with your friends, play them in your car or at the office so the people around you turn their heads and say, "What is that song?" And you can be that cool person everyone looks to for great new music that no one else has heard yet.

5 Songs You Need To Hear, Vol. 5

NOTE: This is an updated version of Vol. 5. The previous version had a different song in the number 1 spot. But after a more careful review of the prior selection, I could not in good conscience leave it there due to objectionable lyrical content. However, the updated list is every bit as good, if not better, than the original. Enjoy.

Man, oh, man, have I got some gems for you guys this week! There has been a flood of really cool new music this past week and I can't wait for you to hear it. So let's don't wait, let's do it!

1. Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating in the Future - Mike Doughty. This jam has it all: killer groove, trippy vocals, a long list of random words instead of real lyrics, and best of all -- a wicked cool banjo riff. Yep. Banjo. Banjos are all the rage in alternative music these days. Makes sense when you think about it. Heck, what's more alternative in rock and roll than a banjo? I imagine a good rock banjoist (sp?) could name his price in L.A. right now.  Anyways, I digress... this is a great tune for driving with your top down and cranking it really loud so that when you stop at a red light and look over at the guy in the minivan listening to talk radio, you can nod your head at him knowingly, and rest in the warm satisfaction that you are infinitely cooler than that. And it has a banjo.

2. Colors - Genevieve. Another freebie on iTunes this week. Though the song has been out for several months now, it has somehow escaped the recognition and airplay it deserves. Just in time for summer, sunshine, cookouts, and days at the beach with friends. This song is so catchy and bright, it will probably be on my "flavor-of-the-week" playlist throughout the summer.

3. Love My People - Crown and the M.O.B. I'm not a rap guy. I don't hate it; hate is too strong a word. I guess I just don't get the appeal. A great beat and clever lyrics are usually a recipe for awesomeness, but somehow in rap, it's all out of its context and so falls flat to my ear. But this... this is an exception. And it's not just this tune, their whole record is really, really good. I also respect the message of this song that calls for love and respect between all people regardless of race, religion, political persuasion, etc. And it's got the one thing I'm looking for in every single good song that most rap songs do not have: a chorus. The video below is not the studio recording but a terrific live version from the Jam In The Van web series. You can get this jam free on Noisetrade!

4. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You - Leftover Cuties. I wanted to save this one for a special covers edition, but it's just too good to keep from you any longer. Simple, gorgeous, and deeply moving. Just a ukelele ( I think), an upright bass, and a single voice. Too often, popular music is like a cupcake with entirely too much frosting and not enough substance. It may look delicious but one bite makes you regret it. If you want to know how well a song is written, sing it like this -- emotionally raw, musically stripped down, and performed with a passion for the beauty it invokes in your own heart. If it still draws a crowd, you've got a hit. Enjoy this little gem like a vacation to the beach for about 5 minutes. And once again... you're welcome.

5. Lovely - Compass & Rose. OK, I'm going to have to ask you to work a little for this one... This is a local band right here from Atlanta and from the looks of their photos, they are probably high school kids, maybe college. They have no videos available yet so I can't post it below. As far as I can tell, their self-titled EP is only available on Noisetrade.com where you can download it for free or tip the artist whatever you like. So you are going to have to actually click the link below and leave this blog to go to their page on Noisetrade and there you can stream the entire EP. I recommend Lovely as a standout track, but if you like that, you will probably enjoy the rest as well. It's hippy, folky, mellow, place-of-zen indie with a breathy female vocal ala Julee Cruise from Twin Peaks. (Major bonus geek points if you actually know who she is!)
 Here is the link: http://noisetrade.com/compassandrose/compass-and-rose

OK, kids, now go listen, enjoy, and support new artists so they can get rich and famous and make more great music for many years to come. And if you discover any hidden musical gems, please don;t hesitate to share them with me so I can pass them along. Adios!

5 Songs You Need to Hear, Vol. 4: Neo-Retro Edition

Hey kids, it's that time again! Time another 5 Songs You Need to Hear! This week I will be focusing on songs and artists that are new and original but hearken back to styles and eras gone by. Maybe you're like me when you first heard Bruno Mars sing "Uptown Funk" and you thought, Isn't that "Jungle Love" by Morris Day & the Time? So if you like your new stuff to sound old, this is your week! Let's get crackin'...

1. One Heart - Leftover Cuties. I absolutely love this band. They are a very convincing throwback to the old prohibitionist era speakeasy jazz clubs of the 1930s. For a band whose sound evokes smoky nightclubs from a black& white movie, they are a breath of fresh air and color on an otherwise dreary musical landscape. Be sure to check out their brilliant cover of Elvis' "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" on their YouTube channel. If you like this and want more I can highly recommend any and all of their CDs available anywhere fine music is sold.

2. The World (Is Going Up In Flames) - Charles Bradley. Fast forward to the 1960s R&B era of singers like James Brown and Otis Redding. Man, nobody makes music like that anymore... except Charles Bradley. This cut sounds like it could have been recorded in 1965 in the height of Viet Nam, civil rights marches, and cold war paranoia. It is eerily relevant today, hinting that maybe we have not progressed as far as we'd like to think. When it comes to making raw, authentic, soul music, we need progress no further than Mr. Bradley. Again, you;re welcome.

3. North Side Gal - J.D. McPherson.  There's been a lot of guys that have tipped their hats and acknowledged their debt to pioneers of rock'n'roll like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the like. But very few have done it so convincingly as J.D. McPherson. He doesn't want to pay homage to these guys, he wants to be them. And he is very, very good at it. The Stray Cats wish they had this guy's chops and authenticity! File this in your collection between "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Lucille."

4. Mr. Magic - The Majorleans. There is something about this song that takes me back to the late 70s. You know that scene in Pixar's Ratatouille where the food critic tastes the food and he is immediately transported back to his childhood, and all these vivid memories of sounds, smells, sights, people, emotions coming rushing back to him? That's what this song does to me. The opening guitar riff comes on and I feel like I'm back in my bedroom in 1977 listening to 96Rock in Atlanta. It sounds like elements of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and Dire Straits all rolled into one song. Now, this is a rare case where I cannot fully recommend this band in general, but I do love this song. I apologize for the lack of any good video, but just listen to the track and pay no attention t the lack of pictures. :-) Enjoy!

5. Wait for the Summer - Shake Some Action. I have been waiting for just the right moment to share this band. 80s retro bands are in vogue right now and there are a million I could have chosen, but Shake Some Action hold a special place in my heart, Why? Because they sound so much like my old band, Jacob;s Trouble. This is the kind of thing we loved best when we first started out. Jangly, shimmery guitars, sunny melodic harmonies that hearkened back not only to the Byrds, the Beatles, and the Monkees, but the bands that tried to sound like them in the Eighties: R.E.M., Guadalcanal Diary, Let's Active, Hoodoo Gurus. Those were some amazing times for me and the music that would play such a big part in my life. The truly cool music fans will recognize the band name as a song title from power pop pioneers the Flaming Groovies. And true to the name, Shake Some Action carry on the fine tradition of making melodic, bright, fun pop with some punch.

Alllllllllllll-righty then. You know the drill. Get busy. Listen. Buy. Share. Support great new music wherever you find it so that it will still be there when you go to look for it. And as always, please feel free to share with me any new exciting musical discoveries you happen to come across. Who knows, you might see it here one week as one of the 5 Songs You Need to Hear!

5 Songs You Need To Hear, Vol. 3

Greetings lovers of new music everywhere! Welcome to the third edition of 5 Songs You Need to Hear. If you are tired of everything you are hearing on the radio and bored with everything already on your iPod/iTunes/iPhone/iDon'tCareAnymore... then this is the blog for you.

You know how this works. I give you 5 Songs You Need to Hear. You listen to them. If you like any of them, you go buy them, then you tell all your friends about them, and support the artists who created them so they can keep on making more great music in the future.

So let's not waste time. Here we go...

1. Back to You - Twin Forks. Another Noisetrade.com discovery. I don't know much about this band except I love this song. Also, they do an amazing cover of Taylor Swift's song Mean. In fact, I actually like that song better than this one even, but I'm saving it for a special covers songs edition.

2. Be My Girl - John & Jacob. One of the catchiest dang songs I've heard in a long time. I absolutely love the chorus of this song. It reminds me of classic Foster & Lloyd. Country but with a Beatlesque sensibility of melody and pop hooks. You will be humming this one the rest of the day whether you want to or not.

3. There's a Rumor - The August Empire. Amazon.com offers a lot of free music if you are willing to take the time to sift through it and find the gems among the rubble. Among the treasures a diligent seeker can find are a set of samplers from a label called Mishara Music. I have all of them and there is some absolutely brilliant music on these singer-songwriter collections. One of my favorites is from a guy-girl duo called The August Empire. This song is beautiful, haunting, flawlessly written and performed. It was featured last year on an episode of NBC's The Night Shift and almost immediately scored them 20,000+ views on their YouTube video. I predict you will buy this song within 24 ours of hearing it. You're welcome.

4. Blackbird Song - Lee Dewyze. OK, if you're a fan of The Walking Dead you probably know this song. What you may not know is who did it. This darkly haunting, gruff-voiced masterpiece is performed by none other than former American Idol winner Lee Dewyze! Yeah, I know, I couldn't believe it either! Regardless of who did it, this song is one of my favorite tracks of the last year.

5. Beneath the Brine - The Family Crest. And now for something completely different.... The Family Crest defy categorization. I think they may have invented their own genre. How do I prepare you for what you are about to hear? Hmmm.... words like epic, majestic, sweeping grandeur all come to mind. Aw, heck, just listen to it yourself and tell me what you would call it. Here's what I can tell you... you will never, ever hear this on the radio or in the mall at Hot Topic. It's far too cool for that.

There you have it, folks. Get busy. You've got work to do. And remember, you don;t have to listen to the crap they tell you to listen to. You have a mind of your own. Now go explore...

5 Songs You Need To Hear! Vol. 2

Hello fans of great music everywhere! Welcome to my second installment of 5 Songs You Need to Hear. As an avid fan of the unheard, unsung, unnoticed makers of aural art, my goal is to seek out and discover greatnew music wherever I can find it, and pass it along to you. If you hear something you like, be sure to share it with your friends and help get these artists the recognition and fanbase they deserve.

People ask me, "Jerry, do you consider yourself a hipster?" No, I do NOT consider myself a hipster. A hipster is someone who takes pride in appreciating something no one else has heard of and holds everyone else in scorn and derision because of they are not as cool as he thinks he is. Hipsters deliberately keep their discoveries a secret so they can hold it against everyone else, and somehow make their own pitiable, gray lives seem a little less msierable. That is not me! I love great music everywhere I find it -- even on (gasp!) the radio! Even made by -- (horror of horrors) popular artists!

No, I am not a hipster. I am a servant, really. I want to share what I've found. I want to bring sunshine and happiness to people's music libraries. I want to broaden the horizon of musical tastes and styles. And I want these artists to succeed so they will keep making great music for many years to come.

So with that in mind, here are 5 Songs You Need to Hear....

1. Empty Me Out - Liz Vice. It's like someone dropped an old Gladys Knight vinyl LP from 1970 onto the turntable. This stuff is solid R&B gold. I discovered Liz Vice on Noisetrade.com ( a gold mine of free music from new indie artists of every style and genre). This whole CD is amazing but "Empty Me Out" is by far the standout track.

2. Shelter Song - Temples.  While we are in throwback mode, let me hip you to one of the coolest bands out there right now. Temples is a British band that perfectly replicates the acid-drenched, lava-lamped psychadelic sound of the late sixties. This song was a freebie on Amazon.com last year and it has been in permanent rotation in my iTunes ever since. If you're not a fan of Cream, Hendrix, early Pink Floyd, or more obscure bands like the Electric Prunes, Vanilla Fudge, or Frijid Pink, then this definitely NOT for you. But if you crave a bit of paisley in your diet, I highly recommend Temples.

3. Morning Fades - Jameson Elder. Another Noisetrade find. This song is absolutely beautiful. Elder is a troubador of the highest order, able to capture nuances of emotion and pathos with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a his voice. This brilliant singer-songwriter has a lot of great tunes, but "Morning Fades" is a standout. I couldn't find a decent YouTube video for the studio recording (there is a fanshot video of a live performance in a club, but the quality is poor), but you can listen to it on Spotify here.


4. Something About You - Carey Brothers.  No, it's not the Carey Brothers (as in siblings with the last name Carey); it's one guy named Carey whose last name is Brothers. And yes, it is the old Level 42 song from the 80s. I confess I was never a big fan of the Level 42 version when it was originally released. To me, it just sort of blended in with the rest of the bland, souless, Euro synth-pop-with-a-drum-machine crap on the radio. In fact, I had completely forgotten this song even existed until I heard this remake. Carey Brothers managed to strip away all of the keyboards and outdated production and find a real gem of a song buried underneath it all. This is a surprisingly beautiful song with a lovely melody and heartfelt lyrics. It just needed the right treatment. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

5. Ain't No Grave - Jamie Lin Wilson. Another cover that for me outshines the original. I know I will get a LOT of push back on this, but I like this version better than the Johnny Cash recording. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely love Johnny Cash. In my book he is one of the greats right up there with Elvis, the Beatles, & Sinatra. But there's just something about the fire in this young lady's spirit when she sings "Ain't no grave gonna hold my body down/ When I hear that trumpet sound, I'm gonna rise out of the ground!" that makes me wanna have church right there in my seat! Whether you agree or not about which version is best, I hope you will enjoy Jamie Lin Wilson's take on this gospel classic.

There you have it, folks. 5 Songs You Need To Hear! Please take the time to listen and comment. I appreciate your feedback. And as always, if you have discovered some great new music that you think deserves to be heard, please let me know about it. Until next week! -- Jerry Davison

5 Songs You Need To Hear: Inaugaral Edition!

For a while now I have been doing this play list n my iTunes called "Flavor of the Week" to help me assimilate new music into my library. I have about 16,000+ songs in my music library so I have to be intentional about working in new stuff or it will literally get lost in the shuffle.

I am constantly on the lookout for new music. Through websites like Noisetrade.com and services like Spotify, I add new bands and songs almost everyday. I would say the vast majority of stuff I listen to are things I discovered that way. I thought it might be fun to share some of the new songs I discover every week and hopefully do a couple of good things in the process:

1. Help people discover great new music.
2. Break people free from the thought-trap that you have to hear it on the radio before you can like it.
3. Help new artists and rising talent to get heard more by sharing their music with a new audience.

One quick note before we begin... As a pastor, I realize I am under a lot of scrutiny about where I go, what I do, what I watch or listen to. I get that my position carries influence and responsibility. Having said that, not all these songs are going to be Christian songs. Some of the artists are not folks you would want your kids emulating. Please understand that by listing a song on this blog, I am not endorsing anyone's lifestyle or suggesting you support them. I am taking these songs on their own merit, one at a time. This blog is about the song, not the writer or the performer. I will do my best not to lead anyone astray... :-)

So here is my very first edition of 5 Songs You Need to Hear This Week...

1. Geronimo by Sheppard. This is my jam. Great stuff for sunny days, windows down, driving to the lake or the mountains or the beach... wherever you feel connected. Sheppard is an Australian group made up of a brother and his two sisters (last name Sheppard, get it?) and a few friends. I like the bright, catchy, sunny fun of this song. I like the idea of yelling Geronimo and just going for it when you have a dream worth chasing down, or a calling to answer. The imagery of leaping through the curtain of the waterfall is a nice one, full of shimmery beauty and promise. I crank this one when it comes on. I am posting the live acoustic version for a few reasons: it highlights the song rather than the artist, it's not stupid like the music video, and it shows that these guys really have some talent!

2. Stars by Jessica Rotter. Found this one on Noisetrade. I am a sucker for that lonesome fiddle sound and this one has it in spades. Just plain beautiful.

3. 1612 by Vulfpeck. A buddy of mine turned me on to these guys a few months ago. Every song they do sounds like the soundtrack to a 70s cop show... I mean that in a good way! You know those ones like Barney Miller, Baretta, The Rockford Files (am I showing my age?) that had way cool music. These guys are without question the best jazz funk you will ever listen to. The musicianship is bar none. The bass player is a beast. Most of their stuff is instrumental but this track features gospel singer Antwuan Stanley. It sounds like it could have been a School House Rocks cartoon in 1973.
Trust me, you need this in your life. Just go on Spotify, search "Vulfpeck" and listen to everything. You're welcome.

4. A Little More by Eric Hutchinson. It's funny how I stumble onto these things. Never heard of this guy before. One day I'm sitting in my office working, listening to Spotify, and on the feed comes across that one of my friends is listening to this guy Eric Hutchinson. On a whim I clicked on it to sample it. Ended up buying several of his songs off iTunes that day. This is one of them. Pure retro 80's power pop at its finest. Leaves me wanting a lot more. The video is a little goofy but if it distracts you, just turn your head and listen.

5. Run Boy Run by Woodkid. I can't even remember how I found this song but it's amazing in its epicness. The video is a very interesting mix of side-scrolling video games and an eisode of Adventure Time. Don't know anything about the artist at all. Never heard anything else by him to this day. But this track is crankworthy and a fitting closer to this inaugural edition of 5 Songs...

Okay kids, that's all this week but there are about a jillion more where that came from with more pouring in all the time. Hope you all enjoy these nuggets. Feel free to send me your suggestions of great, unheard, unknown songs. Later!