This Weeks Play List

Brother Rock – Rock -N- Roll Shoes (2004) This is a Christian band with some good strong rock and roll, uhmmm, shoes. There are a couple of songs on this fine CD that aren’t so explicitly religious (which works best for me) and I thought you all might enjoy them. For more info on this independent band, you can reach them at http://www.brorock.com

Patti Smith – Horses / Horses (Legacy Edition) – (2005) I can’t believe it was 30 years ago that I sat in a small club and watched this woman acting like a wild animal crawl around the stage, hump the monitors and just throw so much energy at us that we were shocked, amazed and totally enthralled. She is a poet, an inspiration to future generations and, most important, a rock and roll God. This double CD package includes her original Horses CD, “Elegie” and a live version of “My Generation” on the “1975” disk. On the 2005 disk, she plays all of these songs live from a 2005 concert. Just the two versions of “My Generation” are worth the price of the CDs. Horses itself is one of the great CDs from the 70’s. If you don’t own it already, this is an excellent package to have in your collection.

Rachael Yamagata – Happenstance (2004) Yes she has a beautiful voice, and yes she can write beautiful melodies. What surprised me about this CD, and what makes it unique over many female singer/songwriters, is the energy she puts out. This is not only a pretty CD, it is a strong CD. Hold on tight for a great ride.

Bonnie Raitt – Souls Alike (2005) Bonnie has stepped back from songwriting on this CD, turning it over to her keyboardist Jon Cleary and a Promise favorite Maia Sharp. What she ends up with is a CD that challenges our concept of who Bonnie is, while not letting us forget that this is indeed a Bonnie Raitt CD.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Jacksonville City Nights (2005) This is the second of 3 CDs Ryan is planning on releasing this year. I’m hoping it is the worst of the three. This is easily my least favorite Ryan Adams project ever. Throughout the CD it feels like Ryan is trying too hard to be a country artist. The vocals sound forced, and that just ruins the whole thing for me. This isn’t a bad CD, it just doesn’t measure up to any of his other great ones. Let’s hope that the final CD of the year gives us a more natural Ryan (whatever that is). Okay, maybe I’m being too hard on this CD. It is a good CD. I just think Ryan was trying too hard.

A final note... I really wouldn’t blame any of my listeners if they found themselves listening to Sirius.com for the next couple of months. Channel 10 on Sirius has become “E Street Station” and is playing Bruce Springsteen 24/7 through the end of January. You can get three free days online to hear just how amazing this station is. Friday night we were dancing around the house as they played the entire Winterland ’78 bootleg. They are also playing rare live performances throughout the day. Thank God this is only lasting through January; otherwise I’d have to think seriously of owning both XM and Sirius systems.