Keep coming back each month.  You never know what style of music, song, or album might show up.  

​This year's selections will be quite random.  I have no master plan.  I am just hoping to introduce you to artists you may not be familiar with.  Enjoy.

December: "Come And I Will Sing You" by Great Big Sea

​For December, I am going to introduce you to a group out of New Foundland, Canada.  At the same time, I am going to give you, technically, a Christmas song.
     Known by several different titles (such as “Green Grow the Rushes, O” and “The Twelve Apostles”), “Come and I Will Sing You” has been around since at least the early 1800s, and people have been covering it consistently since that time.  It is an English folk song that has spread across the globe.
     Though little is known about the origins of the song, it is unlikely that it was meant to be a Christmas carol, but it does tend to gain popularity during the Christmas season.
     Great Big Sea released their version of the song on their album The Hard and the Easy.  Though the band retired a few years ago, the song is still popular and shows up around the holidays. 
     If you like the feel of this song, do take time to give some of Great Big Sea’s other music a listen—they are worth it.

November: “Latin Willie/Jugadero (Reprise)” by Dominica

​     Now, I am going to be mean, I am introducing you to an artist that has nearly no online presence.  In fact, I have a hard time finding anything about the rapper Dominica anywhere.  And the truth is, I wouldn’t even know about him if it wasn’t for my time in radio.
     This is mid-90s Caribbean rap, and it is smooth.  “Latin Willie/Jugadero” was the most popular of the tracks from his album Dominican Rum with a Cuban Cigar on my radio shows, so I thought I would share that one with you.  If you find that you like it, you should be able to find more songs from the album on Youtube (I can’t promise you will find them anywhere else).
     Unfortunately, that is all I can give you.  I don’t even know if Dominica released another album.  Like I said, not much about him online.  That just means you need to enjoy what there is.

October: "Alpha Zulu" by Phoenix

​     Here’s one you may be familiar with, but they still deserve more attention.  Phoenix is actually a French band, but their sound, which has been called indie pop, synth-pop, pop rock, and new wave, is global.
     Their breakout album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2009.
     Their most recent album, Alpha Zulu, was recorded during the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Louvre Palace in Paris (yep, the famous museum).  And for this month I am giving you the title track to that album to listen to.  So, sit back and enjoy the song…and try to not let the video give you the heebie jeebies.

September: "Beat on the Brat" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

​     To start off the year, we will begin with an artist many of you are probably aware of: “Weird Al.”  Whether you know his parodies (like “Amish Paradise” or “Word Crimes”) or his originals (like “Skipper Dan” or “Dare to Be Stupid”), Al has put together a career worthy of the greats.  In fact, Al is one of only four artists/groups with Top 40 hits across the decades of 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s (the other three are Michael Jackson, Madonna, and U2).
     With all that said, our focus will actually be with Al covering other people’s music—but not as parodies.  When I last saw him in concert, he performed Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” and did it well.  For our recommendation though, let’s take a look at the song “Beat on the Brat.”
     This song was originally sung by the Ramones.  For those who do not know, the Ramones are one of the most influential punk bands ever.  And if you know anything about punk, you know that accordions don’t usually show up.  Well, Al took care of that with this cover—and it is a solid cover.  So, take a listen and see what happens when the King of Parody goes a different direction.