Music & More

Somehow we missed an at the half post in 2007, but with a nod to Charlie from Bloggerhythms , here's my list of the best CDs of 2008, at the half. 1. Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin' (Lost Highway) Listen to "The Look of Love" A Superb Piece of Work : No matter how many times I've listened to it, my awe at the quality of this loving tribute to Dusty Springfield continues to grow. Start with the arrangements which are so open that they derive great power from their simplicity - the first sixty seconds of the first song ("Just a Little Lovin'") will stop you dead in your tracks. The song selection is spot on perfect; just the right combination of Dusty's hits with some lesser known songs that she sang, plus one new original by Shelby that totally, totally fits with the other songs which include the cream of the best American pop songwriting. The sequencing of the songs is brilliant too, a point that became abundantly clear while watching Shelb

. Even though Brad Paisley's album Time Well Wasted (Arista, 2005) is already three years old, he just released a new video for the song "Waitin' on a Woman" featuring Andy Griffith. Use the above link to have a look. The song as it appears on the album is just Brad Paisley, but in the video, Griffith adds his voice to some of the lyrics, which is a nice and poignant touch. Anyone who grew up watching the Andy Griffith Show or Matlock can't help but be touched by his role in this video; now at age 82 he's the grandpaw or great-grandpaw we'd all like to have, or at least he is in this video. You go Anj! (Photo courtesy CBS Television, 1960) I'd be remiss if I didn't also point out that this is a great sounding song with a nifty guitar solo and a classic sappy country ending. This seemed like a good time to go back and check out Time Well Wasted, the title track being another candidate for the "songs that are described by their title" mix.

Independence Day Minimix - First up in a series of three song sets, here's a little celebration of the holiday, featuring Aimee Mann, Bruce Springsteen and Martina McBride. And what would the 4th be without some fireworks (turn down the sound on the Youtube clip to enjoy the fireworks while you listen to the minimix). Setlist: 1. Aimee Mann - "4th of July" from Whatever (Imago, 1993) 2. Bruce Springsteen - "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (Columbia, 1973) 3. Martina McBride - "Independence Day" from Live In Concert CD/DVD (RCA, 2008) P.S. The real Madam Marie from Bruce's song died last Friday June 27th - here's the AP story: ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) - Fortune teller Madam Marie, a figure of rock 'n' roll mythology thanks to Bruce Springsteen, has died. She was in her mid-90s. Sally Castello tells the Asbury Park Press that her great-grandmother, Marie Castello, died Friday. The p