Blame it on Rioja

Here’s the mix I put together for Thursday. Tried to focus on American music, especially country, with happy, food and wine related lyrics, not too much contrast in genres.

1. Good to See You, Neil Young, from “Silver & Gold” I had no idea this album even existed until this spring; it was the first song on a mix made for me by someone very dear to me. A driving guitar/harmonica intro gives way to an achingly pleasant circular melody that keeps returning again and again, echoing the singer’s life-defining joy at being home at last.

2. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight , Bob Dylan, from “John Wesley Harding” A throwaway gem off an underrated album with about as wine-celebratory a lyric as it gets: “kick your shoes off, do not fear, bring that bottle over here…”

3. The Littlest Birds, The Be Good Tanyas, from “Blue Horse” I heard this song for the first time a few days after my niece, Jessie, was born, and I just sat there and bawled.

4. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind, Randy Travis with Dolly Parton, from “Heroes & Friends” Dolly, I love you. Just listen to how much emotion and regret and resignation she packs into a handful of lyrics: “and when I think of you and the love we once knew…..how I wish we could go back in time”

5. If Wishes Were Horses, Lucinda Williams, from “Little Honey” Lucinda is fearless, and puts herself out there like very few people. She is a badass and very much in love. An extraordinary arrangement here, returning her to “Car Wheels” form. Listen to how she groans, “but if…” just before the third chorus; she’s feelin’ it.

6. Lord, Blow Out the Moon Please, Hem, from “Rabbit Songs” From the cassette of lullabies that landed Sally Ellyson a singing gig with this Brooklyn outfit. Imagine being bandleader Dan Messe, hearing this for the first time; really wish I could have been there, talk about magic.

7. So In Love, Curtis Mayfield, from “Best of…” Keep ‘Superfly’ and ‘Pusherman,’ for my money, this is Curtis Mayfield’s finest moment. Great opening bass lick, with a horn section and a Hammond B3 organ holding notes for-ev-er, a very sweet 70 seconds before the vocal even begins. A powerful instrument of seduction.

8. Please Read the Letter, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, from “Raising Sand”

9. Long Black Veil, The Band, from “Music from Big Pink” Not the most uplifting theme, an adulterous mourner crying secretly over her wrongfully executed lover, but man, check out those harmonies, Rick Danko’s fragile tenor layered between Levon Helm’s deep drawl and Richard Manuel’s equally fragile falsetto: “Nobody knows but meeeeeeee-eee-eee-ee-eee.” This near perfect album is one of American music’s most defining moments.

10. Slowness, Calexico, from “Carried to Dust”

11. My Winding Wheel, Ryan Adams, from “Heartbreaker”

12. You Ain’t Goin Nowhere, Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová, from “I’m Not There” Soundtrack

13. Take a Giant Step, Taj Majal, from “Giant Step” One rainy Sunday in Seattle, I listened to this album in its entirety on vinyl, while under the influence of a substance that wasn’t wine, and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. “Come with me, leave your yesterday, your yesterday behind and take a giant step outside your mind….”

14. Sweet Loving Man, Jolie Holland, from “The Living and the Dead” Former Be Good Tanya Jolie Holland’s finest solo album to date. Sexy song.

15. Jambalaya, Hank Williams, from “20 Greatest Hits”

16. Two More Bottles of Wine, Emmylou Harris, from “Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town” “But it’s alright, ’cause it’s midnight and I got two more bottle of wine!”

17. Why You Been Gone So Long?, Jessi Colter, from “Outlaws” A catchy and sexy song with a chorus delivered with heartbreaking desperation. I’d come back home to you, Jessi.

18. He Lays in the Reins, Calexico and Iron & Wine, from “In the Reins” Sam Beam’s sister Sarah deserves a lot of credit for the effectiveness of this song’s vocal. Just gorgeous. John Covertino’s signature percussion also kick ass; I’ve listened to this song more than once just trying to figure out his choices. One example: the song begins on the hard smack of the crash cymbal, and the effect of the rat, tat / rat, tat-tat of the snare drum during the first verse (with the occasional pedalled high hat) is that you keep waiting, waiting for a crash cymbal return, which finally happens seconds before the Spanish vocal begins. Ahhh. Very nice.

19. Forks and Knives (La Fête), Beirut, from “The Flying Club Cup”

20. For Emma, Bon Iver, from “For Emma, Forever Ago”

21. Give You My Loving, Mazzy Star, from “She Hangs Brightly” Ok, the singer’s a little bit of a stalker, but “I’ll be your honey, if you’ll be sweet” delivered by one of the sexiest voices of the 1990s is a little irresistible. The song’s breathtaking payoff hinges on the extended delivery of one word, the song’s last “glad.” Check it.

22. Be Here Now, Mason Jennings, from “Boneclouds” Such a beautiful song. Good for days when you’re in a crap mood. “And let good things happen and let the future come into each moment like a rising sun.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 7:47 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.