This playlist has been a long time coming but, due to a recent nostalgia-fueled listening binge, has probably been the most difficult list of fresh-ish music to compile for you yet. But I have persevered for you and together, we’ll make it. I’m certain of it. Playlist available here.
1. Tuyo by Rodrigo Amarante
I’m sure at this point my wife wishes that Netflix had never made Narcos but it has become my favorite TV show. There’s something primal about it that sucks me in to each episode and an important part of that is my visceral reaction to hearing this song at the beginning of each chapter. I love the percussion and the seductive nylon-string guitar playing on this track. It creates vivid images in my mind of wisps of smoke swirling around a smoldering flame in the darkness. Or maybe I’m just remembering the shows title sequence….
2. Starboy by the Weeknd
I’ve been a fan of the Weeknd since House of Balloons. Some of his recent work hasn’t really resonated much with me but this was a killer choice for a first single. I love the percussive bass and the solid vocals on this track so much I don’t even care that the robots from Daft Punk seem to literally be laughing their way to the bank on the chorus. (Note: It was very difficult to find a clean version of this song.)
3. Rainy Day Song by Andrew Combs
Andrew Combs is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter and is solidly based in that classic 70s sound that is a little bit rock, folk, country, and blues all at the same time. This song is actually the title track (under a different name) on co-writer Brent Cobb’s 2016 album Shine On Rainy Day. As much as I love the Brent Cobb album (more on that later), I like the layered arrangement here just a bit better.
4. Ivy by Frank Ocean
Guitar driven music has fallen out of favor in recent years in favor of detuned beats (which I also enjoy). But it’s cool to hear someone classified as an R&B artist turn towards his alternative rock influences and create a shimmering, dreamy track like we have here. I still think exclusive streaming releases are a disservice to the fans but I can’t be too mad now that Blonde is available outside of Apple Music.
5. Diggin’ Holes by Brent Cobb
Shine On Rainy Day by Brent Cobb is my favorite album of 2016, hand down. I’m not saying it was objectively the best musical project of the year. But I am saying the physical CD has not left my car’s stereo since I finally got it in the mail.
During a Twitter Q&A shortly after release, Brent said that his top 3 influences on this album were his dad, the Allman Brothers, and Bobbie Gentry. Hard to beat that if you ask me. As someone who has moved more than his fair share of dirt, I appreciate the message behind this song as well as the singer/songwriter unabashedly sticking to his roots.
6. Ode To Billie Joe by Bobby Gentry
This song is just scratching the surface of a powerful body of work. Bobbie Gentry was writing and producing her own hit records in the 60s and 70s when such a thing was unheard of. Add in the depth of the writing and you have a recipe for genius. As we have discussed before, I am a sucker for a good string arrangement and Bobbie Gentry’s work is chocked full of them.
This is the song that started it all for her. It spawned many more hits afterwards as well as a movie and an enduring pop culture mystery as to why Billie Joe did what he did. It’s a shame that so many people are unaware of Miss Gentry’s work but I guess that’s the way she wants it since she’s been out of the public eye for decades. If you enjoy this song, go to her artist page on Spotify and just press play. In my mind, you absolutely can not go wrong.
7. White Ferrari by Frank Ocean
I have to be perfectly honest… I have no idea what the lyrics to this song are beyond the “white Ferrari” hook. The synth pads and layered vocals do something to my brain that must turn off the language processing centers so I can only focus on the harmonic “big picture”.
8. Cortez Sail by Terry Allen
If nothing else, I hope these list provide some eclectic suggestions for you, dear reader. Terry Allen is a bit of an odd bird among the independent Texas singer/songwriters out there. Also known for his painting and sculpture, his albums Juarez and On Lubbock (On Everything) are both forgotten classics. If you’ve ever wondered what a man following his muse sounds like (no matter how idiosyncratically), this is it. I dig it.
9. Outfit by Drive-By Truckers
Before unceremoniously getting the boot from the band and then becoming the reigning King of Americana, Jason Isbell contributed a handful of classics to the Truckers’ catalog, this among them. Nothing quite like fatherly advice to help you stay on the straight and narrow (a theme Isbell revisits on other great songs like “Different Days” from Southeastern).
With advice in mind, keep your hands to yourself and your eyes turned to Heaven! ¡Buen provecho!
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