November 2005 List

"I've Got a Life": Eurythmics
(The Ultimate Collection, 2005)
Twenty-two years after I was first mesmerized by the unnerving masked stare of Annie Lennox on the cover of Eurythmics' Touch album, I sit in awe listening to Annie's voice soar into the stratosphere on this new, "instant Eurythmics classic" track. Though I absolutely appreciate and enjoy Annie's solo work, there is a chemistry between her and Dave Stewart that has created some of the most unconventional and memorable pop music of my generation.

"Do You Want to": Franz Ferdinand
(You Could Have it So Much Better, 2005)
Melika, my office mate at Songmasters, introduced me to Franz Ferdinand's second album a few weeks ago and I've since become a huge fan of the band's rollicking, funky rhythms and teasing, naughty lyrics on "Do You Want To." This particular song is akin to something David Bowie might have performed in the early '70's, though the track stands on its own merits.

"Mi Amour": Allen Toussaint
(I Believe to My Soul, 2005)
With much attention dedicated to musicians who fled New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, Allen Toussaint became a shining beacon of light on my radar. I've long enjoyed the songs he's written for the Pointer Sisters and the classic Nightbirds album he co-produced for Labelle in the '70's, but this album (also featuring Ann Peebles, Mavis Staples, and Billy Preston) marked the first time I actually heard him sing; I like what I hear.

"Chasing Strange": Chocolate Genius Inc.
(Black Yankee Rock, 2005)
In one of the more spontaneous moments of the past month, Craig and I decided to check out Chocolate Genius (aka Marc Anthony Thompson) at Joe's Pub at the last minute, narrowly trumping a sold out show. I honestly don't remember if I heard the haunting harmonies in "Chasing Strange" that night, but upon listening to the album, they irrevocably burned into my mind.

"Sunset": Kate Bush
(Aerial, 2005)
After collecting her relatively small body of work since picking up The Kick Inside (1978) six years ago, Kate Bush has become the one artist who alternately inspires and frightens me. On a rainy afternoon in Atenas, Costa Rica last Friday, I sat with my headphones on, quietly absorbing the sublime suite that contains "Sunset" and once again found myself moved by Kate's lyrical poetry: "Who knows who wrote that song of summer/That blackbirds sing at dusk/This is a song of color/Where sands sing in crimson, red and rust."