August 2006 List

“Love the One You’re With”: Aretha Franklin
(Live at Fillmore West, 1971)
I attest to being only a casual fan of Aretha Franklin so I’d never heard Live at the Fillmore West until last week. Aretha's rousing interpretations of songs like “Love the One You’re With” illustrate how she’s one of those rare artists that can take a popular song and create the definitive version of it.

“Stepping High in Her I. Miller Shoes”: Betty Davis
(Betty Davis, 1973)
During my research for the “Black Female Singers and Rock Music” study in 2003, I became aware about the seminal contributions of Betty Davis (ex-wife of Miles Davis) to black rock in the early ‘70s; only recently did I find an album of hers. Her voice is razor-sharp on this track, singing/screaming over an equally sharp guitar that must have made Big Mama Thorton proud!

“Lover Take Me”: Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
(Stranger Things, 2006)
The extent of my knowledge about Edie Brickell & New Bohemians was limited to their ’89 hit, “What I Am”, which I fondly remember from fifth grade. “Lover Take Me” suits me perfectly at 27 years old and I wish I could sound as sultry as Edie does on this track when I sing.

“So Good to See You”: Shawn Colvin
(These Four Walls, 2006)
I remember challenging Scott about the meaning of “Sunny Came Home” when it was all over the airwaves in ’98, so I wonder what he’d think of “So Good to See You”. Here’s what I think: Shawn Colvin isn’t always my cup of tea but the sincerity of her songs and how she sings them – especially on “So Good to See You” - is what gets me in the mood to listen.

“Lady Lazarus”: The Crooners
(So Many Places, 2006)
A lot happened in my first two weeks of living in New York City and seeing The Crooners perform on a street corner near NYU was part of that experience. Earlier in 2006 I caught the last two songs of their set at The Living Room and couldn’t wait to hear how “Lady Lazarus” (the second to last song) would sound on their first “electric” album.