OK, I'm determined to get out ahead of Ken in our mosey through our iPods. Since I copied him shamelessly in going through the songs on our pods that begin with "A" and "B," I've got to be first to invent some theme for the songs that start with "C," or face weeks of his "C" is for "Copycat" or "D" is for "Derivative" taunts. In my haste to get out there first, the best I've been able to come up with is "C" is for "Crooner." I'm going through all of the songs on my iPod that begin with the letter "C" and picking the ones that have the very best vocal performances; no other criteria matter. That means some great songs might be left out, simply because they were sung by someone like Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen--both excellent songwriters, but, let's face it, nobody's idea of golden-throated crooners. This time, it's all about the singing. And the winners are:
- "Can't Pull the Wool Down (Over the Little Lamb's Eyes)" by Maria McKee. This one's from Maria's first solo album and features her in full-blown "Lone Justice" voice. It's a simple, straightforward rocker brought to life with sheer enthusiasm. Plus, I love the line where she taunts the poser she's singing to with, "I can see you baby, ever-poised for some eternal snapshot." Ouch.
- "Christchurch Bells" by Hothouse Flowers. Lead vocalist Liam Ó Maonlaí and a choir-like arrangement of background singers extoll the calming, primal influence of distant church bells. For a while in the 90's, Hothouse Flowers were one of my favorite bands, and though I listen to them less than I used to, I can still pull out the album "Home," their strongest, and enjoy it from beginning to end.
- "Clementine" by Kelly Joe Phelps. Phelps is better known for his Delta blues acoustic guitar sound than his voice, but on "Clementine" the picking takes a back seat to his dark-tinged, minor key moan. "All she wants for Christmas is another glass of wine, my little darling Clementine." Yes, it's a very sad song.
- "Comin' From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton. The first time I heard this song was when Hamilton performed it on "Chappelle's Show." It was one of those bowl-you-over music moments where you think to yourself, "Who the hell is that, and why isn't everyone on the planet rushing out to buy his record?" Hamilton is unadulterated, old school soul in a hip-hop wrapper. Everyone who voted for Clay Aiken on "Idol" should be forced to sit down and listen to this song, then smacked on the side of the head and told, "That's what it sounds like. Idiot." (Whooo. That came out real hateful. Maybe I should soften my...Naahhh.)
- "Corpus Christi Carol (for Roy)" by Jeff Buckley. Buckley took some strange risks on his much-lauded debut album "Grace," but none greater than sticking this spine-tingling, other-wordly version of a Middle English hymn in the middle of it all. But, wow. It's beautiful. It reminds me of Art Garfunkel's work on "Bridge Over Troubled Water."
OK, I'm determined to get out ahead of Ken in our mosey through our iPods. Since I copied him shamelessly in going through the songs on our pods that begin with "A" and "B," I've got to be first to invent some theme for the songs that start with "C," or face weeks of his "C" is for "Copycat" or "D" is for "Derivative" taunts. In my haste to get out there first, the best I've been able to come up with is "C" is for "Crooner." I'm going through all of the songs on my iPod that begin with the letter "C" and picking the ones that have the very best vocal performances; no other criteria matter. That means some great songs might be left out, simply because they were sung by someone like Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen--both excellent songwriters, but, let's face it, nobody's idea of golden-throated crooners. This time, it's all about the singing. And the winners are: 
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