DOWNLOAD THIS, PT. II

My man Z, who has been referenced innumerable times in this blog, is in Big D tonight partying down like the mackalicious McFreaky that he is and where am I? At home listening to favorite songs on iTunes from the 80's and 90's with my wife who is recovering from a cold. Am I a bad friend? If so, I apologize Z, but I don't think you need us "old marrieds" getting in the way of your general awesomeness.

But I am reminded that I was supposed to single out some of my favorite downloads from 2007 and share them with you, my loyal (and extremely tiny) reading audience. So without further ado (about nothing), here are some of my favorite downloaded songs from the past year. I'm NOT saying these are the best songs mind you, just ones that resonated with me in a particular way:

Sara Bareilles, "Love Song" - this song has since gone on to be a huge hit both on the radio and in commercials, but I remember when it was just a lowly free iTunes download. This makes it the rarest creature of all--a free iTunes song that doesn't suck. The lyrics are clever, Bareilles' vocals are first rate and it's really hard to get that damn melody out of your head.

Common, Finding Forever (LP) - The best hip-hop album of the year came not from Kanye West, but from one of the stable of artists he frequently produces, Common (himself son of Gil Scott-Heron, the legendary spoken word/jazz/hip-hop pioneer). Finding Forever is melodic, thoughtful, funky and topical in a way that only Common can manage.

Feist, The Reminder (LP) - One of the great voices I heard in 2007, this Canadian neo-folkie writes songs with a sly wit and varied instrumentation. "My Moon, My Man" intrigued me and by the time I downloaded "1234" I had to have the whole album.

John Hiatt, "Cry Love" - Not all great downloads have to be new songs--sometimes you can rediscover old songs that you forgot about or perhaps didn't appreciate enough the first time. This was one. "Cry Love" is a great love song and a terrific roots rocker from one of the hardest working singer-songwriters ever to never quite break through.

Cold War Kids, "Hang Me Up To Dry" - I don't know what happened with this group, but from the moment I first heard the driving, discordant, vaguely menacing opening riffs of this song, I was hooked. They made a good video too, which of course MTV almost never played.

Gym Class Heroes, "Clothes Off" - A very fun song by a fun, up-and-coming "rock hop" group. This song is also a sort of last hurrah for the late Jermaine Stewart, who recorded the late 80's hit on which this song is based.

Radiohead, In Rainbow (LP) - Come on...its Radiohead! Did you think it would suck? And In Rainbow is their most varied and successful album (at least musically) since the unfairly maligned Amnesiac. (The best part, if you downloaded the album early from the group's own website, you could name your own price!)

That's all folks and I know it's only a sampling, but Dad always told me to never overstay my welcome. What are some of your favorite recent downloads?

Peace...