My iMix

The J-Wild Playlist

Well, it's here the long awaited iTunes follow-up blog. I originally posted a request for some help picking out music with my iTunes Christmas money that was given to me by my brother's Matt and Ian. I received over 96 song suggestions that ranged all over the musical spectrum. I listened to thirty seconds of each song, then whittled down my choices to fifty-six. Then I repeated the process three more times until I came up with my list of 30. I must say that I probably wouldn't have purchased these on my own, mainly because I wouldn't have known they existed.

If you have iTunes you can click here and you will be taken directly to the iMix I made of my selections. Once there you can listen to thirty seconds of the songs and purchase them if you are so inclined. If you DO NOT have iTunes, you can click here to see a screen shot of my selections.

Here are my reflections concerning some of these great songs:

Best Discovery: Ray LaMontagne he is fantastic! I had never heard of him before so he was completely new to me. He has a retro and relevant sound that is supported by fantastic lyrics.

Most Creative: Has to be "The Origin of Love" by Rufus Wainwright. The thirty second preview doesn't do it justice, but if you go and read the lyrics you will be so intrigued that you will buy the song just to see how you could put this story to music. It will become a favorite.

Best Driving in LA Song: "Maybe Tomorrow" by Stereophonics. Whenever I listen to this song I feel like I am in a Michael Mann flick driving down the Pacific Coast Highway at night in Los Angeles with the helicopter hovering over my black Porsche 911 as I speed down the highway.

Best Schlepping in NYC Song: "Get Back Temptation" by Ollabelle. It's just so funky, urban, cool, and Gospelicious that it makes me strut while I am walking the streets in NYC.

Best Air Guitar Song: "Last Chance" by Jet. I cannot help strumming to the opening chords of this song...I know it's dorky, but I can't help it! I like Jet a lot and they seem to be this musical era's "Black Crowes".

A Momma Song: "My Heros Have Always Been Cowboys" by Willie Nelson. As a kid my mom constantly played Willie Nelson's "Stardust" album. When I hear this song I think of her, she always wanted to live like a cowboy.

The Come To Jesus Song: "When the Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash. Wow talk about putting the fear of the Lord in ya!

Biggest Surprise: "Common People" by William Shatner. That's right William Shatner I like the song and it's worth the $.99. It has a great line that goes "..because you think poor is cool."

Best Slow Song: "Poses" by Rufus Wainwright. It's just a beautifully luscious song. I recommend listening to this song eating a stack of pancakes that are dripping with butter and syrup that would complement the arrangement and lyrics of this song.

Best Rock Song: "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. I have a friend (Amanda) who knows Gavin personally and she says he is the real deal. Judging from this song I tend to agree.

So that's my list. Thank you so much for helping me expand my musical tastes, and thanks to my two brothers for underwriting this musical foray. I didn't have any of these groups (except Johnny Cash) prior to these purchases. So now what? What will be the next musical move I will make? Well, funny you should ask, yesterday I received a card in the mail from my Aunt, and in it was $30 worth of iTunes money! So I am back at square one. Here is the thing....I am seriously considering saving up all my iTunes stuff from now on and purchasing the U2 Digital Box Set. I know having over 4GB worth of U2 songs might be a bit much, but the set contains some rare live recordings that seem almost impossible to give up. So we'll see. I would love to hear any of your thoughts about these songs especially if you are moved to purchase them yourself.