Songs of the Week

True Confessions: I live for good tunes.

I'm a compulsive auditory nibbler. Gimme a sampler CD, an old vinyl 45, a mixed tape, and I've just gotta give it a listen. I find good tunes in the weirdest places and at the strangest times. So, although the bulk of this site is dedicated to full-length CD reviews, this section is, in some ways, the real essence of the site. Because, when you really get down to it, it's all about the tunes.

And since the suits have more or less killed off Top 40 and singles, someone's gotta pass on the word about the good stuff.

This list will be a selection of songs that, for various reasons, caught my ear, the ones that "got" to me. They moved me, or made me want to move. They captured my imagination or otherwise touched my heart, made me want to flip, flop or fly. In other words, they rocked me.

One final thought: although most of my picks will be from relatively recent releases, I'm not going to limit myself to current releases. A good tune is a good tune, whether it was released yesterday or seventy years ago.

2005 

Captain Kidd
Great Big Sea
November 7, 2005

Run For Your Life
Cowboy Junkies
October 31, 2005

When Love Comes to Town
Herbie Hancock, featuring Johnny Lang and Joss Stone
October 24, 2005

You're Beautiful
James Blunt
October 17, 2005

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Bettye LaVette
October 10, 2005

Prairie Wind
Neil Young
October 3, 2005

The Hardest Part
Ryan Adams
September 26, 2005

Barbara Allen
Bob Dylan
September 19, 2005

Can't Help Wondering Why
Blue Rodeo
September 12, 2005

Sweet Neo Con
The Rolling Stones
September 5, 2005

Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)
Tori Amos
August 29, 2005

The Obscenity Prayer (Give It to Me)
Rodney Crowell
August 22, 2005

December Skies
Cowboy Junkies
August 15, 2005

I'll Stand By You
Patti Labelle
August 8, 2005

World on Fire (remix)
Sarah McLachlan featuring Robbie Robertson
July 4, 2005

Master of Disaster
John Hiatt
June 27, 2005

Something Beautiful
Tracy Bonham
June 20, 2005

Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
Alanis Morisette
June 13, 2005

Carry On Regardless
Van Morrison
June 6, 2005

Galang
M.I.A.
May 30, 2005

I Can't Reach You
Petra Haden
May 2, 2005

Why Do You Love Me?
Garbage
April 18, 2005

Back to Me
Kathleen Edwards
March 28, 2005

Whole Life
David A. Stewart and Paul McCartney

Mercy Now
Mary Gauthier
March 14, 2005

Catch My Disease
Ben Lee
March 7, 2005

Fistful of Love
Antony and the Johnsons
February 28, 2005

Hope
Twista featuring Faith Evans
February 21, 2005

My Funny Valentine
Rufus Wainwright
February 14, 2005

Everybody Hurts
Joe Cocker
February 7, 2005

When the President Talks to God...
Bright Eyes
January 24, 2005

Wild Horses
Charlotte Martin
January 17, 2005

Don't Wait Too Long
Madeleine Peyroux
January 10, 2005

Go No More A-Roving
Leonard Cohen
January 3, 2005

2004

With God on Our Side
Buddy Miller
December 27, 2004

Lonely Without You (This Christmas)
Mick Jagger and Joss Stone
December 20, 2004

Wake Up Call
Peter Case
November 29, 2004

Keep Me in Your Heart
Jorge Calderon and Jennifer Warnes
November 15, 2004

Vertigo
U2
November 8, 2004

There She Goes/My Beautiful World
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
November 1, 2004

Come to Jesus
Mindy Smith
October 25, 2004

Life Less Ordinary
Carbon Leaf
October 18, 2004

This Land Is Mine
The Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh
October 11, 2004

Day After Tomorrow
Tom Waits
October 4, 2004

Deja Vu All Over Again
John Fogerty
September 27, 2004

Here We Go Again
Ray Charles and Norah Jones
September 20, 2004

F the CC
Steve Earle
September 6, 2004

The Day John Henry Died
Drive-By Truckers
August 30, 2004

All the Right Reasons
The Jayhawks
August 23, 2004

Vincent Van Gogh
Jonathan Richman
August 16, 2004

40 Days
Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud
August 9, 2004

For What It's Worth
The Cardigans
August 2, 2004

Hotel Columbia
Jesse Malin
July 26, 2004

Summer's Killing Us
The Tragically Hip
July 19, 2004

If You Gotta Go, Go Now
Bob Dylan
July 12, 2004

Taste You
Melissa Auf Der Maur
July 5, 2004

Who's To Say?
Blanche
June 28, 2004

Tonight We Ride
Tom Russell
June 21, 2004

You Should Have Been Loved
The Proclaimers
June 7, 2004

Wicked Rain/Across 110th Street
Los Lobos & Bobby Womack
June 2, 2004

Artists and recording companies wishing to send me review and promotional materials should address all correspondance and material to:

Kevin Burton Smith
The Thrilling Detective Web Site
3053 Rancho Vista Blvd., Apt. 116,
Palmdale, California
93551

It might not be a bad idea to query me first though.