16 April 2012 - Liz Phair - Why Can't I?

Critics and old fans alike were not kind to Liz Phair's major label debut. Foolishly, I believed the hype and didn't even bother to buy it when it came out. A few years ago, I decided to pick it up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. If you were like me and so many others who "protested" this album, do yourself a favor and check it out. It's a mighty fine pop record.

15 April 2012 - The Like - June Gloom

One night, my daughter - 7 years old - and I were watching TV, flipping channels.  We don't have cable, but we do get about 16 channels.  One of them - a -2 on another channel - was a music video channel called TheCoolTV.  It played an eclectic mix - still does.  This particular song was on when we got there.  Both of us were instantly mesmerized, not only by the song, but by the visually challenging video.

The Like started off as three daughters of music industry insiders - producers and musicians.  So it's no surprise they had chops of their own.

The group in its current incarnation is a four-piece, with a different bassist.  Well, sort of.  They're on indefinite hiatus since last May.  I hope they reform.  They're really good, even in their 2nd incarnation.

14 April 2012 - Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris - Tonight (I'm Lovin' You) / Tonight (I'm F***ing You)

I'm pretty sure Julio's son has made a better career for himself than Julio did himself.  This song, with all its swagger, is the latest in a number of high water marks in his career that has earned him a long-term relationship with Anna Kournikova and international fame.  It didn't hurt that he partnered with Ludacris on this one and instantly raised the ire of Bill O'Reilly.

Of course, had Enrique released THIS version to radio, which turns up the swagger a few notches by throwing obscenity into the mix, it might not have been such a high-water mark.  I give him credit for knowing the difference.

13 April 2012 - L.A. Guns - Sex Action

Sure, I could've gone with the obvious L.A. Guns song -- The Ballad of Jayne -- but that wouldn't be any fun. Besides, I always thought Sex Action was much cooler.

12 April 2012 - Amy Grant - Lead Me On

I could fill an entire blog with songs by Amy Grant that I enjoy.  I was a fan of hers long before "Baby Baby" (which I also considered including here).  The album that directly preceded Heart In Motion, the album with all her hits, was an album called Lead Me On.  It was a decidedly Christian album, but less so than any of her previous ventures.  In my opinion, it is her best work to date.

While I think the great Lead Me On album was foreshadowing things to come, the sound of this album was more rock and less pop than her later work would be.  The album is widely considered to be the greatest Christian album of all time.

11 April 2012 - Indigo Girls - Least Complicated

I'm seeing Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls play tonight. It was kind of a last minute thing so our seats aren't awesome, but it's only a 300-seat venue so they will be good enough. Seeing that my wife has already "dragged" me to two Indigo Girls shows over the years, I guess we can say that after tonight I'll have seen them two and a half times. By the way, I joke when I say "dragged," as I was a fan of theirs before I met her, although I probably wouldn't have gone to two Lilith Fair concerts over the years if she wasn't around...just a hunch.

9 April - 2012 - Good Charlotte - Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous

As a pop punk fan, I never really had a problem with Waldorf, Maryland's Good Charlotte. I thought their first two records were kind of fun and they put on a great live show. And while they were a big hit with modern rock radio, the punk community made them butt of almost every joke...oh those punks can be so cruel. I think it's pretty safe to say though that Good Charlotte got the last laugh in the end.