Music that lifts you up

Newark’s own.

here's another. tonight I'm leaning towards the fast and rhythmic. If I was a dancer, I'd dance.

Instead, I drum on the table.

funny. both of the songs I posted I haven't listened to in years. But tonight they're on my mind.

I love this one. Full of melancholy wit. And a rhythmic groove more infectious than a virus 
Cheater’s Motel. By Ned Sublette. From one of my favorite CDs ever ever ever. Cowboy Rumba.

Ok, one more from that CD. A little drinking song. Feelin’ No Pain. 
Check out that delicious horn break at 2:40. 

When I need a powerful pick me up - Susan Tedeschi's voice, Derek Trucks on guitar, and an awesome horn section

Love songs, jazz, house and afropop in that order

Anything by Stevie (ok maybe not that crazy plant thing)

Especially this:

flimbro said:

Especially this:

https://youtu.be/BMxPsZuouY8

Never heard that one before, but it did the trick — even learning who the backing singers are  gave me a lift. Thanks, flimbro.  

EBennett said:

When I need a powerful pick me up - Susan Tedeschi's voice, Derek Trucks on guitar, and an awesome horn section

Got some chills from that one, too. Thanks! 

DaveSchmidt said:

Never heard that one before, but it did the trick — even learning who the backing singers are  gave me a lift. Thanks, flimbro.  

 Welcome!  That's a crazy lineup for BG vocals right?!  I'm not a singer but I've been serenading my beautiful wife with this one for decades- I call it "serenade" she calls it something else. You know what, lemme go find her...

I never tire of anything from "Van the Man". One of my particular favorites:

Also this toe-tapper guy Pokey LaFarge and his amazing band (who I only recently stumbled upon). 

He is only 37 but I think he has been transported form the 1930s. Cracks me up:

I’ll just put these out there. It’s a CD of songs that always give me a big smile, compiled for friends about a decade ago. I commend any one of them for a pick-me-up.

Happy Time (Junior Mance); Traveling Shoes (Marion Williams); Umbabarauma (Jorge Ben); Bam Bam Bah (Satellite Boyfriend); Ain’t Gwine Whistle Dixie (Taj Mahal); Afterglow (Small Faces); Sitting in Limbo (Jimmy Cliff); Soweto (Abdullah Ibrahim); My Life Is Right (Big Star); T.S.O.P. (MFSB); Elenore (Turtles); Reno Dakota (Magnetic Fields); You Are Loved (Victoria Williams); One Hundred Years From Now (Byrds, Gram Parsons vocal); I Feel Fine (Beatles); Can’t Be So Bad (Moby Grape); Cloudburst (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross); It’s the Sun (Polyphonic Spree); The Blessing (Fathead Newman).

flimbro said:

Love songs, jazz, house and afropop in that order

Anything by Stevie (ok maybe not that crazy plant thing)

Especially this:

 In defense of the "plant thing"! I used this in fashion show I did for my costume designs. Go 2+ minutes in for the real Indian sound.

Because I love all things Stevie and because I love India.

I watch Tiny Desk concerts to discover to artists and sounds. I love to hear up-and-coming artists from around the world. Here's one. Tash Sultana, a solo guitarist. 25 minutes of fabulous playing, looping, singing and inspiration. Amazing player. If you watch, stay 'til the end when she picks up a 12-string. Stunning. (and great hair, too.)

I have Sirius XM in my car, and there  it's all Beatles, all the time. I could tell the story of my life through Beatles' lyrics.  "Eight Days a Week:;"I Will", "In My Life", "I'll Be Back"...,  

A few that aren't all about peace, love and happiness ("I'm a Loser", "Help", "Eleanor Rigby", "Baby's in Black") but SO many that pick me up either because they're so positive, or just because they give me that comfortable feeling of some pals playing songs that I - and my children -- know every word of.

My favorite "picker-uppers":  "Good Day, Sunshine"; "Octopus' Garden", "In My Life", "All You Need is Love", and what I consider thiir masterpiece together, "A Day in the Life"

Too many to post here, but you all know them, tight??

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I watch Tiny Desk concerts to discover to artists and sounds. I love to hear up-and-coming artists from around the world. Here's one...

Here's another one, just brought to my attention. Super tasty, imho.

Juniemoon said:

Too many to post here, but you all know them, tight??

The movie Yesterday was on cable the other night. One of the touches I appreciated when I saw it in the theater was Jack’s trouble remembering all the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby. Singing along with the Beatles, there’s never any problem. But no matter how familiar the songs are, coming up with the words from scratch — as Jack had to — can be surprisingly tricky.

From the first fullprice album I ever bought... and still perhaps the most frequently played.

DaveSchmidt said:

The movie Yesterday was on cable the other night. One of the touches I appreciated when I saw it in the theater was Jack’s trouble remembering all the lyrics to Eleanor Rigby. Singing along with the Beatles, there’s never any problem. But no matter how familiar the songs are, coming up with the words from scratch — as Jack had to — can be surprisingly tricky.

 Oh, yeah, you sometimes need their help in getting the next phrase.  But at the end of every song, I'm ready to sing whatever was the next one on the album!

Juniemoon said:

 Oh, yeah, you sometimes need their help in getting the next phrase.  But at the end of every song, I'm ready to sing whatever was the next one on the album!

 My ex and I sang along with the complete collection on our 4 hour ride from the city to upstate. Top of our lungs. Recommend it as exercise for body and soul.

jonesey said:

From the first fullprice album I ever bought... and still perhaps the most frequently played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZJPGKnXxHM

 Oh, man, I loved that record and also listened to it over and over. Room To Move, baby....

Train_of_Thought said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

I watch Tiny Desk concerts to discover to artists and sounds. I love to hear up-and-coming artists from around the world. Here's one...

Here's another one, just brought to my attention. Super tasty, imho.

 Tasty, indeed. Thanks.

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

 Oh, man, I loved that record and also listened to it over and over. Room To Move, baby....

 Saw him in SOuth Orange just before I moved out of the area, and they did "Room to Move"... with a long drum solo.

12 year old Italian twin brothers, under quarantine, doing a Coldplay song on violin.  Uplifting and touching.

https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1243573525492924418?s=20

jonesey said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

 Oh, man, I loved that record and also listened to it over and over. Room To Move, baby....

 Saw him in SOuth Orange just before I moved out of the area, and they did "Room to Move"... with a long drum solo.

 I saw Mayall and the Turning Point band at the Fillmore East waaay back in the '69 or '70.  As I recall, they all sat on the floor. I think Mayall is still alive and playing.

Speaking of the blues, I saw John Hammond, Jr. a few weeks ago at City Winery. He is a real musical anthropology treasure. Someone should recorded his stories.

Anything by Ernest Ranglin. Anything.

https://www.npr.org/2014/08/16/340636520/ernest-ranglin-tiny-desk-concert

This one-two punch on Freedom Rock, a guilty pleasure this afternoon, is hard to beat for a recharge. (Though one of Ms. Safka’s verses may be a bit too on the nose right now.)