Once upon a time a girl that
loved music (but possessed ZERO musical ability) landed a job at a radio
station and felt the joy of working in the relative vicinity of folks that made
actual musical decisions. That girl was me and after many years of
unbridled radio joy, I bumped into Rachael and landed a gig working for her at TodaysMama…one perk, out of what seems like hundreds, is that I get to manage the Mama’s Mix section of the website.
One feature of the Mama’s Mix
section that I am particularly passionate about is the “Staff Pick of the
Week”. Our hope is that this feature of
the site will serve as a virtual conversation about music between friends – no
music degrees here, just a few recommendations in terms that (hopefully) the
average music lover will find useful. Here are a few…
Corinne Bailey Rae, Corinne Bailey Rae
Did you see the fabulous
woman that performed along side John Mayer and John Legend at the
Grammy’s? That lovely songstress was my
new favorite female artist, Corinne Bailey Rae. Her self titled album makes me
feel instantly refined and stylish – the vibe of this album makes any activity
feel classy, whether you’re hosting a dinner party or dusting the living
room. The track list offers a well
rounded album in both content and style, it’s too hard to pick a favorite
track…so I’ve settled on four; “Put Your Records On”, “Trouble Sleeping”, “I’d
Like To” and “Butterfly”.
The Killers, Sam’s Town
I’ll spare you the “best
album ever” comments that are being tossed to and fro about the latest Killers
album because I don’t want you to think that we at TodaysMama are just a bunch
of bandwagon jumpers. Having said that,
the album is darn good and it’s become one of our favorites around
here…meetings have been delayed as we argue about our favorite song on the
album – we’ve come to an impasse on “Sam’s Town” versus “Read My Mind”.
Ok Go, Master the Treadmill
with Ok Go
Consider this album the most
awesome two-for-one deal ever to cross your path. Why? Because it includes 12 individual tracks that
are perfectly arranged for cardio interval training AND a 31-minute continuous
mix where you are coached to treadmill mastery by Ok Go lead singer Damian
Kulash.
If you’ve ever had a bad
group class experience and find the idea of some spandex clad person shouting
things like “Yeah, pump it!” repulsive then you’ll love the “Master the
Treadmill” track. It’s like having your
very own private trainer -Kulash
guides you through the interval training in terms that novices and marathoners
alike will find helpful. If your not a
treadmill fan, the individual tracks work equally well for stationary bikes,
elliptical machines, stair masters or even cruising through the neighborhood
behind a jogging stroller.
On a musical note – this
album is made up of genuine hits; don’t be surprised if you find yourself
listening to it off the treadmill. Just
remember, speed intervals behind the wheel of your car are a bad idea.
(Available only through iTunes & Nike+)
John Mayer, Continuum
Every so often you get
lucky. The stars line up perfectly and
you purchase an album that becomes more than just background noise, more than
just a catchy collection to tap your toe to. It becomes the CD that you drag from house to car to work and back again
every day for weeks. Continuum by John Mayer one of those
rare treasures. I was urged to purchase
by my friendly neighborhood Starbucks Barista, who proudly deemed it “the best
EVER” and if you think for one minute I got duped into a $17 up sell, think
again. This girl had the kind of wide
eyed enthusiasm for this album that I haven’t seen since my college roommate
burst into our apartment waving around Sarah McLachlan’s Surfacing.
Continuum
has a nice variety in sound and themes – the writing is clever, reflective and
wise. It’s tough to pick a favorite
track, the more I listen to the album the more I find to appreciate in every
song. But if someone threatened to delete
every John Mayer song off my iPod except for one, I would save The
Heart of Life from Continuum
for its realistic and optimistic take of life.
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I’ll be posting new picks
weekly – if you have an album that you think would make a great addition to the
Mama’s Mix page, shoot me a comment.