2017 Playlist
My 2017 playlist, as in past years, is comprised of songs I like that were released this year. Â Of course, I canât proclaim them the best songs of the year, but I can say with certainty that theyâre my favorites. Â The rules I adhere to are easy: Â only one song per artist and any genre is game. Â They are as follows:
1.    Right On You-Benjamin Booker. Â
2.    Donât Lay Your Head Down-Stereo League
3.    Strangerâs Kiss-Alex Cameron (w/ Angel Olsen)
4.    Prom-Monk Parker
5.    When You Were Mine-Lambchop
6.    The World Is Falling Down-Jim James
7.    Totally in Love With You-The Delfonics
8.    Japanese Denim-Daniel Caesar
9.    Boomerang-Bootsy Collins
10.  Vitral-The Gift
11.  Sum-Loney Dear
12.  New York-Peter Silberman
13.  Doomed-Moses Sumney
14.  Duper-Hanne Hukkelberg
Some thoughts on the songs: Â Bookerâs song flat out screams to be played loud. Â I realize by definition that doesnât make it a basis for a favorite, but it does for me. Â For me, at 59 years old, songs meant to be played loud immediately resonate. Â Stereo League is my boy Alexâs project and Iâm not professing objectivity by any measure, I just love the song. Â Alex Cameronâs Strangerâs Kiss may be the alternative/pop song of the year. Â However, Iâm not qualified to make the determination. Â I love it and the video is wicked good. Â Monk Parkerâs Prom is my favorite song of the year. Â If it matters. Â Youâll need to Google the lyrics, because the production effects of his Texas drawl and super-charged reverb make most of the words indecipherable. Â Itâs as if Sigur Ros made an alt/country record with a Theremin.
 Lambchopâs When You Were Mine is the first of two covers on this list.  Prince wrote and played it as a funk bopper. These guys dig in like theyâre mining for the soul of it. You may listen and respond like I did after recently seeing Bob Dylan, âThat was Blowinâ In The Wind??â Whatever. Jim James covers one of my favorite all time songs and itâs ethereal. I just Googled ethereal because Iâm not sure what it means, it just sounded right and I found this: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world. Iâll stay with that description. The Delfonics going back in the studio is cause enough to lend credence to whatever they come up with, but this track is beautiful. So beautiful. I knew nothing of Daniel Caesar until my boy Nate directed me there.  The album is superb and this track my favorite. Bootsyâs Boomerang is so infectious, it should be illegal.  Itâs a funk, second line, marching band stomp. Â
 The Gift is a Portuguese band and I have no idea how I found them, but Iâm happy I did.  Itâs a delicate song with a nursery rhyme melody. Loney Dear is the project of Swedish singer-songwriter Emil Svanangen. I canât pronounce his name and Iâm not bothered by that.  His music is wonderful and the song Sum exquisite.  Peter Silberman channels Jeff Buckley in this song and it doesnât sound derivative at all.  Pure in its delivery and authentic.  Moses Sumneyâs creative paradigm veers far from the norm but his ridiculous vocal talent creates a listening experience unlike any other.  I thank my boy Alex for taking me to this.  Finally, Duper by the Norwegian Hanne Hukkelberg is proof positive that international relations and cultural exchanges make this a better world.  You have to get by the auto-tune and get enveloped by the purity of the song. Iâm also a sucker for silence and this song amplifies it.














