Adam’s Celebrity Playlist
Category: Music

THis is a trend that was started by The Brothers Aery! I’m just a follower on this one, but it’s a great idea, and I think everyone should do it! :^)

1.”Dust”-Van Hunt-Van is probably my favorite new artist, everything an artist should be, and makes great music to boot! This song is one that I feel best represents him as it’s a combo of soul and rock music. He did an UNBELIEVABLE version of this tune when I saw him live last weekend!

2.”Pink Cashmere”-Prince-I’m sure you all know of my love for all things Prince! This is one of my favorites because it’s just so damn SIMPLE but so very effective. The orchestral bits are great, the vocal is full of emotion, and there’s a fantastic guitar solo at the end!

3.”Jehovah Made THis WHole Joint For You”-The New Radicals-If you don’t own this album, GET IT NOW! Seriously, this is an album I slept on for YEARS but has become an indispensable part of my collection in recent months. This tune is just about being happy to be alive despite all the problems in the world, something we could learn from.

4.”The Shadowlands”-Ryan Adams-This is quite honestly one of the MOST beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. The piano just sounds HUGE and his vocal is so tender and full of emotion it almost hurts. It starts out with the piano sounding very far away, but eventually the track builds to a guitar solo at the outro. It’s like watching a seed grow.

5.”Frontin’”-Jamie Cullum-I love how he takes modern songs and shopworn jazz standards and breathes new life into them! This track especially! Great piano playing and the rhythm section is tight as a nun on this one!

6.”Seven Days”-Sting-Poetry in motion. Sting’s lyrics on this song (and many of his songs) could stand alone, and the music is so well arranged and well crafted. And for you musicians, it’s also in the the most natural sounding 5/8 time you’ll ever hear!

7.”Money City Maniacs”-Sloan-Some good old fasioned rock’n'roll courtesy of one of Canada’s greatest exports! This is a song to open your car windows and blast on full volume!

8.”Flamenco Sketches”-Miles Davis-A collective of some of the greatest jazz musicians to ever live, this, the last track on Miles’ “Kind Of Blue” album is so beautiful and sounds rehearsed, but was in fact the first time any of them had ever played this song.

9.”Spanish Key”-Miles Davis-Some of his later era electric music. To my knowledge, no one has ever tried to emulate the style and sound of the “Bitches Brew” album, probalby because the only one who could get that sound is Miles himself!

10.”Everybody Here Wants You”-Jeff BUckley-”Grace” was beauty through and through, but this is one of the best songs Buckley ever wrote. It’s such an honest appraisal of loving someone who is loved by many.

11.”The Light”-Common-Common makes thinking man’s hip hop and does it very well. He’s probably one of the most poetic hip hop artists to come along in awhile. This song is about the bond between man and woman and how it deserves more respect than it gets. It’s deep and you should check it out!

12.”Devil’s Pie”-D’Angelo-The instruments sound murky and almost evil on this thumpin’ track about how with all the sins committed the sinners have “bought a slice of the Devil’s Pie.”

13.”Arizona Bay”-Bill Hicks-The late standup comic was revered as a “comic’s comic” for his no-holds barred style of telling the truth, no matter how unpopular (read:funny!) it was! This one includes his take on LA, the LA Riots, and English porn, among other things.

14.”Retaliation”-Dane Cook-Dane’s 2 disc set is sure to become a standard in the pantheon of standup. The thing that makes him so different from a lot of standup comedians is that he’s more of a storyteller. He repeats certain words and phrases for effect and this phrasing is as much a part of why his jokes are funny as the actual material.

15.”Money Don’t Matter 2nite”-Prince-In today’s money hungry society, this song resonates with the message that, “Money Don’t Matter 2nite, it sure didn’t matter yesterday. Just when U think U got more than enough, it all up and flies away. That’s when you find out that you’re better off making sure your soul’s all right…”

16.”Portrait Of Tracy”-Jaco Pastorius-If Jaco is the Jimi Hendrix of the electric bass, then this is his Star Spangled Banner. A solo bass composition written for his first wife Tracy, he plays melody, chords, and basslines, all on 4 strings to a truly beautiful and haunting effect. It’s almost guaranteed you’ve never heard anything like this.

17.”Hot Stage Lights”-Van Hunt-A funky romp likening the flush one gets from a kiss to being in front of hot stage lights.

18.”Rollout (My Business)”-Ludacris-If Common is hip hop’s poet, then Ludacris is its clown prince. Luda’s clever lines and well put together tracks have kept him rolling and this tune is no exception!

19.”Liberty City”-Jaco Pastorius-A fantastic horn arrangement make this tune just feel GOOD! Jaco keeps it moving with a funky bassline. You just can’t help but feel great when you hear it!

20.”Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard”-Ryan Adams-The perfect soundtrack to winding things down. Ryan Adams shows why he is up there with some of the greatest songwriters ever. His use of the piano is so simple, yet fantastic at the same time.