10 Songs: Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

Sure he’s cool but the wig has to go

1. Comfort Ye My People – Choir Of King’s College – Handel’s Messiah is one of the great oratorios and the soloist here, singing the words of the King James Bible, is a beautiful tenor of hope and salvation. Belief, even faith, has little to do with this, you don’t have to believe the composition, you just have to listen – A+

2. If You Tolerate This, Your Children will be Next – Manic Street Preachers – Their greatest song not on Holy Bible or Everything Must Go – A+

3. Night Changes – One Direction – Why is this a single? OK, nothing much – B

4. That’s Alright – NRBQ – Power pop worthy of Big Star though not the Beatles – A-

5.  Do You Laugh when you Lie – Ryan Adams – Still on his Tom Petty classic rock mode – B

6. Raised up Family – James Taylor – A goodie from his excellent last album, though what the heck is “Gilligan’s Island Theme” doing there – B+

7. Last All Night – Oliver Hendes – If EDM wants to escape from EDM so much, better disco like this than country like Avicii – B

8. 1000 Deaths – D-Angelo – This should parse the fns from the fanatics first. Count me among the latter, this is all bass hook and jazz inflections, not only won’t it break pop I’d be surprised if it broke r&b – A

9. Kerosene – Miranda Lambert – You better believe Steve Earle got co-writing crediit on this excellent take on “I Feel Alright” – A

10. Breaking Up – Charli XCX- ANother goodie off her new one – B+