JULY TUNES

Maybe it’s the heat, or maybe there isn’t enough good music coming out right now, but this month’s track list reads like an iTunes playlist generated with the widest possible parameters. Here, in no particular order, are the songs that send me in to a frenzy, get my toes tapping or just touch my summer soul, so I can’t resist singing out loud.

More To Life / Big Time Sensuality [Album Versions] Björk – These two songs, when played back-to-back, get my heart racing, my toes tapping and I always end up singing, at the top of my lungs. Bjork’s “Debut” album seems to just keep getting better with age.

Fucking Boyfriend [Ralphi Rosario & Jody DB Vocal Mix] The Bird & The Bee – I have to be in the right mood to hear this dirty, electro funker, but when I’m in that mood… look out.

Breakin’ Dishes [Album Version / Soul Seekerz Remix] Rihanna – Seriously, when was the last time an artist had as many solid tunes as Rihanna? I’m excited to hear what she does next, as she seems to only get better and better.

The Nitty Gritty [Stereo Version] Diana Ross & The Supremes – My mother has a gift – no, make that a talent – for getting song lyrics (and melodies) wrong. And since I was a kid, I remember her singing some song about, “getting down” to the, “real nitty gritty.” For years, I thought she was making it up, or just so far off from the real lyrics and melody that we’d never locate the track. I found several versions of this song, and I like this, Shirley Ellis’ version, the best.

Road To Nowhere [Album Version] Talking Heads – This old tune came creeping into my head the other morning while vacuuming. I forgot how good this song is.

We Need A Resolution [No-Rap Edit] Aaliyah – If you sort my iTunes music library by the date the song was added, the first track is this smooth, silky stunner from Aaliyah. (It wasn’t actually the first song loaded on to my Mac, just the first one re-loaded after a motherboard meltdown a while back.)

Mercy / Warwick Avenue [Album Version] Duffy – I was pleasantly surprised to find another track off of Duffy’s “Rockferry” album I enjoyed. I don’t know how far she’ll be able to take this album, once Amy Winehouse gets off her duff and makes another album. But for now, these two tracks hit the spot.

Viva La Vida [Album Version] Coldplay – This epic pop/rock tune sends chills up and down my spine, almost two months after the first time I heard it. Which speaks volumes about the song.

Overkill [Album Version] Colin Hay – I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it on an episode of “Scrubs,” and I recently saw a rebroadcast of that episode, reigniting my love affair with Colin Hay’s masterpiece. (Seriously, after “Law & Order,” I think “Scrubs” must be one of the most re-run shows on TV.)

Good Morning, Good Morning [Album Version] The Beatles – This song rocks on so many levels. It rocks harder than it has any business rocking… Ah, heck the entire “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album is one of the greatest albums… ever. It was so innovative and fresh. I don’t think there’s been another album like it since. Other tracks from this album that rock my world, every single time the come on? Getting Better, Lovely Rita and A Day In the Life.