My iPod includes almost 5500 songs, and encompasses 1028 artists or bands.

As a boy learning music from my father, to barroom discussions while in college, the question of "greatest bands" has always intrigued me.

I have a young cousin entering high school who's in the process of learning guitar. While talking, he included Def Leppard and AC/DC amongst his favorite bands, yet had the audacity to disregard the Beatles and their contribution to music.

He's young... he'll learn.

I began deliberating about who I would rank as my favorite bands, and how much it's changed since I've become more educated in music.

Any list you find will include the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. I can't argue against any band from that list.

Most of them, however, were not influences of mine, and aren't in my personal top 10.

At the risk of disrespecting some of the greatest musicians, I've compiled a list (in no particular order) of 10 bands who have influenced me, rocked me, and inspired my life.

• The Dave Matthews Band - the lyrics and creativity control my musical preference.
  
• Aerosmith - the absolute greatest concert I've ever seen.
  
• Def Leppard - the second greatest concert I've ever seen.
  
• The Beatles - they changed music. That puts them on a very select list.
  
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - down south, this is how we grew up.
  
• Metallica - Black Sabbath created the genre of metal, and Metallica made it what it is today.
  
• U2 - the most influential band of my generation outside of music.
  
• Guns N' Roses - they burst onto the scene like very few others. When they arrived, their music became immortalized.
  
• Jason Boland & The Stragglers - the one country band on this list, whom brought Texas Country Music into my life full time.
  
• Earth, Wind, & Fire - the energy they bring, the soul they put forth, and the excellence of writing complicated syncopations includes them on this list.
  
  Honorable mentions include:
  
• Maroon 5 - after only two albums (and fantastic ones at that), they just haven't been doing it long enough.
  
• Bon Jovi - hard rock, pop rock, 80's rock -- who cares? In my generation, they were on top!
  
• Journey - without Steve Perry, I can't imagine they're the same, but my father raised me on this band.
  
• Blood, Sweat, & Tears - pure musicians.
  
• Hall & Oates - these guys have soul!
  
• Tower Of Power - horrible lyrics, but the best horn section in music.
  

You can disagree, and I'd love to hear it!

Labels: MiPod, Music

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

Music makes my world sane.

The last couple of weeks haven't been my best. When I look internally to find out why, it appears I've gotten away from the music.

That needs to change.

Below are a few tracks you'll find on my iPod. In no particular order, I've included a few of my favorites.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - "Life By The Drop"
From the album, The Sky Is Cryin' which was compiled by Stevie Ray's brother Jimmie after his death, included songs never previously released.

"Life By The Drop" is about addiction, specifically about a friend of Vaughan's who chose to pursue his dream as opposed to drinking his life away. It's a 12-string acoustic solo, showing the model of what a 'blues' voice should sound like, along with perfect guitar technique. In the context of the album, it's a great song to cap a retrospective collection of music and close a brilliant career.

Bob Seger - "Turn The Page"
The song is a somber rendition about being a lonely musician traveling on the road. It strikes a chord with me for two reasons: (1) none of us like to be alone - it sucks, and it hurts; (2) also, as a sax player, it's nice to hear the horn used in rock & roll, especially in such a somber tone, which is my favorite sound the instrument can make.

Van Morrison - "Into The Mystic"
Absolutely, positively one of my two favorite songs (along with "Free Bird"). It's ambiguous, gorgeous, and haunting.

At times it's a love song. Other times, it's about a journey. Maybe it's about a journey to find true love, and "when that fog horn blows" he realizes he can't live without his one true love.

If my wife and I have a song, this is the one.

Dire Straits - "Your Latest Trick"
I'm quite positive this song is about the pain of a lost love, but the lyrics lead me to believe it includes a prostitute to help overcome that pain.

As mentioned above, the saxophone is another great example of how the instrument is to be played. The tone of the sax sets the mood, and Mark Knopfler translates it into lyrics.

Mark Chesnutt - "My Best Drinkin'"
Mark Chesnutt has some of the best "true" country music in his repertoire, and having the luxury of being his bartender on a few occasions, he's country to the grit.

In this song, he can't put down the bottle after a fight with the ol' lady -- what's more country than that?

Willie Nelson - "Family Bible"
One of Willie Nelson's gospel songs, it was also one of the first songs he ever wrote. It's been covered by several artists, but no one gives it more grace and feeling than Willie.

One of Willie's musical gifts was being able to create a picture with his lyrics, and "Family Bible" brings me to a time when life was slower, families were closer, and growing as an individual mattered.

Stereophonics - "Maybe Tomorrow"
I first heard this song during the closing credits of the movie Crash. The song leaves me with the sense that -- no matter what happens -- there's always another day.

Labels: MiPod, Music

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

Full disclosure: I have each and every Cross Canadian Ragweed album on my iPod, seen them live once, but I've yet to understand the hype.

While they have great songs, including "Sick And Tired," "Fightin' For," and "Alabama," I've found their bad music to be just terrible.

When Cody Canada writes, he's Adam Dunn: you can expect either a home run, walk, or a strike out. Unfortunately, I think their latest album, Mission California, is a base on balls -- not bad, but absolutely nothing special.

After finishing the album, a couple items stood out. First of all, it sounds great. It's probably the best produced album in their library. Second, "Lawrence," "Soul Agent," and "Cry Lonely" (which is a cover) are the best new tracks. "Jenny" is a great song from 2002's Carney album, but an updated recording is a welcome addition to a great song.

The album isn't great, but it's decent. If you can find someone with a recording, have them burn you a copy -- don't spend your money unless your a a die-hard fan.

Labels: MiPod, Music, Texas Country

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 12:58 AM | Permalink | Comments

It's no secret that Kevin Fowler is one of my favorite country musicians, so it should come as no surprise that I absolutely love his new album Bring It On. The energy he brings to the music is what's missing in the industry today.

Country legend George Jones joins the fun in "Me And The Boys," which is your typical drinking song, with Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker as the "boys" with whom he enjoys the company of, from the title.

"Best Mistake I've Ever Made" is a good song that captures the emotion we encounter in life, including the uncertainty of raising a child. While I enjoy this song, it isn't as good as his previous ballads like "A Matter Of When," or "Hard Man To Love."

His current single, titled "Long Line Of Losers" describes the a lineage in which the singer tries to be better than his destiny, but knows that ultimately his outcome is predetermined. This is probably the best track from the recording.

Another of my favorites from the album is "Cheaper to Keep Her," in which he describes why divorce isn't worth the trouble. It's fun, a bit inappropriate, and fantastic! I can only imagine how he performs the song on stage, and believe it's probably even better live!

Kevin Fowler's great, and was consistently one of the best live show's we'd see in Texas. Bring It On would only add to the repetoire of another fantastic performance.

This is one of my bigger regrets living in Denver: aside from not being able to see my family, we also can't see great live music like that included on this album.

Buy it. If you like country music -- the real country, not this crap on the radio -- then you're in for another great recording by one of Texas' best.

Labels: Kevin Folwer, MiPod, Music, Texas Country

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds recently released another collaboration, this time originating from Radio City Music Hall in the heart of New York City.

It has a different feel than Live At Luther College, which was an album I would enjoy with a beer in one hand, a cigar in the other, and a peaceful evening ahead.

The idea seems to be the same, but the 26 tracks aren't exclusively acoustic. The two mix in a little piano and electric guitar, but a lot less "davespeak." Personally, I like hearing Dave -- even if the words are ridiculous.

The album opens with a fantastic arrangement of "Bartender," which has easily become one of my favorite tracks released by the band. The lyrics are fantastic, and with the belief that Dave is speaking to God as the bartender asking for redemption, it adds a level of peace to the music.

Personally, I've never been a fan of "Don't Drink The Water" (which is a sin in the eyes of DMB fans), but this recording may finally bring me around. A lot of songs shine when performed in an acoustic setting, like "Old Dirt Hill," "The Maker," "Some Devil," and "Gravedigger." Dave and Tim have an ability to put an entirely new spin on music.

As far as Tim Reynolds, he performance as brilliantly as expected. It amazes me to hear the type of sounds that a guitar can make. His skills are well versed to fans of the Dave Matthews Band, but very underrated to the rest of the music world.

The drawback to the album, however, is the new music. "Eh Hee," "Cornbread," and "Sister" are three songs that have yet to be released, but are currently being performed on their nationwide (minus Denver) tour. Maybe it's my reluctance to change, but I wasn't impressed on my first listen, but this isn't the first time I've experienced this with new music from Dave.

I couldn't listen to Stand Up when it was first released, now I can't get enough of several tracks from the album.

The Dave Matthews Band has a history of releasing live albums with lots of recycled music. Some of it get repetitive, but performing with Tim Reynolds allows Dave to add a different spin to the band's music. For great song selection, a beautiful musical ambiance, and a different take on some of the Dave Matthew's Band's best, Live At Radio City Music Hall is a must-have for fans of good music.

Labels: MiPod, Music

Posted by M. Derrick Davis at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments