Seven songs I've been listening to lately

Bhakti tagged me for a meme last week… I had a rule that I only do meme’s that are requested by southern women (since they were the only ones who "tagged" me until last week), but I’m going to make an exception here (who knows, maybe she lives on the south side of the city). I’m suppose to write about the seven songs I’ve been listening to lately. This is a hard one. At the office, I generally listen to classical or turn on Yahoo Radio (folk, rock or jazz stations). I only have audio books on my ipod. In the truck, I’m often listening to NPR, but occasionally I need a break and I slip in a CD. So here are the top seven CDs as found in my truck’s console. By the way, the truck is now home from body surgery and looks good as new!

1. Steely Dan, "Aja" Steely Dan is probably my all time favorite group. I remember listening to them in High School and College on FM (back when the AM played top 40 junk). The smoothing sounds of the song Aja and the biting lyrics of Deacon Blues (drink scotch whiskey all night long…) make this one of my favorite albums. Debuting in the late 70s, Aja was a welcome respite from Disco.

2. Sufjan Stevens, "Seven Swans" This is the "newest" CD in the stack. I love the folksy sounds, especially on track, "Transfiguration." It’s interesting that a guy’s whose "hippie parents" named him after a Sufi poet is now he’s writing "Christian" (maybe better defined as Alternative Christian) music. He better stay out of Afghanistan. With a name like that, they might think he’s a Muslim apostate.

3. George Winston, "Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors" Jim, a friend of mine, when he saw this disk remarked: "You know you’re middle aged when you have a instrumental rendition of the Doors." I brought this CD at a Winston concert; it was incredible to watch him play the music of the Doors. I love the way he draws the blues on a piano when he plays "People are Strange" or "Summer’s Almost Gone." As for the Doors, I can’t imagine my daughter listening to "The End." I suppose I have grown up and become my father (well, not quite, I don’t listen to country music).

4. Leonard Cohen, "The Best of Leonard Cohen" "Suzanne" is just wonderful.

5. Bob Dylan, "Blood on the Tracks" I’ve been "Tangled up in Blue" a few times in my life. As this album came out toward the end of my high school "experience," it brings back memories.

6. Eric Clapton "The Cream of Clapton" All the good Clapton tunes are here, from his time with Cream to his more recent. "Bell Bottom Blues" is one of my favorite Clapton tunes and I hear bell bottoms are making a comeback!

7. Pink Floyd, "Wish You Were Here" This album came out the year I graduated High School and brings back a flood of memories whenever I hear it.