here they are:
"Heart of Rhythm" by Ryan Bingham: Much like Grace Potter before him, Ryan Bingham is a former country/pop-rock musician that wanted to turn up his amps once his sophomore album came around. And boy, does he ever!! Never expected Ryan to pound out a rock 'n' roll anthem influenced by the likes of Chuck Berry, and The Rolling Stones, among others, but he does so on "Heart of Rhythm" with reckless abandon and passionate enthusiasm! During the song's chorus, Ryan proclaims he has a "heart full of rhythm and rock 'n' roll". If I hadn't heard this song I don't think I would have believed him. But now I do! More than I ever would have expected to!!
"Magpie" by Beth Orton: On the flipside of the pounding electric guitars and racing drums of the only other song I have for this week is the quieter, more soothing sound of Beth Orton, a brilliant singer and songwriter whose music combines the bittersweet folk-rock of Joni Mitchell and the ethereal electro-pop of Annie Lennox. Beth seemed to have a steady flow of three albums between the late '90s and mid 2000's. After 2005, though, Beth Orton's fans were left Beth Orton-less for 7 years. Until now, that is!! "Magpie" is a song whose lyrics evoke nature, particularly birds (magpies, crows, and blue jays are all mentioned in the song), and whose sound seems like it might as well have come from a bird, with Beth's sweet voice, and instrumentation consisting of both acoustic guitars and a lovely string section. Welcome back, Beth! Missed you madly for many years!!
