viva la rasa

latin playboys were a side project of los lobos band mates, david hidalgo and louie pérez. the group released two albums, 'latin playboys', in 1994, and 'dose', in 1999. the music is twisted, raw and crunchy with haunting blues and latin-tinged border music. check out the tunes below.


latin playboys (link to four songs)

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i apologize

this just in . . . . you can now download jay bennett's new album, 'whatever happened i apologize'

don't wake the lion

since the mid-'70s, the itals have been working hard at keeping roots-reggae rhythms alive. the itals are a reggae harmony trio that are noted for their strong voices, sweet harmonies, and sharp rastafarian lyrics that stress cultural consciousness. check out some of their early crucial tracks below and give thanks and praises for jah itals.

the itals (link to four songs)

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underneath the mango tree

here are some groovy tunes from the king of laid back surf music, jack johnson. these are studio-quality outtakes and musical musings and they capture the true soul of johnson's unique musical style. enjoy the tunes and check out the live clip from the bbc.

jack johnson - mango tree sample

cold blue stars

josh rouse recently dropped his collection of gems from his time at rykodisc. it's really a fantastic collection and demonstrates his talents as one of the better singer/songwriters of generation x or y or whatever this generation is (at least best from nebraska?). that might seem like lofty praise so by all means, check out the songs below and see if you agree.

josh rouse (link to four songs)

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why wyoming

if you don't know tom freund, you really should. he's a multi-instramentalist, singer, songwriter from california and his new offering, 'collapsible plans' is stellar. with ben harper and jackson browne sitting in, how could you go wrong? check out some new and old tunes.

tom freund (link to four songs)

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desert blues

the late great ali farka touré was an amazing malian singer and guitarist, and one of the african continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. "he transposed the traditional music of his native north mali and singlehandedly brought the style known as desert blues to an international audience." check out the tunes below and show mr. touré some love.

ali farke toure (link to six songs)

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bring on blue skies

ahh, jason collett. canadian singer-songwriter extraordinaire and member of broken social scene. his latest, 'here’s to being here', was released in february of 2008 and continues his catchy indie-pop bliss. check out the collection below and see this man live with his band, 'the dark horse'.

jason collett (link to five songs)

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enjoy yourself

there have been some pretty strong releases this late summer early fall. thus far we've got jolie holland, calexico, taj mahal, brett dennen and ryan adams (in addition to lucinda williams posted below). here's a fall music sampler for y'all.

music sampler (link to eight songs)

don't worry about the government

here's some old school talking heads. i still think '77' is their best effort. hard to believe that it was produced over thirty years ago. everyone remembers 'burning down the house' and 'life during wartime' but this collection of songs represent the essence of the heads to me.

talking heads (link to four songs)

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honey bee

lucinda williams is back with another gem. what can you say about mrs. williams? she's got it and she defies categorization. she blends blues, folk, country and rock with ease. as always, her songwriting shines. where i feel that 'west' was a bit of a let down for me, 'little honey' returns lucinda to the deserved diva of the honkey tonk airwaves. check out some love below.

lucinda williams (link to three songs)

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