This is an R&B song that I first heard on BET. It begins with the hand claps from the song "Car Wash" and then goes into a typically groovy R&B dance song. I like it so much because it is very easy to dance to and the lyrics are about a girl going to a club and wanting to get her groove on while the guy she came with just stands there "like he's much too cool." This is typically how I feel when I go out. Hand claps continue throughout the song.

This clever little gem was written by folk singer/songwriter Richard Shindell and originally appears on his 1994 Shanachie release, Blue Divide, as "The Ballad of Mary Magdalene." A perfect example of Shindell's non-confessional, often ironic, storytelling, it recounts the ill-fated love affair between the title character and JC: "Jesus loves me, this I know/ why on earth, did I ever let him go?/ He was always faithful, he was always kind/ but he walked off with this heart of mine." On this version, Shindell is joined by fellow folkies Dar Williams (lead vocal) and Lucy Kaplansky (harmony). In 1998 A.D., the three artists became incarnate as Cry Cry Cry for one album, which, if you like three-part harmony, is almost a religious experience. A good example, too, of what Shindell can do with a Martin acoustic.

I always love it when older performers "try out" younger, more popular musical forms. In this case we have Doris Day's attempt at Brill Building Pop, the title track for one of her movies. Has she ever sounded sexier?

This gets my vote as a lost classic, one of the best "fake Phil Spector" records ever. The tremendous production is matched by Timi Yuro's booming, soulful voice. Still not sure about the lyrics; we just know that Timi's hurtin', and has something bad on her mind.

A beautiful piece of soft pop. Ok, it's corny - the chord sequence is kind of soppy and the lyrics are kind of obvious, but the arrangement and singing are so lovely that I can listen to this song again and again. Opening with a catchy picked acoustic guitar riff, the arrangement soon thickens with with a full orchestra. The singing is deadly serious and amusingly precious throughout the song, and the orchestral arrangement, heavy on oboes and flutes as well as strings, is anything but hip. Still, the song’s simplicity and innocence are really quite charming. I never really got into any of Chad and Jeremy's other songs nearly so much as this one, so any recommendations for similar songs would be welcome. Do me a favor and listen to this and tell me if I’m crazy to love it so much.