Happy Tuesday, everyone. Finally back in the school today, though of course with a two-hour delay. Not that I'm complaining. Anyway, February is Black History Month, and the 100th Anniversary of said month, so here's a playlist to celebrate that! Louis Armstrong, "Mack the Knife": I don't think any discussion of the impact of African Americans on American music can be considered complete without mention of Louis Armstrong.

Happy Tuesday, folks. Here in Northern Virginia, it's freezing and icy outside, but inside it's so warm I'm starting to sweat and I blame the Brancos. Here's a playlist to help you make it through the snow days you're almost assuredly going through if you live in the United States. Lucinda Williams, "How Much Did You Get For Your Soul": Lucinda cuts right to the point with this one, a solid rocker and protest song of the old school.

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I ran across a Van Morrison quote this morning that's had me thinking. To be honest, I'd been thinking about this stuff for a few days already, mostly following a conversation about music and marketing with my brother the other night. Anyway, the quote says, "Music is spiritual. The music business is not." And, yeah, that quote kinda speaks to my very soul.

Happy Monday, folks! It's Martin Luther King, Jr., Day today, so I've been sitting at home becoming increasingly concerned that the world Dr. King imagined will never come to pass. Yeah, I'm a cheerful sort today. Let's get to the playlist. Rose Betts, "Doodles": I learned of this Irish singer/songwriter through Facebook, of all places. There's a certain type of singer/songwriter and a certain type of song that they write that tickles all the right spots in my brain; this is that songwriter, this is that song.

Happy Monday, folks. It's my anniversary this week, so you'll excuse me if I don't answer any calls or whatnot tomorrow. Yeah, that's right, I know when my wedding anniversary is. Take that, Boomer comedians! Anyway, have a playlist. Matt Berninger, "Blue Monday": Is this the most obvious cover of all time? Possibly. Is it still a pretty great cover?

Good morning and happy first Monday of the new year. Yes, the government took some extrajudicial actions down in Venezuela over the weekend, and we're all scrambling figuring out how to deal with that, but in the meantime I've got some songs for you. The Cranberries, "Salvation": A blistering blast of punky energy and the occasional horn? Yes, please. Lyle Lovett, "Lungs": An old Townes Van Zandt song that, according to Lovett, Van Zandt said ought to be "shouted rather than sung." Lovett sings it here anyway.

Happy last Monday of 2025, folks! It's been a helluva year, I think we can all agree, and I'll be glad to see the back of it. But there were a lot of songs I listened to pretty much on repeat this year, such as the following: The Wallflowers, "It's a Dream": I love the rhythm of this song and the interior rhymes Jakob Dylan throws into it.

Happy Monday, folks! It's the week of Christmas, so here's a playlist full of some of my favorite Christmas songs. Darlene Love, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)": Just the absolute best Christmas song ever. You can keep your Wham! and your Mariah Carey, just leave me Darlene Love. She & Him, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree": This song seems like it was tailor-made for this band.

Happy Monday, folks! We've reached that point in the year when bands stop releasing new music and the music critic turns his weary, bleary eyes toward compiling top lists. Top 10 albums! Top 25 albums! Top 100 albums of the year! In all the genres and styles one can imagine. I'm just gonna do a top ten. It's not that I couldn't find enough for a longer list, but I already do ten-song playlists, so why not stick with that?

Happy Monday, folks! I've returned from sunny, warm Florida to a much chillier Northern Virginia. But it was a good trip! We relaxed and had a lot of fun, I got to see a friend from college whom I had not seen in over 20 years, and I slept quite a bit. And the Wife's presentation went over well! Here's some songs.