Top 5 Singer/Songwriters

Lately I have been getting away from the hard rock in my casual listening and checking out more acoustic singer/songwriters.  It has been a nice change of pace for me;  I just sit back and enjoy the music.  Occasionally I’ll pick up my guitar and play along.  Here’s my 5 favorites.

1. Jack Johnson (who doesnt like him?)
2. John Mayer
3. City and Colour
4. Brett Dennen
5. Andy Mckee

I really think Andy Mckee is worth listening to, but it’s even better if you watch him.  He’s all instrumental (guitar) and the things he does with the guitar is cool to watch.  Here’s a link to my favorite song of his.  Let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

Paper Route

I found these guys (Paper Route) about a year ago, and they have a really unique sound.  One track has a kind of an Eddie Money-Take Me Home Tonight sound with the keyboard, with some techno beats mixed in.  The best way I can summarize their sound is that they are an alt band, with techno, and 80′s influence all mixed in.  It’s a very different sound and I love it.  Check this band out and let me know what you think.

Top 5 Grunge Artists

This genre became really popular in the 90′s with all the bands coming out of Seattle.  Unfortunately, some of the most influential people from these bands have already died, like Kurt Cobain from Nirvana and Layne Staley from Alice in Chains.  Alice in Chains just released a new album with a new singer, and I was surprised at how good it was.  Normally a change in singers changes the band, but the album still feels like Alice in Chains.  So, before I get off topic, here’s my top 5.

1. Stone Temple Pilots
2. Alice in Chains
3. Nirvana
4. Pearl Jam
5. Our Lady Peace 

Some Rock

Here are some links to songs from my new rock top 5. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGrM1sh-8pE                                                                                      Breaking Benjamin – Dear Agony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oiLT7ke3o4                                                                                                Chevelle – Shameful Metaphors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjDDSeMoXJs                                                                                                    Coheed and Cambria – A Favor House Atlantic

Some Blues

During my series of installments, I will include links to different performances of artists that I have mentioned.  Here are some blues videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDd6QPFAz0     Jimi Hendrix – Red House

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jCNXASjzMY      B.B. King – How Blue Can You Get?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWLw7nozO_U      Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood

Top 5 Blues Artists

Keeping with the theme of the last post, here is another list of my favorite artists.  This time I’ll focus on the blues genre, which has kind of died out in recent years.  Blues songs may be similar at times, be it lyrics or the overall sound of the song, but the instrumental variations in the music are what sets them apart.  The Blues genre has produced some of the best guitarists to ever play, and the guitar solos in these songs generally determine which artists I like best.  So, here’s my top 5.

1. B.B. King
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Stevie Ray Vaughan
4. R.L. Burnside
5. T-Bone Walker

Top 5 “New” Rock Bands

I’ll start with a few of my favorites.  A couple may not be the most popular Rock bands like the Three Days Grace’s of the industry, but that’s what makes them good.  So here it goes, my top 5:

1. Breaking Benjamin 
2. Chevelle
3. Weezer
4. Motion City Soundtrack
5. Coheed and Cambria

I know the first three are more of the main stream Rock bands, but the final two are not as popular to people who casually listen to the radio.  I have maybe heard one or two songs from each band at different points in time on the radio, so unless you are into Rock music already, you probably only have heard a couple songs.  At any rate, I encourage listeners to listen to albums rather than single songs.  Many of my favorite songs don’t get any air time.  So I suggest everyone give a serious listen to any of these ARTISTS, not just what’s getting played.