PrintNew Year's Eve party music picks from C&I staff
Here are music picks from C&I staff for ringing in this New Year's Eve. Take a listen or download the tracks from the mp3 widget below.
Brandy Minick, Associate Publisher
"It's America" from It's America, by Rodney Atkins
"What a great way to start out a new year! This song is upbeat, positive, and fun. The words really hit home in a hometown way. 'I was thinkin' to myself, I'm so glad that I live in America. ... Now we might not always get it all right / There's no place else I'd rather build my life. ...' Here's to a wonderful 2010 and living in America!"
Kathy Wise, Managing Editor
"The Last Ride" from Break Up the Concrete, by The Pretenders
"Chrissie Hynde's cowgirl spirit comes through in a countrified 'Auld Lang Syne' to lost friends and a life of hard living as she takes stock at the (metaphorical) end of the ride. As a bonus, she pays tribute to the buckeye trees that shaded both of our northern Ohio homes. From her band's latest album, a galloping rockabilly departure that is all heartland."
Johnny Seale, Production Director
"Bread & Water" from Mescalito, by Ryan Bingham
"I happened to catch this guy Ryan Bingham when he came through Dallas a while back. My buddy Bowen told me he's damn good and has a solid following and is all over the one good radio station DFW has: KHYI 95.3 The Range. Anyhow, it was Sunday and I was free to do as I chose, so me and Bowen head down to the famous Granada Theater and buy tickets. Good thing we got there ahead of time, because this Ryan Bingham dude — with his wide-brimmed hat, scratchy throat, and wiry frame — would sell this place out all the way to the balconies. A bunch of the crowd all wore his style of hat, a steady mix of young men and young ladies, all with longnecks and a total willingness to sing along to all Bingham's songs, bouncing and spinning and hooting in between verses. I was totally blown away. Bingham's voice is kinda hard to hear at first — it's described as whisky-burnt and gravelly, but you can make out the highway lyrics past his long sideways grin. This show was a stomper — Bingham thrashed his guitar and played harmonica like some Panhandle Dylan. His lyrics remind me of vintage Robert Earl Keen. I had never heard of Ryan Bingham before April 26, but I've had his one song busting my chops ever since: 'Bread & Water,' with the quick slide and that steady beat. If you could have a party out on the side of a highway with some open fires, full bottles, and room to dance around like a wild person, you would want Ryan Bingham there to make it all happen."
Dana Joseph, Editorial Director
"Long Time Gone" from Highway Call, by Richard Betts
"Reaching back for an old favorite from 1974 that gets me singing no matter when I hear it, but especially on New Year's, when it's all about where you've been and where you're going. ... 'Out on the lonesome highway / Suitcase and an old guitar / Just outside Oklahoma City / Place called Johnny's Roadside Bar ... .' "
Steven Phelps, Art Director
I couldn't settle on just one, so here's four to round out the list for your New Year's. Happy Holidays from the C&I staff.
• "Can't Find My Keys" by Mojo Nixon
It's happened to everyone — you get all dressed up to go out and raise hell and then... "Honey, have you seen my keys?" Sirius/XM Outlaw Country personality and recording ne'er-do-well Mojo Nixon cut this track for 2009's "Whiskey Rebellion."
• "Work Hard, Play Harder" by Gretchen Wilson
Wilson's release showed up just in time to fire up the 2009 country music charts in October, and is a great way to rock in the new year if you're the kind of person who is "first to clock in but the last to pass out."
• "Metal Firecracker" by Lucinda Williams
I love fireworks — there's a sentimental and romantic quality about anything so short-lived. Lucinda William's rocking guitar celebrates a passionate love that flames out as beautifully and quickly as a bottle rocket at midnight.
• "New Year's Day" by Charlie Robison
Underneath every New Year's Eve party, there's always that nagging feeling that maybe we can be a better person, make a change for the better, or at the very least, keep trying. Charlie Robison's portrait of life on the Texas border was released in 2004, but it still strikes a chord with me every time I hear it.
Issue: January 2010
