Rip This Joint! Songs of the Week

Songs of the Week

True Confessions: I live for good tunes.

I'm a compulsive auditory nibbler. Gimme a sampler CD, an old vinyl 45, a mixed tape, and I've just gotta give it a listen. I find good tunes in the weirdest places and at the strangest times. So, although the bulk of this site is dedicated to full-length CD reviews, this section is, in some ways, the real essence of the site. Because, when you really get down to it, it's all about the tunes.

And since the suits have more or less killed off Top 40 and singles, someone's gotta pass on the word about the good stuff.

This list will be a selection of songs that, for various reasons, caught my ear, the ones that "got" to me. They moved me, or made me want to move. They captured my imagination or otherwise touched my heart, made me want to flip, flop or fly. In other words, they rocked me.

One final thought: although most of my picks will be from relatively recent releases, I'm not going to limit myself to current releases. A good tune is a good tune, whether it was released yesterday or seventy years ago.

And one more thing: don't be dismayed if it seems like I haven't updated this site in ages. I'm still listening -- I just haven't had the time to update it in a while.

2006

Cindy, It Was Always You
Steve Wynn
March 6, 2006

Handle With Care
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
January 30, 2006

2005


2004

With God on Our Side
Buddy Miller
December 27, 2004

Lonely Without You (This Christmas)
Mick Jagger and Joss Stone
December 20, 2004

Wake Up Call
Peter Case
November 29, 2004

Keep Me in Your Heart
Jorge Calderon and Jennifer Warnes
November 15, 2004

Vertigo
U2
November 8, 2004

There She Goes/My Beautiful World
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
November 1, 2004

Come to Jesus
Mindy Smith
October 25, 2004

Life Less Ordinary
Carbon Leaf
October 18, 2004

This Land Is Mine
The Browne Sisters and George Cavanaugh
October 11, 2004

Day After Tomorrow
Tom Waits
October 4, 2004

Deja Vu All Over Again
John Fogerty
September 27, 2004

Here We Go Again
Ray Charles and Norah Jones
September 20, 2004

F the CC
Steve Earle
September 6, 2004

The Day John Henry Died
Drive-By Truckers
August 30, 2004

All the Right Reasons
The Jayhawks
August 23, 2004

Vincent Van Gogh
Jonathan Richman
August 16, 2004

40 Days
Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud
August 9, 2004

For What It's Worth
The Cardigans
August 2, 2004

Hotel Columbia
Jesse Malin
July 26, 2004

Summer's Killing Us
The Tragically Hip
July 19, 2004

If You Gotta Go, Go Now
Bob Dylan
July 12, 2004

Taste You
Melissa Auf Der Maur
July 5, 2004

Who's To Say?
Blanche
June 28, 2004

Tonight We Ride
Tom Russell
June 21, 2004

You Should Have Been Loved
The Proclaimers
June 7, 2004

Wicked Rain/Across 110th Street
Los Lobos & Bobby Womack
June 2, 2004