Bush

Song: "Little Things"
Artist: Bush
Album: Sixteen Stone

Bush was one of the bands that defined the nineties with its signature grunge-y sound. But these guys were British, not from Seattle, and that's one of the things that made them interesting. That, and they fucking rocked. Sixteen Stone was their powerful debut, and this song is one of the best on the album.

Animals

Song: "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: Animals

This was actually one of the first albums I ever owned, and I recently purchased the whole thing on iTunes. A concept album with songs about dogs, pigs and sheep, I still think this is one of Pink Floyd's best works ever. The guitar work in particular is stellar.

Freeze Tag

Song: "Freeze Tag"
Artist: Suzanne Vega
Album: Suzanne Vega

This was Vega's debut album, and it's so beautifully dark and haunting 20 or so years later. On this song in particular, you can almost feel your fingers and toes getting cold in the winter air, and feel the sun setting on a January day....proof that Vega has a songwriting gift.

"Inside"

Song: "Inside"
Artist: Toad The Wet Sprocket
Album: Dulcinea

Yeah, you already know that Duclinea is one of my favorite albums of all-time. And the whole album is in my iTunes, so it's no surprise that I'm mentioning another song from it. This song is one of the last tracks on the record, and it is worth checking out for the guitar tones alone. Toad just made magic and this is an example of it.

Pat Benatar

Song: "Tell Me"
Artist: Pat Benatar
Album: Go

Pat Benatar is one of the original rocker chicks from a few decades ago, and this was a more recent offering of hers. Pat and husband Neil Geraldo are still out their touring and making music, and still sounding great doing it.

Seafood

Song: "Signal Sparks"
Artist: Seafood
Album: Paper Crown King

Blech. I don't like seafood. But I sure like this band a hell of a lot. They are a British indie/alt-rock band that is still flying somewhat under everyone's radar. But their latest album, Paper Crown King, is their best effort yet. Their songs soar like, um, flying fish, or something. Oh, that was bad. Anyway, go check these guys out.

Megan Slankard

Song: "Dirty Wings"
Artist: Megan Slankard
Album: Freaky Little Story

I have had the pleasure of working with Megan as her publicist, whose claim to fame was a makeover on TLC's What Not To Wear. Over the last few years, she's remained just slightly under the radar, but if you hear some of her songs you'll be scratching your head wondering why she's not yet a household name. She's still in her early 20's though, so has time on her side.

The Romantics

Song: "Talking In Your Sleep"
Artist: The Romantics
Album: In Heat

Everyone thinks of the frat house, dance floor classic "What I Like About You" when they think of The Romantics. But this song had some chart life as well, and its haunting melodies and slick arrangements sound just as good today as they did almost 25 years ago.

Pete Yorn

Song: "All At Once"
Artist: Pete Yorn
Album: Day I Forgot

Most people are familiar with Pete Yorn from his debut, Musicforthemorningafter. But he's put out some stellar material since then, including the very much under the radar sophomore album, Day I Forgot. For my money, this particular song from that album is one of Pete's best.

Joe Jackson

Song: "It's Different For Girls"
Artist: Joe Jackson
Album: I'm The Man

The album title says it all...Joe Jackson is "the man." With his first two albums, Jackson had carved out a distinctive intelligent pop meets alternative meets punk sound in a way that no one else had before. In fact, both I'm the Man and Look Sharp! may be two of the most underrated albums in the history of music.

The Green Album

Song: "Crab"
Artist: Weezer
Album: The Green Album

Rock band Weezer had a bit of a comeback with their Green album, released in the early part of the decade. This album is so melodic and hooky, it really should have its rightful place among some of the greatest rock records ever. At least in my mind it should.

Tell Me To My Face

Song: "Tell Me To My Face"
Artist: Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg
Album: Twin Sons of Different Mothers

You probably know Dan Fogelberg as the dude who put out lots of sappy love songs in the seventies and eighties, but this album he did with flute player Tim Weisberg was a bit under the radar when it came out about, well, 30 years ago. But it had some great songs, including this epic seven minute track.

Sullivan Street

Song: "Sullivan Street"
Artist: Counting Crows
Album: August and Everything After

This is one of my favorite songs on one of my favorite albums of all-time. Counting Crows' debut is arguably their best, and every song on it has an acoustic vibe that helps singer Adam Duritz paint vivid pictures with his lyrics and super cool voice.

Saving Jane's New Album

Song: "Nicotine"
Artist: Saving Jane
Album: One Girl Revolution

Saving Jane burst onto the scene a few years ago with the Girl Next Door album, and lead singer Marti Dodson was touted as the next hottie in rock. Now, they are back with One Girl Revolution, and for my money it's even better than the first record---hooky, more rocking and just great stuff. Check them out if you haven't yet.

Apollo Up!

Song: "Custom Critical"
Artist: Apollo Up!
Album: Chariots of Fire

This Nashville indie rock band makes music the way a rock band should--raw, energetic, hooky and loud. Only a three piece, Apollo Up! has been said to be like "Elvis Costello fronting Gang of Four," and that's pretty accurate because lead singer Jay Phillips sounds almost exactly like Costello in his heyday. Great band, great album.

Gemma Hayes

Song: "Hangin' Around"
Artist: Gemma Hayes
Album: Night On My Side

Singer and songwriter Gemma Hayes has this hot edgy thing going on, in addition to having Lilith Fair-like melodies, and it all works beautifully. Hayes is an Irish hottie and this was her debut album, and I'm telling you, you have to check it out, if only because the songs are just really, really good.

Reddding

Song: "Gleam"
Artist: Redding
Album: Redding

The debut from this rock band is really cool, and this is one of the best songs on it. It's moody alt-rock-pop with some strong melodies and hooks, and well worth checking out if you haven't already.

Vertical Horizon

Song: "Finding Me"
Artist: Vertical Horizon
Album: Everything You Want

When my band was playing the club and festival circuit in Ohio around 1999, a fan tipped me off to this band called Vertical Horizon and said we reminded him of them. I picked up their newest album at the time, Everything You Want, and it blew me away. The band was more acoustic-based before this album, so this was somewhat of a breakthrough for them, and it spawned a few modest hits as well.

Ari is Awesome

Song: "Consistency"
Artist: Ari Hest
Album: Someone To Tell

The debut major label album from New York based singer/songwriter Ari Hest is full of throaty, hooky songs, but this one in particular shows that dude can also play the guitar like a madman. If you're not hip to Ari, everything he's released is well worth checking out including a new album, The Break-In.

Only Time Will Tell

Song: "Only Time Will Tell"
Artist: Asia
Album: Asia

The self-titled debut from this supergroup of sorts was "progressive" yet had pop sensibility. Seriously, only a so-called supergroup could pull that off. Led by John Wetton and Geoff Downes, and with former yes guitar player Steve Howe and ELP's Carl Palmer on drums, this debut album was full of great songs that still sound great today.

Little Things

Song: "Little Things"
Artist Matthew Ryan
Album: Regret Over The Wires

Singer/songwriter Matthew Ryan has flown under the radar for about a decade now, but that doesn't mean he's not awesome at what he does. He's got a smoky bar room voice and knows how to write songs with raw emotion like few songwriters can. And when dude wants to rock, like he does on this song, he's simply one of the best lesser known artists out there.

Aja

Song: "Josie"
Artist: Steely Dan
Album: Aja

Steely Dan is a classic band and one of the most distinguishable in any genre of music. But their jazz and soul-infused pop/rock is much more than that. It's thinking man's music, yet it's extremely palatable to anyone who digs straight pop. And in that lies the genius of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Aja was probably the pinnacle of their career, and it still remains one of the greatest albums of all-time.

Jay Johnson

Song: "Sympathy For The Skeptical"
Artist: Jay Johnson Band
Album: Yellow

When I moved to Nashville almost four years ago, I became friends with a guy who was a singer/songwriter like me, but not country, like me. Jay Johnson isn't recording anything that I know of right now, but he should be because his stuff is that good....check him out online if you have a chance...he's got a Travis meets Jeff Buckley meets Glen Phillips thing going on, and it's awesome.