Teitur

Song: "You're The Ocean"
Artist: Teitur
Album: Poetry And Aeroplanes

This singer/songwriter goes by his first name and is from the Faroe Islands (somewhere near Iceland I believe). Listen to Teitur sing, and you can understand him in perfect English. Not only that, he's got a gift for melody and songwriting, and his debut album from a few years back is one of the most underrated releases of the last 10 years.

Big Head Todd

Song: "Please Don't Tell Her"
Artist: Big Head Todd & The Monsters
Album: Beautiful World

Big Head Todd was one of those bands that came out in the mid-late nineties in the modern rock movement of that day. So they kind of got lost on the depth chart behind Hootie, Toad, Better Than Ezra, Matchbox 20 and the Goo Goo Dolls. But this is a stunning album that still sounds great today....I think the band is still making music, but in my opinion nothing has quite measured up to Beautiful World.

Jack's Mannequin

Song: "Rescued"
Artist: Jack's Mannequin
Album: Everything In Transit

Andrew McMahon goes under the moniker Jack's Mannequin when he's not fronting his band, Something Corporate, and this is the only album he's released under that name. The subject matter is kind of dark, as it was all written as McMahon was recovering from a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with cancer. But all that aside, this is one stunning record.

Speaking Tongues

Song: "Easy Come"
Artist: Speaking Tongues
Album: Eclectic Cafe

I have some songs in my iTunes that aren't typical of my musical taste. I reviewed the Eclectic Cafe album for Bullz-Eye.com recently and it's got a lot of trippy, semi-electronic music including this really cool song by Speaking Tongues. If you need a cool party album or want to impress your lady with your wide range of musical taste, go pick this one up.

Have I Told You Lately That Butch Walker Is The Man?

Song: "Far Away From Close"
Artist: Butch Walker
Album: Left of Self-Centered

I've probably blogged about this guy before, but it's worth mentioning again how talented Butch Walker is. After logging time with his band, Marvelous 3, Butch released this stunning solo record around 2000 and every song on it is as catchy as anything you'll ever hear. He also writes tongue-in-cheek lyrics with ease, and is just one of those cool rock star dudes. And oh yeah, he's a hell of a producer as well.

CSN

Song: "Long Time Gone"
Artist: Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Album: Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash, with or without Neil Young, make some of the sweetest harmonies known to man. The group's blend of rock, folk and bluesy coolness has transcended the test of time over the last few decades, but their early stuff is still their best. Maybe it was the drugs or the "now" factor of its day, but for three singer/songwriters banding together, these guys sure made some cool music like this. I still get goose bumps when I hear this song's harmonies.

Gavin DeGraw

Song: "Meaning"
Artist: Gavin DeGraw
Album: Chariot

DeGraw had two big hits on this album, the title track and "I Don't Wanna Be," but I think this song is the best one on a pretty deep album. Pop singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen lately, but DeGraw is talented enough to stand the test of time.

Jared Campbell

Song: "Found Again"
Artist Jared Campbell
Album: Where It All Begins

Jared Campbell is a young singer/songwriter from upstate New York who deserves to be on a major label. This was from an album he released independently a few years back, and it's an example of what a great songwriter Campbell is. Check him out if you have the chance.

So Slow

Song: "So Slow"
Artist: Ari Hest
Album: The Green Room Sessions

I think I've posted about Ari Hest before, but not about this EP release that came out a little bit before his newer full-length album. The Green Room Sessions was a project Hest recorded in his Brooklyn apartment, and though it doesn't quite measure up to either of his LPs, it's got some great tracks like this one on it.

Car Crash

Song: "Car Crash"
Artist: Matt Nathanson
Album: Some Mad Hope

With apologies to Matt's publicist and label, I'm writing about this because I received an advance of his new album that is due out August 14. I'm sure they won't mind that I say that this may be Nathanson's best effort yet. If you haven't heard him yet but like stuff along the lines of Toad the Wet Sprocket or John Mayer, go grab this....on August 14.

Go West

Song: "What You Won't Do For Love"
Artist: Go West
Album: Indian Summer

I think I've blogged about these guys already, and if I haven't, they are a British pop duo that broke out in the mid-80s under the alternative rock umbrella, somehow mixed keys, screaming guitars and horns with smooth and melodic vocals. Then a few years later, they got soft. In particular, Go West had their breakthrough with a hit song on the "Pretty Woman" soundtrack, "The King Of Wishful Thinking." I won't berate them though, because while getting soft they also did this classic Bobby Caldwell cover, and it's even better than the original.

Stacy's Mom

Song: "Stacy's Mom"
Artist: Fountains of Wayne
Album: Welcome Interstate Managers

Fountains of Wayne can write pop hooks in their sleep, and this was their breakout song a few years ago. Of course, the subject matter and related video didn't hurt their chances for this to be a hit. But you don't write a hit without a strong melody that sticks in your head for days, and this song has it.

Don't Look Back

Song: "Don't Look Back"
Artist: Boston
Album: Don't Look Back

Boston's follow-up album was almost as strong as its incredibly successful debut, and this was the title track. It had the same swirling guitars (and guitar harmonies) and sweet vocal harmonies (which, by the way, they couldn't reproduce live at all), and some really catchy melodies. After this album, the band didn't release another until eight years later.

The Push Stars

Song: "All I Wanted"
Artist: The Push Stars
Album: Opening Time

Chris Trapper's band, The Push Stars, has flown under the radar for a long time. But the interesting, melodic songs and Trapper's gruff-yet-easy-on-the-ears vocals make for a great musical formula. Opening Time is one of their best albums, and a good start if you are just being turned on to this band.

The Juleps

Song: "If Wishes Were Horses"
Artist: The Juleps
Album: Kickbutt City U.S.A.

My friend Dave and I discovered a great band in Chicago around 1987 called The Insiders, and this was an offshoot of that band that I only recently found out about. This guy has such a great voice and this song is better than most of the songs coming out of Nashville today.

Since I've Been Loving You

Song: "Since I've Been Loving You"
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin III

This is one of the more underappreciated Zep albums, but it's one of the best. This epic, bluesy song features some of Jimmy Page's best guitar work, ever. I seriously could listen to him play all day. I'm also a publicist repping a really cool all-female Led Zep tribute band, Lez Zeppelin, and they just released their debut album with this song on it. Check them out at http://www.lezzeppelin.com/

Divinyls

Song: "Pleasure and Pain"
Artist: The Divinyls
Album: The Divinyls: Essential

I'm not really sure which album this song was originally on, because AMG doesn't show the individual songs listed for this Aussie band's first few albums (in the eighties). But I know one thing..lead singer Christina Amphlett is sexy and has an awesome set of pipes, and this song is catchy as hell too.

Mark Selby

Song: "If The World Was Mine"
Artist: Mark Selby
Album: Dirt

Mark Selby is a Nashville songwriter that has written hits for the likes of Trisha Yearwood and the Dixie Chicks, but this was a bluesy solo effort he put out a few years back. I've seen him play here in Nashville songwriting rounds.....he's not only a fantastic writer, but performs and sings better than many country artists out there today.

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Song: "So Into You"
Artist: Atlanta Rhythm Section
Album: Atlanta Rhythm Section

Yeah, I grew up in the seventies, so I'm creeping into middle age. And one of the signature bands from that era that never really got the props they deserved was the Atlanta Rhythm Section, with their mix of pop, southern rock and funk. Well, I'm giving them their props here, and quite honestly, this was one of the best songs of the entire decade.

Jonathan Rice

Song: "So Sweet"
Artist: Jonathan Rice
Album: Music From The O.C. Mix 2

I never watched a single episode of "The O.C." but I have heard every soundtrack produced by the show. And the show did help break some bigger name acts. But this under the radar singer and songwriter never seemed to emerge like he should have, because this song freaking rocks.

Illbreak

Song: "Underneath The Shadows"
Artist: Illbreak
Album: The Flood

I had the pleasure of representing this Atlanta alt-rock band a couple of years ago, and they were on the label started by 3 Doors Down bassist Todd Harrell. Unfortunately the offices of the label were based in Biloxi, MS, and the album was due to be released right as Hurricane Katrina hit. So this album never got its due. But I've got the songs in my catalog, and I'm telling you, this band could still be huge if they wanted to be.

Jill Cunniff

Song: "Lazy Girls"
Artist: Jill Cunniff
Album: City Beach

The former front person for the band Luscious Jackson recently released her first solo effort, and it is downright stunning. Jill Cunniff has a penchant for melodies and arrangements that make the songs come to life in a big way, and it's just plain good.

Bigger Than My Body

Song: "Bigger Than My Body"
Artist: John Mayer
Album: Heavier Things

John Mayer is one hell of a songwriter and musician, but he gets disrespected too much by the male population. That's because he's doing Jessica Simpson and you're not. Still, Mayer deserves props and I'm going to give them to him. Heavier Things is a solid album and this song is one of the best on it.