Marshall Crenshaw

Song: "Maryanne:
Artist: Marshall Crenshaw
Album: Marshall Crenshaw

He wrote some really great, melodic songs with nothing but one jangly guitar, bass and drums to back up his vocals...oh, and some really sweet harmonies. Crenshaw is still releasing music, but nothing compares to his first few albums back in the early 80s.

Daughtry

Song: "Breakdown"
Artist: Daughtry
Album: Daughtry

This guy really should have won "American Idol" last year, because he's got a great voice and his album is selling like nobody's business....way better than top 3 Taylor Hicks, Catherine McPhee and Elliott Yamin. Maybe it's because his AOR style fits a radio format better than any of the others' music, or maybe it's because he's just that much better and everyone knows it now. Either way, it's a great debut by Mr. Daughtry and he's going to have a nice, long career.

Def Leppard

Song: "Rock Brigade"
Artist: Def Leppard
Album: On Through The Night

When I was in high school, I had a band. We thought we were the shit. Then this debut from British rock band Def Leppard came out, and it was like, right then and there, I knew my future as a rock star had taken a serious blow. This was a band that was so far ahead of its time, and they were the same age as me! Anyway, this song was the lead track on their first album, and it's still one of my favorites, especially now that I can appreciate the fact that Def Leppard was always better than my band.

Nine Days

Song: "So Far Away"
Artist: Nine Days
Album: The Madding Crowd

This band from Long Island had a short-lived major label career, and this was their breakthrough album that spawned the single "Story of a Girl." I kind of hated that song with a passion, but the rest of this album is really great.

Malibu

Song: "Malibu"
Artist: Hole
Album: Celebrity Skin

Courtney Love is known mainly for one thing: being married to Kurt Cobain, and for generally acting kind of, well, slutty. But she never gets enough credit for being a really great singer and songwriter. But this album from her band Hole, released in the late nineties, proves that Love is all that. It's just a great rock album with equally great songs.

Saul Zonana

Song: "Painkiller"
Artist: Saul Zonana
Album: Waves

A prolific singer and songwriter from the New York area, Saul Zonana has put out some of the catchiest music of anyone never to make it really big. His songs are so melodic and engaging, and he seems to put out something new almost annually. This 6-song effort from a few years ago is one of his best efforts, and this song is mesmerizing.

Henry Lee Summer

Song: "I Know How You Feel"
Artist: Henry Lee Summer
Album: Henry Lee Summer

What ever happened to this guy? Henry Lee Summer had a modest hit from his debut album, "I Wish I Had A Girl," but that wasn't the best song on the album. This was a deep album with some really great tunes, including this pulsing number that showed off dude's incredible voice.
When I find out what he's up to these days I'll get back to you all.

Running From Dharma

Song: "After The Fall"
Artist: Running From Dharma
Album: If We Don't Meet Before The End Of The World

I'll admit that I don't like long album names. But that doesn't mean I can't like a song from said album. And that's the case with Running From Dharma's "After The Fall." There is an indie charm about this band.....they're not quite pop/punk but a bit too melodic to be pure indie rock. What they remind me of is Wire Train from the mid-80s but with just enough screaming in the song to make them sound current. That, and the guitar work is phenomenal.

ZOX

Song: "Don't Look Down"
Artist: ZOX
Album: The Wait

ZOX is one of those indie college rock type bands from the Northeast that has a large and growing following. Their latest album is really stellar, but this song in particular just rocks....and it's got a bit of a Celtic feel with some electric violin parts, making it different than most rock songs you'll hear on the radio these days.

Good Day

Song: "Good Day"
Artist: Paul Westerberg
Album: Eventually

The front man for The Replacements showed with this song that he can scale things back to a simple piano/vocal track, and make it sound as cool as anything he did with a full band rocking behind him. Westerberg, in my opinion, has one of the top 5 voices in rock, whether he's emoting or just letting a melody work the magic. And this is one of his best songs as a Replacement or otherwise.

Hurry Sundown

Song: "Hurry Sundown"
Artist: The Outlaws
Album: Hurry Sundown

When I was a high school kid and picked up the guitar, soon after this Southern rock band The Outlaws, known as the "Florida Guitar Army," became idols of mine. They had three lead guitarists who could all sing, and they intertwined vocal harmonies and guitar harmonies with equal precision. Not only that, but these guys could write great songs that today's country music stars couldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

Non-Toxic

Song: "Non-Toxic"
Artist: SR-71
Album: Now You See Inside

SR-71 was one of those melodic rock bands that was mildly successful at the turn of the century, along with the likes of Butch Walker's Marvelous 3 and Tonic. Their debut album had some really great songs on it including this one, and I'm pretty sure the band is still together but not playing very much.

Quarterflash

Song: "Harden My Heart"
Artist: Quarterflash
Album: Quarterflash

When Quarterflash burst onto the scene in 1981, it was like listening to a clone of Pat Benatar. Rindy Ross was a rocker chick like Benatar, but also brought a soft falsetto to the table that differentiated her. Either way, this was a powerful debut album, and one the band never really equaled. There is a ton of great guitar and sax work on the record, but especially on this song.

Witchy Woman

Song: "Witchy Woman"
Artist: The Eagles
Album: The Eagles

This song was one of The Eagles' first hits, from their first album. After that, their career really took off, but the guitar-driven edge of this song and especially in Don Henley's raspy voice make it one of their best tunes ever. There is a great guitar solo in the song as well.

Everything Or Nothing Again

Song: "Everything Or Nothing Again"
Artist: Gooding
Album: Angel/Devil

I had the privilege of working as the PR rep for this band, fronted by young guitar wizard Steve Gooding. The band had a bombastic style that mixed prog rock, arena rock, and any genre featuring a bands' guitar player. Gooding himself is a really talented singer and songwriter, but his mad skills on the guitar put him a notch above almost any unsigned artist out there. Unfortunately the band split up recently, but I'm sure Steve will continue to make music in some capacity.

Love Walks In

Song: "Love Walks In"
Artist: Van Halen
Album: 5150

This is not your typical Van Halen song. In what was the first album the band recorded with Sammy Hagar as its lead singer, 5150 was a changing of the guard and a changing of the band's overall sound. But more than anything, with a "ballad" like this, Hagar really opened up the scope of Van Halen's music, and showed a side to them that simply didn't exist before. And, oh yeah, the song is really good.

Elizabeth Ziman

Song: "Right Next To You"
Artist: Elizabeth Ziman
Album: Elizabeth & The Catapult

This is a jazzy pop artist with a velvety voice and if you haven't heard her yet, you need to. She's a New Yorker and not yet signed to a major label, but if you like Norah Jones, Suzanne Vega or Jill Cunniff, grab this record now and thank me later. More than just the voice, Ziman's songwriting is stellar.

Sour Girl

Song: "Sour Girl"
Artist: Stone Temple Pilots
Album: Thank You

This was not your typical grunge-type song from this grunge band. And that's what makes it such a great song. It's melodic, poppy and shows a different side to lead singer Scott Weiland, who actually sings normally and not like he has a pickle in his mouth.

Loverboy

Song: "The Kid Is Hot Tonite"
Artist: Loverboy
Album: Loverboy

Though they now are practically made fun of for being a cheesy 80s band, Loverboy knew how to rock in their day. In a time when new wave was hitting, there was still a place for good pop/rock bands like Loverboy and Journey. Mike Reno had a great rock voice and this band knew how to crank out hit songs.

Every Kinda People

Song: "Every Kinda People"
Artist: Robert Palmer
Album: Double Fun

Robert Palmer is best remembered for his "Addicted To Love" video in which he looked all dapper and got to dance with scantily clad hot chicks. But that doesn't show the depth of Palmer's catalog, because he had lots of great songs even before that, including this one, which is a soulful pop song with R&B flavors ala Marvin Gaye.

Mrs. Rita

Song: "Mrs. Rita"
Artist: Gin Blossoms
Album: New Miserable Experience

This was a great pop/rock album, but unfortunately for the Gin Blossoms, they broke out right in the middle of the grunge movement. That meant they were lumped with bands like Hootie & The Blowfish for not being as cool as the Nirvanas, Pearl Jams and Soundgardens of the world. But man, could they craft great songs. In my opinion, this album is still their best.

Overkill

Song: "Overkill"
Artist: Men At Work
Album: Cargo

I don't think there is a single song that feels like spring to me more than this Men At Work song. When it came out in 1983, I remember feeling the warmth of spring in the air and how this song fit that mood. Actually, it's pretty close to a perfect pop song, period.

Overkill

Song: "Overkill"
Artist: Men At Work
Album: Cargo

I don't think there is a single song that feels like spring to me than this Men At Work song. When it came out in 1983, I remember feeling the warmth of spring in the air and how this song fit that mood. Actually, it's pretty close to a perfect pop song, period.

Perfect Blue Buildings

Song: "Perfect Blue Buildings"
Artist: Counting Crows
Album: August and Everything After

I don't know what it is about Counting Crows, but they were one of those bands I was drawn to right from the start, with a mix of brooding, alt-pop that is the perfect backdrop for Adam Duritz' bright tenor vocals and some really cool arrangements. The band's first album, August and Everything After, was more stripped down and acoustic-driven than their later releases, and that's what makes it so special.

Something's Missing

Song: "Something's Missing"
Artist: John Mayer
Album: Heavier Things

Most guys think John Mayer is a wussy tool. I'm not one of those guys. This dude has mad skills as a singer, songwriter and guitar player--and he's doing Jessica Simpson. It's safe to say all those calling Mayer a tool are jealous. This album may be my favorite of his, and this is my favorite song on the album. The whole song is incredibly airy, and the guitar work has a retro feel akin to Hall & Oates' H2O album.

Bahia Funk

Song: "Bahia Funk"
Artist: Lee Ritenour
Album: Color Rit

Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour is about as tasty a player as they come. As a former co-worker once said to me, "Lee Ritenour is RIGHT ON THE MONEY." Well said, big George. This song is a prime example of that, and flows like a smooth jazz song should without sounding like everything else in the genre.

Shine

Song: "Shine"
Artist: Patty Smyth
Album: Patty Smyth

The former lead singer of Scandal broke away for her first solo album in 1992 and it's a damn stellar effort. Unlike the Scandal sound, which was very guitar-driven and raw, this one focuses more on Patty's growl and pure vocal ability as well as some really slick production. And this song is probably my favorite of anything she's ever done.

Wooden Ships

Song: "Wooden Ships"
Artist: Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Album: Crosby, Stills & Nash

Vocally, these guys and their harmonies with or without Neil Young were always mind-boggling. But in some of this older material, it's also the guitar playing that stands out to me. I don't even know who gets credit for the guitar solos running rampant throughout this song, but I haven't heard tastier playing in many other places. This song is a classic.

Everything Is Gonna Be Okay

Song: "Tell It Like It Is"
Artist: Heart
Album: Heart: Greatest Hits

Like my wife says when she hears the band Heart, "Everything is Gonna Be Okay." She has been a fan of the band forever, and it just seems that when she hears them on the radio or anywhere, the day's events turn out favorably. I can't explain it, but I do know that by association I feel like everything is gonna be fine when we hear Heart. And why not? This band just kicks ass and always has. The Wilson sisters rule.

The Argument

Song: "Wheelchair"
Artist: The Argument
Album: Your New Favorite Band

This was a mildly successful regional band (from West Virginia) that I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with a few times. But more than that, I thought their first album was amazing, and I still listen to it with regularity about six years later. Lead singer and songwriter Scott Simons played a mean piano and sang his ass off...and actually all of these guys were incredibly gifted musicians. It's just too bad they never broke out like they deserved to, though Simons is still writing and working on a solo career.