“Pining” – Parker Millsap
This catchy little song, from Millsap’s recently released album, The Very Last Day, has an upbeat New Orleans jazz feel to it (and if you know me, you know how that NOLA is one of my favorite places on the planet); a declaration of utter devotion, the singer would do just about anything for his sweetheart; “Maybe I’ll have to walk through the fire/Balancing on a razor wire/I ain’t afraid to weep/I ain’t afraid to suffer/I ain’t afraid to be a fool to be your lover.” I mean, who doesn’t want to hear something like that? SWOON.
“Ophelia” – The Lumineers
“Heaven help the fool who falls in love,” sings Wesley Schultz, frontman of Denver folk-rock band The Lumineers, who will release their sophomore album, Cleopatra, on April 8th via Dualtone Records. The song is nothing short of an ear worm and set up residence in my brain the first time I heard it, with its tambourine-accented foot-stomping and energetic piano accompaniment, combined with The Lumineers’ signature “performing in an empty wooden dancehall” kind of style. Plus, it’s the best use of the name Ophelia in a song ever.
“Hammers & Nails – The Bones of J.R. Jones
This gritty blues number from Jonathon Linaberry, a.k.a. The Bones of J.R. Jones, will make you clap your hands and stomp your feet. Linaberry takes his cues from Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son House, and makes a lot of noise for just one person. “Hammers & Nails” shows a an electrified side of what he can do, and is one of the many gems from his forthcoming album, Spirit’s Furnace, out April 8th.
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