Lily Maebelle - The Valentines

Lily Maebelle - The Valentines

2:18

single, 1955

Written by Richard Barrett, Tommy Vastola, and Raymond Briggs

This is a paean to the titular lady, who left the narrator.  It's a toe-tapping doo-wop with buzzy early rock sax break and primitive lyrics — the sole verse being "I told you that I love you until the day I die / I told that I need you, how could you say goodbye."  The song punches way above its weight in terms of catchiness and energy; it might grow tiresome over repeated plays, but it does serve as a display of how much verve those overlooked, largely black, '50s artists had.

Let's Do It Again - Reigning Sound

Let's Do It Again - Reigning Sound

2:53

A Little More Time With Reigning Sound, 2021

Written by Greg Cartwright

A throwback garage rock boogie with singer-songwriter sensibilities, this rollicking, winking song is about someone who eagerly anticipates the return of an old love and the good times they had.  The narrator has let a few things slide in their absence ("Now my nights without you aren't the same / I've been walkin the dog in the pouring rain / And the garden I startеd last spring / Is full of vines and weeds") but when a letter arrives, he can't wait to be together again.  Vocalist Cartwright sings in a croon that evokes Nashville Skyline-era Dylan and the band sounds like it's internalized and perfected '70s rock.

Little Tin Soldier - Donovan

Little Tin Soldier - Donovan

2:58

Fairytale, 1965

Written by Shawn Phillips

I've listened to Donovan for decades, but just the usual hits, not this song, an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fable.  The tin soldier isn't a metaphor about the fragility of the fighting man, but an actual metal toy.  He falls in love with a toy ballerina, but when she is bought, he is thrown in the gutter (though I'm not sure how the one event leads to the other).  Years later, they are reunited in the same house, then melt together in a fire.  "And in that fire they shall stay / Forever and a day / For the fire, Lord, is the fire of love / Just like the peaceful dove."  It's a rather twee tale, delivered in a straight acoustic folk arrangement.  In the '60s folk scene, this was the kind of thing you could put on an album and no one blinked.

Love You So Bad - Ezra Furman

Love You So Bad - Ezra Furman

3:39

Transangelic Exodus, 2018

Written by Ezra Furman

Over a Velvet Underground-inspired pulsing cello line, a desperate, half-spoken, half-sung tale unwinds of star-crossed, small-town lovers.  Both young people seem to come from dysfunctional homes with drunken parents, both acting up and getting into trouble.  "I always knew I was bad / Always dreaming so they called me the Spaceman / You first kissed me in your parents' blue basement / I wanted you baby so bad."  One goes to college and makes a new, better life; the narrator is left pining, not resentful but with nothing but memories fading like letters drawn in the sand.  It's a bittersweet story song, clearly inspired by Springsteen's small-town dramas and Lou Reed's transgressive tales of the city.

Let It Rock - Jerry Garcia

Let It Rock - Jerry Garcia

3:14

Garcia, 1974

Written by Chuck Berry

This is the Garcia I tend to enjoy — rocking and singing, not noodling out some extended space-jams.  Garcia doesn't reinvent this Berry classic or add anything special to it, but his take sounds like he's having fun.  His raspy vocal is one of the weaker voices in classic rock, but he struggles along manfully here, giving the song a relaxed, tossed-off feel.  Obviously, his guitar skills far outstrip Berry's primitive chords, but Garcia lets the piano and guitar work together, not feeling the need to show off with any fireworks.

Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn

Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn

2:06

Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind), 1967

Written by Loretta Lynn and Peggy Sue Wright

Another song inspired by Lynn's personal life, this jaunty yet angry number was co-written with Lynn's sister, whose husband was also a heavy drinker.  It's from the point of view of a woman whose husband comes home drunk and looking for affection after neglecting her all night long.  "You'd been out with all the boys / And you ended up half-tight / Liquor and love, they just don't mix / Leave a bottle or me behind."  Lynn's vocal is brash and confident, backed by the Jordanaires.  Obviously, Lynn's feisty take on independence was controversial in country circles, but she ended up getting the first gold record ever won by a female artist, so good for her.

Death Or Glory - Shovels & Rope

Death Or Glory - Shovels & Rope

3:40

Busted Jukebox, 2017

Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, 1979

With some help from Hayes Carll, alt-county duo Shovels & Rope reinvent the punk classic.  They keep it just a little dark, some of the punk showing through the slinky arrangement.  Cary Ann Hearst's towering vocals combined with the pounding percussion give the song a driving, anthemic bounce.  I'm always impressed with the band's ability to really transform a song, not just give it a country twang. 

Down the Line - Dan Israel

Down the Line - Dan Israel

3:01

Time I Get To Cedar Lake, 2018

Written by Dan Israel

Israel has been described as the "hardest-working singer-songwriter in Minnesota."  This song is mid-tempo, jangly folk-pop in the style of Pete Yorn, Wilco and similarly raw, literate artists influenced by Dylan, Costello, and their ilk.  It's got a catchy melody, with Israel's straightforward singing delivery, a conversational, laidback Midwestern drawl, giving it a down-home touch. 

Dickie Betts - The Dean Ween Group

Dickie Betts - The Dean Ween Group

3:26

The Deaner Album, 2016

Written by Dean Ween

This guitar-led instrumental is an homage to the Allman Brothers sound.  A boogie-woogie piano line under the soaring Southern rock guitars gives the song its playful edge.  It's a little bit jazz, a little big jam band. It's probably also equal parts sincere admiration and goofy aping, like most of Ween's output.  Like the guitarist it honors, it's played with a relaxed swagger, but a pinch of silliness is added in as well.

Dream Chaser - Willie Nelson

Dream Chaser - Willie Nelson

3:15

Dream Chaser, 2026

Written by Buddy Cannon, Willie Nelson, and Bobby Tomberlin

Astonishingly, on his seventy-ninth studio album, Nelson's voice is in terrific form. This song is an uptempo celebration of the life of a musician.  Lyrically, perhaps inevitably with the singer at 93 years of age, it's a wistful, but not maudlin, look back at the past: "Time just seems to vanish / Right before my eyes / You may not understand it / Why we live with the sacrifice."  Echoing the sentiment of many artists, he also declares "I've done it all for free."  At this stage, Nelson isn't reinventing the wheel, but it's a highly enjoyable example of the work of an absolute master who writes five quality songs by the time the average country singer has finished tuning up.