"POOR HOUSE" - THE BOXMASTERS
A fantastically trashy anthem whose time has come. A low rent high time by Billy Bob Thornton's hillbilly heroes.
"A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY" - RANDY NEWMAN
A witty reminder that our current administration could be doing worse . . . theoretically.
"RICH WOMAN" ROBERT PLANT/ALISON KRAUSS
Remember, it's never too late to find a rich woman -- or two.
"BUSY BEING FABULOUS" - THE EAGLES
Money can't buy you love. I know this because a really rich rock star told me so. Think of all the time we'll have for those families we can no longer support!
"DON'T GO THERE" - NEIL DIAMOND
Please guys and gals, don't go to your bad place. Be strong -- like a Neil Diamond vocal. While you're at it, please use your last remaining dollar to buy my brand new book He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Neil Diamond. Talk about win-win: You can stop worrying and I can get some goddamn royalties.
"MERCY" - DUFFY
Mercy is an excellent quality in bad times, and "Mercy" is an excellent soul tune for a white chick from Wales.
"DIGGING THE FAULT LINE" - BRENT CASH
A happy harmonic convergence for these troubled times. Dig it.
"THE TROUBLE I'M IN" - GAVIN ROSSDALE
A brooding reminder that we all have trouble -- even when we're married to Gwen Stefani. I could live with trouble like that, but my wife says I'd be in trouble.
"WALLS" - GLEN CAMPBELL
This cover of the Tom Petty song is one of the best tracks from one of the best albums of 2008. Like the song says, "Some days are diamonds/some days are rocks." Take a deep breath, listen closely and prepare to step over a few boulders on the path back to prosperity. I hear it's just around the corner.
Besides, how could you listen to music to help get you through troubled times from someone who's so perky and upbeat that it reminds you that they're unlikely to be going through anything like the problems you're facing?
Soul singers need real soul; it can't be manufactured.
My first impression of the Duffy song was "Dusty Springfield". The song harks back to 60's :"blue eyed soul", and I thought the video was "fab".
It's the only song on the list I'd heard before, and one of very few newer songs I bothered to listen to more than once. I don't much care for a lot of the newer pop music; nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't appeal to me ... but every once in a while something good comes along.
Most recently that's Duffy's Mercy.
I also like to think the playlist helped the market turnaround today.
"Phantom" - Mr. Lif
"Cold Cold Ground" - Tom Waits (in point of fact, almost anything by Tom Waits)
"Used Cars" - Bruce Springsteen (Ani Difranco's cover on the Springsteen tribute album is also quite good)
and many more...