I thought I was going to be lazy and throw a little something together with a few tracks that bubbled to my “heavy rotation list” on the iPod this year.

First, it was tougher than I thought it was going to be.  Second, I sort of got into it as I went along.  They’re more or less in chronological order – starting from January.

Hope your holidays are working out.

“The Gentleman Is A Dope,” from
Tamela D’Amico – Got A Little Story

To me, this is the best track from this recording featuring a great big band and what I called “…Ms. D’Amico’s substantial talent – brassy, sassy and swinging. She knows what she can do as a singer, and pushes that to the limit. The result is exuberance and verve – a style that sets her apart from all of the other young women out there today. I keep thinking what a young Kay Starr must have sounded like.”

I think this may be it.

“Rumour Has It,” from
Adele – 21

Gets your attention from the start, this one does. This is not the track from this recording that gets a lot of play, but I liked it best. This young woman just keeps getting better. “I keep reading reviews that call her work ‘raw.’

That’s not the word I would use. I’d use that word for an Amy Winehouse – unfiltered, rude. For Adele, I’d say, ‘intense.’ Same power, but less in your face.”

“Rock With You,” from
Charito – “Heal The World”

A “swingy treat,” I called this song. The disc itself – a tribute to Michael Jackson – was “uniformly lush,” but then again, the material was pretty good, too. “This one works. Charito is in command of the material, sort of being at the helm of a ship of state – uniformly lush, this one should be right at home on FM radio.” Not sure it ended up that way, but it was in heavy rotation on my ‘pod.

“The Man In The Mirror” would have been a close second choice. The whole disc is sublime.

“The Nearness Of You,” from
Lisa Lindsley – “Everytime We Say Goodbye”

Small. This is a small recording that gives Ms. Lindsley a real chance to take the fore. She says she’s exploring “the moments of stillness between the lines.” And while there’s no driving force behind the tracks, there is that space that she fills so well. And that allows her to take some time with the lyrics, infusing them with…bright sincerity.”

You’ll want one of these tracks for the mix, just to slow things down.

“Just Like A Woman,” from
Barb Jungr – The Man In The Long Black Coat

My favorite track from this Dylan tribute album from Barb Jungr, who for me took some getting used to: “Ms. Jungr performs with a level of emotional intensity, even through some of the lighter fare – somewhere between simplicity and performance art – that I found uncomfortable at first. But that was years ago. I began dropping her tracks into other mixes – and just as my Martini cocktails kept getting a little drier – I eventually acquired the taste. It wasn’t hard work, and I’ve been enjoying Ms. Jungr’s work straight up ever since.”

“If Love Were All,” from
Clare Teal – Hey Ho

I could listen to Clare Teal all day. Sometimes, I do.

Still don’t understand why she doesn’t get more play on US radio. This Noel Coward song opens the recording – I wrote, “…it’s in these bittersweet, melancholy songs that Ms. Teal really shows off. I can’t think of a better lyrical interpreter working today, and the really cool part is that she makes it seem so effortless. It’s more like she’s bending herself around the lyrics, rather than bending the lyrics to her will.”

Ms. Teal’s tenth recording, and her best yet.

“When Two Worlds Collide,” from
Diane Schuur – The Gathering

The song is a reminder that Roger Miller (“King Of The Road,” “Do-Wacka-Do”) had a serious side. With Larry Carlton and Vince Gill backing Diane Schuur on her first recording for a new label, she sort of takes off in a “Now for something completely different” direction, with a slightly country sound.

But it’s also a reminder that all music really comes from the same place.

“Home,” from
Simone Kopmajer – “Nothing’s Gonna Change”

I actually prefer Simone Kopmajer’s version to Michael Bublé original. In times past, it was the song that was the hit not the artist – and it was not uncommon for three or four versions of songs to be released at roughly the same time.

I’ve tracked Ms. Kopmajer’s career for a while. She’s blessed with a supple voice and good friends backing her. I wrote, “…that she’s hard to find in the record stacks or on the radio here (in the US) is a shame. She deserves a wider audience.”

“My Favorite Things,” from
Andrea Wood – Dhyana

I had the pleasure of seeing Andrea Wood perform live. Did that bring this young woman to my attention? You bet.

“Her treatment of ‘My Favorite Things,’” I wrote, “…that same tune Julie Andrews waltzed through in ‘Sound Of Music’ is instantly recognizable just before it impulsively ducks down a side street and emerges as something else entirely, something shimmery…”

All the tracks were good, but this was the best from this eclectic disc.

“At Last,” from
Jacqui Dankworth – It Happens Quietly

The disc is Jacqui Dankworth’s tribute to her dad, famed British composer and sax guy Sir John Dankworth. She says she has tried not to do standards, so as to avoid comparisons to both him, and to her mom, Dame Cleo Laine.

Quite a pedigree.

This is quite a recording, which features Johnny Dankworth arrangements and a solo by Sir John himself, on “The Man.”

But it’s this version of the Etta James classic that I liked best. And keep Etta in your prayers…

“Watch What Happens,” from
Sophie Milman – In The Moonlight

Sophie Milman’s fourth full album, she took it up a notch with a bigger backing band and a new producer in Matt Pierson. I think Ms. Milman sounds best with a little Brazilian tempo in the mix, so I really liked this take on a Brazil ’66 classic. “Intensely Humid,” I called it. Who writes this stuff?

Played this recording a lot in October, but also went digging around for a lot of old Lani Hall – Karen Phillip – Janis Hansen tracks with Sergio and the gang.

“Close Enough For Love,” from
Kate Reid – The Love I’m In

Kate Reid took this semi-classic from Johnny Mandel and Paul Williams out onto the freeway for a treatment that managed to be a ballad, and not a ballad all at the same time. This is a recording the publicist had to talk me into giving a second listen. I’m glad that happened.

I wrote, “…this velvety, smoldering voice with the phrasing that takes all these ultra-familiar tunes down unfamiliar streets that would upset mama, if she knew.”

“Why Can’t We Be,” from
Asa – Beautiful Imperfection

The comparison to that other famous Nigerian, Sade Adu, is easy to make. But Asa – born Bukola Elemide – is something else, again.

The opening track from this album is the one that’s infectous. Embarassed to say that I was hooked by the music, even before the first line.

By the time we got to the hook, I was buying the album.

If this all floats your boat, I did make up a playlist at iTunes – you’ll find it here.

What’s next?  New Year’s Eve, yes?  One of my Facebook friends this past week commented on how Mariah Carey’s Christmas songs all sound alike.  To which one wag replied, “You mean she recorded more than one?”

Be safe out there.