Shuggie Otis - “Strawberry Letter 23” - 1971, Shuggie was the son of R&B musician Johnny Otis, and began his career at the age of 11, disguising himself with dark glasses and a false mustache to play after hours night clubs in his father’s band. Strawberry Letter 23 is probably his most recognized song, and definitely my favorite of his. I featured the Pretty Lights remix on the January 2022 playlist.

Air - “La femme d’argent” - 1998, French duo from Versailles. While most electronica from the 90s and 00s was dance focused, Air was producing music that was atmospheric and ambient. “La femme d’argent” is one of their most popular songs from the Moon Safari album that put them on the electronic music map.

Sister Nancy - “Bam Bam” - 1982, The swagger of this woman is unbeatable. Probably my favorite female reggae MC on this list. She was one of 15 kids in a musical family. The most famous being her brother “Brigadier” Jerry. She started performing at 15. This song was originally recorded by Toots and the Maytals, but her version is more popular and more commonly used in samples.

Rosinha De Valenca - “Asa Branca” - 1971, Rosinha was a Brazilian bossa nova guitar player that had her heyday world wide in the mid 70s into the 70s. She was an INCREDIBLE guitar player, in a time where female guitarists, especially in Brazil, were in short supply. This song features some amazing classical Brazilian guitar that goes into a bossa nova jam that makes for a really combo.

Anti Lilly & Phoniks - “Blue in Green” - 2014, Anti-Lilly is a lo-fi hip hop artist from Portland, OR. This features a mellow piano sample and back beat that makes it a commute to work jam.

Jennifer Lara - “I Am in Love” - 1982, Lara was a dancehall/reggae singer that got her start in 1974. She had a massive hit with the single “Where Have All the Good Men Gone” that put her on the map in Jamaica. “I Am in Love,” is much more modern sounding than that first hit. It features a synth hook that gets stuck in your head.

BADBADNOTGOOD, MF Doom - “The Chocolate Conquistadors” - 2020, BADBADNOTGOOD first got recognition in the early 2010s by making jazz covers of hip hop artists like Odd Future, MF Doom, A Tribe Called Quest, and Kanye West. They have since collaborated with with the who’s who of hip hop. This track was recorded with MF Doom originally for the video game, Grand Theft Auto Online.

Little Simz, Obongjayar - “Point and Kill” - 2021, Little Simz hit the London/British hip hop scene like a bomb, and is rising extremely quickly in the international scene. Her 4th album (first on a label), Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, earned her 2022 Brit Award for Best New Artist and the 2022 Mercury Prize. I actually discovered her, though, by listening to the British-Nigerian singer, Obongjayar. Obongjayar plays a unique combination of soul, afrobeat, and electronic music. He has a singing style entirely his own that is a combination of rapping, singing and spoken word.

Nate Dogg - “I Got Love” - 2001, probably best known for his collaboration with Warren G on the song, “Regulate,” Nate Dogg earned his nickname, “The King of Hooks,” collaborating with a slew of popular hip hop artists from the 90s into the 00s - Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mos Def, Ludacris, and more. He is considered the inventor of, “gangsta singing,” that consist of a blend of R&B style vocals with gangsta rap lyrics.

Poolside - “Harvest Moon” - 2012, Poolside is the recording project of Jeffrey Paradise, self describing his music as, “daytime disco.” This cover of Neil Young’s popular song somehow captures the original feel of the song with a much more modern sound.

Bahamas - “Trick to Be Happy” - 2020, Bahamas is the solo project of Canadian guitarist Afie Jurvanen (Feist, Jason Collett). He draws influence from soul, jazz, and some country. He is an extremely talented guitar player.

Richard Swift - “Lady Luck” - 2009, Richard is probably better known as a producer in the indie music scene (Foxygen, Tennis, Guster), but also worked as a studio and touring musician with the Shins, the Black Keys, and the Arcs. You can tell from this song, that he draws influence from Motown as well as historical pop music from the 50s and 60s.

Delta Spirit - “Strange Vine” - 2007, This album was the debut for the California indie rock band. Their singer, Matt Vazquez, is also part of the trio, Middle Brother, which was featured on the February 2023 playlist.

Dr. Dog - “I Only Wear Blue” - 2010, I chose this song because Dr. Dog rarely plays a ballad, but this song really shows the depth of what the band is capable of.

Scoundrels - “Sexy Weekend” - 2012, I’m not gonna lie, I listened to this song for months before I realized what the lyrics were about.

The Rolling Stones - “Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren) - 1972, I found this song recently on the deluxe reissue of Exile on Mainstreet.

Hector Lavoe - “Rompe Saraguey” - 1975, I’ve featured the Puerto Rican salsa legend on the November 2022, but it was as the singer for Willie Colon’s band. This is a Hector solo career tune, and it features one of my favorite piano solos of all time.

DOPE LEMON - “Home Soon” - 2017, Dope Lemon draws influence from 60s soul music and mixes it with an indifferent singing style reminiscent of the Gorillaz. This song features a flute hook and horns that makes it instantly catchy.

Pastor T.L. Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir - “Like a Ship” - 1971, Pastor Barrett led the Mt. Zion Church in New York starting in 1968. He used his music talent by rearranging traditional church music and performing it during services. The children’s choir of the church is featured on this song.

The Cactus Blossoms - “Happy Man” - 2020, Brother duo from Minneapolis. Featuring tight harmonies reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel and the Kingston Trio.