Lee Winkelman Says

It is again time, on my birthday, to give you all a present: a playlist of my favorite songs of the previous year. These are not necessarily the best songs from 2025, but they are my favorites. All through the year, I put songs I like into a folder. At the end of the year, I had more than 10 hours of music that I had to narrow down to a manageable amount of music. It was heartbreaking having to eliminate so many great songs.

I had four absolute, unbreakable rules in making this playlist:

1. All songs must have been released in 2025
2. Only one song per artist is allowed on this list
3. Cover versions and re-release/archival songs are not included here but will be on separate playlists, to be released tomorrow and the next day
4. I can fudge any of the absolute, unbreakable rules I want, because this is my damn playlist.

The list is not in order of my favorites. I do not have particular favorites among the songs on the list. I love all the songs. They are sequenced for your listening pleasure. Enjoy the Playlist!

1. Rosalía – Mundo Nuevo. Rosalía is the great Spanish singer, rooted in Flamenco music, but singing in a variety of styles. This song is from “Lux,” the album of the year, brilliant and surprising. Rosalía sings in 13 languages and in a wide range of styles, from opera to Kate Bush-esque. The whole album is great, and it was hard to pick just one song for this playlist. But I love the sweep of Mundo Nuevo, which fuses a Middle Eastern, flamenco flavor with soprano diva vocals.
2. 13^th Ward Social Club & Nadri Brown – Cool Cat. 13^th Ward Social Club is one-man-band Justin Catoni from Providence, Rhode Island. He makes upbeat instrumental music with lots of brass that ranges from “psych-rock, samba, jazz, afrobeat, and Holy Week processional hymns.” His varied musical interests are indicated by his choice of cover songs:  from Buena Vista Social Club/Compay Segundo to Fela Kuti. In this song, Catoni is joined by Nadri Brown, a Brazilian immigrant living in Chicago.
3. Margo Price – Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down. The great Nashville country/americana artist sings a song of defiance against the shitty powerful people we have to deal with in this shitty world. We need her energy and defiance in these shitty times.
4. The Cords – Fabulist. The band is comprised of two Scottish teenaged sisters. I am a sucker for this combination of loud guitars and sweet melodies. Very catchy.
5. Mavis Staples – Beautiful Strangers. The venerable Mavis Staples – soul legend, gospel great, prominent activist, and national treasure – continues to make great music at 86 years old. Her 2025 album “Sad and Beautiful” was produced by Brad Cook, who also produced records by Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, and Nathaniel Rateliff. The song “Beautiful Stranger” was written in 2016 by Kevin Morby as a protest song in remembrance of the Paris 2015 attacks, Orlando 2016 shooting, and death of Freddie Gray. Staples’ version is gentle and full of grace.
6. Keren Ann – La Sublime Solitude. The great Dutch-Israeli-French singer and songwriter Keren Ann, releases her 10^th album. The moving song “La Sublime Solitude” is the album opener, a celebration of spending time by yourself.
7. Joe Ely – Adios Sweet Dreams. We lost Joe Ely this year. Ely was the great Texas singer-songwriter, who started singing with his pals Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock in the more-a-legend-then-a-band The Flatliners. He went on to open for the Clash and sing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo, Los Super Seven, The Chieftains, James McMurtry, The Clash, Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, and Guy Clark. Raised in Lubbock, Texas, Ely followed in the footsteps of fellow native son Buddy Holly. Elly released 22 studio and live albums over 38 years, including 2025’s great “Love and Freedom.” This song tells the moving story of two Mexican immigrants who come to the U.S. to make a better life for themselves. But the “land of the free” is not what was promised to them, and the narrator laments the loss of his sweet dreams and his love Maria, who was separated from him on the journey north and may be dead.
8. Laufey — Lover Girl. Who would have predicted that a 26-year-old Icelandic singer would have huge hits with her Gen Z peers with songs in the sound of early 1960s pre-rock singers like Julie London, Jo Stafford and Dinah Shore, perhaps the least cool music ever? Not me. But Laufey writes great songs and has a great sound, and her music is catchy. She is one of the few artists (along with Rosalía and Beyoncé) that my 21-year-old child and I love equally. 
9. Patty Griffin – Back at the Start. The great singer-songwriter Patty Griffin released her 12^th album this year, and it is another winner. Griffin got her professional start in Boston in the 1990s and I started loving her music from her powerful first album Living with Ghosts. She has long-since relocated to Austin, Texas (shout out, Johnny Hartigan). Griffin’s voice has changed since her battle with cancer. Her voice lost some of the intensity it used to have, but has picked up a weathered grace. Griffin’s new record “Crown of Roses”, is consistently great. It was another record where I had a hard time picking only one song for this playlist.
10. Michigander – I’ll Be OK. The Kalamazoo rock group channels 1970s-style rock. Michigander is led by vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist frontman, Jason Singer.  They get extra points for the Michigan connection.
11. Annahstasia – Tether. Annahstasia released her debut album in 2025, and is hard to classify. It is an R&B folk album, somewhere between Tracy Chapman and Sade.
12. Romeo Santos, Prince Royce – Dardos. The two biggest stars of Bachata music release their first album together. If you don’t know Bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic, picture a beefy, macho guy, singing sophisticated delicate dance music in falsetto. Their joint record “Better Late Than Never” is uniformly great, all worth a listen to.
13. Ashley Monroe – There You Are. Monroe is one of my favorite country singers, and 2025 album “Tennessee Lightning” is another compelling entry into her body of work. You may also have heard Monroe in the country supergroup Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley.
14. Julieta Venegas – Tiempos Dorados. Venegas is a Mexican singer, songwriter, keyboardist and accordionist living in Buenos Aires. She is known for indie pop-rock. Venegas released this great song in 2025, and we hope for a full new album in 2026.
15. Durand Bernarr – Unspoken. Bernarr has sung backup vocals for Erykah Badu, Anderson.Paak, and Kaytranada, among others. His fourth album BLOOM was released in 2025 and has been nominated for several R&B Grammy awards. It won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist, honoring musicians who use songs, music videos and live performances to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance. 
16. Julian Lage Et Al – Talking Drum. This funky instrumental is a release from jazz guitarist Julian Lage’s upcoming album, due on January 23. It also features John Medeski, Jorge Roeder, and Kenny Wollesen.
17. John Gorka – Particle or Wave (Solo Acoustic). I have been a fan of acoustic singer-songwriter Gorka’s music since the mid-1980s, when he was part of the Fast Folk collective with Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin and others. This 2025 song has a simple but important message: “there is goodness in the world.” I have turned to this song for solace many times this year to help cope with the hard times we live in.
18. Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu. Ethiopian jazz percussionist and the father of Ethio-jazz, recorded his last album “Mulato Plays Mulato” in 2025 before his retirement. You may know his music from the Jim Jarmusch movie Broken Flowers.
19. Robert FinIey – I Wanna Thank You. Seventy-one-year-old blues, soul and gospel singer Finley hails from Northern Louisiana. His 2025 album “Hallelujah! Don’t Let the Devil Fool Ya” is the most recent Finley album produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.
20. Rodrigo Bezerra – Sonhar Sonhar. I really don’t know much about the Brazilian songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer Rodrigo Bezerra. This song is from his ninth album (I think). I do know that I like this song quite a bit.
21. Shinyribs – Shitty Music. “I don’t wanna hangout with anyone who listens to shitty music.”  These are words to live by. Thank you, Kevin Russell, frontman for the Austin, Texas group Shinyribs, for your wisdom.
22. iLe – Un Amor de la Calle. In a year with so much great Latin music, the album Como Las Canto Yo by iLe may be my favorite (but what a Sophie’s choice!). The record is full of haunting boleros, and Puerto Rican iLe sings her heart out.
23. Trombone Shorty and the New Breed Brass Band — Line Em Up. Kick ass brass band music, New Orleans style. Try to stay still to this one – you can’t!  From New Orleans Trombonist Troy Anderson, aka Trombone Shorty, and the New Breed Brass Band from their great 2025 album Second Line Sunday. 

This week’s standout album release is Better Late Than Never, a surprise new record by two superstars of Latin Music Romeo Santos and Prince Royce, who have long been friends but never released music together until now. Santos and Royce sing Bachata music, a Dominican music style that started in the 1960s. Bachata is delicate and romantic dance music. Bachata started in the Dominican Republic, but many of its best-known practitioners today, like Royce and Santos, are from the States, often with Dominican parents. I first became aware of Bachata music through Luis Guerra, a great singer who is a generation older than Royce and Santos. Until I researched the music for my new Bachata playlist, I only knew of three Bachata singers: Guerra, Santos, and Royce. They head up this playlist (including a song by Aventura, Santos’ band before he went solo). The playlist starts with one of my all-time favorite songs “Ojalá Que Llueva Cafe” by Guerra. Then the list continues more or less chronologically from the 1960s. Enjoy yourself some Bachata. 

As Juan Luis Guerra says: I hope it rains coffee in the countryside. ¡Ojalá!

New music! As always, I haven’t listened to these albums yet, so I can’t attest to their quality. But I am eager to check them out. I starred the ones I am most interested in listening to.

• • *iLe – Como Las Canto Yo (Boleros)
  • * Mon Laferte – FEMME FATALE (Mexico-based Chilean alisonfeighan1@gmail.com singer/songwriter, jazz, soul, ranchera, and bolero)
  • *Carl Perkins – Some Things Never Change (unreleased 1990 album by rockabilly pioneer)
  • *Tony Joe White – The Real Thank (Re-release of lost 1980 album with bonus tracks by swamp rocker)
  • *Macario Martínez – Si Mañana Ya No Estoy (Mexican acoustic guitarist and singer)
  • Brandi Carlile – Returning to Myself (you know who Brandi Carlile is)
  • DION, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher (new blues and heartland rock from early 1960s rocker)
  • Cowboy Junkies – More Acoustic Junk (Re-release with bonus tracks)
  • Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska 82: Expanded Edition
  • Cautious Clay – The Hours: Night (R&B)
  • Joshua Hedley – No Hat (Western Swing)
  • Carlos Dafe, Adrian Younge – Carlos Dafe JID025 (Latin jazz)
  • Bahamas, My Second Last Album (laid back singer guitarist
  • Yazmin Lacey – Teal Dreams (R&B with Caribbean influences)
  • Soyuz – Krok (jazz and MPB-influenced easy listening)
  • Horace Silver – Silver in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (jazz)
  • Fergus McCreadie – The Shieling (post-bop jazz and Scottish folk)
  • Antibalas – Hourglass (afrobeat)
  • Amadou & Mariam – L’Amor à la Folie (sparse Afro-Funk)
  • Gal Costa – As Melhores (Best-Of collection by legendary Brazilian singer)

Here are new songs not (yet) on albums I am eager to check out. Sort so the newest ones are first. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5PzB7LYHLlnj9ZIY8DibaV?si=EKGoEfSPTJmVGNbSTwPvQg&pi=6asgzWQhSAKHz

Music spotlight:

I am reading a well-written and gripping biography of Frank Sinatra, titled Frank: The Voice, by James Kaplan. I recommend it. Like most of us, my favorite Sinatra period is his great Capitol recordings from the 1950s. But I wanted to listen to something different, so I made a playlist of some of his best Reprise recordings from the 1960s and onward. There is some great music here, even if Sinatra’s Reprise recordings are not as strong overall as his Capitol recordings. Take a listen: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mIvJ6xeSFhu2jt9M51X5t?si=jcpsD4_fRwCalXYk4CCrrw&pi=VJSSR7uCTmOgr

Each Friday, I go to a half dozen websites to find interesting new music releases I want to check out. I write them down and listen to them over the next week. I am happy to share this list with you. Remember that I haven’t listened to these albums yet, so I can’t attest to their quality. But I am eager to check them out. If you find this post helpful, be sure and like it. If I get some likes, I will continue these posts weekly.

• *Alison Brown & Steve Martin – Safe, Sensible, & Sane (Bluegrass w guest stars)
• * William Prince – from the Country (First Nations Americana singer-songwriter expands his laid back sound)
• *Neil Young – Archives Volume III 1976-1987
• Miles Kane – Sunlight in the Shadows (fuzztone-soaked, T. Rex-inspired rock)
• Chrissie Hynde – Duets Special (Pretenders singer)
• Meme del Real, La Montaña Encendid (Solo record from member of great Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuva)
• Charlie Pride – Endlessly: A Tribute to Brook Benton (unreleased record from mid-1980s by country star)
• Silvana Estrada, Vendrán Suaves Lluvias (Mexican singer-songwriter inspired by Joni Mitchell’s Blue)
• Holly Golightly – Look Like Trouble (punk blues legend)
• JD Crowe and the New South – JD Crowe and the New South (remastered bluegrass classic w 2 bonus tracks)
• Joshua Ray Walker – Stuff (Americana)
• Mariel Buckley – Strange Trip Ahead (mostly acoustic- based indie rock album)
• Tame Impala – Deadbeat (dance music by former guitar psychedelic artist)
• Boz Scaggs – Detour (melancholy vocal standards)
• Todd Snider – High, Lonesome and Then Some (Americana)
• Kenny Barron – Sunset to Dawn (reissue of jazz pianists 1st album)
• Good Luck – Big Dreams, Mister (indie/emo/power pop/folk punk band)
• Orchestra of the Swan – Light and Shadow (interpretations of well-known film scores)
• Lan Lang – Piano Book 2 (classical solo piano)

Sources: https://www.americanaboogie.com, https://www.allmusic.com, https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/606254804/new-music-friday, https://www.brooklynvegan.com/ and Spotify’s new release radar.

Here are new songs not (yet) on albums I am eager to check out. Sort the playlist so the newest songs are first.   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5PzB7LYHLlnj9ZIY8DibaV?si=EKGoEfSPTJmVGNbSTwPvQg&pi=6asgzWQhSAKHz 

Music spotlight:

I recently rewatched the Coen Brothers’ film A Serious Man (along with the great movie podcast Blank Check). If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend A Serious Man. I was struck by a beautiful Yiddish ballad that appears in the film several times, “Dem Milners Trern.” A little internet research indicated that the song was written by Mark Warshawsky. Warshawsky was a lawyer in the Ukraine during the last half of the 1800s. He wrote songs on the side, and the only reason we know his songs today is because Sholom Aleichem, the beloved Yiddish writer, got him to publish his songs. Here is a Spotify playlist of Warshawsky’s songs. The version of Dem Milners Tren from A Serous Man is not on Spotify, but I found a similar-sounding version. 

The Pistons have a good chance of winning the series, even though they are down three games to two. Most of the national analysis (and some of the local analysis) of the Pistons/Knicks series misses what is happening in the series.

In the fourth quarter of the series’ first game, the Pistons’ inexperience in the playoffs showed through, and the Knicks dominated. Apart from that quarter of basketball, the Knicks and the Pistons have played evenly. If the correct foul had been called on Hart at the end of game four, the Pistons would be ahead in the series. I expect the remaining game or two to be close too.

The Pistons have the edge in the series because they have gotten better as the series has gone on, gaining the playoff experience they lacked, while the Knicks have become banged up and gotten worse. The Knicks live and die with Jalen Brunson, who is playing with an injured ankle that is unlikely to heal fully before the series ends. Meanwhile, Ausar Thompson has learned how to guard Brunson more effectively with fewer fouls (Brunson will always draw some fouls, no matter who is guarding him); Jalen Duren is learning to be more effective on both ends. Cade continues to be Cade, one of the 15 best players in the league.

The Pistons made a key offensive adjustment in game 5, and I don’t think the Knicks have a counter to it. Earlier in the series, the Pistons ran most of their pick and rolls with Brunson’s man screening for Cade, in order to get Brunson on Cade. The problem with this action is that Thompson and Duren both go to the dunker’s spot, where they can be guarded by one player, negating the advantage that comes with the double team on Cade. In game five, Detroit went with the Duren/Cade pick-and-roll, their bread-and-butter throughout the season. This action resulted in Thompson alone in the dunker spot, with Brunson trying to guard two players on the weak side – Thompson in the dunkers spot and another Piston in the corner. When the double team came, Cade passed quickly to Duren, who had the option to drive himself, pass to Thompson for the dunk, or pass to a shooter at the three-point line. The Cade/Duren pick-and-roll was very successful, and I expect more of it tonight.

Several questions could determine the results tonight and in game seven, if we get one. How banged up is Brunson, and how well can he play? Will Isaiah Stewart – Detroit’s best matchup with KAT – come back and be able to play effectively?  Can Detroit limit its turnovers or at least compensate for turnovers with its rebounding (as they have done so far in this series)? As I said, I think the games will be close and either team can win. But I like the Pistons’ chances, and I would rather be the Pistons than the Knicks in this series. 

What are you seeing in the first round?

I have a new music review posted on Barn Raiser, “Your independent source for rural and small town news” (because you know how rural I am). I talk about the great Mexican singer Carín León. The first paragraph of my article:

“Thirty-five-year-old singer Carín León won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album for Boca Chueca, Vol. 1. To that, León says: ‘F*ck Regional.'”

You can read the article here: https://barnraisingmedia.com/carin-leon-says-theres-nothing-regional-about-his-music/ .

Every year I post a list of my favorite songs – you can see that list below. This year, stealing an idea from my friend David Isaacson, I am also posting a playlist of my favorite cover songs of 2024, that is, versions of songs originally done by someone else. Here are the liner notes for the favorite covers 2024 playlist.

1. Count the Days – Swamp Dogg with Jenny Lewis. This is a cover of a 1967 R&B hit by Inez and Charlie Foxx. Swamp Dogg was involved in the original, at least arranging it and perhaps writing (it was credited to his wife) and/or producing (Swamp Dogg has said he produced lots of records he didn’t get credit for). I have loved this song since I heard a cover of it on Stephanie Finch’s great but unsung 2010 record (Finch is the wife of Chuck Prophet, who produced her album).  Jenny Lewis, at one time from the band Rilo Kiley, sings lead, but that is Swamp Dogg literally counting out the days.
2. Jardin d’Hiver – Waxx and Ibeyi. Jadin d’Hiver (Winter Garden) was written by Keren Ann (one of my favorite singer-songwriters) and Benjamin Biolay and brought to prominence by Henri Salvador. The song has become a French standard, recorded by tons of singers, including a nice version by Stacey Kent. This version is by Ibeyi, a duo of Cuban singers, along with somebody or somebodies called “Waxx.”  I saw Ibeyi at the Hollywood Bowl, and they have been favorites of mine ever since.
3. Compared to What – Robert Flack, Angela Davis, Kassa Overall, and Terri Lynn Carrington. The original of this song was written by Gene McDaniels. The first recorded version of the song was by Les McCann in 1966. It was also the first song on the first album by Roberta Flack in 1969. Neither of those two versions were a hit, and Compared to What became widely known through the live version recorded by Les McCann and Eddie Harris later that same year. The version on this playlist is a remix of Flack’s original 1969 version. How can you not love a great song featuring the words of Angela Davis?
4. I Will Survive – Melanie and Beau Jared. We lost the singer-songwriter Melanie a year ago. She was best known for her 1971 number one hit Brand New Key, but she continued to make good music up until her death. I like the way Melanie here undercuts the grandiosity of the Gloria Gaynor original, making you feel she really believes the lyrics.
5. Let’s Get Happy Together – Jim Kweskin and Maria Mudaur. These old folkies and friends played together in the 1960s and reunited for this cover of the 1938 song by Lil Hardin Armstrong, singer/songwriter/pianist/bandleader and wife of Louis Armstrong.
6. My Sweet Lord – Parlor Greens. An organ trio version of the George Harrison song. The organist Adam Scone comes from Daptone Records while the guitarist Jimmy James comes from the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio.
7. Don’t Let Me Down Again – Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham. Before they joined Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks released a duet record Buckingham Nicks. The duet record was a commercial failure, but has since become a cult favorite, even though it has never been remastered or released on streaming or CD. Bird and Cunningham cover the entire album in 2024, and this is my favorite song from that cover album.
8. Black Haired Girl – Billy Joe Armstrong. The Green Day frontman covers rocker Jesse Malin’s 2022 song. It comes from an album of covers of Malin songs, a fundraiser for Malin, who had suffered a stroke in 2023.
9. Psycho Killer – Miley Cyrus. A contemporary-sounding, dance-rock cover of this Talking Heads classic.
10. Für Elise – Jon Baptiste. A solo piano, bluesy cover of this Beethoven song from his 2024 album Beethoven Blues.
11. Everybody Hurts – Al Green. One of my top-ten favorite singers records a version of this REM hit. Will Al Green record a full album again before it is too late?
12. La Mer – Caetano Veloso. Another of my all-time favorite singers covers this French song written by Charles Trenet who had a hit with it in 1946. You may know the song from its English version “Beyond the Sea,” first recorded by Harry James in 1947 and later covered by Bobby Darin among many, many others.
13. My Cherie Amour – Cherise. The London R&B singer covers this 1969 Stevie Wonder song.
14. Jeanne Seely – Suffertime. Jeanne Seely was a huge country singer in the 1960s and early 1970s. Though she hasn’t had a hit in decades and has largely faded from memory, she is still in good voice. She recorded this cover of the 1966 Dottie West song as a single “at Historic RACA Studio B.” There is more Jeannie Seely at this playlist. She should not be forgotten.
15. Blackbiird – Beyonce and friends. Paul McCartney wrote this song in response to the civil rights movement in the American South in the 1960s, and has said that “blackbird” in the song should be understood as “Black woman.”  How appropriate then that Beyonce covers the song backed up by four other African American country singers: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts. Beyonce samples the Beatles version, taking the spare percussion (is it a foot tap or a metronome?) and perhaps the acoustic guitar, but she makes it her own.
16. Someone Like You – Lukas Nelson with The Travelin’ McCourys & Sierra Ferrel. A great country cover by Willie Nelson’s son of the massive Adele 2011 hit.
17. (Lying Here With) Linda on My Mind – Carson McHone. This is a perfect song, right from the parentheses in the title, and I could listen to it over and over again all day. The original 1975 country version of the song by Conway Twitty is fine. but this 2024 power-pop version by the Austin, Texas singer-songwriter Carson McHone is as good as it gets.
18. Rhapsody in Blue(grass) – Bela Fleck. Fleck has taken Gershwin’s classical-jazz concerto and transposed it for banjo and bluegrass ensemble. It is brilliantly done and makes me happy every time I listen to it.

Every year on my birthday (January 10), I post on Facebook a playlist of my favorite songs from the previous year. Here are the liner notes for that playlist:

1. Stevie Wonder – Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart.  A powerful new song by Stevie Wonder. I started and ended this playlist with songs that were a salve for me during difficult times. Can we fix our nation’s broken heart?  Spoiler:  no.
2. La Santa Cecilia – Alma Bohemia. Another amazing song by this great LA band featuring the powerful vocals of La Marisoul.
3. The Black Keys – Beautiful People (Stay High). A catchy blues-dance song by the Akron, Ohio band, fronted by Dan Auerbach.
4. Librarians with Hickeys – Hello Operator. Infectious power pop from another Akron, Ohio Band. Librarians with Hickeys are on the great LA powerpop label Big Stir Records. They deserve to be better known than they are.
5. Hermanos Gutiérrez – Barrio Hustle. Atmospheric instrumental guitar music by two Ecuadoran-Swiss brothers. It is if The Good, Bad and the Ugly were scored by a surf rock band from somewhere in Latin America.
6. Shelby Lynn – Over and Over. I have long loved the country-soul singer-songwriter Shelby Lynn, who put out another a great album in 2024. The horns on this song are amazing.
7. Pink Sweat$ – Bloom. Acoustic R&B that recalls Bill Withers while always sounding contemporary. Thanks to my nephew Ben for turning me on to Pink Sweat$.
8. Kasey Chambers – Backbone (The Desert Child). This Australian country singer-songwriter is another longtime favorite of mine. Her 2024 album is all equally as good as this song.
9. Moreno Veloso – Brasil Pandeiro. Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso’s son releases a gentle samba in the tradition of his father’s music. I love this song.
10. Beyonce – Texas Hold ‘Em. There is no doubt that Beyonce’s album Cowboy Carter is the record of the year. The only problem for me was choosing which of the great songs on that album to put on this playlist. I considered Ya Ya and Bodyguard, but ultimately went with Texas Hold ’Em in part because it was the most country sounding of the three songs.
11. Market – Well I Asked You a Question. This catchy, quirky rock song is by Brooklyn singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/engineer-/producer Nate Mendelsohn. I am proud to have known Nate his whole life. He is making great music. Check out his 2024 album Well I Asked You a Question.
12. Margo Price and Mike Campbell – Ways to Be Wicked. This rocker is by the country singer-songwriter Price and the guitarist Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ways to Be Wicked Sounds like it could be a lost Heartbreakers song.
13. Aaron Frazier – Payback. The drummer and vocalist from the soul band Durand Jones and the Indications has a smooth falsetto and usually sings pretty soul ballads. Not this time. Payback rocks.
14. Maria Bethania – Sabado em Copacabana. Caetano Veloso’s sister Maria Bethania is a star and a great vocalist in her own right. This is a beautiful Brazilian torch song.
15. Chetes and Calexico – Polvo de Estrellas. Mexican Rock-En Español Singer Chetes – aka Luis Gerardo Garza Cisneros – sings with the Tucson, Arizona “desert noir” rock band Calexico. Povlo de Strellas is a bitter-sweet song about endings. The title of the song means “Stardust,” so it gets extra credit for the Hoagy Carmichael reference.

I haven’t been posting for the last few years. I am still reading (my favorite recent novel is The Bee Sting by Paul Murray), listening to music (my favorite recent album is Speak to Me by jazz guitarist Julian Lage), and watching movies (my favorite recent film is The Beast, a French film directed by Bertrand Bonello), but I haven’t had time or energy to write about them here. Hopefully, I will resume posting soon. But no promises.

I wanted to note here that I posted a paper I wrote for an organizing seminar run by Hahrie Han’s P3 lab. The paper discusses three things: 1) what the progressive movement should do to win governing power in California in 30 years, 2) what RAC-CA, the social justice arm of the Reform Jewish movement in California should do to contribute to that thirty-year project, and 3) a look at a new housing campaign that is a model of what I propose in the first two sections.

You can find this paper by clicking on the link above entitled “Writings About Community Organizing.” Happy reading!