Music to My Ears

Music and reading have been competing for my leisure time in a big way these last three months. I've read sixty books and have, for much of that time, been concurrently listening to music. Since my last new music entry I've acquired 79 new songs and still have quite a long wish list (like the albums featuring several of the singles below). How is it that I keep finding music I "can't live without" at my age? I seem to be "enlightened" a great deal by music featured in television and movies, and recently, also by a trilogy of books.  The iTunes Genius recommendations have introduced me to several artists I count among my favorites. The music recommendation/sharing sites Pandora, LastFM, and Spotify have also steered me towards some choice music.  Although I have in one way or another avoided several music genres I recently purchased my first classical, opera (world), and salsa numbers. No one could be as surprised as I am, but I'm enjoying them quite a bit. I'll be interested in the recommendations I receive as Genius continues to update.

I happened to be paying attention to my LastFm play count and on May 1 Foreigner's "Feels Like the First Time" took my counter to 20,000!!! If my iPod had "scrobbled" every time I synced and my BlackBerry play count could be attributed to my total it would be monumentally higher. Probably closer to 20 tracks per day instead of 14. Basically it translates to music being in my head a lot!

Thanks to my husband for the Valentine's Day iTunes Gift Card. He knows what I want!!!

The artist names are linked to their Wikipedia pages. Song links are to YouTube videos.

Classical

• Lakmé (Act I): Flower Duet - Alain Lombard, Mady Mesple, Danielle Millet & Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra-Comique
• 24 Préludes, Op. 28, No. 4 in E Minor: Largo - Alexandre Tharaud Chopin: Préludes, Op. 28
• Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring - Eteri Andjaparidze: The Very Best of Bach
• Adagio from Concerto No 3 in D Minor, BWV 974 - James Rhodes: Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside
• Nocturne No. 1 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 9, No. 1 - Vladimir Ashkenazy: Ultimate Chopin

Dance, Jazz, Salsa, Vocal, and World

• Touch Me by Rui Da Silva & Cassandra  
• What Is This Thing Called Love? by Ella Fitzgerald
• Chan Chan by Buena Vista Social Club
• Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra
• La Traviata (Prelude) - Italian Wedding Music

Alternative

Civil Twilight  
Holy Weather* (featuring Fire Escape)

Coldplay
Paradise
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
Princess of China

The Decemberists
One Engine (from The Hunger Games Soundtrack)

The Duke Spirit
Running Fire

Elbow
Weather To Fly

Embrace
Ashes

Florence + The Machine
Breath of Life (from the Snow White and The Huntsman soundtrack)

Graffiti6
Stare Into the Sun (acoustic performance)

Jack White
Blunderbuss* (featuring Love Interruption and Sixteen Saltines)

Jeff Buckley
Lover, You Should Have Come Over (I am over-the-top for this song and look forward to buying more of Jeff's music. He, who died, tragically in 1997, at age 30.)

My Best Fiend (Facebook Page)
Cracking Eggs

She Wants Revenge
Up in Flames

Pop

Alex Clare
Too Close (featured in the IE9 television commercial and a current FAVORITE of mine!)

Amy Studt
Misfit

Beyoncé 
Crazy in Love

Britney Spears
Toxic (my first and probably only Britney song)

Ellie Goulding
Your Song

Enigma
Principles of Lust

Eurythmics
This City Never Sleeps

Eva Cassidy
Songbird

Gabriella Cilmi
Sweet About Me

KT Tunstall
Come On, Get In

Maroon 5
Payphone (featuring Wiz Khalifa)

Nelly Furtado
Try

Paul McCartney
 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (a Starbucks Pick of the Week)

Sarah McLachlan
Possession

Train
Drive By

Rock

Bonnie Raitt
Right Down the Line (an iTunes free download)

Chris Isaak
Wicked Game

Georgia Satellites 
Keep Your Hands to Yourself

Pink Floyd
The Great Gig in the Sky

The Police
Every Breath You Take
King of Pain

Van Morrison
Moondance

Singer/Songwriter

The Civil Wars
Barton Hollow* (already had the single)

Ed Sheeran
Give Me Love (another great song first heard on The Vampire Diaries)

What say you?  What are you listening to these days?

* denotes entire album