Every week, CKUA’s hosts submit their songs for our weekly House Blend Playlist: an exciting new release, a beloved classic or just an old personal favourite. We mix it all together to create a sonic concoction that’ll help kick off your week. Check out what’s on this week’s playlist.
The Playlist
The Picks
Orest Soltykevych— Marco Ceccato, Accademia Ottoboni, “Cello Sonata in F RV41” by Antonio Vivaldi
Among his many other works, the great Italian baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi, wrote some 10 sonatas for the cello. Six of them were published in 1740 in Paris. However, these sonatas were actually pirated, and Vivaldi wasn’t even aware that these works of his were being published.
Cathy Ennis: Jason Collett, “Sensitive Man”
This is part of a benefit project inspired by Canadian poet, Al Purdy. The proceeds from the album go to support the Al Purdy A-Frame Association. The intention is to restore Al’s historic home in Ontario’s Prince Edward County as a writers’ residency. So much to choose from on this record, but this beauty get’s my vote this week: Jason Collett’s “Sensitive Man”.
Terry David Mulligan: Adam Ambrose, “Relax”
“Relax” comes from Calgary singer-songwriter Adam Ambrose. His EP is called Little Green Cabins. Adam is just getting his career started. However, in this computer age, you really can write and sing songs in a neighbour’s studio and release your music to a site like Spotify and have 100,000 listeners all over the world. Is this the start of a wonderful story? You bet!
Lisa Wilton: Brendan Benson, “Tiny Spark”
A member of The Raconteurs with Jack White, Brendan Benson is also a talented solo artist in his own right. “Tiny Spark” is from Brendan’s second album, Lapalco. It is a perfect example of his gift for writing catchy, melodic songs that are far more textured than your average pop tune.
Meg Wilcox: Jain, “Come”
Jain is a French artist who started her music-making while living in the Congo Republic. You can hear that inspiration in this tune from her first album, Zanaka. Warm, sunny, happy— a catchy bit of brightness for a cold, January day!
Hayley Muir: Jenny Lewis, “Red Bull & Hennessey”
At long last! Jenny Lewis, former frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, has been teasing new material for a while. She dropped this single in anticipation of a full-length album, On the Line, coming in March. It’s big and bold, as Lewis herself is, with an incredibly powerful vocal performance. The song and album also feature Beck, Ryan Adams, Ringo Starr, Don Was, Benmont Tench, and Jim Keltner.
Lark Clark: Oliver Mtukudzi, “Ziva Nguva (Remember Time)”
This week, we lost a great musician and a voice of wisdom: Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi. Over the decades, he gave us beautiful songs to dance to, with ideas to contemplate, like this one: Remember, time passes. Use your time well.
Celeigh Cardinal: Jeff Buckley, “Lover, you Should Have Come Over”
Jeff Buckley’s voice is heart-wrenching and full of longing. But, of all his catalogue, I hear it most in this song. It has a long, slow crescendo and erupts at the end. Lyrically, this song expresses so much desire and loneliness. I would love this song for this line alone: “She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever.”
Amy van Keeken: Cochemea, “All My Relations”
Cochemea Gastelum, touring saxophonist of nearly 15 years for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, has a solo album, All My Relations, coming out February 22nd. Many of the tracks are a product of collaborative writing sessions and improvisation. The title track, “All My Relations”, pulses and sways, a thoughtful exploration and meditation on Gastelum’s Yaqui and Mescalero Apache ancestry.
Grant Stovel: Better Oblivion Community Center, “Sleepwalkin'”
Surprise! A pair of beloved, contemporary, singers-songwriters, Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, announced their new collaborative project last week by launching the band’s self-titled debut record! They build on their strong respective solo discographies: Conor’s work with Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk, and Phoebe’s recent supergroup: boygenius. Better Oblivion Community Center finds them revelling in each other’s company, as they both stretch out in exciting, dynamic new ways.