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
Lionel Rault: Suzanne Vega, “Soap & Water”
Suzanne Vega’s 2001 album, Songs In Red And Gray, was a powerful return to form for the New York- based singer-songwriter. And, since she will be one of the headliners at the forthcoming Interstellar Rodeo in Edmonton, July 21 – 23, it seems fitting to suggest one of the album’s strongest tracks!
Bob Chelmick: Sting OR Branford Marsalis and Kurt Elling, “Practical Arrangement”
One of the most extraordinary lyrics for a love song. I prefer Kurt’s at 10 minutes!
Amy Van Keeken: Poolside, “Summer Friends”
Summer chillin’ at its best. “Daytime Disco” is what Los Angeles-based duo, Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise, call their sound. It’s sweet, summer candy to the ears and that’s just fine with me. Their latest release “Heat” came out June 20th.
Baba: Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain”
Close to 45 years after the initial release, it is still a mystery: who is it that is so vain? Maybe “you think this song is about you, don’t you?”
Cam Hayden: Chuck Berry, “Wonderful Woman”
From Chuck Berry’s last recording, Chuck, a fitting tribute to an originator who left us this past March
Kathryn Calder: Richard and Linda Thompson, “When I Get To The Border”
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight is one of the great albums of the seventies, and ‘When I Get To The Border’, by Richard and Linda Thompson, is a song that could appeal to anyone feeling the need to get away. Add in Richard Thompson’s guitar chops and poignant songwriting layered with Linda Thompson’s clear voice harmonizing with his own, and we have been given a beautiful song about leaving it all behind in one way or another.
Kodi Hutchinson: Big Miller & Tommy Banks, “All of Me”
The current #1 jazz album in Canada, Legacy – Celebrating 60 Years Of The Yardbird Suite, features lost tracks from the late 1980s featuring two Canadian jazz greats; Big Miller on vocals and Tommy Banks on piano. An album that also uses it’s sales to support the youth programs of Edmonton’s Yardbird Suite! Big Miller is no longer with us, but is still giving back to the community he loved through this album!
Tony King: China Moses, “Whatever”
Could it be that Europe has finally given up adopting great American jazz vocalists? If the new breed coming from the continent sounds anything like China Moses, based in Paris, there is no need to import the sound of a sultry, slightly hard scrabble life from abroad. “Whatever” is a small offering from this artist, who draws from the same glass as Nina Simone. Sip it slow and savour the sensuality of every note.
Grant Stovel: Faith Healer, “Light of Loving”
I’m super-excited Edmonton’s Jessica Jalbert has a new album on its way: her second under the Faith Healer moniker. She, and longtime collaborator Renny Wilson, have distilled the project’s fuzzed-out, trippy, rock ‘n’ roll vibe into a beautifully, eloquent statement. It’s a record that plays out like one continuous listening experience, start to finish. The wild ‘n’ woolly “Light of Loving” is a standout track, and also the advance single. Look for the full album, Try 😉, September 8th on Mint Records.
Monica Miller: The Deep Dark Woods, “Drifting On A Summer’s Night”
Is this not the perfect time for a summer night of drifting? Also, it’s our first Deep Dark Woods sighting since 2013’s Jubilee. Even though the band now seems to be basically front-man Ryan Boldt, along with Kacey and Clayton, Shuyler Jansen, and Mike Silverman on this single, I welcome the return with mosquito-bitten arms.
David Ward; Deb Talan, “Growing Up”
You might recognize Deb Talan’s voice from her duo, The Weepies, but this song is from her solo project. It’s an upbeat tune giving voice to a sentiment that many parents can relate to: “You’re growing up, you’re growing up, you’re growing up, but don’t grow away from me”.