L4LM Monthly Mix – Free Space – Playlist & Liner Notes [Listen]

L4LM Monthly Mix — June 2024 – Songs Of The Summer

The Beach Boys — “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
What’s Good: Hop on the roof of the Wolfmobile like Michael J. Fox and get the summer going! (Teen Wolf, anybody?) —Chris Meyer

Bob Marley & The Wailers — “Could You Be Loved”
What’s Good: What’s a summer playlist with some Bob? —Chris Meyer

Fela Kuti — “Water No Get Enemy”
What’s Good: From Fela’s 1975 album Expensive Shit, Fela advises us to live in harmony with nature, and you will live longer and wiser. —Chris Meyer

King Tubby & The Aggrovators — “Summer’s Eve”
What’s Good: Uncorking cavernous, resonant riddims, ancient mystical melodies floating in and out atop sun-kissed echoes, no one defines the concept and execution of Dub quite the late, great pioneering producer/technician King Tubby. —B. Getz

W.I.T.C.H., Theresa Ng’ambi, Hanna Tembo — “Ain’t Nobody” (Chaka Khan)
What’s Good: Too bad they just missed our Chaka Khan tribute in New Orleans during Jazz Fest. Maybe next year they’ll be down to do some Zamrock-style Prince. —Michael Broerman

George Michael — “Freedom! ’90”
What’s Good: The song of every summer. —Andrew O’Brien

Amber Mark — “Bliss”
What’s Good: For the last few months I’ve been in the (very satisfying) process of falling in love with Amber Mark. To borrow a line from Amber, I came up out this tune like, “Shit, that hits.” —Andrew O’Brien

Poolside — “Harvest Moon” (Neil Young)
What’s Good: Poolside is the ultimate summer vibe always. —Sara Shah

Flamingosis, Diastrata — “Never A Coincidence”
What’s Good: Just feels like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. —Sara Shah

Chappell Roan — “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”
What’s Good: I had never heard the name “Chappell Roan” before this month. Now, I’ve seen her play two enormous festival sets (Gov Ball and Bonnaroo) and have been listening to The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess on repeat for a week. I’m fully sold. Girl’s gonna be a giant star, and I’m gonna have this album on repeat all summer. —Andrew O’Brien

Lawrence — “Death of Me”
What’s Good: Almost every song on the new Lawrence album has “song of the summer” potential, but this reflection on burnout feels like a good summer reminder to not give in to the stress of every day. Don’t let life be the death of you. —Andrew O’Brien

Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande — “Time”
What’s Good: Been revisiting this one from the new old Childish Gambino album while I wait for the new new to drop this summer. —Andrew O’Brien

Brittany Howard, LP Giobbi — “Earth Sign – LP Giobbi Remix”
What’s Good: A summer disco party. —Sara Shah

Noga Erez, Reo Cragun, ROUSSO — “VIEWS”
What’s Good: I stumbled upon this Israeli artist and I’m obsessed. —Sara Shah

The Temptations — “Shakey Ground”
What’s Good: When you’ve got soul (The Temptations) but you gotta have that funk (featuring P-Funk’s Eddie Hazel on guitar and Billy “Bass” Nelson on bass). —Andrew O’Brien

Swatkins — “100 Percent”
What’s Good: Encouraging words just hit different when they’re sung through a talkbox over a sexy beat. —James Sissler

BoomBox — “Stereo”
What’s Good: A solid summertime groove no matter how you chalk it up. —Chris Meyer

Ween — “Bananas and Blow”
What’s Good: Those steel drums and the tropical vibes just scream summer, don’t they? —Michael Broerman

Iggy Pop — “The Passenger”
What’s Good: Been on a bit of a punk kick lately so I had to include one of the Kings. Doesn’t get much cooler than Iggy. —Michael Broerman

Alice Cooper — “School’s Out”
What’s Good: Dazed & Confused… the soundtrack to my teens. “Remember this summer when you’re being inundated with all this American bicentennial Fourth Of July brouhaha, don’t forget what you’re celebrating, and that’s the fact that a bunch of slave-owning, aristocratic, white males didn’t want to pay their taxes.” Things haven’t changed much, huh? —Chris Meyer

Agent Orange — “Pipeline”
What’s Good: A tubular cannon blast of classic instrumental surf punk from these gritty SoCal pioneers. —B. Getz

IDLES — “Carcinogenic”
What’s Good: One of the “sunnier” shout-alongs from Bristol’s angriest band who I cannot wait to see this summer. Without a doubt one of my most eagerly-anticipated concerts of the entire year. —Michael Broerman

Queens of the Stone Age — “Feel Good Hit Of The Summer”
What’s Good: Title says it all. Lyrics say something else. —Michael Broerman

Jane’s Addiction — “Summertime Rolls”
What’s Good: An exuberant anthem of seasonal psychedelic wonder from masochistic maestros of opiate-goth art-rock hippie-sleaze. —B. Getz

Surfing For Daisy — “I Like Drinking”
What’s Good: I’ve had this new track from Asbury Park upstarts Surfing For Daisy on repeat since it came out, but it admittedly is not the summer party anthem that the title implies. —James Sissler

Greensky Bluegrass, Holly Bowling — “Born Again”
What’s Good: Just started diving into Greensky & Holly Bowling’s Iceland Sessions EP that came out in May and I keep coming back to “Born Again”. Another winner from Anders Beck and Chris Gelbuda, the songwriting team behind my favorite tune from the band’s last full-length, “Monument”. —Andrew O’Brien

Todd Snider — “The Ballad of the Kingsmen”
What’s Good: It’s the feel good hit of this endless summer / It gets these kids out of control / Singin’ along to that star spangled bummer / Hail, hail, rock and roll. —Michael Broerman

Tom Petty — “Wildflowers”
What’s Good: It is legally not summer without Tom Petty. —Michael Broerman

Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers — “One Good Spliff
What’s Good: Got to teach them all the lessons that I’ve learned in life. —Andrew O’Brien

Scissor Sisters — “Take Your Mama”
What’s Good: There are few songs in existence more fun to sing along to with friends on a summer night. —Andrew O’Brien

Sizzla — “Lift Mine Eyes”
What’s Good: The militant Bobo/spiritualized singjay digs deep to deliver a stirring sermon over intoxicating modern reggae thump. —B. Getz

People Under The Stairs — “Hang Loose”
What’s Good: Smoke a doobie or two while you hang with the crew (on a stoop, in the woods, or wherever you choose). —Chris Meyer

The Gap Band — “Outstanding”
What’s Good: Some will say I have put this song on too many Monthly Mix playlists, but the real ones know that’s impossible. —James Sissler

Sly & The Family Stone — “Hot Fun in the Summertime” 
What’s Good: A dopamine blast of nostalgia, Bay Area soul-funk icons dial up this late ’60s heat rock for the streets and an earworm for the ages. —B. Getz

Lettuce — “Lettsanity”
What’s Good: Pool party, block party, any party is the right party to break out “Lettsanity”. —James Sissler

Kabin Crew, Lisdoonvarna Crew — “The Spark”
What’s Good: The actual 2024 “song of the summer” was made by a bunch of pre-teens from Cork, Ireland. This is an incontrovertible fact. —Andrew O’Brien

Fred again.., Anderson .Paak, CHIKA — “places to be”
What’s Good: This is my official summer anthem. It fits perfectly everywhere from my running playlist to driving around with the windows down. —Sara Shah

Vintage Culture, Fancy Inc, The Beach — “Cali Dreams”
What’s Good: Seems apropos for this list, no? —Chris Meyer

L’Impératrice — “Me Da Igual”
What’s Good: The new L’Impératrice album has been on repeat for me. Fun, summery, perfect for all occasions. —Sara Shah

Sun-El Musician, Msaki — “Ubomi Abumanga”
What’s Good: Great summer jam with lyrics in Zulu. “Ubomi Abumanga” speaks to the hardships of life, while “lizophum’ilanga” translates to “the sun will come out.” The sun always rises, no matter what. —Chris Meyer

Jack McKeon — “Willow Lane”
What’s Good: Nashville bluegrass up-and-comer Jack McKeon nabbed some of Music City’s finest for his debut album Talking To Strangers including Justin Moses (Béla Fleck, Sierra Hull), Vickie Vaughn (Della Mae), engineer Sean Sullivan (Molly Tuttle, Sturgill Simpson), and more. And after listening to his plain-spoken balladry, it’s not hard to see why. —Jimmy

Eggy — “Laurel”
What’s Good: You may know Eggy as a “jam band,” but you wouldn’t know it from the band’s most recent single, “Laurel“, the second to arrive from forthcoming LP, Waiting Game. “Laurel” is a shimmering indie-rock earworm that wouldn’t sound out of place on pop radio. I recommend listening on high volume with the car windows down. —Andrew O’Brien

Bright Eyes — “Bells And Whistles”
What’s Good: Emo progenitors Bright Eyes probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of summer, but the lead single off their first album in four years—Five Dice, All Threes—admittedly sounds a bit more cheery for Conor Oberst and the gang. Even if those “Bells and Whistles” just mask the usual darkness. —Michael Broerman

Melt — “Plant the Garden”
What’s Good: I’ve loved this band for a long time. I was lucky enough to watch them debut it live last year in Brooklyn and I can’t wait to blast the studio version—the first single from their upcoming debut LP—all summer. —Andrew O’Brien

Neil Young — “Walk On”
What’s Good: Few things are as delightfully mismatched as the pervasive melancholy of Neil Young’s On The Beach and the album’s title and artwork. A comedic mismatch of Chris Farley/David Space-level proportions. Get well soon, Neil. —Michael Broerman

Grateful Dead — “China Cat Sunflower”
What’s Good: I’ve always loved how the counterpoint between guitar melodies in this tune creates this bubbly, psychedelic feel, and I like the way the song slowly comes together at the start of the track, like a machine gradually starting up. —James Sissler

Billy Bragg, Wilco — “California Stars” (Woody Guthrie)
What’s Good: Here’s to a summer of stargazing to the most famous song Woody Guthrie never recorded. —Michael Broerman

The Gaslight Anthem, Karina Rykman — “Ocean Eyes”
What’s Good: Billie Eilish, but make it 2000s-nostalgiac-punk-rock-driving-around-Long-Island-smoking-a-blunt vibes. —Sara Shah

Weezer — “Surf Wax America”
What’s Good: There is just something about hopping in the car, driving to the beach, and blasting this song on full tilt that checks all the Summer Vibes boxes. —Chris Meyer

The Sonics — “Strychnine”
What’s Good: Open up the door and crank up the distortion because it’s officially garage rock summer. —Michael Broerman

Herbie Hancock — “Watermelon Man”
What’s Good: Nothin’ like cold watermelon on a hot summer’s day. —James Sissler

John Prine — “Lake Marie”
What’s Good: For most of John Prine’s career, he closed every show with “Paradise”. Then, toward the end of his life on his final tours, he switched it up and started walking offstage to “Lake Marie”. There’s something in the jovial singalong (and the fittingly Prine-esque mix of laughter and veiled sorrow) that makes this song its own kinda paradise. —Michael Broerman

L4LM Monthly Mix — May 2024 – Got You Covered

Nigel Hall — “When I Die” (Motherlode)
What’s Good: A classic cut later sampled by J Dilla, now done proper by one of the great voices and musicians of this generation. —B. Getz

Lettuce — “Everybody Wants To Rule the World” (Tears For Fears)
What’s Good: Forever my favorite Lettuce cover. —Sara Shah

D’Angelo — “She’s Always In My Hair – Live from Spotify NYC” (Prince)
What’s Good: R&B Jesus sends up the Purple One. Nuff said. —B. Getz

Handmade Moments — “Are You That Somebody” (Aaliyah)
What’s Good: Folk-hop straight from the wheelbarrow, still maintains an extreme level of steaminess. —B. Getz

Amber Mark — “Heart-Shaped Box” (Nirvana)
What’s Good: A steezy, sensual reimagining of the Cobain classic, discarding the cacophonous self-loathing for undeniably sexy electro-bass thump. —B. Getz

OMA — “Shook Ones, Pt. II” (Mobb Deep)
What’s Good: The lads from the U.K. take this iconic Queensbridge anthem out for an authentic stroll through downtown Liverpool. —B. Getz

Rage Against The Machine — “Microphone Fiend” (Eric B. & Rakim)
What’s Good: This cover might melt even more cones of ice cream than the original. Erik B & Rakim covered by Zack, Tom, Timmy C, and Brad? I got a habit, and RATM is the fix. —Chris Meyer

Les Claypool — “Call Me The Breeze” (J.J. Cale)
What’s Good: Just discovered the 2008 Under the Influence: A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd album exists. There are some interesting choices on there, like The Disco Biscuits doing “Gimme Three Steps” and this Les-ified take on a J.J. Cale classic. If you’re looking for something more conventional, Gov’t Mule does a great version of “Simple Man”. I went with a weird one for this playlist. —Michael Broerman

The White Stripes — “Death Letter” (Son House)
What’s Good: One of the coolest things about Jack White and The White Stripes was how they turned young people on to old blues artists like Son House. —James Sissler

CAKE — “War Pigs” (Black Sabbath)
What’s Good: Always loved this upbeat take on the Sabbath classic. —Sara Shah

Lenny Kravitz — “American Woman” (The Guess Who)
What’s Good: When I was in 6th grade I saw Cindy Blackman play this drum groove for five minutes straight and learned an important lesson about the power of keeping it simple. —James Sissler

Chaka Khan — “I Feel for You” (Prince)
What’s Good: Prince put this song out in 1979, but it wasn’t until Chaka Khan covered it in 1984 (with help from Melle Mel and Stevie Wonder) that it became a phenomenon. Chaka’s “I Feel For You” cover was a massive hit, soundly eclipsing the commercial success of the original and earning Grammy Awards for both Prince (Best R&B Song) and Khan (Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female) in 1985. P.S., shoutout to Shira Elias and Erica Falls for rocking this song together at separate Jazz Fest tributes to Chaka and Prince a few weeks back. —Andrew O’Brien

Dee Gees — “You Should Be Dancing” (Bee Gees)
What’s Good: Doesn’t get much more random than Foo Fighters putting out a Bee Gees cover album but hey, if it works it works. —Sara Shah

Chicano Batman, Money Mark — “Crosseyed & Painless” (Talking Heads)
What’s Good: While we await the seemingly-inevitable Talking Heads reunion, the new Everyone’s Getting Involved tribute album will have to do for now. —Michael Broerman

BLOND:ISH — “I Want To Know What Love Is – BLOND:ISH Sunrise Jungle Rework” (Foreigner)
What’s Good: Remix, cover, “Sunrise Jungle Rework”, call it what you want. Doesn’t matter. I’ll belt this shit out and groove in my car, house, wherever any day of the week. —Chris Meyer

High Fade — “Chameleon” (Herbie Hancock)
What’s Good: Everyone’s first bassline gets the High Fade treatment in this rambunctious rendition. —James Sissler

Poolside, Omar Velasco — “Shakedown Street” (Grateful Dead)
What’s Good: Grateful Dead x Poolside = perfect beach day vibes. —Sara Shah

Lake Street Dive — “You’re Still The One” (Shania Twain)
What’s Good: Am I allowed to put two different Lake Street Dive covers on this? Try and stop me. —Andrew O’Brien

Jon Batiste — “Lose Yourself To Dance – Recorded at Electric Lady Studios” (Daft Punk)
What’s Good: Jon Batiste somehow found a way to make this Random Access Memories favorite even sexier. Because of course he did. —Michael Broerman

PJ Morton, Yebba — “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees)
What’s Good: This is one song I’ve always loved hearing covers of, and you can’t beat the combination of PJ Morton and Yebba! —James Sissler

The Nth Power — “Concrete Jungle” (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
What’s Good: The greatest tribute band in all the land does Nesta proud with this defiant banger. —B. Getz

Nigel Hall, DJ Harrison — “Let’s Groove” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
What’s Good: These two musicians have no lack of projects they could be working on at any given moment, but they decided to record a whole EWF tribute album out of shared love for the music. Respect. —Andrew O’Brien

Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse — “Valerie” (The Zutons)
What’s Good: One of those covers that’s better than the original. —James Sissler

Steve Earle — “Yer So Bad” (Tom Petty)
What’s Good: I love how you can still hear the cadence of Petty’s voice in Steve’s grizzly growl. —Michael Broerman

Allen Stone — “Georgia On My Mind” (Hoagy Carmichael/Stuart Gorell)
What’s Good: Ray Charles‘ 1960 version of this song is the official Georgia state song, but even his version is a cover—of the Hoagy Charmichael original from 1930. This version from Allen Stone injects a bit of extra soul into the song—the sort of soul that Ray Charles helped pioneer. —Andrew O’Brien

Tenacious D — “…Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears)
What’s Good: It’s KG, bitch. —Michael Broerman

CAKE — “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor)
What’s Good: A classic “I knew this cover before the original” situation. —Andrew O’Brien

The Nth Power, Cyril Neville — “No Woman No Cry” (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
What’s Good: The Nth Power has put together so many incredible tribute sets over the years. Not much of that stuff is on Spotify, but at least we’ve got an official release of their Rebel Music Bob Marley & The Wailers tribute. The Uptown Ruler himself, Cyril Neville, channels the spirit of Trenchtown on this one. —Andrew O’Brien

Alborosie, Raging Fyah — “The Unforgiven” (Metallica)
What’s Good: This track caught me off guard on a reggae station in Hawaii last December. I thought the DJ had lost his mind t’il the sing-jay came in with his patented Italianized patios and I started howlin’! —B. Getz

Grateful Dead — “Broken Arrow” (Robbie Robertson)
What’s Good: Obviously Phil Lesh‘s voice is, well… Anyway, I’ve always loved this cover of Robbie Robertson. I think this version excels because of the flaws in Phil’s voice, rather than in spite of them. —Michael Broerman

Ween — “Piano Man – Live” (Billy Joel)
What’s Good: A fittingly inebriated rendition of the barroom anthem and a precursor to the “Gene Ween Does Billy Joel” shows from 2015. —Michael Broerman

Lady Gaga — “Your Song” (Elton John)
What’s Good: Gives me the chills. —Sara Shah

Aloe Blacc — “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden)
What’s Good: New cover album from Aloe Blacc juxtaposes ’90s alternative classics with smooth groovy pop beats. —Sara Shah

Lake Street Dive — “Linger” (The Cranberries)
What’s Good: Per my Spotify wrapped, I listened to this Cranberries cover more than any other song in 2023. —Andrew O’Brien

Willie Nelson — “Rainbow Connection” (Jim Henson)
What’s Good: Just one of my favorite songs of all time, covered by one of the greats. —Sara Shah

Todd Snider — “Derby Day” (Jerry Jeff Walker)
What’s Good: Todd Snider’s reverence for those who came before him and paved the folk troubadour path that he’s walked for some 30-odd years shines through on every cover he plays, particularly on this Jerry Jeff Walker tribute album. —Michael Broerman

Beyoncé, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts — “BLACKBIIRD” (The Beatles)
What’s Good: Whether or not you wanna call it “country,” this take on “Blackbird” is beautiful. —Andrew O’Brien

Dolly Parton — “Southern Accents” (Tom Petty)
What’s Good: I couldn’t pick just one song from the new Petty Country cover album. You really going to try and fault me for putting Dolly Parton on the playlist? —Michael Broerman

Bonnie Raitt — “Angel from Montgomery” (John Prine)
What’s Good: How could it get any better than Bonnie Raitt covering “Angel from Montgomery”? Well, maybe if Susan Tedeschi was involved. —Michael Broerman

John Scofield — “Sticks And Stones” (Titus Turner)
What’s Good: One of my favorites from John Scofield’s 2005 Ray Charles tribute album, which features everyone from John Mayer to Dr. John. —James Sissler

Scott Pemberton — “Kindness” (Tony Allen)
What’s Good: I play drums on this track and it’s one of my favorites from my days touring with Scott, although if you listen to the original Tony Allen version, we kind of play it backward (with the one on three). —James Sissler

The Flaming Lips — “Space Oddity” (David Bowie)
What’s Good: David Bowie x Flaming Lips just makes sense. —Sara Shah

Courtney Barnett — “New Speedway Boogie” (Grateful Dead)
What’s Good: Honestly, I think most of this indie Grateful Dead tribute album sucks. But I can’t argue with Courtney Barnett putting her apathetic Aussie drawl on this Workingman’s Dead classic. —Michael Broerman

Black Pumas — “Fast Car” (Tracy Chapman)
What’s Good: Black Pumas really strip this Tracy Chapman classic down nicely and create a little more melancholic mood, especially with Eric Burton‘s soulful vocals. It’s really well done. —Chris Meyer

Jason Isbell, Elizabeth Cook — “Pancho & Lefty” (Townes Van Zandt)
What’s Good: A cover of what I consider one of the greatest folk songs ever written by the person I consider the greatest songwriter of the 21st century. —Michael Broerman

Lenny Kravitz — “Fields Of Joy – 2012 Remaster” (The New York Rock Ensemble)
What’s Good: Happy 60th Birthday to the swag factory known to us mere mortals as Lenny Kravitz. Here’s his acid-soaked reverence for the New York Rock n Roll Ensemble, reimagined in 1991. —B. Getz

John Mayer — “Bold As Love” (Jimi Hendrix)
What’s Good: Way back in 2006, when I was a 15-year-old just digging into Jimi Hendrix, listening to this cover from Mayer’s Continuum was a daily necessity for me for a year solid. It helped give me an appreciation for covers as vehicles for creative interpretation rather than just copies of something that already exists. —Andrew O’Brien

Scary Pockets, India Carney — “Creep” (Radiohead)
What’s Good: It was hard to pick just one track from Scary Pocket’s repertoire of covers, but I love this powerful and upbeat version of “Creep”. —Sara Shah

Hindu Love Gods — “Raspberry Beret” (Prince)
What’s Good: The result of an allegedly inebriated jam session between Warren Zevon and 3/4 of R.E.M. I’d listen to Warren Zevon read the dictionary if it was on Spotify. —Michael Broerman

Nigel Hall — “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (Nina Simone)
What’s Good: Hot, hot, hot. —Sara Shah

Fugees — “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel)
What’s Good: When that drum kicks in at the 0:36 mark, it’s like “Okkkkkkkkk….” Lauryn Hill doin’ her thang. Super simple, re-worked perfectly. This track bumps. I wonder if Ms. Hill showed up for the studio session on time though?  —Chris Meyer

Joni Mitchell — “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” (Charles Mingus)
What’s Good: One of Charles Mingus’ classic tunes, often covered but not usually with the lyrics. —James Sissler

Tom Misch — “Smells Like Teen Spirit – Quarantine Sessions” (Nirvana)
What’s Good: It’s like if “Smelled Like Teen Spirit” took an Ambien. —Sara Shah

Metallica — “The Small Hours” (Holocaust)
What’s Good: From bassist Jason Newstead’s debut studio effort with the biggest of the Big IV. On an EP of epic covers, this track is a slow and sludgy pounding that stands the test of time. —B. Getz

lespecial — “Raining Blind Puppies” (Slayer/Korn/Primus)
What’s Good: Mashups count as covers, right? —Michael Broerman

The Rolling Stones — “Time Is On My Side – (Original Single Mono Version)” (Jerry Ragovoy)
What’s Good: You may know this one as a Stones song—it was the band’s first U.S. hit back in 1964—but as Mick Jagger told the crowd at New Orleans Jazz Fest, he first heard it via radio by way of the NOLA soul queen herself, Irma Thomas. Then, he brought out Irma herself to sing it with them. A moment I’ll never forget. —Andrew O’Brien

L4LM Monthly Mix – April 2024 – Fest By Nite

The Meters — “Hand Clapping Song”
What’s Good: For me…NOLA Jazz Fest is about carrying on the tradition passed on to us from one of the greatest groups in the world, The Meters. Every year we (musicians, fans, venues, and promoters) get together to celebrate the impact this band has had on the entire world in the best city on Earth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that celebration and to carry on the tradition. —Alex Wasily (Dumpstaphunk)

Galactic, Rebirth Brass Band — “Boe Money”
What’s Good: When I close my eyes and think of New Orleans, THIS is what it sounds like. —B. Getz

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band — “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now”
What’s Good: This song embodies the heartbeat, spirit, and soul of The Dirty Dozen. It gets the party started, and also sends them out dancing! —Roger Lewis (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)

Anderson .Paak — “Come Down”
What’s Good: Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals headlining the Fair Grounds on first Sunday is very near the top of my must-see list this year. Yes, lawd! —Andrew O’Brien

Joe Krown — “Jamir’s Jam”
What’s Good: Have to pick this one for my recently transcended friend and legendary drummer, Russell Batiste. He is greatly missed and Jazz Fest hangs will forever be different without him there, greeting all of us “outta towners” and making us feel welcome. R.I.P. Wolfman who is on this track as well. —Adam Deitch (Lettuce)

Jon Batiste — “FREEDOM”
What’s Good: Jon Batiste is like NOLA’s modern son, spreading his unique talent and the best parts of New Orleans culture throughout the world. I saw his tour recently and it blew me away. I highly recommend catching him live if you can. —James Sissler

Cha Wa — “My People”
What’s Good: Last year at my first Jazz Fest it all hit me on Spiritual Sunday at the Fair Grounds. Amid my personal troubles, I had the epiphany that we are all going through shit, and that Jazz Fest is our yearly opportunity to come and lay our burdens down and shake these blues if only for a couple weeks. —Michael Broerman

Prince — “Erotic City – Let’s Go Crazy 7 B-Side Edit; 2017 Remaster”
What’s Good: Purple Party on the last night of Jazz Fest is about to turn the Crescent City into Erotic City. —Andrew O’Brien

The Meters — “No More Okey Doke”
What’s Good: You can’t have Jazz Fest without The Meters’ music. Period. There are Meters songs that get me in the mood for Mardi Gras, but this is a late-night banger that gets me in the mood for Jazz Fest. —Ari Teitel

Professor Longhair — “Big Chief – Remastered”
What’s Good: Professor Longhair is another giant of New Orleans music, and “Big Chief” is the kind of song you’re bound to hear at some point during Jazz Fest. —James Sissler

PJ Morton, Cheeky Blakk, Rebirth Brass Band — “New Orleans Girl”
What’s Good: I chose these songs because they make me excited about being a creative from New Orleans, it gets me excited about the city, the food, the culture, and the artists that are from New Orleans. They are also party and uplifting songs, that make you feel uplifted and proud to be from New Orleans. —Tank and the Bangas

Rebirth Brass Band — “Cassanova”
What’s Good: This is just classic Second Line sexy, brass-band R&B, a euphoria dart of pure swagger, shot straight into the jugular. —B. Getz

The Wild Tchoupitoulas — “Hey Mama (Wild Tchoupitoulas)”
What’s Good: Does it get any more New Orleans than this Wild Tchoupitoulas album featuring The Meters? —Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (Lettuce)

PJ Morton, Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’Andria Johnson, KeKe Wyatt, Kierra Sheard, Tasha Cobbs Leonard — “The Better Benediction (pt.2)”
What’s Good: One of my favorite New Orleans artists (PJ Morton) doing one of my favorite Fest by Nite activities (collaborating) on my favorite kind of music to see at Jazz Fest (gospel). —Andrew O’ Brien

Dr. John — “Qualified”
What’s Good: To me the lyrics and music to “Qualified” embody everything Dr. John a.k.a. Mac Rebennack was about: truth, equality, and respect. It also has one of the funkiest piano grooves on the planet as its foundation. —John “Papa” Gros

Cyril Neville — “Tell Me What’s On Your Mind”
What’s Good: To me, Cyril Neville is up there with James Brown as the funkiest singer of all time. This song represents everything about New Orleans to me. The feel, the funk, the soul, it’s all just dripping off the speakers when I listen to it. —Lyle Divinsky

The Radiators — “Suck The Head”
What’s Good: The best song ever written about crawfish. —Andrew O’Brien

Ween — “Voodoo Lady”
What’s Good: It ain’t Jazz Fest without a bit of voodoo. Missing Ween this year. —Michael Broerman

Prince — “Head”
What’s Good: Love a good raunchy song. And the guitar in this song reminds me of a woman dancing. —Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo, TAUK Moore)

Tank And The Bangas, Big Freedia — “Big”
What’s Good: I chose these songs because they make me excited about being a creative from New Orleans, it gets me excited about the city, the food, the culture, and the artists that are from New Orleans. They are also party and uplifting songs, that make you feel uplifted and proud to be from New Orleans. —Tank and the Bangas

Birdman, Lil Wayne — “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy – Street”
What’s Good: Like father, like son. Don’t forget the hardest of the New Orleans music royal families… —Andrew O’Brien

Rufus, Chaka Khan — “Ain’t Nobody”
What’s Good: Our tribute to the Queen of Funk herself, Chaka Khan, has four certified queens on board to sing—Jennifer Hartswick, Shira Elias, Jelly Joseph, and Erica Falls. Not to be missed. —Andrew O’Brien

Stevie Wonder — “Boogie On Reggae Woman”
What’s Good: I mean, how could we not be excited to perform this funky song by one of the greatest artists of all time? The first word in the title of this track literally speaks for itself, because it is such a groove, and instantly makes me want to start dancing the moment the song starts. Super excited to dive into more Stevie Wonder tracks for our performance. —TAUK

PJ Morton — “Sticking to My Guns – Live”
What’s Good: Young gun of New Orleans and never ceases to amaze me with his range and versatility on stage. —DJ Williams

Eric Benny Bloom, Nigel Hall — “Friends & Ragers”
What’s Good: I wrote this song while living in New Orleans and listening to a lot of music by the Gaturs, Crusaders, and Meters. This song is a tribute to all the lifelong friendships you make while living here, as well as the many night people that are always partying their tails off every day. —Eric Benny Bloom (Lettuce)

Dr. John — “Mos’ Scocious”
What’s Good: It’s hard to pick one Dr. John song, but this bassline is just absurd and it just sends me right to the bayou every time it comes on. —Karina Rykman

The Subdudes — “All The Time In The World”
What’s Good: I grew up listening to this New Orleans band with my parents and their friends. Those same friends brought me to my first Jazz Fest in 2014. Amazing memories. —Max Davies (Kitchen Dwellers)

Lyle Divinsky — “Disaster”
What’s Good: This track is produced by Calvin Turner (New Orleans native) who also played bass, plus Nigel Hall (New Orleans resident), along with Louis Cato and Adam Agati, and a whole heapa horns. This song/none of my music would exist as it does without the influence of New Orleans. —Lyle Divinsky

Soul Brass Band — “Dark Corners”
What’s Good: Nice hybrid composition that splits the difference between brass band and heady jazz jam. Derrick Smoker and Khris Royal collaboration. —B. Getz

Keith Frank & The Soileau Zydeco Band — “Give Me Just A Little Time – Live At Slim’s Y-Ki-Ki”
What’s Good: Nothing like sweating at the Fais Do Do Stage either standing in mud or wiping dust off your forehead listening to zydeco. This beat inspires so much of Iceman’s music. —The Iceman Special

Daniel Donato — “Dance In The Desert”
What’s Good: Extremely stoked to see my pal Daniel and his phenomenal band at Daze Between! —Karina Rykman

The Iceman Special — “Zycordia”
What’s Good: If Pink Floyd and King Gizz had a baby, delivered at dawn in a mausoleum at St. Louis cemetery in the French Quarter. —B. Getz

Jimi Hendrix — “All Along the Watchtower” (Bob Dylan)
What’s Good: In honor of the Jimi’s Dead show at NOLA’s Toulouse Theatre on Friday, April 26th, a rare tune that was performed by both Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead. Thanks, Bob Dylan. —Andrew O’Brien

The Rumble, Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. — “Wildman – Live”
What’s Good: I might be a little biased, but this song always gets a crowd moving whether it’s a daytime set at the Fair Grounds or a late night at the Maple Leaf. —Ari Teitel

DJ Williams — “Mr. Nobody”
What’s Good: Excited to bring all my new solo material to NOLA this year and really proud of this one off my new record. Always feels good to play live. —DJ Williams

Tank And The Bangas — “Outside”
What’s Good: Hearing Tank and the Bangas play this song at Daze Between New Orleans last year was one of the highlights of my week. Can’t wait for three nights of Tank and the Bangas at Toulouse Theatre weekend two. —Andrew O’Brien

Prince, The New Power Generation — “Cream”
What’s Good: Love a good raunchy song. And the guitar in this song reminds me of a woman dancing. —Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo, TAUK Moore) 

Sheila E. — “The Glamorous Life” (Prince)
What’s Good: Prince did the original “The Glamorous Life” and Sheila E. did an amazing cover of this tune! And I absolutely love both versions!!! I love Sheila E. drumming on her track. I love what she adds to the song musically and with the overall vibe! —Sammi Garett (Cool Cool Cool)

Chaka Khan — “I Feel For You” (Prince)
What’s Good: I love this song so much. It’s perfect for the L4LM playlist because it combines three of the artists we are tributing this year. Prince actually wrote and recorded it first, and then Chaka came through with her absolute banger of a version, AND Stevie Wonder played harmonica on it. I mean, what more could you want?! —Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool)

Karina Rykman — “Joyride”
What’s Good: Being at Jazz Fest is a helluva joyride! Counting down the minutes. —Karina Rykman

Shira Elias — “HOOK’D”
What’s Good: Obviously had to pick a SHISH tune for this one! Playing every year in NOLA during Jazz Fest over the last nine years has definitely influenced my music, and I think this track is a perfect, funky ass example of how I like to get down, just like we do in NOLA. —Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool)

The Rumble, Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. — “Golden Crown – Live”
What’s Good: A new, greasy, groovy twist on the soundtrack to the sacred masking tradition. —B.Getz

Medeski, Martin & Wood — “Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho”
What’s Good: Lots of NOLA influence in MMW’s music, and it comes out a lot on this album, Combustication, which is one of my favorites. —James Sissler

The Mighty Imperials — “Thunder Chicken”
What’s Good: I don’t know where The Mighty Imperials are actually from, but when this came on my recommendeds I could think of nothing else but pure NOLA grooves. —Michael Broerman

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band — “Pet The Kat”
What’s Good: After looking over the dance floor, now it’s time to make your move. “Pet the Kat” allows you to get a little closer to one another, while still shaking it up! —Gregory Davis (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band)

Dr. John — “I Walk On Guilded Splinters”
What’s Good: The Gris Gris spirits take over this song. Our job when we play this song is to let them! We never know what will happen. —John “Papa” Gros

Kitchen Dwellers — “Wind Bitten (VII)”
What’s Good: While I am massively stoked for Kitchen Dwellers’ tribute to Dr. John, I am also significantly stoked to hear the band tear into their new album Seven Devils. —Michael Broerman

Related: I Read Dante’s ‘Inferno’ To Understand Kitchen Dwellers’ New Album ‘Seven Devils’ So You Don’t Have To [Interview]

Vampire Weekend — “A-Punk”
What’s Good: I love this song because it instantly brings me back to 2008 and all the nostalgia that comes along with that time. Glad to see Vampire Weekend on the New Orleans Jazz Fest bill. Also, this song makes me feel like Boston, particularly winter mornings in Boston. —TAUK

Prince — “When You Were Mine”
What’s Good: This is my all-time favorite Prince song. Hands down. I remember the first time I heard it and I was like “Whoa, what is this?!” I love this vintage feel it has but I feel like also could have been written today. It’s just so catchy and it always makes me happy every time I hear it. —Sammi Garett (Cool Cool Cool)

Widespread Panic, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band — “Superstition” (Stevie Wonder)
What’s Good: A trifecta of Jazz Fest excitement: whether you’re heading to Panic at the Fair Grounds, TAUK‘s Tower of Wonder tribute, or Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Daze Between. And just an all-around great cover. —Michael Broerman

Gov’t Mule, John Scofield — “Sco-Mule (feat. John Scofield)”
What’s Good: It’s been over five years since the last time Sco and Gov’t Mule played together. So, we’re really excited for the opportunity to collaborate live with him again at the Daze Between NOLA. —Gov’t Mule

Derek & The Dominos — “Tell The Truth”
What’s Good: Saw Clapton play at that same Jazz Fest in 2014. I went for Phish but saw so many legendary bands and musicians. —Max Davies (Kitchen Dwellers)

The Meters — “Fire On The Bayou”
What’s Good: How could it be Jazz Fest vibes without The Meters? Anytime I hear this song, I envision people singing it in the streets as they parade with tambourines and beads, and the aroma of amazing Cajun food. —TAUK

Prince — “Partyup”
What’s Good: My all-time fav Prince song off the Dirty Mind record. Straight unadulterated funk. —DJ Williams

Willie Nelson — “City of New Orleans” (Woody Guthrie)
What’s Good: Good morning America, how are ya? —Michael Broerman

Anders Osborne — “Life Don’t Last That Long”
What’s Good: Jazz Fest staple. Late-night shows at the Howlin’ Wolf or Tipitina’s. Still waiting for the next time I’ll be able to see Anders Osborne. —Max Davies (Kitchen Dwellers)

Sari Jordan — “Sing To The Moon”
What’s Good: Delicate and delectable, a scintillating song from bright young siren on the come-up. —B. Getz

John Scofield — “Rockin’ Pneumonia”
What’s Good: This album features my favorite NOLA musician, Johnny Vidocavich, on drums alongside one of my top favorite guitarists, John Scofield. I just saw Scofield with his jazz trio and it was phenomenal. I can’t wait to see him again at Daze Between New Orleans with Lettuce and Gov’t and Daze Between Band. —James Sissler

Professor Longhair — “Tipitina”
What’s Good: The most original New Orleans swing that exists happens in this track. It represents so much but especially Mardi Gras season. —The Iceman Special

The Meters — “Be My Lady”
What’s Good: For me…NOLA Jazz Fest is about carrying on the tradition passed on to us from one of the greatest groups in the world, The Meters. Every year we (musicians, fans, venues, and promoters) get together to celebrate the impact this band has had on the entire world in the best city on Earth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that celebration and to carry on the tradition. —Alex Wasily (Dumpstaphunk)

Break Science —”Supermoon”
What’s Good: Fun fact: I met a Jedi in the crowd at Break Science’s Jazz Fest late-night last year—had a light saber, was wearing Skywalker robes, the whole nine. I think I saw him levitate at one point. Hoping he comes back, I’m ready to learn the ways of the Force. —Andrew O’Brien

Lil Wayne, JAY-Z — “Mr. Carter”
What’s Good: We talk a lot about New Orleans music here at L4LM, but far too often we exclude a crucial NOLA sub-genre: Weezy F. Baby. —Andrew O’Brien

Tank And The Bangas — “Dope Girl Magic”
What’s Good: I chose these songs because they make me excited about being a creative from New Orleans, it gets me excited about the city, the food, the culture, and the artists that are from New Orleans. They are also party and uplifting songs, that make you feel uplifted and proud to be from New Orleans. —Tank and the Bangas

Prince — “Adore – 2020 Remaster”
What’s Good: We all think of Prince as one of the funkiest of all time. Prodigy on every damn instrument and ready to rock you any and every day. That said, it’s his ballads that always take me to the highest level. His freedom in his phrasing and writing, and COME ON with that range!! “Adore” isn’t his most well-known, but it’s one of my absolute favorites. —Lyle Divinsky

The Band, Bobby Charles — “Down South In New Orleans – Concert Version”
What’s Good: The krewe of Canadians guided down to the Big Easy by Louisiana’s own Bobby Charles. —Michael Broerman

Dr. John — “Let the Good Times Roll” (Earl King)
What’s Good: This one is self-explanatory. We always have a good time in New Orleans. And the Doctor is and will always be synonymous with NOLA and the amazing experiences we all have down there. —Gov’t Mule

The Meters — “I Need More Time – Single Version”
What’s Good: What’s Good: For me…NOLA Jazz Fest is about carrying on the tradition passed on to us from one of the greatest groups in the world, The Meters. Every year we (musicians, fans, venues, and promoters) get together to celebrate the impact this band has had on the entire world in the best city on Earth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that celebration and to carry on the tradition. —Alex Wasily (Dumpstaphunk)

Prince, The New Power Generation — “Diamonds And Pearls”
What’s Good: My father had stacks of vinyl organized on shelves all over the house. I remember making up choreographed dances for “Diamonds and Pearls” and how much it reminded me of Christmas and I love Christmas. —Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo, TAUK Moore)

Anna Moss — “Colors”
What’s Good: One half of Handmade Moments, now a shooting star on the solo trip, Moss unveils existential R&B with raw emotion and oscillating harmonies in abundance. —B. Getz

Prince — “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World”
What’s Good: My father’s range could never sing this song so my uncle would always sing this one. —Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo, TAUK Moore)

Gabrielle Cavassa, Braxton Cook — “Podcasts”
What’s Good: Exquisite jazz crooning from this divine chanteuse, with boatloads of humor and just the right fixins. —B. Getz

Bobby Womack — “Daylight”
What’s Good: This one’s for the ragers. Bobby perfectly encapsulates that old familiar feeling of still being awake when the sun starts creeping in…but it’s Jazz Fest, baby! —Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool)

Dr. John — “Suite Home New Orleans”
What’s Good: Dr. John is like a pillar of New Orleans music, and one of the things I’m looking forward to most about Fest by Nite is Kitchen Dwellers‘ tribute to the Night Tripper. I can’t wait to see how they interpret his music on bluegrass instruments. —James Sissler

Neil Young, Crazy Horse — “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) – 2016 Remaster”
What’s Good: We get Neil on Spotify now! And we get Neil at the Fair Grounds on second Saturday! What a time to be alive. —Andrew O’ Brien

L4LM Monthly Mix – March 2024 – For the Soul

Marvin Gaye – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”
What’s Good: Of course we all love the Jerry version, but sometimes you need to throw it back to the original for the soul that only Marvin Gaye can provide. —Michael Broerman

Bill Withers – “Kissing My Love”
What’s Good: Such a tender sender, this one. –Andrew O’Brien

Stevie Wonder – “Maybe Your Baby”
What’s Good: Stevie banger made strictly for proper collar poppin’ and steppin’ into the night. —B. Getz

Bob Dylan – “Gotta Serve Somebody”
What’s Good: I saw Bob Dylan this month some 15 years after seeing him at my first-ever concert. A few things changed over the years, including his interpretation of this sleeper hit from his 1979 conversion album Slow Train Coming. Other things hadn’t, like Dylan remaining the Greatest Songwriter of All Time and the fact that I once again went with my mom. —Michael Broerman

Charles Bradley, Menahan Street Band – “The World (Is Going Up in Flames)”
What’s Good: Charles Bradley, too beautiful for this world. RIP to a modern-day sultain of soul. —Michael Broerman

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – “Straighten It Out”
What’s Good: Put this soulful, golden-era nugget on for the drive into work and you’re guaranteed to have a great day and possibly a sore neck. —B. Getz

Maktub – “You Can’t Hide”
What’s Good: Reggie Watts‘ original band is pure funky soulful bliss. —Sara Shah

The Nth Power – “Only Love”
What’s Good: The Nth Power is about as soulful as it gets for a modern-day act. —Sara Shah

Ween – “Freedom of ’76”
What’s Good: A soulful tribute to the City of Brotherly Love off Chocolate and Cheese, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Get well soon, Deaner.  —Michael Broerman

Jimmy Smith, Dr. John, Etta James – “I Just Wanna Make Love To You” (Willie Dixon)
What’s Good: When I think of soul jazz one of the first names that comes to mind is Jimmy Smith. Add in Dr. John and Etta James and you’ve got a lotta soul. —James Sissler

Tim Maia – “Do Leme Ao Pontal”
What’s Good: You don’t need to know what he’s saying to know this is a feel-good banger. —Sara Shah

D’Angelo – “Sugah Daddy”
What’s Good: I remember when this song came out ten (!) years ago and I nerded out to anyone who would listen about how this song somehow captured the essence of a bygone era inside something that sounded so modern. Like, my grandma and my hippest friend would both connect to it. It still sounds that special a decade later. –Andrew O’Brien

Sam Fribush, Charlie Hunter, Calvin Napper – “Bussin It Down”
What’s Good: Sam Fribush’s new album is a masterclass in funk counterpoint, and it’s definitely good for the soul. He is one of the funkiest keyboardists I’ve heard in a long time, and his background playing gospel adds a bit of soul that most modern organ trios lack. —James Sissler

Related: “How Can I Be The Funkiest?”: Sam Fribush Talks Working With Charlie Hunter On New LP [Interview]

Jerry Garcia – “Let’s Spend The Night Together” (The Rolling Stones)
What’s Good: Of course the original is a classic, but the way Jerry wore it on his 1974 solo album always hits me right in my soul. –Andrew O’Brien

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “Midnight Rider” (Allman Brothers Band)
What’s Good: RIP Sharon. —Sara Shah

The Wood Brothers – “Keep Me Around”
What’s Good: As if the sound of Oliver Wood’s voice wasn’t enough reason for some Wood Brothers on our For the Soul playlist, the lyrics to “Keep Me Around” include a handful of all-time-great one-liners that still give me chills. –Andrew O’Brien

Tedeschi Trucks Band – “Midnight in Harlem”
What’s Good: I feel this one in my soul every time, especially live. It’s the one tune that always makes me think, “Damn, this band is good.” TTB4L. —James Sissler

Van Morrison – “Into the Mystic”
What’s Good: You can’t beat a classic. —Michael Broerman

The Nth Power – “Walk On Water”
What’s Good: Sometimes you just need to have a talk with God, or a good hard cry. This classic provides both in abundance. —B. Getz

Ryan Montbleau – “Our Own Place”
What’s Good: This song sounds like hope, romance, sincerity, sentimentality, and profound perspective all rolled into one. I was a sobbing mess watching Ryan and Lyle Divinsky perform it on Jam Cruise last month. Beautiful, powerful stuff. –Andrew O’Brien

Johnny Cash – “I Won’t Back Down” (Tom Petty)
What’s Good: This is just one of those songs you can feel deep down in your soul. —Michael Broerman

Black Sabbath – “The Wizard”
What’s Good: Sell your soul to rock n’ roll. —Michael Broerman

Sly & The Family Stone – “Ha Ha, Hee Hee”
What’s Good: One of the all-time feel-good soul hits. —Sara Shah

James Brown, The J.B.’s – “Soul Power (Parts 1 & 2)”
What’s Good: If I could only have one superpower, it would be whatever James Brown had. —James Sissler

Labi Siffre – “I Got The…”
What’s Good:  This song just oozes soul. —Sara Shah

The Roots, Common – “Act Too (The Love Of My Life)”
What’s Good: Life-affirming conscious hip-hop from the Soulquarians era. This timeless track sets an emotional tone of reverence, positivity, and determination to stay true to yourself and always follow your muse. —B. Getz

Nigel Hall, DJ Harrison – “Earth, Wind & Fire” (Earth, Wind & Fire)
What’s Good: Nigel Hall said it best when he and Harrison released this EWF recreation as the first single from a forthcoming EWF tribute album: “We are true believers in the fact that, if everyone started their day with at least one EWF song, the world would indeed be a better place.” –Andrew O’Brien

Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway – “You’ve Got a Friend” (Carole King)
What’s Good: What’s better for the soul than two soul legends singing about being good friends. –Andrew O’Brien

Clinton Fearon – “Let It Grow”
What’s Good: When I need something to wake up my soul, reggae sometimes does the trick, and Clinton Fearon is one of my favorites. —James Sissler

Toots & The Maytals – “Pomps & Pride”
What’s Good: I have been listening to this song consistently for the past two years solid and it never gets old or fails to put a smile on my face. —Michael Broerman

Lenny Kravitz – “Sugar”
What’s Good: Symphonic flavors and falsetto phrasings, still fresh from 30 years ago. Pairs perfectly with strong coffee and a morning snuggle with your partner. —B. Getz

Luther Vandross – “Dance With My Father”
What’s Good:There’s something to be said for a sad song that clears the way for happy memories. Doesn’t hurt when Luther Vandross sings them, either. Sometimes, a good cry is good for the soul. –Andrew O’Brien

Barry White – “Let The Music Play”
What’s Good: Yes, I could have chosen the three-minute single version. But you really do need Barry White’s lonely, walking-down-the-street monologue to set the mood. —Michael Broerman

William DeVaughn – “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got – David Todd Remix (Radio Edit)” 
What’s Good: Gratitude is always good for the soul. —Sara Shah

Talking Heads – “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)”
What’s Good: This song just makes my heart happy forever and ever. —Sara Shah

Kruder & Dorfmeister – “High Noon”
What’s Good: Legendary Austrian duo’s euphoric 1993 opening salvo is like a shot of bliss to the frontal lobe. —B. Getz

Wagogo – “Chitungwiza Mu’burque”
What’s Good: Some of my favorite music when I need a lift is from Africa. I love how this song grooves and subtly transforms without any major changes. —James Sissler

Everything But The Girl – “Lullaby of Clubland”
What’s Good: Need to get dressed in your best and take on the town? This is the soundtrack to your nocturnal city swagger. —B. Getz

The Joubert Singers – “Stand On The Word (1982 Version)” 
What’s Good: This disco gospel track just slaps. —Sara Shah

Karen Dalton – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” (Holland–Dozier–Holland)
What’s Good: This song always lifts my spirits, but this version blows me away. Karen Dalton’s feel and the way she sings everything behind the beat while the music and background vocals push ahead create a really cool rhythmic tension. —James Sissler

Devon Allman, Maggie Rose – “These Days” (Jackson Browne)
What’s Good: A beautiful cover of the beautiful Jackson Browne song made famous by the son of his one-time roommate, Gregg Allman. —Michael Broerman

Lyle Divinsky – “Risk it All”
What’s Good: Lyle’s one of the most soulful singer-songwriters out there today. You don’t know, you better ask somebody. –Andrew O’Brien

Jennifer Hartswick – “Stay” (Rihanna)
What’s Good: Speaking of soulful voices we’re lucky enough to have floating around our scene, how dope is Jennifer Hartswick? Like, always. Whatever she’s doing. I always leave her shows feeling like my soul just spent the day at a spa. –Andrew O’Brien

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – “Face Down In The Moment”
What’s Good: There’s nothing I love more than a good rise, fall, and redemption story arc and this song encompasses the entire saga. —Michael Broerman

Grateful Dead – “Stella Blue”
What’s Good: Few things pack as much feeling as a post-Drums/Space Jerry ballad late in the second set. There’s nothing you can hold for very long, but you can always come back to this one.

Oteil Burbridge – “Water in the Desert”
What’s Good: Like water in the desert, you bring me back to life. Oteil’s soul runs as deep as they come. –Andrew O’Brien

Boyz II Men – “End of the Road”
What’s Good: We’ve come to the end of the playlist. It’s a proven fact that periodically belting “End of the Road” with your friends at the top of your lungs makes your life 43% more meaningful. Don’t look that up. Just trust. –Andrew O’Brien

L4LM Monthly Mix – February 2024 – Morning.

Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Sun Is Shining”
What’s Good: Makes you wanna get out of bed and move your dancing feet. –Andrew O’Brien

The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations”
What’s Good: A friend of mine always blasts this song first thing in the morning to wake everyone up after a party or festival or whatever. Guess he’s just trying to keep those lovin’ good vibrations a-happenin’. –James Sissler

The Rolling Stones – “She’s A Rainbow”
What’s Good: Morning songs are about feel for me. This one feels like it’s going to be a good day. –Andrew O’Brien

Phish – “Silent In The Morning”
What’s Good: Self explanatory “Morning” reference, and just a generally beautiful song. –Sara Shah

Lake Street Dive – “Same Old News”
What’s Good: Here’s to waking up every day and getting to cover the same old news. –Michael Broerman

The Fearless Flyers – “Patrouille De France”
What’s Good: Love this one from the new Flyers record. Helps get me ready for liftoff. –Andrew O’Brien

Flamingosis, Marc Rebillet – “Feel Yourself”
What’s Good: Daily reminder to look in the mirror and feel yourself. –Sara Shah

McTuff – “Neighbor’s Ivy”
What’s Good: This bubbly number will get your day started on a good foot. I love the use of sound effects and percussion throughout. –James Sissler

Frute – “Emmeline”
What’s Good: Frute is surely part of your balanced breakfast. This Atlanta outfit is new to me but their sound is right up my alley. –Andrew O’Brien

The Staple Singers – “I’ll Take You There”
What’s Good: Wherever you’re going today, the Staple Singers will take you there. –Andrew O’Brien

My Morning Jacket – “Thank You Too!”
What’s Good: Gotta put on your morning jacket. –Michael Broerman

Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Mellow Mod”
What’s Good: Good vibes to start your day. –Sara Shah

OMA – “Runnin’” (The Pharcyde)
What’s Good: White-hot Liverpool lads keep it thorough & come correct with a classic jam to honor J Dilla.   –B. Getz

Hot Chocolate – “I Want to Be Free”
What’s Good: A nice, warm drink and a nice, optimistic mantra for your day. –Andrew O’Brien

Sylvan Esso – “Coffee”
What’s Good: What is a morning without coffee? –Michael Broerman

pheel. – “dust bin.”
What’s Good: Denver-based electronic wizard recently dropped his debut full-length LP. –B. Getz

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”
What’s Good: Just one look and you and I know it’s gonna be a lovely day… –Andrew O’Brien

Brandee Younger – “You’re A Girl For One Man Only”
What’s Good: Cup a tea and some harp jazz in the morning is how I like to start my day. –James Sissler

Real Estate – “Here Comes Sunshine” (Grateful Dead)
What’s Good: An easy breezy take on the Grateful Dead classic. –Sara Shah

Courtney Barnett – “Before You Gotta Go”
What’s Good: A gentle reminder from Australian word wizard Courtney Barnett to always try and leave things on a positive note with your loved ones before heading out the door in the morning. –Michael Broerman

Fruition – “Hard to Make Money”
What’s Good: Another day, another dollar. –James Sissler

Mala, Spen G – “Anti War Dub”
What’s Good: Some say this song is the embryo to dubstep. But I included it for its message.  –B. Getz

Jon Batiste – “Worship”
What’s Good: This song has really grown on me. It’s full of interesting musical choices and was one of the most powerful parts of his show in Portland. If you have the chance to see Jon Batiste’s first headlining tour, do it. –James Sissler

Beyoncé – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
What’s Good: I’ve listened to this song first thing each morning since it came out. Looking forward to the year of the Queen Bey country album. –Andrew O’Brien

The Impressions – “It’s All Right”
What’s Good: Smooth soulful vibes are guaranteed to start you out on the right foot. –Sara Shah

Cass Elliot – “Make Your Own Kind Of Music”
What’s Good: My morning pump up to face the world as exactly who I am. –Michael Broerman

Bob Dylan – “New Morning”
What’s Good: A song of gratitude for each and every new day from Bobby Z. –Michael Broerman

Sierra Ferrell – “I Could Drive You Crazy”
What’s Good: Pretty sure this song is about my cat’s morning routine. –James Sissler

Waylon Jennings – “Waymore’s Blues”
What’s Good: Don’t forget to put on your coat and T-I-E. –Michael Broerman

The String Cheese Incident – “Windy Mountain”
What’s Good: The String Cheese Incident just dropped this bonus track from the band’s excellent folkie album from last year, Lend Me A Hand. The song’s gentle strum is a clear window into Bill Nershi‘s old miner’s cabin atop a windy mountain in Boulder, CO. –Michael Broerman

Karen Dalton – “It’s So Hard To Tell Who’s Going To Love You The Best”
What’s Good: It recently dawned on me that some of the qualities I love about Sierra Ferrell‘s voice are similar to one of my favorite singers, Karen Dalton. I’ve been listening to a lot of both since. –James Sissler

Jacob Collier, John Legend, Tori Kelly – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Paul Simon)
What’s Good: When you’re weary… I’ve been waiting years for this Jacob Collier recreation to arrive and it does not disappoint. –Andrew O’Brien

Commodores – “Easy”
What’s Good: Nothing like an easy Sunday morning. –Sara Shah

Yebba – “Evergreen”
What’s Good: Yebba is the GOAT. Her recent collab with Robert Glasper at Blue Note New York was unbelievable. –James Sissler

Pastor T.L. Barrett And The Youth For Christ Choir – “Like a Ship”
What’s Good: I may be Jewish but I love me some church music in the morning. –Andrew O’Brien

Mary J. Blige – “Just Fine”
What’s Good: Put this funky feelgood jam on the turntable and it’s like a battery in your back to crush the day ahead. –B. Getz

Sly & The Family Stone – “Everyday People”
What’s Good: It’s never a bad idea to start your day with some classic upbeat funk. –Sara Shah

Medeski, Martin & Wood – “Let’s Go Everywhere”
What’s Good: Get out of your chair, man. The world’s awaitin’. –James Sissler

Warren Zevon – “Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded”
What’s Good: I wake up with this in my head most days. It’d be a living hell if this song wasn’t so infectiously catchy and enjoyable. –Michael Broerman

The String Cheese Incident – “Colorado Bluebird Sky”
What’s Good: Bring a little Colorado energy into your day. –Sara Shah

The Mountain Grass Unit – “Where I Land”
What’s Good: I’ve been digging the energy of The Mountain Grass Unit and Cahaba Roots. It’s great to see younger musicians taking up the bluegrass mantle and doing their own thing. –James Sissler

GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest – “4th Chamber”
What’s Good: Deep cut Wu banger that defines the Shaolin sound circa ’95. Among RZA’s most beloved beats too. –B. Getz

Danzig – “How The Gods Kill”
What’s Good: Erotic, electric energy and dark gothic swagger coalesce to both scare & seduce the listener. Original Danzig quartet remains their most potent lineup. –B. Getz

Sum 41 – “Heart Attack”
What’s Good: Waking up is hard to do. This is for everyone else out there who is definitely not a morning person. –Michael Broerman

Slayer – “War Ensemble”
What’s Good:  Welcoming back these thrash gods with this diabolical cannon blast from arguably their last great record, 1990’s Seasons in the Abyss. –B. Getz

L4LM Monthly Mix – January 2024 – Refresh

Nina Simone – “Feeling Good”
What’s Good: It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me… –Andrew O’Brien

Bill Withers – “Lovely Day”
What’s Good: Sometimes you just need a little Bill Withers to remind you to appreciate the little things. –Sara Shah

Louis Armstrong – “What A Wonderful World”
What’s Good: When you get caught up in the daily grind, just go outside, look around, and throw on this classic track for an instant refresh. (Also recommended for getting excited for New Orleans Jazz Fest). –Sara Shah

Lettuce – “Back In Effect”
What’s Good: LettSco is back in effect at Daze Between New Orleans 2024! Time to refresh one of my favorite live combos… –Andrew O’Brien

Orgone – “Parasols”
What’s Good: SoCal stank institution digs deep into its bottomless bag of swag for this screwface throwback NOLA groove that bows at the greasy feet of the mighty Meters. –B. Getz

The Relatives – “Things Are Changing”
What’s Good: A great comeback story, The Relatives returned following 30 years of inactivity to deliver a pair of back-to-back winners, The Electric Word and Goodbye World in the mid-2010s. –Michael Broerman

McTuff – “A Mendacious One”
What’s Good: One of my favorite PNW bands, inspired by the great Jack McDuff, but with a fresh take on organ jazz and funk. I saw they have a show coming up with OG member Skerik, who’s on this track, and Lettuce’s Eric Benny Bloom, which sounds awesome, and they’ll be at Olympia Funk Festival. Catch ’em if you can. –James Sissler

Lawrence – “Don’t Lose Sight”
What’s Good: Sometimes life will try to beat you down. Don’t let it. –Sara Shah

Bob Seger – “Turn The Page – Live In Detroit/1975”
What’s Good: Sorry, Detroit Lions. As we say in the Cleveland Browns fanbase, there’s always next year. –Michael Broerman

FKJ – “Us”
What’s Good: FKJ is always my go-to when I need to clear my mind and reset after a busy day or a stressful week. –Andrew O’Brien

OMA – “The Message” (Nas)
What’s Good: Liverpool’s hungry-ass hooligans are making heads nod around the globe with their intelligent interpolations of some of hip-hop’s most beloved beats. ‘96 sh*t. –B. Getz

BrhyM, Bruce Hornsby, yMusic – “Deep Blue”
What’s Good: Join Bruce Hornsby and his mermaid on a refreshing, neo-soul voyage through the deep. –Andrew O’Brien

Aaron Neville – “Stompin’ Ground”
What’s Good: The realization that Jazz Fest is only a few months away is always part of my annual January mental refresh. I may be freezing up in New York, but knowing I’ll be back in one of my favorite stomping grounds watching world-class music in the Louisiana heat soon enough helps me weather the winter blues. –Andrew O’Brien

Sam Fribush, Charlie Hunter, Calvin Napper – “People Please”
What’s Good: I’ve been really digging Sam Fribush’s fresh take on soul jazz. This first single has got me excited about his new trio record with Charlie Hunter. –James Sissler

Lawrence – “Misty Morning”
What’s Good: A sad song that makes you feel happy… the best kind. –Andrew O’Brien

Aretha Franklin – “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Paul Simon)
What’s Good: A bit of timeless Paul Simon songwriting, a bit of Aretha Franklin’s gospel soul. Ease your mind… –Andrew O’Brien

Nubya Garcia – “Fortify”
What’s Good: Celebrated U.K.-jazz wunderkind Nubya Garcia blasts back on the scene. The virtuosic saxophonist’s latest single is the next exhilarating chapter in a glorious story of reverse engineering elements of soundsystem culture and the mechanics of BAM. –B. Getz

Xavier Rudd – “Follow The Sun”
What’s Good: Tomorrow is a new day for everyone / A brand new moon, brand new sun / So follow, follow the sun. –Sara Shah

¿Téo?, Lido – “Belong In The Sun”
What’s Good: This one was an algorithm find for me, but its chill, Latin sound and optimistic attitude have made it a repeat offender in my listening rotation. –Andrew O’Brien

Watchhouse – “New Star”
What’s Good: Off Watchhouse’s refresh start after changing its name from Mandolin Orange. –Michael Broerman

Jazmine Sullivan – “In Love With Another Man”
What’s Good: There’s nothing more refreshing for your spirit and regenerative for your disposition than a master vocalist bearing a melancholy soul over simple piano accompaniment. –Andrew O’Brien

Jason Isbell – “Different Days”
What’s Good: One of the greatest redemption stories in modern country music. I’ll listen to Southeastern for the rest of my life and will always be inspired to keep trying to better myself. –Michael Broerman

Van Morrison – “Days Like This”
What’s Good: An ode to more “days like this” in 2024. –Sara Shah

Sierra Ferrell – “Years” (John Anderson)
What’s Good: A not-that-new take on a not-that-new song by John Anderson, but a live version by Sierra Ferrell and her band recently went viral, and for good reason. –James Sissler

Marya Stark – “Origami”
What’s Good: Avant-folk dreamweaver delivers more delicate heart medicine from her latest celestial songbook Weightless. –B. Getz 

Fleet Foxes – “White Winter Hymnal”
What’s Good: This song just feels like rebirth, rejuvenation, and a giant breath of crisp fresh winter air, in and out. –Sara Shah

Warren Zevon – “Keep Me In Your Heart”
What’s Good: I’ve been obsessed with this gem from the late, great Warren Zevon since I heard John Bell croon it at this most recent Widespread Panic New Year’s Eve show. Even as we move into the new year, it’s important to keep those loved ones close to you. –Michael Broerman

Anna Moss – “Sickness In The Spirit”
What’s Good: Best known as one-half of Handmade Moments, Ms. Anna Moss is now blasting off a sensational new solo project. Smoldering porch-folk R&B from this steamy Crescent City chanteuse. –B. Getz

Twista, Faith Evans – “Hope”
What’s Good: May the beginning of this new year feel as cathartic and inspiring as the end of Coach Carter. –Andrew O’Brien

Saint Sinner, Dimond Saints – “338 – REMIX E * DIMOND SAINTS”
What’s Good: Dark sorcerers of sensual psychedelic bass, pioneering duo Dimond Saints are slowly creepin’ back on the comeup. “3:38” finds An-ten-nae and Releece reconnecting with another pair of progressive electronic artists Saint Sinner for this supremely sexy slab of divine timing. –B. Getz

Neal Francis – “Prometheus”
What’s Good: Have mercy on me. –Michael Broerman

The Ghost Of Paul Revere – “Travel On”
What’s Good: Travelin’ on into 2024. –Sara Shah

Clinton Fearon – “New Chapter”
What’s Good: New beginnings call for positive vibes. –James Sissler

George Michael – “Freedom!”
What’s Good: We brought our son home from the hospital to this song, almost exactly a year ago. Singing “Freedom” to him in the car, finally just the three of us for the first time, I remember viscerally feeling the beginning of this exciting new chapter. –Sara Shah

Talking Heads – “Once In A Lifetime”
What’s Good: Life goes by pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, and do whatever you want all the time, you could miss it. –Michael Broerman

Jack McDuff – “Hot Barbeque”
What’s Good: This song always refreshes my mood and makes me hungry. It doesn’t get better than Jack McDuff with a young George Benson on guitar. If I could go back in time to see one band, this band would be high on my list. –James Sissler

John Mayer – “New Light”
What’s Good: John Mayer will finally get a fresh start this year now that he doesn’t have to front the Grateful Dead anymore. –Michael Broerman

James Brown – “Get On The Good Foot”
What’s Good: Hit refresh and get on the good foot. Listening to this song, I feel like you can hear James Brown laying down the groundwork for hip-hop, after having started with a smoother soul/R&B sound. –James Sissler

Nigel Hall –”Don’t Change For Me (Live)”
What’s Good: A refreshed live version of a Nigel Hall classic. –James Sissler

Pharroh – “Gorgeous”
What’s Good: Underrated NorCal underground emcee Pharroh (Ultimate Fantastic) hops on a flaming, foreboding flip of Bob James‘ “Nautilus”, turns style and talks his sh*t to thundering drums with vocabulary, vitality, and verve. –B. Getz

Death Cab For Cutie – “The New Year”
What’s Good: Sometimes you just gotta be a little emo as the year comes to a close before hitting that refresh button. –Sara Shah

Tyler Childers – “Born Again”
What’s Good: What Childers himself called a hillbilly interpretation of reincarnation. Whatever your beliefs are, there’s always a chance to start anew somewhere somehow. –Michael Broerman

Billy Strings – “Must Be Seven”
What’s Good: Don’t let me see you looking back. –Michael Broerman

Willie Nelson – “On the Road Again – Live at Austin, Texas – Fall 1979”
What’s Good: No better way to reset than hitting the road and making music with your friends. Or hitting the road to watch other people make music with their friends. (Is it summer tour yet?) –Sara Shah

Led Zeppelin – “Going to California”
What’s Good: I think that getting older means learning to appreciate the folkier Led Zeppelin songs as much as the head-banging ones. –Michael Broerman

The Beatles – “Here Comes The Sun”
What’s Good: A new day is always just on the other side. –Sara Shah

Allman Brothers Band – “Blue Sky”
What’s Good: Blue skies and sunny days, man. –Sara Shah

Tom Petty – “Time To Move On”
What’s Good: One thing we’re sure as hell not leaving behind in 2023 is our requirement for Tom Petty on every Monthly Mix. –Michael Broerman

L4LM Monthly Mix – December 2023 – Reminisce

L4LM Monthly Mix – November 2023 – Come Together

L4LM Monthly Mix – October 2023 – Monthly Mix: Live!

L4LM Monthly Mix – September 2023 – Airplane Mode

L4LM Monthly Mix – August 2023 – The Great Outdoors

L4LM Monthly Mix – July 2023 – Road Trip

L4LM Monthly Mix – June 2023 – Backyard Barbecue

L4LM Monthly Mix – May 2023 – The Post-Show Hang

L4LM Monthly Mix – April 2023

L4LM Monthly Mix – March 2023

L4LM Monthly Mix – February 2023 – The LoveList

L4LM Monthly Mix – January 2023

L4LM Monthly Mix – December 2022 – Best of 2022

L4LM Monthly Mix – October 2022

L4LM Monthly Mix – June 2022

L4LM Monthly Mix – January 2022

L4LM Monthly Mix – December 2021 – Best of 2021

L4LM Monthly Mix – November 2021

L4LM Monthly Mix – June 2021

L4LM Monthly Mix – April 2021

L4LM Monthly Mix – March 2021 – Women’s History Month

L4LM Monthly Mix – February 2021