Mark Saleski: "LDN" from Alright, Still by Lily Allen

Ah the sweet Caribbean breezes, the sparky horns, the lilting melodies, the crack whores, and the muggings. What?! Yes, I had heard nothing about Lily Allen until her recent appearance on Saturday Night Live. There's just something about a pretty girl in a party dress tossing these images against such happy music. This song does spend its time in the ugly side of London, but it has what might be the catchiest pop song chorus ever written. I am powerless to resist.

Pico: "Ash Wednesday Blues" from Ash Wednesday Blues by Anders Osbourne

There's a lot of songs about Mardi Gras, here's one about the day after (and so appropriate as I listen to it on this February 21).

In a New Orleans-themed album that ranges in sound from The Band to Dr. John to the Subdudes, the title song is a quiet, introspective number accompanied by just a piano and an organ lurking ever so subtley. Both the mood and Osbourne's singing reminds me a lot of Billy Joel's "She's Got A Way". And that's not a bad reminder at all.

Michael Jones: "They Don't Know" from Stay by Simply Red

Over the past few days I've been listening to an advance copy of Simply Red's Stay, which is slated for release on April 3rd. I'll admit that the biggest reason I found myself wanting to review this album is the strong feelings of nostalgia I get when I think of Mick Hucknell's voice. Songs such as "Holding Back The Years," "Money's Too Tight To Mention" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now" are musical stepping stones along the path of some of my most treasured memories.

So, imagine my surprise when I first popped Stay into my stereo, and found it to be something new, vibrant, and decidedly not something nostalgic. Sure, Hucknell's voice is just as wonderful as it ever was, but these songs are just as strong as anything Simply Red has ever released. My favorite song, and the one that's been in heaviest repeat on my iPod, "They Don't Know" just has this wonderful throwback sound to everything that is good and right in the world of soul music. It's just a beautiful song that gives my heart goose-bumps.

Anywho, that's what's spinning in my ears the most, lately.

Cara de Pescado: "Wishful Thinking" from The Ditty Bops by The Ditty Bops

The Ditty Bops are a California duo playing a mix of swing, folk, bluegrass, jazz, and ragtime that makes it impossible to not sashay alongside. Think Andrews Sisters singing They Might Be Giants or The Beatles singing Broadway Jazz numbers and you might get a pretty close mental picture of this duo fun enough to land a major label contract after only eight public shows. The foot-tapping melody of “Wishful Thinking” may lack deep or philosophical lyrics, but it does summon a feeling straight out of the Roarin’ Twenties. It may not be the world’s greatest song, but it sure is a happy ditty.