Rusted Root - Dance In The Middle

Pittsburgh based, Rusted Root, burst on to the scene in 1992 with the single Send Me On My Way off their second album When I Woke. A working touring band, they traveled extensively to support their albums, releasing 5 albums in 10 years. Although still occasionally touring, the band members went their separate ways and pursued solo projects. Drummer Jim Donovan has released five highly acclaimed solo CDs as well as four instructional drumming CDs and became a full-time instructor of music at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

Rusted Root recently returned to the studio in released their 6th studio album, Stereo Rodeo which contains the track Dance In The Middle.

Joss Stone - Tell Me 'Bout It

Joss Stone burst onto the scene with her 2003 release, The Soul Sessions produced by the legendary Betty Wright and with soul/funk legends Benny Latimore, Timmy Thomas, and Little Beaver. She was only 16 years old at the time and had won the BBC Television talent show Star for a Night. London-based producers Andy Dean and Ben Wolfe saw her at a charity event afterward and were so blown away by her voice they contacted S-Curve Records founder and CEO Steve Greenberg and convinced him to fly her to New York to audition. She sang Otis Redding's (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" and Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She was signed on the spot.

Tell Me 'Bout It off her third album, Introducing Joss Stone, is a strong soul funk tune that shows what she can do when she belts out her soulful voice.

The Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll

Listen on imeem.com <-- What's this?

I am starting a new Hoi Polloi feature: The Hump Day Retro Closet. On Wednesdays, I will spotlight a track from more than 10 years ago. Today's track is from The Velvet Underground, a band that was far ahead of their time. In their brief history, they were not a commercial success, but their influence for future musicians was immense.

Founded by Lou Reed and John Cale in the early 60's, The Velvet Underground's history was as turbulent as the times they played. Rock and Roll is off their great album Loaded. To read their interesting history, check out the un-official Velvet Underground fan site.

The Beatles - Tax Man

Tax Man off the Revolver album was written by George Harrison who was inspired to write it when he discovered how much he was earning after accounting for taxes. As Harrison said, "'Taxman' was when I first realised that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes." So in honor of Tax Day in the US, Thank you George for singing what we all feel today.
[No audio stream version available.]