Eliane Elias - Day In Day Out

I fell in love with Eliane Elias' voice and jazz piano from the moment I first heard her. She originally trained as a classical pianist in her native Brazil, but grew up listening the jazz albums that her parents played at home. She started composing and, more notably, performing her own jazz pieces at seventeen.

Eventually landing in New York, she recorded with several notable jazz artists and in 1986 she became a successful band leader in her own right. In 1988 she was elected as "Best New Talent" by the JAZZIZ magazine poll of jazz critics.

Starting with her 1990 album "Eliane Elias Plays Jobim", she began to add her own vocals to her recordings. Her intimate, direct style of singing contrasts charmingly with her muscular piano solo work, which itself contrasts nicely to her gently driving stylings under her vocals.

Day In Day Out is off her excellent 2008 release Bossa Nova Stories.

Nickel Creek - When You Come Back Down

Nickel Creek is Chris Thile (mandolin), Sara Watkins (fiddle), and her brother Sean Watkins (guitar). They have never had a permanent bass player, but Mark Schatz has played with them regularly since 2003.

They formed in 1989 at "That Pizza Place" in Carlsbad, California with Scott Thile, Chris' father, playing string bass. The two families, the Watkins and the Thiles, met after Sean Watkins and Chris Thile had mandolin lessons with the same teacher. They don't like to be called a bluegrass band, but describe themselves as progressive acoustic that incorporates bluegrass into their music.

When You Come Back Down is a great Toad The Wet Sprocket cover. The track is off their first release, Nickel Creek, which was produced by bluegrass legend, Alison Krauss.

Gomez - Little Pieces

British indie-rock band Gomez has been together since 1996. They played their first gig together without a name for the band. They got their name, Gomez, because they left a sign out which read 'Gomez the gig's in here" for a friend of theirs whose surname was Gomez to indicate that it was the site of their first gig. People saw the sign and assumed that the band's name was Gomez - the name stuck.

Gomez tours extensively and has slowly built up a following in the US by playing many festivals like Cochella snd Bonnaroo.

Little Pieces is off their lastest release, A New Tide. This is their third release on Dave Matthews' label, ATO.

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals - In The Colors

Ben Harper grew up with music. His grandparents owned a music stored called 'The Folk Music Center and Museum' which listed Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal and David Lindley as patrons.

Since, recording his first album at age 20, Harper has continued to explore music, playing and recording with a wide range of artists. His early music was more popular in Europe and Australia than in the US, but that slowly changed and his 2006 release, Both Sides of the Gun debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts.

In The Colors is an excellent song off his 2007 release with The Innocent Criminals, Lifeline.

Scarlett Johansson - Green Grass

People know Scarlett Johansson for her prominent film roles in movies like Lost in Translation and Girl With A Pearl Earring. But recently, Johansson has begun to build up quite a music career also. In 2008, she released an album of ten cover versions of Tom Waits songs and one original song. It was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and features David Bowie, members from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration. The album was named the "23rd best album of 2008" by NME.

Green Grass is off this album, Anywhere I Lay My Head. In September, Johanssson is releasing a duet album with Pete Yorn.

Van Morrison - Into The Mystic

Today's Hump Day Retro Closet track is one of my favorite tunes of all time. Into the Mystic off Van Morrison's 1970 release Moondance, was not even released as a single as the record company did not feel it worthy.

It was covered by Johnny Rivers and was a top-40 hit for him. But Morrison's original version is so much better and contains the true essence of the song. As a lyricist, Morrison is often less interested in using words for meaning than for sound and Into the Mystic is perfect example of that. The exact lyrics have been debated for years; but it's not the words of the song, but the mood it induces that makes this one of my favorites.

Greg Laswell - Sing, Theresa Says

Hailing from San Diego, Greg Laswell was originally part of the group Shillglen, which released one album in 1999 and enjoyed moderate local success. The band quietly split in 2001 and Laswell went on to record solo material.

He founded and ran All the Rest Records, which went out of business in 2004. Since then, he started the label 20 Inch Records with associated artists Anya Marina, Ingrid Michaelson, Molly Jenson, Derren Raser, and Minnie Driver.

He has released three solo albums and several EP's. Sing, Theresa Says is a really wonderful song off his 2nd album, Through Toldeo.

Lucinda Williams - If Wishes Were Horses

Lucinda Williams born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is the daughter of poet and literature professor who worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and different parts of the American South before settling at the University of Arkansas. Williams started writing when she was 6 years old, was playing guitar at 12 and had her first live performance in Mexico City at 17, as part a duo with her friend.

She release her first albums (traditional country and blues) in 1978 and 1980, to little success. It was the song 'Passionate Kisses' off her 1988 self-title release that was covered by Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1994 that began her climb to fame. She got a Grammy for Best Country Song for the song in 1994. Her 1998 release, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, is her most successful release to date and she garnered another Grammy for it. She has continued to release albums to critical acclaim, but not the same commercial success although she did get a 3rd Grammy for Best Female Rock Performance for her single, Get Right With God.

If Wishes Were Horses is off her latest release, Little Honey.

Interesting Note: In the fall of 2007, Williams announced an unprecedented series of shows in Los Angeles and New York. Playing five nights in each city, it was the first time a major artist would perform her entire catalog on consecutive nights. These albums include the self titled Lucinda Williams, Sweet Old World, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Essence, and World Without Tears. Since these shows, other artists have imitated this idea in different variations, but to date no else has accomplished this exact feat. Each night also featured a second set with special guest stars.

Golden Smog - Ill Fated

Golden Smog is a loosely connected group of musicians comprised, at various times, of members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, The Honeydogs and Big Star. Golden Smog's lineup has often changed, but relative constants who appear on all the recordings are guitarists Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run), Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) and Gary Louris (The Jayhawks), along with bassist Marc Perlman (The Jayhawks).

Their beginnings are a bit fuzzy due to their evolving nature. But it is said they debuted in January 1987, when a band billed as 'The Take It To The Limit Band' played an (almost) all-Eagles cover show at the Uptown Bar in Minneapolis. This band consisted of Dan Murphy and Dave Pirner (both of Soul Asylum), Jim Boquist (later of Son Volt), and Martin Zellar (Gear Daddies). The show ended with a cover of then Bangles hit song "Walk Like an Egyptian." This same group later played a Rolling Stones-themed show in 1989 under the band name "Her Satanic Majesty's Paycheck."

They finally appeared under the name Golden Smog in 1989 in Minneapolis and released their first album, an EP called On Golden Smog, in 1992.

The group took their name from the name of a Flintstones character, which, in turn, was a parody of singer Mel Tormé's nickname (The Velvet Fog).

Ill Fated is off their 1995 recording, Down By The Old Mainstream.

Willie Nile - Game of Fools

Willie Nile (real name: Robert Anthony Noonan) came from a musical family. His grandfather was a vaudeville pianist and his uncles played boogie-woogie. Nile began playing piano at age eight and took classical music lessons until he was a teenager, when he taught himself his first rock & roll song. He soon began to compose short songs and continued the habit into his college years, when during the summers he made trips into New York City to frequent clubs like Folk City and the Gaslight.

After college, he went to Greenwich Village, determined to make a name for himself as a latter-day troubadour, which he did throughout the 70's and became a fixture in the Village. He released his first album in 1980 which garnered high critical praise. After his second album, he ran into legal issue with his record company and did not release a new album for the next 10 year, although he continued to write songs and tour.

Hard Times in America is off a great 1992 EP of the same name. The song seems to have relevance, even today.