She & Him - This Is Not A Test

She & Him is duo of country-folk artist, M. Ward and actress, Zooey Deschanel (remember her from Elf?) They met on the set of The Go-Getter when the director asked Deschanel to do a duet with Ward.

The result of is the album Volume One which shows off Deschanel's songwriting and singing skills. This is Not A Test is a nice acoustic track with a 60's folk sound.

Ronny Jordan - The Jackal

Ronny Jordan is pure acid jazz funk. Record companies originally did not want anything to do with him. He showed them with all of his great work and a Grammy nomination in 2000.

The Jackal off his 1993 release, The Quiet Revolution, is an awesome song with Jordan's great guitar work and Dana Bryant's fun, funky lyrics - "I knew I had died and gone to chocolate heaven" Classic.
If you have a chance check out C.J. Cregg lip-synching it on the West Wing on YouTube.

Keller Williams - Freeker by the Speaker

Keller Williams can make the funkiest grooviest tunes come out of his 10 string guitar. He has been described as a one man jam band using a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro looping unit to create his backing loops in the moment, building and improvising as he goes.

Freeker By the Spreaker off the Laugh CD is awesome Williams funkiness.

Jerry Jeff Walker - Maybe Mexico

Jerry Jeff Walker has been playing and writing music since the 60's. He actually wrote and recorded the song Mr. Bojangles, but it did not become a hit until the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band recorded it.

He is so revered among the serious county music songwriters and fans that his birthday is a major celebration in Austin every March, when he plays several shows in different local clubs and theaters.

Maybe Mexico is a off the 1968 album Mr. Bojangles that includes the original recording of Mr Bojangles.

Marc Antoine - Cruisin'

Marc Antoine is modern jazz fusion guitarist who takes his classical training and blends a pop-latin sound to make some great music. Born in Paris, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris where he developed his skills learning classical guitar.

Cruisin' is off his 2001 release of the same name. Although, not his best album, the title track is a great song that makes me think of sitting on the beach, sun on my face and sipping on a drink with an little umbrella stuck in it.

Cibo Matto - Spoon

Cibo Matto (italian for 'food madness') is two Japanese-born women who both came to New York separately, met and formed the band. They blend several styles together to create music with a great groove. Both come from strong music backgrounds with Yuka Honda as a one-time member of Brooklyn Funk Essentials and Miho Hatori as a member of the Japanese rap group, Kimidori. They eventually went their own ways with Hatori teaming up with Gorillaz and Honda doing some producing.

Spoon off their 1999 release, Stereo Type A has an awesome groove. Cibo Matto has musical help from the likes of Sean Lennon and John Medeski and Billy Martin of Medeski, Martin & Wood.

Tinted Windows - Kind of a Girl

Tinted Windows' members are all veterans of the music scene: Taylor Hanson from Hanson (yes, that Hanson), Adam Schlesinger from Ivy and Fountains of Wayne, James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins and Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick. Not in my wildest imagination would I have come up with this supergroup. But Kind of a Girl is a great song off their self titled debut album that was just released. Awesome stuff. Check it out.

The The - Soul Catcher

The The is really Matt Johnson. He has occasionally brought in other musicians, such as ex-Smiths and ex-Electonic guitarist Johnny Marr, and turned The The into a full band. His musical portfolio extends across the spectrum from country (he did an album of Hank Williams covers) to dance-pop. Soul Catcher is off The The's last released album, Naked Self, in 2000.

In May 2007, The The released a new download-only single on their website. Entitled "Mrs. Mac", the song was about Johnson's first day of school as a child. All instruments and vocals on the track were performed by Johnson. A press release was issued along with the track, announcing a forthcoming album called The End of the Day, but to date, the album remains unreleased.

Harvey Danger - Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo

Hailing from Seattle, Harvey Danger, began as a cover band and built a dedicated following. They released their first album in 1997 and have released two albums since, each full of their witty, intelligent lyrics. Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo off their excellent album, King James Version, is a great tune. Although well reviewed, the album was not commercially successful and they have since released a 3rd album on their own independent label and from their web site.

Donna the Buffalo - Family Picture

I love it when others submit new music I've never heard before. I was introduced to Donna the Buffalo recently and love these guys. Family Picture off their 2-disc live CD Live from the American Ballroom is a great track and really showcases their rootsy folk sound. They were described to me as 10,000 Maniacs meets the Grateful Dead. How can I not like that.