Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "'S Wonderful" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings the George Gershwin Songbook
A great Gershwin song, and Ella delivers it with just the right tone of happy, surprised, delight.

2. "Lady with the Spinning Head" - U2 - One (Single)
What used to be called a b-side, this sounds like an early stab at The Fly, but it's still a decent U2 song all on its own.

3. "Paperback Writer" - The Beatles - The Beatles 1
I'm not a huge Beatles fan (gasp), but that they were damn strong songwriters is undeniable.

4. "Will I?" - Jonathan Larson - Rent (Original Broadway Cast)
One of my favorite numbers from this score. A kind of round, with various characters singing about the uncertainty of the future living with AIDS brings: "Will I lose my dignity/Will someone care/Will I wake tomorrow/From this nightmare?"

5. "Goodbye" - John Ottman - X-Men 2 (score)
A decent, but not great, score, that's a tad too generic for my tastes.

6. "New York (Live)" - U2 - U2 Elevation Tour 2001 - Live from Boston
One of the lesser songs off of All that You Can't Leave Behind, it fared much better live than on disc. I wish they had shelved this for the tour and done that album's "When I Look at the World" instead.

7. "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" -- Audra McDonald -- How Glory Goes
I like Audra better when she's doing contemporary musical theater songs, but it can't be denied that she excels on these old standards as well.

8. "Last Boat Leaving" - Elvis Costello - Spike
One of Costello's prettier songs, a Celtic-feeling ballad with some great guitar (mandolin?) work.

9. "Variation VII2" - Brahms - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
I bought the disc for the Beethoven, and have probably only listened to the Brahms once. My loss.

10 "But Not for Me" -- Elvis Costello -- Glory of Gershwin
A star-studded Gershwin tribute album featuring harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler on all tracks. He adds a nice soulfulness to Costello's respectful but impassioned rendition of this great Gershwin ballad.

Until Whenever


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