Doin' the Friday Shuffle

1. "Ascension Day" - Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint - The River in Reverse
Costello and Toussaint's Nawlins'-infused musical reaction to Katrina is inspired; the two make a surprisingly good pair, with Toussaint's assured, jazzy piano keeping Costello loose and free. This track, just Toussaint's piano and Costello's voice, is a highlight of the album.

2. "Bill" - Audra McDonald - How Glory Goes
Audra makes yet another much-covered standard her own.

3. "When Sue Wears Red" - Ricky Ian Gordon, sung by Darius DeHaas - Bright Eyed Joy
An odd but affecting mix of twinkly art song and bouncy standard.

4. "A Girl in the Valley" - Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, sung by Rebecca Luker and Mandy Patinkin - The Secret Garden (Original Broadway Cast)
A sweet ballad with just a hint of bitter melancholia (a widower is singing a duet with the ghost of his dead wife, after all)

5. "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" - Bob Dylan and Joan Baez - Bob Dylan Live 1975 (The Bootleg Series Volume 5)
A comfortable, kind-of-twangy romp.

6. "Monkey to Man" - Elvis Costello - The Delivery Man
A funky ode to evolution.

7. "Jewish Town (Krakow Ghetto - Winter '41) - John Williams - Schindler's List
Wintry, cold, sorrowful stuff. One of Williams' finest scores.

8. "When You Look at a Man" - Michael John LaChiusa - Marie Christine
Quick snippet of scene transition material.

9. "I Wish I Were in Love Again" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook
Didn't this pop up last week?

10. "The Coast" - Paul Simon - Rhythm of the Saints
A typical Simon melody anchored by some wonderful shuffling, cool and calm percussion.