Short Cut: Fuzzy soul from alt country frontman.

Scenic Route: Jim James has taken time off from My Morning Jacket to create his first non-Yim Yames album. I was not as excited to hear it as I would have been in the past. I am slightly burned out on My Morning Jacket. But I was quickly wronged by the beautiful mix I heard coming from my speakers. It is a pleasant album that evokes emotion from all of the tracks. “Know Til Now” in particular keeps me pressing the back button on my stereo. The combo of Jim’s vocal delivery and the repeating beat makes for a joyful audio experience.

9) Nik Kershaw “Wouldn’t It Be Good”

I do not have a great reason for loving this song, except that it grabbed me on first listen. That should be enough. I first heard it once in 1984 and couldn’t get it out of my head. I only heard it a few times during its initial release on local radio station 95XIL and didn’t have the wherewithal to go get this tape. Flash forward to the summer of 1996 where I saw it at Best Buy on a discounted 80′s collaboration cd. I immediately overplayed this song, and for good reason. It hit on all the levels I briefly remembered as a seven year old. Some simple hooks can help artists go platinum. This hook wormed its way into my memory and stayed there until I found the song again 10 years later.