Each of us has soundtracks, whether it’s nursery ballads, Broadway musicals, or Spotify lists. My soundtracks entertain me, spur memories and linger even now. Here are four, sorted by age, that I want to share:
Tom Waits: Nighthawks at the Diner. 1975.
A campus sensation in the mid-1970s, Nighthawks was Waits’ breakthrough with its gritty, often-humorous stories about low-lifes, seedy bars and late-night cafe patrons. He became wildly experimental, but he’s wonderfully accessible here.
Marc Cohn: Self-Titled. 1991.
Self-Titled, which featured “Walking in Memphis,” won him the 1992 “Best New Artist” Grammy. It includes such gems as “Walk on Water,” “Strangers in a Car” and my wedding dance, “True Companion.”
Pear Jam: Ten. 1991.
Ten, the band’s debut album, contains several of its most successful songs, including “Alive,” “Jeremy” and “Black.” Importantly, it introduced Eddy Vedder, the best male rock vocalist since Jim Morrison.
Joe Bonamassa: Blues of Desperation. 2016.
The world’s most popular blues artist, Bonamassa is an extraordinary song writer and a peerless guitarist. Blues of Desperation’s “This Train,” “Mountain Climbing” and “Drive” introduced me to modern blues.
