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Marc Silver Marc Silver edits NPR's global health blog.
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Marc Silver

Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Puppini Sisters' Lament In Three-Part Harmony

The Puppini Sisters' shtick is to take the style of The Andrews Sisters and add postmodern zing. In the group's outstanding original tune "Jilted," the result sounds like a confessional column from a Swing Era edition of Cosmo.

'Jilted' by The Puppini Sisters

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Van Morrison Mocks His Alma Mater

Morrison's face bears the lines and concaves of a 62-year-old man. But in his new "School of Hard Knocks," his voice sounds as youthful and swaggering as it did when he was doing a moondance more than 30 years ago.

'School of Hard Knocks' by Van Morrison

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Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Shelby Lynne Channels Her Inner Dusty

"I Only Want to Be with You" was Dusty Springfield's first solo hit, back in 1964. Now, rebellious alt-country singer Shelby Lynne, who's had an up-and-down career, has remade the song as part of a Springfield tribute album. It's a radically different version.

'I Only Want to Be with You' by Shelby Lynne

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Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Dr. John: Chicken Gumbo For The Soul

"Life is a near-death experience," Dr. John sings in "You Might Be Surprised," and he's clearly addressing Hurricane Katrina's devastating effect on his beloved New Orleans. As if to clarify the inspiration, he adds, "Hell is right here on this great big earth."

'You Might Be Surprised' by Dr. John

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

Bobby Womack: A Soul Icon Dreams Of L.A.

Womack calls himself the "last soul man," and his 1968 version of The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'" demonstrates that it's no exaggeration. A highlight of a just-released retrospective CD, Womack's cover finds his rough-hewn voice adding a load of psychic pain absent from the jaunty original.

'California Dreamin'' by Bobby Womack

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Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Josh Fix: A One-Man Band Says Goodbye

Fix's "Free at Last" is a spurned lover's declaration of independence from the woman who dumped him: a finely orchestrated power ballad, sung at a deliberate pace and dedicated to the proposition that he's through with her, even though she's come back around.

'Free at Last' by Josh Fix

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Naomi Shelton Knows What You've Done

Naomi Shelton is gruff and she takes no guff. In an ominous minor key and a stern tone, the sixtysomething singer from Alabama asks the musical question, "What Have You Done?" Her backup singers in the Gospel Queens plead ignorance: "I don't know, I don't know."

'What Have You Done?' by Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens

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Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Marcia Ball Gets 'Right Back in It'

In "Right Back in It," Ball's awesome mélange of keyboard styles sets the tone: Call it the Zydeco boogie-woogie blues. Horns chug faster and faster throughout, and a guitar drops by for a rock 'n' roll interlude. In the end, there's even a moral that applies in a post-Katrina age.

'Right Back in It' by Marcia Ball

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Eli 'Paperboy' Reed Channels Soul's Giants

Reed spent his 18th year singing in the juke joints of Mississippi, and Delta DNA must have seeped into his bloodstream. The singer, who owes his nickname to a favorite paperboy-style hat, goes for the sound of Southern soul circa 1968 in "(Am I Just) Fooling Myself."

'(Am I Just) Fooling Myself' by Eli 'Paperboy' Reed

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Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Ben Waters Whips Up a Boogie 'Hurricane'

British boogie-woogie wizard Ben Waters sets a breakneck pace in "Hurricane," the title track from his new, import-only CD. In the process, he creates music that lives up to the boogie-woogie mission statement: making listeners want to get up and dance.

'Hurricane' by Ben Waters

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Monday

Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Look What's Growing in Spanish Harlem

The Harlem Experiment lives up to its name, with a sometimes-unexpected match of artists and songs to evoke the musical hotbed of New York's famously diverse neighborhood. In its highlight, James Hunter covers a cute pop tune from the '60s, with only a 1932 vintage guitar as backup.

'A Rose in Spanish Harlem' by The Harlem Experiment with James Hunter

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Brassy Jazz with the Soul of a Child

Diane Schuur really belts out the jazz standard "September in the Rain." She takes that old chestnut about "leaves of brown" that tumble down and she heats it up, adding just the right hint of rue. Her backup, a pianist whose touch is both light and lush, is surely a George Shearing disciple.

'September in the Rain' by Diane Schuur

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Bettye LaVette Picks Up the Pieces of a Lost Career

The '60s soul singer, newly discovered after decades of disappointment, sounds as if she means every word of Willie Nelson's "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces." Does any indie soul singer bring more guts, more conviction and more emotion to her singing?

'Somebody Pick Up My Pieces' by Bettye LaVette

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

'Andre's Blues' and the Sounds of Contentment

For two minutes and 21 seconds, Sir Andre Previn improvises in the studio and comes up with "Andre's Blues," one of the cuts on his new solo piano album. At the start, Previn's 78-year-old fingers take off in a lighthearted reverie and then segue into the business of the blues.

'Andre's Blues' by Andre Previn

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