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

Brandi Shearer: In A 'Glad,' Romantic Mood
courtesy of the artist

Review

Song Of The Day

Brandi Shearer: In A 'Glad,' Romantic Mood

Shearer's voice remains soft and gentle throughout "How Glad I Am," as her guitar strums the major chords that function as the melody's stepping stones. As the song builds in intensity, her voice gathers strength and fake strings chime in, courtesy of a keyboard. But Shearer's dark side emerges, too.

'How Glad I Am' by Brandi Shearer

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Paul Burch: Blown Off By 'Honey Blue'

Thank goodness for Burch's fumbling fingers: The latter-day honky-tonk artist accidentally erased the finished take of his song "Honey Blue," so he put an earlier version on his new album, Still Your Man. As a result, the track has an earthy, impromptu feel, as if a bunch of talented musicians just wandered into a studio and began jamming.

'Honey Blue' by Paul Burch

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Kate Schutt: In Pursuit Of 'Second Kisses'

In "Take Me With You," young Canadian singer Kate Schutt (who comes from the same indie-folk/jazz/soul school as Norah Jones) sings a come-on in glassily clear and glossily sweet tones: "Take me with you when you want to / Take me with you when you don't."

'Take Me With You' by Kate Schutt

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Tuesday

Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

Levon Helm: Still Keening After All These Years

"Stuff You Gotta Watch" is a good match for Levon Helm's roughed-up tenor. An upbeat Muddy Waters blues song, the tongue-in-cheek "Stuff" offers a warning for guys who date bad women — the kind who'll "spend your dough and drink your gin."

'Stuff You Gotta Watch' by Levon Helm

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Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Ruthie Foster (Quietly) Tells The Truth

"I Really Love You" finds Foster singing to a guy who isn't that into her, pleading, "If you could only feel all the love I have for you." But she's not hitting him over the head with a gutbucket blues growl. Her warm and grainy voice is utterly conversational, totally natural and effortlessly charming.

'I Really Love You' by Ruthie Foster

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

John Scofield: A Guitarist's Fingers 'Fly Away'

Guitarist John Scofield has given birth to a new musical genre: country-gospel-jazz. (Maybe call it "co-go-ja" for short?) As proof, just listen to his reinvention of the 1929 Christian classic "I'll Fly Away."

'I'll Fly Away' by John Scofield

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

An Old Song For A New Depression

Pianist Marcus Roberts is sinking his talented fingers into the familiar melody of "Ain't Misbehavin'." His instrumental take is a highlight of his new album, New Orleans Meets Harlem, Vol. 1, which salutes the great pianists of the past.

'Ain't Misbehavin' ' by Marcus Roberts

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Friday

Review

Song Of The Day

Bluesman Seth Walker Has A Surprising Song

Walker's sweet tenor carries an edge of pain, as well as affection for blue notes. His blues music isn't just about guitars and drums, just as it isn't about the torn jeans and unshaven face he presents on his Web site. Topping off that hobo look is a fedora with a sharp crease — a cool, nostalgic hat that's the sartorial equivalent of "I Got a Song."

'I Got a Song' by Seth Walker

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Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Madeleine Peyroux Finds Rock And Soul

In the secret labs of music collaboration, where deceased singers are matched with living partners, has anyone ever tried to bring Billie Holiday and Hall & Oates together? Probably not, but when Lady Day enthusiast Madeleine Peyroux sings "You Can't Do Me," it's as if Holiday and the self-proclaimed "rock and soul" boys had a musical moment.

'You Can't Do Me' by Madeleine Peyroux

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

The Bad Plus: The Dark Heart Of The Bee Gees

A ghostly bass plucks out notes that tremble with foreboding. A Steinway piano injects haunting, minor-key arpeggios. A woman chimes in, her voice seemingly filtered through gauze. It's natural to expect a song of apocalyptic doom, until it becomes clear that she's crooning "How Deep Is Your Love," that falsetto-fueled Bee Gees relic from the disco era.

'How Deep Is Your Love' by The Bad Plus

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Monday

Review

Song Of The Day

Melinda Doolittle Wields A Mighty Broom

"Dust My Broom" was recorded by the legendary bluesman Robert Johnson back in 1936, and Doolittle tackles it with strength while avoiding histrionics. She knows her way around a bluesy run, she sings with a well-placed rasp and she rides herd over powerhouse horns, driving drums, funky keyboards and an army of backup singers.

'Dust My Broom' by Melinda Doolittle

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Wednesday

Review

Song Of The Day

One-Named Guitarist Honors One-Eyed Pianist

Midway through "Booker," Milton lets pianist Frank Campbell step in and bring the essence of New Orleans legend James Booker to the proceedings. Campbell's interlude captures the sweet side of Booker's syncopated style, while demonstrating how men like Booker used their music to drive the blues away.

'Booker' by Milton

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Thursday

Review

Song Of The Day

Bobby Lounge: Finally, It's Time For 'Rudolph'

A pianist hammers out a jaunty intro that sounds familiar, yet seems hard to place. There are octave runs and an insistent bass line, as well as repeated chords that conjure up "Heart and Soul." Wait, could it be? It sure could, as Bobby Lounge begins yelping like Jerry Lee Lewis and singing words that everyone knows by heart: "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer / Ow, he had a shiny nose..."

'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' by Bobby Lounge

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Tuesday

Review

Song Of The Day

Joplin's 'Bethena' Sounds As New As It Is Old

When Scott Joplin wrote "Bethena (A Concert Waltz)" in 1905, his wife of two months had just died; Bethena may well have been her nickname. Now, more than a century later, "Bethena" sounds as fresh as it if were written just minutes ago, a tender and heartfelt remembrance of a love lost.

'Bethena (A Concert Waltz)' by Scott Joplin (performed by Randy Kerber)

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