28 November 2025 - Nicolette Larson - Lotta Love

In a past life, this would have gone on Totally Covered. Or, maybe it did.  But I don't really think of it as a cover.   

Nicolette Larson was from Helena, Montana.   She was a backup singer for many artists, including Neil Young.... and she and Linda Ronstadt both sang backup on his 1978 album Comes A Time, which featured this song (Larson did not sing backup on that song).  Larson and Ronstadt have different recollections on how her version came to be.  Ronstadt said - in 2013, in her memoirs - that she made the suggestion and Larson's producer was appreciative.  

Larson's story is more colorful.  Her recollection was that she found a demo version of the song on a tape on the floor of Neil Young's car.... and he gave her the song.  

She took Young's melancholic song and turned it upbeat, with strings and horns.... and made herself a classic. Held until October 1978 - waiting to see if Neil would release it as a single (he did not - although it did end up being a B-side) - her version - her debut single - ended up being a top 10 pop hit, her biggest by far. 

It wasn't easy to find a real live version of this song.  A lot of her early ones were on TV and were lipsynced.

However, this performance from 1991 - six years prior to her untimely death - show that she still had it.

This live recording from 1978 is absolutely spectacular.  

27 November 2025 - Gelli Haha - Spit

Sometimes, serendipity plays a role.   Today is one of those days. And I am thankful for that!

Angel Abaya was born in Boise, Idaho, and joined the Boise music scene at the age of 18.  She's definitely Idahoan...

Her latest (not really debut) album - Switcheroo - was released under the stage name Gelli Haha, because it moved from her earlier work (as Angel Abaya), which was guitar-driven pop, to more electronic, playful pop. 

It was the right call. I have to say, I really enjoy this sound quite a bit, and the album is one of my favorites of the year. 

This song is a highlight of the album, with it's overabundance of 's' words..... and let's be clear, the red aesthetic isn't just a stage persona - it's a lifestyle choice for her.  

She has not performed live as Gelli Haha MUCH, but when she does, she leads with this song.  Stick around for the rest of the performance, because it very well might be the most fun you'll have listening to music this year. 

Also - was NOT joking about the red.

26 November 2025 - 7 Seconds - Young Till I Die (and a surprise)

7 Seconds formed in Reno, Nevada during the rise of punk in 1980.   Although there have been significant lineup changes, they're still around and still performing. And yes, Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth - the real life Marvelli brothers - are still there. 

This song is from their 1984 debut album The Crew - regarded by many as one of the greatest hardcore albums ever recorded.  And, really, it's raw and angry and energetic.... and somewhat stoic.  Written by Kevin Seconds, it has an almost straight-edge feel.... but it ain't straight-edge.  

So, this song was released in 1984.  

Thirty years later, they performed it in Moscow with arguably more energy.

But if you know them before this post, you probably know them for their cover of the Nena classic song "99 Red Balloons" (yes, the English version).

It's spectacular.

This is the one song they can't not play.   And it's always just as spectacular.

As Kevin says during this performance EARLIER THIS YEAR, they first performed this song in 1982.

In 2025.... 45 years after they formed.... it still sounds spectacular. 

25 November 2025 - Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - Easy Lover

Today, we talk about Colorado.  

We're not talking about Phil Collins.  We can discuss him another day.  

Philip Bailey was born in Denver, Colorado, which is why he's here today.  In his prime, he was known for a four octave vocal range - and served as one of the two lead vocalists for the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.  

But he also had a solo career - and while he had a few hits, none eclipsed this collaboration with the Genesis drummer, which was a huge hit worldwide.  The story behind this one is quite simple - Collins was also a pretty well-regarded producer, and he was hired to produce Bailey's 1984 album Chinese Wall.  At the end of the sessions, Bailey asked Collins to co-write a song with him.... this song.  They had a great time writing it, and so they recorded it right away (and you can actually hear in this video some of the raw sessions from that - which I love).  

It ended up being just great just as they did it.  

And, at this point, I'd usually overwhelm you with their individual live performances of the song.  

Not today.  This is #AmericanAutumn, not #UKNovember.  So, here's Bailey performing the song live with Kenny Loggins.  Kenny's just not as good a match - but Bailey's voice is fantastic.  

24 November 2025 (Special Edition) - Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross

It was announced this morning that famed Jamaican singer the Honourable Jimmy Cliff OM, who had a career that started in the early 1960s, passed away today - from a seizure followed by pneumonia.  He was 81 years old.

That title refers to the Jamaican Order of Merit, an award celebrating great achievement by their citizens or by others that have had a huge impact on Jamaica in the sciences, arts, or any other endeavor.  He was the only living reggae musician to receive that honor. 

His career was full of hits and accolades, including this one, which he originally wrote and recorded in 1969.  Others - most notably Annie Lennox, UB40, and Cher - made this song into a much bigger hit that Cliff did (it was a French hit, oddly, a place where he had a lot of hits).  He certainly had much bigger hits.  

I chose this one as a fitting tribute because of this heartfelt and well-received performance from the 2003 Glastonbury festival.  

His voice and his passion will be missed. 

24 November 2025 - 311 - All Mixed Up

Did you know 311 were from Omaha?

And that THIS was actually both their biggest pop and airplay hit song, not "Down"?  Yep, it got more airplay in 1996.... although, let's face it, they both got a fairly large amount. 

I always kind of had a soft spot for 311, and even though I wasn't a fan of reggae, I liked this reggae-infused song quite a bit.  

The song - written by Nick Hexum and SA Martinez - gets its title and theme from an early Elvis Presley interview, where he described himself as "All Mixed Up" over his fame. Seriously/

The band is still together and largely unchanged. In fact, they did a pretty excellent Tiny Desk Concert at the NPR studios last year....on March 11th, by the way... and this made me realize something I didn't really notice prior...

The song is a duet - between the two songwriters (Martinez is wearing the jean jacket and bald head, with Hexum taking lead). How did I not realize that?

21 November 2025 - Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son

OK, this one's a little on the nose. 

Kansas, the band, is right from the state capitol of Topeka, founded in 1854 (that's the order, guys. Order of founding of the state capitol.  Now you know). 119 years later, a band called White Clover - which would become Kansas - formed there.  

This song, from their fourth album - 1976's Leftoverture - would serve as the lead single and the band's first top 40 hit, peaking at #11.  Written by guitarist Kerry Livgren, who wrote a LOT of the band's earlier music, it was the last song recorded for the album.  Livgren described the song as autobiographical and as being "beamed down to him" - foreshadowing a preachier sound that would follow his being born again in 1979.   

Anyway, this is one of the greatest classic rock songs ever written.  Fight me. 

AND THE WORD "MY" DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE TITLE!!!!!

Fifty years on, Kansas persists.  

This performance from 2009 features original vocalist Steve Walsh, who still has it (he did NOT when I saw him a few years later, but from what I could tell, it was an off night).  He would retire from performing in 2014, but he gave it everything he had until the end.

Kansas has had a few vocalists since Walsh left, (although Ronnie Platt since 2014) but still, they tour.  And they sound really good.

They even sounded good in 1982, after Steve Walsh left the first time - and John Elefante (chosen because he didn't take issue with Kerry Livgren's turn to Christian music) took over as vocalist.