5. Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Rap comes and goes as something I listen to.  On this particular track I love the vibe and Alicia Keys adds a killer chorus.

4. True Faith – Anberlin
Anberlin has helped me learn to appreciate some of the music of the 80s.  Their cover of “Enjoy the Silence” led to my enjoyment of Depeche Mode.  After listening to the New Order version I have decided that Anberlin exhibited enough creativity on this track that it might almost be a new song.  It has been on or near the top of the music I’ve listened to the past few weeks.

3. I will rise up – Lyle Lovett
This came on while driving with my family over the Christmas holiday.  It is a reimagining of an old slave spiritual and contributes to my continued belief that Lyle Lovett is one of the premiere performers and songwriters of our generation.  The introduction of the horn section in the extended outro gave me chills.

2. Wonderful – Rob Thomas
Another song where the horns mean almost everything.  Cradlesong was an album where almost every song was great, a much stronger output than Something to Be.  Wonderful may well be the best song on the album.

1. Assassin – John Mayer
This may well be my favorite John Mayer song on my least favorite John Mayer album.  Much of his work pays homage to great artists on the bluesier end of Rock n’ Roll like Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Jimi Hendrix.  This song on the other hand is much closer to The Police and Peter Gabriel.  Weird samples, key changes, and the story telling are all things that make this a great song.