Readers’ Choice 2024
Part One
PLAYLIST
• 32 great songs on Spotify featuring roots and blues, soul, gospel, folk and more all from the archives of contributor Ted Lane
New Orleans’ Dr John the Night Tripper (aka Mac Rebbenack) was one of contributor Ted Lane‘s favourite musicians. He shows up in two songs on today’s 32-song playlist – his light and easy hit Such a Night along with a cover version of Walk on Guilded Splinters by Paul Weller formerly of UK band The Jam.
CONTRIBUTOROn the cusp of 2025 Kurated opens the seventh annual Readers’ Choice series with a 32-song playlist culled from selections made by my late, longtime neighbour, friend and erudite music fan, Ted Lane. He would have turned 84 today – New Year’s Eve.
Ted died of cancer late in 2022 and contributed to this Kurated series from its start. His family shared his Spotify playlists with me including a 1297-song set he’d been compiling over several years plus his 2022 “best-of” selections. Last year I presented the first of what will be several playlists featuring his timeless faves from those lists over the next few years.
See the titles for today’s songs in the track list below.
The 7th Annual Readers’ Choice
One of Kurated’s aims is to share music with you. In turn, readers often mention new music, upcoming concerts, offer musical opinions and more. Once a year you’re invited to act as guest curators to highlight music that’s caught your attention during the last year in the annual Readers’ Choice series. Anything musical is welcomed whether its new, an old favourite, something self-composed and more. Thanks to all of you contributors for participating!
30 December 2024
Ted Lane
Victoria, BC
Adia Victoria is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter and poet who has been performing and recording since 2014
32-song playlist
Ted’s musical passions focused on roots and blues and wholeheartedly encompassed soul, gospel, traditional R&B, various forms of jazz and more.
Unlike most of us, he was there from the start when Bob Dylan emerged on the New York scene in the early 60s and was a huge fan of his work through the 80s.
And while he followed well known artists like The Band, Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin, Ry Cooder, David Lindley and Aretha Franklin, he had an uncanny knack for finding excellent performers most of us have never heard of.
In today’s playlist you may want to check out Adia Victoria, based in Nashville, who keeps company with progressive black, feminist artists like Rhiannon Giddens. And while Patti Scialfa has a certain profile as a singer in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band – and being the Boss’ wife – who knew her own songs were as good as the one sampled here? Then there’s Davina and the Vagabonds on the lovely Heavenly Day and Gretchen Peters’ Blackbirds. Ellen Jewel’s Summertime and Ray Bonneville’s Bad Man’s Blood are worth a listen too.
TRACK LIST
