5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #26

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. The Thrill is Gone, by B.B. King

With the unfortunate passing of the King of the blues, what better way to honor his memory than putting on one of his best known songs? If your relationship just doesn't have the spark any more and it's giving you the blues this is the perfect song for you. B.B. King's smooth soulful voice expresses the pain the song communicates perfectly. It's as though he is going through it himself. Even better is once King just can't say any more with his mouth, his guitar Lucille does the talking for him and speaks on an emotional level that no human words ever could.

2. Heaven and Hell, by Black Sabbath

This past Saturday marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of the mighty Ronnie James Dio. This being one of his most highly renowned songs I figure it was fitting to put on the list in order to keep his memory and legacy alive. It's a fantastic song. Every member of Black Sabbath was on their game. With his soaring vocals and prolific lyrics Dio proved that Black Sabbath would do just fine without Ozzy Osbourne fronting the band. As he did with all of his work, Dio put every last fiber of his being into his writing and performance. May he continue to R.I.P.

3. Hold Me Tight, by The Beatles

If all this talk of death has been a bit of a drag, then this should be a pretty good pick-me-up. The Beatles really did make some ear pleasing pop dance tunes in their early years. Plus, who doesn't love singing along to a song about love? Well I suppose those in a bad mood (like someone who just got dumped), but I digress. The harmonies are precise and sweet and the rhythms make you want to get up, grab your girl or guy and do some dancing that doesn't involve grinding and twerking. You know, actual dancing.

4. La Grange, by ZZ Top

If you're looking for some southern style blues with some balls to it, look no further.  The trio from Texas goes balls to the wall in this classic. The riffs are big, the groove is kicking, and the solos are absolutely out of this world. Plus, it's a great way to get your fix of pinch harmonics without hearing them all the time like the way Zakk Wylde does when he plays guitar. It's simple. It's gritty. It's fun. Some times that's all you need in order to get your point and your passion across to your listeners. ZZ Top seems to have that down.

5. Accident Prone, by Snakecharmer

Good new classic rock still exists if you know where to look. This group consists of former members of Whitesnake and has other noteworthy musicians as well such as Adam Wakeman, son of Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. It is straight up bluesy hard rock with a little bit of modern shine given to the production. Accident Prone was the main single to Snakecharmer's 2013 self-titled debut album Snakecharmer. It does a pretty spiffy job showing off how much youthful energy these older generation rockers still have and how they can raise the bar even for younger musicians. Give it a listen. You won't regret it.