5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #17

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.  Green Manalishi, by Fleetwood Mac

Before Fleetwood Mac became the highly beloved pop rock band that they have become known for since the mid-70's, they were a straight up blues/rock band fronted by notable bluesman Peter Green. Before quitting the band in 1970, one of the last songs he ever wrote with the band was quite a rocker. In a way it was almost heavy metal, which is why in the late 70's it was covered by Judas Priest on their Hellbent For Leather album. The lyrics are full of frightening dream imagery; not surprising as Green was into many forms of drugs at the time. Be that as it may, this is a classic from the original Fleetwood Mac line-up.

2. Up to the Light, by The Soft White Sixties

I've mentioned this band on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective before and I will do it again. The Soft White Sixties is a newer band that blends modern pop with classic rock in quite a clever way. This piano centric song is quite cheery and features some vocal harmonies that are so perfect that they give me shivers. In a way, it's mildly reminiscent of Electric Light Orchestra's Mr. Blue Sky in terms of the kind of vibe it produces. Once you learn the lyrics it will be pretty difficult for you not to be singing along.

3. I'm the Only One, by Melissa Etheridge

This early 90's hit is a pretty groovy tune. It's about as basic as you can get in terms of singing the blues. Etheridge's powerful gritty vocals backed by the steady chugging of a 12 string guitar is a match made in heaven. Plus, if you're a woman who has ever been done wrong by a man but still love him this song is right up your alley. Nothing but pure honesty behind these lyrics being belted out with a glowing hot intensity. If you didn't hear it playing on the radio a lot during the 90's, you need to play it. Now.

4. Cry Freedom, by Black Country Communion

During this super-group's short lived tenure they put out a slew of great heavy blues rock songs. On their third album Afterglow guitarist/backing vocalist Joe Bonamassa and bassist/lead vocalist Glenn Hughes both sang on a song together, trading off lead vocals at certain points. It's a powerful song of revolution and freedom. The structure isn't that complex (though the main riff makes you want to bang your head and groove), but the amps are turned up to 10 and both singers are giving their all into a meaningful song.

5. Whole Lotta Sabbath, by Wax Audio

Do you love Black Sabbath? Do you love Led Zeppelin? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then I HIGHLY recommend you check out this mash-up of Black Sabbath's Warpigs and Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love done by Wax Audio. The marriage between these two songs is impeccable. The editing is seamless and everything flows together as a cohesive song. It's a creative way to take samples from each song and make them into something new and unique. If you're new to the idea of mash-ups, this is a great place to start.