February 16, 2009My Drop Top Playlist - February 2009

LIVE from the beach, here are the songs that I most enjoyed listening to while tooling around South Florida this President’s Day weekend:

10) Banquet (Bloc Party) - exploitation of the downbeats in this tune give it an upbeat but anxious sound; the resulting vibe is well matched to the task of zipping around through traffic

9) Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie) - the speakers will always welcome this classic with its strong baseline and uplifting melodies belted out by the dynamic duo of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie

8) Pumpkin Soup (Kate Nash) - this charged song is emboldening and promotes a desire to engage in aggressive flirtation at stop lights and at high speeds

7) I’m Yours (Jason Mraz) - the light and carefree sound is complemented nicely by the visual of cresting ocean waves

6) Shut Up and Drive (Rihanna) - in spite of the cliche it is a really good driving song

5) Lights (Journey) - best heard at dusk, this Journey tune is a steadfast favorite in both convertibles and hardtops in any of these locales: coastal, mountain or urban (not recommended for open rural farm roads; try King of Wishful Thinking (Go West) for that)

4) The City is Mine (Jay Z & Blacskstreet) - this underrated gem that samples the theme from Miami Vice is the right combo of aggressive hip hop and soft jazz (on a sidenote: I also really like the more authentic and sans hip hop rendition done by the Eagles during their Farewell II tour which they did because Glenn Frey actually wrote the song)

3) Talk Show Host (Radiohead) - be whisked away to the bleak Verona Beach portrayed in Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet

2) What You Waiting For (Gwen Stefani) - with its peppy and persistent beat, the song’s frenetic sound is perfect for driving in 55mph+ zones

1) Sexy (Black Eyed Peas) - not a new song and definitely not old enough to be considered a vintage throwback, but for whatever reason this my favorite, hands down

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