Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio

We’ve added more than 300 songs to the Pure Pop Radio playlist in the past week and a half. Can we hear you all take a deep breath, let it out and shout “Wow!” That’s right: More than 300 songs have been added to the playlist, and we’re not done yet! Since a week ago Monday, we’ve been spotlighting some of the artists and songs that now call Pure Pop Radio their radio home. We’re itchin’ to tell you about some more goodies that are currently spinning in rotation on our air, so let’s get crackin’!

Marti Jones – You’re Not the Bossa Me. We enjoy a bit of bossa nova every now and then, but we admit we don’t know a whole lot about it. We’re eager to learn, though, so we zipped on over to Wikipedia, where we found out that bossa nova is a “lyrical fusion of samba and jazz” that dates back to the 1950’s and 1960’s. Marti Jones, her husband Don Dixon, their friend and artist in her own right Kelley Ryan, along with instrumentalist and writer Paul Cebar and percussionist Jim Brock combined their considerable talents to produce a dozen poppy bossa nova gems. We think you’ll fall instantly in love with them. The songs, written by Ryan, Dixon, Bill DeMain, Cebar and others, are brought to life with Jones’s magical voice. Jones has never sounded better. Produced by Ryan and Dixon, this is a slam dunk for a place on this year’s best-of lists. It’s pop music for discerning listeners, which, of course, means you and you and you, too. We love these songs so much that we’ve added them all to the Pure Pop Radio playlist. Some of our favorites: the beautiful “Orphan on the Beach ;” Heart and Bone,” a terrific pop song; and “A Man from the Past,” a great light pop tune. We think you’ll dig them all.

Ed Woltil – Paper Boats, A Reverie in Thirteen Acts. Ed Woltil, of course, is a member of the fine band the Ditchflowers. Ed’s solo album, a masterful collection of carefully considered and expertly delivered deeply-felt songs, is one of those records that stays with you after a single listen. Ed has done all of the heaviest lifting here: he wrote, performed, mixed and did some of the recording work along with Steve Connelly and Brian Merrill (also a Ditchflower). He also designed the lovely packaging which, in this day and age of instant downloads, grants him eternal sainthood. But it’s the music that matters most of all, and if you’re looking for great music, you’ve come to the right place. We are so in love with this record that we added the whole thing to the Pure Pop Radio playlist: “Algebra,” “Random Access Memory,” “Hiding in Plain Sight,” “If Somebody Loved Me,” “Someone Else’s Life,” “Illinois Sunset,” “The One and Only Anderson,” “Open,” “The Shortest Distance (Between Two Hearts),” “One in a Row,” “Foul Weather Friends,” “Boys,” and “Dance With Me One More Time.” A hall-of-fame-worthy release if ever there was one.

Billy J. Kramer – I Won the Fight. Old pro Billy J. Kramer, round about 50 years on from scoring on the charts with songs from John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is still in the music game, and on the basis of this wonderful new album, he should stay in the ring and keep turning out hit after hit after hit. Make no mistake, though: Kramer has his eye on the contemporary prize. While there is a certain retro charm to these songs, they were cut for a contemporary audience, who should greet them with open ears. We loved I Won the Fight so much that we added six songs to the Pure Pop Radio playlist, including “You Can’t Live on Memories,” Lennon-McCartney’s “I’m in Love”, “Sunsets of Santa Fe,” “You’re Right I’m Wrong,” and two versions of the very cool “To Liverpool With Love.”

Also added to the Pure Pop Radio playlist:

* Bubble Gum Orchestra – Beyond Time. We’re big fans of the Bubble Gum Orchestra. Adding songs from this latest BGO album was a no-brainer for us. If you’re new to BGO, and you’re a fan of the Electric Light Orchestra, you’ll be in heaven. The rest of you…well, you already know how good BGO is. We’d already added the first single, “ELO Forever”; we’ve added five more tunes, including “Return 2 4 Ever,” “Earth Below Me,” “I’m Coming Back Home,” “The World’s About to End,” and “Destination Home.” BGO is keeping the spirit and sound of ELO alive. Great job all around.

* The Paul and John – Inner Sunset. Musician and author Paul Myers has joined up with the Orange Peels’ John Moremen to produce an album full of great songs that you will want to revisit as soon as they’re done playing. We’ve added six songs to the Pure Pop Radio playlist: “Everything Comes Together,” “Hungry Little Monkey,” “Inner Sunset,” “Brickland,” “Can’t Be Too Careful,” and “Inner Sundown.”

* The Burgerheads – The Burgerheads. We go back through the mists of time to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s for some spectacularly catchy songs from a band that counted Klaatu’s Dee Long as guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player. We’re thrilled to add yet more music associated with Dee to the Pure Pop Radio playlist. We’ve got five great tunes now spinning in rotation: “On Her Own,” “New Summertime,” “Time,” “Jump and Dance,” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong.”

* Sunrise Highway – Windows. From this collection of strong, rock-flavored power pop and melodic pop tunes, we’ve added five addictive numbers: “Windows,” “Peter Pan,” “Foreverland,” “Big Mouth,” and “Sleeping City.” All melodic, full of deeply-felt hooks and widescreen vocal harmonies. Perfect for Pure Pop Radio and you.

That’s all for today, Pure Poppers. More to come tomorrow and Friday. Tune in to Pure Pop Radio all day and all of the night. We’re your original 24-hour-a-day melodic pop radio station on the Internet. Tune in by clicking on one of the handy listening links below.