On this episode of Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music, The Decemberists capture our current political moment, plus classic Marvin Gaye, the late Laura Nyro‘s upcoming box set (with another Motown classic), and poetry from Lawrence Ferlenghetti + Ray Charles for an interesting mix!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for Nov. 16, 2024

• “One And The Same” – Thee Sacred Souls
  
• “Magnetic” – Tunde Adebimpe
  
• “Whipped Cream Daydream” – Tunde Olaniran
• “Nowhere To Run” – Laura Nyro
  
• “She’s Got What It Takes” – The Tragically Hip
  
• “America Made Me” – The Decemberists
• “Severed” – The Decemberists
• “Everything Is Awful” – The Decemberists
• “The Rest Of Me” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “In The City” – Lady Blackbird
• “Spirits” – The Devil Makes 3
• “Debra” – Beck (Midnight Vultures released this week, 1999)

• “Smoky Mountain DNA” – Dolly Parton
• “Dolly P/Jolene” – Beyonce
• “Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyonce” – Andre 3000
• “I’m Ready” – Nick Piunti & the Complicated Men
• “Never Alone” – Amythyst Kiah
• “My Kind Of Town” – Marvin Gaye (Hello Broadway released this week, 1964)
• “Sea Of Love” – The Honeydrippers (Vol. 1 released this week, 1984)
• “I’ll Go Anywhere” – Mustafa
• “Empty Trainload Of Sky” – Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings
• “Tear My Stillhouse Down” – Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings (Acoustic Cafe, 1996)
• “Sunshine Life For Me” – George Harrison & The Band
• “Milonga accidental” – Alisa Amador
• “Just My Luck” – Obongjayar
• “Pity The Nation” – Lawrence Ferlenghetti
• “America The Beautiful” – Ray Charles

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org.

It’s a busy week for new releases when it comes to the Michigan music scene, particularly around the metro Detroit area!

Let’s start with the incomparable Flint-based musician/artist Tunde Olaniran, releasing their latest album, Chaotic Good, celebrated by a performance next Saturday, at the Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids!

Too Bad by Tunde Olaniran

Meanwhile, Detroit-based electronic art-pop auteur My Brightest Diamond, aka Shara Nova, have released three new singles from her forthcoming album, Fight the Real Terror, which is out today!

We heard this song, “Safe House,” last week on MI Local.

Fight The Real Terror by My Brightest Diamond

Next, let’s bend our ears towards Kalamazoo to listen to an interesting new album featuring the versatile instrumental hip-hop producer known as The Lasso (aka Andy Catlin), paired up with the boundary-pushing indie-rock quartet known as The Go Rounds.

Catlin is a former member of The Go Rounds, which made this a natural collaboration. This new album by The Lasso (& The Go Rounds), released just yesterday, is titled Pedal Steel, and our favorite track from it is “Goldwine.”

PETAL STEEL by The Lasso, The Go Rounds

Back here in Detroit, a ’90s-vibed indie-rock quartet known as The Microplastics have released a catchy and dreamy little ballad that has just the right amount of spookiness to help us settle into some autumnal vibes; it’s called “Undead.”

Undead – Single by The Microplastics

Finally, let’s go out with a ballad, a poignant lovelorn pop ballad by Detroit-based singer/songwriter Rory Moon, titled “Some Day,” following up her debut single, “About You.”

Listen to “MI Local” with Jeff Milo every Tuesday from 9-10 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET.