A week of battling some icky sickness has left me with not a whole lot of motivation to write.  So I apologize for the brevity of this week’s list … do not take it as any commentary on the quality of the music. 🙂

1.  Heartbeat – The Fray

I’m a big fan of these guys; they might be big time rock stars, but that doesn’t stop me from loving their distinctive writing style and their pop sensibility.  Loving this, their new single that was released this week.

2. Atlantic City (Springsteen Cover) – Benjamin Francis Leftwich

I have fallen madly in love with this Brit songwriter’s soft, lilting trill … so when I saw he had a FREE covers EP up for download, I snatched it up.  And imagine my joy when I saw one of my favorite Springsteen songs there.  While BFL’s version retains the eerie sadness of Springsteen’s, his voice definitely makes the song something new.  Totally digging it.

3.  Black Sky (Alpha Rev cover) – Carbon Leaf
As if they know that I’m completely freaking out about my three-day mini tour this week, Alpha Rev and Carbon Leaf have been exchanging video covers of each others’ songs this week.  This one is pretty phenomenal and (see my post from earlier this week) is available for free download and benefits Texas Wildfire Relief.

4.  Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover) – Gareth Asher

Gareth came through town this week and seeing him perform always puts a smile on my face.  Gareth has such a love for life and a passion for his craft, and when you pair those two things with his incredible voice, there’s nothing better.  He covered this Michael Jackson classic on Thursday night, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.  This is a live version from his Eddie’s Attic show on his birthday.

5.  Little Black Dress – Honor By August
A lovely little pop-candy gem from my favorite DC boys.  Pick up the studio version for free over at Noisetrade right now.  Until it’s available on SoundCloud, here’s the video from the first time they played the song live at Iota … proud to say I was there for the debut!