Pop goes Cities 97's 'Sampler, Vol. 26,' with Ed Sheeran, Bleachers

After shifting toward youthful Top 40 pop on the airwaves over the past couple years, Cities 97 will also lean that way on its annual "Sampler" CD.

The track list for the Clear Channel station's "Sampler, Vol. 26" – on sale Nov. 20 – was revealed today and will include such slick pop-rockers as the 1975, Bleachers, Neon Trees, Phillip Phillips and Ed Sheeran and R&B-tinged singer Aloe Blacc alongside just a few of the folk-rocky singer/songwriter types that used to define the station, including Eric Hutchinson, ZZ Ward and Ingrid Michaelson.

Not a single local artist is featured on the 19-track collection, featuring recorded live cuts from the station's Studio C or local concerts. However, "Vol. 26" is at least rife with a lot of relatively new names, also including Mary Lambert, Delta Rae, Birdy, Echosmith, Scars on 45 and Jillette Johnson.

As usual, this year's "Sampler" will only be available in a limited quantity (35,000 copies) and only sold in area Target stores starting at 8 a.m. on Nov. 20. This year's price is $25.97, which will amount to around $910,000 for designated local charities when the CDs sell out. That will put the 26-year fundraising total up over $11 million.

Cities 97 (97.1 FM) will host another "Sampler" release party at Myth in Maplewood on Nov. 18 with performances by Scars on 45, Family of the Year, Oh Honey and Echosmith. Tickets will be given out on air.

Here's the full "Vol. 26" track list below. Check out Cities97.com to sample the recordings.