Pick Six is a half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view.
Mark Lindberg of Minneapolis:
1 Nanci Griffith, "One Fair Summer Evening." With news of her passing recently at 68, I dove back into her catalog. This live recording from 1988 captures her essence, bringing to life homespun characters, lost loves and longstanding dreams of a more just world.
2 Buddy Guy, "The Blues Chase the Blues Away," PBS. This is not particularly creative as music docs go, but the courage and persistence of this Mississippi-born, Chicago-based bluesman shines through over and over. Nuggets include the origin of those polka dot guitars.
3 Lorde, "Solar Power." The video for the title track is charming, but don't stop there. Lorde weaves together a clean production and dreamy vibe to create a pretty interesting mix of tunes that are both confessional and eco-friendly. If you're looking for some light, late-summer fare, this could be your jam.
Jon Bream, Star Tribune critic:
1 Lizzo on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Even though the interview with guest host Niall Horan was remote, Lizzo seized the moment. Flirty, funny and fast with her sharp and silly tongue, she made the ex-One Direction singer (One Erection, she said) blush seven or eight times. If this wasn't Lizzo's audition for hosting her own talk show, it demonstrated her larger-than-life, playfully sassy personality that's abundant on her fun new hit, "Rumors."
2 Jason Isbell, "Sad But True." He gives the Metallica song a passionate country-punk feel with slide guitar on the all-star covers collection for charity, "The Metallica Blacklist." Others contributing to this massive 53-track project include Miley Cyrus, St. Vincent, J. Balvin and Kamasi Washington.
