You know that you can't fake it

I have a friend at work who tells me that he thinks he was born in the wrong era - he'd feel more comfortable sporting the classic styles and debonair demeanor of the early 1960s. Good news for him: Eli "Paperboy" Reed provides the perfect soundtrack for this.

Reed has single-handedly revived Motown - you'll hear Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations all in one of Reed's inspired wails. Except this music is brand-new and this kid is white, but you'd never know it to listen to him. He's already caught the ear of some heavy hitters, including LTF favorite Daryl Hall, who invited Reed to appear on a recent episode of Live from Daryl's House. Reed performed "It's Uncanny" with Hall from the Hall and Oates repertoire as well as several hits from his debut album:



But the best news of all is that Reed's sophomore album is out today and is streaming free on Spinner. And oh my... get ready to fall in love. There isn't a stumble or a mood-killer on the whole album. It is pure, heart-lifting vintage rock and soul from start to finish. An early contender for favorite would be "Come and Get It", (not least of all for the subtle similarities to Brenton Wood's infectious"The Oogum Boogum Song"):



And when you can't get enough of Reed and his band, the True Loves, head over to Amazon to download Reed's debut album for just $5. Slim suit and martini optional, but definitely encouraged.

Stripped - No, not like Xtina

Radio station Cities 97 out of Minneapolis, thanks to media conglomerate Clear Channel, has a great feature on its Web site called Stripped, and it's a series of live, acoustic performances by artists like John Mayer, Melissa Etheridge, Rob Thomas and Gavin Degraw.

Right now I'm listening to John Legend, and if it's possible, I think I like it more with every listen. He plays an amazingly funky, grooved-out version of my favorite song from his debut album, "Number 1," and covers Stevie Wonder's "Visions," among the half-dozen songs in this performance.

Check it out.

Happy Feet = happy ears

I had to see Happy Feet over the weekend, as it combines two of my favorite things - arctic things and tap-dancing. What a genius combination!

The premise of the movie is fantastic - in an Antartic world devoid of anything tangible (ice is transient and ever-changing) the main currency is music - it establishes power in the group and serves as the main element in the mating ritual. As the movie opens, the main character's parents meet through a unique mash-up of Prince's "Kiss" and Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and from that moment on, I was hooked.

The movie plays out as a surprisingly deep and bittersweet comment on exclusion, environmentalism and individualism (a refreshing depature from most computer-animated movies these days), but the real genius of the movie to me was the integration of the music, from Queen's "Somebody to Love" to Earth Wind & Fire's "Boogie Wonderland" to Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" to the Beach Boys' "In My Room." The soundtrack is available now, but I tend to prefer the original versions of songs, so I will be making my own compilation of Happy Feet songs when the soundtrack listing gets posted on IMDb.

In the meantime, see the movie.

Update: As usual, the All Music Guide says it best: "[The soundtrack contains] unexpected shots of cultural Zeitgeist and a welcome break from the standard soundtrack cover tunes."