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It’s a shame every city doesn’t have a radio station like Santa Monica’s KCRW or, at the very least, a show like their Morning Becomes Eclectic. Its programming principle is simple: if music is good, put it on the air. Ergo, no Bon Jovi, though this collection of live performances (out Tuesday) recorded in studio features gorgeous tracks from classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Neil Finn (covering Hunters and Collectors’ Throw Your Arms Around Me as he’s long done in concert), country granddad Willie Nelson, Brazilian jazz crooner Bebel Gilberto, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Beck. While commercial radio would argue that this spectrum is too broad to sustain listeners (read: investigating lots of records would take quality golf time from music directors), the fact is that folks have an unlimited ability to enjoy quality, despite the label slapped on it. Here’s the proof.
