Larry Carlton is a three-time Grammy winning jazz guitartist who has played on more than 100 albums that have gone gold or platinum. However, have you ever heard of him?

According to Wikipedia, “Carlton is married to contemporary Christian music artist Michele Pillar since 1987. He is also the uncle of singer, songwriter Vanessa Carlton.”

Discover Larry’s Smooth Jazz Sound
http://www.larrycarlton.com/music.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0tK70gN190

The 2007 release of Emerson Hart’s Cigarettes and Gasoline is an underrated album worth exploring. The frontman of Tonic went solo and did a fine effort. The songs are this album are a mix between strong upbeat rhythms and sentimental strumming. Above is the single off the album called “If You’re Gonna Leave”.

Listen to the album here
http://www.lala.com/#album/576742227525637655/Emerson_Hart/Cigarettes_And_Gasoline

They never really hit it huge, at least in the United States, but Scottish band The Blue Nile has developed a very loyal following on both sides of the Atlantic over the past 25 years for their mellow, melancholy musings.  Their instrumentation, their beats, their lyrics, and the vocals of Paul Buchanan all reflect a sort of forlorn, reflective combination of the contradictory impulses of optimism and resignation.  Their song “The Downtown Lights” might be the best known of their compositions, having received some VH1 and adult contemporary radio play in 1989.  The above clip features a tune titled “Saturday Night” set to the art of Edward Hopper, whom you might know from his most famous piece, Nighthawks.  The two seem a perfect match, as both the music of the Blue Nile and the art of Edward Hopper seem to channel the same emotions and experiences.  For more, check out the band’s four studio recordings:  A Walk Across Rooftops, Hats, Peace At Last, and High.

Last night I had the opportunity to witness the super group Chickenfoot (the peace sign) consisting of Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith, Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani perform in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Even though it was a free concert, you still needed to win a ticket to attend.

The show blasted open with the title track of their debut album called “Avenida Revolution” a song that features bombastic drums, bass, vocals and a guitar riff that stands tall among rock tracks. The concert was solid and the band focused on selections from their album; the spectacle was not absent of Sammy Hagar’s banter with the audience. The biggest surprise was the Red Rocker calling out WMMS for not playing their song “Oh Yeah” which reached #1 on Album Oriented Rock Charts (AOR) because of support from other markets.

After listening to the album a few times, I came to the same realization that Chickenfoot’s efforts are underrated and there are handful of great tracks on this album. The concert further solidified the fact that they are a talented group of musicians.

http://chickenfoot.us

Big record executives and radio stations continually push their favorite songs at us and great tunes sometimes get lost in the shuffle. Tunesmate mission is to point of these songs, categorize them and get you vote on them.

The beginning of an ever growing list…

• Underrated song is Eric Clapton’s live 2004 version on “Badge” featuring Billy Preston
• A remake of the Chris Issak classic “Wicked Game” by H.I.M.
• Starship’s “It’s Not Over Til It’s Over”.
• Just a Little Misunderstanding by the Contours is an underrated Motown Classic.
• Pot Kettle Black by Wilco, pop-rock
• Like the Killers? Then you might like 1982′s Q-feel and their song Dancing in Heaven.