You’re My Biggest Fan: This Week’s Staff Faves

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It’s been a great week for Free MP3s here at MP3.com. In the rock neighborhood, we dropped songs on you by Kristin Hersh and Mark Stewart; over in country-ville we gave up songs by two pairs of Brothers (Nelson and Matthews) and our R&B tracks of the week included a pair of old school heroes. […]

Greg Hester

It’s been a great week for Free MP3s here at MP3.com. In the rock neighborhood, we dropped songs on you by Kristin Hersh and Mark Stewart; over in country-ville we gave up songs by two pairs of Brothers (Nelson and Matthews) and our R&B tracks of the week included a pair of old school heroes. So who are our staff faves for the week?

Greg Hester

Our unanimous favorite for the week is the Augusta, Georgia-born singer [mp3com-artist]Greg Hester[/mp3com-artist], whose cut “Happy Man” was featured on Tuesday. We characterized “Happy Man” as “an ebullient country two-step that’s as home on the stereo of a [mp3com-artist]Garth Brooks[/mp3com-artist] lover as it is in the headphones of a [mp3com-artist]Van Morrison[/mp3com-artist] fan.” [We’re also featuring his R&B track, “Down And Out In NYC,” as a Free MP of the Day today!]

[mp3com-download url=”http://files.radio.com/downloads/time-based/greg-hester-happy-man.mp3″ artist=”Greg Hester” song=”Happy Man” expiration=”07/09/2012″ email=”none” year=”2011″ label=”Ropeadope”/]

 

Mark Stewart

As gentle and as soulful as is Mr. Hester is as weird and dramatic is Mr. Mark Stewart. We pointed to Stewart’s ravenous imbibing of musical styles, unflinching political conviction and fervent enthusiasm for collaboration when we dropped his cut, “Nothing Is Sacred,” earlier this week.

[mp3com-download url=”http://files.radio.com/downloads/time-based/mark-stewart-nothing-is-sacred.mp3″ artist=”Mark Stewart” song=”Nothing Is Sacred” expiration=”02/11/2012″ email=”none” year=”2011″ label=”Mark Stewart”/]

Najee

Covering all the bases, we balance the angular punk ethos of Stewart and the laid-back Southern soul of Hester with the “quiet storm” of saxophonist Najee. A dominant artist in the smooth jazz genre during the 80s and 90s, Najee returns with a new album called The Smooth Side of Soul and a new track called “Just To Fall In Love.”

We called it “funky, sensual jazz..that mixes things up a bit with a pulsing lounge bass beat,” and we think we’re right about that.

[mp3com-download url=”http://files.radio.com/downloads/time-based/najee-justtofall.mp3 ” artist=”Najee” song=”Just To Fall In Love” email=”none” year=”2011″/]