11. Doris Troy: “What are you going to do about it?”
Doris Troy was part of the original lineup of the biggest ensemble I’d ever heard of, Sweet Inspirations, whose members included Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mother) and her nieces Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick. There’s something about the staccato piano combined with Troy’s elongated “I love you” that assures me that love isn’t fireworks: it’s the world they light up as they rise and break through the darkness. — John Semlitsch, Austin (Listen on YouTube)
12. Nina Simone: “Blues for Mama (live at the Newport Jazz Festival)”
This year has been a lot. War, rockets, drones – everything I could hear and see in kyiv as a civilian resident. One might be surprised how people can adapt. This is a song I discovered when I was riding my bike to the kyiv hospital where I work. It was a morning after some powerful explosions during the night. But there was also sunshine and spring, and the melody playing in my headphones, forcing me to smile. — Nazar, Kyiv, Ukraine (Listen on YouTube)
13. Rosemary Clooney: “Count your blessings instead of sheep”
A young woman I know recently posted a photo of herself and her newborn baby on Instagram with Rosemary Clooney’s performance of this Irving Berlin song in the background. When my mother passed away and I was only 4 years old, her older sister, my Aunt Edie, often sang this song to me as she tucked me in for the night. It’s a bittersweet memory, but now, 71 years later, it still reminds me how lucky I am to have had so much love in my life. — Norman Reisman, New York (Listen on YouTube)
When they do double dutch, it’s them dancing,
Lindsay
The Amp Playlist
Listen to it on Spotify. We update this playlist with each new newsletter.
“The best songs our readers discovered in 2023” tracklist
Track 1: Badfinger, “No Matter What”
Track 2: Bessie Banks, “Go Now”
Track 3: Labi Siffre, “Cry, Laugh, Love, Lie”
Track 4: John Prine, “Souvenirs”
Track 5: The Chiffons, “One Fine Day”
Track 6: Liz Phair, “Whip-Smart”
Track 7: Big Maybelle, “My Country Man”
Track 8: Billy Bragg, “A New England”
Track 9: The Brat, “The Wolf (and the Lamb)”
Track 10: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “Superrappin'”
Track 11: Doris Troy, “What Are You Gonna Do About It?”
Track 12: Nina Simone, “Blues for Mama (Live at the Newport Jazz Festival)”
Track 13: Rosemary Clooney, “Count Your Blessings Instead of the Sheep”
