5 Songs On Shuffle Vol. 3

This is the third installment of my weekly blog entry series "5 Songs On Shuffle." I’ll put my iTunes on shuffle and blog about the first five songs that play.

"The Blood Song" - Kirk Franklin feat. Donnie McClurkin, Crystal Lewis & Jaci Velasquez The Rebirth Of Kirk Franklin
I grew up listening to almost exclusively Christian music, but my parents were more into the inspirational pop sounds but I loved the hip-hop, techno and r&b flavored gospel, too. Kirk Franklin was one of my favorites, and this is one of his best. "The Blood Song" calls people of every color and denomination together, because it doesn't matter what color you are, "as long as His blood was red." A great song for the Easter season with two of my other favorites joining in, Crystal Lewis (who also collaborated on Franklin's "Lean on Me") and Latin superstar Jaci Velasquez.

"Dear Mr. Gable/You Made Me Love You" - Judy Garland Over The Rainbow
Who doesn't love Judy Garland? Before she amazed us with her stunning turn in "The Wizard Of Oz" she appeared in "The Broadway Melody Of 1938" singing this sweet song of fandom to matinee idol Clark Gable.

"Something More" - Ginny Owens Blueprint EP
Ginny Owens burst onto the Christian music scene during the Lilith Fair years, where female singer/songwriters were all the rage. Her blindness made her a unique figure, but never overshadowed her lovely songs. On this acoustic EP, produced by old-school Christian star Margaret Becker, her lyrics are brought even further to the forefront in a jazz-flavored coffeehouse setting. One of my favorite gospel albums.

"Fake Your Way To The Top" - Eddie Murphy & Cast Dreamgirls Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Not one of my favorites from this Broadway-smash-turned-movie-musical, but a solid performance from Eddie Murphy, who often times grates in his recent films, but impressed me a great deal in "Dreamgirls." It's no "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going" but still fun.

"Losing My Religion" - Suzie McNeill Rock Star: INXS Performance
Covering my favorite REM song for the CBS reality series, Suzie McNeill vaulted her way into a tie for my favorite to front Aussie dance-rockers INXS. She didn't win, but she did go on to impress me with her cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody." I'm still bummed "Rock Star" hasn't returned, it was like "American Idol," only cooler.