As most of you know, one of my spiritual gifts is making mix tapes. Music is a big part of my life, and I feel it is important to spread my knowledge. You should know that like my appetite, I have the musical palate of a tween. I could live off blueberry Pop Tarts and listen to Taylor Swift for the rest of my life if forced.

But there are hidden gems that pop up on Pandora that I absolutely love. And as a child of the ’80s, I feel it is my responsibility to educate young minds on the wonder that is a hair band.

It is without further ado that I present my latest, greatest, downloadable favorites:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Album

This was a FREE download because the director of this movie is the coolest person on the planet. If you haven’t seen this movie, do yourself a favor and rent it immediately. The music makes the film. And the fact that Chris Pratt looks great without a shirt makes it great too!

2. “From This Valley” by The Civil Wars

I absolutely love this duo. I heard this song in the grocery store and Shazam’d it. How cool is my neighborhood Randalls? THE BEST. Their voices blend in a way that is unfathomable. Other favorites include: “Poison and Wine,” “Barton Hollow,” and their live version of “Billie Jean.”

3. “Lost in Emotion” by Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam

While making an ’80s mix tape, I searched on my iTunes for LL&TCJ (that’s how the kids nowadays would write it) and the song “All Cried Out” popped up, but “Lost in Emotion” did not. Since my ’80s playlist was a bit more on the groovy side, I opted out of “All Cried Out” even though I sang that song on repeat in 1986 while driving from Texas to Florida. True story. My other point is this: WHY DID I NOT OWN “LOST IN EMOTION” ALREADY? Thank goodness it has a permanent home on my hard drive now.

4. “Father Figure” by New Directions as featured on Glee

Come back! I promise, it’s a good song! There’s this new kid named Roderick (Noah Guthrie) who is musically rocking my world on Glee right now. I have every intention of checking his album out on Spotify, and am quite confident that I will purchase a handful. He’s a darling, squishy-poo who sings like Ottis Redding. That’s my sweet spot.

5. “One More Try” (Gospel) by George Michael

After listening to Roderick/Noah’s version of “Father Figure,” I got on a George Michael kick. I went to see him in concert about six years ago, and it was glorious. He sang a gospel version of “One More Try” that I have been stalking for years. And since the internet is freaking awesome, I looked again this weekend and found it. Stay in school kids. And keep inventing things like the internet.

For those of you who are addicted like me, I’d love to hear your latest, greatest, favorites in the comment section. Especially new, trendy music that I should probably know, but I don’t.

Que sera, sera,
Lincee