Stubbys House of Christmas       
 
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1.  Dear Sweetheart
2.  I Pretend
3.  Surprise Me
4.  I'm An Actor, Baby
5.  Baby Don't Go

I've no doubt others have followed her longer, but I've kept an ear out for Priscilla Ahn ever since I heard her sing "Silent Night" on the "Hotel Cafe" Christmas collection back in 2008.  Priscilla has now teamed up with Charlie Wadhams and they've written a few love songs which they've recorded and released as a free download.  Priscilla and Charlie sound great together, in that Indie Pop meets Americana vein, and the songs are truly terrific.  "Dear Sweetheart" appears to be the plug track, but I fell in love with "Surprise Me".  And Priscilla and Charlie close out the set with a cover of my favorite Sonny & Cher duet, "Baby Don't Go".   If you love She & Him, I think you're going to love Sweet Hearts even more.  Get it free here, then (as Priscilla says) "share it with your friends, loved ones, people you can't stand, people you don't know very well, your friend who's birthday you forgot, share it, burn it, rip it, blog it." 
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Trying hard not to be outdone by Alternate Root, NoiseTrade has a 25 song set of love songs that you can download free in exchange for "Liking" their Facebook page.  This one dropped really recently, so I haven't had a chance to tip-toe through it's tulips just yet.  But everyone should already recognize the names of Rosie Thomas, Matt Wertz, and Cary Brothers, if not more of these folks.  Since NoiseTrade didn't post a playlist as such, I'm going to have to presume the artists and songs match up properly (they are properly tagged, though).  And, again, a proper cover jpeg in the file would be nice.  But there's some great stuff here, so grab "25 Love Songs" from NoiseTrade while you can.

1.  Don't Forget - DAVID MEAD
2.  Won't Let You Down Again - MATTHEW PERRYMAN JONES
3.  Sugar - PAPER ROUTE
4.  Over The Moon - ROSIE THOMAS
5.  The Temptation of Adam - JOSH RITTER
6.  Idaho - DOWN LIKE SILVER
7.  Baby Shake-em - BROOKE WAGGONER
8.  Ever Could - WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
9.  Song For Lovers - STEPHEN KELLOGG AND THE SIXERS
10. I Will Not Take My Love Away - MATT WERTZ
11. See It For Yourself - SUGAR & THE HI-LOWS
12. Safety - LEAGUES
13. All I Got - TYLER JAMES
14. Last Fool Standing - DEREK WEBB & SANDRA McCRACKEN
15. In My Veins - ANDREW BELLE
16. Hots Full Of Love - JOSH ROUSE AND THE LONG VACATIONS
17. Going Home - MARC BROUSSARD
18. As Long As Our Hearts Are Beating - JENNY & TYLER
19. Element - MATTHEW MAYFIELD
20. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - CARY BROTHERS
21. Beautifully - JAY BRANNAN
22. Lucky One - JESS PENNER
23. Lions And Dragons - ZACH WILLIAMS
24. Wings Of Desire - MARKETA IRGLOVA
25. Indiscriminate Acts Of Kindness - FOY VANCE
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Speaking of NoiseTrade, Amy Ray (one half of the fabulous Indigo Girls) has a free sampler set available there.  Amy's new album "Lung of Love" is due at the end of the month so this is her way of giving you a chance to catch up--by offering up some super selections from her back catalogue free of charge.  Amy's solo work is more rock oriented than the music of the Indigo Girls, which makes it a tasty surprise for those of us who haven't been paying attention.  This isn't a Valentine's Day oriented set, though I can certainly see how "Black Heart Today" (my favorite from the sampler) could work its way into a hearts and flowers mixtape, but hey...it's Amy Ray.  Pick up "The Noisetrade Sampler" free at NoiseTrade.
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The mystery band Oh, Hush! has become a reliable source of free music, including and especially their annual Christmas treats.  For Valentine's Day, the band has recorded the all new Pop/Dance number "I Think I Can Love You".  Hopefully, you can download the track here.  If that doesn't work for you, you may have to sign on to the Oh, Hush! mailing list (which you should really do anyway, so that you can be notified immediately of all the band's music and plans) and you can do that here.  And, if all else fails, you can check out the song on YouTube.  So you got that going for you.  Which is nice.
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On a final note, it t'ain't free magee, but Paul McCartney's latest album, "Kisses On The Bottom", makes for excellent Valentine's Day listening. Paul's latest is largely a collection of standards intimately performed.  As good as the standards are, Paul proves once again that he's a master composer as the two best tracks here are his originals, "Only Our Hearts" and "My Valentine".   Fans who only want to rock and roll may want to steer clear, but romantics and lovers of love shouldn't hesitate to rush in where those others may fear to tread.  You can get "Kisses On The Bottom" at Amazon and wherever fine albums are sold. 

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!
 


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