The staff of the College Football America Yearbook is on the road every weekend of the college football season, shooting games and gathering information for the following year’s book. That means a lot of driving and listening to a lot of music.
Earlier this year our College Football America Yearbook publisher Kendall Webb and our director of editorial content Chuck Cox put together ‘The Coronavirus Countdown – 100 Days of Great Music.’ Each of them sat down and compiled a list of 100 great albums. Their goal was not to select the ‘100 greatest albums of all time.’ It was simply to select 100 great albums to write about as they passed the time during quarantine and shelter-at-home orders.
This 2020 college football season will be unprecedented in so many ways. It’s very likely none of us will be on the road for games because, like most people, we’re trying to stay healthy. And we hope you are too.
So, for the next 100 days, we’re going to publish their countdown here at CollegeFootballAmericaPR.com (the list was originally published on Webb’s personal site, kendallwebb.net). Consider it the ultimate playlist for the ultimate college road trip — music for every taste, from every genre and from every decade of the modern era of music. When the staff of the College Football America Yearbook is back on the road, you can bet these will be some of the tunes we’re listening to.
And, if you missed the previous installments of our series, just click here to head to the Coronavirus Countdown — 100 Days of Great Music home page.
Here’s Day 10. At the time Kendall originally wrote this, he marked the passing of a jazz legend, who passed from the coronavirus in early April.
The coronavirus has hit the jazz world particularly hard with the announcement that pianist Ellis Marsalis, Jr., had lost his battle with the illness joining trumpeter Wallace Roney and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli on the other side.
Ellis was the patriarch of a musical family from New Orleans. His sons Branford and Wynton also went on to become notable jazz musicians. From 1992 to 1995, Branford was the band leader on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Ellis compiled an extensive discography of albums over the years. Your bonus pick of the day is his 1990 set “Ellis Marsalis Trio” on Blue Note.
Meanwhile, Chuck’s Album of the Day is a real curveball from England. And Kendall’s got a breezy pop album that’ll pick you up during these long days of sheltering in place.
— Chuck Cox and Kendall Webb
CHUCK’S ALBUM OF THE DAY
Why I Love It
I’ve got my Welsh buddy, Matt Jones, to thank for this one. While attending a Pittsburgh Pirates-Texas Rangers game together in Arlington in 2013, I asked him to give me an artist to check out. He suggested Frank Turner and this album. Wow. It grabbed me on my first listen and never let go. Frank is now one of my favorite artists. Well done, Matt. Go, Bucs (when they aren’t playing Texas).
Album Highlights
“Eulogy,” “If Ever I Stray” and “Glory Hallelujah”
Kendall on Chuck’s Album of the Day
Well, this one was out of left field, and I wasn’t familiar with the album. But what a revelation! I guess I would describe this as modern English folk-rock but who really cares. Give it a spin — it’s an album that will pay you back for your time.
KENDALL’S ALBUM OF THE DAY
Why I Love It
Alright, I’m sure the vision of me sitting around listening to Colbie Caillat’s 2007 album “Coco” and this 2009 sophomore set is sure to make a few friends laugh. Yep, go ahead. I fully admit it; this is a guilty pleasure album like Taylor Swift (who Caillat has recorded with).
Caillat hails from Malibu, California, and that’s probably a good place to start. If this album was a place, it would be Malibu or some other oceanside town on the California coast. It’s modern easy listening — a nice breezy sound to listen to while walking down the beach with the waves crashing on the shore and palm trees swaying in the breeze. That being said, it doesn’t feel at all insignificant. It’s too sturdy and produced too well — polished, but not overwrought — to be a throwaway. It’s an uplifting album even when Colbie is singing a sad song — the perfect antidote to a rainy day or a best friend to pal around with on a sunny day.
Album Highlights
“I Won’t,” “Begin Again” and “Falling For You”
Chuck on Kendall’s Album of the Day
I first heard Colbie Caillat when she broke through with the hit, “Bubbly.” Kendall has also played “Fallin’ for You” off this album for me many times. Great tune. The whole album is strong.
College Football America PR 