5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #120

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Two Fingers of Whiskey, by Elton John featuring Jack White

This is a collaboration that came out of left field, but I really dig it. It's just Elton John and Jack White tearing it up on some improvised blues with lyrics written by John's long time lyricist Bernie Taupin. You can tell that the instrumentation is done off the cuff, but the vocal harmonies are some of the tastiest sounds I've heard in some time. It would be cool if these two guys actually got together to make music more often.

2. Trouble, by Whitesnake

This is one of the first songs that original Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden ever wrote with singer David Coverdale when the band got together in 1978. It's got a bit of a southern rock feel to it for something that was made entirely for Englishmen. Still, it has a lot of bluesy heart and soul to it. It's big, grand, and tells a cool rough and tumble story of a gambler who is always on the run from town to town. You don't get a whole lot of tunes like this any more.

3. Set Me Free, by Velvet Revolver

If you need something to help you kick it up a few notches, this is a good tune to go to. It has all the right build ups and pay-offs in all the right places. It's loud, pulsing, and will get your blood pumping. It's a shame that Velvet Revolver didn't last longer. Had things with Scott Weiland not gone south they probably could have had at least another couple of albums in them before they would have started to be overstaying their welcome.

4. When I'm With You, by The London Souls

I mentioned these guys a couple of weeks ago. This time I'm putting in one of their more poppy sounding tunes. It's not overly sappy and over-produced, though. There was actual talent that went into making this tune and it sounds like it could have come out of the golden age of rock. It's melodic, rhythmic, and is definitely a good one to play for your lady if you're wanting to give her all the happy feels and wanting to get somewhere with her.

5. Love in Vain, by Robert Johnson

It's been far too long since I threw some Robert Johnson in the mix. Whenever I've been feeling down about a girl this has been one of my go-to songs. That man really knew how to make music that hearts would make if it were possible to listen to them. His music might be old and grainy sounding, but it will never not be relevant. A broken heart and a weary soul is something that everyone from every generation from the dawn till dusk of time will be able to relate to.