Music recommendation - Spotify

I'm really not trying to turn my blog into a "try this! try that!" blog, but when I find something I love, I want to tell people about it.

Garrett recently downloaded "Spotify" onto his computer.  Basically, it's a free program that allows you to listen to pretty much any song or album that you would want to listen to.  Wanna listen to Mariah Carey's "Daydream" album? (ah, fifth/sixth grade memories!)  Want to hear George Strait's "10 Strait Hits" from 1991, or the soundtrack from "Pure Country" (a personal fave - don't tease)? (Okay, I'll admit, all of George Strait's songs are my favorites).

It's kind of like Pandora, but you can choose every song instead of having them chosen for you.  It's free because you aren't actually downloading the songs, just streaming them through the program (you do need the internet).  You can also put Spotify on your iPod or iPhone, for a small monthly fee.

I love Pandora because it introduces me to new music.  I often listen to "Today's Country Radio" or "Norah Jones Radio", and I hear a lot of new songs that I love.  However, sometimes I'm in the mood to listen to an old album that brings back a ton of memories, and Spotify is great for that.  Garrett made a killer "90s" playlist while we were in Savannah a few weeks ago, and we got input from all his siblings as we reminisced all our favorite (and most-hated) 90s songs. (Counting Crows, Hanson, No Doubt, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, Spice Girls, Blink 182, Paula Cole, Savage Garden, Chumbawamba, etc.... you know you smiled when you read those!).  Spotify is also great because I can listen to brand new albums of artists I love, or that I hear on Pandora.  Another fun thing is that you can share playlists with other Spotify users.

There is a downside, however: not every artist has allowed their songs onto the program.  Garrett talked up Spotify so much to me when he first got it, so I was pretty excited to try it out.  The first artist I typed in was Tim McGraw.  Not there, sadly (very sadly).  The next artist I tried: The Eagles.  They are also, unfortunately, absent from Spotify.  However, besides those two I have had very good luck with listening to what I want to.

What's your favorite music?  Any artists you particularly love?  I always love recommendations!  Spotify is perfect for us because we can listen to exactly what we want to without having to download songs or purchase CDs.  We can even listen to Cambridge Singers and the latest MoTab music - always good Sabbath choices.

If you have any problems getting Spotify for free, let me know because I am pretty sure we have a few "invites" that I can send you.  And if you do download it (or you already have it), and you want access to Garrett's 90s playlist, let me know. It's awesome.