Freegal Playlists: Staff Picks for September

Posted by Staff

Freegal is a fantastic service, but there is so much available, we provide patron and staff playlists to help you find something great to download. We'll cover everything from classical to country.  For more info on the service, jump to our previous post.  You can find previous playlists on the blog or jump over to our Pinterest board. To access the library of available music, you will need your Edwardsville barcode and PIN.  Scroll to the bottom of our webpage, click on the Freegal link, and away you go!  Please be advised that an an entire album will require multiple downloads (patrons are currently allowed 3/week).

We recognize that the search functions are not easy to use in Freegal - please be patient.  If we've listed something here, it should be available.  Some staff favorites can not yet be found on Freegal, but are available through SHARE.  We will clearly indicate these albums/songs and add a link to our catalog.

This series of artists/albums is mostly country/americana/folk.  Pretty diverse, but so are our staff.

Katie S. recommends Pokey Lafarge and South City Three.  "I listen to this when I'm feeling upbeat.  Pokey is a singing and strumming time capsule.  He sounds unlike anything else around today.  His band that accompanies him is overflowing with talent as well.  This band features a guy playing the washboard, what more do you need?"  Two great albums are available on Freegal, Riverboat Soul and Middle of Everywhere.  Some of the best selections are La La Blues, Claude Jones, Daffodil Blues and So Long Honeybee Goodbye.

Jessica W. recommends Chris Young and his album Neon.  "I listen to this when I'm going to be in the car awhile.  His music is very relaxing to me and it is easy to sing along to.  His voice is deep and reminds me of older country singers.

Judy T. recommends Johnny Cash.   "I've had to really think about why I life Johnny Cash.  The answer may be that he sings about experiences that are so different than my own life.  I find myself caught up in the stories of the songs.  There's a pensiveness in his songs that is appealing; his baritone voice is the perfect complement to those songs."  Some of Judy's favorite songs (all available on Freegal) are San Quentin, I Walk the Line, Legend of John Henry, The Rebel Johnny.

Alana T. recommends Willie Nelson.  "I feel as if I grew up listening to Willie Nelson songs - he was one of my dad's favorites and Willie's music was always in the background.  As with all the great country singers, it's all about the voice and the character of the song.  Willie has many great albums, but I don't think it's horrible to suggest a best of compilation."  The Essential Willie Nelson is available on Freegal.