We happen to believe that music makes the food taste better, the cooking go smoother and the wine sip nicer... Check out our selections from Amazon, XM and iTunes for the latest music that cooks, soothes and inspires...

Radio Paradise: Can an Old FM Program Manager Finally Take Control of the Station?
We happened upon Bill and Rebecca of Radio Paradise on iTunes Radio, where under the "eclectic" heading they turned us on to some of the finest mixes of rock, folk, progressive, jazz and whatever we've heard since WABX album rock in 1970s Detroit.

Both their professional roots (or should we say routes?) span decades, grinding through what was some of the truly heady days of radio. And in their zeal to jump off the rat-infested media treadmill, they figured out how to stream broadcasts from their ranch in Paradise, California.

Bill explains: "That's why I'm so excited about the possibilities of web radio. It gives people like me the chance to do our thing without any interference from the bean-counters who rule the radio biz."

Lord knows hat else they do with their time, but we are ever so appreciative to hear their efforts night and day.

If you want to hear some of their streams try some of the links below. And, one more thing, Radio Paradise is listener-supported, so throw them a few sheckles when you can. It's worth it.

• 128k MP3
• 48k AAC+ HiFi
• BETA: 24k AAC+ (dialup)
• 20k Windows Media (dialup)
• 128k RealPlayer
• 32k MP3
• List All Choices

Barbecue Bob Now Available on 2 Disc Set
The roots to the great art of blues run deep. Barbecue Bob is a testament as to why and how the blues became what it is today. When I bought this album, I also bought Kokomo Arnold's essential album. The way I sum it up is that Kokomo is who you put on at a party, his music is fun and fast and loose. Bob's music is a little mellower and honest. Something that invokes true emotion within you. Bob's presence can be felt to this day in modern blues. For instance, on B.B. King's album "Riding with the King," the king of blues himself covers Bob. A truly stellar collection of music from a truly stellar artist.more> 

Wine Spectator Online

SeaBear Smokehouse

100 wines rated 90 pts plus. 
All under $20 

50 States of Cheese 

iTunes gift certificates 

Here are our Playlist Picks for
this month.
These are all awesome lists, but remember first you'll need to download iTunes onto your pc or mac.

In addition to the hot music in our playlist review, next month we'll also throw in a few of our favorite podcasts for your in-depth listening pleasure. And, we just happen to have a deal on one of those sexy new iPod Nanos.

The iTunes Core Destinations:
iPod Store
iTunes Gift Certificates
iTunes iMixes
iTunes Essentials

The Essential Podcasts:
Rhino Records Podcast
Bruce Springsteen Podcast
NPR's All Songs Considered
Indie 103.1's Podcast
Christie's Auction Podcast
The Metropolitan Museum Podcast
NPR News Summary
The Al Franken Show Podcast
ABC Radio's Health Report
Mayo Clinic Health Report
iLounge Week in Review
ESPN Radio Podcast
The Ticket -- Dunham & Miller Podcast

iTunes Essentials XMAS:
Ultimate Christmas
Cocktail Christmas
Soul Christmas
Crooner Christmas
Jazz Christmas
Reggae Christmas
Classic Rock Christmas

Artist Picks & Essentials
Diana Krall's Essentials
Beck's Essentials
The B-52's Essentials
Tony Bennett's Essentials
David Bowie's Essentials
Brooks & Dunn's Essentials
Jackson Browne's Essentials
Jimmy Buffett's Essentials
Cake's Essentials
Johnny Cash's Essentials
Jimmy Cliff's Essentials
Bruce Cockburn's Essentials
CSNY's Essentials
Cream's Essentials
Creedence Clearwater's Essentials
Doobie Brothers' Essentials

Artists Catalogs (NEW)

These are our picks on XM:

Most evenings lately we've been dosing up on the XM Cafe (XM 45) because of the broad range of quasi-light fare. No sissy stuff mind you, but a nice mix of alternative stuff blended with some older classics. Kind of a coffee house environment without that annoying mixer whirring in the background. Listen Now

Another one of our favorites is Deep Tracks, (XM 40) which bills itself as charting careers, not songs. It goes way down into the stuff you loved on those musty, dusty LPs, only it's all now digitally mastered and delivered via the dulcet tones of XJ (our term not theirs) George Taylor Morris (nice pipes, George).

Deep Tracks also hosts many of your favorites in-studio at the XM Live Performance Studio, where they often recreate a classic album live. Good stuff. And add in there the Grateful Dead Hour and Tom Petty's Buried Treasure each week, and well, it's all good.

We take our XM on the road via a cool little gizmo called the Delphi MyFi XM2Go. Comes with all the accoutrements of mobile listening including various antennas and hookups. Way cool.