“Does music wield special powers? Reading the pieces in this issue and listening to the songs on the OA CD make me think so.” — Marc Smirnoff, “Pieces of Our Heart”

Features by J.T. LeRoy and Justin Heckert. Roy Blount Jr. remembers Ray Charles. Showcasing the work of Erykah Badu, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Blind Willie McTell, Al Green, and many, many more.

Poetry by James Harmes, Jeff Fallis, and Billy Collins. Photography of Zora Neale Hurston with children.

CD Tracks:

1.  Row, Row, Row Your Boat / Schoolchildren of Wanseko, Uganda

2.  Number Nine Train / Dale Hawkins

3.  Where Did My Baby Go / Howard Tate

4.  Sally Jo / Ricky Skaggs

5.  Milk Cow Blues / Johnnie Lee Wills & His Boys

6.  Crow Dance / Zora Neale Hurston

7.  Had a Gal Called Sal / Lightnin’ Hopkins

8.  I’m Gonna Make Her Love Me / Jim Ford

9.  Oliver Galop / Blind Tom (played by John Davis)

10. Get the Mop / Henry “Red” Allen

11. Hot Smoke and Sassafras / Bubble Puppy

12. You’ll Be the Death of Me / Johnny Winter

13. Ballad of a Teenage Queen / Cowboy Jack Clement

14. The Arizona Yodeler / The DeZurik Sisters

15. Symphonique #6 (Good for Goodie) / Moondog

16. On Revival Day (A Rhythmic Spiritual) / Bessie Smith

17. When the Saints Go Marching in / Helen Humes

18. Beale Street Blues / Nat King Cole

19. Southern Gul / Erykah Badu

20. Piece of My Heart / Erma Franklin

21. Trouble’s Back in Town / The Wilburn Brothers

22. This Room for Rent / Sammi Smith

23. Searching the Desert for the Blues / Blind Willie McTell

24. You Said a Bad Word / Joe Tex

25. I’m Glad You’re Mine / Al Green

26. Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb / The Pilgrim Travelers

27. Suspicious Minds / Elvis Presley

28. Dearest / Buddy Holly

29. Un Matin, J’Etais sur ma Galerie / Elita, Mary, and Ella Hoffpauir