Five Essential Albums

Matthew Sweet's songwriting might reflect predecessors like Big Star, R.E.M., and the rich Athens, Georgia scene that buoyed him early in his career, but his most vital influence over the years has probably been Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Sweet rounded up his selections of "Five Essential Beach Boys Songs" for FUV Essentials.

Jessica Lea Mayfield might love the music of Elliot Smith and Dave Grohl, but as we found out in conversation with her recently, she's also a fan of Michael Jackson. Since she's on the cusp of releasing a new album herself, called Sorry is Gone, we asked Mayfield if she might want to write about "Five Essential Michael Jackson Songs" for FUV Essentials.

Torres, the Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Mackenzie Scott, was only a year old when Tori Amos released her monumental 1992 solo debut album, Little Earthquakes. Today, Torres considers this week's FUV Essentials artist as a revered influence and writes about her "Five Essential Tori Amos Songs" for FUV Essentials.

Norah Jones, who counts Willie Nelson as a collaborator, an inspiration, and a friend, even named her alt-country side band, The Little Willies, after him. As FUV honors the great man as an FUV Essentials artist, we reached out to Jones to write about her fellow Texan and the "Five Essential Willie Nelson Songs" that mean the most to her.

Suzanne Vega and Joe Jackson have worked together over the years, on 1986's outlier anthem "Left of Center," from the "Pretty in Pink" soundtrack, and on Jackson's 1997's modern opera, Heaven & Hell. No matter what divergent path the two might take, they'll always be bonded by those recordings. So when we chose Jackson as one of our FUV Essentials artists, we asked Vega if she'd pick her "Five Essential Joe Jackson Songs."

Since "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" debuted on CBS in September 2015,  Jon Batiste, the show's charismatic music director,  pianist and melodica master, and his group, Stay Human, have been an indelible part of America's television nightscape. Batiste is also a lifelong admirer of Mavis and Pops Staples and the Staple Singers — he co-wrote the song "Tomorrow" for Mavis's 2016 album Livin' on a High Note — and he kindly wrote a "love riot" of his "Five Essential Mavis and Pop Staples Songs" for FUV Essentials.

Philadelphia's Son Little produced Mavis Staples' 2015 EP Your Good Fortune, winning a Grammy with Staples for her cover of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean." Now for FUV Essentials, Little casts his eye on "Five Essential Albums" from Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers and writes about the music that changed his life.

"My love for MMJ runs deep," wrote Tucker Martine when FUV asked the Grammy-nominated producer, engineer, mixer and studio owner if he might lend his ears and insight to "Five Essential My Morning Jacket Songs" for FUV Essentials. Martine co-produced My Morning Jacket's most recent studio albums, 2011's Circuital and 2015's The Waterfall.

When FUV asked Car Seat Headrest's Will Toledo if he wanted to write about Beck—an artist who followed a not-so-dissimilar lo-fi path in his early days (without the advantages of laptop recording and Bandcamp)—Toledo agreed.

Nicole Atkins admires the lyrical grit and grace of FUV Essentials artist Ryan Adams, whose music has served as a soundtrack of her early years as a musician. Fresh off of a tour last year, she pulled together a list of her "Five Essential Ryan Adams Songs" which includes some inspired rarities.