Five Essential Albums

Longtime fans of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and his former band, the Black Crowes, know that Chuck Berry, this week's FUV Essentials artist, looms large in Robinson's wheelhouse of beloved influences. For FUV Essentials, Robinson wrote up his "Five Essential Chuck Berry Songs" — or as he says, "the stuff of rock 'n' roll dreams!"

Shovels & Rope, the husband-and-wife duo of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, not only have an arresting new album of their own, the evocative and heartfelt Little Seeds, but the couple is also found on Brandi Carlile's just-released charity album, Cover Stories. Shovels & Rope's fondness for Carlile's work and that of Phil and Tim Hanseroth, her songwriting partners, is evident in Hearst and Trent's thoughtful and very descriptive explanations of their "Five Essential Brandi Carlile Songs."

Remember hearing the band that changed your life for the first time? Nada Surf's singer and guitarist Matthew Caws does. For his "Five Essential Pixies Songs," Caws not only cobbled together a list of the Pixies songs he loves, but the B-sides, live shows, and bonus tracks that that rocked his world. After reading Caws' eloquent dissection of Pixies' "Bone Machine," you'll never hear the song in the same way again.

As frontman for Bad Religion, Greg Graffin and his bandmates have toured with Pearl Jam since the early '90s, notably when Bad Religion supported the Seattle rockers for 1995's Vitalogy tour (which was cut short due to conflicts with Ticketmaster) and more recently in 2009. Graffin, who has a brand new solo album out, Millport, wrote a personal recollection of his friendship with Vedder and Pearl Jam  for FUV Essentials:

Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin covered the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" on 2016's Colvin & Earle and Earle has famously crooned "Dead Flowers" too.  Given the Rolling Stones' affection for country music over the years, we asked Earle, who also deftly crosses between rock and country,  if he'd mind coming up with a list of his "Five Essential Rolling Stones Songs."

Tommy Stinson, of the Replacements and Bash & Pop, has always loved the Rolling Stones, this week's FUV Essentials. Since Stinson has an upcoming concert at Brooklyn's The Bell House with Bash & Pop on May 18, it seemed a perfect time to ask him about his "Five Essential Rolling Stones Songs."

Trombone Shorty, the New Orleans musician and producer Troy Andrews, toured with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Hall & Oates in 2016. Andrews' choices of "Five Essential Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Songs" are his memories of that life-affirming time.

The partnership of friends Aimee Mann and Ted Leo as The Both is one of the best things to ever come out of Twitter: the two pals maintained a long-distance connection over clever tweets (and hashtags) and eventually toured together, supporting their solo albums. At some point on the road, in the wilderness of Milwaukee, they decided to write songs together too. Leo has written an affectionate assessment of his "Five Essential Aimee Mann Songs" for FUV Essentials (but since it's impossible to choose only five, he slipped in a few more too).

When the Alabama-bred, mostly Georgia-based Drive-By Truckers were recording 2016's American Band, a candid assessment of contemporary issues drawn from a Southern perspective, they looked to a London band, the Clash, for inspiration and guidance. So for FUV Essentials, we asked frontman Patterson Hood to write about the band that has profoundly influenced him.

As a songwriter, Okkervil River's Will Sheff says that he's spent "countless hours" trying to figure out what makes Elton John’s songs work so well. Read Sheff's wonderful assessment of "Five Essential Elton John Songs."