Charles Jensen | Writer

Fitz & the Tantrums, Pickin’ Up the Pieces
Music Math: (Amy Winehouse – problems) x church organ

Best Tracks: “Breakin’ the Chains of Love,” “MoneyGrabber,” “L.O.V.,” “News 4 U”

Representative Lyrics: “It’s 6 a.m. spitting gray / Don’t know why I let you treat me this way / I keep holding on to your middle finger / But now I know I gotta pull the trigger”

Notes: Aside from having possibly the greatest band name ever, Fitz & the Tantrums do classic soul straight up/no chaser. Backed by traditional arrangements and prominently featuring a church organ in most of the songs, FATT do very little to adjust the anachronism of their sound and their content (unlike Winehouse, who modernized her lyrics). These songs focus on the bread and butter of soul–heartbreak–and look at it from several different angles. Bonus: download their cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” one of the best songs of the year.

Beau’s Critique: “It reminds me of like a guy Amy Winehouse. I like it, but it’s not really my thing.”