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It's not like I or my friends invented the term, but we certainly felt like we did growing up. Summer Songs - for the uninitiated - refers to the kind of music that you would "cruise" the highways and byways with the windows open (or if you were lucky enough), ride with the top down blaring. It's a little hard to define but it's a definate feeling.

For me, some examples of that in the past might be just about any Chicago CD but in recent years their live CD released a few years back, the Hooters Nervous Night, Huey Lewis Greatest,
Journey's Escape or Frontiers. Then you can throw in a few singles such as Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway, Level 42's Something About You, Meatloaf's Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Rush's Spirit of Radio. Pop it in a blender, mix well and you've got a perfect recipe for summer.

With that in mind, may I suggest to you a few albums that fit into this genre that you might have missed over the past year or so...

Level 42 - Retroglide: These guys have been making music for years despite only a handful of their songs making it to US Radio. They recently reunited (a theme you will find here) and put out one heck of an album. It's melodic, soulful, hook laden and a pleasure to listen to. Standout Tracks - Dive Into The Sun.

Asia - Phoenix: What? Asia? Are you kidding me? No, I'm not and their original line up is back together. This is the album that SHOULD have followed up their smash hit debut album. It's very introspective and smells of summer radio. Asia has the interesting ability to compress a prog rock song into 4-5 minutes and do it well. Standout Tracks - An Extrordinary Life, Never Again.

The Hooters - Time Stand Still: I told you there was a theme here. From the guys who brought you such hits as And We Danced, Day By Day, All You Zombies - it's an album of fresh new material. It's not that the Hoots ever got out of the biz, they went behind the scenes a wrote for other artists... but there is something wonderful about the sound of The Hooters. The combination of instruments, Eric and Robs unique voices, the playful quality of the music. They sound fantastic. Standout Tracks - Time Stand Still, Boys of Summer (neat remake of the Henley tune), Until You Dare, I'm Alive.

Francis Dunnery - Gulley Flats Boys: Francis was the voice of the pop/rock genius band It Bites (if you havn't heard of them - check out their greatest). Turns out he's been producing music all these years since they broke up in the 80's and this has to be one of his best. Stripped down and bare bones, his music and introspective stories shine. There isn't a track that I don't like on this album. Listen to on the beach while sipping your favorite beverage. Standout Tracks - Soldier, Autumn The Rain Man, Living in New York City, Joy.

So there you have it. Summer Sounds for your iPod, your Windows Media Phone, your home stereo or most preferably, your vehicle. Set it on cruse control - take a spin if you can afford the gas, or just sit in the drive with the windows down and pretend your drivin' 65. Any way you slice it, some good music helps get the season kick started.