Inside MusiCast

Today we celebrate the actual release day of an album that is easily in my Top 5 albums of all time—Stevie Wonder’s masterpiece, Songs in the Key of Life.

Fifty years later, this album still sounds every bit as brilliant, adventurous, soulful and timeless as it did when it first landed on turntables. “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” “As,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Pastime Paradise,” “Love’s in Need of Love Today”… and that’s barely scratching the surface.

And today, to celebrate the big 5-0, we get a pretty incredible birthday present: four additional tracks originally intended for the album!

Of course, the legend has always been that Stevie wrote somewhere around 200 songs during the making of Songs in the Key of Life.

So, Stevie… thanks for the four.

Now we only need to get our hands on the other 196.

Happy 50th to one of the greatest albums ever put to wax—and thank you for the birthday surprise, Stevland Hardaway Morris.

Now excuse me while I spend the day getting lost in the Key of Life.

BP

Songs In The Key Of Life (The EP) Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

Happy birthday, David Garfield!

IMC album of the day (Released today on all streaming platforms.)
ASPEN CREEK by "We Chase The Rising Sun" (2026)

Check out this amazing CD signed by ASPEN CREEK founder, songwriter Jacob Borgenstierna and album producer, keyboardist and arranger Jonathan Waldenfrid

I rarely say this since I personally always buy the physical CD when available..... which I have done this time aswell.
Available through P-Vine Records in Japan
But if you are one of those streaming and have given up CDs for some reason..... You still have to check this album out if you love Westcoast/AOR music.

This is a "smorgåsboard of top-notch musicians with vocalsist such as Lars Säfsund, Ole Børud, Lo van Gorp, Anderas Aleman, Stefan Gunnarsson, Greg Curtis, Pelle Ankarberg just to metion a few.
Lyrcs on some songs from former IMC guest Quint Starkie
Oh.....Tollak Ollestad on chromatic harmonica solo. Top westcoast/AOR/Fusion songs from Robert Säll from Work of Art fame......Swedish guitar icon Jojje Wadenius on guitar (RIP Jojje

We Chase The Rising Sun - Album by Aspen Creek | Spotify Aspen Creek · album · 2026 · 14 songs

Happy Birthday to our good friend Burleigh Drummond of Ambrosia

Happy 49th birthday, Aja!

“Here’s a sweet September morning…”
—Kenny Loggins (1977)
Who knows the song?

DB’s Deep Cuts #44 —> For a true Danhead (guilty), there are no deep cuts. But “Everything You Did” is by far the least-streamed track on The Royal Scam, despite its radio-friendly B-section, beguiling midtempo chug, sneaky-hard Larry Carlton solo, and hilarious lyrics (let’s see *you* rhyme “everywhere / happy home” with “easy chair / not my own”). Highly recommended. Link to audio in comments.

POI: In response to Becker and Fagen’s “turn up the Eagles” jab, Henley and Frey struck back later that year with “steely knives.”

"Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?"

Happy 21st of September to all!
BP

IMC album heads up of the day
"We Chase The Rising Sun" by ASPEN CREEK (2026)

Right now, I’m listening to ASPEN CREEK and their recently released CD , "We Chase The Rising Sun", issued by P-Vine Records in Japan.

From my standpoint, let me tell You...."We Chase The Rising Sun" is an absolutely brilliant album, recorded in a way that, I guess, is quite unique these days—that is, the way things used to be done "back in the day."

The songwriting,signed main writers Jacob Borgenstierna and Jonathan Waldenfrid are stellar. With the addition of amazing songs provided by Robert Säll and Lars Säfsund this album is a complete homerun in my book.
The same goes for great lyrics written on five songs by past IMC guest Quint Starkie

Long-time IMC followers will likely remember the debut album *Tomorrow Take You Home*—released by P-Vine Records on December 18, 2024—which stunned the West Coast/AOR audience. Led by the talented songwriter and project mastermind Jacob Borgenstierna, in symbiosis with the immensely gifted keyboardist, arranger, and producer Jonathan Waldenfrid, they created a wonderful album that made us listeners feel as though the '80s were knocking at the door.

Now they are back, and this time they have truly refined their formula. As mentioned here above, in addition to Jacob and Jonathan’s magnificent songs, Robert Säll from Work Of Art contributes a number of tracks, either his own or in collaboration, that further elevate the entire listening experience.

The production and arrangements on this album are absolutely brilliant, courtesy of the album's producer and keyboardist, Jonathan Waldenfrid. Together, Jonathan and Jacob have created an album that makes an "old West Coast nerd" like me say: "I give up... You blew me away."
I suppose this is what happens when all the "basic tracks" are recorded live in the studio with all the musicians in the room at the same time, allowing them to exchange and share their musical language! :-)

I am so grateful for this; it is highly unusual these days to put in all this effort to record an album the way they used to "back in the day.". The participating vocalists and musicians represent a showcase of the best European West Coast/AOR has to offer: Lars Säfsund (SWE), Ole Børud (NO), Andreas Aleman (SWE), Lo Van Gorp (Netherlands), Stefan Gunnarsson (SWE), Pelle Ankarberg (SWE) Per Lindvall (SWE), Lars "Larry D" Danielsson (DEN), Tollak Ollestad (Netherlands/US)... Just to mention a few of the amazing contributors, alongside the star-studded cast of Swedish session players on this album.

Oh... did I mention that some songs include arrangements for a string orchestra recorded live? And that there is an instrumental track—written by Robert Säll and Jonathan Waldenfrid—that makes me groove so hard it makes my head spin... not to mention the horn arrangement on that song... and the fact that it features Swedish guitar icon Jojje Wadenius (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Luther Vandross, Roberta Flack) on guitar.

The entire album is dedicated to Jojje Wadenius, who so tragically passed away shortly after these recordings.
Rest in peace, Jojje

Happy Birthday to the best front-of-house mix engineer in the business, Ken Freeman!