I remember Anne Litt - my favorite DJ on KCRW, host of Weekend Becomes Eclectic and just a lovely gal - chirpin' about this cat Jack Peñate over the summer. But I didn't love the song ('Be the One'), and whatever.

His album ended up on her year end's list, so I finally followed up. Turns out he's pretty great. Eclectic album, super upbeat. My first thought was Guillemots, although he's much more polished and direct and, well, radio-friendly. In this case, not a bad thing.

The lesson, as always: listen to Anne Litt.