For the first time in a long time yesterday, I heard "What I Am" by Edie Brickell, one of my all-time favorites. Naturally, as soon as I got home, I downloaded the song from the iTunes music store.

This song packages so many things together exactly right. Edie's voice seems just slightly scratchy, in the same way that Bonnie Raitt's voice has that authentic, down-home feel. The melody is perky without being dramatic, and the instrumentation is funky but not silly. It's a similar sound, composed of keyboards, bass, guitar and drums, you'd find on an album like God Street Wine's $1.99 Romances.

Finally, the guitar solo is masterful--a neatly condensed exploration with a Jerry Garcia flavor.

"What I Am," mixing spunky pop with jamband funk, is one of the best singles of the 1990s.