Smooth jazz veterans Bobby Caldwell and David Benoit have decades of experience between them, and that showed in their combined effort at Temecula's Thornton Winery on Sunday night.

The pair were participating in Thornton's 24th annual Champagne Jazz Series, which brings the stars of the genre to an intimate Inland Empire setting. Despite the heat, which registered in the nineties, both Benoit and Caldwell put on a relaxed and engaging show.

Benoit opened the performance, mixing a selection of hits such as "Freedom at Midnight" and Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" with tracks from his ...

Tonight VH1 concludes their countdown of The 100 Greatest Songs of the 00's. In honor of the occasion, I've compiled a much smaller list: the 5 songs that most impacted my life.

There are plenty of songs I've enjoyed, and even loved. But few are the ones that I can say have made a lasting impression. The tunes without which I wouldn't be the same person I am today. These five selections span from my youth to adulthood, from moments of joy to the brink of death and everything in between. I'm glad that I heard them, and I hope that you give them a listen.

5. "The Rise and Fall (of Loving Yo...

I fired up my stereo today and realized I hadn't taken a CD out of its five-disc changer in nearly a month. Now that's good music...or at least, I've found some favorites. I thought I'd share them with you, dear readers, to spread the love and to ask you which albums spend longer than usual in your rotation.

Maroon 5, Hands All Over (2010)

Since discovering them a few weeks ago, I've had all of Maroon 5's albums in my stereo - but it's their newest release that's still playing, and not necessarily for the reasons you might think. Yes, the hit singles "Misery," "Give A Little More,"...