andrew dodson

To continue my praise of XM, I’ve decided to highlight some of my favorite channels:

1.  Highway 16 (16) - New Country Hits:  I never thought I’d say this about a country station - I actually like it.

2.  MIX (22) - Modern Adult Hits:  This has become my favorite station to listen to at work.  The playlist is almost a little too repetitive for my taste, but it’s still enjoyable music.

3.  The Blend (25) - Adult Contemporary Hits:  Similar to MIX, but it plays more “older” favorites from the 80s, 90s, and so forth.

4.  XM Cafe (45) - Adult Album Rock:  Good tunes, good station.

5.  The Loft (50) - Acoustic Rock:  Good tunes, good station.

6.  Music Lab (51) - Jam Bands/Progressive:  I get to hear some of my favorite jam bands - String Cheese Incident, Phish, etc., as well as progressive groups like Rush & Dream Theater.

7.  Soul Street (60) - Classic Soul:  Who doesn’t love old soul music?  The golden age of Motown.  Good stuff.

8.  Real Jazz (70) - Traditional Jazz:  Perhaps my favorite station.  I can’t get enough of it.  They never play a bad song.

9.  Beyond Jazz (72) - Modern Jazz:  This station can get a little “Weather Channel” from time-to-time, but they play Charlie Hunter, Medski Martin & Wood, and modern jazz groups that I enjoy.

10.  XM Chill (84) - Chill Music:  Great new station on the XM lineup.  Nice to listen to in the car, driving at night, or to put on before going to bed.  Music to listen to when you want to relax (only if you enjoy electronic music when you relax).

11.  Hear Music (75) - The Sound of Starbucks:  The name says it all.  Want to feel like you’re always at Starbucks?  Listen to this station.  Very eclectic.

12.  XM Pops (113) - Classical Pops:  Great classical station.  Another good “when I want to relax” channel.

After this comes the news, comedy, entertainment & sports channels.  I’m sure I’ll listen to them from time-to-time (especially MLB baseball coverage), but most of my listening will happen with the music channels.  After a couple of weeks, I’m definitely hooked on this satellite radio thing.