Shecky’s

It seems that my boyfriend and I are forever fighting over “our” iPod, and while I may humor his view that it is a ‘shared’ appliance, the truth is that it’s mine! I am not in the slighest bit ashamed of my musical tastes (I frequently whine to Mumford & Sons and screech out to Gaga) but seeing as my boyfriend is a bit of an indie rocker, I feel like I should keep up with his coolness—at least where our iPod competitiveness is concerned. Thankfully, my life as a closeted-questionable-music-lover is now over…thanks to Pandora.com!

Why We Love It:

Janet Jackson once sang that the best things in life are free (bet that’s stuck in your head now), and Pandora is just that. Choose to stay within their listening hours per month or pay up at a mere 99 cents to keep unlimited listening for the whole month.

How It Works:

Once you type in an artist, Pandora quickly magics up a station, containing songs from said artist, and many others that are similar. Type in Beyonce, and expect a little Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson or Rihanna thrown in there for good measure. You can then save your station and once you build up a collection of them (trust us, you will), you can pick and choose…or play all of them together. Pandora also lets you bookmark artists or songs, ensuring that your guilty pleasures are only a click away! I also love giving a thumbs up, thumbs down to a song to “tell” my station what I like/don’t like.

My Opinion:

Not only can you listen to what you want, when you want, your ears are also opened up to a whole host of other artists that you may not have known. You can even click on each artist for a full biography. This is helping the music industry!

Streaming fast from your laptop, it also makes for the perfect alternative DJ at your next party—simply play through your stations or search for one someone else has manifested, so your night of girlie fun (Cyndi Lauper, yes please) is easily taken care of (cosmos to accompany said music are yet to be available).

My Verdict:

For fast, free and darn good music, Pandora definitley makes it into our favorites list. So, if Friday has you hungering for the dance floor, search whatever artists make you want to get your groove on. Relax to the sounds of the Beatles if your boss just sent a snarky email or pump yourself up to finish spreadsheet formulas with Girl Talk. I couldn’t love this site more!