I was driving home from downtown Franklin again tonight and I had to have the right nighttime driving music. Not just any music will do for me. It has to fit the mood of a summer night with or without the window rolled down (the windows were up tonight because of the humidity).

I went with Gillian Welch’s new album, The Harrow & The Harvest. It’s a wonderful album to play through while driving in the car. It has a deliberately slow and easy gait, a lazy summer day kind of rhythm, to it. The way Gillain and David Rawling’s voices mesh, the way the sparse accompaniment makes the music feel intimate, makes it perfect for driving alone in the dark.

I don’t ususally want fast and loud late at night. I want mellow and subdued. I want pensive, thoughtful lyrics with a sound that calms me down without putting me to sleep.

For me, I’ve found a few albums that qualify. Lori McKenna’s Lorraine, Don McLean’s American Pie, Eastmountainsouth’s self-titled album, or anything by Peter Bradley Adams, Over the Rhine, Gillian Welch or The Sundays will do. There are others, both old and new, that span countless genres. I’m not so much looking for a particular style of music, I just want a kind of mood or feeling from it.

What music brings you home at night? I realize most people probably just let the radio pick their music. Most people probably don’t even pay attention to the music coming from the car speakers. But there are probably a few of you who are more deliberate in your nocturnal musical selections. Like me.

PS I do like listening to Delilah at night. She always had a friendly voice and plays good songs and gives sound advice. Sometimes, though, the drive home needs a soundtrack that is more personal and less top-40 radio-friendly. Like tonight.

PPS Anything by Gillian Welch and/or David Rawlings will do for night driving.