When you spend all your time dealing with important foreign policy issues and trying to stabilize the economy, it’s imperative to stay cool and collected. These hip rock, soul, and R&B hits seem specifically curated for that purpose, containing everything from Charles Mingus to Courtney Barnett, which should unite listeners of all political persuasions to agree on the fact that President Obama is a cool guy who likes to jam. One can imagine the President getting hyped up to take a phone call from a foreign leader while listening to Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” or Aloe Blacc’s “The Man” (“I’m the man, I’m the man, I’m the man”), although perhaps we will leave his inclusion of Manu Chao’s “Me gustas tu,” which is an ode to all the joys of life—both legal and illegal—up to the imagination. The inclusion of “Good Vibrations” is the weird cherry on top of this relaxed, confident daytime mix. -- Adam Rothbarth
