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Joe Fuka, 42, is an Albuquerque electrician. He plays bass, guitar and mandolin and has performed in the bands Billy Blastoff and the Retro Rockets (rock), the Biscuits (pop), Chemical Sundays (pop), Wagogo (African) and Rivet Gang (alt country). Here are his thoughts on car tunes:

I had a lot of time to listen to music when I was running a summer food program for a small non-profit up in the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation five years ago, driving 300 to 350 miles a day.

The radio reception for all but the most powerful top-40 radio stations ran out at about San Ysidro, so I was saved by tapes and CDs.

My favorite road music:

Hank Williams songs: I think yodeling as an art form is really tricky for a beginner, sort of like clarinet or violin, and as such is something you want to do in isolation. I think I nearly wore out Hank Williams with my attempts to learn, driving up U.S. 550 toward the turn-off to Cabezon and up the shortcut to the Torreon Chapter.

"Trace," Son Volt: For great singalong, pretty harmonies and dynamite pedal steel, I love this. I think I have listened to it about 200 times. It also has some jarring power chord compositions, to wake you when the center line begins to lull you to sleep. And the road requires some pedal steel.

"Waiting for Columbus," "Hoy-Hoy," Lowell George and Little Feat: I like to bellow along to this music. What a great and underrated songwriter (George). I mean "Willin' " — Hello. Best road song ever.

"Look Sharp," Joe Jackson: Speed-driven new-wave beats and the tightest band in the world.

"Polkas for a Gloomy World," Brave Combo: Just what the title says — "Boomp, boomp, boomp, hey!"

"The Harder They Come," Jimmy Cliff: Pretend you are a stoned session musician when reggae was at its freshest. "Johnny, you're too bad — Whoa-ooo-ooooh."

"Rickie Lee Jones," "Pirates," Rickie Lee Jones: Great shuffly, funny, sad, funky and, again, nearly the tightest studio ensemble of all time.

Fuka's fine print:

OK, it's like I haven't listened to anything new in 15 years, and that's probably so. Road music is comfort food for me. I need to know the words, know what song comes next and be able to sing backups.

And I think road music only really works when one person is in the car. Or the other person is asleep, waiting for their shift. That's when you can tear up to George Jones a little bit and not have anyone make fun of you.