The Playlist: The Story

The biography of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis was questioned and scrutinized this week, so we start our news-inspired playlist with "The Story," by Brandi Carlile.

The easiest way to enjoy the playlist is to download Spotify, which is a free program. But even without it, you can still follow along. Here are this week's other selections:

With the state's school finance trial entering its next phase, we have Pearl Jam's "Education." There's "Endangered Species," by Esperanza Spalding, because the comptroller's office announced plans to fund research on species at risk of being classified as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Following the controversial execution of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer, we added "Execution," by Spoon. Because Republican primaries could be affected by a bid by state Rep. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, a professional motivational speaker, to overthrow House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, we have "Motivational Speaker," by Alvin Youngblood Hart.

In light of plans for a major solar plant in West Texas, we naturally added Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun." It's followed by Glen Hansard's "This Gift," a nod to a just-announced $60 million donation to the University of Texas at Austin from the former chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips.

A candidate for the Republican nomination in House District 92 on Monday circulated Facebook comments from 2011 in which the incumbent, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, appears to speak in favor of union rights and gay marriage, prompting the addition of "Facebook," by Passenger. Meanwhile, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro decided to settle a Twitter fight offline and agreed to an upcoming debate on immigration policy, inspiring the selection of "This is Why We Fight," by The Decemberists.

We close with "Transparency" by White Denim, celebrating the launch of the Trib's new corrections page.

Enjoy!