Joshua Radin's New Album Simple Times

I love Joshua Radin's first album, We Were Here. Now his second album is out, and for some reason, I'm a little disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high? Maybe my life is too busy these days for his elegant simplicity? I still recommend it, but Simple Times is just a little too sweet for me right now. I am going to listen to it more, and I feel almost guilty that I tend to latch on more easily to music that is just a shade or two darker. Radin deserves to be happy and write happy, carefree songs.

This criticism is especially weird from me since I bet a lot of people would say I can come across as "too sweet/happy".

I do love the song featured live below, "They Bring Me to You" - careful, it tingles.

Daby Toure

Rich and I checked out his show at Joe's Pub earlier this month, and it was beautiful. It was a rainy Saturday night, and I don't think they announced it very early, so the place wasn't packed. It really should have been. This is my favorite song of his - "Banta" (he actually jovially made us all stand up and turned it into a sing-along even though I really have no idea what the actual words are). Maybe someday I'll learn how to finger pick it out. :) Not all of his songs are as quiet as this one - the guy actually jams (and turns his guitar into a conga)! He mixes elements of his native West African style with Western jazz and pop, and the result is very cool... if he got enough publicity, I think he could become pretty popular here.

Adam Duritz Was at Passing Strange Tonight

He was just being a normal guy, enjoying his favorite songwriter's show.

We dug it too.

The theme of the week is ART=LIFE.
Tonight's incantation is ART>LIFE.

If it were any more real, it'd be fictional.

NYTimes Review of Passing Strange

Charles Isherwood really liked it! Yeah! Adam Duritz gushes about Stew, had him open for him a handful of years back (on the tour the Counting Crows did in '03? w/ JM?), and anyway I heard 30 seconds of some of the melodies (see below) in this show & was on my way to buy tickets. RMW and I are going on March 15. Can't wait.

Hallelujah for Martin Sexton

This song makes the world all right. It will still all your December chaos for a moment. There's another slower version on his excellent Live Wide Open album, also gorgeous and raw.

RMW and I finally went to see him play in person last night. More later - super busy day/night today... but, please PLEASE go to one of his live shows if you ever get a chance. I walked into Roseland feeling distracted, buzzing around myself instead of anchored safely inside. I walked out feeling connected to my soul and humanness again. Yeah, I guess music -- well, and art more broadly -- is my religion, my truth.

Sean Rowe

I honestly don't remember how I first came across Sean Rowe. Maybe myspace? All I know is that every time it's been a while since I've listened to him, and I play a song, and I'm like ohhh yeah, I really really like this guy's music. He's got a really unique, deep & gravely voice, paired with quality songwriting and guitar. For people who like these sorts of comparisons, let's see... maybe you'd get something close to Sean Rowe if you crossed Ray Lamontagne with Martin Sexton and then added some Barry White and some Nina Simone. But even then, he's still his own musician. He now has a youtube I can share with you. I recommend his 2003 album "27." highly. Apparently he's working on a new album now too (yay!)- he's got a couple new tracks posted on his myspace page now. He plays fairly regularly in NYC (he's based in Albany) - I really need to check him out live one of these days soon. Can't believe I haven't already. If anyone's interested, let me know.

I Wanted to Love Sara Bareilles...

Really, I did. Rolling Stone called her "Fiona Apple-on-Prozac". I read that and worried but was mildly intrigued. And then leaving the Nickel Creek/Fiona, I heard a Fiona fan absolutely raving about Sara Bareilles. So I listened... and listened... but, I'm sorry, I just don't find the Fiona comparisons appropriate at all. I honestly think she sounds more like an improved Amy Grant for the 21st century. And I just personally never really liked Amy Grant. She's got a clear, good voice, and yeah, she might do very well on pop radio/with teenage chick fans (hence the tour pairing with Maroon 5). I do truly dig her song, "Vegas". "Come Round Soon" and "Bottle It Up" are okay, and "Love Song" grows on you. Still, though, this album comes off as processed Soulveeta. A few steps away from the real cheese. No offense, KRAFT.

I prefer KT Tunstall or Toby Lightman for this niche. And please just don't even mention Fiona.

On Repeat: Suzanne Vega's Beauty & Crime

There's this big-screen film reel in my imagination labeled "Suzanne Vega", and it's grown in length dramatically with her new album, Beauty & Crime. When I listen to these songs, it's as if I'm sitting in City Cinemas Village East*. It's pitch black, and virtually empty in the theater, and I'm restless from sitting and fidgeting while waiting for the picture to begin, from unsucccessful attempts to re-center myself through the yogic breathing to which my Type-A parts still haven't quite surrendered.

And, then I sense the projector light building behind me -the little dust particles spinning and transforming into this bright vivid story up on the screen. And I'm swept up into someone else's life. New York's life. As if I'm living that someone else's life, in first person, and see everyone and everything around me vividly, but have no idea what I myself look like. And yet, I'm no longer restless.

I endorse the whole album, though the earlier songs are more indelible than the later ones. In particular, I adore "Frank and Ava", "Pornographer's Dream", "Edith Wharton's Figurine", "Bound", "New York Is a Woman", and "Ludlow Street".

*For the record, I saw one of my favorite movies ever, You Can Count on Me, in the City Cinemas Village East.

Live clip from "New York Is a Woman":


Good article about Suzanne Vega: "She Sings the City Eclectic" NYTimes, July 15, 2007

It's Weird How My Music Moods Change...

Earlier this week I was listening to a lot of African musicians... Angelique Kidjo's new album (which is not as good as Ojaya! but still has a couple of gems on it like Sedjedo and her remake of Ravel's Bolero which she calls Lonlon), Fela & Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti (who's performing at S.O.B.'s soon!) ... etc. etc.

The bouncy, fluid rhythms and vowels have been a really good match for how I've been feeling inside ... go, go, go ... tons of good stuff going on - stay happy, no worries, just keep bouncing and moving and everything stays light... keep pushing darkness away... i'm imagining myself bopping down little fears and concerns like that carnival game where you mallet the groundhogs back into the underworld. Just keep popping them underground, and they don't exist. I love all this music... but the truth is, at some point, I have to slow down. Come face to face with my groundhogs and listen to what they have to say about cold, wintry spells.

So I've switched my Rhapsody to start listening to singer-songwriters -- some "blue-eyed soul" (for the record, I hate that term ... ) And it's weird -- in a different mood, I might find Jonah Smith, and much more so, Dave Barnes - too cheesy. In fact the first time I listened to Dave Barnes I thought he was cheesy and saccharine. But right now, this music feels more real. More aligned with my breathing. More in tune with how I feel inside. Positive, yes, but a little vulnerable. Still grooving and nodding my head, but a little more slowly - a little more self-consciously. A good thing? Ask me tomorrow. I might be back to blasting Clipse.

See BrooklynRocks for a link to listen to My Morning Scene by Jonah Smith

Link to Itunes to hear a sample of Angelique Kidjo (feat. Ziggy Marley) on Sedjedo

Seun Kuti's myspace

When Kindness Falls Like Rain, It Washes Me Away

I think I have listened to this Counting Crows song, "Anna Begins", fifteen times this afternoon. I've been in love with it since it was first released in 1993, and the bridge still "washes me away" just about every time I hear it. Adam Duritz is a brilliant songwriter. Even with all his fame, he has managed to maintain the ability to write honestly. He's not afraid of making himself vulnerable. I so admire that.

Listen to the song here -- but at least the first time, try to ignore the photo montage... while creative, I find it a little distracting...

Highlight of JazzFest: Corinne Bailey Rae

We saw a lot of great shows, and, to be honest, I thought the songwriting on her album as a whole was inconsistent & could get boring... but, live in person, Corinne Bailey Rae was *incredible*. She plays her voice like a master instrumentalist -- she's got this seemingly intuitive, amazing control and timing. She also has a lot more power than you would guess from hearing her radio hits. In the studio recordings, her voice can sound maybe a little too precious. Live, it is more raw and complex. She plays around with her vocal timbre -- sounding sweet for moments, yes, but many notes are complemented by this raspy finish that lingers in its reluctant release of your chest. In a good way.

And the other cool thing about her as a performer is that her whole being smiles throughout her show. Not only her mouth, but her eyes twinkle, her skin glows... and it's actually not weird. You know those people that never stop smiling, even when what they're saying isn't worthy of this big grin - those awkward smiley people? That is not what I'm talking about. The way she smiles -- you get the sense that it's completely authentic - that it's the result of just completely surrendering to the inherent beauty in all *real* human emotion & experiences-- even the complicated and not-all-sunny ones.

You don't have to have the range of Mariah to be worthy of divahood.

If you ever have a chance, please see this woman live.

Here's a preview - not from our show at Tipitina's, but from an earlier show at Webster Hall:

Speaking of Awesome Voices: Feist

Feist's new album, The Reminder, was released today. Many many lucky people who get advance copies of albums have already written lots about it. It is indeed a glittering album. Her best work yet.

Voices that Give Me Hope and Faith and Strength: Lauren Pritchard

Does anyone want to check out Lauren Pritchard's performance on May 22 at Ars Nova with me? (where my friend Jillian works!! )

Lauren Pritchard is only 18 years old. She has an intoxicating voice that is currently being featured in the musical Spring Awakening, in Duncan Sheik's incredible score for that show. Yeah, that Duncan Sheik. He of "Barely Breathing" a little over 10 years ago, who I barely took notice of back then. I *loved* Spring Awakening -- no, not because of the probably unnecessary teen nudity, but because of Duncan Sheik's songwriting - and because of the way voices like Lauren Pritchard's delivered those poignant songs (and hers was probably the stand-out among several excellent voices, despite her part in the show being relatively small). Duncan Sheik's songs and Lauren Pritchard & others' voices gave Spring Awakening a depth, complexity and organic trueness that is rare in the musical form. It helped A LOT that in this musical, the characters don't talk to each other via song -- the songs instead emerge from inner dialogues, reflecting what's going on in their own heads. Seems like such a small thing, but few (if any?) other musicals use songs in this way. And it's so much more natural...
Beyond transforming the musical genre, while I haven't read Frank Wedekind's original play, I also imagine that this music may have also completely transformed what was very possibly quite average material, in terms of content. Well, perhaps it was the addition of the outstanding score, plus Bill T. Jones' choreography (more interesting movement than typical "Broadway" dance numbers), and very innovative direction by Michael Mayer.

Anyway, Lauren Pritchard wanted to be a singer-songwriter before she wanted to be a Broadway star. And she just might be able to use her exposure from Spring Awakening as a launching pad for broader success in music, beyond musical theater. I hope she succeeds. It's hard not to compare her to Joss Stone -- another big, soulful/smoky, astoundingly young, white, female voice. The thing that continually disappoints me about Joss Stone is her songwriting -- it's her voice, not her writing, that is her strength. The problem is that a great song depends as much (if not more) on the writing as it does on the voice or the musicianship. I fear Lauren Pritchard may run into the same trouble, but I have more hope for the future in her case. Though not as good as the Sheik-provided stuff in Spring Awakening, the songs on her myspace page show potential. I haven't listened to them enough to want to lay down judgment, but check them out.

Also, YouTube of her singing Spring Awakening stuff:
1. "Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind" duet with John Gallagher, Jr. - she comes in a little after the 2 min. mark
2. Singing "Left Behind" at a concert-type performance - w/ Duncan Sheik on guitar

Idolator's "Stuck On Repeat: Prince Makes His Case"

Idolator's right. Prince's studio cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" is goosebump gorgeous. Hit up that site for a copy of the mp3 (before the link expires).

Random Josh Rouse Posts

Today I'm in the mood to give a random Josh Rouse plug --because he's a really quality singer-songwriter but not that commercially recognized, and the man deserves more popularity. My favorite song of his is "Winter in the Hamptons" -- it's a really delicate mix of two invented subgenres Rich & I call "whiny white boy music" (e.g., Howie Day) & "happy bop bop music" (e.g., Tahiti 80). Now, that's a hard combo to pull off, but this song does it well.

While searching for an MP3 posting of the studio version of "Winter in the Hamptons" elsewhere in the blogosphere, to my surprise I discovered that another music blogger felt a very similar random-josh-rouse-posting urge just a few weeks ago! And Cronhauer's version on his Your Moment of Zen blog is way more thoughtful than mine. So check it out for his insightful two cents on Josh Rouse & for his mp3s! Thanks Cronhauer!