Month: January 2009

  • This is one I’ll have to buy–I LOVE soul music!

    Soul
    Seal
    2008

    Born and raised in England to Nigerian and Brazilian parents, Seal appeared in the early 1990s as one of the most striking and appealing vocalists on the international scene. With his weathered, heartfelt vocals and deft adult-contemporary songwriting skills, Seal enjoyed a series of artistically�and commercially�successful records across the decade and into the new millennium. Best described as a pop singer, Seal�s music nonetheless evades easy labeling, stirring together various styles into a unique and seamless blend. One of the significant influences on his work has always been classic soul music. The gritty passion and conviction in his vocals recall singers like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. This affinity is what makes 2008�s Soul, a collection of covers of classic soul numbers, such a pleasant surprise. Seal�s song selection is impeccable, hitting all the major innovators and styles of soul�s golden years, and he brings class, taste, and, well, soul to every song! he handles.

    The set opens with a bold statement of purpose: a cover of Sam Cooke�s eternal message of hope and perseverance “A Change Is Gonna Come,” recently paraphrased by Barack Obama in his election-night acceptance speech. Seal�s take is faithful but nonetheless amps up the intensity with dramatic staccato strings and virtuosic vocals. Another highlight, and another message of hope, comes via a reading of Curtis Mayfield�s easy, breezy favorite “It�s Alright.” Seal finds the airy, confident nonchalance at the heart of the number and delivers one of his most likable, effortless performances.

    The album takes in a wide range of styles within the popular soul canon. One of the finest moments comes when Seal dips into the �70s Philly-soul songbook. His cover of Gamble & Huff�s “If You Don�t Know Me By Now” coasts on rich piano and silky strings, while his grainy, earnest vocal delivery conveys the perfect measure of wisdom and yearning, lifting the song up to great emotional heights. Across the length of Soul, Seal demonstrates his deep feeling for classic soul and breathes life into a dozen of the genre�s all-time best compositions.

    Listen to all sound clips from this CD
  • “A Change Is Gonna Come”
  • “It’s Alright”
  • “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”       click on these to listen!



    • Buy this CD

    Click here for “Summer’s Path”, the free book

    30 here today, that’s warmer than normal!!  I’ll take it.

    It’s my daughter’s 17th birthday today–
    we’re going out to eat at Q Cumber’s.
    Never been there-sounds like fun.
    They have a HUGE salad bar!

    Have a great day,
    and remember to think positive
    and don’t sweat the small stuff-not worth it!

    I love you!!

  •                                                              

    Haven’t written in while!

    It is bitter cold here, with wind chills in the -25 thru -35 range.  We won’t even get
    an air temp above zero today-tomorrow’s supposed to be worse.  We hardy
    Minnesotans still get out and about for appts and shopping.  The poor ole nose sure bears
    the brunt of the wind and cold!

    Have had some deja vu stuff going on, (unless it’s my poor memory, acting up).
    Some ESP runs in my family, and I totally believe in the
    supernatural.  What things have you had happen to you?
    I had an experience when I was under for heart surgery.
    Didn’t know if it was med-produced or when my heart stopped,
    but I dreamt I opened a white door, in an all-white area,
    and people were smiling and partying and all wearing white.
    It was like an all-white ‘Moulin Rouge.’

    A poem you say?  Haven’t written one in quite a while, I will
    try, off the top of my head.

    My fear is in loving a man,
    losing my freedoms
    making room for decisions
    do I have it in me?

    Can I see two
    when years of one have been?
    is it my ‘duty’ to sacrifice
    my golden years
    of picking up socks?

    I crave the silence,
    I crave the alone time
    when chaos rules
    and others’ voices are shutup.

    I’m independent and stubborn on my own
    I’m willful and rebellious
    and sometimes angered at differences.
    I’m number one!

    There, that did it-ok.

    Want to hear clips of music?

    Here is some:

    The K&D Sessions
    Kruder & Dorfmeister
    1998

    Viennese DJs Kruder & Dorfmeister helped teach the raver world to chill with this iced, heady concoction of downtempo, drum ‘n’ bass, and trance-tinged hip-hop; it’s become a true classic of downtempo electronica. The K&D Sessions evokes a time during the late 1990s when trip-hop was sweeping New York, Los Angeles, and Europe. DJs played in retro-décor-filled cocktail lounges, spinning for the thrift store chic hipsters and future James Bonds of downtown. Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister used tracks from other DJs and groovy 1980′s stuff like Depeche Mode as the canvas to create new works of art, trailblazing their way through the clubbing throngs and back to the VIP room, where they’ve saved you a seat on the comfiest couch.

    A remix of Roni Size’s “Heroes” opens the double-disc set with a shuffling beat, deep-bottom synth bass, echoed-out female-vocal samples and a swooping 303 bass line. “Jazz Master” takes 1960′s sexy Italian-cinema grandeur and filters it through the drum ‘n’ bass spectrum until the song echoes like a dream. The deep bass notes in “Speechless” will root your spine to the center of the earth while drum and bass rhythms cascade over everything like rain. Bomb the Bass’ Justin Warfield steps to the mic for “Bug Powder Dust,” which is steeped in Williams S. Burroughs references but also finds time to reference everything from the Australian 1980′s band Men at Work to obscure films like the 1979 astrology/basketball movie, The Fish That Ate Pittsburgh. That mix of the otherworldly and retro-friendly pervades the album, coaxing open the door between the comfortable and the unknowable.

    Disc two assumes that by now you’ve floated pretty far out, and K&D are in no hurry to bring you back. “Bug Powder Dust” gets a deep space re-remix, and “Boogie Woogie” and “Lexicon” (both original K&D compositions) are so chill that they stop time cold. By now the sun must be coming up, and whether you are part of the scene that spawned this album, you’re doing the postrave chill session, the deep headphone-voyaging, or just using this as aural wallpaper while you clean your house, you can’t help but feel cool to have this music on.

    Listen to all sound clips from this CD
  • “Jazz Master”
  • “Bug Powder Dust”  Click on all of these!!
  • “Speechless”



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    I am reading a book called ‘Nice’.  It’s like Bridget Jones goes mad.
    This young lady murders men after she dates them, but it is done with
    humor and wit. 

    Keep warm!!

    I love you!!

  • I am going to a program today, to get some food.  Having a hard time making ends meet sometimes.
    Glad the program is there!

    The cats make me so happy.  They are both so loving.  Will update with pics, as soon as I can get my
    camera away from my daughter!

    Reconnected with an aunt over the holidays!  She lives in WI, and I haven’t seen her in years!
    She is now 75 and I wrote her that I wanted to reconnect, before it was too late.  She has always been the cool aunt,
    relishing in nature.  For her thesis, for her Master’s she lived among the red fox.  She also has a Masters in Psychology.

    Have been trying to catch up on housework, but it’s been really hard, as my daughter has
    been sick, and I forgot about the cleaning lady.  I know things will be a lot cleaner, once Trisha has moved out.
    Her 17th birthday is in 15 days. 

    I’m looking for some romance in my life, as I’ve been sorely lacking for many years.I know it will happen, but I get so impatient waiting. 

    Have a great day, and remember to count your blessings, not your lack of them!!

    I love you!!


    Watch this!

    Click here: Education And The Future of Technology

  • Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

    Here is some writing and music I like:

    Working Through Silence
    Noise as a Distraction

    Our lives are typically filled with noise. There are the noises from the outside world that we cannot control, and there are the noises we allow into our lives. These noises, from seemingly innocuous sources like the television and radio, can actually help us avoid dealing with uncomfortable thoughts and emotions. However, using noise as a distraction hurts more than it helps because you are numbing yourself to what may be internally bubbling up to the surface for you to look at and heal. Distracting yourself with talk-radio, television, or other background noises can also prevent you from finding closure to issues that haunt you.

    Noise as a distraction can affect us in many ways. It can help you stay numb to emotions that you don’t want to feel, allow you to avoid dealing with problems, distract you from having to think, and make it easier for you to forget reality. Drowning out the thoughts and emotions you find uncomfortable or overwhelming can complicate your issues because it allows them to fester. By tuning out noise and relishing silence, you create the space to experience and express what you are hiding. It is only then that self-exploration can begin in earnest and you can stare down frightening issues. In silence, it becomes easier to let your strongest feelings come forth, deal with them, and find new ways of resolving your problems.

    When you go within without the veil of noise to shield you from yourself, you’ll be able to figure out what you need to heal. Embracing silence and introspection allows you to work through your thoughts and emotions and transmute them. Free of the need for noise, you can accept your pain, anger, and frustration as they come up and turn them into opportunities to evolve.

    Careless Love
    Madeleine Peyroux
    2004

    After a lengthy hiatus since her debut album, jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux returns with Careless Love. Within the first minutes of the album, the siren immediately asserts her ability to deliver torch songs with elegant grace, seamlessly covering songs from such diverse artists as Elliot Smith, Josephine Baker, Bob Dylan and Bessie Smith. The opening track, Leonard Cohen’s classic “Dance Me to the End of Love,” and indeed the entire album, sends the listener into the world of late-night smoky cabarets. On this song, the honey-voiced chanteuse channels Billie Holiday in a playful mood, calling to mind classic jazz conversational phrasing, and transforms the original’s haunting atmosphere into sentimental Swing Era balladry.

    Reinventing rock and blues songs with an effortless classic jazz delivery, Peyroux delivers stunning twists such as the uncanny interpretation of Bob Dylan’s gem, “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.” While the original is steeped in mildly self-doubting undertones, Peyroux’s playful version sounds like a cheery valentine to a lover who’s simply stepping out for a few moments. The combination of orchestral guitar punches, organ fills, and a sprightly piano perfectly complements her sweet melodic styling of the lyrics: “Dragon clouds so high above / I’ve only known careless love / It’s always hit me from below.” To tackle such an iconic staple and successfully shift it into a completely different setting is an achievement of rare beauty.

    Another mesmerizing cover of the album is her exquisite makeover of the often overlooked Elliott Smith gem, “Between the Bars.” Peyroux’s delivery is so rooted in the 1930s and ’40s that it is difficult to believe the song was written in the 1990s. Once again, the savvy crooner turns Smith’s haunting tune into a bittersweet jazz standard that could have appeared on a Billie Holiday LP. Her bluesy alto vocal glides over a stirring chamber of traditional, dazzling jazz. Not a note is wasted while she and an ethereal piano transport the listener to another era altogether.

    Listen to all sound clips from this CD
  • “Dance Me To the End of Love”
  • “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”
  • “Between the Bars”



    • Buy this CD

    I didn’t see the new year in, but I did get up around 6:15 am
    does that count?!

    Hope all your 12 months of the new year are what you want and need!

    I love you!!

    Post humorously