STARTING OVER

blogs are like the clean, dirty, and in-between laundry piles in my bedroom. i've been in-between with music recommendations/effusions on other sites, but now they're stepping out of the overlap and into Their Own. i'll try to do a little catching up, but mostly moving forward.

it is MUSIC that i truly love. soaking all of me in.  filling all of me up.

...

Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays (Blind) - her voice is clear as a bell, her sweeping melodies are fresh and creative, the band is tight.  perfect little pop songs.  perfect for singing along.  i was once asked in an interview which album i would pick if i could only listen to ONE for the rest of my life.  i picked this one.

Tori Amos (Scarlet's Walk) - to be honest, Tori lost me after Under the Pink.  i could only follow her so far.  but all the reasons i loved her Little Earthquakes album appear again in Scarlet's Walk.  compelling arrangements and orchestration behind vocal hooks carrying her masterfully crafted lyrics.  beautiful and accessible (to me, this is all subjective, of course), but still emotionally charged.

Sarah Vaughan (I'll Be Seeing You memorial album - another crystal clear and acrobatic voice, i first heard sarah vaughan being played in a cafe called 49West in annapolis, maryland (same place i first heard cab calloway).  her control over her voice, all through her range, is jaw-dropping. i really love the uptempo songs on this record. if you find this album, get it!

Martha Wainwright (self-titled debut) - her voice is as erraticly entertaining and deeply controlled as her personality seems to be.  she grumbles and wails, puts her heart out for the taking.  i so appreciate her honest portrayal of the struggle of the inner life (both lyrically and in her physical singing style).  she sings backup for her brother (rufus wainwright) a lot, so you may recognize her unique tone if you're familiar with his music.  she sings her ass off.


they get me over.

KOOP had a great show today (Le Chateau Daddy-O) featuring break-up music.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are back on tour in the U.S. Please don't miss it.