courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
As faithful readers know, I decided as a new resolution that I would keep up with the new music that comes out this year. I have an unnatural craving to hear every single new album, song and artist that comes out, and unfortunately, I've heard a lot of them. Maybe it's a megalomaniacal need to be "Mr. Music," or maybe I just love listening to new songs and sounds.
So, I'm committing this year, and so far so good. Tuesdays: I check Napster, (My music service of choice) and preview one track from each new release for that week. If I like that song, I add it to a playlist, and live with it for a while. By that week's end, if I still like it, I download and preview the whole album. Sometimes I love it, most times, it was just not meant to be. If I love it, I will try to write about it here on the blog.
Well, lately I've let it get away from me. I'm up to date, and I don't think I missed anything, but I could be wrong. So let me get my bearings, and just update you with the good stuff that's come out just in the first third of this year so far. (By the way, I'm trying to focus on positive, so no negative reviews, only recommendations.) And in the spirit of twitter, a 5-6 word review. For more details, click the links. In Alphabetical order...
Albums
1,000 Faces - Randy Montana (EP) - Country, but in a good way.
21 - Adele - Nice voice, but also good songs.
Dancing on Needles - Charlotte Martin - Tori Amos with awesome arrangements
Daugherty: Route 66 - Marin Alsop - I should listen to more classical
Echoing Angels - Good, Rocking music; not too preachy
Edie Brickell - Who needs the New Bohemians?
Get Closer - Keith Urban - The "Good songwriting" kind of country
How to Become Clairvoyant - Robbie Robertson - The Band and Lou Reed in one
John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors - Blues for the 21st century
Leaving Eden - Brandon Heath - Christian Music yet very personal
Miss Willie Brown (EP)- Redneck, but in a good way.
Mission Bell - Amos Lee - Great Songwriting. How'd I miss this?
Psalms Alive - Rob Mathes - WOW, God, I love this guy!
Rare Bird Alert - Steve Martin - Bluegrass, Comedy, and brilliance mixed together
Songs From A Zulu Farm - Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Just for Old MacDonald in Zulu
The Covering - Stryper - Just for the list of covers!
The King Is Dead - The Decemberists - "Better than their previous work."
This is the New Year - Ian Axel - A lot of fun, so there.
Wasted Light - Foo Fighters - Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!!!
What if... - Mr. Big - Remember them? Old, but still rocking.
Young in America - Whitney Duncan (EP) - Country, in a good way... again.
Singles -
A Little Less Comfortable - Carter's Chord - Oh, they mean MORE free in love.
A Man Who Can Dance - Star de Azlan - Her only good country song
Build Us Back/Attention - Know Hope Collective - Powerful Christian Music with a point
Douchebag - Denis Leary - Everything I often think in song.
Gone and Never Coming Back - Melanie Fiona - Surprise, I like R&B done well!
I Won't Give Up - Jana Kramer - I shouldn't like it - I do.
Seek Your Face - Coffey Anderson - Nice tune, Not sure about Album
Summer Rain - Matthew Morrison - Good, Hope it's not from Glee
This Little Light of Mine - Addison Road - Almost better than the spiritual
Still need to preview
Blue Frontier - The Remingtons
Daybreak - Sierra Hull
Madam Adam
Paper Airplane - Allison Krauss and Union Station
So Beautiful or So What - Paul Simon
Striggio: Mass in 40 parts
The Great Divide - Tommy Shaw
The JaneDear Girls
The Unforgiving - Within Temptation
Good thing I did this. I'm actually behind. I better catch up. Stay TUNED!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Music Review : Spring Update
courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
I've been pretty on target in my 2011 mission to find the best new albums of the year. Here Are My Previous Picks. (Click on each word for a different review) But, I've been a bit lax this past month, but in my defense, there's been a lot of crap released. I actually looked at the Billboard top 200 Albums, to check if I missed anything, and sheesh, there's a lot of crap out there. Here are some of the most recent good ones:
John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors. Imagine, if you will, that Blues in its purest form is good, and a lot of what we now call the blues is dumbed down, pop-ish crap. Now, if we take the preceding to be true, and imagine that the Blues was allowed to evolve, such that it incorporated other styles and influenced other musicians, without becoming Rock and Roll, or mainstream pop; then you'd get John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors. This album is amazingly bluesy and heartfelt, while still having a modern take on the songwriting. Popper's inhuman abilities on the harmonica notwithstanding, the band is tight, and the songs are catchy and emotional. I highly recommend it.
Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant. The founding member of the Band has a new album out. And it's really good. I don't know if it's just that I listened to it right after a few other crappy selections, but Robertson shows that bells and whistles, synth sounds, and remixes are nothing, unless you have a great song. If you enjoy "The Weight," or any other songs from The Band, this will fit right into yoru collection. Robertson's singspeil style of vocals is surprisingly tuneful, and the hooks always make up for the almost spoken word delivery of many of the verses. It's a good album, check it out.
Steve Martin - Rare Bird Alert. Is it Comedy? Is it Bluegrass? What is it, exactly. It's a folk album that I'm choosing to compare to The Decemberists and Mumford & Sons. Fans of Steve Martin know that as hysterical as he is, he's also brilliantly intelligent and talented. This album shows his brilliance on the Banjo, AND his cleverness for lyric writing. Some of the songs ARE downright funny, he even remakes his classic, "King Tut," but humor is used to pepper some wonderful music. And no, it's not to hickish and bluegrassy. After all, Martin IS from L.A.
I've been pretty on target in my 2011 mission to find the best new albums of the year. Here Are My Previous Picks. (Click on each word for a different review) But, I've been a bit lax this past month, but in my defense, there's been a lot of crap released. I actually looked at the Billboard top 200 Albums, to check if I missed anything, and sheesh, there's a lot of crap out there. Here are some of the most recent good ones:
John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors. Imagine, if you will, that Blues in its purest form is good, and a lot of what we now call the blues is dumbed down, pop-ish crap. Now, if we take the preceding to be true, and imagine that the Blues was allowed to evolve, such that it incorporated other styles and influenced other musicians, without becoming Rock and Roll, or mainstream pop; then you'd get John Popper and the Duskray Troubadors. This album is amazingly bluesy and heartfelt, while still having a modern take on the songwriting. Popper's inhuman abilities on the harmonica notwithstanding, the band is tight, and the songs are catchy and emotional. I highly recommend it.
Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant. The founding member of the Band has a new album out. And it's really good. I don't know if it's just that I listened to it right after a few other crappy selections, but Robertson shows that bells and whistles, synth sounds, and remixes are nothing, unless you have a great song. If you enjoy "The Weight," or any other songs from The Band, this will fit right into yoru collection. Robertson's singspeil style of vocals is surprisingly tuneful, and the hooks always make up for the almost spoken word delivery of many of the verses. It's a good album, check it out.
Steve Martin - Rare Bird Alert. Is it Comedy? Is it Bluegrass? What is it, exactly. It's a folk album that I'm choosing to compare to The Decemberists and Mumford & Sons. Fans of Steve Martin know that as hysterical as he is, he's also brilliantly intelligent and talented. This album shows his brilliance on the Banjo, AND his cleverness for lyric writing. Some of the songs ARE downright funny, he even remakes his classic, "King Tut," but humor is used to pepper some wonderful music. And no, it's not to hickish and bluegrassy. After all, Martin IS from L.A.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Lenten Fast 2011
courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com
I'm sure you're all asking yourselves, "I wonder what Carl did for Lent this year?" As my faithful readers may remember... Last year I tried giving up Pepsi, and in the process, High Fructose Corn Syrup. This year, I had a new dietary "issue," my triglycerides, and a blood test that showed that I may be in danger of being pre-diabetic. So, while I gave up Pepsi again, I also cut out "Sugar."
Now, by "sugar," I mean desserts. No Chocolate, No cake, No Donuts, Cookies, sweets. I allow myself the sugar in my coffee, and any mealtime dish involving sugar, such as barbecue ribs and wings. Last year, it got easier each week, and by Holy week, I no longer craved soda. The Sugar-free diet is harder. It's coming up on Palm Sunday now, and God, I want some chocolate! Fortunately, this fast ends on the year's biggest candy Holiday; with the possible exception of Halloween.
Now, I believe firmly that anything marked "diet" is inherently bad for you. Sugar is natural, and I've come to believe that Corn Syrup is as well. Diet Sodas contain Aspartame, or Splenda, which is created in a lab. Sugar is created by God. I have been trying to follow a strict diet of eating FOOD. In other words, don't get the Kraft Mac and Cheese; get some Cheese and a Bechamel sauce, and put it over pasta.
When I gave up sugar, I actually started by going cold turkey. I even tried Splenda and even Truvia in my coffee. YECCCHH. It tasted to me like something artificial. Like chewing on tin foil but without the exhilarating electrical charge. I finally couldn't stand anymore, and felt that God would forgive me switching back to sugar in coffee. (I hope.)
I also noticed that I crave sugar at night. That craving for carbs is typically satiated by a little goodie for dessert. But, on this diet, I need to satiate my craving by having a bread or bagel or some other non-sweet snack. I've been favoring cheese and crackers or a peanut butter sandwich. It's rarely enough, though, and I still have these food cravings afterwards, because the complex carbs need time to break down before I get that sugar-rush. I think that if I had a piece of chocolate, I'd be immediately satisfied, and not "carbing up" during snack time. It's my theory, and it works for me. The biggest thing about these diet experiments is that it helps me identify my own eating habits.
So, I'm very much looking forward to Easter. I plan to pick up a 6-pack of Starbucks Cake Pops, which were so cruelly launched by Starbucks on Ash Wednesday. And then possibly gorge myself on chocolate and peeps all day. Then I'll meditate on positive changes in my full-time diet.
I'm sure you're all asking yourselves, "I wonder what Carl did for Lent this year?" As my faithful readers may remember... Last year I tried giving up Pepsi, and in the process, High Fructose Corn Syrup. This year, I had a new dietary "issue," my triglycerides, and a blood test that showed that I may be in danger of being pre-diabetic. So, while I gave up Pepsi again, I also cut out "Sugar."
Now, by "sugar," I mean desserts. No Chocolate, No cake, No Donuts, Cookies, sweets. I allow myself the sugar in my coffee, and any mealtime dish involving sugar, such as barbecue ribs and wings. Last year, it got easier each week, and by Holy week, I no longer craved soda. The Sugar-free diet is harder. It's coming up on Palm Sunday now, and God, I want some chocolate! Fortunately, this fast ends on the year's biggest candy Holiday; with the possible exception of Halloween.
Now, I believe firmly that anything marked "diet" is inherently bad for you. Sugar is natural, and I've come to believe that Corn Syrup is as well. Diet Sodas contain Aspartame, or Splenda, which is created in a lab. Sugar is created by God. I have been trying to follow a strict diet of eating FOOD. In other words, don't get the Kraft Mac and Cheese; get some Cheese and a Bechamel sauce, and put it over pasta.
When I gave up sugar, I actually started by going cold turkey. I even tried Splenda and even Truvia in my coffee. YECCCHH. It tasted to me like something artificial. Like chewing on tin foil but without the exhilarating electrical charge. I finally couldn't stand anymore, and felt that God would forgive me switching back to sugar in coffee. (I hope.)
I also noticed that I crave sugar at night. That craving for carbs is typically satiated by a little goodie for dessert. But, on this diet, I need to satiate my craving by having a bread or bagel or some other non-sweet snack. I've been favoring cheese and crackers or a peanut butter sandwich. It's rarely enough, though, and I still have these food cravings afterwards, because the complex carbs need time to break down before I get that sugar-rush. I think that if I had a piece of chocolate, I'd be immediately satisfied, and not "carbing up" during snack time. It's my theory, and it works for me. The biggest thing about these diet experiments is that it helps me identify my own eating habits.
So, I'm very much looking forward to Easter. I plan to pick up a 6-pack of Starbucks Cake Pops, which were so cruelly launched by Starbucks on Ash Wednesday. And then possibly gorge myself on chocolate and peeps all day. Then I'll meditate on positive changes in my full-time diet.
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