What are you listening to this week?

the blues......what the heck else would i be listening to?

right now (so far this evening) the first 2 Tony Vega cd's......guy is hot.
(no....not the salsa singer....Tony Vega....Houston Texas)

 
Borrowed my wife's car to run a bunch of errands yesterday, and this was in the CD player...
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By the time I got back home, I had gone through the thing at least three times. I don't think I've ever listened to Al Stewart before, except what popped up on the radio during the 70's, back when radio actually mattered.

Anyhow, I liked it a lot more than I expected. Stewart's a very clever and inventive songwriter, and the production by Alan Parsons is pretty impressive even if it does drip with of a lot of 70's musical cliches. It also made me feel a little melancholy and old, because this kind of stuff, which was once so common that I took it for granted, just doesn't exist anymore. Which is not to say that there isn't any good music being made these days, but the cynicism of the times have made this particular mix of elements obsolete.

 
Despite being dead inside from having to listen to music and write about it for money, and listening to people butcher other people's songs in a music store a few days a week, I found some gems. I'm a huge Robben Ford fan but I haven't listened to him in a long time. He came in the store last week and I got to hang out with him for about two hours. I was basically his guitar caddy and got to pull some vintage 335s, Mustangs, and twelve-string guitars for him to demo for his new record. I geeked out and even told him I still cover some of his material which made him smile.

I reviewed a vocals record he did last year and interviewed him about it, but I found out he put out a jazz record as well called City Life which I didn't know about. Very inspiring. It has a spacious Miles Davis fusion vibe and it features Charlie Hayden, Ralph Towner, and Bill Frisell, and some other heavy weights.

Nili Brosh's second solo record A Matter Of Perception is one of the best instrument prog metal albums I've heard all year. I can call her a friend and she's even better than her brother. The compositions are sublime and the playing is expert. You can't be sloppy if you play in Tony MacAlpine's band.

I like the two new Prince records but Art Official Age is classic 90's sensuous Prince. It's R&B with a big nod to Sly Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On. Still as eccentric as ever and still a visionary.

Queen Live At The Rainbow '74 is vintage stuff before all the mega-hits but if you want to hear the most inventive guitar player of the 1970s, it's Brian May all the way. He pulls off all the layers live without noodling, and it's a sonic feast with the kind tone that money still can't buy.

The Eric Johnson - Mike Stern album Eclectic is very happening. They've merged their influences to form this hybrid rock fusion thing that interestingly enough works. They have some fire works going on.

Lastly, I like Nicki Minaj's big fat ass.
 
Monday was all about Lisa Hannigan's AMAZING Passenger album. It's stellar.

Today I finally got the latest Robert Plant and am enjoying it a ton. Still amazes me how Page seems tapped since Zeppelin (not that it wasn't enough to have had a huge hand in that), while Plant seems to have a deeper well. And I've enjoyed most of it, but I can't say much for what Jimmy's done since then.

The best stuff from Page is just doing Zep stuff again (Unledded and the Black Crowes). I did enjoy a few tunes on each Firm album, but was hoping for more.
 


I've been listening to it almost daily for a few weeks now. My favourite track keeps changing, but right now I'm loving "Limousine (MS Rebridge)" which is actually based off a pretty tragic story. :(
 


I've been listening to it almost daily for a few weeks now. My favourite track keeps changing, but right now I'm loving "Limousine (MS Rebridge)" which is actually based off a pretty tragic story. :(



Hmmm..Cool.....I started listening to it and was getting into it before I noticed that it was the whole record...


I've saved it and will listen to the whole thing tomorrow when my girl comes over...


I think we should celebrate death while we're still alive...
 
Borrowed my wife's car to run a bunch of errands yesterday, and this was in the CD player...
611quasdyBL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


By the time I got back home, I had gone through the thing at least three times. I don't think I've ever listened to Al Stewart before, except what popped up on the radio during the 70's, back when radio actually mattered.

Anyhow, I liked it a lot more than I expected. Stewart's a very clever and inventive songwriter, and the production by Alan Parsons is pretty impressive even if it does drip with of a lot of 70's musical cliches. It also made me feel a little melancholy and old, because this kind of stuff, which was once so common that I took it for granted, just doesn't exist anymore. Which is not to say that there isn't any good music being made these days, but the cynicism of the times have made this particular mix of elements obsolete.

Sweet,,,,,Thanks......I love music that helps me fall asleep so my mind doesn't journy...
 
Hmmm..Cool.....I started listening to it and was getting into it before I noticed that it was the whole record...


I've saved it and will listen to the whole thing tomorrow when my girl comes over...


I think we should celebrate death while we're still alive...

Yeah, that's the whole thing. Those last two Brand New albums were lightyears ahead of their early albums, which were more pop-punkish. Can't wait to see what they have coming.
 
I have been reading a bit this week so Ozric Tentacles and Porcupine Tree are playing in the background.
 
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