Music Discussion

(A conversation with Heather, who is 13, over lunch, which was good.)

Heather: (From out of the clear blue.) I don't like Bob Dylan. I'm just gonna say it.
Me: (Conceding.) There's a lot there not to like-his voice for starters.
Heather: (Relieved and empowered.)  Exactly! I don't understand how he got so famous with such a bad voice.
Me: Well, it was the time in history and what he was saying. It was his values and his music style. It wasn't necessarily about his voice. (Referencing a certain scene in 'School of Rock', I go on.)  He was singing against, you know, "the man," and against war and politics and the status quo.

Heather: (Understanding the reference.) But still! His voice is terrible.
Me: (Countering.) Well, he hits his notes.
Heather: (After a brief pause.) I don't think he hits his notes! It's like...(She makes a noise I don't know how to reproduce.)
Me: (After a brief pause, challenging.) What about Bon Iver's voice?
Heather: Bon Iver has a nice voice! Have you heard it? It's probably all affected by computer on his albums but his normal voice is nice. But I like his affected voice. It's not natural.
Me: (A little confused.)  Hhmmmm...

Like an Old Friend (my review of 'The Raw Sessions')

One of the things I miss about my life in Portugal is the fact that I experienced a lot of really good music there. In big venues, little clubs, smoky bars, cozy pubs and church halls to boot, I had the pleasure of live music. Recorded music was a big part of the years there, too. Our home was set up in such a way that we could enjoy music all day long. The little stereo in our bedroom was even set to wake us to whatever cd we put in. We had our favorites and they made waking up a good thing.

For whatever reason, the house here hasn’t leant itself to this kind of daylong music, and live music is very limited, indeed. Cleaning off my desk today brought me face to face with a cd I’ve long wanted to give some time to. Seeing Brian Houston’s The Raw Sessions under a pile of annoying papers made me kind of sad. The fact that I’ve had it for so long and never reviewed it just points up how different my experience of music is here.

Well, no regrets! Let’s get to it…

Gospel Road: An Album Review

As Brian Houston’s new album, Gospel Road, opens, I am immediately snapping my fingers and feeling that I must know this song, if only I could remember it. Maybe it’s the Elvisy piano, maybe it’s the oo! oooooohs and deep voiced backing vocals, I don’t know.

I know that the first track, “Glory Glory,” starts out with this simple early Cash-like guitar and then has, what I think of as, this Elvisy piano thing. I could be totally wrong about those two associations but that’s where I go. It definitely makes me want to shimmy and shake, which feels a little shocking given that the lyrics are all about God.

Maybe that’s the cute dichotomy of the song and, in fact, of most of the album; the lyrics are straight out of old time Sunday School but the music is from the dance hall on the Saturday night before. Not that I’m old enough to actually have attended a sock hop, I’m just sayin’. I might have thought I was listening to the soundtrack to The Sand Lot or Stand By Me, which is a compliment since those 2 are set to great music.

The theme of the album is reflected in the opening line.

“Well tonight I feel like God’s favorite/I’m laying down in his arms…”

God’s favorite? OK, can God have a favorite? Apparently he can and, guess what, we’re it. There is a tremendously sweet innocence that goes with resting in God’s arms, assured that you’re his favorite. It’s at once very childish and very mature because it’s foolishly true.

Later this same song says that God is…

“Smilin’ down on me/and all my sins have been forgiven/all my past wiped clean/ oh I, I will lay my burden down.”

It’s this comforting knowledge that allows a person to rest in the feeling of “favorite”. All has been set right. No need to carry a burden. And he loves us. No wonder the overall vibe of the album is unapologetically happy.

The charm of the album is unquestionably this: simple truths set to good music. But let’s not confuse simple with small. Security in God’s accepting love and His ability to see us through the challenges of life are BIG truths. It’s just that they’re put simply on Gospel Road. Whether Houston is talking about love that heals or confidence in the face of these troubled times, his lyrics are not complicated but they are rich.

And, as I said, the music is finger snapping and hip shaking good. Listening to Gospel Road reminds me of watching a film directed by either Ron Howard or Robert Redford, both of whom place high value on a good story told well, by which they mean GOOD ENTERTAINMENT. How the album took me to those associations, I can’t say, except that it’s just that kind of music. It's fun. Yet the truths Houston is crooning about do much more than simply entertain.

The Gospel Road is something entirely different and yet pleasingly familiar. For me, it was a welcome change and a comforting old friend. I love that there is joy and faith and confidence and humility all set to some kind of when-my-dad-was-in-high-school dance music, or church music, or some collision of the two.

You can find it HERE

PS Personal fav: “Sweet Jesus.” This perfectly tender little lullaby of a beauty tells of a heart healed. I’d recommend the album for this one alone. Lucky you that you’ll get 10 other nice ones along with it.

(My review can't be very technically clever. I'm not that smart. The best I can do it talk about how an album makes me feel and what it is I like about it. But then, that's what's important to me :-)

Magic Night

Tuesday night in Southern California and Trevor and the sweet Darrelle are making a tiny video message on the phone to send to yours truly, me.

Not too long later, I wake up on Wednesday morning in Tanzania and find a fresh email waiting with the video attached. Their cute faces shine with exultant expectation as they announce to me that the secret surprise date that Darrelle planned was culminating in minutes as they await the lights going down and Mr. Bruce Springsteen taking the stage.

"We're seeing Bruce Springsteen tonight and we wish you were here."

I'm so jealous I can hardly see straight. I'm so happy that Darrelle has pulled off such a great surprise. I delight in the fact that, even though the drive was over 2 hours long, Trevor never guessed where they were going until they drove up to the venue and he read the billboard. I am impressed with the excellent planning and thoughtfulness of the date.

And I'm terribly proud that I raised a boy with such good taste in music.

:-)

(PS I posted today on my Conversant Life blog about my African sisters.)

Johnny and June

Trevor and Heather had the chance to record their version of "It Ain't Me, Babe" this morning.

I know I'm their Mum and completely biased, but it's pretty sweet.

Have a listen here

Many thanks to Michael and Jennifer at Remba Records for their friendship and generous gift of time.

Happy Valentine's

Valentine was a good dude and that was nice of him to secretly officiate the weddings of lovers during the time when the young men were banned from marriage (in order to stay frustrated and strong and be better soldiers!)
OK, so here's ten songs I'd like to hear today to celebrate that love is a nice thing:

1. Follow You, Follow Me (Genesis)
2. Pistol (Dustin Kensrue)
3. Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis)
4. I'll Follow You Into the Dark (Deathcab for Cutie)
5. The Sweetest Thing (U2)
6. Good Vibrations (Beach Boys)
7. Jersey Girl (Bruce Springsteen)
8. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
9. I'm a Believer (Monkees)
10. Sugar Sugar (The Archies)

The Answer for the Blues

Jesse gave me The Monkees Greatest Hits for Christmas. God bless him! What a guy.

When I'm feeling down or stressed or generally not in the best mood, I have found a little secret that puts it all right...

I play "I'm a Believer" at high volume and dance my heart out.

Mmmmmmm.... SO GOOD!

Miss Elise

Elise is a friend of our family. She's 18. She came into our family a couple of years ago. I just heard her newest song on her myspace. It's so beautiful. It's called Be Still and Know. When I think of the girl I met two years ago and the woman I know now, I feel like crying.

Check out Elise's song @ www.myspace.com/elisewitek

Ps Elise is the one Jesse often gigs with in Santa Barbara.

sweet little song

some times we all need cheered up.

trevor made this little tune up the other night. he came up with it and recorded it with his little guitar that he got when he was ten and it only had three strings on it while he did all this. i think the guitar solo is especially nice. it works wonders on my mood. i hope it will do the same for you.

colin in charge

I love it when Colin is in charge of what we're listening to. Early in the morning, as we rush out the door for the school run, he remembers to grab the ipod. For the duration of the journey to school, we are treated to Colin's mix.

Some days, though, the whole thing can be quite jarring. Colin, who has recently become a huge fan of Bob Marley, will flip back and forth between Mr Marley and Blindside. Talk about culture shock! I go from the complete mellowness, (my blood all warm and tropical and my mind all dreamy,) of the Marley tunes to the gritty, urban cement of Blindside. Now I don't actually mind Blindside, but not when my head is in Jamaica.

But recently, Colin has chosen more co-ordinated mixes. And more and more, an old friend is getting play time. The Larry Norman tapes we own are now about 25 years old. We played them in Byron's room in the boarding house in San Francisco where we studied during our engagement. We played them in our tiny first apartment and in that dreadful faded orange Subaru we drove in those days. We played them as we bounced over the rough non-roads of East Africa with three little boys packed into our truck with us. And now Colin is playing them again.

The other day, as Larry crooned his (often ornary and frequently funny) lyrics to us while we cruised the streets of Lisbon, Colin piped up.

"Man! When I was little, this guy was my favorite artist. Now that I listen to him again, I know why. This guy is awesome!"

Larry Norman! I adored the album my sister brought home from a Norman concert in London in the early seventies and now, 32 years later, my kids are loving it too. A man for all seasons... What a guy!