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Finishing out the letter “T” with one of my favorite artists Kirsty MacColl.  Unfortunately, I got into her music after she passed away.  I found the song “Treachery” on a mix from a friend a number of years ago and was hooked.

This session started with MacColl’s album entitled, Tropical Brainstorm and my favorite track, “England 2 Columbia 0:”

 “It is not in my nature to ever pick the winning team
Sometimes I think Im happy then I remember its a dream
Now it isnt in my nature to ever pick a winner“

I moved next to Stevie Nicks’ most recent album, Trouble in Shangri-La, Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club,  Hank Williams – Turn Back The Years: The Essential Hank Williams, The Handsome Family – Twilight, Prefab Sprout – Two Wheels Good and I started the U’s with Joe Cocker’s Ultimate Collection.

I’ve been a huge fan of Joe Cocker since I first borrowed my parents copy of Mad Dogs and Englishmen.  I think my favorite track is Joe’s cover of Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady:”

” There are concrete mountains in the city
And pretty city women live inside them
Oh but yet it seems the city scene is lacking
I’m so glad your waiting for me in the country”

Ok – ’twas a busy weekend.  That’s all for now, happy listening!

More S’s and the start of the T’s.

I am not sure how Carole King worked her way in early. But she did and I am moving on.

I started this session this weekend with a great 60’s English Folk Group, The Pentangle and their wonderful Sweet Child album.

Contemporaries of Fairport Convention, The Pentangle combined wonderful folks medleys, with mystical lyrics to create a sound that lets the listener span space and time between the present and the middle ages. I was exposed to the band (as well as Fairport Convention)in Mr. Lux’s English class, when I was in high school. The track we studied during a semester of ballads was “The Trees They Grow High:”

“Father, dear father,
you’ve done me great wrong
You have married me to a boy who is too young
I’m twice twelve and he is but fourteen
He’s young, but he’s daily growing…”

Isn’t interesting how child services would get involved these days?

Next up: Boston Folk/Blues great Les Sampou – Sweet Purfume, The London Symphony – Symphonic Rolling Stones, New Dominions – Ten Years Of, Grateful Dead - Terrapin Station, and one of my favorite new artists, Vanessa Peters and Ice Cream On Mondays – Thin Thread.

I first heard of Vanessa when the RightishBrain Podcast was in full production. Every track on this collection is brilliant, so I will show you some lyrics that started the musical crush. The song is “Apple Green and Charcoal Gray:”

“and there’s nothing left to atone for there’s nothing more that I can do no sins left to be forgiven and certainly not by you..”

From Vanessa to: George Harrison – Thirty Three & 1/3, Chris Robinson - This Magnificent Distance, John Scofield - This Meets That, Freedy Johnston – This Perfect World, The Black Crowes – Three Snakes And One Charm, Fiona Apple – Tidal, Neko Case – Tigers Have Spoken, Bob Dylan – Time Out Of Mind and The Times The Are A-Changin’, Tom Jones (and Friends) – Tom Jones: Reloaded Greatest Hits, Sophie B. Hawkins‘ amazing Tongues and Tails and Tori Amos – Tales of a Librarian.

I ended this session with the Traveling Wilburys two disc set. The song that stays in my head, “Heading For The Light:”

” My shoes are wearing out from walking down this same highway
I don’t see nothing new but I feel a lot of change
And I get the strangest feeling, as I’m
Heading for the light”

That’s all for tonight. Happy Listening!

Wrapping up the letter S with an amazing artist, Brandi Carlile and her 2007 release – The Story.  The whole album is very special and reminds me of a very special time last year.  A period of awakening that I will hold deep in my heart and soul forever.

Moving on: Tori Amos‘ cover project – Strange Little Girls, The Soundtrack to Streets of Fire, two volumes of a String Quartet covering Led Zeppelin, The Dead – Summer Getaway 6/24/03 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Yo La Tengo – Summer Sun, Johnny Cash – The Sun Years, Bloomfield, Kooper & Stills – Super Session, Carole King – Tapestry and Conjure One – Tears from the Moon.

That’s all for now.  Happy Listening!