The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
Live free or die!
----
I wouldn't want to ask people to just give me money cause they like my website, but do please take a quick look at Barger's Boutique. You might find yourself a little something-something for 2 or 3 bucks that you just can't resist! Any of the round images you find around MoreThings will get you to an Amazon page to buy my stuff and help ol' Al keep the lights on.
Links
To explicitly state the obvious, these external links go to interesting and provocative websites, but they speak for themselves. I don't necessarily agree with anything they say - especially that no-goodnik Richard Marcus.
*************
All original content on MoreThings.com copyright 2008 Albert Barger or the respective authors
February 10, 2009
New CD Album Releases, 2-10-2009: India.Arie, Lily Allen, Van Morrison There's definitely at least new album worth listening to this week. India Arie Simpson has Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. She makes music that gets the benefits of r&b and also of singer-songwriters. There are some actual songs with hooks and melodies here, and pretty much the whole album is consistently good. The mostly gentle r&b swing is effective at buoying up the introspective parts, thus avoiding the kind of wistful drag of songwritery introspection.
On a couple of days exposure, I'm not necessarily saying that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's not going to make you forget, say, What's Going On. But I found myself listening to the whole album four or five times consecutively last night during crazy stormy winter weather, and I found it very comforting in the kind of situation where I'd usually be reaching for familiar comfort food, Kind of Blue or Motown maybe.
I'm not sure there's any single track quite up with "Promises" or "Video" but I'll definitely be giving some continuing time to "Ghetto" and the good rockin' "Better Way." Plus, I'll take her bonus track "Beautiful Day" over the U2 hit of the same name. This may be Miss India's best album overall.
Lily Allen has her second album this week, It's Not Me, It's You. The smug shallow self-righteousness of the album title is not contradicted by mediocre songs like "Not Fair."
It is most convincingly confirmed by "F&*k You." The cutesy girly tone and production gimmicks might almost would make a minimally listenable pop song, but smug hatefulness and utterly unearned presumptions of intellectual and moral superiority running through the whole album get condensed into an obvious and shallow swipe at W. Still, musically it's probably the best song on the album. It's also a pretty good encapsulated example of a particularly ugly netroots leftist hypocrisy. "We're so tired of all the hatred you harbor" Juxtapose that with the title, and (lyric sites don't include this part) "It's people like you that need to get slew." This whole album is full of hatred, political and personal.
The personalized hatefulness of this whole record (both political and personal) sounds particularly sour and unappealing compared to the India.Arie record. Now, besides the fact that India is talented and a real songwriter, she's benevolent and nice. The whole tone of the liberal impulses behind stuff like "Better Way" reflect an actual concern with the welfare of the downtrodden, rather than with proud displays of hateful personal or moral superiority to ex-presidents or ex-boyfriends.
In short, if you're one of those nouveau Dixie Chicks fans who bought their crappy Taking the Long Way album and consider it great art because they hate BusHitler and most everyone else, then you might dig It's Not Me, It's You. That describes enough people to make this album #10 currently at Amazon.
Van Morrison recorded Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2008. This was apparently the first time he has performed his classic 1968 album live in its entirety as a song cycle. I haven't heard this, but reviews seem rather ecstatic. He's apparently, as you might expect from someone of his stature, done more than just play the old songs, but expanded on them with some improvisatory expansions that go to the jazzy nature of the original record.
Here's the complete list of the week's major new album releases.
Lily Allen It's Not Me, It's You Capitol Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Chilliwack Wanna Be a Star Solid Gold Pop/Rock, Soft Rock
Gerald Cleaver/William Parker/Craig Taborn Farmers by Nature Aum Fidelity Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Jazz
Ben Folds Stems & Seeds Epic Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop Underground, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
Stan Freberg Singles DRG/EMI Musical Comedy, Novelty, Satire
Alice Giles Carlos Salzedo: Works for Solo Harp Tall Poppies Modern Music for Harp
Grant Green Grant's First Stand Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Guarneri Quartet The Hungarian Album Sony Post-Romantic & Modern Music for String Quartet
Jon Hassell Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street ECM Structured Improvisation, Experimental, Space, Avant-Garde, Ambient
Buddy Holly Memorial Collection Geffen Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Hot Panda Volcano...Bloody Volcano Mint Indie Rock, New Wave/Post-Punk Revival
George Jones Step Right Up: 1970-1979 A Critical Anthology Raven Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Honky Tonk, Country-Pop, Traditional Country
Jorma Kaukonen River of Time Red House Neo-Traditional Folk, Old-Timey, Acoustic Blues
Ryan Leslie Ryan Leslie Casablanca Contemporary R&B, Pop
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Recital: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at Ravinia Harmonia Mundi Baroque, Romantic, Classical, Modern & Contemporary Music for Voice & Piano
The Lonely Island Incredibad [CD/DVD] Republic Musical Comedy, Novelty
Motorhead Ace of Spades [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Motorhead Bomber [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal
Motorhead Iron Fist [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Speed Metal, Heavy Metal, Thrash, Hard Rock
Motorhead Overkill [Deluxe Edition] Sanctuary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Leo Parker Rollin' with Leo Blue Note Hard Bop
Horace Parlan Up & Down [Bonus Track] Blue Note Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz
Miranda Lee Richards Light of X Nettwerk Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
Dexter Romweber Duo Ruins of Berlin Bloodshot Rockabilly Revival, Psychobilly
Bobby V. The Rebirth Blu Kolla Dreams/EMI Contemporary R&B
Various Artists NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack CBS Television Music, TV Soundtracks
Dan Zanes and Friends The Welcome Table! Songs of Inspiration, Mystery & Good Times Festival Five Children's Folk, Sing-Along, Contemporary Gospel, Country Gospel, Inspirational ****************** India Arie Simpson INDIA.ARIE PICTURES 123456
The personalized hatefulness of this whole record (both political and personal) sounds particularly sour and unappealing compared to the India.Arie record. Now, besides the fact that India is talented and a real songwriter, she's benevolent and nice. The whole tone of the liberal impulses behind stuff like "Better Way" reflect an actual concern with the welfare of the downtrodden, rather than with proud displays of hateful personal or moral superiority to ex-presidents or ex-boyfriends.
