As the world awaits the March 6 release of Bruce Springsteen’s latest album, “Wrecking Ball,” another sing has hit the Internet: “Shackled and Drawn.” Listen below, and understand why this appears to be one of the Boss’ most politically charged albums:
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2 years ago I was with a group of businesspeople and we were asked to respond to some questions. One was “If you could go out to dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?” Most people wrote down people like Bill Gates and Donald Trump. I didn’t. Nothing about either of those men makes me hungry. I wrote down Nelson Mandela but didn’t mean it. In fact, it had never once crossed my mind that I’d like to have dinner with Nelson Mandela. And hasn’t since. I was just trying to impress the moderator. In fact, no one came to mind and that bothered me. But now I know the answer. Donald Fagen (formerly of Steely Dan). I’d genuinely like to hang out with him for a night–have dinner and pick his mind and experience his rich imagination. Even more so than Nelson Mandela. A lot more. Now….where would I like to eat? Hope this doesn’t take me another 2 years to figure out?
I never thought that would be the legacy for pop star Whitney Houston. But it just may be. I think it was 1985 when I first heard of–and later saw live at Rupp Arena–Whitney Houston. It was a remarkable and unforgettable performance. She had a God-given gift–a soulful yet cheery voice that filled up the entire arena and left everyone in awe. She was also beautiful, graceful and seemed to “have it all.” She was, so it seemed, untouchable. There was nothing critical that could be said of this pure-hearted girl raised in the church who was taking her gospel-trained voice and quickly becoming an international pop diva.
But in the end, none of us are different. None of us transcend the temptations, the human failings and foibles that endanger us all. Whitney Houston died yesterday far too young–and far too unrecognizeable from the person who we were introduced to over 25 years ago. Why? It wasn’t Bobby Brown, or just drugs, or just ego and the inevitability of success gone to her head, or fans demanding perfection where there is only a woman. Although Whitney Houston wasn’t “untouchable” she did manage to become “unreachable.” And that is when tragedies, like her untimely death yesterday, are made possible. It’s not that celebrities are too different or too good or too anything to reach out for help. It’s that sometimes they cross a line into “believing” they have become something else (maybe a brand, a business line, or just a bigger than life superstar) and have forgotten how to sidle up along the rest of us and say the simple–but painfully difficult– words, “Could you please help me?” And mean it. My sister, Jennifer, is expanding her entertainment empire with the release of a song she produced with local musician Duane Lundy. Without further ado, from 10 in 20: A Lexington Recording Project, here’s “Riot Goin’ On” by Willie Eames!
My son found out recently that Sony Bono was a Republican member of Congress and wanted to to know more about him and his prior career. I’m showing him the clip at the bottom of this post which I think demonstrates beautifully the core distinction between conservatives and liberals—a national obsession that, to me, seems blown out of proportion and even arbitrary. Basically, if you boil down all the differences between to the two political types, liberals are slightly superior in the areas of fashion sense and rhythm (see Cher). Conservatives, by contrast, are slightly more task oriented and better at getting elected to Congress. (See Sonny). That’s really about it. Oh, and liberals and conservatives tend to marry each other. And when the try, can even make a pretty catchy duet. It’s out, and it’s spectacular. Bruce Springsteen, the RP’s idol, has just released his latest song, “We Take Care of Our Own” from his forthcoming album, “The Wrecking Ball.” And as is the case with many of the Boss’ recent work, it is a politically charged indictment of American politics:
Watch the powerful video below, and let us know what you think:
I haven’t done one of these in a long while, and it’s pretty close to the new year, so here are some songs from 2011 which I think are great and which were not plastered all over commercial radio. So, if they are new to you and you like them, you ought to check out the artist. [Iron and Wine – Monkey’s Uptown] This song was very close to being my favorite album of the whole year. I have never really dug Iron and Wine, but this album opens up his sound more than any of his previous stuff. You should check it out. [The Black Keys – Lonely Boy] Are The Black Keys on commercial radio? Part of me thinks they are. This band has been around forever, but their last album was a huge smash hit, so this might be a song you’ve already heard, which doesn’t really jibe with the theme of this post. I’m sorry. It’s a good song anyway, and you should listen to it. The video is great too, as a bonus. [Quarter Chicken Dark from the Goat Rodeo Sessions] This album was engineered for me to love it. Chris Thile, who fronted one of my all time favorite bands (Nickel Creek), gets together with Yo Yo Ma and Stuart Duncan to record some epic folk music. Its a gem. [Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What] Did you know Paul Simon came out with an album this year? If you didn’t, you are now. There is no excuse for not listening to this whole album at least twice. He’s one of the greatest song writers of all time. OF ALL TIME. [Gary Clark Jr. – Bright Lights] I started listening to The Black Keys back in 2005, when their 3rd album Rubber Factory was released. I loved that album, but wondered 1) why had I never heard of these guys before? and 2) Why wasn’t this album more popular that it was? Then, a couple of albums later, Brothers was a huge hit. Gary Clark Jr. is a bit like that. He’s a phenomenal musician. His sound is great, and it seems like this guy would be getting more spins on commercial stations. I figure when he comes out with a full length album (his release this year was just an EP), it will be huge. Maybe. Hopefully. If you think these songs are good and think I might know what I am talking about when it comes to music, I made a list of the top 20 albums of 2011. You can read it here.
Hank Williams’ pre-game song pulled over incindiary comments made by the singer about President Obama. [ESPN] Featuring the world debut of the next musical superstar, Alexa Narvaez and her daddy: |
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