What I'm Listening To

I saw the movie The Lobster this week, and it was really good.  Absurd, tragic, comic and thought-provoking all at the same time.  I highly recommend it.

One of the preview trailers before the film featured the song "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid.  I had never heard it before and made a note to look it up when I got home.  I've since learned it's been out since 2013 and used in a lot of different movies/trailers/videogames/etc.  Check it out.

"Run Boy Run" by Woodkid

I'm a little behind on this one too.  On the Tony awards broadcast on June 12th, Sara Bareilles and Jessie Mueller performed a duet of Sara's song "She Used to Be Mine" from her musical Waitress, in which Jessie stars.  I don't know much about the show, but was so struck by the song and by the performances that I bought both versions.  Sara's version of the song is amazing, but Jessie's version, playing a role, gives it an emotional weight that's heartbreaking.  Please give them both a listen.

"She Used to Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles

"She Used to Be Mine" by Jessie Mueller from the musical Waitress

What I'm Listening To

I saw the movie The Lobster this week, and it was really good.  Absurd, tragic, comic and thought-provoking all at the same time.  I highly recommend it.

One of the preview trailers before the film featured the song "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid.  I had never heard it before and made a note to look it up when I got home.  I've since learned it's been out since 2013 and used in a lot of different movies/trailers/videogames/etc.  Check it out.

"Run Boy Run" by Woodkid

I'm a little behind on this one too.  On the Tony awards broadcast on June 12th, Sara Bareilles and Jessie Mueller performed a duet of Sara's song "She Used to Be Mine" from her musical Waitress, in which Jessie stars.  I don't know much about the show, but was so struck by the song and by the performances that I bought both versions.  Sara's version of the song is amazing, but Jessie's version, playing a role, gives it an emotional weight that's heartbreaking.  Please give them both a listen.

"She Used to Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles

"She Used to Be Mine" by Jessie Mueller from the musical Waitress

What I'm Listening To

Her - "Five Minutes"
This song was featured in one of the new Apple commercials - it's amazing!

Her - "Five Minutes"
Photo from the band's Facebook page

What I'm Listening To

Francesco Rossi - "Paper Aeroplane".

Winter Music - Part 2: Forgotten Song

Forgotten Song

I was reading an article about new Christmas albums being released this year, which caused me to listen to and purchase Mary J. Blige's new album, A Mary Christmas.  Soon to become a classic, and only $7.99 on iTunes right now!

A Mary Christmas by Mary J Blige

What really caught my eye in the article though, was a reference to a new album by an artist covering the song Old Toy Trains.  I don't care for the artist mentioned, but seeing that title brought back a small flood of memories about Christmas time while I was growing up.  I had forgotten that I had forgotten the song, it had been so long since I heard it, but I'm pretty sure I used to love it when I was little.

I'm not sure who used to sing it on the country radio stations we listened to back then - although it was written and sung by Roger Miller in 1967, Glen Campbell released a version on his 1975 Christmas album, That Christmas Feeling.  I would have been 5 at the time, so it was probably the Campbell version that was getting airplay.

I listened to the samples of both Roger Miller's recording and Glen Campbell's, then decided to purchase the song sung by a country artist named Joe Nichols.  I have never heard of him before, but he has a great classic country voice, and his version sounds clean, clear and traditional at the same time.  The album is called A Traditional Christmas, and the title is apt.  I highly recommend giving it a listen.  Also at only $7.99 on iTunes right now, it's well worth the price.

A Traditional Christmas by Joe Nichols

Winter Music

I'm putting together my Christmas/holiday/winter playlist, and two songs jumped out at me first thing.

Tam Lin (Child 39) by Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer from their album Child Ballads.  This is an amazing song from an amazing album.  Stephanie Coleman, writing for NPR summed it up as "...an epic ballad that clocks in at nearly seven minutes and has 27 verses.  It's the story of a young maiden who gets pregnant by a woodland shape-shifter named Tam Lin.  As he morphs from one fearsome creature to the next, his lover has to hold on to him until he finally becomes human."

This is not really a song for the holiday list, but it came up on shuffle while I was putting it together, and I could not believe that I hadn't already sung it's praises.

Tam Lin (Child 39) from Child Ballads by Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer

The second song is The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile.  This song is on the compilation album The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs, which was released in 2008, and is an excellent album for the season.

For me, this song combines all the mixed emotions that can sometimes come with the holiday season when the days are short, dark and cold, but filled with music and sparkling lights.  While there's always the hope of a magical, spiritual, and joyous winter and Christmas, all adults know that some years things just don't work out that way.  The Heartache Can Wait captures the feeling of the holiday season and a little winter sadness at the same time, which makes it a special and honest song in my book.

The Heartache Can Wait by Brandi Carlile from The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs