Best of 2008: Ryan Adams

Cover of CardinologyNext up is the newest from Ryan Adams and his group the Cardinals called Cardinology. Unlike Lucinda Williams who is known for releasing albums slowly and carefully Adams is known for the speed that he puts out new music. Just 34 he's already released 11 albums under his own names, plus a few with his former group Whiskeytown.

Ryan has been known to release three albums within the space of one year. Though lately he has slowed down and only released an album a year. Cardinology was his only release for 2008. Slated for 2009 is a long rumored 4 or 5 cd anthology of material.

This album rated high on most critics end of year lists. I enjoyed it and believe it belongs on such lists, but I liked the days when a new Adams album might be out every few months. He always got a lashing by the critics for not taking his time, but I was satisfied as long as we were getting that much more material.

Adams style is usually in the Americana genre, but he moves into rock, folk and country just as easily. The new one is more in the Americana style. This is an album when I first listened to I liked but didn't think that it was as good as everyone else seemed to. I've discovered that the more I listen to it the more I like it. It's always better that an album gets better on repeat listens than the opposite.


Born Into A Light | Music Codes

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Best of 2008: Lucinda Williams

Cover of Little HoneyI love reading the lists in all the magazines of the Best of the previous year. Sometimes I'll find something that I missed during the year. But I hate to make these lists. Mainly because I don't keep track of what came out during the year and when I sit down to do something like this I don't remember everything that appeared during the year. I just know I'll miss something that I really liked. So instead of a list over the next few days I thought I'd post some of what I liked from 2008.

The first post features Lucinda Williams' Little Honey. Any year that Williams releases an album will be a year with it on the Best of list. She's that good. And thankfully she's gotten a lot faster inbetween releasing albums. Known as a perfectionist Williams never releases an album on the original release date. She keeps working on it until it's ready, she's not concerned so much with what the record company wants.

Most of Williams love songs have not been happy ones, they usually tell the story of a broken relationship. On this album Williams is in a happy relationship and it shows. Time magazine called her the best American songwriter a few years ago and if anything she has just continued to grow into that role. Her gravely voice perfectly fits the mood of her songs.

The songs on this album rate with anything else she has written. It includes a duet with Elvis Costello and a cover of AC/DC's "It's A Long Way to the Top."


Well Well Well | Music Codes

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Listening Now: Big Bill Broonzy

Big Bill Broozny just finished "Willie Mae Blues" from his three-cd collection titled The Big Bill Broozny Story. This is a fascinating collection that collects songs that Broozny recorded on July 12, 1957 in Chicago. The producer Bill Randle wanted to get as much material from Broozny as possible and they recorded for 10 hours, with Broozny singing and playing guitar and talking about his life and songs inbetween the music. This collection highlights those songs and conversation.

Big Bill Broozny was born William Lee Conley Broozny in 1898. He was born in Mississippi but shortly after his birth his family moved to Arkansas. He started as a sharecropper than a preacher than a singer of country blues. He moved to Chicago where he became part of the urban blues scene.

In the 50s he moved back towards country blues and became part of the growing folk movement and found a certain amount of fame. He died August 15, 1958.


Willie Mae Blues | Music Codes

A New Year Begins, An Old Year Ends

This has been a strange year. I can't say it's been the worst year. I've got a job, what with the coming economy is something that too many can't say or will not be able to say in the future. I've got my health, it was some tough going there when my gall bladder surgery didn't turn out exactly like it was supposed to. But even here I have to think I'm in the good, I had insurance that covered the majority of the bill and a job that enabled me to take three weeks off and get paid for it. Even though New Orleans is having its share of problems and still recovering from a Hurricane three years ago it is still a city filled with life and music.

So what's the problem? I feel like I've accomplished nothing this year. At work, writing, personal...it all seems to have been at something of a standstill this year. Sometimes I feel like I'm in some sort of fog.

If I haven't lost some friends this year I haven't done much to keep some. It seems to have been too much effort to keep up with friends that weren't right here in my face. Online there were some friends that I thought highly of and haven't talked to much, if at all, this entire year. Other friends that I've had for years, even decades I haven't talked to in who knows how long. It just seems to have been easier to do nothing.

I have promised myself that I was going to get back into my writing this year and that has went just about nowhere. I flirted with a few things, but never pushed anything. It frustrates me because when I used to be so aggressive in getting published. I had built up a network of editors and artists and other writers, no too many years have passed for any of that.

I like my job but sometimes I just feel like taking off and never coming back. Do I want to make the jump back to a store manager? If I do I have to take the incentive to push myself to those above me. It's easier to do my job and not worry about trying to take that extra step.

Even here in this city I love I've been absent. I've hardly went to any concerts or shows. The only ones I can remember is Jazz Fest, though I'm sure I went to a few others. But normally I go to a few every month.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, even though I am, because it's not that. It's just some sort of malaise that I seem to have experienced this past year. It's not I walked around in some sort of fog. From the outside everything seemed to be good. And most of the time I could make myself believe that.

So for myself I'll be glad for the end of this year. I hope this new one holds more promise. And I know that to fulfill that promise I just have to get off my butt and go after it.

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Ooops!

I've been sitting here for the past hour typing and downloading music and I was smelling something. It smelled like something was burning. You can guess where this is going. I put some eggs on the stove to boil about an hour ago. It doesn't take an hour to boil eggs. The pot was completely dry and the eggs were burnt. Well, I've never admitted to being a chef.

Listening To Now

Image via WikipediaI've made a list of what songs I was listening to on my Ipod before but this time I thought I'd just take a moment now and than during the day to give a snapshot of what's on the Ipod at the moment.

Right now I'm listening to Rosanne Cash singing "Price of Temptation" from her album 10 Song Demo. Cash is of course the daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife. She was born in Memphis Tennessee around the time Johnny was starting to make a name for himself. After the divorce of her parents Rosanne lived with her mother.

After graduating high school she joined her Father's band and sang back up on his tour for the next three years. In 1978 she went to Germany to record her first album. During this time she met and married Rodney Crowell, another up and coming singer. Her first album was never released in the USA.

In the early eighties Crowell and Cash worked on her breakthrough album Seven Years Ache. The album was a hit, both with the public and the critics. Through the 80s Cash recorded more music that would go on to be hits, having 11 number ones hits.

In the 90s her public appeal seemed to fade and her records did not do as well. Her first album for that decade was Interiors and won her a Grammy. She still records today, her last album was Black Cadillac which was done as a memorial to her recently departed parents and her step mom June Carter Cash, who all died within months of each other.


Price of Temptation | Music Codes

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The Office: Before and After

I mentioned awhile back that I was re-doing my room that I use for an office. I've had one of those old metal office desks for over the last twenty years. I took the top off a wooden desk and used it on the metal desk. The way I had everything set up and the mess it gave me very little room. One day I was sitting at the desk and realized I wanted a new one and to clean up the mess I had accumulated over the years. So I went out and started buying things. The new desk was under seventy dollars so I think I got a good deal on it. This is the before pics:



The after pics. The shelf unit in the back I actually built. And anyone that knows my capability with a hammer and saw will realize how unusual that is. The new desk gets everything right there under the desk, I was even able to put my turntable there. The computer towers fit right alongside the left side. I didn't take a picture of them but I cleaned out the file cabinets and replaced them with two smaller hanging file folder carts. I couldn't believe the stuff I had kept in those old file cabinets. Tons of papers, almost literally I'm afraid. And one of the best things, which is still kind of hard to tell in these pictures is that I can actually walk around in the room now. I have space on both sides of the desk and Buffy can even come lay next to me while I type.

General Ramblings

Image via WikipediaWell Chrismas is over with. Of course the days right after Christmas were spent with returns, but things are slowing down. Inventory is coming up on the 12th of next month. It seemed like it was a long Christmas season. Yesterday and today I'm off and it has been the most relaxing days off I've had in awhile. I spent yesterday shopping across the lake. I had a $100 gift card from Barnes & Noble that was just burning a hole in my pocket. I only spent about half of it but managed to grab up a handful of books, buying them from their remainder tables. Now with these books and the ones I got at Christmas I don't know which book I want to read first.

Today I'm spending at home, trying to get a few things done around the house and devoting some time online. I have some cds that I need to download to the Ipod. I also want to spend some time on the blogs, while I haven't been completely ignoring them I feel like this last year I didn't spend as much time on them as normal. Today I plan to visit some blogs, make some posts and get back up to speed.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and look forward to the New Year.

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More of the Same Old Same Old

Image via WikipediaThis is why the Republican Party just doesn't get it. Does the man that's vying for the job of Chairman of the Republican Party have the right to distribute such hateful material...sadly, yes. In defense of Free Speech you have to accept the speech that you find appalling as well as what you support. Should he distribute it is another matter. If I was a Republican I would find his behavior unacceptable. I would hope the Republican Party would not support something like this.

Delaney Bramlett Dies

Image via WikipediaDelaney Bramlett of Bonnie & Delaney died Saturday . The duo toured and recorded with friends such as Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, JJ Cale and George Harrison. Eric Clapton credits Delaney with pushing him to step out front and sing. Delaney put a slide guitar in George Harrison's hands and taught him how to play. The duo never achieved superstar status but some of their songs have become very well known, such as "Groupie Superstar" "Never Ending Song of Love" and "Let It Rain."

Delaney died early Saturday morning at Los Angeles of complications from gallbladder surgery.

Here he is with Bonnie and Friends singing "Coming Home."

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A Leap Second

We don't have a leap year this year, but a leap second. For more go here.

A Commerical Starring John Lennon

Old School Fridays: I Can Drink to that...

Ok, since I don't drink this one gave me pause, but I've picked a song, not so much as regards a party atmosphere but in keeping with the title of the theme. Mary Gauthier singing "I Drink."



This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants

Christmas Music: Leon Redbone and Dr. John

Two legends doing "Frosty the Snowman."

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Music: Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer from the Stray Cats singing Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run."

Christmas Music: Aaron Neville

New Orleans' Aaron Neville singing "Silent Night."

Christmas Music: Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong singing "Christmas in New Orleans."

Mom's Here

My Mom just drove down from Tennessee today. She'll spend a few days at my place and than head over the lake to my brothers and we'll do Christmas there. My niece and nephew will be down the day after Christmas so it'll be nice, to have everyone together.

Christmas Music: Amanda Shaw

This is Amanda Shaw from 2005 so she would have been around 15, singing "Papa Noel."

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• Merry Christmas