2002-10-27
Current songs, posted at 9:17 a.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com My current favorite songs:"Lose Yourself" - Eminem: The more I hear of Eminem, the more I'm sure that people will be listening to his music and reading his words in 100 years and more. He's one fo the most important artists of our generation, a fantastically talented writer who uses a lot of old tricks (assonance, consonance, slant rhymes) to create a sonic experience that is often overpoweringly emotional. This song is perhaps his best ever, one that showcases Eminem's poetic skills and his ability to make his personal experiences seem universal. It makes me excited about the movie every time I hear it.
"Love Rain" - Jill Scott: I've loved the CD for a long time, but this song has pulled ahead of the rest of the pack for me. Scott's lyrics are like poetry. With its brilliant use of an extended metaphor and well-utilized similes and metaphors throughout, I'm thinking of using this song with my 9th graders to help teach figurative language (I can't decide if the song is too risque for that or not). I recently heard a remix of the song with a Mos Def rap at the end that I really liked, too.
"Bare" - Sam Shaber: This is the song with the line "Just branches waving / against cloudy Michigan." It makes me homesick. The production of this song on Sam's new CD is brilliantly understated.
"You're the One" - Tracy Chapman: From her new CD. This could be her next big hit (it took months for "Give Me One Reason" to take off). It's that rare Tracy Chapman song that is almost entirely positive and you can imagine her smiling as she's singing.
"Bonnie and Clyde" - Jay-Z: Modern rock radio has become so formulaic, corporate, and just plain bad around here that hip-hop stations have been logging plenty of time in my car. It's nearly impossible not to smile when this song comes on, or at it's chorus: "All I need in this life of sin / is me and my girlfriend."
"Long Time Gone" - Dixie Chicks: I need this CD. I love the fiddle, and I love the ending lyrics where she sings, "They sound tired / but they don't sound Haggard. The got money / but they don't have Cash." Modern country music radio is pretty much devoid of soul, so I enjoy the little jabs into it here.
"Atlantic City" - Bruce Springsteen: Still on a Bruce kick, even if it's waning a bit. I love the lines, "Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away / But I got debts that no honest man can pay." So he goes off and puts all the money he does have on a blackjack game.
"Like I Love You" - Justin Timberlake: Yup, still think this song rocks.
"Flake" - Jack Johnson: Another on the long list of CDs I want. A co-worker has been playing this CD non-stop at work.