2002-06-30
New CDs, posted at 11:20 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com So I bought five CDs this weekend. Isn't that ridiculous? You'd a thunk I'd outgrown that stuff in college.Here are my purchases, along with explanations:
CD #1: Heather Nova, South: I've been a fan for years now. I think she's one of the more underrated singer/songwriters around - she writes songs that are catchy yet complex and poppy yet edgy. Apparently she's huge in Europe, but she hasn't had a big hit here yet - though she's had a few almost-hits (like "Heart and Shoulder" from a couple of years back, which seemed to pop up in every movie or TV commercial I saw for a whole summer). Anyhow, this new CD got 3.5 stars in Rolling Stone, so I had to get it - even though I think she's been on a big of a downturn since releasing Oyster. I hadn't been able to find it anywhere I looked, so I was glad to find it at Record & Tape Traders. So far, I'm liking it okay. There's one pretty funny song that is seems quite unlike Heather - she talks the verses, rather than singing them. It's a goofy, clever song which seems to venture from Nova's usual themes of love lost. She talks about going to a party where no one has seen her in a long time: "Everyone's asking me where's your kids, where's your car; I say I don't either but I have a guitar." Despite my enjoyment of this song, the whole CD seems to be another calculated effort to get some mainstream attention. Nothing here matches the opening lines of "Maybe an Angel," for example - the song the catapulted Heather to the top of my consciousness. Still, Nova's voice is incredible and I think I'll like the CD.
CD #2: Norah Jones, Come Away With Me: I'd read a bunch of good reviews for this album, and almost bought the CD when it came out. But I didn't. Then, a week or so ago, her video was playing on MTV2, and it absolutely captured me. I was cleaning house or something, and I just had to sit down and stare at her. I love her voice and her style of music, but I mostly love the quiet production of that song - I love how you can hear the thistles brush the drums. I haven't listened to the CD yet, but I'm sure I will soon.
CD #3: Josh Clayton-Felt, Spirit Touches Ground: I was saddened recently while reading reviews of this CD to hear that Josh Clayton-Felt had died in January 2000 of cancer. Diagnosed in December, died in January. I had seen him years before open up for Tori Amos at Wharton, and was pretty impressed, though I never got around to buying his music. Anyhow, the reviews for this new CD were good, so I decided to give it a try for $7.99. So far, I'm really liking it. He's got this song that really grabbed me, with a lyric that goes something like, "My heart is so hungry that I can't hear my mind." I liked that. I think I'll be digging this album for a while.
CD #4: David Gray, White Ladder: I'd been wanting this CD for a while, and found it fairly cheap and used. Cool.
CD #5: Nellyville, Nelly: So, which one doesn't fit? :) My recent, somewhat bizarre fascination with rap music has reached a new height. First Ja-Rule. Then Eminem. Then, about a week ago, Nelly's Country Grammar (which is fun, although I wish he would diversify his themes beyond smoking pot in the backseat of cars). Yesterday, I got Nellyville. I've enjoyed the single on the radio, and I thought Nelly's singsongy rap would make for a good summer listen. I was right. The new album display more of a sense of humor and more direction than his first album does. I especially like the title track, which describes a utopian society as according to Nelly. My favorite line is this clever one, which had me laughing out loud while listeningto it for the first time: "Forty acres and a mule? Fuck that. Forty acres and a pool!" When I went up to the counter, I didn't have the Nelly CD in my hand, but the guy behind the counter told me about this $1-off deal that I had for each CD that I had because I'm part of the club or whatever, so I decided I could afford the Nelly one as well.
Overall, I spent $47 on 5 CDs, tax included. That's not too bad, eh?