Amos Lee recommendation

Heard him interviewed on National Public Radio, with clips, and then on Letterman last night. He's the real deal. He's been touring with Dylan.

Anything's possible, but I'd wager he will not fail in today's market ... with so much plastic crap raining down, there will always be a hunger for real music.

Well Fred,

It looks like you and me are the only ones on the forum with good taste

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Lorenson:
Well Fred,

It looks like you and me are the only ones on the forum with good taste

Either that, or we're a couple of old fogeys.

Something else in similar vein that I've been enjoying a lot lately is While the Music Lasts by Jesse Harris. Jesse wrote some of the songs on Norah Jones' debut, including the classic Don't Know Why, but his own album is a bit more raw than hers, while retaining the same bittersweet, rootsy melodic songcraft.

At times I'm reminded of The Band, Neil Young, even Dylan. Jesse's singing voice is not as strong as Amos Lee's, but it serves his songs just fine. And there are some really great songs.

I'll try and get a copy of it. Since your last recommendation I've bought everything JB has done as she really strikes a chord with me.

A recommendation for you, though in an entirely different style. Mark Hollis, self titled solo album. Ex-leader of Talk Talk. This is music stripped bare is quite remarkable. Intense, spare, strange stuff that's not for everyone but I think is essential listening. A record of performances not songs. No one will ever cover these babies.

Think late Talk Talk taken one step further towards nothingness.

Really enjoying Remember the River btw. Great album.

Colin Lorenson

Someone gave Amos Lee's album to me, and it does seem quite good. Sadly, he's associated (professionally) with Norah Jones, which means he'll become very popular, and many people will reflexively slag him off as being crap. Ho hum... the world is predictably boring.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Mike,

Fortunate indeed that old farts like me don't give a toss what anyone else thinks and just buy and enjoy what we like.

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Lorenson:
A recommendation for you, though in an entirely different style. Mark Hollis, self titled solo album. Ex-leader of Talk Talk. This is music stripped bare is quite remarkable. Intense, spare, strange stuff that's not for everyone but I think is essential listening. A record of performances not songs. No one will ever cover these babies.

Think late Talk Talk taken one step further towards nothingness.

Your description intrigued me, so I went to Amazon to check out the 30 second samples, and, man, you weren't kidding about their spareness! I could hardly get a sense of what the pieces are really like because in these clips I'd hear a couple of chords, then maybe he'd sing a couple of words, and then 30 seconds was over!

This is some of the most slowly developing music I've ever heard, outside of something like Arvo Part's Alina (which I happen to love). There's certainly nothing wrong with slowly developing music, but hard to get a handle on it in 30 second chunks ... in a few of them, it almost seemed like there was no sound at all for several seconds on end. I guess I'll just have to get it on "blind" faith.

Thanks for the recommendation ... I think.

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Hanson:
Someone gave Amos Lee's album to me, and it does seem quite good. Sadly, he's associated (professionally) with Norah Jones, which means he'll become very popular, and many people will reflexively slag him off as being crap. Ho hum... the world is predictably boring.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Any association with Norah Jones is a good thing in my book.

And you're so right about that reflexive dismissal of anything popular, whether it has merit or not. It's like an entire herd of people all following Groucho Marx' dictum about not wanting to be a member of any club that would have him as a member.

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Colin Lorenson:
Really enjoying Remember the River btw. Great album.

Thanks so much, Colin.

You know, I usually don't listen to my own albums that often after making them, but I was in the car with my five year old daughter yesterday and she requested it, and it did sound damn good to me, if I must say so myself. And I must.

Fred

Fred,

Strangely enough I love Arvo Part's music. I have Alina and a host of other of his stuff, mostly on ECM new series. Te Deum esp. is a masterpiece.

Hope you like the Mark Hollis if you get it. You could try a net-listen to Talk Talk - Laughing Stock. Its in the same vein, but a bit busier (though not much). Unmissable.

quote:

Originally posted by fred simon:
Any association with Norah Jones is a good thing in my book.

I'm with you in thinking that Norah Jones is very good. The other elitists (I say "other", because I'm one myself sometimes) can go stuff themselves. People should learn to be comfortable with themselves, and not to spend so much time trying to appear "cool" to others. If you're confident and content, then being cool is a natural byproduct.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-