Music & More

Missy Higgins, just did an interview and live performance on the TV Guide channel to promote her second CD, On a Clear Night which is finally released here in the U.S. today. Missy is a singer-songwriter from Australia with two excellent albums to her credit. Both albums are distinguished by Missy's excellent sense of melody and her most appealing voice. Here she performs "Where I Stood" and "Steer". Missy will be touring the U.S. for the next two weeks, most dates are already sold out. Catch her if you can, she does a great live show. On a Clear Night (2007) The Sound of White (2005) Video courtesy of the TV Guide channel. Missy Higgins myspace . Missy Higgins website .

k.d. lang is one of the best singers I have ever heard, she truly has a voice for the ages. And as good as she sounds on her records, in concert her voice is even more compelling. Those who venture out to catch her on her current tour, promoting her new CD Watershed, are privileged to hear a truly great singer working at the very top of her game. I appreciated k.d.'s music sporadically until she recorded A Wonderful World (2002), a duet album with Tony Bennett on which she and Tony sang some well chosen standards better than I'd ever heard them done before, with superb production by T. Bone Burnett. k.d. sounds great on that record and she brought out the best in Tony Bennett, the result is one of my all time favorite records. On k.d.'s next release, Hymns of the 49th Parallel (2004), she covered all Canadian songwriters, with a superb collection of songs including the quintessential version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". On tour now in support of Watershed,

Here's the third new tune from Swing Out Sister's forthcoming new album, Beautiful Mess . This video of "Something Every Day" was posted by Andy to the Swing Out Myspace page after it started showing up on Youtube in lower quality. According to Andy's post: "The clip was directed by the very talented animation specialist Paul Dunkley, using photography by our long-term collaborator, and all-round good bloke, Mr.James Martin.." Beautiful Mess will be released on February 27th by Avex Records in Japan, with worldwide release to follow, no specifics yet on a U.S. release, however Andy just posted a link by which to mailorder the CD directly from the band. Just click over to the Swing Out Myspace page and the purchase link is on today's blog which also includes this explanation from Andy: Beautiful Mess - availability.. With the Japanese release of Beautiful Mess just around the corner, I've recently been checking out the various online retailers an

Album Preview: Steve Winwood's last two albums were considered by many to be his best work since Traffic. On these records he re-discovered the Hammond B-3 organ and incorporated jazz , blues, and soul into a stretched out rock groove and in so doing made his most enjoyable music of the last two decades. Nine Lives is released on April 29th, and if the preview track "Dirty City" is any indication, the new groove continues. Eric Clapton adds a guitar solo on this track which features Winwood also on electric guitar and some nice B-3 backing. Vocally, you'd never know that Winwood's turning sixty this year. Check out this preview excerpt of "Dirty City", the first single. The full 7:45 album version is available for purchase now on Amazon and other download retailers. Nine Lives Song List 1. I'm Not Drowning 2. Fly 3. Raging Sea 4. Dirty City 5. We're All Looking 6. Hungry Man 7. Secrets 8. At Times We Do Forget 9. Other Shore Clapton will join W

PBS is currently rerunning a 2004 Soundstage (recorded 8/03) with Dan Fogelberg in his memory. This show sounds really great, even the sappy songs, still can't believe he's gone. It's never easy and it's never clear, Who's to navigate and who's to steer, So you founder drifting ever near the rocks... Rest in peace Dan, your music is still here with us. Photo & clip courtesy Soundstage. Dan Fogelberg's website . Soundstage website .

Promotional Photo from 4-Star Records Charlie Ryan who co-wrote "Hot Rod Lincoln" died last Saturday February 16th at the age of 92. With a great lyric and a killer guitar line, "Hot Rod Lincoln" is one of the greatest car songs ever. Written in 1955, recorded in 1957 and first released in 1960, the original version by Ryan was a hit in most parts of the country, but it was the definitive cover version by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen (1971) that revived the song and cemented it's place in the driving culture of America. Texas swing-meister Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have also made "Hot Rod Lincoln" a standard of their repertoire. Listen to Commander Cody - "Hot Rod Lincoln" Writing one of the all time great driving songs is no small feat. Photo courtesy of Charlie Ryan's Hot Rod Lincoln website .

Tina Dico played to a packed Living Room crowd Tuesday night, her first time back at this venue in quite some time. She was here to preview her new CD which is due for U.S. release this spring, and to record her live set for XM satellite radio. Tina's worldwide success has resulted in her usually playing venues much larger than the Living Room, and the combination of her always strong vocals and her powerful acoustic guitar was almost overwhelming in this intimate room. Hearing songs from a new album for the first time live can always be somewhat of a challenge, but Tina's new songs, "Count to Ten", "You Know Better", "Cruel to the Sensitive Kind", "On the Run", and "Sacre Coeur" all sounded good. The latter was written in Paris, named for the landmark cathedral on Montmarte. In addition to the new tunes, it was also nice to hear "Beautiful View". "Break of Day" sounded great in a piano version. She closed

Melody Gardot's Worrisome Heart gets it's major label release on Verve next Tuesday, February 26th. The songs have been re-sequenced, one song has been dropped, and and the CD has a new cover. This is one really special record and the Verve release should bring Melody new audience while she makes her next CD for Verve with producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Julia Fordham, others). Amazon currently lists a price of $6.99 which is an absurdly great bargain for one of the best CDs ever. Read my complete review of the independent release here . Listen to Melody Gardot - "Gone" Re-sequencing is to be expected when a major label reconfigures an independent release. No explanation has yet been given for "Wicked Ride" being deleted, but it is fairly likely that this signature song is being held back in order to include it on Melody's next CD. The new cover is more in keeping with the original independent cover than the previously planned cover that was shown

First Listen - Goldfrapp has put their entire new record, Seventh Tree up on the myspace player today for a preview listen. On first pass it sounds like Allison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory have delivered a beautifully written, sung, performed and produced pop record, a dramatic departure from the dance/electronica style of music that Goldfrapp is known for. The rhythmic synth sound that characterized their last album Supernature is mostly absent from Seventh Tree. Allison's voice sounds great on these tunes, which is made even more evident by the restrained, dare I say, subtle production style. "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" (will need to find out about that title), sounds almost soulful. On first listen I'd have to say Seventh Tree sounds delightful and definitely worth getting to know it better after it's release next Tuesday (Feb. 26th). Goldfrapp's myspace . Goldfrapp's website .

With Across the Universe, director Julie Taymor has accomplished something that I heretofore would have considered impossible. I must admit that I was predisposed to dislike this movie, intensely, for three reasons. First, this is a musical where the actors break into song every few minutes and while there are a number of movies in which this technique works for me, they are few and far between. Evan Rachel Wood Second, and this is the really big one, I generally can't stand to see the Beatles' canon messed with. While I ordinarily love great cover versions and tributes, the Beatles are probably the most difficult band to cover as was illustrated by the recent tribute to Rubber Soul. If your new version strays too far from the original, it can seem labored and precious, and if your version sounds too much like the original it just seems pointless, you may as well just listen to the Beatles. This double edged sword initially seemed insurmountable when considering that Acr