Mindy Smith's third and most recent album, My Holiday (2007)is not just a great Christmas album, but due to the quality of the original songs, is one of my favorite records of all time. The songwriting, the vocals, the production, all add up to a listening experience that I just can't get enough of. Early notices on Mindy's new album suggest that she's on a roll, and that the excellence continues. Here's a little preview.
From Vanguard: Stupid Lovefinds Mindy co-producing along with Ian Fitchuk and Justin Loucks. The three explore and expand with different sounds making an impressive backdrop to the thirteen tracks on the record. Written over a two year period, each song delves into the various stages of relationships; the highs, the lows, the emotional investments made, how they can change us and move forward. For Mindy, Stupid Loveis a statement of where she is now from where she has been.
Listen to "Couldn't Stand the Rain"
Here's the tracklist: 1. What Went Wrong 3:23 2. Highs And Lows 2:54 3. If I Didn't Know Any Better 3:55 4. Love Lost 4:14 5. Telescope 3:02 6. What Love Can Do 3:09 7. Couldn't Stand The Rain 4:28 8. Bad Guy 2:18 9. Surface 4:02 10. I'm Disappointed 2:30 11. True Love Of Mine 4:28 12. Love Chases After Me 4:34 13. Take A Holiday 4:18.
Photo courtesy of the artist On the surface, few artists would seem more antithetical to the image of Frank Sinatra than Willie Nelson. We'll skip the revelations about his voice not giving away his age and I'll just point out that he knows his way around a standard; he's written a few in his long, storied career. I'll rely on the Wikipedia to tell you that this is Willie's 71st solo studio album. That means that the number doesn't include groups that he was in, live albums, best of, etc. When you think about it, that number is truly staggering. That's Life is Nelson's second Sinatra tribute, his first being My Way (2018), and he's quite good at it. On That's Life, we have fairly simple arrangements led primarily by piano, ably played by arranger Matt Rollings, and some exquisite steel guitar by Paul Franklin. The rest of the musicians are too numerous to name here, but there are plenty of gorgeous strings and saxes (among other instruments
Todd Almond, cast, 'Girl From The North Country', Matthew Murphy via Deadline Playbill magazine describes it as a "jukebox musical." That very concept suggests the type of Broadway show that is well liked and potentially quite profitable; shows like Mama Mia (Abba), Movin' Out (Billy Joel) or Beautiful (Carole King). Girl From The North Country , according to Playbill, had its world premiere at the Old Vic in London followed by a run in the West End before coming to America, where it played at the Public Theater. Girl From The North Country made its Broadway premiere on March 5, 2020, opening just in time for Broadway's Covid shutdown. The show is scheduled to resume on October 13, 2021 at the Belasco Theater in NYC. Right on time comes the newly released original cast recording. Although I have not had the pleasure of seeing it, I think that it would be safe to say that the Bob Dylan songs are meant to advance and enhance the narrative of the play, w
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