Disney, Rock, and Strange Moods

When I occasionally go on YouTube crawls, clicking from video to video, it isn't to watch dogs and cats befriending turtles and canaries. Usually it's when I get sucked into music. I'll start maybe listening to that one concert where Lacey Sturm performed with Skillet. Click here and click there and before I know it, I'm listening to rock covers of Disney songs. 

That is, people can have a very loose idea of what makes something a "rock" cover. Or "metal." I have found some of these quite disappointing. But Peyton Parrish, though. Apparently like the rest of the Internet given the high number of views his videos have, I think he does an excellent job with the Disney covers. I stumbled first across "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. Then later he came out with "Go the Distance" from Hercules. The former was a wonderful display of the concept of masculine strength. And the latter took that a step further into transcendent space. 

When Hercules sings that song, he's just a young man setting out on an adventure looking for excitement and belonging. He's imagining the glory of it all. Yet this cover takes that and gives it a subtle nudge. Instead of "going the distance" for glory, here the speaker wants to go the distance to hold on, stay the course, run the race, do what's right. The line "to look beyond the glory is the hardest part" stands out more as an explanation of his motives. This song now is not about seeking fame. It's about enduring with strength for an ultimate reward. Instead of the "hero's waiting arms" being Zeus, the father Hercules has been separated from and whom he hopes to please, the line suddenly sounds quite bolder than a Disney lyric. It suddenly sounds like we're talking about God's love--and I see your Lion of Judah tattoo, Peyton, so I doubt I'm making this angle up simply as the viewer. Ah, gotta love when we find deep meaning in Disney songs (I've gone on such tangents about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and the symbolism I find there). 

And then once I ended up on Blackbriar and Ulli Perhonen's "Snow White and Rose Red." I couldn't quite tell if this was my missed Goth calling music, or if this was just too far off the deep end for me. After attempting to delve in more, I'm going to go with the latter. Sometimes clicking and clicking in strange moods can lead to interesting discoveries; sometimes, though, it leads to discoveries that you only find intriguing when in such aforementioned strange moods. Ah, the endless possibilities of music and song. 

Songs of Change

Last fall, I was keeping close the Hillsong United song "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)." Consider those words: "Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, where my faith will be made stronger, in the presence of my Savior." Those are powerful words; don't say them idly.

As 2020 began, it was Michael W. Smith's "Waymaker." This song is about declaring who God is and then letting him take you where you will go. The declaration: "You are waymaker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are." The promise: "Even when I don't see it you're working, even when I don't feel it you're working, you never stop, you never stop working." Early on, it was clear to me that 2020 was a bridge year for me; it began when I asked to go where I could not go on my own. And where I am now I could not have gone on my own--and I'm still not all the way across that bridge.

2020 has affected us all in different ways and yes, even for different reasons. Most of us, though, have felt that 2020 is unique from other years. So what do we do with that?

Well, we keep our eyes heavenward and let the bridge take us where we can't go on out own. And if you're wanting louder music than the two songs previously mentioned, I've also been listening to Skillet a lot lately, so might I suggest "Terrify the Dark" or "Breaking Free."

Songs for Healing

I used to hate driving. So after I finally got my license, I found that it helped to turn on music. The music helped give me focus. I just turned on the first Christian radio station I came across and left it there (unless I'm in for a long drive, then I'll tend to switch to bluetooth after a bit and just let my music play on shuffle). Recently I've switched stations because I found out that the other Christian radio station plays many of the same songs but also tends to have more worship songs and less pop songs.

I mean, there's a time for pop songs. And some people like pop songs. But often that time in the car is my time starting my day or ending my day or beginning something new--and it's nice to use that time to center myself in the right direction. So as I started hearing more of the worship songs instead of the pop songs, I also noticed something else.

So many of the top Christian pop songs right now are songs about brokenness. And that's fine. We're all broken and we need to be able to express that and know that other people are going through the same thing. We need to acknowledge the struggle.

But there also comes a moment when after the brokenness, it's time to realign your focus. What now? Now it's time to take your attention off of yourself and onto the One who made you--because he wants us to be whole. The way to overcome whatever struggles, small or large, are getting to you is to look upward. Sometimes too many songs in a row that are all about me don't end up helping me; they just help me to still feel bad about myself. But when the songs are about Him, then I find my spirit lifting.

So here are, not necessarily my favorite Christian songs (well, maybe partly), but my top songs for healing.

Let's start with the brokenness--because there is a place for being broken.

"Tell Your Heart to Beat Again" by Danny Gokey - I had one of those moments a couple months or so ago where it felt like I was hearing this song for the first time because it was speaking directly to me in that moment. Danny Gokey has a way with his music of acknowledging true pain while simultaneously pointing out that God has better things for us.

"Defender" by Francesca Battistelli - If you want to both acknowledge your brokenness and God's goodness and steadfastness, here is the song for you. 

"Burn the Ships" by For King & Country - Start a new day with this song.

"Symphony" by Switch - This is possibly my favorite song of all right now. It's calming and powerful at the same time.

Feeling better now? Okay, let's take it up a notch.

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong United - What is the most important thing in your life? If it's God, this song will remind you to keep him most important.

"Raise a Hallelujah" by Bethel Music - Whatever is troubling you doesn't just disappear like magic; something else replaces it. Or rather, Someone. Just reach out.

"Warrior" by Hannah Kerr - This one's kind of a power anthem, basically the expression of "through God all things are possible." 

"You Gave Me a Promise" by Fireflight - Fireflight was one of my favorite bands and I've been rediscovering their music again after letting it sit for a while. They have an immensely powerful way of transforming struggle into strength.

"Live With Abandon" by the Newsboys - Here is another reminder of what matters most--a reminder that makes you feel excited, not obligated or guilty.

Now for the worship.

"How Great Is Our God" and "Resurrection Power" by Chris Tomlin - Okay, I snuck two songs in on one. Together, they're a reminder of God's greatness and the greatness of the fact that God chooses us and empowers us. Isn't that amazing? 

"My Lighthouse" and "Every Giant Will Fall" by Rend Collective - Well, while I'm on track with double songs. Rend Collective brings the aspect of celebration to worship. We're not tired or stiff; we're excited and passionate.

"God of Wonders" by Third Day - What does "God" mean? All powerful and all mighty and all loving.

"What a Beautiful Name" by Hillsong Worship - Give your adoration. 

Lastly, here's the declaration.

"No Longer Slaves" by Bethel Music - When you are healed by the blood of the Lamb, nothing can take that freedom away.

Here's the link to the Spotify playlist, with a few extras in there, too.

I've also been enjoying a bit of reading. Called Magazine has some good articles.

This year I want to move into Thanksgiving with a truly grateful, freed, and loving heart. And I've found that allowing God to heal the hurt deep inside of me that I've tried to keep away from even him is the only way to do that.

What songs have helped you find healing? 

The Music Is the Same

I have concluded that I see music in my own unique way.

I have repeated again and again that I am not musical. So when I go see an opera, I can't comment on the musical side--only on what I get from the music. Sometimes when I tell people that I go to the opera, I also end up mentioning that I never listen to opera (never might be too strong a word--I have a couple of times and I might listen to a song from an opera by an artist I follow, but that's quite different). It's also difficult to try and describe what music I do listen to. And that music varies depending on the time and season.

Right now I have been getting into writing again. Writing music, well, often the more agitating it is, the better. I've been using Spotify a lot lately, letting it just play random things. So I was listening to some sort of rock or metal song or other (possibly "What I Am" by Crown the Empire) and I realized something (I might also add here that it's mainly the things without screaming that I'll listen to). I realized that I was getting the same thing from that song I'd been getting from the Countess's song in The Marriage of Figaro in March. Opera and a touch of metal? They're all the same to me sometimes.

I don't see music the way most people do, I think.

I see in the emotional tone of a thing. A song. A person, even. That's the word I use; I say that I don't remember what people look like, I remember their tone. What they feel like, the sense of them. So that's how I see music. And it's those intense things of emotion that I like best when it comes to art--so that's why I might go see an opera and then sit at my desk listening to Breaking Benjamin.

(Not, though, I might add, to say that I don't see the music aspect at all. There are definitely sounds that I don't like. I don't like soul or jazz or hip-hop or plenty of things--in general.)

What kind of music do you think John Keats would have listened to if he were alive today, if he had been born in, say, 1999? I doubt he would've been an operagoer. Though, then again, he did like Classical imagery, so maybe him enjoying opera today would have been similar to him hearkening back to Classical characters and images. But Keats himself was part of a newer movement of art and while there is modern opera, mostly the genre is associated with pieces that are already in existence. So who knows.

The Voice of Snow

I think I mentioned getting a record player a few months ago. It makes me feel cool because music truly does sound different--and now when I'm out doing my antiquing, I can take a look at the records, too, because they're now relevant to me.

Like the stack of Disney records I came across yesterday. Mary Poppins and Bambi and Peter Pan. I took the two I liked best, Snow White and Cinderella (if only they'd had my dearest, Sleeping Beauty). The latter mainly for "So This Is Love" and the former for "Some Day My Prince Will Come" and "One Song." They are in fact more than just songs. Each record also comes with an illustrated storybook and the audio contains narration in addition to the songs. Kind of nice if you do want to put them on for children or even for yourself while doing housework or something. But a little inconvenient if what you want is just to listen to a specific song (there are no marks in the records themselves that show the breaks between songs like usual since the narration makes it all just one continuous audio piece).

It isn't too hard, though, to find each one since you do know at what point in the story the song you want comes in. And oh, is it lovely to hear these songs in this way. (The records, by the way, are from 1960.)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs I have said many times is as near to perfect as is possible. Disney did something amazing with that one. The combination of Grimm's with the 1930's with Disney just hit it right. And so you put that dark and yet hopeful music and Snow's child voice into a record player and you just have something special. You're transported.

It's that Gothic element that makes Snow White so great--and makes me so biased in favor of it. Darkness and light, darkness and light, darkness and light. Darkness and light coming from my record player now.

The Return of Lucia Micarelli

The first time I saw Lucia Micarelli was when she toured with Josh Groban on his Awake tour a while back. That was one of those times where you could say she blew my mind with her violin playing. She also introduced me to a new approach to music and helped launch my interest in music in general: I hadn't been listening to music much on my own before that. That was the time that I started browsing iTunes and Pandora to seek new things.

So when I had the opportunity to go see her again this past weekend, well, I had to go and see what it would be like to go and see her again years later.

She was playing at the Highlands Church in north Scottsdale. A good-looking, big church where it seems they have many such shows. Given the style of Lucia's music, I was a little surprised to see that I was practically the only person there who wasn't retired. (Not entirely unlike in fact going to church, then, eh?) But I hadn't been paying attention to the fact that this show was just one night of Arizona Musicfest. People were going for Musicfest, not for Lucia specifically. So then knowing that I might have been the only person there who had seen her play before made me excited to see how she would soon blow their minds, too.

She has certainly been working at her craft over the years. Now she incorporates more straight classical music, the intense pieces but also the delicate pieces. And the fiddle tunes highlight her liveliness. She also does some singing now. Her voice is exactly as it would be: rich and full and from the soul. I want to say that she has something of a jazz sound to the way that she sings.

It is possible that she drew some tears from me. Maybe it's just me; all the shows I watch nowadays end up having these moments of being beyond amazing. No, no, Lucia's music is that good.

And then it came, the same duo of songs that she played at Josh's concert years ago. "Aurora" and "Kashmir." Her intense violin playing running into rock violin playing. You could feel the audience reacting in pleasure and awe. Lucia isn't the only one nowadays to blend genres . . . but she does it better than any other violinist I've seen or heard. Her intensely emotional style is unlike any other.

Discoveries in Santa Fe: Flamenco

Am I a wanderer? No, I like to be at home. But is there a simultaneous sense of displacement and belonging? Yes, I think so. Born in California but translated to Arizona when I was almost eight, I feel at home here; I feel like I can find and form my identity here. Is it my land, though? I don't entirely know. My family's roots in California only go so deep--one quarter of the roots are more from the South and then the East depending on how far back you go. The rest goes back to Mexico, and Arizona was once Mexico. So even if the people I was specifically descended from did not live in this area, I find that there is a certain logic to my sense of comfort with the Southwest.

These types of considerations made their way through my mind as I watched the Flamenco group perform at El Farol in Santa Fe. The last time I was in Santa Fe, I saw Juan Siddi's group, but I found myself enjoying this one much more. Don't get me wrong, Juan Siddi is talented--but I connected with these people more, I think (the general consensus also seemed to be that they traded off more frequently, whereas Siddi took more of the stage). Maybe it was the singer; he reminded me of the Gipsy Kings.

When I was very young, my family lived in Alaska for a year. One of the stories from there goes this way. My parents were very excited to find a bunch of Gipsy Kings cassettes at a great discount in a music store there because, apparently, no one in Alaska was interested in something so exotic as gypsy music in Spanish. So the Gipsy Kings were one of the sounds I heard growing up. It's music in Spanish but nothing like what plays on the radio station: it's folk music. It's about guitars and groups and it has this theme of wandering and expressing that transcends the language (because, of course, I can only translate some of it).

So while I was sitting there in Santa Fe, watching the people in this group take turns dancing on the small stage while the singer went through various songs, I was partly transported back to my younger self listening to the Gipsy Kings. What I mean here is that I felt like I was transcending barriers and definitions. I felt like, if I'm supposed to invest more in things like "heritage" and "culture" that people talk about, this is where I want to search for it. I want to go back to the deeper roots, the ones that connect back with the land and with this sense of the organic.

I felt very cool about Santa Fe nightlife. I'd just enjoyed myself at the opera the night before. Now here I was, dinner at El Farol followed by their Flamenco show followed by a little time spent by the bar, where a band was performing. This was culture that I could take part in and feel invested in.

Gypsies are wanderers who carry their homes with them, in who they are. And as I sat listening to the music that night and watching the dancing, I felt the passion of their performance. I was reminded that I, too, can decide what my passion is and portray that. Because the United States is such a new country, we are all displaced here--but if we continue to make the right connections and to listen to the land in which we live and to take part in the culture that we see and feel, then we will realize that we are at home. The wanderers have made a circle and ended up exactly where they need to be.

April Favorites

1) Out of Africa Wildlife Park - Right now that the weather's been nice (but alas, May is coming, the month where temperatures elevate steadily into the 90s before swooping to the 100s as the transition into June comes), I've been going to Out of Africa a little more often. It's nice to just walk around the park, see how Sycamore (their year old grizzly) is doing, say hi to the emus, or to get the chance to see how the different tigers play during Tiger Splash. Usually I've been seeing Chalet (the white tiger), but this last time they had Zion; their personalities are so different.

2) Tarte Amazonian Clay Volumizing Brow Powder in Rich Brown and Frame Worker Double-Ended Bamboo Brow Powder Brush - Why had I been using a brow pencil instead of a powder? I had always thought that brow powder would be like putting eyeshadow in my brows, but it's actually a thicker powder that sticks in better and really fills in the empty space. It also really helps me give shape to my brows, like that nice little angle in the middle that I had never really been able to get just from tweezing. This powder and brush are just amazing.

3) YouTube Channel: Justkissmyfrog - I stumbled across Leena's channel and instantly liked her approach. She talks about a variety of subjects: books, makeup, the meaning of beauty and self-image, questions about feminism, publishing, etc. But whatever she talks about, she really gets into it and goes into detail. I don't watch many booktubers, for instance, because even if you find someone with similar reading taste to yours, I get tired of just watching book summaries and comments about whether or not it was good/likeable. Leena goes into detail about what a book does or tries to do, whether or not it succeeds, what is of value about it, and what the context about it all is. She works in publishing now, so there is also some interesting material about that--and some perspectives on the look of books that I hadn't so much considered before. In about two months, I've made my way through all of her old videos up to the new ones--and it's been quite a journey.

4) Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Conditioner - My friend had two of these from one of those promos that Ulta does, so she gave me one. Now, I never felt like my hair needed repairing, but after I use this conditioner, my hair feels so much fuller and richer that I'll be tempted to buy more after this bottle is gone. It doesn't need to be an everyday conditioner, just something that you use occasionally when you want your hair to be nice. It makes me wonder why I've never used shampoo from Carol's Daughter (besides the fact that it's kind of pricey).

5) Josh Groban's Stages - Not sure whether or not I'll do an individual post on this. Probably. For now I'll just say that I needed this album from Josh: Illuminations and All That Echoes were too pop for my tastes and I was really wishing for something a little more leaning back toward classical (Closer is still my favorite album of his). Stages is full of songs from musicals--and it'll remind you that Josh can sing if you needed a reminder, and if you didn't, it'll just be a good album for listening.

6) Free People Headband - I've kind of been going through a weird stage right now where I'm not sure who I am, who I want to be, or who I should be. One of the results of this is that I hardly ever feel like leaving my hair down, and I've been doing a lot of ponytails, which I used to never do unless I was doing something outdoorsy or I hadn't washed my hair. Now for some reason I'm enjoying ponytails. So I'm also liking headbands. I got this purple and white one at Free People; it kind of reminds me of Star Wars for some reason.

7) Fireflight's Innova - Also a new album, this one doesn't come out officially until Tuesday, but I already have it since I pre-ordered; I also might do another post once I've listened to it more. So far, there are a few songs on here that I really like, and I always look forward to more Fireflight music, so I'm happy.

8) Lip Gloss - Along with the ponytails, I've been going for lip gloss instead of the crayon-like lip stains (mostly from Tarte). This is very weird of me because I don't like lip gloss much: I prefer a little color without all that shine. But maybe it makes sense: when I have my hair down (I have a lot of hair), it tends to get stuck on lip gloss if I'm wearing any, so if I have my hair out of my face, I can wear lip gloss more practically. I know that isn't the reason . . . but I don't really have a reason. I don't know: my little Tarte glosses from Christmas sets are happy to be getting used, though.

9) Dram Posy Tea - This tea's from Santa Fe and it's the perfect thing for a quiet evening or afternoon. It's full of "wild and organic" flowers: rose, calendula, chamomile, lavender, nettles, hibiscus.

10) Orange/Pink Eyeshadow - Actually, it's kind of pink eyeshadow that I've been interested in lately, but the best I have in my collection is a pinky orange, so I've had to settle for that. Either way, both colors just feel right for this time of year when the flowers are out, the weather's getting warm, and shorts and dresses are the norm.

Christmas Music

Even though I profess so much love of Thanksgiving to be talking of Christmas before Thanksgiving is over, Thanksgiving always comes paired with the following Friday, which is the day that I decorate for Christmas. And to decorate for Christmas, you have to have your Christmas playlist ready. I have had the same playlist for a while, so this year I decided it was time to get a little new music. Here is most of the old and new:

• Winter Magic by Hayley Westenra - Sometimes when classical artists put out a Christmas album, it ends up sounding sad: they try and show their vocal ability, so they songs end up slower and hence more sorrowful in tone. But Hayley has a nice Christmas album. It's mostly traditional albums with a few lesser sung ones and a couple of originals. Her vocals are beautiful and smooth but also happy.
• Noel by Josh Groban - Josh is more pop crossover than classical, but when his Christmas album came out several years ago, it felt like the first time I was hearing these familiar songs sung well. He stayed with more of a traditional, decorative approach to this album that suits Christmas. It's also a generally good selection of songs.
• Holiday EP by Blondfire - Having these two classical Christmas albums, it was a little different or me to get an indie pop selection, but I was a big fan of Blondfire (I still am, just maybe not as much of all their newer music). And these four songs have made a nice addition: they're soft and cool like a snowy evening, with a touch of vintage style. They're all, I believe, original songs, which means there are less repeats of the usuals.
• "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" by Flyleaf - I also really like Flyleaf, so I have both of their Christmas singles. A little more of a rock sound here, which, again, differs from the crowd. But at the same time, a new approach to a regular song is good.
• "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" by Norah Jones - This (along with the following two songs) was a free download from iTunes. Although I don't usually listen to Norah Jones, she does have a talent for singing. Her rendition of this song is clear and classic.
• "Christmas in the Room" by Sufjan Stevens - This song has a soft, slightly bittersweet sound that makes for a quiet, in-between moment.
• "Twinkling Lights" by Office Romance - More upbeat, this one's just a random glitzy, indie pop type of sound. 
• "Silent Night" by Forte - Included on their first album, this song from Forte has a completely classical sound, soft and strong with clear vocals.
• "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Alex & Sierra - Back to pop, we also come back to the casual, upbeat, glowing sound.
• Campfire Christmas by Rend Collective - These last four items are my new additions this year. Opening up iTunes, I decided to take a look at this newly-released album--and promptly loved the spirit of it. It's celebratory. Absolutely celebratory. It's a lot of recognizable Christmas songs with a couple of new ones, but everything feels new. The arrangements are so unique and specific, and everything celebrates everything that is wonderful about Christmas. It's one of the best Christmas albums I've come across. This is Christmas joy and Christmas spirit.
• Into the Silent Night - EP by KING & COUNTRY - I'd never heard of this group, either, but their album has a nice mix of a slight rock sound within the Christmasness without going overboard. Two regular songs and two new ones. 
• "Mary Did You Know" by Kutless - I kind of wanted to get one of their Christmas songs, but most of them either felt like repetitions of what I already had or just not interesting enough in sound. Since I like this song, it was the one I went with. More of a rock sound again.
• "Away in a Manger" and "I Wish You Christmas" by Katherine Jenkins - Now back to classical. Strangely enough, I came across Katherine Jenkins years ago when I was listening to a lot of classical and classical crossover--but I thought she wasn't the best singer. Then I watched her in that Doctor Who Christmas special from a couple years ago and was amazed at how beautiful her voice sounded. I guess it's been several years since I first listened to her, so she probably has continued with voice lessons, as any good singer does. Anyway, I had to pick out a couple of songs from her Christmas album. They're rich and melodious.

On the Meaning of Art

Often I say that I have the same taste in books, music, and movies, probably with art included, too. I feel like I am always responding to the same types of things, whether in the form of a Flyleaf song or a Charlotte Bronte novel. Things may appear very different, but they may have different coloring when viewed by my eyes.

And so this brings me to the origins of art and also to its purpose. I have come very much to dislike Oscar Wilde's statement in the Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray that "all art is meaningless" and its only value is in its beauty and aestheticism or some such thing. I disagree: art has meaning to the creator because its creation is a process (one that often comes with healing or other such products), and art also illuminates anything from an individual's experience to a society's particular (or not so particular) traits. All societies have art, in one form or another. And even tasks like planting seeds and building a basic chair have art to them.

So when it comes to art like the first four forms I mentioned (the usual books, music, movies, and paintings/sculptures/etc.), how do I like art to arise? Should it come free of itself? Should it come with intention and plans? Should it have a specific purpose or message? Should it be a question?

I think it can be any of these things, or any combination of them. Some art is very purposeful, like a documentary probably is. The director sets out with the intention to enlighten the world about a particular subject, but probably also learns some new things himself along the way (and some would argue that the thing the director learned is what made his documentary art). Or you could reference Tolkien, who set out in The Lord of the Rings to create a British mythology; but even he, he who liked to be in absolute control, built off of things like languages that had been forming in his mind for years.

That's why I think "expression" is the perfect way to describe art. An author may not know what his story means while he is writing it, but it's flowing out of his mind so that he must let it take physical form, just as human beings have always found a way to communicate no matter in what language. Somethings expression is to a certain aim and sometimes it isn't; most often, I think it is both.

Jack White's Latest

So it's been a while now since Jack White's solo album Blunderbuss came out, and even though I had pretty much added it to my wish list from the start, I just barely got it yesterday.

I think I've always like Jack White's voice. A lot of songs from the bands he was involved in played frequently when I was in high school--I just never purchased any of them. Given that it's his voice that I like, it's as the album goes on that I start to like the style of the songs more. "Love Interruption" is one of my favorites: it's quite simple, but something addicting to listen to. The rawness of the entire album is refreshing (is that an ironic adjective to use there? oh, well--that's just how it is sometimes).

I also have to point out how much I love the lyrics to "On and On and On." I think every person can add their own meaning to these words, and I certainly have. You could probably say it's the most poetic song on the album, even though the lyrics in general are strong. Other songs I like include "Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy" and "Weep Themselves to Sleep" (the piano is great on this song).

These days, most people have a variety of music types, but I tend to think my collection is particularly eclectic. I have trouble saying I like a particular genre because I most likely only have a couple of artists in that genre, anyway: they're all scattered about. I have to like an album for itself, not for its genre. But it is good to have some more rock-type songs from someone else besides Flyleaf (as opposed to, say, all the songs I have from Hayley Westenra) (and not to say that I don't have any other rock/alternative/etc. songs, just not a wide variety of them). I'm rambling now, am I? Alright: I like the album, and it makes a nice addition to my music collection.

Paradiso

I have been a fan of Hayley Westenra for what, five years now? Perhaps six. It was her album Pure that I first heard and fell in love with; her voice is absolutely wonderful to the ear. Her newest album, Paradiso, has finally been released in the US, and it leaves me satisfied.

What I love about Hayley (well, one of the things) is that even though she started out as a young artist and even though she has a background with classical crossover, she has made it a point to only keep on working harder. Her ability to control her voice has only improved over the years--because she has kept improving herself. She has not let herself be a part of a fad or a phase; she is here to stay.

Paradiso is a beautiful album, showing off her voice rather well. The background music is never too much to counter her, but adds an artful presence to the songs. May I say it again? Hayley has grown so much. This album reminds me of Pure in many ways, but reinterpreted with more knowledge and experience (I hate that phrasing; it sounds as if I am calling Pure immature, which I most certainly am not; I simply mean that Hayley has built up her career even more since then). There is a nice mix of languages, as well. English, Italian, Portuguese, etc. It is much more a straight classical album than Hayley has previously released, I would say, yet those who have enjoyed her work (even if for its crossover sense) will stay enjoy it. It's exceedingly balanced and well-produced.

"La califfa" and "Metti una sera a cena" are two of my favorites, but the one that most awakens my mind is "Amalia por amor." That song is stunning. It takes me places. . . I think I have created a whole emotional story around it. And it's great to hear Hayley singing in Portuguese; that's new and fun. (Did I just use the word "fun?")

Anyway, a fabulous album for fans of Hayley Westenra, of classical music, and of a calming yet absolutely clear voice.

Lady Emma

I just got my wisdom teeth out on Thursday. Not particularly fun. Yes, I did have a great doctor (Dr. Kootman, who also did my brother's teeth a few years ago): the procedure was less than 15 minutes for four teeth and my mouth is only somewhat sore (really, my teeth weren't in the best shape; my mouth is small, so the bottom ones weren't even growing out yet because they had nowhere to go, so this tells a lot), but still, it isn't a fun thing. Only funny thing is that the drugs made me feel sick on Thursday (tell me, why did I even bother taking any of those pain meds?); I can't see how people take these "recreationally." But all is well now, though I decided to spend a lazy day in bed today watching Netflix.

I just moved on to YouTube from there, and I realize something. I have lauded Emma Shapplin before; now I see similarities between her and Lady Gaga. The latter has been getting quite a bit of attention, whereas the former is only known in certain countries, the US not included. Emma Shapplin sings semi-operatic/classical/pop/almost-new-age-ish, and Lady Gaga is pop/hip-hip. But let's take another look.

Overall style is the first item. Emma Shapplin, with her background in modeling, likes her elaborate yet simple, slightly off costumes/outfits; Lady Gaga is known for the, er, noticeable way she dresses. They both set off a diva quality in this way, but it's one based not on vanity but on a desire to do what they like.

As far as music goes, maybe they aren't so different there, either. Emma creates music out of bounds of genres; she does it so much from the heart that everything is unique. Lady Gaga I am less familiar with, but hasn't she, too, recreated certain aspects of the music world? Had a large impact on how things work?

If you still don't believe me, do a comparison of their music videos. I think you'll find a similar strangeness in both. (And remember, "strange" doesn't necessarily mean something bad).

Macadam Flower
Bran Hambric: The Specter Key