Tim Rayborn - Qadim

I recently finished reading The Middle East by Bernard Lewis, which is a "brief" history of the past 1300 years in the Middle East. Very interesting book about a place we could all stand to learn more about. Shortly after finishing it I came across Qadim by Tim Rayborn, which is a collection of pieces, each performed on a single instrument, each of Middle Eastern/African/Central Asian origin. And what artist do I choose for my introduction to this kind of music? A white guy from the San Francisco Bay area. Oh well, baby steps at first, I suppose. Nothing here to rock out to and I'm not going to suddenly start meditating or recounting past lives, but it's good stuff. Some of the pieces, such as the opener, Laylat, work well in the foreground. The album as a whole, though, is great in the background and pieces like Saïd are a welcome change to the usual orchestras I have in my background music.

Countach - Gasoline

Sacred Reich. Sugartooth. The Obsessed. Cathedral. You may not have heard of all these bands but they have something in common with each other. They all worship(ed) at The Church of the Mighty Riff, led by Minister Iommi. Today we welcome a new member to the congregation, Countach, who comes all the way from Minnesota. Fans of power metal and stoner rock should take a listen to these guys. They even remind me of Kyuss at times. Highly recommended music for driving down the highway, too (just keep the headbanging to a minimum).

Dr. Seuss - How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The true power of the iTunes Music Store revealed itself to me on Christmas Eve 2003 (sorry, I don't have a clever parody of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" ready). I knew that after watching my children open their Christmas presents and play with them a bit, we would be off to Grandma's house to meet up with the rest of the family. I thought it might be nice to have some Christmas songs to listen to during the three-and-a-half hour trip but, alas, my Christmas collection was non-existant. The lightbulb went on, though, and I realized I could get some Christmas songs from the iTMS. Would they have enough to last the trip, not drive me crazy, and bring back pleasant memories? In my case, the answer was a big "Yes!" and then some. They have Burl, Andy, Ray, Johnny, Charlie and Lucy, Nat, Karen and Richard, Gene, Alvin, Brenda, and Jose as well as ones I didn't grow up with but will be new traditions around here like Tiny, Louis, and Julie. The coolest purchase, though, was Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Now, I can't prove it but I believe the album came before the TV show (Boris does the voice of Cindy Lou Who here). It doesn't really matter, though, because it's all good. You even get You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" as a separate track. I bought a bunch of songs, loaded them up on the iPod, and we had the merry sounds of Christmas for the whole trip. Instant Christmas collection!

Moore - Bleed

In my most recent purchase from CD Baby I had a reissued CD from an eighties heavy metal band along with a bunch of other discs. I was in a hurry so I took all of them to my car and started listening to them on the road. One of the first I put in was Bleed by a band called Moore. After a song I two I was confused. I thought the eighties heavy metal band was another disc. The singing and guitar playing was a bit edgier than the eighties but maybe I was wrong. I took a look at the jewel case and I wasn't wrong at all. This Denver-based band plays straightforward heavy metal, don't let the powdered faces and black lipstick fool you. Check out Raise 'em High and Jackhammer Jesus for a taste of what I mean.

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott - R.I.P.

I was never a fan of Pantera or Damageplan, but waking up to news of the on-stage murder of Dimebag Darrell in Ohio last night hit me like a punch in the gut.

Julie London - About the Blues

It took me a while to get a handle on this album. See, About the Blues is not a blues album. Sure, it has the word "blues" in the title and there are songs with "blues" in their titles but make no mistake, this is a Julie London album, not a blues album. Julie London was to the late fifties and early sixties what Barry White was to the seventies: great make-out music. Is there make-out music anymore? Julie's sang in an understated way that was sexy without being trashy (while her album covers were just sexy). A self-described "stylist", she was at her best when the musical accompaniment acted like an escort: by the lady's side but not the focus of attention, letting the lady be the star. A few times on this album the band is louder than they should be but most of the time they let Julie lead the way. Remember, when you listen to Meaning of the Blues and About the Blues, you need to put the blues out of your mind. Nobody is going to mistake the singing on this 1957 album for Koko Taylor, because Julie London made the songs she sang all her own.