The
Crossing - February 2005 Edition
Hold on to your hats everyone!!
‘Cause you’re gonna feel like Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
when you see how much Rock is rolling your way!!
ARTIST of the MONTH:
Some of the Rock (technically
Folk) rolling our way includes a new album from the legendary Ms. Nanci
Griffith. It’s called “Hearts In Mind” and comes out on Tuesday, February
1st. It’s her 12th studio album not including her two covers albums and
three live albums and it’s very outward looking. I managed to find a ‘not-for-sale’
promotional copy at Vintage Vinyl here in St. Louis and after paying $8.99
for it, I brought it home and listened to it. Nanci writes in the liner
notes that “Hearts In Mind” is “dedicated to the memory of every soldier
and every civilian lost to the horrors of war.” But, with that thought
in mind, the album is not as hard to get into as it sounds. It’s actually
very accessible. Sometimes it’s bright and upbeat. Sometimes it’s mellow
and solemn. It’s also often very stripped down with just Nanci’s acoustic
guitar and the electric guitar of Doug Lancio. This approach makes it more
akin to Nanci’s early recording efforts, rather than the full-band approach
of her last three recordings. It should also be said that Nanci has, for
the most part, better control over her vocals on this latest effort while
keeping to a lower register altogether on a few songs notably the lead
off track “Simple Life”. She examines how important personal relationships
are in the midst of a troubled world. She also examines how a woman’s voice,
if heard, might sooth the tortured hearts of hatred in men that have
been spinning war since time began. Basically she’s saying, if women had
their way, there would be much less war. There’s little reason to refute
that. Nanci Griffith is a voice of reason and wisdom and for paying a small
price, say...$8.99, you can hear for yourself what a gift it is to hear
Nanci’s voice. Thank you Nanci!
Now get ready...there’s
plenty of music (and DVD’s) coming down the pike.....
Recently released (and not
mentioned in last edition):
Split
Lip Rayfield - “Live”
Rosco
Gordon - “No Dark In America”
Supersuckers
- “Live at the Tractor Tavern, Seattle”
Melvin
Seals - “Melting Pot”
Jarrod
Birmingham - “Stages”
The Pierces
- “Light Of The Moon” (Sisters Allison and Catherine.)
Randy
Rogers - “Like It Used To Be” (Reissue.)
Jess
Klein - “Strawberry Lover”
Kelly
Joe Phelps - “Tap The Red Cane Whirlwind” (Live.)
Mando
Saenz - “Watertown”
Kasey
Anderson - “Dead Roses”
Pernice
Bros. - “Nobody’s Listening/Nobody’s Watching” (Live; 1 CD and 1 DVD.)
The Bluerunners
- “Honey Slides”
Low -
“The Great Destroyer”
Aqueduct
- “I Sold Gold”
Tim Booth
- “Bone” (U.S. release; former singer of British band James.)
Erasure
- “Nightbird”
Glenn
Hughes - “Soul Mover”
Ray Wylie
Hubbard - “Delirium Tremelos”
John
Hammond - “In Your Arms Again”
Erica
Wheeler - “Almost Like Tonight: Live”
Soweto
Gospel Choir - “Voices From Heaven”
Marianne
Faithfull - “Before The Poison”
Sonny
Landreth - “Grant Street: Live”
The Moaners
- “Dark Snack”
Super
Furry Animals - “Songbook: The Singles Vol. 1”
Mike
Tramp - “Songs I Left Behind”
Screaming
Trees - “Clairvoyance”
Tom Freund
- “Copper Moon”
Martha
Wainwright - “Bloody M.F.A.” (EP; sister of Rufus, daughter of Loudon.)
Grand
Prize - “Identity”
Street
Dogs - “Back To The World”
Plain
White T’s - “All That We Needed”
And You
Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead - “Worlds Apart” (CD and DVD.)
Archer
Prewitt - “Wilderness”
Keni
Thomas - “Flags Of Our Fathers”
The Black
Maria - “Lead Us To Reason”
Sean
Costello - “Sean Costello”
Fall
Out Boy - “Take This To Your Grave: The Director’s Cut” (Reissue w/fancy
extras.)
Lou Barlow
- “Emoh” (no relation.)
Whole
Wheat Bread - “Minority Rules”
T.S.O.L.
- “Who’s Screwin’ Who?” (18 greatest T.S.O.L. non-hits.)
Marshall
Tucker Band - “First 30 Years” (2 CD set.)
Charlie
Sexton - “20th Century Masters” (Import.)
Leann
Rimes - “This Woman”
Nat King
Cole - “The World Of Nat King Cole”
Cinderella
- “Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits” (17 tracks.)
Aerosmith
- “Gold” (2 CD best of.)
KISS
- “Gold” (2 CD best of includes all '70’s material.)
Chemical
Bros. - “Push The Button”
Old 97’s
- “Live at the Troubadour in Los Angeles; March 2004” (DVD.)
Loreena
McKennit - “No Journey’s End” (DVD.)
Alien
Vs. Predator - DVD
Sky Captain
And The World Of Tomorrow - DVD
The Forgotten
- DVD
Maria
Full Of Grace - DVD
Maya
- DVD
2/1
Nanci
Griffith - “Hearts In Mind”
Spock’s
Beard - “Octane” (w/bonus disc.)
Blue
Merle - “Burning In The Sun”
Built
Like Alaska - “Autumnland”
Precious
Bryant - “The Truth”
Adrian
Belew - “Side One”
Paul
Brady - “Say What You Feel”
Jack
Logan - “Nature's Assembly Line”
Tishamingo
- “Wear And Tear”
Arena
- “Pepper’s Ghost”
Amberlin
- “Never Take Friendship Personal”
Unwritten
Law - “Here’s To The Mourning”
Seventh
Day Slumber - “Once Upon A Shattered Life”
Antony
& The Johnsons - “I Am A Bird Now”
Len -
“Diary Of The Madmen”
Joe Cocker
- “Heart & Soul”
“Because
Of Winn-Dixie” - (Soundtrack featuring music from Emmylou Harris, Shawn
Colvin, Finn Brothers, etc.)
Tina Turner - “All The Best” (2 CD best of covering her entire career.)
Pain - “’Tage Mahal” - (Jon Oliva’s new project.)
Motley Crue - “Red, White & Crue” (2 CD best of with 3 new songs.)
Nanci Griffith - “One Fair Summer Evening...Plus” (DVD recorded at Anderson
Fair, Houston 1998 includes 5 videos.)
The Grudge
- DVD
La Cienaga
- DVD
Ray -
DVD (Isn’t this still in theaters?)
Vanity
Fair - DVD
Shall
We Dance? - DVD
Mr. 3000
- DVD
Secrets
& Lies - DVD ( a great film from 1996; first time on DVD.)
2/8
3 Doors
Down - “Seventeen Days”
Eisley
- “Room Noises”
Cheryl
Wheeler - “Defying Gravity”
Steve
Barton - “Charm Offensive”
Ed Harcourt
- “Strangers”
Ronny
Elliott - “Valentine Roadkill”
Reckless
Kelly - “Wicked Twisted Road”
David
Francey - “The Waking Hour”
Andrew
Bird - “Mysterious Production Of Eggs”
The Duhks
- “The Duhks”
Ian Tyson
- “Songs From The Gravel Road”
Sage
Francis - “Healthy Distrust”
The Frames
- “Burn The Maps”
The Smithereens
- “God Save The Smithereens” (2 CD reissue. This appears to have all of
Pat Dinizio’s solo album “Songs &
Sounds” as well, so not sure what’s up with that.)
Incubus
- “A Crow Left Of The Murder”
Various
Artists - “These Times We’re Living In” (Red House Records Compilation
includes Lucy Kaplansky, John Gorka, Greg Brown,
etc.)
Brian
McKnight - “Gemini”
Shy -
“Sunset & Vine”
Lee Ann
Womack - “There’s More Where That Came From”
Trick
Pony - “Ride”
The Notebook
- DVD
Shark
Tale - DVD
Bright
Young Things - DVD
Federal
Hill - DVD
2/11
“U2 &
I” - a book by Anton Corbijn (their principal photographer.)
2/15
Mary Gauthier
- “Mercy Now”
Ashley
Cleveland - “Men And Angels Say”
Marcia
Griffith - “Shining Time”
Young
Dubliners - “Real World”
The Blackouts
- “Living In Blue”
Porcupine
Tree - “Warszawa”
They
Might Be Giants - “Here Come The ABC’s”
Ozric
Tentacles - “Waterfall Cities: Hidden Step”
Goldfinger
- “Disconnection Notice”
Wheatus
- “Suck Fony” (note to self, make sure that’s spelled correctly.)
Dread
Zeppelin - “Chicken And Ribs”
The Motorcycle
Diaries - DVD
2/22
Tori Amos - “The Beekeeper”
Ozzy
Osbourne - “Bible Of Ozz” (4 CD boxset includes a disc of Ozzy covering
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, King Crimson,
Buffalo
Springfield,Mott The Hoople, Eric Burdon, etc.)
Dave
Davies - “Afl - 3063”
Iron
& Wine - “Woman King”
Thievery
Corporation - “Cosmic Game”
Aesop
Rock - “Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives”
Alana
Davis - “Surrender Dorothy”
Josh
Ritter - “Hello Starling” (re-release)
Josh
Ritter - 4-Song EP
Ben Lee
- “Awake Is The New Sleep”
Catherine
Britt - “Too Far Gone”
Joel
Plaskett - “La De Da”
Mike
Ford - “Canada Needs You”
Tim O’Brien
- “Real Time”
Carla
Bruni - “Quelqu'un M'a Dit”
Chatham
County Line - “Route 23”
Widespread
Panic - “Live At Myrtle Beach”
Steve
Vai - “Real Illusions: Reflections”
David
Bowie - “David Live” (2 CD’s; import.)
Clannad
- 4 reissues (Anam, Banba, Landmarks and Lore.)
The Chieftains
- “Live From Dublin - A Tribute to Derek Bell”
Morissey
- “Live From Earls Court” (CD and DVD.)
I Heart
Huckabees - DVD
3/1
Judas
Priest - “Angel Of Retribution” (the reunion album w/ bonus DVD.)
Al Green
- “Everything's OK” (Not if you’re not a Judas Priest fan, right? :-)
Black
Eyed Peas - “Monkey Business”
Kathleen
Edwards - “Back To Me”
Jack
Johnson - “In Between Dreams”
Colin
Linden - “Southern Jumbo”
Mars
Volta - “Frances The Mute”
Ivy -
“In The Clear”
Amanda
Stott - “Chasing The Sky”
Soloman
Burke - “Make Do With What You Got”
3/8
Sarah
Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion - “Exploration”
Ash -
“Meltdown”
Idlewild
- “Warnings/Promises”
Deana
Carter - “The Story Of My Life”
Johnny
Cash - “Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music” (DVD; Long out-of-print
documentary.)
Jim Lauderdale
- “In Concert” (DVD)
3/15
Blind
Boys Of Alabama - “Atom Bomb”
What
The Bleep Do We Know? - DVD
3/22
Jars
Of Clay - “Redemption Songs”
Queens
Of The Stone Age - “Lullabies To Paralyze”
The Fall
- “A Past Gone Mad”
The Chemistry
- “The Chemistry”
Moby
- “Hotel”
Santana
- “TBA”
Daft
Punk - “Human After All”
Vic Chesnutt
- “Ghetto Bells”
Terri
Clark - “TBA”
A Frames
- “Black Forest”
Agony
Scene - “The Darkest Red”
Brendan
Benson - “The Alternative To Love”
Billy
Idol - “Devil’s Playground” (You read that right.)
Charlie
Daniels - “Songs From The Long Leaf Pine”
Drive
By Truckers - “Live” (DVD.)
Bridget
Jones: Edge Of Reason - DVD (Wasn’t this just in theaters?)
3/29
Over The
Rhine - “Drunkard’s Prayer” (formerly titled “Born”.)
Beck
- “Guero”
Coldplay
- “TBA”
American
Hi Fi - “Hearts On Parade”
New Order
- “Waiting For The Siren’s Call”
Lifehouse
- “Lifehouse”
Stereophonics
- “Language, Sex, Violence, Other?”
Theory
Of A Deadman - “Gasoline”
Thrice
- “So Strange I Remember You”
Longview
- “Mercury”
4/5
Glen Phillips - “Winter Pays For Summer” (former Toad The Wet Sprocket
frontman.)
Stevie Wonder - “A Time 2 Love”
Broken Social Scene - “Windsurfing Nation”
Jann Arden - “Jann Arden”
Alicia Keys - “Unplugged”
Natalie Imbruglia - “Counting Down The Days”
Jason Mraz - “Mr. A-Z”
Will Smith - “Lost And Found”
4/12
Better Than Ezra - “Before The Robots”
Shelby Lynne - “TBA”
Amy Ray - “Prom”
Adema - “Adema”
Garbage - “Bleed Like Me”
Mudvayne - “Lost And Found”
Millencolin - “Kingwood”
Rob Thomas - “Something To Be”
4/19
Ryan Adams - “Cold Roses”
Maria McKee - “Peddlin’ Dreams”
White Stripes - “TBA”
4/26
Eels - “Blinking Lights And Other Revelations” (33 track double album.)
Ben Folds - “Songs For Silverman”
5/3
Aimee Mann - “The Forgotten Arm”
Nine Inch Nails - “With Teeth”
Fall Out Boy - “From Underneath The Cork Tree”
Seether - “TBA”
Shelly Fairchild - “Ride”
5/10
Missy Elliott - “TBA”
5/17
John Williams - “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith” (Score.)
Still Remains - “Of Love And Lunacy”
Brian Jonestown Massacre - “We Are The Radio” (That remains to be seen.)
Oasis - “TBA”
5/24
Sleater-Kinney - “The Woods”
5/31
Staind - “TBA”
6/7
Audioslave - “TBA”
Taproot - “Blue Sky Research”
6/14
The Strokes - “TBA”
7/19
Switchfoot - “TBA”
30 Seconds To Mars - “The Battle Of One” (Does NASA know about this?)
LYRIC of the MONTH:
Oh deliver me to
the river of souls in the heart of Indochine. Deliver me to a River at
Peace in this twenty-first century. All those souls that floated free in
these dark war’s waters. All the souls now swim together. The French, the
Viet Minh, those American boys. The souls of the Saigon River at peace
in Indochine.”
Nanci Griffith, from the
song “Heart of Indochine” off the album Hearts In Mind.
May we have an early
Spring. Here’s to March!
Chris Barlow
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