Songs of the Year, 2021: Hard Drive, Cassandra Jenkins

There is a LOT going on in "Hard Drive."  It's got a definite Laurie Anderson feel to it, almost as if it were a lost track from 1989's "Strange Angels."  Each verse tells a different micro-story, featuring a diverse cast of characters: the security guard, the bookkeeper, the driving teacher, and Peri.  The thread binding each of the stories together is what Jenkins addresses in her spoken intro - "our spirit, our humanity, our sense of self."

The emotional payoff, from both a narrative and a musical perspective, comes in the final verse:

I ran into Peri at Lowell's place
Her gemstone eyes caught my gaze
She said, "Oh, dear, I can see you've had a rough few months
But this year, it's gonna be a good one
I'll count to three and tap your shoulder
We're gonna put your heart back together
So all those little pieces they took from you
They're coming back now
They'll miss 'em too
So close your eyes
I'll count to three
Take a deep breath
Count with me"

It's an extraordinary song.

Songs of the Year, 2021: Calling Me Home, Rhiannon Giddens + Francesco Turrisi

The music that Rhiannon Giddens has made on her last two albums with Francesco Turrisi cuts like a scythe, slashing through fields of grain.  The emotional power of her voice combines with the miraculous but spare instrumentation from both artists to create an emotional power that more or less wipes every other song off the map.  When you listen, it's as if time is standing still.  

Songs of the Year, 2021: Tom Jones - I'm Growing Old

Over the next few days, in preparation for posting my Top Ten Albums of 2021, I'll be posting some of my favorite songs of the year from the albums that were Honorable Mentions.

First up, the great Tom Jones.  Still making great music, and in a sense reinventing himself, at the age of 80.  At the same time, recognizing his mortality.

...Ring in the New

And that bad boy in the middle now holds the place of honor previously occupied by the Technics Receiver.

So yeah, I no longer have the ability to listen to the radio, but considering I can't even remember the last time I listened to the radio, I think I'll survive.

So this should last me well into my 90s...

And what better CD to test it out than a little classic Steely Dan?

BTW, many thanks are due to my 31-year old son, without whom this would probably be sitting in its box for some period of time to be determined, given dad's lack of prowess with anything having to do with technology installation.

Happy New Year!

 

Ring Out the Old...

 

This bad boy served me well for close to 40 years, but it was well past the time to say farewell.  Little did I know that the frustrating glitches in my recent stereo listening experience were due, not to faulty speakers or speaker wires, but to the fact that this guy was just tired.

But hey - considering that among the first CDs I played with this setup were Springsteen's "Born in the USA" and Madonna's "Like a Virgin," I think I got my money's worth.  

R.I.P.