June 2011 Blog Update

Howdy, everybody. I figure at the beginning of each month, I'll include a link to the blog that lists all of my articles, arranged by subject, so that they're easy to find. That link is this:

List Of All My Music Articles

There you have it. By the way, 2011 has been a great year for music so far. I know a lot of folks cry about the poor state the music industry is in, and how radio has gone down the toilet. Well, the purpose of this blog is to let everyone know that there is a lot of excellent music out there. You just have to look for it.

It's been my intention with this blog to write about CDs and bands that I like. Sure, there might be an exception now and again. But I have no desire to tear apart some new band that's out there struggling to find a fan base. What I want to do is let people know about new bands they might not have heard of yet, and to remind them of some bands they might have forgotten. And to keep people up-to-date with all the great new releases, as well as concert listings.

Onward...

Paul Brady: "Hooba Dooba" (2011) CD Review

Paul Brady has been on the music scene since the 1960s. He played with the Irish band The Johnstons and then Planxty before embarking on a solo career in the 1970s. Hooba Dooba is his twelfth solo album. And his voice is one of experience.

Paul Brady is not married to any one musical genre, and so these songs cover a wide range of tones and emotions. Though perhaps also because of this, the album is a bit uneven. But when it's good (which is more often than not), it's very good. Most of the songs are originals, and a few of them - particularly "Follow That Star" - are among the year's best songs.

"Cry It Out"

Hooba Dooba opens with a really strong track titled "Cry It Out." It's like country folk with a funky edge. It has a lively full band sound, and all the exuberance that goes with it. This song also features wonderful lyrics like, "It doesn't matter if it's good or bad/None of this was meant to last." You can take those lines as you will. Are they positive? Are they negative? And those are followed by "This too shall pass," the one sentence that's true in all occasions. Though the lyrics may be ambiguous, the song has a seriously positive vibe.

"Rainbow"

In the Muppets song "Rainbow Connection," Kermit asks, "Why are there so many songs about rainbows?" Well, how many songs about rainbows can you name? There is "She's A Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones and "She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow" by Cream. And of course "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." But there really aren't that many.

But now you can add another really good tune to the list. Paul Brady's "Rainbow" is one of my favorite songs on this album. It's got such a happy feel to it that you can't help but love it. And Jerry Douglas plays lap steel guitar on this track.

Here is a taste of the lyrics: "It's like I see you for the very first time/And something's happened in this/mixed-up heart of mine/Used to be I looked at you/The only colour I could see was blue on blue."

"The Price Of Fame"

"The Price Of Fame" is one of the album's weaker tracks. Maybe because it's hard for most of us to feel bad for those who "pay the price of fame" - especially when most of us have trouble paying the price of gasoline. It's also got kind of a cheesy vibe to it.

"One More Today"

"One More Today" is an unabashed love song featuring mostly piano, vocals and strings. It reminds me a bit of some of the soft side of 1970s pop, or perhaps even a love song from a musical. In this one, Paul sings, "One more today/Waking up inside your heart/One more today/With your kiss the perfect start/To a miracle of love that moves me/More than words can say." Cheesy? Sure. But you have to admit that we all want to feel what he's expressing in this song.

"The Winners' Ball"

"The Winners' Ball" is an odd mix of soul and pop that doesn't quite work for me. (But that might be due to my annoyance when anyone uses the word "invite" as a noun.)

"Luck Of The Draw"

"Luck Of The Draw" is a much better tune, and one that will be familiar to most music fans. It was the title track to Bonnie Raitt's excellent 1991 release. Paul Brady wrote it, and this is actually the first time he's recorded his own version. It's interesting, because on the one hand the song is about chance and fate, and thus things being out of our hands. But then on the other hand the song seems to urge folks not to give up, to keep trying. It ends with, "Your day is coming." Ultimately it is a very positive song.

(By the way, Paul Brady also wrote "Not The Only One" from that same Bonnie Raitt album.)

"Follow That Star"

"Follow That Star" is a great powerful raw-sounding acoustic song, one of the CD's best tracks. It's just a damn good song. Paul's vocals are phenomenal on this one. And the song has a great steady rhythm. Here is a bit of the lyrics: "Jezebel's a lovin' junkie/She can't do without a man/Fuss 'in' fight holdin' on tight/Till he slip right through her hand." I love this song.

"You Won't See Me"

"You Won't See Me" is of course a Beatles cover, the original being from their 1965 release Rubber Soul, and written by Paul McCartney. Paul Brady's take on it is very different. It took me a few times through to shake the Beatles recording from my head and really appreciate this version. But now I totally dig it. He captures the energy of the original recording while putting his personal spin on it. This is the album's only cover song.

"Living The Mystery"

Hooba Dooba ends with "Living The Mystery," which has a gentle feel. It certainly has a bit of country to it, with lyrics like "And when I hear that lonesome train whistle blow/Then I know it's time for me to go/I been round this cold hard town too long/There's so many roads a man could go/Roads that glisten in the night like diamonds." This song features some really nice vocal work by Paul. The perfect track to close the album.

CD Track List

1. Cry It Out
2. Rainbow
3. The Price Of Fame
4. One More Today
5. The Winners' Ball
6. Luck Of The Draw
7. Follow That Star
8. Mother And Son
9. Money To Burn
10. You Won't See Me
11. Over The Border
12. Living The Mystery
    

Musicians

Musicians on this CD include Paul Brady on lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, clavinet, piano, Farfisa organ, electric piano, B3 keyboard, wurlitzer, mandolin, bass, percussion, harmonica, and bouzouki; Bill Shanley on electric guitar; Anton Drennan on electric guitar; Rod McVey on Hammond organ and accordion; Jennifer Maidman on bass; Liam Genockey on drums and hand percussion; Jerry Douglas on lap steel guitar; Ken Rice on violin; Mia Cooper on violin; Brona Cahill on violin; Clodagh Vedres on violin; Elizabeth Leonard on violin; Lisa Grossman on voila; Cian O Duill on viola; David James on cello; Claire Fitch on cello; Yue Tang on cello; Colm Brady on harmonica; Sarah Siskind on backing vocals; Joy Malcolm on backing vocals; Donna Gardier on backing vocals; and Lincoln Jean-Marie on backing vocals.

Hooba Dooba was released on May 24, 2011 on Proper American Records.

The Day After Ellis Paul Day

July 9th, 2010 was Ellis Paul in the city of Boston. The day after Ellis Paul Day, Ellis did three concerts, including a family show, at Club Passim.

Friday, July 9th, 2010 was officially declared Ellis Paul Day by the mayor of Boston. To celebrate, Ellis Paul performed the first two concerts of a five-show run at Club Passim. On July 10th, the day after Ellis Paul Day, Ellis performed another three concerts at Passim.

Family Show

The first show Ellis Paul performed on July 10th was a family show at 3:30 p.m. Club Passim was full of umbrellas, as there was an insane downpour just before the show. Don Conoscenti once again joined Ellis on stage, playing guitar and performing backing vocals. Of the five shows, this was the only show not to feature an entire album with the songs played in order. Instead, Ellis Paul chose certain tracks from his children's record, The Dragonfly Races, but also supplemented those with several cover songs.

He opened the show with "The Cat Came Back," a song he performed with End Construction approximately twenty years ago. The set did feature many songs from The Dragonfly Races, including "Wabi Sabi," "Road Trip," "Because It's There," "Abiola" and the title track. He also performed an extended version of Tom Paxton's "Going To The Zoo," asking audience members to pick an animal and to do their best imitation of the sound of that animal. One audience member was asked on stage to do his impression of a monkey into the microphone.

Ellis Paul also did an excellent version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." The encore was an acappella version of "The Little Red Rose."

Sweet Mistakes

For the first set of the 7 p.m. show, Ellis Paul performed the songs from his 2001 release Sweet Mistakes. This album includes some beautiful songs, such as "New Orleans" and "The Art Of Distance." Ellis spoke a bit about certain songs. For example, he said that on the album version of "Seventeen Septembers," he hit a cardboard box with a mallet for a drum.

While introducing the song "Roll Away Bed," Ellis said that that song was responsible for a lot of the hits on his website because people were actually searching for a roll away bed. "Ellis Paul's Roll Away Beds," he joked.

He recited his poem, "The 20th Century Is Over," along with some guitar accompaniment by Don Conoscenti. He laughed at his own line, "Reaganism, communism, reaganism, communism," and said, "I should have read this first."

The Speed Of Trees

The album featured in the second set was his 2002 release, The Speed Of Trees, one of Ellis Paul's best CDs. This album includes such gems as "Maria's Beautiful Mess," "Give In, Give Up" and "If You Break Down."

There are two songs that appeared on both Sweet Mistakes and The Speed Of Trees: "Sweet Mistakes" and "Roll Away Bed." Audience members wondered between sets if he'd perform both songs a second time. He did not.

He ended the show with a version of "The Speed Of Trees" that led directly into "Let It Be" (which is not on the album). But "Let It Be" was played to the tune of "The Speed Of Trees." This led back into "The Speed Of Trees," and then briefly once again back into "Let It Be." This show ended at 9:27 p.m.

American Jukebox Fables

The first set of the 10 p.m. show (which started only ten minutes late) featured Ellis Paul's 2005 release, American Jukebox Fables. For the first song, "Blacktop Train," Flynn joined Ellis on guitar and backing vocals, and Adam Ezra played harmonica. It was a great, energetic start to the final concert of this five-show run.

Before "Alice's Champagne Palace," Ellis Paul held up one of the commemorative mugs that were made for the occasion. The mugs celebrated the 20-year mark for Ellis Paul's career, and have the lines "Raise to the future, Drink to the past" printed on them (lines from his song, "Sweet Mistakes"). The mugs were sold at the venue for only ten dollars.

Someone stood at one of the windows of Passim and mooned the audience, leading Ellis to sing a line from "Bad Moon Rising." A little later two other people were at that same window, just sitting there and listening. Ellis motioned for them to come in, and of course they happily did.

The Day After Everything Changed

For the final set of music in this incredible run of shows, Ellis Paul played his most recent album in its entirety - 2010's The Day After Everything Changed. He was much more confident while performing these songs, because of course they're fresher. Adam Ezra joined him for the second set, playing guitar and performing backing vocals.

Ellis Paul played keyboard on several songs during this set, including "Hurricane Angel," "Heaven's Wherever You Are" and the incredibly beautiful "Once Upon A Summertime."

The set (and the show) ended with "Nothing Left To Take," which Ellis performed solo. It was the perfect ending to an amazing series of concerts. The show ended at 12:53 a.m.

Old Songs To Be Heard Again

For fans who missed these shows, there is some good news. Ellis Paul is planning to re-introduce many of the earlier songs to his set lists beginning next year. So there will be plenty of chances to see him perform many of these great songs again.

(Note: I originally posted this on July 29, 2010 on another site.)

ODi: "Maslow's Songbook" (2010) CD Review

Excellent album by Irish singer/songwriter features incredible vocals and songs full of emotion, about endings and desires.

Maslow's Songbook is the debut full-length album from Irish singer/songwriter ODi (Claire Odlum), and it's an excellent CD.

There is not a single weak song on this album. There is no filler material (not even the short instrumental). Each song is unique, each song a separate journey. This is an album that deserves and demands to be listened to multiple times. Forget downloading the single or a couple of tracks. Just pick up this album and enjoy it through and through, over and over.

"Something Beautiful"

"Something Beautiful" is the single from the album. It was written by Dave Redfearn, who also plays guitars, piano and percussion on the album, as well as providing backing vocals. It's an incredibly pretty song, especially during the chorus, which is , "We all want something beautiful/To hold on to, till the pain is through/There's something we can do."

"Make It Better"

"Make it Better" starts with piano and vocals. It's a gorgeous song, which builds perfectly. ODi's voice is incredibly moving as she sings, "And I'll be the one to try to make it better/Comfort and hold your head/It's alright, if you cry and shout out/Just give me the chance to be there." This is one of the best songs on the album. It's like a friendly voice calling to the listener in the dark. This song itself seems to have the power to make it better.

"One In A Million"

"One In A Million" is another incredible song. It creates a particular and singular mood with its sparse instrumentation and excellent vocals, and even with the use of handclaps. And then there is some great work on strings. This song was written by Daniel Norton and Emily Norton. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "Swam for a while in the water/Swam for a while in the sea/Tried not to feel that there's more to feel/Than the cold that's swimming round me." Odi's vocals are simply magnificent.

"You Win But You Lose"

"You Win But You Lose" is probably the best song on the album, and one of the best songs of the year. It's sweet and sad, like some of Aimee Mann's best work. It was written by Claire Odlum and Dave Redfearn. The chorus is "You win but you lose/You try to refuse/All the things that she said/Going round in your head/And you knew that this time/You should have made up your mind/But all you can do/Is try to hold on, hold on."

Instrumental Track

"Lonely Ballerina" is a very short instrumental piece that starts with a quiet piano and the sound of wind blowing. A storm. As the wind fades, the piano comes up, as does the crackling sound of a fire. So it's someone (the listener) coming in from the storm to be warmed by the fire and the piano.

"Maslow's Love Song"

The album concludes with "Maslow's Love Song." This song starts off with a simple, pretty guitar part and vocals. Nearly four minutes in, this song kicks in with such force and power that it will shake the listener. It will grab on and not let go. Good luck trying to do something else while listening to it. This is a great song, and a great song with which to end the album.

Abraham Harold Maslow

So who was Abraham Maslow? He was an American psychologist who is most famous for his idea of the hierarchy of human needs, with basic needs such as food and water at the bottom, and self-actualization at the top, meaning creativity.

There is a quote from Maslow in the middle of the liner notes for this album: "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be."

Musicians

The musicians on this album include Claire Odlum on vocals, guitars, piano and percussion; Dave Redfearn on guitars, vocals, piano and percussion; Karl Odlum on bass, guitars, piano, double bass, percussion, cello, synths, banjo, dulcimer, bazouki, and vocals; Sean O'Leary on drums and percussion; Ronan O Snodaigh on percussion; and Colm Mac Con Iomaire on violin and cello.
(Music fans might recognize Colm Mac Con Iomaire from the Irish rock group The Frames.)

CD Track List

1. Red Light
2. Something Beautiful
3. Real To Me
4. Make It Better
5. Leaving My Love In New York
6. One In A Million
7. I'm Done
8. You Can't Have It All
9. You Win But You Lose
10. Mariposa
11. Lonely Ballerina
12. Maslow's Love Song
    

Claire Odlum wrote the majority of songs on this album. Maslow's Songbook is scheduled to be released on August 23, 2010.

ODi will be touring the UK in September to support the album. And there's good news for folks in California. ODi is planning to do some gigs there next year.

(Note: I originally posted this review on July 27, 2010 on another site.)

Howard Wooden: "Friends Gone By" (2004) CD Review

CD of mostly original folk material features Tom MacKenzie on hammered dulcimer and Dave Grippo on saxophone.

Howard Wooden's 2004 release, Friends Gone By, contains mostly original songs that are basically folk, but have some interesting variations and some surprising instrumentation. For example, the saxophone in the opening track, and the ending of "I Want To Be Free."

Howard Wooden is also a member of the Vermont folk band Woods Tea Company. That band has been around since the early 1980s, though Howard did not officially join until 1992.

"Living On The Iceberg"

"Living On The Iceberg" has sound and tone reminiscent of 1970s folk. Then nearly two minutes in, Dave Grippo shows up on saxophone. It's a nice surprise. This song was written by Josh Mitchell and Howard Wooden.

The chorus is, "And down on the corner/Is a store room full of books/Full of facts on what/Where and when I should look/But they don't tell/The most important thing of all/Why should I be looking there at all?"

"I Want To Be Free"

"I Want To Be Free" has a cool rhythm, thanks to Patrick Fitzsimmons on percussion. This song also features nice work by Pete Sutherland on piano. The song begins, "Wake up in the morning, feel the sunshine through the pain/Wake up in the morning, everything still looks the same." The song ends with an interesting fiddle solo.

"The Sun's Still In My Eyes (Roll Over)"

"The Sun's Still In My Eyes (Roll Over)" is another song with a 1970s folk feel. In one way, it's a song about wasting time, of never really getting going or getting a start. About not quite waking up. But how much time really passes in the song? Is it a lifetime, or just that moment when one passes from dreaming to waking?

This song was written by Howard Wooden and Janine Hubbard.

"Celtic Dreams"

"Celtic Dreams" is an instrumental track, one of two on Friends Gone By. This song is pretty and mellow. It features Tom MacKenzie on the hammered dulcimer.

"Do You Love Me?"

"Do You Love Me?" has a jazzy feel, both in the rhythm and the piano. This song features some cool work on piano by Chas Eller. It also features Dave Grippo on saxophone.

Dave Grippo may be familiar to Phish fans, as he played saxophone in Giant Country Horns, a group that played with Phish in 1991. He also played with Phish in 1994, with a slightly different group, called Cosmic Country Horns. Dave Grippo also played with Trey Anastasio during the years when Phish had disbanded.

Howard sings at the end, "Do I love you? I hope that I do."

Title Track

"Friends Gone By," the album's title track, was written by Howard Wooden and Josh Mitchell. It has a bit of a country feel, particularly in the vocals. Howard sings, "Time you've made this foolish heart - /You have changed this boy into man/While you stole my dreams and wrecked my plans."

"Friends Gone By" was written by Howard Wooden and Josh Mitchell.

"Drema Kalajian"

"Drema Kalajian" is an instrumental track that features Tom MacKenzie on hammered dulcimer. The dulcimer gives the track a timeless feel. The song is pretty, at least for the first minute or so. Then it abruptly changes its tone, rhythm, pace and instrumentation. The percussion then takes part of the focus. This is a really enjoyable song, possibly the best on this CD.

In the liner notes, Howard explains that this song is named after a friend from high school, a friend whose name he always loved.

"Darling Children"

"Darling Children" is one of the album's two cover songs. It was written by Rusty Magee in 1995, and is a song from a father to his children.

"1002"

The album's other cover song is "1002," written by Terry Talbot and John Talbot. The vocals sound particularly good on this song, with a nice blending of the backing vocals with Howard Wooden's voice.

The song is actually two tracks. The first track is titled "1002 Intro." It has a crackling sound, like an old record playing over the radio. The song is admittedly a collection of guitar riffs ripped off from Leo Kotke and Jefferson Airplane (most obviously "Embryonic Journey").

It leads right into the second track, and soon after it starts, the crackling sound fades. The second track, "1002," features Rusty Jacobs on dobro and Mike Lussen on banjo. It's a sweet and pretty song that was written in 1972. The chorus is "I know I told you I love you/A thousand and one times I do/But if now I should say good luck and walk away/Just figure a thousand and two."

The ending, which sounds like someone tapping out a drum beat on his lap, is pointless. The song should have been cut before that because the ending just detracts from the wonderful feel of the song.

Friends Gone By concludes with "Like A Light," an extremely short song that is sung acappella.

CD Track List

1. Living On The Iceberg
2. I Want To Be Free
3. The Sun's Still In My Eyes (Roll Over)
4. Celtic Dreams
5. Do You Love Me?
6. Can't Find A Friend
7. Friends Gone By
8. Drema Kalajian
9. Living On The Road
10. Darling Children
11. 1002 Intro
12. 1002
13. Like A Light
    

Musicians appearing on this album include Howard Wooden on vocals, acoustic guitar and bass; Patrick Fitzsimmons on drums and percussion; Pete Sutherland on fiddle, piano and strings; Tom MacKenzie on hammered dulcimer; and Aaron Flinn on acoustic guitar. Diane Zeigler, Sarah Wooden and Lauren Kogge do backing vocals.

Friends Gone By was released on Gadfly Records in September of 2004. Howard Wooden released two other solo records: Celtic Dreams and Out On A Limb (2001). Some of the songs featured on Friends Gone By were also included on these earlier releases, such as "Roll Over" and "Dream Kalajian."

Yonder Mountain String Band: "Elevation" (1999) CD Review

Elevation is the band's debut album, and it contains a lot of wonderful original bluegrass music.

Yonder Mountain String Band is a bluegrass band based in Colorado. Sure, they may not be pure bluegrass. They use bluegrass music as a base from which they feel free to explore other musical territory. Yes, they're a jam band, with rock influences, and they're one of the best bands on the scene these days.

Bluegrass fans will not be disappointed. Jam band fans will be delighted. These four musicians are masters of their instruments, and their vocals blend together perfectly. Besides that, they also write some damn good material, as this album clearly demonstrates.

"Half Moon Rising"

The album opens with "Half Moon Rising," which is just a beautiful, sweet song. It was written by Jeff Austin, and includes this line: "There's a still at dawn like the sound of your love's breath as she lies sleeping."

"Mental Breakdown"

"Mental Breakdown" is one of those wonderful, quick bluegrass instrumentals. This was written by Dave Johnston.

"The Bolton Stretch"

"The Bolton Stretch" is a song about a man wanted for robbery, a man the sheriff can't catch as he races along the Bolton Stretch. It's an excellent song, written by Ben Kaufmann.

"He didn't come for justice/didn't come to make ammends/He doesn't ask forgiveness/he's not looking to make friends/It's just that he was passing through/with money wearing thin."

"Left Me In A Hole"

"Left Me In A Hole" is just a damn cool song. The vocals sound so great. It was written by Adam Aijala. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "The phone it rings, who could it be, it ain't her, it's not for me/Forgetting's easy as one, two, three, my friends say."

There is a really nice concert recording of this song on the second disc of Mountain Tracks: Volume 3.

"On The Run"

"On The Run" is a full-steam-ahead song. It's another about running from the law, and is one of the best songs on the album. The instrumental section is phenomenal. It was written by Ben Kaufmann.

"Eight Cylinders"

"Eight Cylinders" is one of the sweetest-sounding songs ever. It's just a total joy to listen to. Sad and pretty, it was written by Dave Johnston. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "Because your songs are so sad and tired/Because hunger is a darkness inside the phone wire/It always has been, it always will be/So it seems to me/That's the price you pay when you say/I will be behind you."

This song also really benefits from the harmony vocals by Celeste Krenz and Sally Van Meter. Sally Van Meter also plays electric lap slide on this song.

"Mossy Cow"

"Mossy Cow" is a fun, playful, whimsical instrumental track. This is a song that shows how closely bluegrass is related to Irish folk music. It's a wonderful song, written by Adam Aijala. Darol Anger plays fiddle on this track.

"If There's Still Ramblin' In The Rambler (Let Him Go)"

This song is great fun. In concert, they often break it up; after the line about "just one more Jagermeister shot," they'll go into another song, and then eventually get back to the end of "Rambler." But here it is, all together. This song was written by Jeff Austin. (There is a live version of this song on Mountain Tracks: Volume 3.)

"Waijal Breakdown"

This song starts with a very cool groove, and then quickly speeds up. It's a great instrumental, written by Adam Aijala, who also plays banjo on this track. Darol Anger plays fiddle, and Mike Marshall plays mandolin.

Yonder Mountain String Band

Yonder Mountain String Band is Adam Aijala on guitar and vocals, Jeff Austin on mandolin and vocals, Dave Johnston on banjo and vocals, and Ben Kaufmann on bass and vocals. They wrote all of the songs on this album, except "To Say Goodbye, To Be Forgiven," which was written by Benny Galloway. (Yonder Mountain String Band recorded an album with Benny Galloway - Old Hands, which was released in 2003.)

In 2008, they played at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Elevation is their first album, released on Frog Pad Records in 1999. It was produced by Sally Van Meter.

CD Track List

1. Half Moon Rising
2. Mental Breakdown
3. The Bolton Stretch
4. Left Me In A Hole
5. Darkness And Light
6. On The Run
7. Eight Cylinders
8. 40 Miles From Denver
9. This Lonesome Heart
10. At The End Of The Day
11. Mossy Cow
12. High On A Hilltop
13. To Say Goodbye, To Be Forgiven
14. If There's Still Ramblin' In The Rambler (Let Him Go)
15. Waijal Breakdown
    

NEeMA: "Watching You Think" (2010) CD Review

Leonard Cohen has impeccable taste. About NEeMA, he's been quoted as saying, "In the midst of all the static, a voice of true feeling arises - a rare event." Certainly this is what piqued my interest in this singer/songwriter. And for that (as for many things) I am thankful to Leonard Cohen. Watching You Think is a wonderful album, full of beauty and passion and excellent lyrics.

Leonard Cohen also helped produce this CD, and provided the marvelous artwork for the cover. Included in the lower right corner is the symbol of the order of the unified heart, also seen on the cover of his 2004 release, Dear Heather. His daughter Lorca provided the photographs of NEeMA for the album's liner notes.

"Unspoken"

Watching You Think opens with "Unspoken." The first thing that hits you is the bass - this is some wonderful work by Miles Perkin. And then almost immediately it's NEeMA's voice, equal parts ethereal and earthly. On top of that, there is this wonderful groove that seems to come from some eastern European land from some time past, which is fitting for the opening line, "a long time ago in a land far away."

"Unspoken" is a strange sort of love song. I love the odd detail, like "they shared a tangerine on their first date." And the song ends with the bass.

"Romeo And Juliet"

The only cover song on this album is "Romeo And Juliet," written by Mark Knopfler. This has always been one of my favorite Shakespearean-themed songs, and NEeMA does a great job with it. Her singing is fairly faithful to the original, even approaching a spoken word style at moments, like on the line, "we both come up on different streets." Interestingly, she sings, "Julie, Julie" instead of "Juliet."

"Romeo And Juliet" was originally included on the 1980 Dire Straits album Making Movies.

"Unwinding"

NEeMA's voice at moments throughout the CD reminds me of Melanie (think of Melanie's great cover of "Ruby Tuesday" rather than, say, "Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma"), but particularly on "Unwinding." "Unwinding" is a sweet and beautiful song. For a song about letting go, this song seems to cradle the listener in its arms. It makes a safe place in the universe for the listener to dwell.

"Escape"

"Escape" reminds me of Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, but with a 1960s pop rhythm. This song features nice touches by Bob Stagg on trumpet. This song's lyrics mention Montreal in the lines, "It's a foggy night in the streets of Montreal/i'm walking beside me and watching myself fall/soon i'll be spiraling/i'm losing ground again."

"Stay"

"Stay" is another sweet and catchy folk song. Check out these lyrics: "i want to slide inside your home/like a caterpillar about to transform/and take up lots of room." This song also features wonderful backing vocals by Angela Desveaux. Their voices blend beautifully together.

"Sidewalk"

"Sidewalk" is one of my favorite songs from this CD, mostly because of the lyrics. It begins, "the sidewalk's cracked/the streets are old/these structures cannot last/we're clinging on to a world/that's already of the past." And I love these lines: "i tried to walk away from you/the traffic lights were red/i couldn't get myself to go/so i made you leave instead." This song is sad and gorgeous.

"Lost In LA"

"Lost In LA" is a song a lot of us can personally relate to, about trying to keep the dream of Los Angeles alive. Or pretending that it is still alive, as she sings, "we dig deeper we drill harder/we pretend it ain't getting darker/that the horizon isn't poisoned/and we're still living in the garden."

This is a wonderful song. There are many songs about Los Angeles, and many on this theme of losing our way once we get here. But this one seems more successful than most at hitting exactly the right emotional chords. And choosing perfect similies and metaphors - "you be the junkie/i'll be the hit."

"Bone To Pick With Time"

"Bone To Pick With Time" might be this album's best song. It got to me immediately. It's a wonderful and beautiful song about the transitory nature of existence. Here is a taste of the lyrics: "we've a very little window to do what we must do/write a song, bear a child, fall in love with you." Listening to this one alone late at night will likely bring tears to your eyes.

"Jealousy" is the most unusual-sounding song of the album. Odd tunings, some dark tones and a dog's howl all work to almost unnerve the listener.

This CD concludes with "Elsa's Lullabye," a sweet love song to her dog. (There is a photo of Elsa on the back of the liner notes.)

CD Track List

1. Unspoken
2. Romeo And Juliet
3. Unwinding
4. Running
5. Eternity
6. Escape
7. Stay
8. Sidewalk
9. Lost In LA
10. Bone To Pick With Time
11. Jealousy
12. Elsa's Lullabye
    

Musicians

Musicians on this album include NEeMA on lead vocals and guitar; Joe Grass on guitar, dobro and whistle; Miles Perkin on bass; Fred Bouchard on drums, tambourine and backing vocals; Emilie Rabaraona on violin; Catherine le Saulnier on cello; Gurpreet Chana on tabla and percussion; Bob Stagg on Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, trumpet, piano and bass; Angela Desveaux on backing vocals; Simon Godin on guitar and mandolin; Alexis Martin on drums; Paula Toledo on backing vocals; Francois Turgeon on bass; Anni Lawrence on cello; Pascal Shefteshy on guitar; Tim Kingsburry on guitar and bass; Rob MacDonald on guitar; Thom Gossage on drums; and Sarah Page on harp.

Watching You Think was released on March 1, 2011 in the United States (it had been released in 2010 in Canada). This is NEeMA's second album. Her first, Masi Cho, was released in 2007.