Taylor Swift (3/4 stars)

I’m a country-pop fan, with country-pop being defined as ranging from Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw to the Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill and yes, Shania Twain. I tend to prefer the female country vocals harmonizing with ringing strings, whether stummed, plucked or bowed. I chanced upon Taylor Swift performing on the [...]

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Wow, we played boardgames (Part II: A Musical Interlude)

The Frog’s lovely better half, The George, got home to the Lily Pad and we had dinner. The discussion of the evening revolved around music. We were admiring the newly-completed living room arrangement of The George, which The Frog had supplemented with a new iPod Hi-Fi system. The Frog and the George are American Idol [...]

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Unbelievable, and yet believable

Pearls Before Breakfast – washingtonpost.com
Amazing and confounding.
This piece from the washingtonpost.com recounts a “stunt” that had all-world violinist Joshua Bell performing on the street and collecting coins. Bell (yes, I’m a fan) played some exquisite pieces, including a Massinet, Ave Maria, and the difficult Chaconne, for free to anyone who would care to stop an [...]

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Juanes: Mi Sangre (3.5/4 stars)

I haven’t run into such a fun album in quite a while. My Spanish comprehension isn’t much more than 50%, but what I could understand of the lyrics, the ringing strings and the sweet Latin rhythms make Mi Sangre (My Blood) a real pleasure to listen to.
My favorite cuts are the infectious Amame (Love Me), [...]

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