From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #679 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Wednesday, February 6 2013 Volume 16 : Number 679 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Opinions on Lindi, Martha, Taylor [Karen Hester ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:11:10 -0500 From: Karen Hester Subject: Opinions on Lindi, Martha, Taylor Cigarettes & Truckstops - Lindi Ortega Fun old-style country from the heavy-vibrato Lindi. I wish there were some more rockers like on her first country album, but this is still a great album. Love songs, pot songs, murder songs, fed-up songs, leaving town songs, will I go to hell? songs - yep, she's thoroughly country these days. "Murder of Crows" is my favorite, 'cos I like them murder songs. Nice to see her in the background of the TV show Nashville. Come Home to Mama - Martha Wainwright I've had both some of my most ecstatic and most embarrassed concert experiences watching Martha Wainwright. Her voice can soar to the heavens and break my heart, and her clunkier lyrics and stage presence can make me cringe and look for the door. "Proserpina" (in which Persephone's mother Demeter/Ceres pines "come home to mama") is one of the former moments, and one of Martha's best. It was written by her mother Kate McGarrigle. The rest of the album is pretty kitchen sink and there's nothing I like much yet. Red - Taylor Swift This album is not terrible! Now that Taylor's through her teens, the lyrics are slightly less narcissistic. Still, nothing much exists beyond her love life. It's fun to read the lyrics critically - "But you keep my old scarf from that very first week / 'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me" - her teenage ex seriously told her a scarf reminded him of innocence?! I bet he saw the scrap of fabric lying in the corner and tossed it. Songs: I like the lovely dramatic duet "The Last Time," which reminds me of The Swell Season. That's about it ecto-wise. My other favorites are the Max Martin-ish pop "I Knew You Were Trouble," pop-rock "Red" and Coldplay-lite "State of Grace." There's much better pop music and much better country music but when the two come together they tend to take the worst of both genres, so I don't object to Taylor's existence :) ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #679 ***************************