From: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org (navy-soup-digest) To: navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Subject: navy-soup-digest V5 #1 Reply-To: navy-soup@smoe.org Sender: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk navy-soup-digest Wednesday, January 2 2002 Volume 05 : Number 001 In This Digest: ----------------- Re: Top Ten List! (finally) ["Kristin White" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 01 Jan 2002 22:43:29 -0500 From: "Kristin White" Subject: Re: Top Ten List! (finally) as julian said for best performances of the year.... << Tara MacLean, Peterborough Festival of Lights, Aug 29>> i must agree! hehe. never had i seen her look so beautiful and powerful, while at ease in singing and being on stage. guess pregnancy really works wonders sometimes. ok, back to the lurking corner. kristin >From: "Julian C. Dunn" >To: Headliners >CC: Navy-Soup >Subject: Top Ten List! (finally) >Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 16:13:23 -0500 (EST) > >So, it's the last day of the year, and not a hell of a lot is being >accomplished here at the office, so I thought I'd assemble my top ten >list. Here goes: > >-- >-- Julian's Top Ten of 2001 >-- > >These aren't necessarily albums issued in 2001, just ones that I bought >this >year. > >In no particular order: > >* Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor - Ten Songs Live (2001) > >Yes, Lenni Jabour is a totally whacked performer. No, I probably wouldn't >go >and see her again any time soon. But her songs are very catchy, and she's >a decent piano player. Only if she would tone down her live act so it's not >embarrassing to watch her. > >* Natalie Merchant - Motherland (2001) > >Some folks have characterized "Motherland" as a disappointment but I >actually >like it a lot. It's tough to follow up an album as good as "Ophelia", so >Natalie doesn't even try to continue in the same vein, branching off >instead >into very rootsy, soul-influenced music. > >* Shakira - Donde Estan Los Ladrones? (1998) > >Unlike her over-produced Britney-Spears-like English-language debut of this >year, Shakira's original major-label release, sung entirely in Spanish, is >quite charming. I don't understand a word being sung, of course, but >Spanish >is such an expressive and beautiful language that it almost doesn't matter >(with a little help from my Spanish speaking friends as to the general >meaning of the songs). > >* Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room (2001) > >I hesitated for a moment before putting this up here on my top ten, because >let's face it -- it's not like Michelle's songs have a lot of meaning. But >damn, are they catchy. And the fact that she wrote them herself, and she >had a half-decent indie label debut before this (overproduced) disc lends >her credence as a "real" musician. Hey, if people can take Maren Ord >seriously... > >* The Murmurs - The Murmurs (1994) > >It's taken me seven years from when the Murmurs released this disc to >discover it (and them). I can't believe what I was missing all this time. >This CD is a lot more acoustic and folkier than last year's MCA release, >"Blender". I particularly like the liberal use of the recorder on many of >the songs on this album; it lends the songs a "woodsy" sort of feel that >suggest a bright and clear winter's day. > >* Shannon Weir - Nature About You (2001) > >Shannon's a local musician who has been playing small clubs like Holy Joe's >and the Free Times for a few years now, and I think is just waiting to >be discovered. Her voice has become so much stronger from her debut CD >"Ghosts Of My Past", and she now has a band (The Even Strangers) which >complement her gentle piano playing. > >* Disappear Fear - Seed in the Sahara (1996) > >Despite judging this book by its cover (or, rather, by the glowing >recommendations on the back of the CD), it doesn't disappoint. Were the >band >on any other label but the esteemed Philo label, I wouldn't have done so. >I'd describe the CD as "gentle folk"; it's mellow but not overly so, as in, >you could drive through upstate New York to it and not fall asleep. Don't >think the band is together any more, though. > >* The Nields - Live in Northampton (2001) > >The Nields are known for putting on amazing live shows, which are, to my >disappointment, largely in the eastern United States (they've been to >Ontario only twice in the last few years). Earlier this year they played >a two-night stand at the infamous Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA >where, many moons ago, they recorded a live CD. This followup is a two-disc >affair which captures, pretty accurately, the excitement and humour of a >live Nields show. The Nields have been touring as a band (and in part, a >family) for some time now and they've spoken about that era coming to an >end soon, so this double album (coupled with a disc of homemade music >videos) will make a good snapshot of the band if they do decide to pursue >other interests. > >* Catie Curtis - My Shirt Looks Good on You (2001) > >A surprisingly strong follow-up to her 1999 Rykodisc album "A Crash Course >in Roses", this album is a lot more upbeat and richer in the arrangements. >I bought it on a whim for $2.95 and it didn't leave my CD player for a >week. >Highly recommended. > >* Emm Gryner - Girl Versions (2001) > >It took some consideration before I decided to list Emm's album of covers >on my top ten list. At first I was hesitant to do so, because strictly >speaking the songs aren't her own work, and I felt a little uncomfortable >doing so. However, over the last little while the album really has grown >on me to the point where I feel the songs have been totally transformed by >virtue of having been through Emm's hands; particularly after listening >to many of the original versions, I can conclude that she has pretty much >reworked a great many of them from scratch. It's no small feat to turn >heavy metal songs into sweet piano ballads, so for this reason I think >she deserves a place in my top ten list for the year. > >Honourable Mentions: > >* Sarah Slean - Sarah Slean (2001) > >Definitely wonderful material here, but some of it has been heard before, >so I felt I couldn't list it in my top ten. "Book Smart, Street Stupid" >is such a gorgeous song, though. > >* Emaline Delapaix Band - The Reins EP (2000) > >I picked up Emaline's EP when she was here on her (I believe) first North >American tour, straight from Melbourne, Australia. The EP is a very >strong effort of piano ballads, albeit too short. Looking forward to her >full length album some time. > >-- >-- Memorable Concerts of 2001 >-- > >* Emm Gryner w/ Meg Toohey and Gail Ann Dorsey, Feb 17, The Fez (NYC) >* Emm Gryner at the Sarnia Public Library Theatre, Mar 24 >* Tegan and Sara w/ Kinnie Starr at Trinity St. Paul's, April 25 >* Penelope Swales w/ Ember Swift and Miranda Stone, The Art Bar, July 20 >* Tara MacLean, Peterborough Festival of Lights, Aug 29 >* The Waifs, Ted's Wrecking Yard, Oct 4 >* Joni Mitchell Tribute Concert, Harbourfront, Oct 16 >* Martina Sorbara w/ The Supers at the Rivoli, Nov 30 >* Sarah Slean, Milestones, Rochester, NY, Dec 01 >* Dar Williams at the Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair, NJ, Dec 14 > > > >Hope everyone had a good year despite the tragedies that befell us, and >all the best for peace, health and happiness in the new year! > >- Julian > >-- >[ Julian C. Dunn * ] >[ WWW: http://www.aquezada.com/staff/julian/ * PGP: 0xFDC205B9 ] >[ "There is a world outside of this room, and when you meet it, ] >[ promise me you won't meet it with a gun." -- 10,000 Maniacs ] "Your eyes are mockingbirds inside a guilded cage, your life's a silent movie that I haven't heard for ages. Tell me everything, someone's gotta hear this, beautiful thing." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. ------------------------------ End of navy-soup-digest V5 #1 *****************************