From: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org (octoroon-digest) To: octoroon-digest@smoe.org Subject: octoroon-digest V3 #25 Reply-To: octoroon@smoe.org Sender: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-octoroon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk octoroon-digest Saturday, July 15 2000 Volume 03 : Number 025 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [octoroon] 14 Days [DMAvery@aol.com] Re: [octoroon] 14 Days [darichards@altavista.net] Re: [octoroon] 14 Days [A1FOSTER@aol.com] RE: [octoroon] 14 Days ["Lindholm, Jeffrey" ] Re: [octoroon] 14 Days [Tammy Rychetnik ] Re: [octoroon] 14 Days [Lnh4848@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 08:34:16 EDT From: DMAvery@aol.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days In a message dated 7/14/00 2:09:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, adamk@zoom.co.uk writes: << For what it's worth --- and at the risk of enduring everlasting flaming -- I'm a bit disappointed in 14 Days. It seems terribly tame to me, terribly easy listening, with none of the vigour, energy, edge or humour that's on "Octoroon". Prime sinner is the cover of Stoned Soul Picnic...>> Apparently "Octoroon" is Laura's magnum opus in your mind, so I suspect you have a built-in bias. In my opinion, "Shum Ticky" was better than "Octoroon" anyway, but "14 Days" is better than either. In other words, she keeps getting better with each album and this is her best to date. I feel that on past albums, the apparent African, jazz, Carribean, blues, etc. influences were exciting and entertaining--but more on an easily digestible surface level. On "14 Days" Laura has taken those influences and made them her own, integrating the music more deeply/thoroughly and creating a sound that is more uniquely hers. She's develped more as an artist, and in my opinion, is just as entertaining. This new album shows us what a great songwriter she can really be, but if you're focusing on one Laura Nyro cover (of a song you admittedly dislike anyway) you're not going to hear that. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 09:45:59 -0400 (EDT) From: darichards@altavista.net Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days Greetings Adam and Octorooners: I am really happy with '14 Days' myself. I've been wearing the CD out. I especially love the policial bent of it ('Sometimes Davey Wins' is my favorite) and the growing strength of her incredible songwriting and playing. The cover of 'Stoned Soul Picnic' is fine. It's sad that Laura Nyro is gone and I think that Laura's cover of the song is unique and a distinct Laura Love-esque tribute to her. I saw Laura and the Band at the start of July in Somerville, Mass. and they jammed! Barbara Lamb got off the stage and did some damn amazing fiddling and CLOGGED in little slip on shoes. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. What a woman! I know hearing a bunch of the songs live first and seeing Laura and the band really jam to them helped me to appreciate the album more. Laura Love is like no other and I love her for that. She puts other indies such as Ani DiFranco (who I do like a lot but who has gradually disappointed me more and more) to shame. LL is the quintessential do it yourself, your own way, your own style, [what have you] performer. I can't wait for the next album, but '14 Days' and 'Shum Ticky', which I also love, will tide me over until then. Long live Laura Love! ~Debbie ---- you wrote: > I'm kind of surprised -- I thought that the release of a new album would > prompt a slew of responses and opinions, but still my octoroon digests are > few and far between, and so far I've read nothing about it. Any thoughts? > > For what it's worth --- and at the risk of enduring everlasting flaming -- > I'm a bit disappointed in 14 Days. It seems terribly tame to me, terribly > easy listening, with none of the vigour, energy, edge or humour that's on > "Octoroon". Prime sinner is the cover of Stoned Soul Picnic. I like Laura > Nyro's stuff, but I've never understood the appeal of this particular song > in the first place. As covered on 14 Days, it comes across as a terrible > MOR/Radio 2/Easy Listening kind of track, which brings nothing original to > the song (compare with her stunning, smoky, sinuous version of "Come As You > Are" on "Octoroon"). > > Does anyone else feel this way? Or is everyone loving it unconditionally? > ================================================= Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living. -- "Mother" Mary Jones ================================================= My web site: http://www.geocities.com/pookland ================================================= It's 2000, why is Leonard Peltier still in prison??? http://www.freepeltier.org/ Hold your heart open to truth. Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. http://www.mumia2000.org/ - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Get your free email from AltaVista at http://altavista.iname.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 10:57:57 EDT From: A1FOSTER@aol.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days In a message dated 07/14/2000 2:09:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, adamk@zoom.co.uk writes: << Or is everyone loving it unconditionally? >> I'm loving it very conditionally. I get disappointed when artists don't grow from album to album. 14 days is amazing. The focus in her songwriting is tight. She has matured (at least for the writing of this album), she is reflecting, she is offering something extra, something that for me goes beyond the "feel good" aspect of the music. In a complete 180 turn, the lyrics on this album are far more important to me than the music... and the music is still great! Allen ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:14:33 -0400 From: "Lindholm, Jeffrey" Subject: RE: [octoroon] 14 Days so you don't have any conditions? If you love a person or something unconditionally, there's nothing you'd change. If you have conditions, then you'll love them if they stop smoking, or don't snap their gum anymore, or get rid of that old car, but there's a condition to your loving it. Sounds like you love the new disk "unconditionally," as in it's OK by you! Me, I don't know. Haven't had the pleasure (I hope it is!) yet. Jeffery Lindholm jrl6b@virginia.edu University of Virginia Health System Communications > -----Original Message----- > From: A1FOSTER@aol.com [SMTP:A1FOSTER@aol.com] > Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 10:58 AM > To: octoroon-digest@smoe.org > Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days > > In a message dated 07/14/2000 2:09:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, > adamk@zoom.co.uk writes: > > << Or is everyone loving it unconditionally? >> > > I'm loving it very conditionally. I get disappointed when artists don't > grow > from album to album. 14 days is amazing. The focus in her songwriting is > tight. She has matured (at least for the writing of this album), she is > reflecting, she is offering something extra, something that for me goes > beyond the "feel good" aspect of the music. In a complete 180 turn, the > lyrics on this album are far more important to me than the music... and > the > music is still great! > Allen ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:28:50 EDT From: A1FOSTER@aol.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days In a message dated 07/14/2000 11:06:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time, JRL6B@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu writes: << so you don't have any conditions? If you love a person or something unconditionally, there's nothing you'd change. >> no, I do have conditions for liking music. I'm not going to like a Laura Love album just because it's Laura. But I like this album because it's a great album. The music reaches me, I "get it," I see the value in her work, and it's got a great beat. This album works for me. If it didn't, then I wouldn't like it so much. Allen ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 12:33:44 -0700 From: nora95@juno.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days I'm loving 14 Days, conditionally, unconditionally, whatever ... Can't wait to see Laura in the flesh tomorrow night in Berkeley ... nora. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 15:39:23 EDT From: McMain70@aol.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days Well, I have kept quiet just reading your emails about the glorious one we all know as LL. But after reading the reviews of 14 Days, I have to run out and get a copy. (Yes, I know I should be shamed for not owning it yet.) One thing is for sure with all of LL's music is that it provokes response. Sometimes to some people not the same response as I had when I first fell in love with her sound and songwriting, but a response nonetheless. And that is more than I can say for 90% of the stuff most record companies force us to hear. We only react to something when it is different and that usually means original and that is few and far between in this day and age of music. So as my quest to pickup 14 Days begins, I'll be content with Octoroon and Shum Ticky in my disc player!! Oh yes I almost forgot...you guys should check out the new disc by Shelby Lynn, " I am Shelby Lynn." Not the same style at all as LL but the same rawness, emotion, and great songwriting. What a lost art these days. Of course that is just my opinion, I could be wrong. Mark Mark McMain IBC, Inc. 765.452.0024 www.IndianaBusinessCommunications.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 13:09:17 PDT From: "Laura Koch" Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days Ditto, Nora! I've got a group of 15 going tomorrow night, and I can't wait. I don't agree with Adam, but I respect the willingness to put the critique out there, and thanks for getting the conversation started! I have really enjoyed Laura's progression, although in total I think Octoroon had more soul and was a more personal album than Shum Ticky; 14 Days seems to be a return to that. I actually perceive a harder edge emerging, or at least greater cynicism, not the opposite. I agree with Debbie's comment about Stone Soul Picnic - it is consistent, and Laura Love'esque. I really appreciate the way she brings the world around and her experience of it into her lyrics. My 7-year-old daughter, who wants to hear the album at breakfast and dinner, wants to know WHO gave her five years, though! Maybe Laura can explain it to her tomorrow. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 12:12:22 -0800 From: Tammy Rychetnik Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days Hi Mark (and all): I haven't had an opportunity to buy LL's new album yet either but you all are inspiring me to get on that! Those headed for her concerts, cooooool. Enjoy, enjoy. I had the pleasure of seeing her in concert about a year and a half ago. I'm sure she's added many new tunes now. Should be a great show. Tammy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 22:53:41 EDT From: Lnh4848@aol.com Subject: Re: [octoroon] 14 Days I really really like the musicality of 14 days. There some really different musical sounds on it, like on Sativa, and the title track. I agree that the cover of Stoned Soul Picnic was a let down. I think it's actually a pretty good song, but it's been overdone forever. However, at Laura's show at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA, she commented briefly on her feelings of loss concerning Laura Nyro, and I guess she just wanted to do a tribute song. I do wish she had picked something else, maybe something more offbeat. Yeah, 14 Days doesn't burn it up like previous albums, but I respect that Laura's gotta keep growing and changing. I find it well worth listening to. I especially like the lyric to "Do I Miss You," and I'm enjoying trying to figure out that one with the wierd chorus, "Way out the hizzy, way out the hook." Can anyone explain that to me? Len ------------------------------ End of octoroon-digest V3 #25 *****************************