Johnny Cash: American III: Solitary Man
I'm no lover of cover albums, as a rule. My usual experience is that the original recording of a song does the best job interpreting it. Johnny Cash is another story entirely. When he covers many of the songs in his "American" series, I'd have to say that he often does a better rendition of them than the very people who wrote and originally recorded them. Maybe it's because by this point, Johnny had lived such a full life--full of ups and downs, joy and pain. So when he sings songs of pain, it's effortless--it flows from his own experience. At the same time, when he sings songs of world-weary conviction, yearning for the day when the Lord will take him home, you know he believes every word he sings with a well-tested faith. I recommend all of Cash's work, but there's something special about this late-in-life series. The man is looking down the barrel of his own mortality, and his faith does not waver. Not to mention the fact that his voice remains strong and resonant even though his health is fading fast by this point in his life! Awesome stuff. (*****)
Christopher Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music: Bach: Coffee Cantata & Peasant Cantatas
I'm a coffee fanatic, always searching for an exciting new blend from the best coffee stores in the country. Only an addict like me would know that J.S. Bach composed a whole cantata in honor of my favorite caffeinated nectar! This is Bach at his zaniest--a campy work about the coffee craze sweeping the young people of his time. It's about a father worried about his daughter's coffee fixation and her dreaming of finding a husband who will let her drink as much as she wants. Crazy stuff! Google the translation for the lyrics--it's great for a chuckle! The Peasant Cantatas on this album are good listening as well. 3.5 stars for me--the rater on Typepad won't let me do half stars. (***)
Sting: If On A Winter's Night...
This album has been widely panned, but I just don't get why. Sting's voice has been gaining depth and resonance as he ages, and this is light-years beyond the bubble-gum pop music that The Police used to do. I think that Sting is just hitting the "sweet spot" in his musical career, personally--he's a real artist instead of a mere entertainer! Great album, and a very different take on holiday music. Worth a listen for sure. (***)
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand
The collaboration of Led Zeppelin wailer Robert Plant with the tender-voiced, Bluegrass artisan, Alison Krauss seemed an insane notion to me when I heard of it. My cynicism didn't take into account that both of them are bona fide artists who are servants of the music instead of forcing their vocal trademarks onto it. Further the producer, T-Bone Burnett, chose music a bit outside both of the artists' comfort zones to encourage creativity and real teamwork. When I set aside my preconceptions and listened to this album for what it was, I realized that it was an instant classic. To me it's amazing. I hope you'll agree. (****)
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: SRV
This is a boxed set containing some of the best sessions, both studio and live, of the man who was (in my opinion) the king of electric blues. Vaughan was a virtuoso musician by anyone's standards. He made that guitar sing with a skill that put him up in the stratosphere with Jimi Hendrix. Vaughan's voice had a richness and rasp that were perfectly suited for his songs. I've never seen anyone invest so much of himself into his performances. Who knows what he would have become if he'd not passed away so young. (*****)
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For all the times we Christians reduce life to correct theology and strict morals...
For all the times people assume it's all about being busy, working, paying bills...
Sometimes God picks up a paintbrush. He paints something for us.
He reminds us that the life He wants for us is beautiful. It's art.
God picked up a paintbrush today...
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Daniel H. Pink: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
A fascinating book about what motivates humans to behave as they do. A hopeful perspective on human nature--we are not driven only by biological urges, or by rewards and punishments (carrots and sticks). Instead, humans have a "third drive" which causes them to seek purpose--to be involved with things that cause them to be challenged or to grow as people, in the absence of external rewards. Though it gives some serious nods to humanistic psychology, it offers hope for motivating volunteerism in church contexts. Even if we can't pay, people will want to contribute to something meaningful and worthwhile. Quick and fascinating read. (****)
Bill Hybels: Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs
30 years of leadership excellence packed into concise, power-packed maxims on leadership. What's not to like?
Thomas L. Friedman: The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
In queue for future reading. Critics say it is an excellent book on the flat organizational structures taking root in society and how they are changing everything.
Dave Gibbons: The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church (Leadership Network Innovation Series)
Amazing book about ending our culture-centrism and truly reaching out to those the world likes to marginalize.
David Gergen: Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership Nixon to Clinton
A respected advisor to four U.S. Presidents, himself a Presidential historian, examines the greatness and weakness of our nation's leaders. Very relevant to those seeking to become good leaders themselves.
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