New Music / Indigo Girls, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Alanis Morissette, Shelby Lynne, Rickie Lee Jones

Indigo Girls Rarities: I was so excited. I pre-ordered it. It should be called Scraps. From my favorite group, how disappointing. Only the re-mix of "Free in You" is worth it.
Beth Nielsen Chapman: Here is a wonderfully gifted songwriter. On every album, there are always one or two gems. This one is no exception. On the other hand, she does not have a versatile voice and can't sustain. The album comes off uneven, and well, boring.
Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill acoustic, available at Starbucks. 10 years later, back with Glen Ballard, this is Brilliant. I can't stop listening. Completely new and fresh. I love this CD.
Shelby Lynne: This is so strange. After her last wonderful CD, I was so surprised to hear an album that seemed so unfinished. It sounds like demos. Great material, fun, smart, full of great writing, but where is the finished product. And the picture inside, posing with her guitar and cigarette is such a turn-off.
Rickie Lee Jones: Anthology: Brilliant collection from an amazing musician and writer. It's very interesting that the song order is alphabetical, strange, but it works so well. I have listened through all three CD's at least a dozen times this week. This music is so soulful and ambitious. Smart, Deep and Poetic.

Twist of Faith

We were invited to a private screening of "Twist of Faith" at the HBO studios in NYC. It was the eve of the national release, even though it had been nominated for an academy award for Best Documentary. They will be showing it on HBO and then it will have a wide screen in theaters sometime in July.
The film was a fascinating portrait of a man and his family, and their struggles dealing with his sexual abuse from a priest as a child. It traces his progress from the early stages of realization to his current role as activist. It was a powerful movie, made even more touching by watching it with a room full of survivors and activists. Spontaneous applause and quiet weeping was normal, and natural.
The talk back afterwards was interesting, with Tony and Wendy answering questions. He has become an amazing man, active, passionate, still damaged, but using it for good. I wouldn't want to be on the other side from him.
An incredible night.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

Mindy Smith opened last night in Princeton. I have her CD, but seeing her live is going to make me go back and take a closer listen. "One Moment More" made my eyes well up. She is kind of like a green Patty Griffin. After the concert, we had a chance to talk with her for quite a while. She's very soft and funny onstage, and after, she lit up, took a swig of beer and became one of the gals. Hard living. She will be fun to follow.
And then came Mary. Another musical hero. So many tunes that are part of my history. And that pure alto. It's like she's speaking her songs in perfect pitch. Terrific band, and an amazing set. Getting to meet her after made my knees week. Very few can do that, but my history with her music goes back 15 years. This is probably my 5th time seeing her, and she and her music are aging beautifully. What a lovely woman. What a lovely evening.

Nanci Griffith

New World Cafe in Philadelphia is a great place to hear music. The room seats 300 very comfortably and the acoustics are wonderful. A real musicians hall.
And at 8:00pm, there she was. My angel. No one has ever moved me like Nanci Griffith. Her catalogue of 300 or so songs are jewels. Her honesty and simplicity move me to tears. I would go anywhere to see her.
I started thinking of all the musicians who have worked on her albums. Willie Nelson, the Crickets, the Indigo Girls, EmmyLou Harris, Darius Rucker, Adam Duritz, Iris DeMent. Some amazing people.
We met Mindy Smith the next night, and she told us she had dinner with Nanci a while back, and loved how she supports new singer-songwriters just getting their foot in the industry. It is just one of the unselfish reasons why I admire her so. Her heart is huge, and it comes right out of her guitar and buries itself in your mind. Beautiful.
I sent her a note before the show and she was kind enough to mention us on stage before here last tune. My heart stopped a beat. She is my hero.