Lately, my iPhone has been filled with several of my musical obsessions. Some are new, some are very old, and some are just embarrassing but hey, I love music...all music. So get over it cuz I know there are a ton of heavy rockers out there who know the words to Sweet Caroline. So back off! LOL
First and foremost, the new obsession. The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. All guitar, all the time. Dirty mechanic rock as my sister like to call it. You can feel the grit of the music when it hits your ears. The band members are beyond cool with their onstage poses, holding their guitars off to the side or up high on their chest as if the instruments were part of them. And the drummer, yeah she's a girl! I find myself listening to several of the same songs and will admit I only knew a few tracks before their song "Spread Your Love" appeared in the Las Vegas Cosmopolitan commercial. Then I was hooked. I am especially fond of their new release Specter at the Feast and the song Hate the Taste. For a treat, check out their in-studio performance on one of my new favorite website KEXP.org.
Then there is the very old, Rick Springfield. Everything from Working Class Dog to Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet to one of my absolute favorites Comic Book Heroes. CBH came out before Jessie's Girl and I'm guessing only diehard Rick fans even know about it. It's terrible...and yet terribly wonderful. You know how some music stands the test of time? A song by Led Zeppelin can come on the radio and it's hard to believe it came out forty years ago. Yeah, that's not what happens here. The music on CBH is pretty obviously a 70's release by the liner notes. Hammond organ, Moog and Harpsicord? Plus Rick's long hippie hair and overdramatic songs may push you back to an era of bell bottoms. The songs are fun for me because as a teen I had bought everything he ever released and knew every word to every song. I can't remember what I did yesterday but play Born Out Of Time and I know every single word. BTW, the documentary An Affair of the Heart is on Netflix and I have to say, it makes me want to see him in concert again but the flick is less a documentary and more about crazy (and I mean, cray-zee) fans who follow him on tour.
Finally, to round out the good, the bad and the ugly, it's Adam Lambert. And frankly, he's none of those things. He's amazing. A little overproduced, but his voice is fantastic and some of the songs have been helping me write through scenes in my novel-in-progress. I watched the videos of every American Idol performance, the Queen concerts where he sang Freddie Mercury's parts, and all of his music videos. and yes, I'm obsessed. I know the obsession will end, just like it does for me with so many artists that I play the crap out of and have to "throw away" on my phone. But just to show he does have some talent (again, my opinion), here are a few songs I have found to be exceptional: Soaked, Mad World, and Kickin' In. I like him. So what. There are a lot of people who still like Bieber.
I've said it before: music helps me get through day, puts me to sleep at night, is with me when I drive and write and clean house. It's as much a part of me as breathing. I already have a list of songs I'd like played at my funeral...I'll save that for another blog.
KD
