Music

 

My favorite genres are rock, folk, Motown, and now, believe it or not, country.  Can't listen to opera or rap (except, perhaps Hamilton) and I really don't enjoy classical.  I've been trying and trying to remember all the songs I loved to listen to through the years.

Great-for-me background music: 
Dar Williams
David Mallett
Devonsquare

A stroll down memory lane....

6th Avenue Heartache by The Wallflowers (1996)
96 Tears by ? and the Mysterians (1966)
All Summer Long by Kid Rock (2007)
Alleluia by Dar Williams (1995)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square (2011)
Bad Moon Rising by Creedance Clearwater Revival (1969)
Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys (1965)
Believer by Imagine Dragons
Blue Ain't Your Color by Keith Urban (2016)
Boomtown by Greg Brown (1994)
Both Sides Now by Judy Collins (1968)
Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band (2007)
Cryin' by Aerosmith (1993)
Devil with the Blue Dress On by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (1966)
End of the Line by The Traveling Wilburys
Even Now by Caitlyn & Will (2008)
For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield (1966)
Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
Girls Like You by Maroon 5 (2017)
Good Lovin' by The Young Rascals (1966)
Grandmother's Name by Catie Curtis (1991)
Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix Experience
House of the Rising Sun by The Animals (1964)
I Ain't Superstitious by Jeff Beck (1968)
I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag (Fish Cheer) by Country Joe and the Fish (1968)
I Think We're Alone Now by Tommy James and the Shondells (1967)
I'm Still a Guy by Brad Paisley (2010)
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett (2009)
I've Been Around by David Mallett (1983)
Keep on Loving You by Steel Magnolia (2011)
Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen (1963)
Lover, Lover by Jared Neiman (2010)
The More I Drink by Blake Shelton (2007)
Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett (1967)
Not Ready to Make Nice by The Chicks (2006)
Old Fat Women for Peach by the Righteous Mothers (2006)
One Day by Matisyahu (2009)
One of Us by Joan Osborne (1994)
Perfect by Ed Sheeran (2017)
Play the Song by Joey & Rory (2008)
Pontoon by Little Big Town (2012)
Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix (1967)
Season of the Witch by Donovan (1966)
Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt (1991)
Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum (1969)
Spooky by The Classics IV (1968)
Summertime Blues by Blue Cheer (1968)
Sunny by Bobby Hebb (1966)
Suzie Q by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968?)
Waltz for Arizona by Cosy Sheridan (2003)
You're My Soul and Inspiration by the Righteous Brothers (1965)

46. Rough Country - John Sandford

Virgil Flowers #3

Audio read by Eric Conger

2009, Penguin Audio

388 pgs.

Adult murder Mystery

Finished 9/23/2013

Goodreads Rating: 4.05

My Rating:

Loved it (4)

Acquired: PBS

Setting:  Rural Minnesota

My comments:  I adore Virgil Flowers.  He's taken over first place: I'm having to move Harry Bosch to second (Cork O'Connor stays in third). I'm discovering that after reading the first in this series, it doesn't matter the order your read them in.  This foray is full of lesbians..... interesting..... and even if this particular story didn't grab me quite as much as the others I've read, it's still Virgil Flowers, and the way he acts and thinks and dresses help me still like the book a LOT.

Goodreads Review:  Virgil's always been known for having a somewhat active, er, social life, but he's probably not going to be getting too many opportunities for that during his new case. While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of northern Minnesota, he gets a call from Lucas Davenport to investigate a murder at a nearby resort, where a woman has been shot while kayaking. The resort is for women only, a place to relax, get fit, recover from plastic surgery, commune with nature, and while it didn't start out to be a place mostly for those with Sapphic inclinations, that's pretty much what it is today.

Which makes things all the more complicated for Virgil, because as he begins investigating, he finds a web of connections between the people at the resort, the victim, and some local women, notably a talented country singer. The more he digs, the more he discovers the arrows of suspicion that point in many directions, encompassing a multitude of motivations: jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger, fear. Then he finds that this is not the first murder, that there was a second, seemingly unrelated one, the year before. And that there's about to be a third, definitely related one, any time now. And as for the fourth . . . well, Virgil better hope he can catch the killer before that happens. Because it could be his own.

MOVIE - Country Strong

Loved the music
Released 1-7-2011 (wide)
PG-13 (1:52)
Wed. 1-12-11 at Park Place with Terri
RT: 17% cag: 73%
Director: Shana Feste
Wyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw

This is the story of a sad, country music legend who can no longer deal with her life without substance abuse. She's been in and out of rehab, but her estranged manager husband gets a comeback gig for her and she leaves too early. She seems smart and sassy, but she's riddled with demons. She's having an affair with a much younger guy.

As this is going on a hungry-for-the-fame, much younger, singer has been asked - by the husband - to open the big show. The story follows the relationship of the younger guy and the wanna-be singer as well.

The movie entertained me and pissed me off, too. The slap-in-the-face ending proved how messed up Paltrow's character was, but was disappointing nonetheless.

Blake Shelton - The Guy That Introduced Me to Country Music

Blake Shelton, a native Oklahoman (is that the right word?) is currently working on his sixth studio album, which will be released on March 2, 2010. Included on this will be his already-hit single, "Hillbilly Bone," which includes lots of vocals by the gorgeously deep voice of Trace Adkins, another superlative country performer. The great video has been out for a few weeks. There's a cute four minute "behind-the-scenes"video that shows the two of them preparing for the video and goofing around, here.

I've listened to all five of Blake's albums dozens of times. My favorite is still the first one I bought, the first one I listened to over and over and over: 2007's Pure BS. My favorite of favorites is "The More I Drink." I love the video, too - it's like a comical mini-movie. I'm not much of a drinker, but I love the humor and playfulness of the song - and the way he sings it. Also on this album are three songs he co-wrote, "This Can't Be Good," "I Have Been Lonely," and "The Last Country Song." Three more songs were added later, "Chances" and "I Can't Walk Away," both written by Shelton, and a big hit for him, "Home," which was written and first performed by Michael Buble.

In October of 2008 I wrote about how I first heard of him, you can get to that blog here. I met him for about twelve seconds last April at Country Thunder in Florence, Arizona. Even got my photo taken with him (check it out!).

I love his voice and the way he sings. I love his tall lankiness. I don't love that his favorite things to do are hunt and shoot. Oh well, you can't have it all. I'm getting used to the fact that Miranda Lambert is his girlfriend. Whenever I need to pull myself out of the doldrums I crank up Blake on my iPod and dance around the living room. He gets me going every time. A girl's gotta dream, right?

Country Thunder - and Blake Shelton!

I know every one of the songs on Blake Shelton's five albums by heart. So I've been looking forward to "Country Thunder" in Florence, Arizona, for months. Halfway between Tucson and Phoenix, at the end of a gorgeous ride through the desert
and just behind the prison, is the huge field where Country Thunder "happens." We got there first thing in the morning and staked a claim (or at least put down our chairs) about four or five rows back, a little to the side. The cordonned off area in the front, the "VIP' section cost
$500 per seat! Well, that's for all four days - you can't buy just one day in that section - but still.....
So yes, I saw Blake Shelton perform. But the biggest, most exciting thing to happen in YEARS is that I GOT TO MEET HIM! He's tall, a doll (I knew that) and really, really nice. He called me "sweetie" three times! THREE TIMES! Eye- yi-yi. I'm in heaven.
Shane also got Meet and Greets for Jack Ingram. I've gotten to know him because Shane's interviewed him, had the interview published, and shared the music with me. Another really, really nice guy! It was a swooning kind of day!
THE MUSIC was wonderful. The day ended with Alan Jackson, the big name, but that wasn't the big performance for me. When Blake left for Las Vegas after the show I almost jogged behind....

They were all headed for a big Country Music award show televised from Las Vegas last night. Blake performed. He wasn't supposed to, so everyone that doesn't know him yet had a real treat.
I've got to include the photo of me and Blake again---and I HATE my picture being taken----but this was just way too cool. I'm still way, way up on cloud six or seven, though on my way down. Wow, what an incredible day....and I even got a new straw cowboy hat with some turquoise on the hatband. Yee Haa!

Blake Shelton

What's goin' on?
Sitting on my living room floor wrapping Christmas gifts last December, I nonchalantly flipped on the tv. Another reality show...Clash of the Choirs...was just beginning. It was to last four or five nights, featuring five different singers from five different American music genres who had hand-picked choirs from their hometowns. Okay. Nick Lachey is cool, the rest I could take or leave (Patti LaBelle, Michael Bolton), two I'd never heard of. One was Blake Shelton, whose Oklahoma City choir was diverse and interesting. And boy, they sounded great. I was taken by Blake Shelton's voice, and then his charm, and when I finally actually looked up from my wrapping---his...ahem...appearance...talk about beautiful packages! Yup, that's right. I actually said it. It all started then.

I have NEVER enjoyed country music. It was always twangy and drawl-y and, well, generally yucky. I would turn the channel or station immediately upon hearing that twang. But somewhere, somehow, last March or April I heard "The More I Drink" by Blake Shelton. Catchy, catchy , sing-along song. I looked it up on ITunes. I donwloaded the video, the song. I blasted it through the house and danced to it as I loaded the dishwasher. So I decided to actually try out a country music CD. I purchased Pure BS. I listened to it...over and over. And I couldn't get enough. I love this CD. It's the first time in years I've found a CD I love like this, and listen to it over and over. So I spread my wings and purchased the Blake Shelton CD, then the Blake Shelton' Barn and Grille. I download the videos of Some Beach and Old Red.

I.....WAS.....SOLD.

I love this guy. I love his music. I love his guitar playing. I like the songs he chooses to sing. My favorite is still The More I Drink. But I love Austin, and I Thought There Was Time, I Have Been Lonely and I Don't Care, She Wouldn't Be Gone and She Don't Love Me, She Doesn't Know She's Got It, and on and on. I can't think of one song I don't like. Great beat. Great rhythm. Great voice. I'm in love!

When Dede and I road-tripped across Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas this summer, Blake Shelton screamed from the open windows as we hit that Oh-My-God-Can-You-Believe-the-Speed-Limit-is-EIGHTY highway. What a blast! And the best news of all - he has a new album out on November 18th! It's called Startin' Fires. He sure starts mine.