November Favorites

Meat and Candy, Old Dominion: I've had most of the songs on this album stuck in my head since seeing these guys live at the end of October, so I was really glad to get my grubby little paws on their album so I could get a better handle on the lyrics and also listen to them kinda non-stop, or at least in rotation with Brett Eldredge and Chris Young (see below). Some of Old Dominion's songs aren't the most brilliant (or original -- I'm looking at you, "Song for Another Time") out there, but damn they are full of catchy hooks ("Said Nobody" and "Til It's Over" in particular) and they bring a smile to my face, so these guys are definitely doing something right. Even if that something is unabashed pop pandering (which is most likely the case when a song called "Crazy Beautiful Sexy" is something that I find myself humming randomly during the day).

Spectre: My crazy schedule has only allowed for one viewing (!!!) of the latest James Bond installment, but that one viewing was a good one: opening night IMAX. First of all, this is the first movie I have ever seen in IMAX that I felt like I was able to absorb in that format. Usually, if I see a movie in IMAX, I have to go see it again within a week because I feel like I couldn't / didn't really see the whole movie. Spectre, however, was extremely well suited to the format, and the scenes were choreographed and framed so well that there was not a lot of extraneous stuff going on. As James Bond movies go, this one is definitely up there as one of the best, even if all the major plot points are telegraphed ages in advance. In the more immediate realm of Daniel Craig James Bond movies, I would place Spectre behind Casino Royale and ahead of Skyfall. Spectre is *a lot* more fun to watch than Skyfall, but not as stylish or smart as Casino Royale (and we all know that Quantum of Solace doesn't really count, even though it's not really as bad as everybody likes to pretend it is). In fact, Spectre is so good that by the time the movie was over, I had forgotten all about the awful Sam Smith song that I was subjected to at the beginning of the film! While Daniel Craig's Bond is just as strong and sexy as ever, Spectre is much more of a team effort, with Q, M, Moneypenny, and Madeleine Swann all stepping up in their own ways. In fact, Q steals just about every scene he's in, and it's utterly delightful. When I left the cinema, I felt the same kind of euphoric high that I feel after I've seen an amazing concert -- a very good feeling to have indeed.

Adam Sanders at PlayStation Theatre: First of all, RIP Best Buy Theatre; I thought your name was stupider than "Nokia Theatre", but that was before I knew it could get even worse. Thus, I propose changing the name of this venue once and for all to "Asinine Corporate Sponsorship Theatre". With that out of the way, I have to give major props to Adam Sanders, who was the opening act for Cole Swindell, and ended up totally stealing the show. Cole was alright, but I can't wait to get a chance to see Adam again. Like so many up and coming Country singers today, Sanders got his start as a songwriter, and he has written some major hits, including Dustin Lynch's "Hell of a Night", Dierks Bentley's "Sounds of Summer", and my very favorite Cole Swindell song, "Ain't Worth the Whiskey". Sanders' delivery is honest and enthusiastic without being overly eager. He truly connected with the audience and was a pleasure to watch because he was clearly having a lot of fun. Sanders doesn't have an album out yet, but his single "Somewhere That You Don't Go" is infectiously delightful. When I first discovered Canaan Smith, he didn't have an album out either, and it was totally worth the wait -- I have a feeling that I've got a similar situation on my hands with Adam Sanders, and I don't mind that at all.

Man Up: This film is one of the funniest I've seen in a very long time -- I laughed hard and often while watching it. It took a little while to get used to Lake Bell doing an English accent, but once I got past that, she and Simon Pegg could do no wrong. Their characters are so flawed and likable that I couldn't help rooting for them. Of course, it didn't hurt that Waterloo and the South Bank (and blind dates) are central to the story, since these are all things near and dear to my heart. Ultimately, this is a RomCom for actual adults. The characters are in their 30s and 40s and don't have time for bullshit -- which is good news for those of us who want to see comedies about something other than protracted adolescence.

Jon McLaughlin at The Hall: Jon McLaughlin remains great. I've been a fan of his for nearly ten years, and it's been wonderful to watch him grow and change as a musician while always staying true to himself. He shares so much of himself during his shows -- both through his music and via between-song banter and stories (he has a really fantastic, dry sense of humor). This show was at a new venue in Williamsburg that featured seating around tables (there was a food/drink minimum), and the whole evening felt very grown up and sophisticated (almost like a jazz show), while also being relaxed and fun (a cover of The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face"; two Christmas songs, including a jazzy rendition of "Jingle Bells"). I am not sure this venue would work for everyone, but it was pretty perfect for this show.

I'm Comin' Over, Chris Young: I had very high hopes for Chris Young's latest effort after being very impressed with his two prior albums and highly addicted to his single "I'm Comin' Over". The whole album is just as strong as that song. It gets off to a powerful start with "Heartbeat" and continues with such gems as "Alone Tonight" and "What If I Stay", with plenty of other goodies in between. Young stays true to his non-Bro themes and lyrics (even "Sunshine Overtime" sounds more like Tim McGraw than Luke Bryan), instead going for more timeless songs about good guys trying to win their girls with things like a good song on the radio or fixing cars instead of beer cans and lift kits.