March Worthwhile Stuff

Well, this has been quite a month. I barely got to see any plays (two plays  on my schedule were cancelled  – and that's just for March), all three concerts on my calendar were postponed, and none of the books and movies I managed to get to were all that inspiring. It's hard to get excited about much when it seems like my world is crashing down around me. But music, as always, was there for me. I've been leaning heavily on Brian Culbertson's Winter Stories, but there are a few other songs and albums that are giving me hope and life right now.

🎶 Music
Blood Harmony, FINNEAS: Oh my gosh, every track on this album is amazing! The thing I love most about Finneas's songs are his lyrics – you can understand them clearly and they are achingly clever. "Let's Fall In Love for the Night" is the standout, but "I Lost a Friend", "Shelter", and "I Don't Miss You at All" also beg to be played again and again. The whole album is a mood, and that mood is captured perfectly by the album artwork. Blood Harmony is a throwback to the album era, of the moment, and timeless all at once.

"Another One Down" and "Front Row Seat", Richard Marx: The Blend on SiriusXM plays these songs a lot, and I spent quite a while thinking they were Keith Urban songs that I somehow wasn't aware of. Indeed, Marx channels some solid Country-Pop-Rock in the vein of Urban or JT Hodges on these two tracks, resulting in catchy, bouncy songs bolstered by thoughtful lyrics.

"Only You", Mayer Hawthorne: This song works a fun strut during the verses and then goes into a soulful croon in the chorus. It's like a mega mix of all the best Mayer Hawthorne signature sounds. As the hashtag goes, "Oh Yayer, new Mayer"!

Boombox Eternal, Sam Sparro: It's been eight years since Sam Sparro's last LP, and Boom Box Eternal makes it worth the wait. I already knew that "Everything" was a killer 90's throwback jam serving strong Lisa Fisher vibes, and the rest of the album keeps that theme going. I especially love "Bow", "Marvelous Lover", and "Save a Life". It's hard not to feel good while listening to the sounds of a simpler, more day-glo time.

XX, Brian Culbertson: This is Brian Culbertson's 20th album, and he really captures the varied styles of jazz in his repertoire, starting with funk tracks featuring Bootsy Collins and Ray Parker Jr., among others. Then the album segues into gentler, smoother jazz with tracks like "It's a Love Thing", "Time Flies", "Looking Back" that showcase Culbertson's signature, crystalline, flowing piano sound. I always picture water flowing when I hear Brian's piano playing: an overall quality to his music that really transports, soothes, and relaxes me.

Calm, 5 Seconds of Summer: This is another throwback-ish album, but this time to 1990s and 2000s Pop-Rock. "Wildflower" is super fun, totally addictive Power-Pop that has strong potential for Song of the Summer. "No Shame" and "Best Years" continue the Power-Pop sound with wonderfully melodic guitars, while "Teeth" pulls in a more rock direction with hard, crunchy guitars. "Old Me" has a fun Bowling For Soup vibe, and "Not in the Same Way" offers a cathartic break-up song. 5 Seconds of Summer is doing some interesting things in the Pop-Rock space, and I'm glad I was drawn to them by the artwork for their previous album, Youngblood, because contemporary Pop-Rock isn't widely represented in my music collection.