Oh I am so thankful it’s Tuesday today! Why? Because it’s not Monday. This weekend I’ll be headed to the music capital of the world, Nashville, Tennessee to visit my mom. I’m hoping we can catch some live music while we’re there an if any of you are from there, you can tell me where I should go for some entertainment in the comments. I tickle your pickle, you tickle mine. Gracias in advance.
Our top spot this week goes to out MC Shunda K, who also happens to be one of the hardest working women in the biz. I had the chance to interview Shunda and I am now a firm believer in her supreme awesomeness. It helps that she can bust a rhyme and hit the mic with the power of a thousand punches from Mike Tyson. Oh sure you’ll get some of the party favorites to get you going with a call and response on the floor, but she’s also added some tunes to make you go “hmmm.”
Abigail grabbed my attention thanks in part to looking a lot like Patty Griffin. Oddly enough, it’s not just her looks but her music reminds me of Griffin to the core. Strong country-blues-inspired instruments including a lot of guitar picking and great story-telling that paints a picture in your mind as vivid as a movie being played out on screen.
The folk-pop songstress and wife of Paul Simon is releasing not one, but two full-length albums this month. This is first attempt at a solo effort, and while I haven’t been able to listen to this one, her album with the New Bohemians is jazzy with a bit of soul. If nothing else, “What I Am” is still a jam.
This isn’t my normal thang but any band that makes me think of a movie with Olympia Dukakis in it and allows me to shout, “Drink the juice, Shelby!” is alright in my book. I’m currently listening to their Myspace page and their sound is pure country pop a la Faith Hill and Lady Antebellum, which means I might end up singing one of their songs at karaoke sometime in the near future.
Honorable Mentions: The Morning After Girls, British Sea Power, Cake, Scott Holt, Louis C.K. (hilarious), Joe Lovano Us Five (Esperanza Spaulding guests on this), Broken Records, Tapes ‘N Tapes (love them), Wire, T-Model Ford & GravelRoad, The Davenports, Cage the Elephant.
