Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Merry Christmas Music

The music take since we last spoke ...

Please Come Home For Christmas by Charles Brown, a classic R&B collection.

What's It Gonna Be, Santa? by Chicago, a retooled version of their Christmas release Chicago 25.

A Christmas Together by John Denver and the Muppets. Suprisingly good stuff. Except for the John Denver songs.

Let There Be Peace On Earth by Vince Gill. He has a great voice, but it can get to you after awhile, it's so high.

Christmas To Christmas by Toby Keith. Before he became big. Not too bad, better than your routine Country Christmas project.

The Christmas Album by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Not as good as I would have hoped. Sounds like some if it was drawn from a TV special.

Christmas with the Looney Toons by the Looney Toons. Not Mel Blanc. He is missed.

Christmas Is ... by Johnny Mathis. Very good late-era Mathis.

Sharing the Holidays with Frank Sinatra by Sinatra. Sinatra before he started doing Sinatra. Very good for a budget knockoff. I really enjoy this album.

Touched By An Angel: The Christmas Album by Various. I got it for one track: One Silent Night by Jaci Velasquez. The rest is OK, but what's up with Della Reese's expression on the cover?!

Austin Rhythm And Blues Christmas by Various. Some great songs, (including 2 by the Fabulous Thunderbirds), but not all the tracks are strictly speaking R&B.

Humble King: Christmas Around the World by Various. Nicely done, acoustic and low-key tracks.

Merry Axemas Vol. 2 by Various. To go along with my Merry Axemas Vol. 1, of course!

Rhythm & Blues Christmas Volume 2. Very, very good. I have to hunt down Volume 1 now.

Ultimate R&B Christmas Vols. 1 and 2. If you have James Brown's Funky Christmas (like I do), Volume 1 will complete your collection of JB Christmas songs with "It's Christmastime Part 1".

There. That wasn't so much, was it?

-Zube.

P.S. To whomever reads this board (that means you, Steff!), have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and I hope you find peace and love and joy and salvation, as I have.

Isaiah 9:6

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

I'm an uncle!

My brother and his wife had their baby over the weekend, on Friday. It was a boy, as expected, and John Henry (insert hammer comment here) weighed in at 6 pounds 1 ounce. He was long, but I don't remember how long.

He was a little premature, but not as preemie as was first thought. They had thought they were due Jan. 27, but it turns out it was DEC. 27! So just 2 weeks early, instead of 7.

This is my first uncleship, an appointment I hope I can carry out with aplomb and verisimilitude. (That's just jibberish, by the way).

My brother called today and the baby's still in the hospital, with jaundice now. I warned him! Our daughter got hospitalized with jaundice about a week after the birth, probably due to the drugs they gave my wife when she was in labor. It's no big deal, I assured my brother. Happens all the time. John (which is apparently what they've taken to calling him) is under the bright lights to break down the excess bilirubin in his blood. Probably be ready to take him home by the end of the week, I'm guessing.

So now it's my brother's turn to fend with a baby/toddler! This should be fun!

-Zube.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

More music musings

Not Christmas music this time (although I suggest if you have a Sam Goody in your location and want cheap Christmas music, go visit their "3 for $10" bin ... some of these CDs ring up at $0.99 ... I got the old Stevie Wonder Christmas album, Al Green, the Temptations and a great Nick at Nite soundtrack for It's A Wonderful Life! Also, if you belong to the record clubs, Columbia House is offering all their Christmas stuff for $4.99. Also, need a place that can direct you to good Christmas music? Try Christmas Reviews and Mistletunes).

No, I'm her to talk about my favorite Christian rock group, Third Day. They were on "60 Minutes Wednesday" last night ... and I MISSED IT!! I forgot they were going to be part of a story about Christian music. But I found the piece here ... go take a look. It also includes P.O.D. and the rapper Kanye West.

It was interesting, nice things said, but they seemed (to me) to be trying to generate some controversy or rift between bands and artists that go "mainstream" and those still over in what some call the "Christian ghetto."

I for one love it when more people get to hear Christian rock on "their" turf. It's less threatening and more "authentic." Let's face it, for years Christian "rock" was pretty cheesy. I have a few old collections of music, the WoW CDs in particular, which were really bad.

The past few years, the music has gotten good, with P.O.D. and Switchfoot considered legitimate rock acts, Stacie Orrico a respected R&B singer, even U2 being recognized for their Christian proclivities.

Make great music, yes, and don't deny your beliefs. That's a good formula, and if it draws "mainstream" audiences, all the better.

-Zube.


Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Crown me!

So I got a crown today.

It's my first. I've never even had cavities, so this was quite an experience. The numbness is gone, but my jaw still is sore. It's going to take some getting used to.

I had a cracked molar. The dentist thinks it's because I grind my teeth in my sleep. And bad news: The tooth next to it also looks cracked. Here comes another crown, probably!

So here I sit, eating soft food on the other side of my mouth with a low-intensity, dull headache that I expect won't go away for awhile.

I'm such a baby.

-Zube.