Joe Cocker - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Some songs never grow old; some voices get better the longer you listen ... It's hard to believe that "Don't let me be misunderstood" was originally released in 1964 (!!!) by the unforgettable, incomparable Nina Simone. So many groups and artists have covered the song and made it theirs in one way or another. It's hard to put a finger to the why ~ perhaps it is because I had the privilege of seeing/hearing him perform it live ~ Joe Cocker's version remains my favorite ...

Ólafur Arnalds - So Close (feat. Arnór Dan)

At first it was the rhythm that drew me in ~ as so often is the case. Then it was the haunting quality of Arnór Dan's voice, the searching, the reaching for something just out of grasp. So close, it seems, and jet so far. Ólafur Arnalds' music frequently has a drifting dreamlike quality to it that makes it perfect for a dreary time ...

Runrig - Abhainn an t-sluaigh

The week has passed its prime and the weekend peeks over the horizon with its promise of time to get away from the crowded streets ...

"Abhainn an t-sluaigh" (The Crowded River) by Runrig is about the need to get out of the big city. When I close my eyes, listening to this song I can feel the river ebbing and flowing out of the city into the marches and heading for the sea. I hope you enjoy ...

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Fault Line

A voice, a guitar, and a harmonica - sometimes that's all it takes. It certainly is when it comes to 'Fault Line' by 'Black Rebel Motorcycle Club' or 'BRMC'...

Fault Line

I've been waiting on the fault line
Living evil take me on
I'll be standing with my dying bed
If you care to come along

Cat Stevens - O Caritas

My mind keeps going back in time only to find songs that feel as if written for today ~ the message still resonating - at least with me. Nothing much seems to have changed since my mother translated the Latin portion of Cat Stevens' O Caritas for me. The cover of the album Catch Bull At Four provides an English translation which - while not literal - still very much brings the message home:

I don't want to lose the harmony of the universe

I see all things... burning, I hear men... shouting.

Now is the light of the world and the stars going out

John Butler Trio - Spring to Come

Just when I feel that I might be ready to welcome spring with a smile as bright as the sunshine outside and a lot more warmth than the sun is able to radiate through the yet chilly north wind ... news headlines scream of more blood being shed in the streets ~

Somewhere out there on the horizon

Maybe there's a glimmer of hope ...

My thoughts go out to all affected by violence and bloodshed, and to my friend in Australia who first introduced me to the music of John Butler and the John Butler Trio ... hugs to the moon goddess, may they find you well ...

Spring To Come
John Butler, John Butler Trio

Lost my love, lost my light
I can't find them anymore

Ballad of Yarmouth Castle - Gordon Lightfoot

There's something about the majesty and relentless power that is the ocean inspiring awe and fear alike and keeping me fascinated in spite of tragedies like the loss of the Yarmouth Castle. Here's to her and to all other ships and souls who came to rest below the waves ~

Ballad Of Yarmouth Castle
Gordon Lightfoot

Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon
And the anchors have been weighed
From Miami to Nassau
She's bound across the waves