Hem - Leave Me Here

I'm still in love with the piano. In fact, this song is from the same album as "Half Acre" two posts below.

What a difference a year makes, no?

It's been at least that long since I've purchased a CD. In these days of iTunes and Amazon MP3, the economics of buying one or two good songs $15-20 just doesn't make sense anymore. It never really did, but what choice did we have? But that is a discussion for another day. And the calculation is quite different when you're dealing with an exceptional album.

So, what can you find here? Hauntingly beautiful melodies. Poetic lyrics. That oddball of the woodwind family, the oboe. And a song worth leaving on repeat.

Hem - Half Acre

Hi there. It's been a while, hasn't it? Did you miss me?

The title of this song refers to a scrap of paper torn from a map, a comforting reminder of where the singer grew up. She knows that whatever tragedies or misfortunes befall her, she'll always have a piece of her childhood to hold on to. A place where innocence and comfort still reside, if only in her memories.

Of course, can't that be taken too far? Maybe that's my problem - I'm not content to be comforted by a small reminder of home. I prefer the real thing, to this day and for the foreseeable future. But why haven't I chosen to break free from my safe place? Is it complacency? A lack of confidence? A sense of obligation? Satisfaction with "good enough?"

Is there somewhere out there that is a better place for me?

Led Zeppelin - Gallows Pole

This seems to be morphing into a Saturday thing, doesn't it?

Of course you all know Led Zeppelin. Cadillac even used "Rock and Roll" in their commercials a few years ago. Let's not forget that "Stairway to Heaven" is widely regarded as one of the top rock and roll songs of all time. But it seems like some of their just-as-worthy songs, especially those from the more acoustic Led Zeppelin III album, like this one, are ignored.

This song, adapted from a centuries-old Pan-European folk tale, features the guitar, banjo, and mandolin. The banjo gives it a bit of a rural sound, a bit like Tangerine from the same album.

Jason Spooner - Mirror This Morning

Jason Spooner is a "Singer-Songwriter/Acoustic Musician," according to his website.

He's a guitarist, and he sounds uncannily like Paul Simon, only with a bit more bass. He has a half-dozen tracks available for free download at his website (linked in the title). He's only released two albums to date, but has begun to gain recognition in New England and further across the USA and Europe.

If anything, Jason Spooner demonstrates that the concept of a Singer-Songwriter is still alive and kicking.