BOBBY WOMACK - PART 1

Okay, I'm going to level with you now.... I am very, very white. Literally, figuratively. Inside, out. Up, down & around. I can't dance. Can't jump. My crib is unpimped ('70s suburbia split-level; straight "Brady Bunch"). My fingers & grill are blingless. My rims are factory-issue. My coiff is more congressional comb-over than Superfly 'fro or cornrow.

Sadly, my skin is the color of a Croatian cadaver. A Scandinavian vampire. An albino agoraphobic. Which is to say: It's pale, baby. Pale as a potato's pith; a drinker's piss; an Irishman's ass. (Have I mentioned that I'm half Irish? And very, very pale?)

There is also the fact that I reside in the"whitest" city in these united states of America, located a mere two miles from the second "blackest" city in these united states of America. While EMINEM made his bones amongst 8 Mile's strip joints & storefront Methodists & Baptists, I willingly gave in to inertia amidst 6 Mile's strip malls and set-back Presbyterians & Catholics. Mere miles apart... yet Mr. Mathers' Devil's Nights were likely spent watching abandoned buildings burn to the turf, while mine were occupied with egging '70s split-levels and toilet-papering unsuspecting evergreens. Represent!

So, you see, what I'm trying to say is... I am decidedly unfunky. I lack soul (literally, figuratively). I have no rhythm. And even my blues are of the pale, powdered, suburban variety. Hell, I needed a fellow honky like Eminem to slip me a glimpse of African-American musical culture. Quentin Tarantino, as it turns out, too.

While, over the years, I've come to regard "Pulp Fiction" as ferociously overrated, I've remained a fan of its oft-forgotten follow-up, "Jackie Brown." It was the soundtrack to that latter film that introduced me to BOBBY WOMACK, a man with rampant rhythm, an abundance of funk, and some serious soul.

Well... last week, PITCHFORK trumpeted the news that a new compilation -- THE BEST OF BOBBY WOMACK: THE SOUL YEARS -- will be released this Tuesday (along with digital editions of the man's albums, spanning 1968 to 1976). Say no more. Time to get my groove on. Or, at least, as much groove as a half-Irish vampire cadaver can manage....

[MP3] "Across 110th Street" [1972]

[MP3] "California Dreamin'" [1969]

[MP3] "Harry Hippie" [1972]

[MP3] "Lookin' for a Love" [1974]

[MP3] "I Can't Take It Like a Man" [1970]

[MP3] "Fly Me to the Moon" [1969]

ODDS 'N' SODS #14

[MP3] THE DANDY WARHOLS/"Mission Control" [2008]

[MP3] THE NATIONAL/"Forever After Days" [2008]

[MP3] SEBASTIEN TELLIER/"Sexual Sportswear" [2008]

[MP3] THE BEATLES/"It Won't Be Long" [1963]

[MP3] THE CARS/"Stranger Eyes" [1983] [BY REQUEST]

[MP3] TRACY CHAPMAN/"ACROSS THE LINES" [1988] [BY REQUEST]

THE BLUE SEEDS

More MySpace namechecking...

For Montreal's THE BLUE SEEDS, it's PORTISHEAD and COWBOY JUNKIES that get mentioned as kindred, "sounds-like" spirits. And it's true enough -- especially in the case of the latter. (I'd go ahead and toss THE WALKABOUTS into the mix, as well.)

THE BLUE SEEDS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "That Night in Amsterdam"

[MP3] "Lost and Delirious"

LOW VS. DIAMOND

L.A.'s LOW VS. DIAMOND namecheck U2 and THE STROKES on their MySpace, but, to my ears, THE KILLERS are the far more obvious touchstone. To see if you agree, you can cozy up to their self-titled debut LP on iTunes, wait for the physical release of said debut LP sometime this summer, or download and listen to 18% of said debut LP right here, right now. The choice, as always, is yours....

LOW VS. DIAMOND on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Don't Forget Sister"

[MP3] "I'll Be"

THE TINGS TINGS

Much the same way that Oprah has gained godlike influence over the bestseller lists with her book-club selections, Apple/iTunes/iPod has become something of a finger-in-the-wind arbiter of what's hot & what's not in the pop-music milieu. Indeed, it's all-but-impossible to escape those digital silhouettes of teens & twentysomethings (one can only assume they're teens & twentysomethings) dancing the mess around and getting jiggy with the likes of GORILLAZ ("Feel Good Inc."), THE CAESARS ("Jerk It Out"), U2 ("Vertigo"), and, now, THE TING TINGS ("Shut Up and Let Me Go").

I must admit, these do tend to make for addictive snippets: the commercial as catnip. But... the "artistic" context and delivery system here almost can't help but cheapen the material, nevermind the fact that 30 seconds of music that's good to groove to does not in any way guarantee a three-and-a-half to four-minute song with an extended shelf-life.

That said, Twinkies are known to have excessively extended shelf-lives, and those sweet 'n' spongy treats are probably a pretty fitting metaphor for the Ting Tings' sassy brand of party pop. Highly-appealing in small doses; a wee-bit nauseating when over-indulged.

So, eschewing the obvious, Apple-endorsed ditty here, we present to you, instead, the following creme-filled confections for your responsible consumption....

THE TING TINGS on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Be the One"

[MP3] "We Walk"

SHEARWATER

OKKERVIL RIVER side-project SHEARWATER will release its fifth full-length effort, ROOK, on June 3. JONATHAN MEIBURG's eggshell-delicate voice is at its best when working against a steady, borderline-tense musical backdrop. "Rooks" demonstrates this in spades, while "Leviathan, Bound" might go all gossamer on us without its persistent, ringing piano and strings that somehow sound both sad and exultant. In short: darned purty stuff.

SHEARWATER on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Rooks"

[MP3] "Leviathan, Bound"

AMANDA JENSSEN

I am happy to admit that I have never, ever watched an episode of "American Idol." From the beginning, it simply didn't interest me. Glorified karaoke without the booze-fueled, bowling-alley charm? No thank you. I'll stick with "Top Chef."

(I can only assume that the people watching "Idol" are the same ones watching "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," Oprah, and NASCAR. If they're Democrats, they favor Clinton. If they're Republicans, they favor Jesus. If they're independents, they're watching "House.")

But nevermind all that. This post is about AMANDA JENSSEN, of Sweden. Of "Swedish Idol," actually. Yes, there really is such a thing. In fact, there are 34 national "Idol"s, including Turkey, Slovakia, and Kazakhstan. (Rumor has it that CLAY AIKEN garnered his special-guest slot on "Serbia, Montenegro & Macedonia Idol" after he was mistaken for BARRY MANILOW. Which, of course, is entirely understandable.)

Turns out that Amanda Jenssen (like Clay Aiken) was the runner-up on her "Idol" season. The winner? MARIE PICASSO -- who, it turns out, also appeared on "Swedish Big Brother." Yes, there really is such a thing. Also: "Russian Big Brother," which, even post-Cold War, still seems like it would be very, very scary....

Amanda Jenssen has released her first album, the nicely-titled KILLING MY DARLINGS. It's pop music, with hints of WINEHOUSE-styled retro-soul. For example: "For the Sun," which is sort of "Winehouse + SHERYL CROW." "Come On (You Have Arrived)" sounds like THE SOUNDS or SAHARA HOTNIGHTS making a pass at BILLY SQUIER's "Rock Me Tonight." And "Greetings From Space" is a no-holds-barred ballad -- complete with sweeping strings & celestial choir. Think: SKEETER DAVIS' "The End of the World" mashed with DOLLY PARTON's "I Will Always Love You" (if Dolly had gone all WHITNEY on its ass).

AMANDA JENSSEN on MySPACE.

[MP3] "For the Sun"

[MP3] "Come On (You Have Arrived)"

[MP3] "Greetings From Space"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] SKEETER DAVIS/"The End of the World"

[MP3] DOLLY PARTON/"I Will Always Love You"

[MP3] BILLY SQUIER/"Rock Me Tonight"

FREDDIE MERCURY

You know, ever since last Tuesday's regrettable-in-the-extreme JASON MRAZ post, I've had FREDDIE MERCURY on the brain. Eat your pale-pretender heart out, PAUL RODGERS....

[MP3] "Love Kills" [Star Rider remix]

[MP3] "There Must Be More to Life Than This"

[MP3] "I Can Hear Music" [pre-QUEEN]

[MP3] "Love Kills" [Sunshine People Radio mix]

NELLIE McKAY

You know, ever since Tuesday's almost-assuredly-regrettable JASON MRAZ post, I've had NELLIE McKAY on the brain. I sure wish she'd Get Away From Me and stop bothering My Pretty Little Head....

From the 2-LP GET AWAY FROM ME, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Ding Dong"
[MP3] "Respectable"
[MP3] "David"

From the 2-LP PRETTY LITTLE HEAD, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "The Big One"
[MP3] "There You Are in Me"
[MP3] "The Down Low"
[MP3] "We Had It Right" [w/k.d. lang]

From the LP OBLIGATORY VILLAGERS, 2007 >>>
[MP3] "Identity Theft"

NEIL SEDAKA

[Unfortunately, "Calendar Girl" had some technical issues this morning. My apologies for that. A new, glitch-free copy has been substituted.]

You know, ever since Tuesday's perhaps-now-regrettable JASON MRAZ post, I've had NEIL SEDAKA on the brain. Only one way I can think of to get him offa there....

[MP3] "Calendar Girl" [1960]

[MP3] "You Mean Everything to Me" [1960]

[MP3] "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen" [1961]

[MP3] "I Must Be Dreaming" [1961]

[MP3] "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" [1962]

[MP3] "Laughter in the Rain" [1974]

[MP3] "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" [1975]