Tag: Heart

Suggested Listening Feburary 1, 2019

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical streaming* suggestions for the week.

(Click on the photo of the albums to stream them)

Recommended Freegal Streaming Albums & Playlists (Genre: Many!):

Black History Month Playlist featuring Various Artists:

February is Black History Month, offering us the opportunity to learn more about the history and rich cultural heritage of African Americans, and by extension the history and cultural heritage of America itself; as America is a nation of many diverse peoples who contribute their individual threads of culture and history, that when joined together create the tapestry that is the United States.

With that in mind, Freegal is featuring a Black History Month playlist. The list runs more than six hours and features 92 songs. Most of the songs are by great vintage artists including: Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Harry Belafonte, Louis Jordan, Aretha Franklin and Dinah Washington; although the collection also includes some contemporary artists including, Bad Brains, Michael Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, Alicia Keys and John Legend.

And Martin Luther King Jr. is also featured in the collection. He gives a short speech titled We Shall Overcome.

Songs in the collection include: Wade In The Water by The Staple Singers, Me And The Devil Blues by Robert Johnson, No More Auction Block For Me by Odetta, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday and A Change Is Gonna Come by Same Cooke.

It is a great playlist – check it out!

 

El Sofisticado Jazz & Lounge De Cocktail Inn (2009) by Cocktail Inn (Genre: Jazz, Cocktail Music, Pop, Instrumental):

I couldn’t find any information online about the group “Cocktail Inn.” What I can tell you is that their collection titled El Sofisticado Jazz & Lounge De Cocktail Inn features 14 cool lounge songs – perfect for background music during dinner, cocktail parties or during a cold weekend afternoon!

And I can tell you that according to Google, the English title of the album is Sophisticated Jazz & Lounge by Cocktail Inn.

The songs on the LP are all lounge classics including: Brief And Breezy, Days Of Wine And Roses & The Pink Panther Theme written by Henry Mancini, Corcovado, Wave and The Girl From Ipanema composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Way You Look Tonight written by Jerome Kern and Green Onions originally written and performed by Booker T. & the MGs.

 

Live in Atlantic City (2019) by Heart (Genre: Rock):

The classic band Heart, led by sisters Ann & Nancy Wilson, offers us a live LP, Live In Atlantic City, for this their twenty-third album.

The group plays their greatest hits accompanied by some terrific guests including: Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction founding member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, country singer-songwriter Gretchen Wilson, singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and the band Alice In Chains.

Songs in the set include: Crazy On You, Bébé Le Strange & Straight On (w. Dave Navarro), Lost Angel & Rock n’ Roll (w. Gretchen Wilson), Dog & Butterfly (w. Rufus Wainwright), Rooster (with Alice In Chains) and Barracuda (w. all guests artists).

This is a fun album and perfect for weekend listening! The songs are all familiar but with the guest artists joining in they have an extra spark that makes them even more enjoyable to listen to.

 

Out of Sight (1968) by Maxine Brown (Genre: R&B, Pop, Vocal):

Out Of Sight is classic album by the sixties R&B singer Maxine Brown.

Brown really is a top notch singer and should be much better known today than she is. This album is from the pivotal year 1968 and features the following songs: Sugar Dumplin’, I Wish It Would Rain, I’m In Love, In My Entire Life & When A Man Loves A Woman.

 

Liberty: Piano Songbook (2018) by Lindi Ortega (Genre: Piano, Popular Music, Instrumental, Country):

Lindi Ortega is an award winning Canadian singer-songwriter whose previous five albums clearly showcase her great voice and country music style. With her Liberty: Piano Songbook, which is an instrumental album, she changes pace completely and shows, that in addition to being a great singer/songwriter, she is also a fine pianist.

Songs on the LP include: You Ain’t Foolin Me, Til My Dyin Day, Forever Blue, Pablo, The Comeback Kid and Nothing’s Impossible.

 

Somewhere in Between (2018) by Adam Hood (Genre: Country, Americana): 

Somewhere in Between is Nashville singer-songwriter Adams Hood latest LP. And on the LP Hood shows off his relatable-slice-of-life songs and his laid back Americana style.

Songs on the album include: Easy Way, Locomotive, Alabama Moon, Downturn, Easy Way and Heart of a Queen.

 

Standards: What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (2018) by Alexander Claffy (Genre: Jazz):

According to his hip website, Alexander Claffy is a New York City based bassist and bandleader.
Standards is his new album and it offers a collection of Jazz standards, obviously!  – the songs are indeed standards and thus great songs!

Songs in the set include: Blues on the Corner, You Must Believe in Spring, Michelle, Just One of Those Things & So in Love.

 

Videos of the Week:

What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue by Louis Armstrong:

Poor Man’s Blues by Bessie Smith:

Oh, Freedom by Harry Belafonte:

The Bourgeois Blues by Leadbelly (aka Lead Belly):

Am I Asking Too Much? by Dinah Washington:

Saturday Night Fish Fry by Louis Jordan:

To Be Young Gifted And Black by Nina Simone:

 

Hard Times by John Legend & The Roots:

 

Blue Moon by Cocktail Inn:

 

Crazy On You by Heart with David Navarro:

 

I Wish It Would Rain by Maxine Brown:

 

The Comeback Kid by Linda Ortega:

 

Easy Way by Adam Hood:

 

Blues On The Corner by Alexander Claffy with Kurt Rosenwinkel & David Kikoski:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/

Alexander Claffy’s Official Website https://www.claffy.me/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Witburn

About Freegal: 

Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

*The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening December 22, 2017

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, for your listening pleasure, here are our six suggested albums for the week; a baker’s five streaming albums and one album on CD.

(Click on the photo of the album you’d like to hear or request)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

The Essential “Weird Al” Yankovic (Genre: Comedy, Spoken)

Weird Al Yankovic was born in California in 1959, was a huge fan of radio personality Dr. Demento and, in the 1980s, launched a very successful career of playing paradoies of pop culture songs and complimentary parody videos which got great play on MTV>

His hits, and their inspiration song, include: Another One Rides the Bus (Another One Bites the Dust – Queen), Ricky (Mikey – Toni Basil), Eat It (Beat It – Michael Jackson), King of Suede (King of Pain – Police), I Lost On Jeopardy (Jeopardy – Greg Kihn Band) and Smells Like Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana)

Little Queen by Heart (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock):

Little Queen (1977) is the follow up album to the wildly popular 1976 album Dreamboat Annie, and features sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson at the height of their musical powers. They play with gusto on the LP and also co-wrote all the songs on the LP.

This is album full of great music including the songs: Barracuda, Kick It Out, Little Queen, the Love Alive and Cry To Me.

Open Book Winter Album by Justin Furstenfeld (Genre: Rock, Acoustic):

Singer-songwriter Justin Furstenfeld is best known as the leader of the Texas band Blue October and I’ll admit I’d never heard of him before doing the research for this posting – there is something of a Cat Steven sound to his voice and this album features 19 sparse, acoustic and emotional songs including: Italian Radio, Amnesia, Ugly Side, Into the Ocean, We Know Where You Go and Home.

Black Jack by Dale Watson (2017) (Genre: Country, Rock):

Blackjack is hard country rocker Dale Watson’s new LP.

The album, Watson’s 26 release, features 21 songs including: One Memory at a Time, Truck Stop in La Grange, Louie’s Lee’s Liquor Lounge, Honky Tonkers Don’t Cry and Don’t Let the Screen Door Hit Ya.

We Got A Good Thing Going by Hank Crawford (1972) (Genre: Jazz, Easy Listening)

Hank Crawford was a talented blues and jazz saxophonists who first stepped in the national lime light as a member of Ray Charles’s band.

He released many solo albums from 1960 to 2007, and this one, released in 1972, was one of his best. This is a great album to relax and unwind to or to have playing in the background during dinner.

Songs on the album include: We’ve Got a Good Thing Going, The Christmas Song, Alone Again (Naturally), I’m Just a Lucky so and So, Winter Wonderland, Dirt Dobbler and Betcha By Golly Wow.

Songs of Joy & Peace by Yo-Yo Ma & Friends (2008) (Genre: Classical):

Cellist sensation Yo Yo Ma’s holiday album features a host of guest players including: Diana Krall, Dave Brubeck, Matt Brubeck (Dave’s son), Paquito d’Rivera, Natalie MacMaster, Mark O’Connor and more.

Songs on the LP include: You Couldn’t Be Cuter, The Wassail Song/All Through the Night, A Christmas Jig, The Wexford Carol, Improvisation on “Dona nobis pacem,” My Favorite Things, This Little Light of Mine and Happy Christmas (War Is Over).

CD of the Week:

Stereotypes by Black Violin (2015) (Genre: Classic, Rap, R&B):

Black Violin is a duo consisting of violinist Kevin Sylvester (“Kev Marcus) and violist Wilner Baptiste (“Will B”).

Stereotypes is their second LP and features a cool blend of musical styles — if you like classical music and modern pop you should check it out.

Songs on the LP include: Stereotypes, Invisible, Another Chance, Addiction, Send Me A Sign, Walk On By and Magic.

Videos of the Week:

Weird Al Yankovic – Smells Like Nirvana

Kick It Out by Heart

I Want It by Justin Furstenfeld 

A Long Truckin’ Day by Dale Watkins

We’ve Got A Good Thing Going by Hank Crawford:

Dona Nobis Pacem by  Yo Yo Ma

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

The AllMusic Website:

http://www.allmusic.com/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713.

*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!

Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.