Category: Music

Glen Campbell’s Heartbreaking Final Song: “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”

Campbell Not Going to Miss You
After singer Glen Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011, he worked to make the best of the time he had left, including a farewell tour for his fans. In 2013, he recorded his final song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” with producer Julian Raymond. In the song, Campbell, who now lives in a special care facility in Nashville, tells us, “I’m still here but yet I’m gone.”

The song sadly reminds us of the loss, and you may want to have some tissues ready when you watch the video, which begins with images of a brain scan. But, the video and its scenes of Campbell’s life also constitute a celebration. Check out the video for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You.”

Glen Campbell’s most recent album was 2011’s Ghost On The Canvas.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Willie Nelson and Engelbert Humperdinck: “Make You Feel My Love”

    Engelbert Humperdinck recently released a new album of duets, Engelbert Calling (2014). On one of the tracks, Willie Nelson joins Humperdinck on “Make You Feel My Love,” a song that Chimesfreedom has discussed as one of Bob Dylan’s Late Career Classics.

    This collaboration is somewhat unusual. I am guessing this recording is one of those duets you are either going to love or hate, so check it out and judge for yourself.

    Other artists that appear on Engelbert Calling include Elton John, Cliff Richards, Shelby Lynne, Dionne Warwick, and Il Divo.

    What do you think of the combination of Nelson and Humperdinck on a Dylan song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Lucinda Williams: “Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone” (Short Review)

    Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone Critics and fans love the new double-CD from Lucinda Williams, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone (2014). I do too.

    The new album is Williams’s first release on her own label, Highway 20 Records, following her departure from Lost Highway Records, which released her albums from 2001 through 2011. Perhaps the move inspired some of her best work, or maybe her long career as a professional just means she continues to get better.

    The Independent calls Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone a “magnificent, career-defining piece of work.” AllMusic claims “this music is taut and soulful, but also a document of one woman baring her spirit and mind to the world.” Blurt Magazine gives the album five stars. Meanwhile, the reviewers debate whether the new album is her best since Essence (2001), her best since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998), or simply her best ever.

    Having seen Car Wheels on a Gravel Road as one of the best alt-country albums of all time for more than a decade and a half, I cannot yet proclaim Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone as better. But I can say that the new album reminds me of the joy I felt upon hearing the 1998 album. And similarly, the new album is on constant repeat play in my home (although now the repeated playing comes through an iPod instead of through a CD player).

    The topics of the songs include broader social issues, like poverty on “East Side of Town,” while other songs are personal, such as “Compassion,” which incorporates the words of a poem written by Williams’s father, Miller Williams. I cannot say which song is my favorite, but one of the standouts is the confessional “When I Look at This World,” below performed live in Kaufleuten, Zürich in August 2013. “And it’s a different story/ Each time I look at the world.”

    The album includes a range of styles, from rock to blues to country shuffle, etc. But it all fits together seamlessly. Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone is one of those rare albums in this digital age that takes you back to a time where you had to listen to the album all the way through with every track in order. Whether or not the new album is the greatest Lucinda Williams album of all time doesn’t matter. It’s one of the greatest of this time.

    What is your favorite track on Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Tougher Than the Rest

    Springsteen Tougher than the Rest Columbia Records released Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love on October 9, 1987. While the album was a quieter follow-up to the mega-hit Born in the USA and modern fans often consider it shadowed by other albums like Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town, it is a great album.

    Had almost any other artist made Tunnel of Love, the album would have defined their careers. Instead it remains one of Springsteen’s somewhat overlooked albums.

    Tunnel of Love also remains one of Springsteen’s most personal and least political albums. While he has many other love songs, the songs on Tunnel of Love focus largely on the heart, isolated from any one time and place.

    Of course, Springsteen fans at the time sensed that the album reflected one particular troubled heart. In May 13, 1985, Springsteen had married actress Julianne Phillips after the two knew each other less than a year. Many thought Tunnel of Love reflected rocky waters for the marriage with lyrics in the title track such as “It’s easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love.” The two had separated before the release of the album, and soon the couple filed for divorce on August 30, 1988.

    During the tour for the album, tabloids reported on Springsteen’s new love with backup singer Patti Scialfa. Within a few years of Springsteen’s divorce, he and Scialfa would get married and the two are still together today.

    In this video from the Tunnel of Love tour for “Tougher Than the Rest,” it may be acting, but one can sense some smoldering passion in the looks between the two on one of Springsteen’s greatest love songs.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Marty Brown Rocks a Packed House (October 4, 2014 Live Review)

    Marty Brown October 2014

    On Saturday, October 4, 2014, country singer Marty Brown returned to Middletown, New York to play before a packed house at Brian’s Backyard BBQ and Blues. This time, Brown brought together an excellent backing band, mixing covers and a number of his great original songs, including songs from his latest CD like “Whatever Makes You Smile.”

    Marty Brown NY Brown, in the midst of a career renaissance after his appearance on America’s Got Talent, performs like a man who knows how fortunate he is to have a second chance at his career. His playing and singing reflect a rare joy that is catching. He happily engages with his audience and tells stories to introduce some of his songs. Several times he asked the audience for input on what they wanted to hear. His genuine appreciation for his fans is not limited to the stage. When he is not on stage, he hangs out with the audience members, moving around and talking to folks, taking pictures, and signing autographs.

    I especially enjoyed when Brown dug into his back catalog, as when he played “High and Dry,” the first track on his debut album form 1991 of the same name. Although his voice has grown deeper in the ensuing decades sine he released the song as a young man, Saturday’s performance infected the song with the hard-won blues of an older man who has seen more of life. I liked the new version just as much as when I first heard the song back in the 1990s.

    At the Brian’s Backyard BBQ performance, the members of Brown’s outstanding backing band included drummer Vito Luizzi (a member of the late Johnny Winter’s band), guitar player Rob Daniels (who also performs on his own as a singer-songwriter), and professional bassist Chuck Torres. The band sounded great on both the cover songs and on Brown’s originals.

    Brian’s Backyard BBQ and Blues is a fun venue with excellent food, great service, comfortable atmosphere, and surprisingly exceptional acoustics. Opening performers during the “Country Fest” evening included Shannon Scott, Alyssa Startup, Matt Johnson, and Rob Daniels, all who did a great job entertaining the crowd. Another opening act was the Jason Casterlin Band, which got the audience going with a fun set of country songs. The Hudson Valley group played a combination of originals and covers like “Wagon Wheel.” Casterlin has an excellent voice, so country music fans should check him out if he plays in your area.

    For more on upcoming Marty Brown shows, check out his website or his Facebook page.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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