I’ve always liked the Dave Matthews Band, particularly their older material. It’s never been a must-buy, obsessive sort of fan-girl thing though. That changed with their new album: Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. This one made my (very short) list of "listen to all weekend, memorize the lyrics, and play it until I dream about it" albums. Dave Matthews Band hit gold — it rocks, it swings, it soothes, and it shakes things up.

First and foremost: this work is a moving tribute to a dead friend. "GrooGrux King" refers to longtime DMB saxophonist Leroi Moor who died in an ATV accident about the same time the band started recording this CD. There’s an honesty about this album that I love — many of the tracks sound like a bunch of friends, who happen to be star musicians, just improvising and having a great time.

Second: this is a real, complete album…not just one or two single releases and a bunch of filler. I like it best in its entirety — spiritual and profane, joyous and grieving, big and blatant, quiet and profound.

That said: I do still have favorite songs.

Shake Me Like a Monkey: I defy you to sit still for this song. The rhythms just drive you to get up and DANCE!

Lying in the Hands of God: A quieter ballad, I kind of passed this one over the first few times through the album. It’s sneaky, though, and has become a favorite.

Alligator Pie:  A funny, jazzy answer to Dave’s daughter asking him (according to the lyrics), "Daddy, when you gonna put me in a song?" This track just sings of zydeco and New Orleans.

Time Bomb: This song’s power came along gradually, and is very timely for all those men and women who have served in harm’s way.

You and Me: A hymn to family and marriage — "You and me can do anything, baby."

Kristen Blount – Administration Office

Are we really defined by the music of our youth? No matter how much we mature, both as adults and listeners of pop music, it sometimes feels like we return to our whirlwind teen years….at least in that magical instant when we’re caught off guard and hear an old and all-too-familiar song on the radio.

In the mid 80s I didn’t listen much to Madonna, with the exception of two of my favorite songs — "Into the Grove" and "Live to Tell." But around the time of "Like A Prayer," I started appreciating her brassiness, her unwillingness to bend to "normal behavior" and, yes, her emotional depth.

Madonna’s latest release Celebration, a collection of her biggest and best hits, has just about everything you could ever want. There’s the feel good "Holiday" (years later still putting a smile on our faces, every note crystal clear, defying us not to celebrate); the very bouncy and contagious "Like A Virgin" (it doesn’t sound so wild now, when we’ve got the Black Eyed Peas singing about their humps); and the haunting "Live to Tell" (as delightfully fresh as ever).

What IS missing (and it’s a shame!) is the endearing and sweet "Angel," the wicked "Hanky Panky" (from the sometimes overlooked I’m Breathless) and the autobiographical "Keep It Together" (a 1990 success usually left off lists when people recall Madonna’s top 40 hits.)

Lucy O’Brien’s intriguing book Madonna: Like an Icon takes a look at the Material Girl in a way that’s more pop culture 101 than biography. O’Brien reviews the singer’s work up to and including the 2006 non-stop dance sensation Confessions on a Dance Floor. Hard Candy, released two years after O’Brien’s book, doesn’t make an appearance, but is hardly a loss, especially when you consider that many critics (and even serious fans) consider it one of her weaker albums and no match for the powerhouse Confessions or chillaxin’ Ray of Light.

After listening to Celebration AND reading O’Brien and THEN discovering underrated albums like Bedtime Stories and Music (the former a surprisingly strong foray into R&B, and the latter a nice blend of techno pop and vulnerable love songs), you might come away with a completely different take on a singer who’s anything but immaterial. She’s caused many a commotion in her lifetime, but she’s still around and thriving because she’s never willing to compromise or break her stride when it comes to reinventing herself and her music.

Angie Engles – Central Library

No anthology of heavy metal would be complete without an entire section devoted to the band with "Metal" in its very name.

Metallica – Ride the Lightning (1984)
This, folks, is thrash-metal. How to describe thrash-metal? Hummingbird-fast palm-muted ribcage-pounding rhythm guitar at volume 11 (that’s a This is Spinal Tap reference, in case you didn’t know), double-bass-drum-pedal insanity, harmonized (sometimes three-part) lead guitar riffs executed with laser precision, relentless bass lines, and extended “danger zone” guitar solos. Seriously…this is what heavy metal is all about! To fully appreciate it, you need to grow out your hair out so that when you rapidly move your head up and down to the beat (aka headbanging), it looks like Cousin It jumping on a trampoline. Ride the Lightning is best known for the songs “For Whom the Bell Tolls," “Fade To Black," “Creeping Death," and the instrumental “The Call of Ktulu," which draws its title from the chilling H. P. Lovecraft horror story “The Call of Chtulhu."

Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)
I would love for you to check this album out of the library. Honestly though, you would be better off searching through your couch cushions for enough pennies to just go and buy it. It can be summed up with two words: Magnum Opus. The opening track “Battery," sets the tone…a steady build-up of classical guitars that undergoes a sudden transformation into heart pounding epicness.

Metallica’s next two releases are really just as good and should not be overlooked. 1988 gave us …And Justice for All, which featured the Grammy-winning song “One." In 1991 they released a self-titled work commonly referred to as the Black Album, which includes the anti-lullaby anthem “Enter Sandman."

Discerning listeners will draw parallels between these four albums and great works of classical musicians, especially those of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Their lyrical content is dark and unforgiving. Recurring themes include death, hypocrisy, misplaced justice, monsters, hopelessness, violence, and the human capacity for evil (which I appreciate, but in moderation).

Stay tuned for more heavy metal reviews!

Dan Curry – Savage Branch

On August 19, 1988, Nanci Griffith returned to her roots for the first of two performances at the Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant in Houston, TX. The result was One Fair Summer Evening, which is as fine a live concert CD as you’ll hear anywhere. Griffith is a musical traveler, a collector and carrier of the culture that she catalogs so astutely in her songs. When she plays live there’s something of the “tour guide” in the performance. When introducing her material, Griffith provides comic gems about how they were inspired or received; her enthusiasm and energy are infectious. "Love at the Five and Dime," for instance, follows Eddie’s courtship of Rita, whose beauty “really made the Woolworth counter shine.” Griffith recalls a European tour when she “landed in London, and by golly there was a Woolworth store, and I wanted them to stop the car so I could go fill up my suitcase with unnecessary plastic objects…”

This CD includes the classics "Trouble in the Fields," "The Wing and the Wheel," and Julie Gold’s "From a Distance." One Fair Summer Evening closes with a personal touch as Griffith performs “Spin on a Red Brick Floor,” a song she wrote about the unique character (and dance floor) at her host institution Anderson Fair. In introduction, she pays tribute to the bricks and to the other artists who had played the venue before her. It is a fitting end to a great live music experience. Take a listen to One Fair Summer Evening and enjoy Nanci Griffith’s stellar performance.

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a new review series called "I Wish I’d Been at That Concert," where we’ll introduce our favorite live performance CDs. We hope you enjoy our selections!

Imagine for a moment that you took a few years off from a project, turned your attention to other things, and realized what you were missing while you were gone. The four members of Imperial Teen did just that — working respectively on individual projects before reuniting to reflect on their separation. The result, The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band (a title summing up their individual projects), is a collection of pop tunes that are instrumentally aggressive, yet lyrically reflective. Together they embrace a variety of pop styles, showcasing the talents of the band. The collection is consistently brilliant and I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll immediately find an earworm or two.

As a listener, you get the idea that there’s something autobiographical here. "Shim Sham", "The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band", and the hard-driving "One Two" tell the story of the band getting back together and re-starting the creative process. These lead into "Room with a View," which ought to be the thirtysomething’s national anthem, as the band gives up on pretending to be twenty and confronts the truths of their new situations. “Used to stop at the red light / and now we go to the gym.” There’s plenty of reflection here, as the band’s “family drama” plays out in song; however, the mood stays positive and optimistic, and the song turns into a celebration.

It may be true that you can never go home again, but Imperial Teen’s The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band shows that you can certainly pick up threads of the past and weave them together to recapture the magic. For something that is both great sounding and substantial, don’t miss The Hair, The TV, The Baby & the Band by Imperial Teen!

John Jewitt – Savage Branch

This is unquestionably one of my favorite albums of 2009! With the beauty of the Carpenters and the smarts of performers like Aimee Mann and Flight of the Conchords, the charming duo The Bird and the Bee (Inara George and Greg Kurstin) is hypnotic and at times musically challenging. Ray Guns are Not Just the Future, which I play on a regular basis, is a terrific example of infectious pop at its best.

Their material manages the unusual feat of merging old-fashioned genres while still embracing modern day sounds. You might have heard The Bird and the Bee’s track "again and again" on the third Grey’s Anatomy Original Soundtrack. George has the kind of voice that smart TV shows know how to use to great effect. And with her partner Kurstin, their music is part space-age pop, part martini lounge, all parts fun.

Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future contains the delightfully deadpan "Polite Dance Song." You probably WON’T want to dance to it, but I think that may be the point. (The video for "Polite" is hysterical and can be viewed on various web sites, including youtube.) In the video George looks like she’s phoning in her performance, which complements the underlying theme of monotony running throughout the track. The main refrain is absolutely-without-a-doubt amazing!!

Other pleasing sounds can be found on the wonderfully sweet, but not too sugary "Love Letter to Japan." "Witch," a haunting song of desperation and longing – a variation of sorts on a wannabe hoping for a love potion that works – takes a tone that is slightly warning but too beautiful to be a threat.

The absolute knock-em out (you’ll be humming the song all day and not hating yourself for it!) is the very hip and slightly retro "Diamond Dave," a frothy confection about one of the 80s most beloved and bizarre frontman, David Lee Roth.

Angie Engles – Central Library

I’m back with part two of my chronological review of the Library’s growing collection of heavy metal! We’re going to skip ahead a few years to 1978…

Van Halen – Van Halen
When punk began to influence the heavy metal scene, metal music was infused with a heavy dose of speed…Van Halen’s 1978 self-titled debut album being a prime example. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen put the new "fingertapping" method of guitar solos on the map, which you’ll hear when you listen to the epic song "Eruption."  If the general rule is that a band’s first album is their best, Van Halen is no exception.

Motörhead – Ace of Spaces
Guaranteed to cut your commute in half, Ace of Spades is one of the most relentlessly heavy metal albums of all time. Period. The trio, led by bassist/vocalist Lemmy, delivers an unapologetic onslaught of pure rock. The speed, simplicity, and sheer volume of this album is amazing. Released in 1980, it coincided with Judas Priest’s landmark album British Steel.

Def Leppard – Pyromania
Def Leppard’s third full-length album Pyromania epitomizes 1980s glam-metal in so many ways. This overly produced anthemic masterpiece pumps up everything. The year 1983 gave us huge drums, who-knows-how-many-part vocal harmonies, and crispy-clear guitar solos that dominate from beginning to end. Listen to this one on a hot day with the car windows down.

You can read part one of this series here.  More heavy metal reviews are on the way, so keep your eyes peeled!

Dan Curry – Savage Branch

I like current indie, pop, and R&B music for so many reasons, but there are definitely times when I need to revisit the old days. One of my happiest memories is hearing Diana Ross on the radio in ‘81 when "Upside Down" was a big hit. I was 11 and begged my parents to buy me the 45 so I could dance to it whenever I wanted. But many years later as I listen to Number 1’s, it isn’t "Upside Down" that jumps out at me or even the other songs ("Love Hangover" and "I’m Coming Out") that have held up well and are still played in dance clubs. Instead it is the very infectious "Come See About Me," a song that is instantly recognizable and heart-stoppingly happy-fun within the first few beats. THAT song brings back slivers of memories from when I was even younger than 11 and listened to Motown on AM radio (before talk was big and FM came around).

This collection is probably not for the serious fan. After all, if you are a Diana Ross/Supremes aficionado, you probably already have everything they ever recorded. No, this is for the casual fan, for the person who wants to be able to access all the huge hits with ease, whether it is the wonderfully exhilarating "The Happening" (how can your face not light up when you hear that?) or the very groovy love sounds of "Reflections," which is surprisingly somber at times.

I consider this one of my "happy albums" — the one I put on the stereo when I want to dance around, feel silly and be a free spirited kid again. Even better is the way you feel in your car on a sunny day…the windows rolled down, the heat on your face, and you singing out loud (at the top of your lungs) to "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough."

Angie Engles – Central Library

Howard County Library has a quaint, yet growing, collection of some of the finest heavy metal albums ever released. Below is a chronological sampling of the best of what we own. Needless to say, use discretion when listening to these around children…heavy metal isn’t known for being tasteful and radio-friendly. That being said…these discs rock hard!

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
Let’s start here. 1969. Led Zeppelin, although they shouldn’t be categorized as a heavy metal band, was a crucial component in heavy metal’s development. Led Zeppelin II took blues-rock and amplified it to a level never before reached. Again…not heavy metal yet, but without it, heavy metal may never have existed. Robert Plant’s obsession with mythology (particularly J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) gave subject matter to the new sound, which would be incorporated into much of heavy metal’s lyrical content.

Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Essential, foundational (released in 1970), and very accessible to folks who want to ease themselves into the world of heavy metal. It’s a relatively slow-paced album (although the title track is one of the best driving songs ever); while it may lack in speed, Paranoid more than compensates with crushing guitars and pounding drums. Ozzy Osbourne’s vocal melodies aren’t particularly melodic, but they are perfectly suited for the music behind them. Also be sure to check out Master of Reality, their 1971 follow-up.

Deep Purple – Machine Head
Vocalist Ian Gillan actually enjoyed a brief stint as Black Sabbath’s frontman, and you will notice similarities in musicianship between the two bands. Machine Head (1972) is Deep Purple’s most lasting accomplishment, including the songs "Highway Star," "Space Truckin’," and the immortal "Smoke on the Water."

Stay tuned for more heavy metal reviews!

Dan Curry – Savage Branch

I know you’ve been dying for some truly happy, summer-esque music and here it is: Mika’s Life in Cartoon Motion. Not only has this album sold 5 million+ copies worldwide since its 2007 release, it has been known to make people dance and hug random strangers. Okay, so maybe that’s just me.

You can’t help but groove along as Mika takes you through this colorful coming of age album. Life in Cartoon Motion tells simple, elegant stories, while emoting positivity and acceptance. Consider his song "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)", embracing women of all sizes to love themselves and be loved. Then there’s Mika’s first single "Grace Kelly," which wraps you up in his struggle to be liked by the music industry. Other tracks that are sure to get you humming include "Lollipop," "Love Today," and "Happy Ending."

So, have some fun and sing along (even if someone’s watching). Who cares about keeping up with appearances, when you finally have something to smile about?

JP Protasio – Savage Branch