Vocalist Megan
Chaskey arranges Eastern thought and meditation into engaging
original melodies, creating an aura of peace and enlightenment
that is refreshing both emotionally and intellectually.
In addition to
Chaskey's mesmerizing voice, the CD features the lush sounds of
Grammy Award-winner David Darling on cello, Mike Guglielmo on
percussion, Aine Minogue on Celtic harp, Scott Petito on bass,
guitar, percussion, and piano, and Beth Reineke and Leslie Ritter
on vocals.
This is a fine
representation of the increasingly popular melding of Eastern
philosophies with Western music.
--Raj
Manoharan
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
CD (Fan) Review – Alone in the Universe, by Jeff Lynne's ELO
In
anticipation of Jeff Lynne’s latest release, I quickly
re-listened to the two Electric Light Orchestra greatest hits
volumes from the previous decade, the 2001 ELO album Zoom,
Electric Light Orchestra Live,
Mr. Blue Sky
(Lynne’s recent solo rerecording of ELO’s greatest hits), and
Lynne’s solo albums Armchair
Theatre (1990) and Long
Wave (2012).
I’m glad I did, because the new Jeff Lynne/ELO album hits all of those touchstones and then some, fusing bits and pieces of different aspects of Lynne’s long and storied career into a fresh, scintillating new package.
The record features Lynne’s typically brilliant songwriting and singing, with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics, catchy pop melodies, and earnest, beautifully harmonized vocals.
Lynne also plays most of the instruments, including guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion. Lynne orchestrates intricate guitar rhythms and textures, and his succinct but sweet guitar solos perfectly capture the feel of each song.
Highlights include the reflective “When I Was a Boy,” “Dirty to the Bone” (featuring harp-like guitar chords underscoring scathing female character assassination), “When the Night Comes,” the uplifting “The Sun Will Shine on You,” “All My Life,” and “Alone in the Universe.”
No matter which era of Jeff Lynne/ELO you prefer – I became a fan during the George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Traveling Wilburys years – there are wonders to behold in this exploration of the past, present, and future of Lynne’s Universe.
--Raj Manoharan
I’m glad I did, because the new Jeff Lynne/ELO album hits all of those touchstones and then some, fusing bits and pieces of different aspects of Lynne’s long and storied career into a fresh, scintillating new package.
The record features Lynne’s typically brilliant songwriting and singing, with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics, catchy pop melodies, and earnest, beautifully harmonized vocals.
Lynne also plays most of the instruments, including guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, and percussion. Lynne orchestrates intricate guitar rhythms and textures, and his succinct but sweet guitar solos perfectly capture the feel of each song.
Highlights include the reflective “When I Was a Boy,” “Dirty to the Bone” (featuring harp-like guitar chords underscoring scathing female character assassination), “When the Night Comes,” the uplifting “The Sun Will Shine on You,” “All My Life,” and “Alone in the Universe.”
No matter which era of Jeff Lynne/ELO you prefer – I became a fan during the George Harrison, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Traveling Wilburys years – there are wonders to behold in this exploration of the past, present, and future of Lynne’s Universe.
--Raj Manoharan
Sunday, November 15, 2015
CD Review – Weightless (Ambient Transmissions, Vol. 2), by Marconi Union
The
Manchester, England, trio of Jamie Crossley, Richard Talbot, and
Duncan Meadows returns with an album of cool atmospherics perfect for
tranquil reflection and cathartic unwinding.
The record is really one long chill called Weightless, divided into six parts. The music, apparently composed and performed on keyboards and synthesizers, does give the titular impression of zero gravity, making this an eclectic and enlightening exercise in sonic space as well as an appropriately quiet cosmic soundtrack.
This CD rightly takes it place alongside other genre classics such as The Shimmering Land by Meg Bowles, plus the work of past Marconi Union collaborator and new age legend Brian Eno.
--Raj Manoharan
The record is really one long chill called Weightless, divided into six parts. The music, apparently composed and performed on keyboards and synthesizers, does give the titular impression of zero gravity, making this an eclectic and enlightening exercise in sonic space as well as an appropriately quiet cosmic soundtrack.
This CD rightly takes it place alongside other genre classics such as The Shimmering Land by Meg Bowles, plus the work of past Marconi Union collaborator and new age legend Brian Eno.
--Raj Manoharan
Sunday, November 8, 2015
George Barris (1925-2015)
George
Barris was the Hollywood Car King, and his creations are every bit as
legendary as the stars who drove them on film and television.
His iconic customizations included transforming a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the famed Batmobile of 1960s TV sensation Batman and modifying a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am into the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) from the hit 1980s series Knight Rider.
Due to the high-profile nature of his work, Barris can be counted among the most famous and successful car designers in the world.
--Raj Manoharan
His iconic customizations included transforming a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car into the famed Batmobile of 1960s TV sensation Batman and modifying a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am into the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) from the hit 1980s series Knight Rider.
Due to the high-profile nature of his work, Barris can be counted among the most famous and successful car designers in the world.
--Raj Manoharan
Music – Alone in the Universe by Jeff Lynne’s ELO Due November 13, 2015
Alone
in the Universe, the first new original
studio album by Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra since Zoom
in 2001, is scheduled to be released on Friday, November 13, 2015.
This is also Lynne’s first new release since his solo cover album Long Wave and his rerecording of ELO’s greatest hits, Mr. Blue Sky, both from 2012.
It remains to be seen if Lynne performs all the instruments on the new release, as he has on several of his albums, or whether he’s accompanied by other musicians such as veteran ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, with whom Lynne reunited for an ELO concert in London’s Hyde Park in 2014.
--Raj Manoharan
This is also Lynne’s first new release since his solo cover album Long Wave and his rerecording of ELO’s greatest hits, Mr. Blue Sky, both from 2012.
It remains to be seen if Lynne performs all the instruments on the new release, as he has on several of his albums, or whether he’s accompanied by other musicians such as veteran ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, with whom Lynne reunited for an ELO concert in London’s Hyde Park in 2014.
--Raj Manoharan
Music – Infinitia Box Set and The Ocean Single Edition by Michael Nesmith Now Available
Michael
Nesmith’s new release The Ocean completes the
singer-songwriter’s Infinitia book-and-soundtrack trilogy,
which includes The Prison (1974) and The Garden (1994).
The Ocean is available both by itself as a single edition (consisting of one book, one CD with vocals, and one CD without vocals) and as part of the Infinitia box set containing The Prison and The Garden.
All can be ordered directly from Nesmith’s Web site, www.videoranch.com.
--Raj Manoharan
The Ocean is available both by itself as a single edition (consisting of one book, one CD with vocals, and one CD without vocals) and as part of the Infinitia box set containing The Prison and The Garden.
All can be ordered directly from Nesmith’s Web site, www.videoranch.com.
--Raj Manoharan
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Personal Playlist – The Best of Paul Speer: 1984-2013
If
you like the Police and solo guitar work of Andy Summers, you’ll
definitely dig the six-string sounds of guitarist Paul Speer.
The two musicians share a passion for jazz/rock fusion, with Summers concentrating more on jazz and Speer focusing more on rock.
I have put together what I think is a comprehensive and ear-catching retrospective of Speer’s work that will appeal equally to newcomers and long-time fans. All of these tracks are available on www.paulspeer.com and come from his solo albums and his albums with Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield and British musician Paul Lawler (flutes, keyboards, percussion).
And now I present to you my Personal Playlist of The Best of Paul Speer: 1984-2013. Enjoy!
Allegro / Terra Vista / Allegro Con Brio / Adagio Dolente / Murder or Self Defense / Hi Strung / River of No Return / Carved in Stone / Prelude Oculus / Tuscan Sunset / Denali / Ganges / Accelerator (Rock Mix) / PowerGlide
--Raj Manoharan
The two musicians share a passion for jazz/rock fusion, with Summers concentrating more on jazz and Speer focusing more on rock.
I have put together what I think is a comprehensive and ear-catching retrospective of Speer’s work that will appeal equally to newcomers and long-time fans. All of these tracks are available on www.paulspeer.com and come from his solo albums and his albums with Queensryche drummer Scott Rockenfield and British musician Paul Lawler (flutes, keyboards, percussion).
And now I present to you my Personal Playlist of The Best of Paul Speer: 1984-2013. Enjoy!
Allegro / Terra Vista / Allegro Con Brio / Adagio Dolente / Murder or Self Defense / Hi Strung / River of No Return / Carved in Stone / Prelude Oculus / Tuscan Sunset / Denali / Ganges / Accelerator (Rock Mix) / PowerGlide
--Raj Manoharan
Personal Playlist – The Best of Andy Summers: 1989-2015
If
you’re not familiar with the music of Andy Summers beyond his
tenure as the guitarist for The Police, now is as good a time as any
to get acquainted with his solo work, especially as we approach his
73rd birthday, literally at the end of the year (New
Year’s Eve, to be exact).
I have compiled tracks that I feel are the most representative of his solo career. Summers has two retrospective albums to his name, but each covers separate and vastly different periods of his career. My collection features music spanning 26 years, all the way from 1989’s The Golden Wire to 2015’s Metal Dog.
My criteria for these selections included that they showcase Summers’ guitar playing first and foremost, spotlight the brilliance and complexity of his compositions (“Green Chimneys” and Reincarnation of a Lovebird” are covers of Summers’ idols Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, respectively), and share a cohesion of sound even while being independently unique.
And now I present to you my Personal Playlist of The Best of Andy Summers: 1989-2015. Enjoy!
Blues for Snake / Passion of the Shadow / Somewhere in the West / Low Flying Doves / The Somnambulist / Green Chimneys / Reincarnation of a Lovebird / Now I’m Free / Harmonograph
--Raj Manoharan
I have compiled tracks that I feel are the most representative of his solo career. Summers has two retrospective albums to his name, but each covers separate and vastly different periods of his career. My collection features music spanning 26 years, all the way from 1989’s The Golden Wire to 2015’s Metal Dog.
My criteria for these selections included that they showcase Summers’ guitar playing first and foremost, spotlight the brilliance and complexity of his compositions (“Green Chimneys” and Reincarnation of a Lovebird” are covers of Summers’ idols Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, respectively), and share a cohesion of sound even while being independently unique.
And now I present to you my Personal Playlist of The Best of Andy Summers: 1989-2015. Enjoy!
Blues for Snake / Passion of the Shadow / Somewhere in the West / Low Flying Doves / The Somnambulist / Green Chimneys / Reincarnation of a Lovebird / Now I’m Free / Harmonograph
--Raj Manoharan
Glen Campbell Forever!
In
the last few months, I’ve reacquainted myself with the iconic
figure and awesome singing talent that is Glen Campbell.
If you’re not a fan of or you’re not familiar with Campbell, you need to get the following five albums and listen to them in the following order:
Greatest Hits (2009) / Meet Glen Campbell / Ghost on the Canvas / See You There / Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me Soundtrack
These albums in this order present a good overview of his entire solo career, from his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, to his graceful and elegant winding down over the last seven years.
Although Campbell is often inaccurately pigeonholed as a country singer, take it from someone who is not at all a fan of country music – Campbell is one of the greatest singers of all time, in any and regardless of genre.
--Raj Manoharan
If you’re not a fan of or you’re not familiar with Campbell, you need to get the following five albums and listen to them in the following order:
Greatest Hits (2009) / Meet Glen Campbell / Ghost on the Canvas / See You There / Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me Soundtrack
These albums in this order present a good overview of his entire solo career, from his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, to his graceful and elegant winding down over the last seven years.
Although Campbell is often inaccurately pigeonholed as a country singer, take it from someone who is not at all a fan of country music – Campbell is one of the greatest singers of all time, in any and regardless of genre.
--Raj Manoharan
RajMan’s 2015-2016 TV Viewing Schedule
Sunday:
Bar Rescue (Spike) /
Bob’s Burgers (Fox) / The Simpsons (Fox) /
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox) /
Family Guy (Fox)
Weeknights: CHiPs (Me TV)
Monday: Supergirl (CBS)
Tuesday: The Flash (CW)
Wednesday: Criminal Minds (CBS)
Thursday: Sleepy Hollow (Fox)
Friday: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Saturday: Good Times (TV One) / Sanford & Son (TV One) / Adventures of Superman (Me TV) / Batman (Me TV) / Wonder Woman (Me TV) / Star Trek (Me TV) / Svengoolie (Me TV)
--Raj Manoharan
Weeknights: CHiPs (Me TV)
Monday: Supergirl (CBS)
Tuesday: The Flash (CW)
Wednesday: Criminal Minds (CBS)
Thursday: Sleepy Hollow (Fox)
Friday: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Saturday: Good Times (TV One) / Sanford & Son (TV One) / Adventures of Superman (Me TV) / Batman (Me TV) / Wonder Woman (Me TV) / Star Trek (Me TV) / Svengoolie (Me TV)
--Raj Manoharan
CD Review – Mesa Verde Soundscapes, by Jill Haley
The
majesty and grandeur of the Colorado U.S. National Park served as a
most welcome muse for oboe and piano player Jill Haley on her third
album celebrating America's treasures.
As with the previous two entries, this record is a family affair, with Haley's husband David Cullen on bass and guitar, daughter Dana on horn, son Graham on cello, and daughter Risa on viola.
In addition to the stirring music that perfectly captures the beautiful lyricism of the park, the package includes a glossy, high-quality photo booklet featuring breathtaking images of Mesa Verde in all its glory.
The result is an album that is both a fitting musical tribute and an inspiring travelogue.
--Raj Manoharan
As with the previous two entries, this record is a family affair, with Haley's husband David Cullen on bass and guitar, daughter Dana on horn, son Graham on cello, and daughter Risa on viola.
In addition to the stirring music that perfectly captures the beautiful lyricism of the park, the package includes a glossy, high-quality photo booklet featuring breathtaking images of Mesa Verde in all its glory.
The result is an album that is both a fitting musical tribute and an inspiring travelogue.
--Raj Manoharan
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