Five Underrated: Music

I'm not on stage singing anymore; my passionate, belted arias are typically reserved for the shower or during marathon laundry sessions when Ross is not home.  Still, I consider music an inescapable part of my life.  I have what seems like a million mixes on iTunes - several for my (infrequent) workouts, some for inspiration as I write, and even a special mix of songs that remind me of the hubby.  Here are a few musicians that I think deserve a little more recognition than they've previously gotten.

1. Kansas

Yup, they're known for classics like "Dust in the Wind" and  "Carry on (Wayward Son)", but these guys have a huge collection of beautiful symphonies that are more intimate than a lot of the bombastic, big-ego bands of the late seventies.  Don't get me wrong, they sound huge...but their lyrics are introspective, spiritual, and thought-provoking.  While The Scorpions wanted to "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and AC/DC was blowing fans up with "T.N.T", Kansas was contemplating the big stuff, like life after death, faith, temptation and regret.

When I was little, my mom had this huge old record player/8-track unit in the living room. If my sister and I were very, very careful, we were allowed to open the dusty cabinet that held what seemed like hundreds of records.  We'd ask her to play our favorites.  Gina and I leaned towards Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and an awesome 80's compilation album.  I also listened to Kansas' Point of Know Return probably three thousand times.  The music made me happy.  It made me think.  It made me want to draw, and write.  It made me want to dance.  It still does.  All of that.  I love knowing that many of the members were using the music to explore and express the Christian faith, and that, even though Kansas can't be termed an "inspirational" band, per se, they were unashamed to both respectfully question and quietly declare what they believed.  Particularly bright gems include "Relentless" and "Paradox".

2. Pat Benatar

This girl was (and is) a hundred kinds of awesome. Gorgeous, tough, honest, sexy, fun, real...and the thing I think I admire most about her is that, unlike virtually every other big-name act in the 80s, Ms. Benatar never gave in to the idea that drugs and promiscuity was the way to go.  She married one guy.  Stayed married.  Is still married.  Has two daughters.  Never got into the drug scene.  Stayed clean - as far as my research shows -  through her whole career.  That alone should put her on this list!  But the thing that is so cool about her is that the titles of her songs are often more suggestive than the actual lyrics.  In "Sex as a Weapon", for example, she sings about the dangers of physical temptations and pleads for a man to stop using his sensuality to manipulate her.  "Hell is for Children" is about the horrors of child abuse.  "One Love (Song of the Lion)" can be seen as a metaphor for Christ.  Maybe that's just the way I am reading into it, but I like it.  Plus, she is like the Energizer Bunny of musicians.  She's still on tour.  Has gone every year since 1996.  And she still looks amazing!

3. The Echoing Green

I've chatted this two-person synth act up for some time now.  Although I do like a lot of Christian music, some of it starts to sound the same after a while.  That isn't a bad thing; the message is always an encouraging one.  Still, sometimes the music itself gets a bit repetitive.  I really like TEG because they're one of the only electro-pop Christian artists out there.  Gorgeous, poetic lyrics like "There's a kind of mystery/When the dark recites its elegy/It's heavenly and I believe it/When the morning comes to be/The sun restores my hope to me/Of eternity and I receive it."  That's really pretty stuff.  Plus, it's got a great beat.  Makes for great workout music, too...pumping beats with a message other than "get on the dance floor and take your clothes off".  Bonus.

4. The Monkees

America's answer to the Beatles, the Monkees were among the first of the "pre-fabricated" bands that continue to be manufactured even today (Pussycat Dolls, anyone?).  There were some questions as to their actual song-writing and performing talent, but you know what?  Davy Jones gave hope to short guys everywhere.  Mickey Dolenz was one of the first musicians out there who was both a drummer and a lead singer.  Personally, I thought that was pretty cool.  Plus, the TV show, however corny, was really cute and definitely family-friendly.  One of my favorite songs, even now, is "Pleasant Valley Sunday", a tune about maintain the status quo, and how it's maybe not the best way to live life.  I still listen to the Monkees today.  They don't have the surf-vibe of the Beach Boys, and they don't have the Brit-groove that made the Beatles famous, but there's something so charmingly, earnestly American about them that I just gotta love them.  Plus, my hair was cut like Peter Tork's when I was little.

5. Local and Independent Music

Yeah, big names have the fancy stage shows and all the fame, but supporting local and independent music is important, too.  So few people who truly care about the music they make ever get the chance to play a sold-out show at the Palladium, you know?  Find a local artist you believe in.  Even if he or she never "makes it big", having a core of support sometimes makes the difference between pressing on and giving up.  Plus, it's cool to be able to say "I knew them when" if they do get famous.  ;-)

Next up, the series takes a break!

Pop Meltdown

The last time I mentioned music, I was lamenting the fact that so much of it encouraged immoral and thoughtless behavior.  Now, granted, not much has changed, but I am addressing a far more fundamental problem with pop music today, an issue that has nothing to do with ethics, religion or cultural values.  A concern that has made me question the sanity and clear-headedness of both the music industry and its voracious public.

The lyrics are bad.  And stupid.

I am wondering what happened to us as a society that lyrics like Rihanna's snarly-sweet "hold me like a pillow" gets rave reviews.  Really?  Honey, do you want me to smother you with drool and share my morning breath with you?  Do you want me to lazily flop you back on the bed when I am done with you?  And "I wanna make your bed for ya, then make you swallow your pride?"  What?  Will your next album be about Bad-Girl Domesticity?  Please, sing to me about how your want to dirty up the sheets then wash them for me.

I am not asking for poetry.  In fact, forget the poetry.  Just because it rhymes doesn't mean it makes sense.  Corny rhymes usually only work in musical theatre.  And even then...not always. 

I said that I didn't want to use my writing to discourage or judge.  I am just concerned because the music industry has become far too much like the food industry.  No matter what kind of junk you put in a can (or on a track), it is getting gobbled up, because it is what we have trained ourselves to accept.  The same way that many people choke down what's canned and stuck on grocery store shelves simply because they are convenient, we're devouring each new release from Ke$ha, Kanye West and, yes, even sweet-faced Justin Bieber, simply because they're available.

When I began to eat more unprocessed foods than I was used to, my taste buds resisted.  I had been taught, over the years, to crave salt and resist exotic flavors.  Canned ravioli was perfectly acceptable.  As I discovered new flavors and ingredients, I began to desire things like sweet basil, whole wheat pasta, and freshly grated black pepper.  The canned stuff was fine once in a while, but it wasn't my main source of nutrition.

I guess that is what I am trying to say about pop music.  Sometimes, it is fun.  I mean, I hate to admit it, but I do have a special place in my heart for some of Katy Perry's perky pop-rock tunes (and her super-cute style).  Personally, though, I am finding that I'm not "well-fed" when my ears are snacking on fakey-forced rhymes, electro-tweaked vocals, a million different metaphors for sex, and throbbing dance beats.  Maybe I'm alone, but I like the good old stuff.

Of course, the irony is, most of the good old stuff was mocked by the older generation, too.  Scandalous, they gasped when Elvis, fully dressed, wiggled his hips.  Then, their children were floored when Madonna showed up in her underwear.  Now, their grandchildren are shaking their heads as Lady Gaga is splashed across the magazines, andryognous, the free-love proclaiming "savior" of a tainted generation.

Maybe that means I am officially among the "old folks". 

Well, dagnabbit, that's fine with me.  You can keep your lollipop brassieres and clock-necked rappers.  I'll sit down with my chamomile tea and a little nibble of Motown.  Maybe a bite of some old-school jazz.

Delicious.

Five Underrated: Introduction

The older I get, the more I begin to appreciate things that I never noticed as a child.  For example, the sense of peace and accomplishment that bursts out of my heart when the laundry is ironed, folded, and slid neatly into the drawers.  Or, the keen taste of triumph in patiently waiting the exact amount of time before an already inexpensive pair of shoes goes on clearance, and snapping it up like a fish-spearing osprey before the other predators attack.  Even the simple comfort of cuddling on the couch with my husband is something I try to savor when we get the time (which, despite our fairly simplistic lives, happens only rarely).

In light of this "new leaf", if you will, I am beginning a blog series entitled  "Five Underrated".  From movies to foods to music, I'm trying to give the underdogs a leg up.  Of course, this series will be pretty darn opinionated, because I'm using only my own experience to guide me, but maybe I'll be able to open your eyes to some things you never tried, heard, or even imagined (tofu kebabs, anyone?).