
Hands down, the most-rerecorded song from the vast catalog of Canadian poet, novelist, and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen is Hallelujah ; the newly-reposted MOKB Covers Project: Hallelujah counts over forty versions, and the list is by no means complete. I have no complaints about this -- it's a great song, which, like so many of Cohen's best work, moves fluidly between grand mythos and intimate confession to give voice to strong yet otherwise unexpressable feeling. Problematically, however, the vast majority of covers of this song are not truly Leonard Cohen covers, but [...]

I remember the night we drove everywhere just to find a place to commit ourselves to a future together. It was cold, like tonight is cold. It wasn't Valentine's Day. But it was love. Looking back, I can't believe it took me so long to accept that the feelings I had for you were real, and worth risking everything. All that time I thought I was too broken, too battered. All that time, I thought a fool like me didn't deserve a woman like [...]

It took me a while to get into Dar Williams . The way she plays with the strong break between her bold lower tones and her breathy upper register is an acquired taste. Her songwriting is generally wry and poignant, but it takes more than one skim-the-surface listen to appreciate its complexity. She tends towards strong, heavy production, which attracts a younger alt-folk crowd, but can overwhelm her well-crafted, literate lyrics. But at her best, Dar is an incredible artist. Her songwriting and her stage [...]

Regular Wednesday features on hiatus for the holiday. U2 ~ 4th of July Pieta Brown ~ 4th Of July Ani DiFranco ~ Independence Day (my personal favorite) Martina McBride ~ Independence Day Eric Gerber ~ Independence Day Thunderegg ~ Independence Day (Vic Chestnut cover) Elliot Smith ~ Independence Day (live) Moxy Fruvous ~ Independence Day (live) Richard Shindell ~ [...]

"That they had come all the way to the Delaware Water Gap" Richard Shindell ~ Transit Use some of you 25 FREE Downloads from eMusic to get more Richard Shindell.

"That they had come all the way to the Delaware Water Gap" Richard Shindell ~ Transit Use some of you 25 FREE Downloads from eMusic to get more Richard Shindell.
I don't normally beg for music. I usually receive something in the mail, or get an email from the artist or as is more often the case find music myself online. But with Richard Shindell's new record I resorted to begging. Luckily one of the great indie publicists is working the record. Richard Shindell is one of the truly great singer-songwriters working today. He's got a beautiful, singular voice (equaled only by Ellis Paul, Slaid Cleaves and Greg Brown), is a great lyricist/storyteller and an equally talented guitarist. He's [...]

This party is for the Vernal Equinox. Pop a top and celebrate seventeen songs for spring!!! Jolie Holland ~ Springtime Can Kill You Tom Waits ~ You Can Never Hold Back Spring Sasha Dobson ~ Spring Is Just Around The Corner Joni Mitchell ~ Little Green Greg Brown ~ Spring & All Grant Lee Phillips ~ Spring Released Cheryl Wheeler [...]