What I'm Listening to Today: 1/8/04

7:00 A.M. Put in Loreena McKennitt's "The Book of Secrets." Song number one, "Prologue," is spellbinding. She doesn't use any words in this song, but instead her voice is used just as an instrument. A great way to start the morning. She has such a haunting voice, and this is why she is one of my top female vocal artists. It also helps that her music is in a genre almost all by itself. It's a fusion of World and New Age, but not your typical synthesized stuff. She tells stories in her songs. You should test out a sample of it online. Trust me, interesting music staple, here. Nothing else like her. Song number 2, "The Mummer's Dance," is sung in English words and brings to mind a Middle Eastern market where veiled female dancers dance in rhythm, their heavily underlined eyes pulling the crowd's attention to them. I'd be curious to know what it puts in YOUR mind. I almost want to go out and buy a sexy belly-dancing outfit! Song number 4, "Marco Polo," I imagine Egyptians on camels riding slowly through the desert heat. I have to say this: If the well-known Indian book, "The Kama Sutra," had a soundtrack, this would be it. Track 5, "The Highwayman" is her song to the classic story by Noyes. You really MUST listen to McKennitt's narration in this song. REALLY pay attention to the words and grab a box of Kleenexes! I will post the lyrics (poem) to this song on another article. Look for it under my posts. Each time I hear this song my body succumbs completely to chills. Number 7, "Night Ride Across the Caucasus," she sings "ride on, ride on through the night... ride on. In the velvet of the darkness..." How could you not appreciate a song with lyrics like these? The music these words are set to is just hypnotic. Close your eyes and you'll see what I mean. Just try to come back to reality when you're done, OK? Last on this album is "Dante's Prayer," what can I say.... explosive. When you're listening to this album, you're not at a computer desk in 2004. Timeless!

3:30 P.M. "Underworld Soundtrack" - Time for a little rough-housing! I'm in the mood for some music a little on the harder side. I don't listen to songs like "Throwing Punches" on a daily basis so it's really hard for me to give a thumbs up or thumbs-down on this, but I like it enough to listen to every now and then. Besides, I LOVE Milla Jevovich and she does a track on this CD called "Rocket Collecting," so how could I not like it? Also, there is a mix of David Bowie's "Bring Me the Disco King," and I like anything that is Bowie. The song "Suicide Note" has a really neat drum beat, and the way they "filter" the sound is perfect for a soundtrack from a horror-type movie.