I am in my living room, listening to "Letti's Ultimate Favorites 2011."
Easily Chad's and my favorite Christmas present each year--
The one we anticipate like schoolchildren waiting for Santa Claus!
It's a CD of good music.... From people who know good music.
On any given year's CD, we will know, oh, maybe two or three of the bands.
The rest are completely unknown, completely obscure.
That's when we grin and think, "This is gonna be a good one!"
And a week--and sixteen rounds through the album--later, we are in love!
Good music.
I love it.
Who doesn't?
Good music makes the Chad & Charity Brooks world go round.
Good music makes me remember moments.
Makes me chuckle, or even loudly guffaw!
Brings me to tears.
Makes me ache with nostalgia, lose myself in thinking, want to run home and jump in my husband's arms, etc. Good music reaches me in ways nothing else does (books do that too, but that's another entry, right?).
So here's to good music!
May artists keep creating it, and may I keep discovering it!
So what is some of the good music in my life these days?....
Lisa Hannigan--Sea Sew (my favorite songs on this album: "Ocean and a Rock" and "I Don't Know." Tender.)
The Black Keys--"Tighten Up" (I actually only know this song, but it rocks!)
Elbow--"Grounds for Divorce" (As my friend once said, if you don't like this song, there's something broken in you.)
Josh Groban/Ladysmith Black Mambazo--"Lullabye" (sentimental because this is my boy's and my song; Coren will ask me to sing it again and again. Love it. Even if you don't prefer Josh Groban, this song is beautiful.)
Cat Stevens--anything of his, really. Just good stuff. But a few favorites are: "The Wind," "Morning Has Broken," "Oh Very Young," "Peace Train."
Indigo Girls--"Galileo" (One of my all-time favorite songs. Great lyrics. Great harmonies. Great everything.)
Juanes--Mi Sangre (I love all of his music, but this, I think, is his greatest album.)
fun.--Aim and Ignite (Awesome! All I can say, really!)
Chris Merritt--Hello, Little Captain (This is a local guy, so not easy to find, but sooo worth it!)
Fleetwood Mac--Rumors (An older choice, yes, but every song on the album is fantastic. How often does that happen??)
Guster--Lost and Gone Forever (My favorite Guster album thus far...)
Passion Pit--"Little Secrets" (the nerdiest band you'll ever see, but this song is so darn danceable!)
Metric--Oh, so many.... "Combat Baby," "Black Sheep," "Help I'm Alive," "Dead Disco," and on and on...
Muse--Black Holes and Revelations (Right now, the big album to listen to is their latest, Resistance, which is good, yes; but it's got nothing on Black Holes.)
Jesse y Joy--Esta es mi vida (Another fabulous Latin album)
Blitzen Trapper--"Furr" (Ah! I just love this song! Kinda folksy, great lyrics, really just a perfect song.)
Regina Spektor--"Us," "Better," "On the Radio," "Samson," etc.
Tegan and Sara--"Call It Off" (lovely song... they are odd, but so great.)
....and, yes, mainstream time....Paramore! (I sort-of have a married, straight, crush on Hayley Williams and her music. What can you do? It's good... and she's decent; not a teen girl pop-trash sellout, so I like that too.)
Good music.
It's Just Good.
