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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Jenny

  • Unlikely collaborations…

    Unlikely collaborations…

    Every day, I run across something that reminds me that unlikely collaborations can lead to amazing creations…

    I was home alone last night. My husband, Bill, was on his way home from New York City, where he attended a job interview. The interview seemed to go well; we should know the outcome within the next week or so. Anyway, as is my habit, I was trying not to drink alcohol while he was gone. I think it’s a good practice not to and a good exercise in self-discipline. I lasted until about 8:00pm, then cracked open a beer. Bill was on his way home, after all. Oftentimes, when I start drinking beer, I get to a point at which I want to listen to music. That’s what happened last night. I realized that my music collection has quite a few unlikely collaborations in it. You know, music that was made by people you wouldn’t expect to get together…

    I kind of touched on this theme last week, when I wrote my post about oddly awesome covers. Maybe, once I listened to it, it wasn’t a huge stretch for Ricky Skaggs to make a record with Bruce Hornsby… though on the surface, it seems like their collaborations would be unlikely. As I was listening last night, I ran across some other unlikely collaborations. Texas legend Willie Nelson is pretty good for this practice. A few years ago, he made an album with Wynton Marsalis, famed jazz trumpeter.


    “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It” is one of my favorite tracks from the unlikely collaboration of Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson. This was on their album, Two Men With The Blues.

    I ran across a very cool song Willie Nelson did with Santana back in the 1980s…


    I found this unlikely collaboration a few years ago, when I decided to download some Santana. It works.

    The great opera star Pavorotti had a very successful album series in the early 90s. He got together with rock stars like Sting, Bryan Adams, and even Barry White…


    Sting and Pavorotti


    Pavorotti and Barry White??? Wow… I wouldn’t have put them together.

    A few days ago, I read a very interesting article about funny country-alt singer and author Todd Snider. I own a few Todd Snider albums, having discovered his hilarious song “Beer Run”. I wouldn’t imagine he’d want to collaborate with a singer like Garth Brooks. But wouldn’t you know it? The “Friends In Low Places” country star sure enough wanted to cover one of Todd Snider’s songs. Garth Brooks was interested in recording Snider’s “Alright Guy” for his 1999 album, In the Life of Chris Gaines and even wanted Snider to play guitar on the project. It turned out Brooks didn’t end up putting the song on his album because his mother objected to the subject matter. But still, it’s a pretty cool story about two seemingly unrelated artists getting together to create something different.


    Todd Snider plays “Alright Guy” live.

    A few years ago, Emmylou Harris got together with Mark Knopfler and they made a fine album.


    Here they sing “Done With Bonaparte”… I love this!

    One might wonder why a country folk singer would hook up with a legendary rock guitarist like Mark Knopfler, who was the front man for Dire Straits for years and brought us songs like “Money For Nothing” and “Walk of Life”. But they blend pretty damn well, I think… kind of like Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.


    Alison Krauss and Robert Plant get together on a cover of “Black Dog”…

    I remember when I first heard about Alison Krauss and Robert Plant teaming up. It seemed like an unlikely collaboration, but their 2007 album Raising Sand was a huge success. I started thinking about other people I’d love to hear Alison Krauss play with… like Mark Knopfler! Why not?

    Music is a universal language and like any art, it can be expanded and shaped into new and unusual directions. I love finding unlikely collaborations among musicians I admire.

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  • Transition songs…

    Transition songs…

    Lately there have been some big changes looming in my life, which has led me to think about transition songs…

    A lot of big things have been happening lately. My husband, Bill, is about to retire from the Army. He’s held a commission for about 30 years and simply isn’t allowed to stay in the military any longer. He has reached his “MRD”, that is, his mandatory retirement date. Naturally, it’s a little nervewracking and scary to end a 30 year military career (27 of which were years spent on active duty). It’s nervewracking for me, too, because being an Army wife has sort of had a deleterious effect on the career I had planned for myself. It’s worked out fine so far, and I’ve gotten to do a lot of things I love to do. But the constant moving hasn’t been so good for my own career plans and I may end up having to start over. So, in the interest of making myself feel better, I’ve decided today’s post will be about transition songs.


    The Silhouettes sang “Get A Job” in the 1950s. I certainly hope that’s what comes next in this transitional phase.

    Personally, I’m also kind of partial to Ken Turetzky’s song, “Why Don’t You Get a Job”…


    Having corresponded with Ken online, I know he knows intimately about this subject…

    At the beginning of the above clip, Ken talks about his father telling him he should stop “sponging” off him and his mother. I have had similar conversations with my own parents. Sadly, they are no longer in a position to host me, Bill, and our two dogs. So if unemployment lingers, there could be a problem. We might end up living in a van down by the river.

    I heard Ronnie Dunn’s song, “Cost of Livin’” on an episode of Dr. Phil.


    I think this song is very applicable to a lot of folks… especially people like Bill who have been in the military.

    Our situation is not as desperate as the one Dunn sings about in this song. Job hunting can be stressful and difficult, though. Also, Bill has been in the situation Dunn sings about. Back in the mid 90s, when he was married to his ex wife, Bill temporarily got off active duty. It was at a time somewhat like what the military is dealing with right now. Things were being downsized and people were being asked to leave. Bill’s ex didn’t like being an Army wife and Bill wasn’t that successful as a young officer. So he got out of the Army temporarily… and ended up in a factory in Arkansas making toys. The money was not really enough to support their family. The work was boring and unfulfilling and it left him little time to spend with his family. He later got a job at a Whirlpool factory making refrigerator doors. The money was significantly better there, but it still really wasn’t enough and they ended up in dire financial straits. This, even though he is a graduate of American University with a degree in international relations. Needless to say, he doesn’t want the same thing to happen this time. I don’t think it will, though. He’s come a long way… and this time, his wife is willing to move where the right work is.

    At this point, it looks like we could be moving again. Tomorrow, Bill is going to New York City, where he will meet with a recruiter from a large company to interview for a job in Seattle, Washington. It seems kind of ironic to me, since when Bill got out of the Army in the 90s, he was in Washington State. He loved living up there, but his ex wife preferred a small town in the south. So if this works out, he’ll get to enjoy Washington again. I think I will, too. I have only been there once. It was in 2005, right after Hurricane Katrina. Bill had been working hard because he’s in the National Guard and the Guard was heavily into the Katrina disaster. We were worried we would have to cancel our plans. Fortunately, we were allowed to go to Washington for our modest vacation. It was our first trip as a married couple and we had a wonderful time. I certainly wouldn’t mind moving there, if that’s where life takes us. San Antonio is fine too, as long as we aren’t homeless.


    I never thought this song by Public Image Ltd would mean anything to me…

    Anyway, wish us luck. If this interview leads to a dead end, Bill’s resume is still circulating. I suppose I could try circulating mine, too.

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  • A review of Nickel Creek’s A Dotted Line…

    A review of Nickel Creek’s A Dotted Line…

    A Dotted Line
    A Dotted Line

    Nickel Creek is back! Here’s a review of their latest album, A Dotted Line!

    I first heard the “new grass” band Nickel Creek about seven years ago, when I bought a greatest hits compilation they put out. At the time, my husband Bill was in Iraq and I was listening to a lot of music because I was sending a lot to him. He needed something to keep up his spirits out there in the desert. Over the years, I’ve come to really enjoy the musical stylings of Nickel Creek, which consists of Chris Thile (mandolin) and sister and brother Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar). This band, which originated in southern California, has been around since 1989. They had a breakthrough in 2000, when Alison Krauss produced their self-titled album. They continued to put out new music until 2007, when they went on a seven year hiatus. This month, they released their latest effort, A Dotted Line. Naturally, I had to download it immediately!

    A Dotted Line kicks off with strong guitar chords and strong vocals on the opening track, “The Rest of My Life”. As I’m listening to this song, I’m very impressed by how it blends the acoustic sounds of instruments typically reserved for bluegrass songs and fashions them into a song that sounds progressive and innovative. This song gets A Dotted Line off to a great start.

    Sara Watkins sings lead on the next song, the hard driving “Destination”, which seems to flow seamlessly from “The Rest of My Life”. Again, it sounds like the song evolved from bluegrass but turned into something very creative and eclectic. This song puts a smile on my face. Sara Watkins has an ethereal voice that blends beautifully with those of her brother, Sean, and Chris Thile.


    Sara Watkins really gets somewhere with “Destination”.

    A mandolin kicks off the pretty instrumental, “Elsie”, which immediately appeals to me. This was written by Chris Thile and gives the band a chance to show off what really good players they are.

    “Christmas Eve” is the next song. It’s kind of a sad song about a relationship about to break up. What strikes me most about this song is the complex musical arrangement. The melody is simple, but Nickel Creek has arranged an intricate overlay of harmonies and vocals to convey the sadness of breaking up during the holidays. Over the blend of mandolin, fiddle, and guitar are those voices, which somehow magically blend into a musical nirvana.

    “Hayloft” takes Nickel Creek’s music into a totally different direction. This song was written by Ryan Guldemond and is a complete departure from the previous songs. It almost sounds like something I’d hear in Europe, with more plugged instruments and sound engineering sleights of hand. This is a song you could dance to. I think it will definitely grow on me, though I tend to prefer the more acoustic stuff Nickel Creek does. I’m just impressed by how innovative “Hayloft” is. It’s almost like bluegrass dance music, if you can conceive of such a thing. The song’s subject matter is pretty cool, too. Young lovers are in the hayloft, giving into their passions, even though the girl’s daddy has a gun… you better run.


    A live version of “Hayloft”.

    “21st of May” is an original by Sean Watkins and is simply glorious, with perfect harmonies and spiritual lyrics that evoke going to meet the Saviour on the 21st of May. Maybe those who don’t like religiously oriented songs may not appreciate this. I love it, though. Edited to add, a fellow Nickel Creek lover tells me this song is satirical and is actually about the late Harold Camping, who predicted the world would end on May 21st, 2011 and before that in 1994. Obviously, he was wrong both times. Now that I know that, I like the song even more!


    The gorgeous “21st of May”.

    Quiet, tinkling mandolin opens the next song, “Love of Mine”, an original song with a gorgeous, moving melody and deep lyrics. I’m not quite sure what this song is about, but I’m so caught up in the hauntingly pretty melody that it doesn’t matter.

    “Elephant In The Corn” is another cool original instrumental, exciting and technically challenging. I love a good acoustic jam and this one delivers.

    “You Don’t Know What’s Going On” is an original song with a quick tempo and a cool modern sound played on acoustic instruments. Once again, I marvel at how Nickel Creek takes such a quaint style and turns into something new and innovative. The lyrics are about a guy who gets caught up with a woman who played him for a fool. Musically, this song delivers on the raw pain and angst that comes from an intense love affair that disintegrates.

    The last song is “Where Is Love Now”, which has sort of an ethereal opening as Sara Watkins’ fiddle leads off. The guitar and mandolin join in as Sara Watkins sings. She has such a pretty, angelic voice on this song by Sam Phillips. This beautiful, introspective song ends A Dotted Line on a pensive note.

    Overall, I think Nickel Creek’s A Dotted Line is a fantastic effort and it was worth the seven year wait. What a joy it is to hear some fresh music by the very talented Nickel Creek. Now I want to go to a concert! If you like acoustic, “new grass” styled music, I highly recommend Nickel Creek’s A Dotted Line. I predict this album will be getting a lot of spins at my house.

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