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Category: Mini-Reviews

  • Hall and Oates meet Rumer…

    Hall and Oates meet Rumer…

    I just rediscovered the magic of Hall and Oates as they meet a British-Pakistani singer named Rumer…

    The other day, I got an email from the Majestic Theatre alerting me that Daryl Hall and John Oates would be performing in San Antonio on February 24, 2014. I like Hall and Oates. I grew up in the 70s and 80s and their music was all over the place when I was coming along. However, I also know that these two guys have been around a long while and I wasn’t sure how they were holding up to the inevitable effects of aging.

    My good friend George told me that Daryl Hall has a series on YouTube called Live From Daryl’s House, which often features him, John Oates, and their band playing music with different artists. As I was watching clips from Halls’ series, I came across a clip featuring a singer named Rumer. I had never heard of her. In fact, I actually wondered if maybe she was Demi Moore’s daughter, Rumer Willis. But then I did some research and found out that Rumer is actually a British-Pakistani singer Sarah Joyce. Born in 1979, she is old enough to remember Hall and Oates, though she would have been a youngun when they were at the height of their popularity.

    In any case, I was a little nervous about listening to what she did with Hall and Oates’ hit, “I Can’t Go For That”. That song was never among my favorites by Hall and Oates anyway. But I was curious, so I played it and…

    all I can say is, “Wow!” I actually love this remake of “I Can’t Go For That”. I love that the arrangement is updated to sound exotic and sexy. Rumer has a sublime voice that seems custom made for music to chill out by. That voice is silky smooth and sensual.

    I was surprised to read that some people compared Rumer’s vocals to Karen Carpenter’s. Frankly, I don’t hear it. I love Karen Carpenter’s music and her voice was amazing. To me, Rumer’s voice has a sexiness and warmth that Karen Carpenter’s voice lacked. It’s like a puff of intoxicating perfume that subtly reaches the senses until you’re pulled in to its magic. I was not a fan of “I Can’t Go For That” the way it was originally released to the masses, but I could totally get into Rumer’s remake, sung with Daryl Hall.

    Rumer also covered Hall and Oates’ sweet classic, “Sara Smile”. I never thought of this song as one that would lend itself well to feminine vocals, but she does great with it…

    I like the way this song is stripped down and made into something new, featuring Rumer’s gorgeous vocals. If I were going to compare with Karen Carpenter, maybe I could more on this song than on “I Can’t Go For That”, but I still think her voice is unique and stands on its own. I have always loved “Sara Smile” and would probably prefer the original to this remake, but I think Rumer did a fine job with it. Listening to this makes me want to check out her music. And I love the way the band is into it, too…

    I was not familiar with “Be Thankful For What You Got”, but since I liked Rumer’s other work with Daryl Hall, I decided to listen…

    This is a very soulful number and again, Rumer and Daryl Hall knock it out of the park. Hall and Oates meet Rumer… and make magic! And now, onto the next order of business.

    Why I am writing on Thursday instead of Friday…

    Tomorrow, my husband Bill and I are going to attempt to take a military hop somewhere in the world. I have a feeling we’ll end up going to Germany, but we could go somewhere else. The nature of military hops is unpredictable. That’s what makes them both fun and frustrating. The upshot of this development is that it’s unlikely I will be able to do much writing for the next couple of weeks. Of course, if we don’t get a hop anywhere, I could be back to work next week. But the odds are good that I will be somewhat incommunicado, as least as far as blogging goes. I expect to be back around January 23 or thereabouts…

    Until then, see you later!

  • Merry Christmas!

    Merry Christmas!

    It’s Christmas Eve, so I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

    Or… in the interest of being politically correct, happy whatever holiday you celebrate.

    Just last week, a friend on Epinions alerted me to a great album for those who like Celtic Christmas music. Keith and Kristyn Getty are both from Belfast, Northern Ireland and they released a dynamic Christmas album in 2012. I downloaded it last week after reading befus’s excellent Epinion review.

    Let me tell you, folks, the first time I listened to this album, I was very moved by the music. I actually cried! Here are a few videos someone uploaded to YouTube for those who are curious. It’s my favorite of the three new Christmas albums I’ve purchased this year. It is a religious album, naturally, so if you aren’t into religion, maybe this album is passable for you.


    I think this may be the most exciting version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” I’ve ever heard. And I’m not even a Riverdance fan…


    “Joy Has Dawned/Angels We Have Heard On High” is a pretty medley combining an original tune with a classic.


    Here’s the breathtakingly beautiful “Magnificat (with Wexford Carol)”…

    And for those who would like to see the Gettys performing “live”, here’s a video with highlights from Joy: An Irish Christmas.


    I might be persuaded to go back to church if they were playing in one nearby…

    I hope everyone has a peaceful holiday! I intend to spend mine listening to music, eating good food, loving my dogs, husband, and mother-in-law, and fretting about 2014. That’s just how I roll!

  • Bobbie Brown’s Dirty Rocker Boys…

    Bobbie Brown’s Dirty Rocker Boys…

    I love a good trashy tell-all. I sure found one in spades when I read Bobbie Brown’s Dirty Rocker Boys

    Remember this song?


    Warrant’s biggest hit…

    Back in the early 1990s, Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” was a big hit. I was in college when the song and the video were especially popular. One guy I knew had a girlfriend and he used to affectionately called her “Sherry Pie”, a moniker that soon spread to the rest of his female friends. For awhile, a couple of my male buddies were routinely calling me “Jenny Pie”, even though I was never a big fan of hairbands nor was I dating any of those guys.

    Over twenty years later, I happened to be snooping TelevisionWithoutPity.com for information about former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Courtney Cook, who had mysteriously left the team for some dramatic reason not revealed on the DCC’s reality TV show, Making the Team. I didn’t find any relevant information about Courtney Cook’s sudden departure from the team, but someone did post a link to the 1987 Miss Teen USA pageant, which featured performances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

    In 1987, current DCC director Kelli Finglass was still on the team at performed at the pageant. Team choreographer, Judy Trammell, also happened to be performing that night. As I watched the clip of them, it occurred to me that I had actually seen the pageant when it originally aired. Since my husband was out of town, I ended up watching the entire pageant. One of the contestants that year was Bobbie Brown, who was Miss Teen Louisiana and had a crazy future ahead of her as a model, video star, and ex wife and lover of several rock stars and actors.


    Bobbie Brown’s interview begins at 3:15. In a prophetic statement, she says that she loves modeling and hopes to find an agent who can “get her work”.

    Bobbie Brown has been through a whole lot since her fresh faced appearances at the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1987. After that experience, she moved to Los Angeles, where she proceeded to audition for the hit talent show, Star Search. I know from my prior Pop Rock Nation posts on Star Search, people still love that show… Well, Bobbie Brown was very successful in the spokesmodel competition, winning a record 13 times before she finally lost to Debbie James, the other finalist in the $100,000 competition.


    This video shows Bobbie Brown’s career on Star Search…

    Somehow, I ran across the news that in 2013, Bobbie Brown was going to release a tell all book called Dirty Rocker Boys. Brown wrote this book with assistance from ghost writer, Caroline Ryder. Since I love trashy tell-alls by celebrities, I decided to download the book. As of early this morning, I have finished the book and am left with mixed impressions. The book, which is written as if Bobbie Brown is sitting in the room talking to you, is full of lurid details about her sexual escapades with a long line of rock stars. She started with the relatively benign Matthew Nelson of Nelson, then moved on to Rob Pilatus of Milli Vanilli. Jani Lane, lead singer of Warrant eventually became her husband for three years and fathered her daughter, Taylar. When Lane began drinking heavily and cheating on her, Brown moved on to Tommy Lee, whom she was “seeing” right up until Lee’s marriage to Pamela Anderson, one of Brown’s contemporaries and a big star in her own right.

    After partying with Tommy Lee, Brown moved on to Mark McGrath, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sebastian Bach, Ashley Hamilton and then Dave Navarro. She writes that Orgy’s Jay Gordon taught her why some women love receiving oral sex. She also had minor trysts with Kevin Costner and Rod Stewart. What I thought was especially funny was that at one point, she wondered if Tommy Lee had any sexually transmitted infections. Under the circumstances, I would have wondered the same thing about Bobbie Brown. She certainly got around. Her lifestyle in the 1990s was all about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

    Bobbie writes about her upbringing in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and about how her father wasn’t around much when she was growing up. She had big dreams of being a Hollywood star and she did have some brief fame in her modeling pursuits. Unfortunately, besides getting sexually involved with rock stars, she made the choice to take drugs. Brown is very detailed as she describes her experiences with crystal meth, cocaine, and speed. She explains that the drugs helped her feel like she was in control, and yet they were the main reason why she ended up broke and nearly homeless on several occasions. More than once, she sent her daughter, Taylar, to her mother in Louisiana because her own life was such a mess.

    At times, Brown comes across as likable enough. She does seem to have a pretty good sense of humor and a good heart. At other times, she comes off as immature, self-centered, and self-pitying. It’s hard to reconcile that sweet-faced teenager who was Miss Teen Louisiana in 1987 with the skanky, foul-mouthed, drug-addicted ho she eventually became in the 1990s. On the other hand, I did expect to read trash and I got what I came for, I guess. Brown also includes photos, some of which are a bit graphic. Besides the photos of her family and exes, there are also a couple of photos of her in bed just after having had sex. There’s another one of her tonguing one of her many paramours. One weird shot makes her look almost like she’s been decapitated. Since Bobbie Brown is a model, I’m surprised she’d want that image in her book.

    Anyway, if you’re looking for a trashy tell-all about hairbands and hos, I would say you’ll find it in spades with Dirty Rocker Boys… though in fairness, that title should probably also include dirty skanks, too. Seems to me that Bobbie Brown gave as good as she got, though by the end of the book, it did seem like she was starting to change her ways and had developed more depth of character. She had kind things to say about Jani Lane, who sadly died alone in a Comfort Inn after an alcoholic binge. She had developed a relationship with her father, who died about two weeks after her beloved stepfather had passed away. And it sounds like her daughter, Taylar, was smart enough to see that the hedonistic excesses of rock star life were not for her. I’d say that’s somewhat close to a happy ending.

    If you like lurid tell alls and are curious about Bobbie Brown, I’d say her book is worth reading. It’s a definite pass for those who don’t want to read about sex, drugs, and rock and roll.