Thursday, December 3, 2015

iTunes Latest - 31

I have been a user of iTunes since 2011. This service has allowed me to bring music back into my world and to reconnect with so many great songs from my past and to find some great new recent stuff as well. One of the things that I really like about music is how it becomes part of the soundtrack of the different seasons of our lives. So, I thought that I would share my latest five downloads and a bit about my thoughts on each song.
  • Ex's and Oh's - Elle King (2015) - Have you ever stumbled across a song and wondered why you had never heard it before? This was one of those. It has a sound that will just not allow it to remain in the background at low volume. Those past lovers just won't leave you alone.
  • Lady of the Valley - White Lion (1987) - I will admit to being on a bit of a White Lion kick recently. This song was a bit of a throw back when it was released. Relegate to the B-side of a singles release, it is an extended rock ballad about the desperation of loss and the helplessness of brothers taken before their time. Musically I love this piece as the electric guitar is wrapped around a purposeful artistry as opposed to raucous noise.
  • Hello - Adele (2015) - I don't know much about the Adele train with its legion of devoted fans. Apparently she has been away from recording for a few years and the world was panting and mewling in her absence. When this song was released one of her countrymen was quoted as saying, "Wow. That's how you do a comeback track!" O.K., so this one is haunting and powerful, and delivered with a husky voiced melancholy that made me notice.
  • Ride Easy - Asia (1986) - This is an early Asia song never released on a regular studio album. Even with a limited release, the lead singer of Asia has stated that this is his favorite song. It is all about letting go of the regrets that have you tied in knots expressed in that classic 80s Asia sound.
  • Cerebral Man - Pat Benatar (1988) - From Benatar's last popular album (Wide Awake in Dreamland), I have no idea what this song is about as the lyrics are so thin and veiled. However, the sum is greater than the parts on this one and it sure is easy on the ears.