Best albums, July/August 2011

I did not really have any favorite albums from July, but my favorite album from August 2011 was If Stones Could Talk by Gene and Gayla Mills.  The sound was strong, and the lyrics were gripping.

One of my favorite songs on this album was "Everyday Things" which talks about how love songs say I would walk through fire for your or I would die for you, but those things are not often needed.  Instead, love is about things like dusting, preparing food, and listening without telling the other person what to do.

Other memorable songs on this album included "Talking to a Stone" about spending time with people while they are still alive, and "Twelve Days," about unemployment.

I think my second favorite album was Every New Day by Smithfield Fair.  I'm generally a fan of Smithfield Fair, though this album was not particularly outstanding relative to their other albums.

We received seven albums by David Rovics in August. Of those, my favorite was his children's album, Har, Har, Har -- Songs about Pirates, Penguins, and Punk Rock Babies.  David Rovics usually sings about social justice, and this album was no exception.  In "Bullies," he sings about children organizing to stand up to the older children who bully them, and then organizing against air pollution.

Songs that impressed me from the other David Rovics albums included "The More Gardens Song" about people in a run-down neighborhood starting a garden on a vacant lot, and "The Key," about a Palestinian woman.  "Hiroshima" told the story of the dropping of the bomb in a way that emphasized the impact on ordinary people going about their lives.

I also enjoyed Moody Bluegrass TWO...Much Love -- A Nashville Celebration of the Moody Blues.  I enjoyed hearing some songs that were familiar to me from the days when they were popular, but my favorite song on the album was a song I had not heard before.  I was "Nice to Be Here," performed by Sam Bush.  It describes being outdoors and perceiving the sounds of nature as a concert.

I was also impressed with the quality of A Passing Glimpse by Pharis and Jason Romero.  This music is more traditional folk/bluegrass, which does not fit my tastes quite so much.