My CD pre-order of Jolie Holland’s new album, Pint of Blood, has been delayed until mid-July. So I’m listening to the entire album streaming from Paste Magazine. The streaming was supposed to end on June 28th, but I guess someone at Paste forgot to pull the plug.
I’m on track 6 now, a new interpretation of “The Littlest Birds.” It’s all good, man, it’s all good. Fans who appreciate what she can do with a good band like in the 2007 and 2009 Daytrotter Sessions will probably enjoy the ride. I know I am. I’m loving everything she does. I love her musical sensibilities, how she incorporates her traditional bluesy influences and makes them her own, how she continually evolves as an artist.
I’m on the last track now, a piano and violin (or carpenters saw?) cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Rex’s Blues.” It’s killer. Another beautiful album from Jolie Holland.
I picked up Greg Brown‘s latest album, Freak Flag, today. I’m sampling it now. Nothing is jumping out at me. Deep voiced Greg, exaggerating the country twang in some songs, a bit too much for my tastes, leaning dangerously into honky tonk territory. No catchy tunes. Nothing great but okay, I suppose.
Thus ends my review based on sampling the album in five minutes.
Note: This is only a five-minute review of the album. More details notes will appear in the comments.
Mechanically separated turkey: …paste-like and batter-like poultry product [is] produced by forcing bones, with attached edible tissue, through a sive or similar device under high pressure
Sodium erythorbate: …has replaced the use of sulfites in many foods and serves as a preservative and to help keep meat-based products pink. Some people report side effects, including dizziness, gastrointestinal issues, headaches and, if consumed in large quantities, kidney stones.
A better hot dog: Maple Leaf’s Natural Selection Hot Dogs (which I couldn’t find a direct link too – maybe it wasn’t selling well enough and was discontinued). All the Natural Selection products appear to contain ingredients one recognizes and can make sense of. They’re a lot more expensive though.
I found one common criticism about Maple Leaf Natural Selection labeling: they appear to be misleading their labeling on their ham:
Some companies use ingredients like celery extract as an undeclared source of sodium nitrate. Maple Leaf’s Natural Selections ham, billed as containing “no preservatives” or “artificial ingredients,” does contain “cultured celery extract.”
And…
(Maple Leaf’s Natural Selections ham also contains “smoke” and “smoke flavour,” also called liquid smoke. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ruled in 1992 that food containing liquid smoke can still claim to have “no preservatives added.”)
My CD pre-order of Jolie Holland’s new album, Pint of Blood, has been delayed until mid-July. So I’m listening to the entire album streaming from Paste Magazine. The streaming was supposed to end on June 28th, but I guess someone at Paste forgot to pull the plug.
