Review: Indigo Girls - Swamp Ophelia

 Hello!

 Just letting you know I reviewed Indigo Girls' album Swamp Ophelia for The Mancunion.

 I hope you enjoy my write-up.

 Liz x

Interview with Amy Ray

 Hello!

 It was great to interview Amy Ray of Indigo Girls for Now Then Manchester.

 We talk about the folk duo's upcoming UK tour, the secret to their long-lasting success, their solo projects, social media, writing advice and more.

 I hope you enjoy it!

 You can also read my review for The Mancunion of Indigo Girls' album Rites of Passage.

 Liz x

Review: Indigo Girls - Rites of Passage

 Hello!

 Just letting you know that my piece about Indigo Girls' 1992 album Rites of Passage has been published in The Mancunion.

 I hope you enjoy learning about this vibrant record.

 Liz x

Eurovision 2016: The Big 5 and Sweden

 Hello!

 Having reviewed all the music from the two semi-finals, I'm going to turn my attention to the songs of the six countries that had a fast-track pass to the final. They are the Big 5 - the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy - and the host nation, Sweden.

 I found this year's Big 5 showing to be very poor, with only Germany really impressing me musically, though even they were let down staging-wise. Sweden, on the other hand... Wow.

 Let's go through act by act. As always, I'll give a rating out of twenty; this is for the song first and foremost, with my comments supplying my views re vocals, performance and staging.

 UK - I must admit, this is by far the best thing we've sent for years, and the smartest: it has Eurovision written all over it. 

 However, it still isn't amazing and Joe and Jake's performance could have been better, more dynamic. I do like how Graham Norton made an appearance in one of the background photos! 14/20

 France - My mother, brother and cat liked this but I found it slightly dull.

 It's also very similar to "Moustache", France's 2014 entry, and in turn to Stromae's "Papaoutai" (to which parts of Moustache are almost identical). 

 Amir did perform with a good energy and a winning smile but the song is forgettable though, of course, it had its life prolonged after the contest by the big meme made out of Elodie Gossuin, who presented France's votes, attempting to sing it. 

 I think she was sweet and did her job pretty well, and many spokespeople reference their country's song. Anyway, "J'ai cherché" is okay but nothing special. 10/20

 Spain - This song appears to be massive in Spain and, while it's upbeat and easy to dance to, I don't think it's that great. I'd pretty much forgotten what it sounded like until I re-watched it. 

 What did stick in my mind was Barei's performance - she is full of life and fun and clearly didn't take the contest too seriously; she just wanted to enjoy it, and her joy was infectious. I loved her hair, too! The part where she fake-falls would have terrified me if it weren't for Graham Norton warning us!

11/20

 Germany - This is definitely the best Big 5 song - it reminds me of "Ghost" by Halsey in theme and tone. 

 Unfortunately, it was let down by the staging - the Twilight-esque backdrop looked tacky, when, done well, it could have been really effective. 

 While the singer, Jamie-Lee, has a right to dress to suit her personality, I felt it was way over-the-top and it made it hard to take her seriously. It was a shame, as the song was really very good. 16/20

 Italy - I couldn't remember any of this before re-watching! The song's okay, but not really Eurovision and the staging was odd in the extreme, though at least that was memorable: all the random things on sticks. 

 The cartoon-y after-effects - the ripples, stars etc that appeared to be drawn across the screen - were actually quite pretty. Normally any heavy effects of that kind in Eurovision annoy me as I think we should just see what's on stage, but these ones added a bit of umph to a dull performance. 8/20

 Now, from the rather ridiculous to the sublime, and to the song I voted for myself.

 Sweden - The first time I heard this properly was the final and I was struck by how Nate Ruess it was, in both style and vocals! I liked the understated performance and staging and found it hard to believe Frans was only seventeen, he had such presence and power.

 I voted for Sweden, but it was only later that I went from liking the song to loving it. A lot of people have compared it to "Catch and Release" by Matt Simons. 

 There is a resemblance, but not too much of one. I like both songs but prefer Frans and "If I Were Sorry". 18/20

 So, that was the Big 5 and Sweden. Watch this space for my post about the final - and expect plenty of gushing about the wonders of Petra and Måns!

 Thanks for reading!

 Liz x

Review: Roxette - Joyride

 Hi!

 Just letting you know that my Record Reappraisal of Roxette's 1991 album Joyride has been published in The Mancunion - both in print and online. I hope you enjoy learning about this classic.

 In other news, I am back from Spain and at Uni. I'm doing some interesting modules this year and trying to do plenty of writing too, both creative and journalistic. I'll post any of it that's music-related here, so watch this space!

 All my writing, musical or otherwisde, will be posted on my writer blog, so please keep an eye on that, too!

 Thanks for reading, hope you're well.

 Liz x

Review: Maura Kennedy - Villanelle

 Hi!

 In my last post I recounted the wonderful night I spent in Southport watching The Kennedys, during which I picked up a copy of Maura Kennedy's new solo album.

 Having listened to and greatly enjoyed Villanelle: The Songs of Maura Kennedy and B.D. Love, I wrote a piece for Cuckoo Review detailing how the album came into existence - because it has quite unconventional roots - and giving an overview of the different musical styles it incorporates.

 I hope you enjoy reading it.

 Liz x

Review: Roxette - Look Sharp!

 Hello all!

 I am very pleased to have had a write-up of Roxette's classic album Look Sharp! published by The Mancunion. I hope you enjoy it!

 All the best,

 Liz x

Eurovision 2014: What I thought

 Hello!

Cakes and flags made by my talented brother

 As you will know if you follow this blog or my Facebook page, I am a huge Eurovision fan. It is quite possibly the highlight of my year. I just love the sense of together-ness, of people all over Europe watching and enjoying the same spectacle.

☀♥✈

The host nation:

 One thing I like about Eurovision is learning about the host nation, and in this way I felt slightly let down this year, as I found there wasn't much information about Denmark, or Copenhagen as a city.

 The only thing that had anything to do with Danish culture was the performance of Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling in one of the semi-finals. I would have liked more of that sort of thing, especially in the final.

☀♥✈

The hosts:

 I thought the show was well-hosted, though I preferred Petra Mede last year. I think some of the hosts' humour was perhaps lost in translation, as I didn't find some things funny that I think I was supposed to.

 I also didn't really get the continual China references - was that an in-joke of some kind? Overall, though, it was better hosted than a lot of past contests.

☀♥✈

The venue:

 I was amazed when I saw pictures of the venue from the outside - it is a pair of former shipping containers, and looked so different from more glamourous past Eurovision venues. Yet inside, it looked wonderful; I liked the stage design and how it matched the gem theme of the contest.

☀♥✈

The theme:

 When I first encountered the gem theme, I thought it too simple and ordinary. However, it really worked on the night and looked quite arty. The tagline, "#Join us," is too similar to Norway's 2010 slogan, "Share the moment," and I feel that Norway captured the sentiment better with their flashmob. But it is a nice sentiment to have in the first place.

 I could have done without the hash tag, though. Not all of us use Twitter, and those of us who don't can still be part of Eurovision.

☀♥✈

The songs:

 I thought the standard of songs this year was really good - probably the best overall quality across all the songs that I remember seeing at Eurovision. However, for me there were few really excellent songs. I voted for Malta and the Netherlands, my favourites by a long way. 

 I also quite liked Spain's song. But that was it. While many other songs were good, they just didn't blow my mind.

☀♥✈

The winner:

 I like how Conchita's victory was a victory of sorts for equality. Also, Tom, the guy whose character she is, seems really nice in interview. However, I don't really like the song - it just seems to be about three other songs pasted together and generally dull. 

 The ideal situation for me would have been for Conchita to have come second, which would still have made a stir and a statement, and for the Netherlands to have won because they had the better song and it is a song contest at the end of the day.

☀♥✈

 I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on the show. Congratulations to Conchita and to Austria, and thank you to everyone who was involved in making Eurovision 2014 such a great success.

 Here's to Eurovision 2015 in Austria!

 Thanks for reading! I have also written an article about Eurovision for my university's student newspaper, if you would like to check it out.

 Liz x

Songs: Coming Home - Firelight - 2014

Calm After the Storm - The Common Linnets- 2014

Interview with The Kennedys

 In March 2012 I first experienced Pete and Maura Kennedy's wonderful music when they opened for Nanci Griffith during her UK tour. Since then I have been a huge fan of their beautiful lyrics and powerful melodies. 

 This year I am hoping to come and see them again on their own UK and Ireland tour. Meanwhile, I have had the huge honour of interviewing this folk-rock duo about their musical journey.

Photo: Shelagh Gibson

 1 Pete, Maura, thank you so much for letting me interview you. It is a great honour as I adore your music and have a great deal of respect for you both as musicians. 

 I want to begin - well, at the beginning. How did each of you first get into making music, and which artists inspired you when you were younger?

Maura: I'm from a big family, but I'm the only one who got into music. There was no record player in my house growing up, so the only music I heard when I was really young was on TV - reruns of the Monkeys and the Partridge family! I think that's why I like poppy melodies. When I was older, I gravitated towards school chorus and musicals. 

 Then in my junior year of high school, I discovered a used record store on the campus of Syracuse University. At least three times a week my friends and I would take a city bus from the northern suburbs down to Syracuse University and spend hours looking through the vinyl there. 

 The people who worked there would always play anything that looked interesting to us. That's where I first heard everything from Badfinger to The Clash to Fairport Convention to Joan Jett. I just loved so many kinds of music, and I found a musical treasure trove in that store. 

Pete:  I was inspired by The Beatles, who seemed to be creating a new kind of lifestyle, based on music and camaraderie, and also by Bob Dylan, who seemed to be speaking with courage for my generation. Those artists gave me a feeling that by playing music, I was joining a global artistic community that offered inspiration and support.

2 Would you mind telling me how the two of you met; did you know at once that you would make a good partnership?

Pete: Maura and I met at the Continental Club in Austin Texas, while I was in town playing a solo gig between Nanci Griffith tours. We wrote a song right away, and realized at once that we had a certain perfect chemistry both musically and personally. 

 I left town shortly afterwards to play a festival in the Rocky mountains, and after that we each drove five hundred miles to meet up at Buddy Holly's grave site in Lubbock, a remote town in Texas. A few months later, Maura joined  Nanci's band, and we have been together ever since!

3 You have had the chance to work with some of the most respected folk/country/rock and roll artists of the 90s/00s; this video especially for me is a summing up of why I love country music! 

 How did it feel to be working with such incredible musicians, and do you feel they have influenced you musically?

Pete: Working with Nanci has given me the chance to play with and observe John Prine, Guy Clark, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett and many other great artists. 

 I have been able to see how each one prepared and put together a performance, so I have had a broad and deep overview of the singer-songwriter genre.

Maura: That was one of my very first shows with Nanci Griffith. What an introduction! I kept thinking there was some mistake that they let me on that stage to sing with all those musical giants. 

 At one point, I was sharing a microphone with my one of my musical idols, Emmylou Harris. I was in awe of her, and I remember feeling unworthy at the time. I stood further back from the mic than her so that my voice wouldn't cover hers up, and I'll never forget, at one point, her hand on my back, nudging me closer to the mic! 

 I just kept my ears and eyes opened those two nights, and tried to memorize every moment as it was happening. It was 20 years ago now, but I do remember every detail. And thank goodness that video exists!

 4 Following on from the above; I noticed that you both featured in Nanci Griffith’s Other Voices Other Rooms concert film; in which she and contemporary artists interpreted songs by artists who had inspired her. 

 I imagine taking part in that show must have been an amazing experience? Would you consider organising such an event one day about artists who have inspired you?

Maura: Sure we'd consider it, but I don't know if such a thing could come together as well as it did for Nanci. There was definitely an aligning of planets that happened with that project. 

 Sharing the stage with Nanci, Townes Van Zandt, Odetta, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Alison Krauss, Iris DeMent, Jimmy Dale Gilmore and on and on... I'm still amazed to think of it now. 

5 On the theme of collaborations; who is the person you are happiest to have had the pleasure of working with? And who is your dream collaborator? 

Maura: I have a photo of me singing with Patti Smith, Joan Osborne and Cyndi Lauper from an annual John Lennon tribute concert that we participated in a few years ago.

Photo: Theo Wargo

 It's apparent by the look on my face just how amazing that moment was for me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event that I'll never ever forget. 

 But I'm also extremely grateful and amazed that I've spent so many good years collaborating with one of my earliest heroes, Nanci Griffith. 

 Whenever she asks me to co-write a song with her or take us along on a tour, both as her opening act and as band members, I always think of my 19-year-old self, and wonder how I would have responded back then if someone had told me this would be such a big part of my future. It's been a dream come true for me. 

 But I'm happiest still to have had the good fortune to have spent the past 20 years (!) making music and touring with my husband, Pete. 

 I always think, "how long can this last?" and every year that we find we still have people who are interested in our music enough to keep us working as full-time-musicians, is a great big gift of a year -- a gift I never expected from the universe, and am always grateful for.

Pete: Of course Maura is my favorite person with whom to collaborate, but I have also learned a tremendous amount about pure artistry from working with Nanci, as well. 

 My dream collaboration would be to play with The Band, back when they were known as The Hawks, and played rock and roll in small clubs on Canada, but I don't think that will ever happen now!

6 You both write some beautiful, beautiful songs - which we will get on to in a minute - but you have also been known to cover such artists as Dave Carter, The Byrds and Bob Dylan. 

 When you cover a song, do you think it is important to conserve the feeling and intention of the original, or do you feel free to perhaps come up with a new interpretation of your own?

Pete: We only cover songs that express our own feelings, when we are fortunate enough to find one, so we don't feel compelled to copy the original. We turn it into a Kennedys song for our version.

Maura: At the same time, we don't feel like we have to drastically change the original either. If the lyrics and the melody speak to us enough to want to cover, we'll play and sing the song "in our style", which is usually more of a feeling or mood.

7 Now for your own songs - you have written some amazing material. My personal favourites include “Life is Large,” “River of Fallen Stars,” and “A Bend in the River.” 

 I wanted to ask how the song writing process works for each of you: say you want to write a song; do you sit down and write, or do you wait for inspiration to come to you? 

 How often, on average, so you write a new song, and how does your partnership work when song writing?

Pete: Maura writes from inspiration when she feels strongly about something that she can express in poetic terms. I tend to write to fill out a mental template for an album, our live show, or maybe a certain style of music that would add variety to our repertoire.

Maura: Pete is very disciplined. If he thinks we need a new song, or a new kind of song in our repertoire, he'll just be able to sit down and write one. For me, I have to NEED to write a song, emotionally, intellectually. Usually, the song screams to be written by the time I actually sit down and do it.

8 Are the people in “Life is Large” (“I knew a man...”) based on real people you have known? Could you tell me what inspired you to write Life is Large; a song I find really beautiful?

Maura: One of Pete's oldest friends used to play and sing with us. One day he told us a story about being on tour when he was younger. He was with a whole band, and somewhere in the middle of the U.S. he met a woman and fell in love with her, and so he left the tour then and there and stayed with the woman. 

 I remember asking him, "Weren't you worried about leaving the band in the middle of a tour?" He just laughed and said, "Life is large!" 

9 You have both produced solo material over the years; does your style of music/songwriting vary between your solo material and that recorded as The Kennedys?

Pete: I have a degree in History, so I study musical styles and gravitate towards roots music, with bits of Jazz and Classical. 

 Maura is interested in contemporary indie rock and pop, but also has broad knowledge of roots music, so we meet in the middle with a synthesis of past styles and forward looking pop music.

10 You have a new album out, Closer Than You Know. I personally love it, especially the tracks “Winter,” “Sigh” and “Big Star Song.” Could you tell me what inspired this album?

Pete: Our new CD was inspired by a desire to blend our folk/pop sound with the Impressionist sounds of Paris in the early 20th Century, so there is a little bit of both.

Maura: Pete's talking about the musical aspect of the album. Lyrically speaking, there's a theme running through the album that is one of encouragement. That came from a few years of noticing and reacting to close friends who have been going through difficult times. 

 I've seen more and more of that in the past few years, and I've come to realize that you can't always make your friends' problems go away. But being a friend means listening empathetically, and offering encouragement and hope. 

 The title "Closer Than You Know" comes from a line in our song, "Happy Again", which states that a return to happiness is "Closer than you know, but it seems so far."

11 You’ve also recently contributed a track to Trouble in the Fields: An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith. The track in question is “I’m Not Drivin’ These Wheels,” a favourite of mine. 

 Why did this particular track appeal to you, and why did you choose to get involved in this project?

Pete: Many of Nanci's classic songs have a repeated structure of three or four chords that create a foundation over which the singer can phrase freely, and I'm Not Drivin' These Wheels is a good example.

Maura: We not only contributed to it, we conceptualized and produced the project, and we got all the artists together and collected their tracks. In some cases, as in the case of John Stewart and Amy Rigby, for example, we recorded their tracks in our own studio. 

 We just felt that Nanci should be recognized as a songwriter, and that the musicians playing on this tribute should be mostly musicians who have a personal or musical connection to Nanci directly. 

 There were so many Nanci songs we could have chosen, but I wanted to do a lesser-known song, and this one speaks to me, as it's a song about touring the Northeast U.S. in the winter - something we've done a ton of!

12 One thing that endears me to you as a group is that you seem to have a very strong relationship with your fans - you let me have a photograph and signed my copy of your album when I went to see you for my birthday, and you keep in touch with fans via Facebook and YouTube. 

 Do you feel this contact and communication with your fans is important? In addition; as your success has grown over the years, do you feel it has become harder to maintain that relationship?

Pete: The direct relationship with fans became possible because of the Internet and social networks, which came online right at the time that we started playing together, so that has been our way of staying in touch with our audience from the beginning.

Maura: I agree. Social networking has made it much easier for us to stay in touch with our fans. 

13 You are touring the UK and Ireland in May/June 2013, as you have done in the past; also your new album features a U2 song - do you feel that British and Irish music has been a big influence on you?

Pete: The folk, country, rock and pop music of the US are a mixture of Celtic melodies and African rhythms, reflecting America's cultural diversity. Celtic melodies, filtered through the modernist energy of British rock and pop, are the basis for our music.

14 What do you feel is your greatest achievement, musically or otherwise? And if you each had to pick a favourite of your own songs (as The Kennedys or solo), which would it be?

Pete: Our greatest achievements have been instances in which we inspired or empowered an individual to move confidently to a better place in their own life. That means more to us than record sales, awards etc.

Maura: I agree. I think maybe our greatest achievements are ones we're not even aware of. Last night, after a show, a woman came up to me and was sobbing, and she just grabbed me and hugged me and cried. I asked her if she was OK, and she said, "You have no idea what a powerful energy you're putting out into the world!" She was right! I had no idea! 

 Every now and then, someone as generous as that woman will let me know what our music means to them, and we're very lucky for those glimpses. 

 My two favorite Kennedys songs are "Breathe", which is about death-as-a-kind-of-birth, and "I'll Come Over" from our new album. That one is very emotional for me.

15 As a student of French and Spanish, I am interested to know; does either of you have a second language, and would you consider recording songs in a language other than English?

Pete: We both speak a little French, enough to visit the country as tourists, but not enough to compose convincing lyrics!

16 What are your plans for the future? Do you think you will be in the music industry for the rest of your lives, or are there other projects planned? Do you have one lifelong ambition you really want to fulfil?

Pete: We will both always play music, and Maura is involved in acting in New York, as well.

Maura: All I ever wanted to do was play music. I am constantly amazed and grateful that I have made my living from it for the past 20 years. 

 I hope I never have to stop. I don't think I will, though. I always say to Pete, "if things ever slow down to the point where we need a day job, we can always just go down into the subway and busk for coins. All you have to do is play until you have enough money to eat or pay your rent, and I like playing and singing enough that I wouldn't have to stop."

17 Finally, why do you think, sometime in early civilisation, humans invented music? 

 Music is not essential to our survival, yet across different continents, different cultures, music developed and it has survived so many changes in the world and they way we live. 

 Why is music pleasing to us? And, I guess the killer question; what is music?

Pete:  Joseph Campbell commented that when we use our brains and bodies for anything other than basic survival, we are approaching the realm of art, so I think that the process goes back to the Lascaux cave paintings, the African Earth Mother figurines, and beyond. 

 Rhythmic grooves probably developed out of the rhythms of the body, starting with the heartbeat, and some scholars think that the first human communication may have sounded like what we call singing, so music is a basic impulse to communicate, and also to create.

Maura: I was walking down the street yesterday and thinking about my life and about, really, EVERYONE'S lives, and I thought, everything we do as humans is either to pay our expenses (survival), or to enjoy the experience of being human (being happy, making others happy). 

 If you can combine the two in your life's work, then you've really got something. That's what music is to me. It's my whole way of life. I'm glad I figured it out before I was told that it wasn't practical!

Thank you again for your time, and I wish you the very best – may you continue to be as amazing as you have been for twenty years, and may you keep blowing us away with your incredible talent and compassion.

Interview by Liz Gibson, March 2013

Review: The Kennedys - Closer Than You Know

 I am going to review Closer Than You Know by US folk/rock duo The Kennedys, first released in late 2012. Being a Kennedys fan, I had high expectations for this album, and it didn't disappoint. I'm going to take you through the album track by track, and then give my final verdict. Enjoy!

1) Winter - This song struck me immediately as quite different to other Kennedys songs; it has a dark, haunting feel to it and sounds more heavily produced than their other songs.

 Maura's voice sounds as though it has been put through a synthesiser which normally I would object to as it is beautiful without; however here it adds to the the mysterious feel of the song, creating a very powerful overall effect.

 It's intense; a song you can get lost in. A good opening track that takes you by surprise and makes you wonder what is still to come in this album.

2) Rhyme and Reason - I heard somewhere that this album had some jazz influence; I feel that in this song it is most apparent. Certainly has a jazzy feel to it, a nice melody and some particularly nice vocals from Maura.

 Something about it reminds me of Tumble and Fall by Nanci Griffith, a song I love. Rhyme and Reason is not my favourite track on the album personally, but nonetheless a good, well-crafted song.

3) I'll Come Over - This was the first song from this album that I heard - way back in early 2012 when I saw The Kennedys in concert for the first time. I liked it then and it has really grown on me.

 Hearing the story behind it; that Maura wrote the lyrics for friends who were going through a tough time, makes it even more poignant. Beautiful lyrics, beautifully sung, with real emotion.

4) Cradle to a Boat - Not one of my stand-out tracks on the album, but a good song with some interesting lyrics, nice Spanish-style guitar work; certainly has its own ambiance. It seemed to finish very suddenly for me; I could have listened to another verse and chorus to try to better understand this unusual song.

5) Sigh - One of my favourite songs on the album. This could very easily have been a kitsch ballad, but Pete and Maura have managed to avoid that, and have instead produced a sophisticated, moving song that does exactly what I imagine it was intended to do - make you feel a bit better when you are feeling sad. Every bit of this song is gorgeous.

6) Home - I wasn't keen on this song at first, but it has grown on me somewhat; it has the same mysterious, haunting feeling as Winter and Cradle to a Boat.

 It's a song I'd have to listen to in the right frame of mind; if I were feeling down then the sadness of the song probably wouldn't help! But it's an interesting song; one I'll have to listen to again to try to understand the meaning behind the lyrics.

7) Marina Dream - This isn't the song I was expecting; Marina Dream sounds - well, dreamy and relaxing. Instead, this is fast, urgent; like an epic from the middle ages. I like it.

8) Made of Sand - Certainly the most rock-orientated track on the album, this song of Maura's has nice lyrics, and her voice goes incredibly well with the beat... I'm very jealous of her ability to sing equally wonderfully on folk and rock tracks.

9) Big Star Song - I really like this. I listened to a few Big Star songs in preparation for reviewing this track, as I wondered if it was meant to sound like one. My conclusion is that it sounds more like a Kennedys song, which can never be a bad thing!

 I could go on and on about Maura's vocals on any song and have tried to avoid doing so as it would become very repetitive. However, I feel this song deserves special mention. When she sings, "... the days are longer, maybe he'd have held on," and then on "lost in time," her voice is particularly gorgeous.

 Whether this song is a straight tribute to Alex Chilton or a love song combined with an Alex Chilton tribute I'm not sure, but it is certainly very beautiful and is probably one of the two songs on this album I've listened to most, the other being the next track I am about to discuss: Wild Honey.

 10) Wild Honey - This is The Kennedys' take on the U2 song; having U2 fan parents I probably heard the original once but had forgotten it when I heard the Kennedys' version, and it blew me away.

 I subsequently listened to the U2 version, and I probably prefer the Kennedys' one. However, I'm not going to launch into comparisons; I'm simply going to talk from now on about the Kennedys version as a song in its own right.

 I love the guitar work; the intro is lovely, as are the vocals, especially on "wild, wild, wild..." I think this song suits Maura's voice and the Kennedys have done a great job of making the song their own despite not straying that far from the original. Lovely song and perhaps my favourite on the album.

11) Happy Again - Like I'll Come Over and Sigh, this song seeks to comfort those in pain or sadness, and includes the album title, "closer than you know." It's a good song, perhaps not one of my favourites, but it's clear that the lyrics come straight from the heart.

12) Winter Lies - The album began with a song about winter and ends with one. Winter Lies is slow, almost like a poem, full of wintry imagery. It'a very different from the rest of the tracks, but provides a peaceful finish to the album.

 Overall, I really enjoyed this album; it follows a number of different directions, from the jazzy Rhyme and Reason to the rocky Made of Sand to the folksy Wild Honey. Sigh is the high point for me musically; I think it is one of the Kennedys' best songs.

 According to the album cover Maura wrote all of the lyrics for this album (besides Wild Honey) and I applaud her, as there are some very nice ones, particularly in Cradle for a Boat, Made of Sand and the aforementioned Sigh.

 As always, Pete's guitar playing and arrangements are superb, and Maura's voice is stunning. This album has all you would expect from the Kennedys, which added to the diversity of musical styles makes Closer Than You Know a very strong release.

 Rating: 8/10

Angels

 Hello everyone!

 It is Friday - it often seems to be a Friday when I write on this blog - and I am home from University for the weekend. It's nice to be home ♥

 I love Uni but there is nothing like being with your family and your cat and sleeping in your own bed and watching Christmas songs on the telly together.

 I have been planning for a while to do a post about angel songs - in fact, the seeds of this idea were first sown in my mind as I finished my last blog post about Eurythmics as I remembered their song "There Must Be an Angel," and it reminded me of other angel songs that I like.

 I here present to you three angel songs which happen to be from three different decades. They are all very special to me.

♥

 Firstly; There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart). I had heard it before but sort of rediscovered it when it was featured on Dancing On Ice (a British TV show in which celebrities compete in the art of figure skating. I watch it on occasion). Here it is:

 I hadn't thought I had seen the video; however watching it it seems very familiar, so I must have done. Or maybe I saw it in a previous life.

 I like this song: really nice beat as always with Eurythmics, and Annie Lennox's voice is as beautiful as ever, and I was pleasantly surprised at how high she is able to sing in parts of this song - she has an amazing range. Overall a lovely song, and one where you feel safe in the strong, steady beat. A great and classic number.

♥

 That song reminded me of "Heaven Must be Missing an Angel" by the Tavares. I was delighted when I found out that this song was by them - I have loved their song "More Than A Woman" for many years.

 Right from the opening chimes you know this will be a great song, and again, that beat... this is such a beautifully produced song, and they move so well too! I always want to get up and dance and sing along when I hear this.

 Although I have loved and appreciated their music for many years, I have never known much about the Tavares so I looked them up just now and discovered that: (1) they are brothers, (2) Tavares is their surname - somehow it never occurred to me this might be why they were called the Tavares, (3) they are still performing to this day and (4) More Than a Woman is originally a Bee Gees song from Saturday Night Fever. Now that's something I never knew.

 I've just listened to the Bee Gees' version of More Than A Woman and I like it but I think I prefer the Tavares one.

♥

 Now for a third angel song: Angels by Nanci Griffith. 

 This song was also sung by John Farnham and I was always curious as to who wrote it - it didn't sound to me like a Nanci-written song. Now Wikipedia is telling me that Angels was written by Tom Kimmel and Jennifer Kimball. If so,well done them - this is a beautiful song.

 And well done to whoever made this video; it is really pretty. Also, the angel at 1.35 reminds me of Aliona Vilani!

 I find this song quite different to other material of Nanci's, and I love hearing her voice interpreting someone else's song, and a more pop-based song than her usual country style. Don't get me wrong, I adore her country songs, but it's nice to hear her try something a bit different.

 It was probably a bit of a risk. But I think the risk paid off - this song is so beautiful and is one of my favourite Nanci songs. I am sad that I only discovered it maybe a year ago (considering it was released in 2004).

 The instrumental is particularly lovely. And the lyrics are gorgeous and rather reassuring, I think:

"We're lifted up by angels,

Higher than the world,

Strong enough to leave it, bound to learn the secret; angels never hurt."

 To me, "angels never hurt" can be interpreted as meaning that dying doesn't hurt; that leaving this world doesn't hurt, it isn't painful, and once we learn that, the angel's secret, we can stop being afraid of dying. And I find that idea quite reassuring. This is a gorgeous song, so thank you to the songwriters and thank you to Nanci.

♥

 I hope you enjoyed my selection of angel songs. I am aware that there are other songs about angels - Robbie Williams springs to mind - but I think I'll stick with these three as they are songs that mean something to me personally and which I wanted to share with you. 

 I think they explore - and celebrate - the concept of angels. The first song sees them as a divine presence that can make you fall in love; the second talks about a lover so amazing she must be an angel; the third describes angels as guardians who guide and look after you during life and death. 

 Personally I believe that everybody has it in them to be an angel and to do something special for someone else; to be there for them when they need an angel or a miracle.

 So be an angel! 

 Thanks for reading my blog, may the angels watch over you,

 Liz x

Songs: There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) - Eurythmics - 1985
Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel - Tavares - 1976
Angels - Nanci Griffith - 2004

Manchester, Glasgow and Eurythmics

 Hello!

 It is Friday and it has been a while since I last posted on this blog, so I apologise for that. There have been times when I have really wanted to write a post to share a song or memory but I have had to put university work first.

 However, I am planning on making myself a blog schedule so that I can fit blogging into my week and still get everything else done. I am aiming to write at least two posts a week on this blog from now on. That is the plan!

♥

 How am I? Okay, on the whole. Tired! But enjoying Uni so much. I keep meeting amazing people and making wonderful friends.

 I really love the seminars and the style of teaching and I really look forward to lectures and learn a lot.

♥

 I also love living in Uni accommodation - it is really nice living with so many of my friends and being able to see them every morning and evening at breakfast and dinner - one of the many joys of being in a catered Hall.

 We had a formal dinner on Tuesday - it was the Hall's second one this year but my first. It had a Harry Potter theme so there were a handful of wizards and other spooky characters, and cobwebs draped over the wine bottles. The food was lovely, as it always is in Halls, and we got to wear gowns, which was fun. I had a nice evening.

♥

 Manchester looks very beautiful right now, in that bit of time when autumn and winter overlap, with the trees all green and gold and yellow. There have been some truly gorgeous sunsets and I am so proud and happy to call this place my home.

♥

 Over reading week, which happily coincided with my brother's half-term, I went with my family to Glasgow, another city I adore. The Clyde was as stunning as ever, especially at night with all the lights from the buildings and the bridges reflected in it.

 We visited the city centre at night, something we hadn't got around to doing before, and it was so scrumptious; all the lights and the beautiful buildings illuminated and the hustle and bustle of people doing their shopping and chattering and laughing.

 And somebody was playing an oboe in the street which was lovely and is a bit of a coincidence considering my last post on this blog was about an oboe piece!

♥

 We visited the Kelvingrove Museum and the Glasgow Science Centre; both were amazing as always and in the latter I watched a show in their planetarium which was really good. As I've mentioned before on this blog, I adore stargazing, and I learnt a few things that I hadn't known before. It was so soothing just sitting gazing up at the stars while gentle, relaxing music was played. A lovely experience.

 All of my trip to Glasgow was lovely and I was sad to leave, but it was nice returning first to my home in Wigan and then to Manchester. How lovely to have so many places you feel you can call home.

♥

 Music-wise I have been listening to a lot of The Cure, Nanci Griffith, Alison Moyet and Martika.

 "You've Placed a Chill in my Heart," by Eurythmics, got stuck in my head for a while for some reason, and at times I found it merging with with "Why" by Annie Lennox. Which is understandable in a way, because in my opinion the two songs are quite similar and of couse they both feature Annie Lennox's excellent vocals.

 I comment on Why in my post, "The Best of British," if you are interested in hearing my views on it.

 2.19 to 2.27: I love this bit! You go, girl! The above version of You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart is the original uptempo version, but for most of my life the only version I knew is the acoustic one below. 

 I love both versions but I think I slightly prefer the acoustic one because it feels, as acoustic performances often do, more raw and natural and honest, and straight from the heart. In fact, when I first discovered the faster version I wasn't keen on it, but have come to love it and see it as a great song in its own way.

♥

 I'll sign off here for now, but I will hopefully be back very soon! I still have some really good news to tell you, so watch this space!

 Thanks for reading!

 Liz x

Songs: Why - Annie Lennox - 1992

You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart - Eurythmics - 1987/8

You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart (Acoustic Version) - 1988