A Funk Soul Sister and Some Purplish Rain

Today, July 27, 2009 marks the 25th Anniversary of the movie Purple Rain. I can’t let this pass without recognizing the occasion and the album’s significance, not only in my life, but also in music history. This could be a great opportunity to write about the many women who have worked with Prince (Sheila E., Sheena Easton) or those who have made his songs famous (Stevie Nicks, Sinead O’Connor). Instead, I’m celebrating by listening to a cover tune by one of my favorite SWIKs, Sharon Jones. Spin magazine’s free tribute download, Purplish Rain, includes some interesting covers of every song from this classic soundtrack. The standout is “Take Me With You” by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.

Ring-a-Ting-Ting

Music comes to us in many ways; radio, movies, and of course music blogs like this one, but more frequently from TV. The first time that I heard the The Ting Tings was either in an iPod commercial or an episode of Gossip Girl. Pathetic, but true. What led me to check out their album was hearing about them from a friend at work, one of the few hip people at my day job. She mentioned that she had picked up The Ting Tings’ album last year in London. She thought she was really cool. Then she played the album for her teenage daughter, who was utterly unimpressed. Apparently, our Gen X tastes don’t translate entirely to kids today. But, what do they know? The Ting Tings bring us back to the ’80’s and simple pop rock tunes. Are The Ting Tings destined for the one-hit-wonder realm of Toni Basil’s “Mickey” or will they be around for the long haul?

MJ and the SWIK

I can't walk two feet out of my apartment without hearing a Michael Jackson song. Is it like this everywhere or just New York? Of course, the death of the “King of Pop” is tragic, but I didn’t think that he was directly relevant to this blog. Particularly, since he hasn’t put out anything of note for more than 15 years. Personally, I became more more of a Janet fan in the early ’90’s. But after some consideration, I couldn’t deny his massive his influence on pop music and the many women who have sampled his music for songs of their own.

Pine Trees and Peyroux

I love outdoor concerts. Central Park, Prospect Park, and Battery Park in NYC have all provided wonderful evnings of entertainment. Other favorite locations include large outdoor concert halls, such as SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) in upstate NY or Great Woods (now Comcast Center) in MA. I've even been to shows at the Allentown Fair in PA. But on the grass, next to the L.L. Bean store in Freeport, ME? I wasn't so sure. I was eager to see Madeleine Peyroux, but her bluesy jazz seemed more appropriate for a smokey bar and berets, not pine trees and plaids. Yet there we were on Saturday night, surrounded by fleece pullovers, and it felt like a Paris cafe.

A SWIK Summer Dance Mix

As the summer solstice and the longest day of the year draw to a close, I’m thinking about songs of the season. What is it about summer music that seems to stay with us forever? Even if you’re not a passionate music geek like me, there are songs that whenever you hear them they bring you back to a particular moment and feeling. Of course, music can bring you back to any significant moment in life. But the songs of summer, they’re different. They capture a spirit and a feeling. For me, an overall sense of freedom and joy that came with summer and being out of school. Somehow it seemed that there was just a little less supervision. Once we leave school, it becomes more difficult to capture these warm weather sentiments. Summer vacation is only a week or two, if we’re lucky. So with the equinox and the official start of summer, here are a few songs for a SWIK Summer Dance Mix. Because summer, of course, includes a lot of dancing.

SWIK Icon Series: The girl still wants to have fun

After her performance on last month’s final episode of American Idol, some may say she’s back. In fact, she never left us. 1980’s indie-pop icon, Cyndi Lauper has been putting out albums - 12 to be specific - for years. It started with the party anthem, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” in 1983. Since then, she’s done everything from rock to big band. (We’ll forgive her unfortunate foray into WWF). I discovered she had a new album in the previously mentioned dance class (see Trina’s Single Again post), where we warmed up to “Into The Nightlife” a few months ago. It’s a high energy dance tune, but does the rest of the album hold up?

Camera Obscura and my maudlin mood

Finding music to suit one’s mood can be a challenge. Particularly when it's overall ennui or daily tedium. When there's nothing bad happening (thankfully), but nothing great either, I find myself reminiscing.  So I choose some music to capture the mood, resorting to a few old stand-bys, and sit with a glass wine. But this weekend I wanted something new. I discovered Camera Obscura several years ago and decided to check out their latest album, My Maudlin Career. A fitting title for a record that will likely become a regular in my playlist for those “weakly and effusively sentimental” moments.