Saved by Mega 95.5...again!

Another long drive from PA to WI and that 294 route around Chi-town is always killer. Thankfully Mega's rush hour show pulled me through the snarling traffic. Here is another video to satiate no one until I (someday) revitalize this long-suffering and ever neglected blog. I guess I can take heart in the fact that over 80% of blogs are abandoned.

Anyway, of all the songs I heard this one stuck in my head. Monchy y Alexandra, the first Bachata group to actually chart in the U.S., bring a mellow pop tune that even us gringos can enjoy. I just hope that everyone in this country actually starts hanging out with each other so I can go to my kids' wedding and hear stuff like this and then some music I can't yet imagine, then a hip-hop song, then a soul tune, then a bluegrass song; and finally stop having to listen to those same tired 'wedding' songs that I've labored through over the years.

Unfortunately my poor Spanish may mean that I don't realize that this song is about marital infidelity and be completely inappropriate for a wedding--until then I'll dig it, regardless of the lyrical context. Enjoy before youtube is forced to take this down for legal reasons.

Why I still love music

Yes, ANOTHER youtube video!!



All this digging around the net for old Congolese music made me wonder if there was much Gospel from either 'then' or now. Well, I didn't get a clear answer, but I found out about Makoma, this awesome group of 7 (6 brothers and sisters), formerly known as Nouveau Testament, began in the DRC and later moved to the Netherlands. The lead signer went on to release a slew of solo material, and later appear on the TV show Dutch Idol. All of that is rather trivial compared to this overly saccharine, happy, fun music; the stuff I listen to to smile and realize that trees and people and sunsets really are beautiful. Corny? Perhaps. But if you don't like it you are only 1
click away from a million other angrier artists.

This rather dated video give you that impression of some sort of fantasy-land Europe that existed prior to the riots in France in 2005 and Fortress Europe The Dutch aren't exactly in love with immigration either, but this is the 21st Century and building walls will not help any of us.

Then again, simply listening to music by those around us might not help either. Who knows. I just know that this song makes me happy, and makes me remember why I like music.

Perhaps I have found that elusive pot of gold

Having just 'discovered' Israel Kamakawiwo'ole for myself, I feel like Rip van Winkle emerging from his epic nap. How did I ignore this guy for so long? Those years wasted listening to esoteric Spanish Ska bands and 2nd rate power-pop are haunting me. Now that I have finally heard IZ, a man with an incredibly beautiful voice, over a decade after his death, I am beginning to wonder where I was getting my music news from, what rock I was living under, and what sick and evil persons out there set-out to hide such a talent from all of us. Perhaps there is an evil conspiracy afoot. Either that or musically I was lost in a sea of youthful ignorance. Whatever the case may be, I am happy to have shed the talentless and elitist Maximum Rock+Roll and other subcultural clutter from my life and allowed my ears to be opened to something so lovely.

IZ is no stranger yuppie cultural excavators such as myself, often still charting high among 'world' music sales. so there is a good chance you've heard him or heard of him. Whether you have or have not, I recommend you take (another) break from that long day of "work" (ie. net surfing) to listen to IZ.

Perhaps Joy is Still Alive

You've all heard the song "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" once or thrice. Granted there are other things that might truly 'save you', but often times music can be incredibly healing, I think that is why we are all so obsessed (or just plain bored).

Lately, to cure my own doldrums, not really all that bad by the world's or even my own standards, I've stumbled upon a few old-skool Congolese Rumba records that are blowing my mind. The rumba was the precursor to another Congolese form, soukous. I don't claim to know much about soukous, and really can't comment intelligibly on any African music. However, I can claim that the soukous and rumbas I've heard make me very happy in a way that nothing else is! (musically I mean)

This concept is not new and travel writer Frank Bures wrote on soukous' joyful qualities in an article titled The Sound of Sunshine, an excerpt:

It was a dark time, and looking back on it now,sometimes I think the only thing that saved me was soukous, a sound I had brought home with me from Tanzania. On bad days in that room, when I hadn’t seen sunlight for what felt like days, I would put my headphones on, put on Dalle Kimoko, or Kanda Bongo Man, or Pepe Kalle and be lifted up to a place where the sun was shining, a place that was green, a place where people were laughing.

Perhaps my enjoyment of such retro-genres is some sort of romanticized Afro-escapism, and it very well may be. And this time, for once, I do not care. Everyone else is into such romantic escapism; they dream of early 80s NYC, Havana in the 50s, or some glamorous hip-hop life. I don't wish to be living in a 1950s Congo or to live in a hippie fantasy of global harmony (though that'd be nice). I just like good music, music that might be very foreign to me and my upbringing and which isn't played much anymore. I don't care.

There's been a dearth of musical reissues as of late, primarily non-Western, now that all the classic rock and soul records have been reissued. However, there remains thousands of old albums from across the globe that are still new to our ears. Haven't you noticed all the compilations of Nigerian Funk from the 1970s, 1960s Thai Go-Go, or Ethiopian Jazz? So far I've been very resistant to these reissues because they seem kind of absurd and nostalgic. But, I realized that I might be absurd and listening to old esoteric recordings from some far flung place I may never go to maybe isn't all that bad. If I can truly enjoy the music for the music and not some 'escape' into a palm tree and exotic girl laden fantasy, then it is a-okay. In fact, maybe, just maybe, listening to 'world music', current or not, will open minds and foster dialogue and understanding across borders. Again, I'm being idealistic here. Maybe music can heal, or maybe it is just going to further slanted National Geographic-esque exotic fantasies. What I do know, is that this stuff is very joyful, something lacking in most music (across the globe) today. ENJOY this video from Kekele, a super group of classic rumba players. These are the cats that laid the groundwork for soukous, and the rest is history. Enjoy!

...the only band that matters.

Yes, it is winter here in Mil-town. Cold as, snowy as, and I, like everyone else, am pining for sunny climes. But there is relief, even if it is merely in the form of another musical offering. Who is that you ask? The supremely talented, but highly under-rated group, Los Lobos. I've been meaning to blog on them for a while, not merely about their musical prowess, but about how they really are a talented group that might justify musical 'escapism'. I'm sad to report that not one of my peers is interested in this magical group. Maybe it's the Chicano roots (we're all prejudiced in one way or another) or maybe it is the link to La Bamba way back in 1987, or maybe they're all too swayed by this hipster/pitchfork/indie nonsense and can't see the light beaming from a group of 50 year old guys who have been at this game for 30+ years and seem to hardly loose any steam, in fact, they continue to grow. On top of that Los Lobos (the Wolves) are perhaps one of the finest live bands around. I hate to evoke the term "jam band" but they are the quintessential jam band, though lacking any of the annoying suburban trustafarian hippy elements. Point is they can groove with the best of them and do it with a maddeningly refreshing mix of R&B, rockabilly, blues, funk, reggae, norteno, cumbia, soul, rock, and anything else they feel like throwing in the mix. Their meshing of so many styles and evocation of the American Southwest, makes me want to proclaim that if they are not the best, they are at least the MOST American band ever; and I'm not using "American" as an insult as I normally would. I mean they celebrate the American experience for the beauty that it is (despite our flaws).

A reviewer somewhere called Los Lobos a 'living repository' for all forms of American music. I think that may be a true statement. If you want to know where the hell all of your music came from, you must listen. The best part about Los Lobos is that, despite this slew of musical styles, it is all filtered through backyard parties and bar-band roots making their music some of the most accessible stuff around. They have the power to keep you up at night thinking about your lover, crying, dancing with abandon, or simply nodding along to hypnotic grooves. Some folks out there say that David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas are better than Lennon and McCartney

But on to the substance of this blog. How it relates to me, and the mini sun that I am to myself? Living through what are increasingly long and dark and depressing winters I wonder how the hell I am going to stay afloat. This band is one way. Repeatedly they come back to my attention in the depths of the winter and have the ability, both musically and poetically, to take me from my dreary surroundings. Yes, I would probably negatively call this 'escapism' but it isn't just that. This is a band that is so positively engaging that it is easy enough to not dwell on your problems and to just listen. They evoke place and time in a way that few novels can even do, and their at-times heartbreaking lyrics can sooth you and move you in almost any situation you might be in. Again I hate escapism, to the point where my friend Anto and I dismissed world music because it became more about evoking some exotic island vibe than having anything to do with appreciating the music. But not with Los Lobos, they do help you escape, but not to a fantasy world, more towards reality.

Case(s) in point. Many years back in mid-February I was in a very down state for reasons I'll not go into. A friend had an extra Lobos ticket and I went just for fun having always heard they were that good. They did not disappoint! That 2 hour show blending every genre I mentioned, jamming at length, and getting all of us to dance the whole show and even back to car was something else-perhaps the best live show I've seen. It was then that I realized WHY I love music again, that joy it gives is like nothing else.

I went on during that dark time to find a copy of Kiko, unbenownced to me, their finest album to date, a heady, groovtastic and experimental record to which songs like "When the Circus Comes to Town" and "Two Trains" takes me back in time. In a sense that record, by both taking me away from my surroundings and making me embrace them (good and bad) got me through a dark time.

Later I found a copy of the prior lp, The Neighborhood, again it was January, in Wisconsin this time, but the grooves and lyrics of hope sustained a flame inside of me that few bands or forms of art ever do. This, I think, is why I need to preach about Los Lobos. They are so good, and even in their sad songs, they evoke the fragile depths of humanity and still keep you clinging to hope. Now, they aren't all the melodrama I'm talking about, like I said before, this is a party band, and you must see them live to understand what I'm saying.

All this came about because the new lp The Town and The City came out about 18 month ago but I didn't bother to find it till this winter, and again...yeah you know it, repeat: I'm down, this lp lifts me up. Yes! I won't review it for you, but I'll recommend it and anything they've done, it is all brilliant.

last night a dj saved my life

Yes, once again (look at March 07) I was 'saved' by the much maligned reggaeton. Instead of a dance floor I was driving from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. During some point of boredom and exhaustion and just plain not paying attention I missed not only the toll road through Gary, but also 94 through downtown Chicago! So I was stuck trawling around the city on the slow and costly 294. This is a boring route through 'hillbilly hell'-like suburbs as well as the usual strip malls, airports, and nowheresville that Chicagoland is to me. This was the final leg of my trip and that extra hour through the suburbs just sucked.

I was also sick of my music and growing tired of the stale stuff I heard on Chicago-area Quiet Storm shows, though I do like the fact that there are around 3 or 4 R&B stations to choose from in Chi-town. I happened to come across a good reggaeton cut and just stayed on the station out of curiosity. To my luck it was a nationwide broadcast of a reggaeton mix spliced w/house, techno, and some merengue. Some dj bloggers think that famous DJ Kazzanova on 103.1FM sucks, but hey, to my Anglo ears it was nice, and it did a heck of a job keeping me awake to the Wisconsin border. I almost crashed a few times paying the ever-changing toll rates, 80cents, to $1 to $1.50. Just when I narrowly avoided crashing into a barrier counting out my 80cents for the toll, the rate changed! But hey, the music was still good.

And what intrigued me was the periodic between tune shout-outs in Spanglish. Granted, I missed half of em, but could at least hear the names and cities. What is interesting about reggaeton is that it really is a 'pan-Latin' thing and you get the props going to Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Salvadorians, etc. And then it got me thinking about the intense immigration networks going on here that exist 'below the surface' to most of our eyes. Those of us not somehow connected to the Latino community can live our lives wholly oblivious to this huge part of our country, though just below 'the surface' of our lives exists a huge sub-culture, if it is even sub. And then you have these migration networks scattering families all over the place with kids in Arizona shouting out their friends in Oregon, girls in Chi-town giving big-ups to the crew in Jersey City and Atlanta, and on and on. Someone should probably walk a couple miles with these kids. It is a trip some cultural anthropologist or sociologist should undertake, though they'd probably render fascinating cultural insights into academic babble that makes me want to burn the book and fire all the professors. Why is that when dealing with something as fascinating and relatively accessible as Latino youth culture, academics have to make the entire study entirely unreadable to anyone without a PhD in Sociology. Oh well, I'll go look for this treatise on reggaeton, probably published by University of California Press or worse yet, some tiny East Coast liberal arts school. We'll see and I'll let you know. Interesting stuff happening in this country, interesting stuff.

Reluctant Gay Icon

Thanks to the kindness of a friend I was able to see Rufus Wainwright at the Pabst Theater Monday night. Strange thing is, until I was offered the tickets, I had no idea he was even playing. I also knew none of his new songs and hadn't heard anything of his since the Poses era stuff, 3 albums ago. Granted I'd seen Rufus at the 9:30 Club way back in 2002, but my have things changed. No longer was he the long haired youth playing the piano alone; now he confidently stood in front of a large band, occasionally tickled the keys, and played the guitar; along with 3 other guitarists, a bass player, drummer, and 2/3 horns. But his voice is still unique and powerful. I went with no expectations but the hope to hear "Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk".

Performing to a packed crowd at the Pabst, Milwaukee's gay community came out in full force. It is worth noting a few things: the band were in absurd designer costumes, there was less playful banter than before, and the whole event was being taped for a DVD. Therefore they redid songs and re-started songs a few times. I didn't realize how popular the guy was/is until the show, not only was the venue packed, but fans knew every song, stood, screamed, and were emotionally moved at every lyric. I enjoyed it, but have to admit I was yawning at points and often more interested in watching the roving filmmakers than the band. That isn't to say it was a dull show, just that I was tired, knew none of his music, and frankly preferred the mellow tunes to the slightly dance and rock oriented numbers being thumped about.

The early set consisted of mellow tracks with heavy acoustic guitars. My references are limited, so it reminded me of Dreamland era Aztec Camera and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Later there were straight up dark tracks, then a slew of Judy Garland covers, some Celtic ballads, and rocking stuff from the new cd.

I have nothing else to say about the show other than the random things it brought to my mind. For example, my brother had an idea that music fans are like sports fans and instead of talking about athletes we talk about this drummer from this band is moving to this band, instead of the linebacker is being traded from The Bears to The Falcons. I know it is a strange idea, but kinda true, especially with most music buffs not to athletic (not even into armchair athletics). Having missed 5 years of Rufus' music reminded me of my own inability to stay in touch with pro sports when I once knew minor league goalies who later went to the NHL All-Star team. Or I think that Mark Messier is still playing in Edmonton (FYI he retired after NYC). I feel the same way about music, that when I stopped listening, time stopped. Rufus Wainwright should still have long hair, smoke during the set (which he didn't do), be on dope, and sing "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk". Well, 5 busy years came and went and people did stuff, and changed, and well, that is life. I just can't be bothered.

What else, hmmm...Rufus dressed in Lederhosen for the Milwaukee crowd which was a nice touch. He also invited fans and his current lover on stage for some antics. At the end of the show (which approached 2 hours!) the guitarist played a banjo to two swooning girls up front and I looked back at the mad crowed cheering for an encore and thought of the Joe Strummer show I saw 5 years ago and how the fans still cheered and wouldn't budge after 2 encores and the bouncers commenting that they'd never seen such devotion. I remember that show and almost cried remembering the acoustic version of "Island Hopping" Joe did as his 2nd encour . Anyway, enough indulgence. I left the show with my friend without seeing the encore. I guess I'll get a 2nd chance in 2012. Dag.

After arriving at home tired and bleary eyed, I couldn't go to bed because the perfect weather and full moon just demanded my attention!

FYI: I later read that the show went 3 hours, he dressed in drag, and did a choreographed dance with the band! Maybe we shoulda stayed a little while longer.

Don't look back in anger...

Driving through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona I was forced to endure an epic amount of country music. The din of country ceased only for hip-hop as we crossed the Navajo reservation or found a good tejano song. However, I found myself enjoying country after the 10th straight hour. One song stood out, Jake Owen's "Starting With Me". It is a little melodramatic, which one comes to expect. Half of the country I heard rambled about how everything was, "Better before....". Whether they are lamenting lost love, dead dogs, missing fathers, memories of camping with Coleman lanterns and cans of good ole' American Coca-Cola, every country singer is here to tell you how it all went wrong. "Starting With Me" is no different, but reminds me of my own ongoing laments about nearly everything I've done. Enjoy!

Weak Post

Yeah I know, another video...lame. For now, to thank those of you who read this blog, please check out this crude video but great song by Tanya Stephens. Tanya's been on the dancehall scene since the mid-90s crossing over to yuppie worldbeat enthusiasts like me in 2004 with her Gangsta Blues lp. That had some good tracks, but this 2006 release Rebelution is amazing. I highly recommend it--not your usual songs about sex, ganja, violence, sex, and more sex. Okay, some of the later, but more of politics, religion, morality, relationships, and more.

New(ish) sounds from David Brown (Brazzaville)

Given this extended winter and dull life I have, about the only thing that gets me up during a boring job, a slow social life, and a moribund economy, is music. Knowing nothing about David Brown or his band, Brazzaville, I collected some friends and headed down to the Cactus Club in Bayview last Thursday for the final US date of David Brown's 3-city US tour. Thanks to WMSE Mil-town was lucky enough to be on this brief tour.

F.Y.I. David Brown was an LA runaway who spent his teen years on the streets, then traveled the world on a shoestring, played sax with Beck, then moved to Barcelona and started Brazzaville. David Brown strikes me as a younger, more street gigolo friendly, globe trotting, and sexier version of Jonathan Richman. Though Mr. Brown deals in more serious topics such as squalid slum life, international trade, child soldiers, and of course ladies, an affection he shares with Mr. Richman. However, David Brown is a more complicated study. He channels the likes of Lou Reed and even Tom Waits in his singing but is smoother and less down and out. His style evokes much of bossa nova, pop, jazz, and folky indie rock with Latin influences.

I had never listened to any of Brazzaville's music prior to the show. Brazzaville is basically David's band with a crew of Spaniards and expats formed in Barcelona. They tour the world in such diverse locales as Russia, the Ukraine, Turkey, and recently embarked on a journey in a vegetable oil powered boat. This music is perfect for any romantic who also happens to cry whilst reading The Economist, has spent time in Brazil, and loves to go on the road and make new friends.

David was joined by two local musicians playing drums (and percussion) and bass (and keys and vocals). They ran through about 20 Brazzaville tunes, none of which I knew. I did really enjoy some of the tracks like "Jesse James" and "17" off of his new album and then of course that song I can't yet identify which is about the peace found flying above the ocean. There were some tracks he sung which took me to a time when I was 20 and flying from New Zealand to Fiji and just staring at the sun glistening on the ocean being hypnotised by it all.

What I really loved was that his music was weird, romantic, and fun! He got the crowd trained to sing parts of songs, got us to jangle keys as accompaniment, dance, and I had a contented feeling at one point thinking, "I'm 27, single, and alive in this age, and it is alright". Despite the horrors and tedium of hyper-modern life things can still be beautiful and I could feel that, something I rarely find in music. There is beauty in life.

For more information please check out: www.brazzaville-band.com/

In Case You Missed It...

In case you missed the Rolling Stone or Vibe promos you gotta check out Pittsburgh's own Wiz Khalifa. Though his lyrics aren't ground breaking I'm glad someone with skills and pride in the Burgh is out there making waves. Enjoy!

Salsa Vs. Reggaeton

In total my formal dance experiences, not counting House music where it is acceptable to walk in a circle with your eyes closed and hands in the air, is limited. Experiences include 2 salsa lessons and 1 night swing dancing over a decade ago. The rest of my endeavors (however limited) run the usual gamut of trying to dance to ska, reggae, Motown, r&b, house, 80s, and hip-hop.

It was with great enthusiasm that I decided to go out and dance at a salsa club with about 8 other friends (mostly beginners) on Saturday night. We got to the club for a free one hour lesson. It took me 1 hour the night before to learn the basic step so another hour to learn about 6 twists and turns, fancier footwork, and more just didn’t cut it. A neurotic white guy cannot learn how to dance (let alone loosen up) in 1 hour! I spent the better part of the evening on the floor figuring out the steps and keeping rhythm; trying to lead someone to moves which I don’t conceptualize let alone understand or have confidence in drove me insane.

The frustration of this dance (while fun anyway) was having a pretty girl complain “lead me, lead me”, when I in fact had no idea where or how to lead her in a dance I barely understood (this sorta thing comes up and derails relationships I imagine). That was very, very frustrating for a passive individual like myself who normally spends weekends in the library.

For myself, being the embodiment of passivity, ‘leading’ someone on a dance floor (or in any endeavor for that matter) is quite overwhelming. I have studied and perfected the passive life of Haruki Murakami's characters whose only pursuits involve excessive and solitary reading, cooking, exercise, cleaning, and drinking. Like Repo Man’s Otto I’ve lived my life in the passenger seat, taking it all in, while doing nothing. However, my passivity has yet to carry me on any Murakami-esque adventures with psychic, crippled, 13 year old girls to Hawaii or into deep wells. Realizing that as a purely passive human being I need to be proactive and lead people in life, even in something as simple as a dance, is very daunting.

That being said, I gave up on dancing to the salsa and meringue (I found cumbia to be easier) and found solace in reggaeton, of all things. I’ve never been a fan of reggaeton prior, finding the lyrics a bit misogynistic and the beat boring. Compared to the complicated and proactive salsa rhythms reggaeton was a relief. To reggaeton I could dance with abandon without having to lead, figure out moves 3 steps ahead or worry about complicated steps, yet it is just as sexy and fun as salsa. No wonder everyone is into this stuff! Maybe I need to rethink music, it is hard to criticize music when your dancing to it, while it is just too easy to do while sitting on the sidelines. I will no longer deride reggaeton!

What I leared from this night was that without serious study of the various forms of Latin dance I will continue to remain frustrated and in the dark and reggaeton won’t always come to my rescue. I enrolled in a beginner’s salsa class and will figure out this ASAP. Until then I'll stick to dancing to House in my kitchen and to try and 'dance like no one is watching'. I urge you, dear reader, to do the same.

Something Ain't Right

Friday night. Home from a late night at work. Turns out that Amy Winehouse is popular with everyone from Adult Contemporary show Cafe Tonight to grime MC Shystie. That got me to thinking, either this gal is a good singer, fresh (in that retro way we all love (because NO ONE is doing anything good that is new)) or we're all being duped by a rather provocative deceiver. I enjoy pop music, but after too much deep thinking I believe that I enjoy it in the same way I enjoy donuts, bootyful hip-hop videos, and suburban sprawl. It feels good at first then a dull pain sets in and I feel bad in a grinding way that isn't very obvious till I've sink into a mini-depression.

I've been battling with the media, friends, and myself the past few years whether or not contemporary music is redemptive at all. I enjoy it, but I still don't think it is all that redemptive. Most of the music out there is negative, self-deluded, and at best, escapist. Historically popular music (from rock to hip-hop to soul to whatever u like) is just self-absorption and decadence and I don't think that has changed at all. 30 years after trashing hotels and drinking yourself to death became passe people still think it is cool. If you don't believe me look at Fly Life in the Village Voice to see what passes for entertainment.

I was thinking all of the above after hearing Ms. Winehouse on WUWM's Cafe Tonight. Later I turned on the nutty Religious station WVCY which I tune into for conviction and comic relief. Of course I tuned in during the middle of a show demonizing Rock n' Roll. Naturally, they went into the excesses of the Sixties, the deaths of Janis Joplin, Van Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. Then into the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie Smalls. This show solidified my thinking that Rock n' Roll and most of it's offshoots (nearly all of today's popular music) is decadent, negative, destructive, and at least trivial. Even stuff that I enjoy, much of which is off the radar and somewhat positive, proves to be deluded, indulgent, destructive, selfish, and meaningless. Someone please let me know what they find redeeming about the music they like.

I am a big fan of music yet I feel that it rarely serves any purpose and only leaves me more unsatisfied than before I listened to it. Sure I have a bad attitude, but that isn't all of it. I think the problem is focus. Artists aren't focused on anything but themselves and thus have nothing to offer us in today's topsy turvy world.

That being said I spent last night listening to the escapist gem Breath From Another by Esthero and reading trashing Southwestern short stories in Naked Pueblo by Mark Jude Poirier. So I'm a hypocrite and don't feel good about any of it!

Bandwagon Jumping

I’m jumping on the soulful hipster, Anglophile exoticism bandwagon here with Amy Winehouse. I first heard her with Bugz in the Attic in 2005 and wasn't floored. Hearing her new stuff I'm happy to join the hype. I don’t like anorexics or drunkards, but this gal is off the chain! She can sing, she don’t care ‘bout nothing, and her retro girl group sound is oddly refreshing. There is a liberating quality to her music (as negative as it may be). Now, for the first time in maybe 5 years I’m excited about a new release. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about:

Chill Pill

1st post here...probably should be an intro. We'll get to that later. For now look for this old song by Mary Mary-"Trouble Ain't" -a real gem of their 2nd lp 'Incredible'. Poppy R&B w/mellow acoustic guitar and uplifting lyrics. Just what you need to get through a rough day, or season. I was turned onto this track (as well as dozens of others)by supreme Gospel DJ, Fitz over at BBC's 1xtra, check out his latest show featuring that track as the 'Chill Pill' and an interview with and tribute to The Sounds of Blackness at http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/djfitz/