Music review plus lyrics

[cornerofmadness]

Got five new (to me) cd's and wanted to share them.

Sweet Release & Ghost Story: Two New Ballets - Wynton Marsalis. From the exceedingly talented Marsalis family, Wynton is not just an amazing trumpeter, he's a talented composer, hailed as the best since Ellington. The trumpet vocabulary in Sweet Release is astounding and comprises the first five cuts. I preferred Ghost Story to be honest, not even knowing the ballet 'plot' is of a chinese ghost fox spirit girl which just makes it that much more interesting.

Scenes in the City - Branford Marsalis. I'll admit it, I prefer Branford to Wynton simply because I play sax (okay I play around with sax). I can't even imagine executing the finger-breaking licks in these songs. Scenes in the City (from Charles Mingus) combines narrative, jazz and street songs in a way to make you just feel the place but my favorite was "Solstice" inspired by John Coltrane's "Equinox." This cd was over far too soon.

Willow Weep for Me Wes Montgomery -This was me stretching myself. I'm not a huge fan of jazz guitar but I really enjoyed this. Wes passed when I was just a year old back in 68 (and he had no idea this particular set had been preserved). He was a legend in his time selling millions. Listening to this you know why. My favorite "Oh you crazy Moon."

Wreck of the Day - Anna Nalick - I fell in love with "Breathe 2 AM" and put this on my christmas wish list. I'm very glad I did. I like her breathy alto tones and I like the lyrics. There is a certain sameness to some of her songs but she's relatively new so I'm forgiving. I need to listen to this more to find a favorite.

Duran Duran's Greatest Hits That's the fun thing about greatest hits, you get all the good stuff and little of the dross. I love just so many of these. It takes me back to my college days and that's a good thing

And the promised lyrics. I just heard this song today on the radio and fell in love with the lyrics. They're lovely if sad and they'd fit so many characters (so if you're moved to write something, feel free and let me know where to find it)

Life Ain't Always Beautiful

Life ain’t always beautiful
Gary AllanLife ain't always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' it sweet time

[chorus]
No,life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

Life aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin' all these lonely miles

And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life dont work that way


But the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' its sweet time

No, life aint always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But its a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride