Monthly Archives: September 2009

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Song of the Day #433: ‘Take a Bow’ – Rihanna

rihanna4Rihanna’s presence on this list might seem obvious. She’s an artist who makes her living selling her appearance and sexuality as much as her music. But she’s pretty much the only singer of that sort I like who works for me in both areas. I listed Shakira and Christina Aguilera as two performers who shouldn’t have to sell sex to sell CDs, but that’s probably because I don’t find either of them all that sexy. Rihanna, on the other hand…

But it is still very much about the music. On the flip side you have Beyonce, somebody to whom Rihanna is often compared. I find Beyonce sexy as hell but her music doesn’t do much for me. I’ll never change the channel if I come across her on TV but I have no interest in listening to any of her albums. I discovered Rihanna through her music before knowing much about her appearance.

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Song of the Day #432: ‘Everything’s Just Wonderful’ – Lily Allen

lilyallen3Lily Allen makes my list of sexy performers for two reasons: attitude and accent. Yes, she’s a pretty woman, but in the way that somebody you work or go to school with is pretty… which is actually another part of her charm. There’s something very real about her brash no-bullshit style, a contrast to the pop princesses to whom she’d otherwise be compared.

And then there’s her voice, and particularly her accent. I’ve never considered myself a sucker for accents the way some people are. But in recent years I’ve noticed that some accents work a bit of magic on me. A slight southern accent can have that effect. Definitely a Scottish accent (as you’ll see later this week). And a working-class British accent… big winner. I could listen to Lily Allen sing all day just to hear her pronunciations.

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Song of the Day #431: ‘This Tornado Loves You (Live on Letterman)’ – Neko Case

nekocaseIn recent posts about Shakira and Christina Aguilera I decried the use of overt sexuality to sell the music of women whose talent stretches far beyond their looks.

I stand by those sentiments but I don’t want to give the impression that I’m generally prudish when it comes to things like this. I believe sexuality plays a big role in entertainment and particularly in music. The reason rock-and-roll was considered dangerous by older generations all those decades ago is because that music was about sex, maybe more than it was about anything else.

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Song of the Day #430: ‘If I Needed Someone’ – The Beatles

beatles2Rubber Soul is chock full of famous songs — ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Girl,’ ‘Nowhere Man’ and ‘In My Life,’ to name a few. But its lesser known songs are just as worthy. ‘You Won’t See Me,’ ‘Think For Yourself’ and ‘I’m Looking Through You’ are three songs casual fans might not know very well, but they should. ‘Wait’ is one of the band’s best early songs and would probably be as well-loved as the big hits had it been released as a single.

And then there’s ‘If I Needed Someone,’ one of George Harrison’s two contributions to Rubber Soul. Its sound was influenced by The Byrds, something that’s obvious from the first notes, and it’s one of the best uses of multi-part harmony on the album, with John and Paul joining George on lead vocals in the verses.

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Song of the Day #429: ‘Norwegian Wood’ – The Beatles

norwegianBecause the box set is a little too rich for my blood, I’ve decided to pick up the remastered Beatles CDs a few at a time. So on the day of release I drove over to Best Buy on my lunch break and bought my three favorite Beatles albums: A Hard Day’s Night, Rubber Soul and Revolver.

I listened to Revolver first and I must admit I wasn’t completely blown away. I didn’t have my old CD handy for a side-by-side comparison, but I basically felt like I was listening to the same album I’ve known for two decades. I expected to feel as if I was hearing these albums for the first time. Fortunately, Rubber Soul came closer to giving me that experience and A Hard Day’s Night definitely had the wow factor.

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