by

Song of the Day #1,031: ‘Speaking With the Angel’ – Ron Sexsmith

‘Speaking With the Angel’ is the most enduring track from Ron Sexsmith’s studio debut. It has been covered by several artists and adopted as an anthem for such causes as Christianity and autism.

Author Nick Hornby borrowed the title for a book of short stories (by various writers) with the proceeds going to a school for autistic chlidren. Hornby’s own son is autistic (and a student at the school) and in the introduction he described this track as “heart-meltingly relevant” to his son’s condition.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,030: ‘Several Miles’ – Ron Sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith’s first album was an independent release titled Grand Opera Lane that I have yet to get my hands on. It was recorded with a band called The Uncool, and that pretty much sums up Sexsmith himself.

His first studio release was a self-titled disc released in 1995. I consider this Sexsmith’s worst album, though in a Sure Thing “this is the ugliest girl in California” postcard kind of way. There is a roughness and uncertainty about it (though, admittedly, that’s also part of its charm).

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,029: ‘Something So Right’ – Annie Lennox

Back when Annie Lennox first reached popularity as lead singer of the Eurythmics, she was better known for her androgynous orange-haired style and her atmospheric creep-rock music than her voice. Sure, she unleashed some high-pitched wailing in ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ but for the most part her vocal performance in that song was wonderfully robotic.

But in later years, Lennox proved to have one of the richest voices in the business. It was showcased beautifully on her 1995 solo record, Medusa, an album of covers on which she performs songs by the likes of Al Green, The Clash, Neil Young and Bob Marley.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,028: ‘Don’t Forget Me’ – Neko Case

Now here’s a song that I’d never heard before discovering it through this cover version. ‘Don’t Forget Me’ was originally written and recorded by Harry Nilsson for his 1974 album Pussy Cats.

That album was produced by John Lennon and features a wild cover of Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ as well as gentler fare like this. Apparently Nilsson and Lennon’s hard partying carried over into the studio and resulted in a wild, half-genius, half-WTF album.

Nilsson even ruptured a vocal cord during the sessions but kept it to himself, and you can hear his voice getting progressively more harsh through the record.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #1,027: ‘The Bug’ – Mary Chapin Carpenter

Bob Dylan has two songs represented over the next couple of weeks, and so too does Mark Knopfler. First up is Mary Chapin Carpenter’s take on Dire Straits’ ‘The Bug,’ a hit track from their final album, 1991’s On Every Street.

Carpenter released her version of the song on her 1992 album Come On Come On, a fine work that also includes ten original compositions and her hit cover of Lucinda Williams’ ‘Passionate Kisses.’

This song is a good case study for the old “can anything be country?” argument. I’d classify the Dire Straits original as more of a blues rock track, but it’s really not all that different from Carpenter’s version, which is clearly country.

Continue reading →