Happy Holidays

Womenfolk will be on hiatus during the holidays and will return next month.

Until then, enjoy the goodies below and have a terrific holiday season.

Downloads:

Dar Williams - What Child Is This?
Aimee Mann & Michael Penn - Christmastime
Jen Trynin - The Christmas Song
Poe - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Fiona Apple - Frosty The Snowman
Jill Sobule - Merry Christmas From The Family

Play The Game

As I’ve stated before, one of the great things about keeping an MP3 blog is the opportunity to hear new music first hand. In the case of Alison Breitman, this works as a great benefit.

Alison was kind enough to send a copy of her second album, The Game, to me and I’ve taken a week to properly soak in its eleven tracks. And I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s destined for greatness.

The Game is a well-balanced record, featuring smart production, heartfelt writing and equal shares of down tempo tracks and more ‘rocking’ numbers. Her songs fall primarily into the topic of relationships and the games one plays when they find themself in one. ‘This Ride,’ one of the album’s more breezier songs, is a smooth, lovelorn ballad which offers its listeners a great seat to experience Alison’s beautifully clear voice.

On ‘Again,’ with its rootsy, foot-tapping backdrop, we find her in a considerably more aggressive position, perpetuating a relationship that is knowingly doomed, yet the sexual chemistry is too difficult to ignore. Ultimately exclaiming that ‘the sweat between my breasts will tell you all you need to know.’

‘Heavy’, another strong track, accepts that emotional baggage keeps her from maintaining a decent relationship, but offers hope with ‘Don’t take this badly, you’re the only one left standing.’

‘Unknowing’ is yet another stand-out. With a soft-spoken introduction, it transforms into a percussion driven infection, declaring that the object of her affection’s cluelessness is not as genuine as he would lead her to believe.

Currently based in New York, Alison regularly performs in the area and seems to be building a strong following. Both of her albums are available for purchase via the terrific CDBaby (hmm…. just in time for Christmas). Her official website also features ‘Unknowing’ and two other fine tracks to download.

While it seems to be typical to describe a female musician with countless others mainly just because they play guitar and share the same gender, Alison Breitman is a talent not to be ignored and listening to The Game will cement that.


Downloads:

This Ride
Again
Heavy
Unknowing

Cover Girls, Vol. 6

I realize that updates have been sporadic at best, and this will probably continue for the rest of year. Much is do to the hectic reality I call my life; the holiday season seems to have taken hold of me and has a rather tight grip.

I have a lot planned for Womenfolk in 2005, however: a new design, a new format, and possibly a new location.

I’d also like to again thank everyone who’s been submitting artist recommendations and saying so many kind words. You guys are awesome.

* * * * *

Backed by the strength of her full-length debut, Finally Woken, Jem contributed to the second soundtrack for the prime-time drama, The OC with a lovely rendition of Paul McCartney’s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed.’


Subdued is probably one adjective people would never have thought to describe the music of Cyndi Lauper. Yet, her last album, At Last, is just that. The album features her interpretations of thirteen standards, one such song being Burt Bacharach’s ‘Walk On By,’ in which Cyndi delivers in a slow, somber wail, showcasing Cyndi’s powerful voice rather than her eccentric show persona.


Leslie Feist is one of those rare artists who seem to come out of nowhere and knock you down with disbelief over how incredibly remarkable her music is. Her take on the Bee Gees’s ‘Inside And Out,’ taken from this year’s Let It Die, will surely leave your mouth agape.


Although previously featured on Womenfolk, artist Katell Keineg remains a constant favorite of mine. Although her music can be hard to find (CDBaby does an incredibly job at making her albums accessible), the search is always well worth it. ‘I’m In Love With A German Film Star,’ a non-album track found only on the ultra-rare ‘Shaking The Disease’ single, features Katell and fellow singer-songwriter Nina Hynes sharing singing time on the Passions‘ classic.


Downloads:
Jem - Maybe I’m Amazed
Cyndi Lauper - Walk On By
Feist - Inside And Out
Katell Keineg feat. Nina Hynes - I’m In Love With A German Film Star