Another "Good Mother"

I've written before about my passion for music, and specifically Canadian artists. One of my favorite said artists is Jann Arden. While she's never really hit mainstream success here in the United States, she is well-known and well-received in her native Canada.

Jann recently set out on a US tour to support her latest album, which I was super-stoked about. However, due to illness she had to cancel her tour. Major bummer. So to "get my fix" I was watching some videos & live performances earlier on You Tube. In doing so, I came across a video of a guy singing one of Jann Arden's most stirring songs, "Good Mother." Now, it's a fact I'm not typically drawn to male artists but YouTube.com user Jay Brannan has one of the most beautiful, emotional voices I've ever heard. And sometimes...in this day-and-age when anyone can essentially be famous...when I see postings like this on video sharing sites, it makes me wonder how much longer "celebrities" will be around. This guy is amazing....

Music: The Soul Stirrer

I'm a huge fan of music. I believe I was a superstar musician in another life. And man did I rock! Seriously, though. For as long as I can remember music has always been in my life; I often think it is the root of creativity. Sure, painting, poetry, writing, and such are all impressive forms of art and self-expression, but there's something about starting from nothing, and making a song that is awesome to me! And I love the connection music has to memories -- I can't think of another art form that has that kind of power.

I've always been attracted to all genres of music--dance, folk, pop, and more--but more often than not I'm drawn to musicians who would typically be classified as "artists." And I frequently find myself attracted to Canadian artists for some reason. Strange, huh? Musicians like Sarah McLachlan, Ashley MacIsaac, Jann Arden, and of course, Alanis Morissette.

The latest of these discoveries is a relative newcomer [to the American music scene] called Feist. I actually read an amazing review of her latest release, "The Reminder," a few months ago and was ready to head out and purchase it based on the article alone. Then a few days following that I saw the video for the song "1234" on VH1. I'm sure you're familiar with this song because it's featured in the latest commercial for the Apple iPod Nano, which is in heavy rotation.

Feist made a recent appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman where she performed "1234," and I love the energy and enthusiasm both the song and the performance exude (take note of the joyful choir accompanying Feist). This is why I love music.

Here's the performance: