Today's DailyOM Offerings...
May 28, 2008
Just a Stone's Throw Away
Valerie Carter
1977
From the late 1960s through the following decade, Los Angeles hosted a remarkable community of folksy, bluesy singer-songwriters. After the eye-opening excesses of the psychedelic era, a whole generation of aspiring musicians seemed to return to their roots, search their souls for inspiration, and emerge with an appealingly honest sound. While artists like Jackson Browne and James Taylor took this template to the charts, a host of lesser-known artists worked by their side, helping forge and define a new era in West Coast pop. Few of these artists were as talented (or as well-connected) as the sublime Valerie Carter. An in-demand backup singer, Carter made her solo debut with 1977's Just a Stone's Throw Away. Produced by Lowell George, of blues-rock pioneers Little Feat, the album presents a set of groovy covers and originals, all graced with Carter’s crystal-clear voice and smooth sensibility.
The album opens with a sharp, funky rendition of the 1970 soul classic "Ooh Child," originally performed by the Five Stairsteps. The song starts low and slinky, allowing Carter to lure the listener in with her supple tones, before building to a rousing, impassioned crescendo. In the fadeout, bright keyboard notes twinkle and fall like drops of color. The next track, "Ringing Doorbells in the Rain," comes cowritten by Carter and shows off the singer's smart soul stylings. The song carries along on an ambling groove, all subtle shifting percussion and shimmering guitar. On top, Carter coos imagistic lyrics of heartbreak in the city: "It’s a sad refrain / When one is gone and one remains / On the outside / Ringing doorbells in the rain."
While much of the disc takes an introspective, minor-key approach, album highlight "So, So Happy" swings in on a bright melody, an upbeat, striding rhythm section and plopping horns that recall a marching band gone funky. Carter's vocals move from soft and airy to rich and inspiring. Blessed with a beautiful, versatile voice, Carter exercises taste and intelligence throughout her solo debut, stirring together folk, blues, funk, and pop to find an open, inviting sound that's as likable as it is sophisticated.
May 28, 2008
Comforted By Compassion
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may find all the support you need today in the loving presence of your loved ones. Whether the people you care about offer you their comforting presence, soothing words of wisdom, a strong shoulder to cry on, or a nonjudgmental listening ear, their compassion and attentiveness will likely touch you deeply. If you feel nurtured by their kindness, you may find it easier to cope with the challenges placed before you today. Your relatives and close friends can share in your sorrows when your plans go awry just as they share in your celebrations when your plans are met with success. Be aware, however, that you may need to seek out the comfort you crave proactively.
The support of our loved ones can be a source of immense comfort as we are made stronger by the knowledge that there are people willing to do all they can to ensure our well-being. Their kindness demonstrates to us that we are by no means alone in our lives and that any isolation we may feel is a result of our need for reassurance. We thrive when immersed in the compassionate atmosphere of affection and warmth created by the people we care for. Since we feel safe and secure, we are less likely to be overwhelmed or frightened by our circumstances however dire they may be. Our power to cope with trauma is heightened by the encouragement of our loved ones. Since you feel nurtured by the important people in your life today, challenging circumstances will have little power to unnerve you.
May 28, 2008
Gathering Intelligence
Different Ways Of Knowing
We human beings have many ways of knowing what we need to know in order to get through our lives. One way of knowing things is to engage in a course of study in an academic environment. Another way of knowing things is simply to go through the experiences that come our way, making a conscious effort to learn from them. A third way in which people gain knowledge is through the vehicle of intuition, a gift some have more than others, but which can be developed in anyone. No one way of knowing things is better than another way, and they can all be useful at different points in our lives.
Most of us naturally gravitate toward one way of knowing over others, and this tends to be clear early in our lives. For the most part, we live in a culture that values a logical, mental approach to knowing things, so those with intuitive gifts may have been shamed, undervalued, or misunderstood in our ways. Many of us are working our way out of this incorrect value judgment, recognizing that our intuition, far from being wrong or untrustworthy, is a great gift. For those of us who conduct our learning in the thick of our life experiences, we may also have to make an extra effort to remind ourselves that our particular intelligence-often called common sense--while not always officially rewarded, has its own special genius.
Even though, in a given time or place, certain types of intelligence tend to be valued more than others, no way of knowing is inherently better than another. Once we understand this, we can value our own intelligence, as well as the different intelligences of the people we encounter. Sometimes, just understanding that we are coming at the same issue in different ways helps us to avoid an unnecessary conflict. When we value all ways of knowing equally, we benefit not only from what we have learned, and how we have learned it, but from all the other forms of intelligence we are open to honoring.
Just a Stone's Throw Away
Valerie Carter
1977
From the late 1960s through the following decade, Los Angeles hosted a remarkable community of folksy, bluesy singer-songwriters. After the eye-opening excesses of the psychedelic era, a whole generation of aspiring musicians seemed to return to their roots, search their souls for inspiration, and emerge with an appealingly honest sound. While artists like Jackson Browne and James Taylor took this template to the charts, a host of lesser-known artists worked by their side, helping forge and define a new era in West Coast pop. Few of these artists were as talented (or as well-connected) as the sublime Valerie Carter. An in-demand backup singer, Carter made her solo debut with 1977's Just a Stone's Throw Away. Produced by Lowell George, of blues-rock pioneers Little Feat, the album presents a set of groovy covers and originals, all graced with Carter’s crystal-clear voice and smooth sensibility.
The album opens with a sharp, funky rendition of the 1970 soul classic "Ooh Child," originally performed by the Five Stairsteps. The song starts low and slinky, allowing Carter to lure the listener in with her supple tones, before building to a rousing, impassioned crescendo. In the fadeout, bright keyboard notes twinkle and fall like drops of color. The next track, "Ringing Doorbells in the Rain," comes cowritten by Carter and shows off the singer's smart soul stylings. The song carries along on an ambling groove, all subtle shifting percussion and shimmering guitar. On top, Carter coos imagistic lyrics of heartbreak in the city: "It’s a sad refrain / When one is gone and one remains / On the outside / Ringing doorbells in the rain."
While much of the disc takes an introspective, minor-key approach, album highlight "So, So Happy" swings in on a bright melody, an upbeat, striding rhythm section and plopping horns that recall a marching band gone funky. Carter's vocals move from soft and airy to rich and inspiring. Blessed with a beautiful, versatile voice, Carter exercises taste and intelligence throughout her solo debut, stirring together folk, blues, funk, and pop to find an open, inviting sound that's as likable as it is sophisticated.
May 28, 2008
Comforted By Compassion
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may find all the support you need today in the loving presence of your loved ones. Whether the people you care about offer you their comforting presence, soothing words of wisdom, a strong shoulder to cry on, or a nonjudgmental listening ear, their compassion and attentiveness will likely touch you deeply. If you feel nurtured by their kindness, you may find it easier to cope with the challenges placed before you today. Your relatives and close friends can share in your sorrows when your plans go awry just as they share in your celebrations when your plans are met with success. Be aware, however, that you may need to seek out the comfort you crave proactively.
The support of our loved ones can be a source of immense comfort as we are made stronger by the knowledge that there are people willing to do all they can to ensure our well-being. Their kindness demonstrates to us that we are by no means alone in our lives and that any isolation we may feel is a result of our need for reassurance. We thrive when immersed in the compassionate atmosphere of affection and warmth created by the people we care for. Since we feel safe and secure, we are less likely to be overwhelmed or frightened by our circumstances however dire they may be. Our power to cope with trauma is heightened by the encouragement of our loved ones. Since you feel nurtured by the important people in your life today, challenging circumstances will have little power to unnerve you.
May 28, 2008
Gathering Intelligence
Different Ways Of Knowing
We human beings have many ways of knowing what we need to know in order to get through our lives. One way of knowing things is to engage in a course of study in an academic environment. Another way of knowing things is simply to go through the experiences that come our way, making a conscious effort to learn from them. A third way in which people gain knowledge is through the vehicle of intuition, a gift some have more than others, but which can be developed in anyone. No one way of knowing things is better than another way, and they can all be useful at different points in our lives.
Most of us naturally gravitate toward one way of knowing over others, and this tends to be clear early in our lives. For the most part, we live in a culture that values a logical, mental approach to knowing things, so those with intuitive gifts may have been shamed, undervalued, or misunderstood in our ways. Many of us are working our way out of this incorrect value judgment, recognizing that our intuition, far from being wrong or untrustworthy, is a great gift. For those of us who conduct our learning in the thick of our life experiences, we may also have to make an extra effort to remind ourselves that our particular intelligence-often called common sense--while not always officially rewarded, has its own special genius.
Even though, in a given time or place, certain types of intelligence tend to be valued more than others, no way of knowing is inherently better than another. Once we understand this, we can value our own intelligence, as well as the different intelligences of the people we encounter. Sometimes, just understanding that we are coming at the same issue in different ways helps us to avoid an unnecessary conflict. When we value all ways of knowing equally, we benefit not only from what we have learned, and how we have learned it, but from all the other forms of intelligence we are open to honoring.