Ipods, a Crow and a Diamond

A couple weeks ago, a Sunday night, Kates and I were watching TV when one of the new iPod commercials came on -- the one that starts with a close-up on Bono’s face as he’s singing his heart out in front of bright blue lights; then the camera pulls out onto the vivid color screen of the new video iPod …

In a burst of whimsical musings, I started talking about the revolution that is the iPod. And how it’s forever changing the way we listen to music. And …

Kates just looked at me and, as I kept babbling, the smile grew wider and eventually exploded into uncontrollable laughter. I eventually joined her …

The obsession continues …

* * *
Over the weekend I picked up copies of Sheryl Crow’s new ‘Wildflower’ album and Neil Diamond’s ‘12 songs.’ Critics have been oogling about both of them since they were released a few weeks ago, and now I understand why …

For the mainstay in popular music that Crow has become, it‘s hard to believe that ‘Wildflower’ just might be her best album yet. I was hooked with the album’s first track and it didn’t stop there. ‘Wildflower’ is filled with lush melodies and vocals that are combined with some sweet guitar strumming and instrumentation.

It’s far from the more sultry, darker songs of her self-titled album, less pop-ridden than ‘C’mon, C’mon’ and closer to the stuff she did for ‘Tuesday Night Music Club,’ but better. It’s as if ol’ Lance inspired a whole new Sheryl! All told, ‘Wildflower’ is a cool mix of upbeat and mellow songs (and lyrically pleasing anti-war sentiments in ‘Where Has All The Love Gone’) that I could put on repeat for hours.

‘12 Songs,’ meanwhile, is even more mellow, and even more stripped down. The entire album is comprised almost solely of Diamond and his acoustic guitar. Only a few songs feature extras, but even then it’s subtle piano plinking, bells or a tad bit of percussion (the final track, 'We,' is a Beatles-esque 'When I'm Sixty-Four' type tune, and perhaps my fave on the disc) -- all things that make this collection a great disc to slip in and unwind to after a hard day’s work …