Shoebox Music

There are a few albums that will always be my unwinds. These are the CDs (and some I still have on vinyl) that I'll instinctively put on when I need to recharge. When I just need to fill the house with my presence and enjoy being me.

I won't review them all at once, but I will as I'm inspired.

Here's my list, in no particular order:

Colors of the Day - Judy Collins
At Last - Etta James
Blue - Joni Mitchell
Forget About It - Allison Krauss

Those are by far my top four. Others will definitely do the job: I love the soundtrack for Stealing Home, I love "Island Life" by Christopher Peacock, and without a doubt, ever, any CD by Mercy Me. They're just one of the most fantastic bands I've come across in a very long time. These are all great CDs and they aren't "emo". I don't like depressing music and I won't listen to something so that I'll feel some type of fake sad. That's a waste of good emotion.

My "favorite" of this list will alternate. Colors of the Day by Judy Collins, for whatever reason, is the one I most recently listened to. I grew up on a lot of folk and bluegrass, and I was a camp counselor. Being that I was a camp counselor, I played guitar, and I taught a lot of folk standards to the kids. This was back when camp was a real bonding experience and was about friendship. Not about making plastic jewelry.

Judy plays a lot of the old standards as well as some traditional folk songs from the turn of the century. As time has gone on she's covered a lot of other folk from our times. Here's why I love Colors of the Day.

1. My mom introduced me to her when she bought this album at Mainstream on north 76th
2. The cover image of Judy looked so much older than me at the time. Now of course, she looks kind of young to me...
3. I love her version of Both Sides Now. It made a lot of sense even when I was 15.
   
4. My Father is a great song. It makes me think of my grandpa on my mom's side because when I hear this song, I think of my mother singing it.
5. Who Knows Where the Time Goes makes more and more sense as time goes on
6. Someday Soon. Yep, as a woman, and as a woman who isn't particularly tied to the idea of waiting to be married to finally be happy and fulfilled with living, this song does make me hope that Someday Soon, it will happen. And to have the faith to "go with him, someday soon", will be powerful.
7. Who doesn't love "In My Life"?
8. Her version of Suzanne is superior
9. And I can find a reason for everything else on this CD. Although Farewell to Tarwathie never really struck me. It was a pain in the ass to lift the needle off the record. Good thing it was at the end of side one when I listened to this on vinyl :)

A good listen to Colors of the Day is an excellent recharge for me, especially on a Saturday afternoon.

One of these days, I'll blog about this baby. Which I'll listen to at any time of the year, but on special occasion :)