Pre-Release CD Review: Ron Boustead's "Mosaic"

Ron Boustead 

I listen to a lot of new CDs every week, and there is always a few real musical gems that I discover in my pile. I like a lot of the new artists but I only fall in love with a very small number.  Ron Boustead is  an artist that I have fallen in love with because of his "Mosaic" CD.  Usually I have to hear a new artist several times before I get a deep feeling for the new songs and the artist. Not so with Ron Boustead and his new CD "Mosaic".  This CD took a few years to produce and after just hearing it once, you will know why it took so long to complete.  Everything about this CD is brilliant!  The selection of songs are great, the singer is great, the mixing is great, the arrangements are great and the supporting group of musicians are superb.

Ron Boustead is a gifted vocalist and songwriter. "Mosaic" contains 4 songs he wrote and the balance of 6 songs are classics that Ron has applied his own interpretation to. I put a photo above of the credits because this CD was not created by getting a small group of musicians in a room and pumping out a CD.  Ron Boustead has put many hours of thought into who he wanted for each track and used lots of different players on each one.  Sometimes this can be a problem because the final product comes out uneven and not matched.  Not so here, the listener is carried seamlessly throughout the entire sound ride with no clue that each track contained a different group of professional musicians. The fact that the musicians Ron has chosen are world class players made the process work.

Ron sings and writes music in the same spirit that brings to mind some of the greatest songwriters of popular music today like Carole King, James Taylor, Jon Lucien, Bill Withers, Billy Larkin and contemporary Brazillian composer Leo Minax. This terrific CD will be available on September 3, 2013.

                                             MOSAIC
           1.   Moon Song                              6.   Careless Wind
           2.   You're Sensational                   7.   Every Monent Of You
           3.   No Me Without You                8.   Everything Be Ok
           4.   Wishful Thinking                     9.   Whatever Happens
           5.   And Now?                               10.  Secret 'O Life

I found one of the songs on the CD, "Moon Song" on Youtube and have attached it so you can hear Ron Boustead for yourself.  Enjoy!

                                     
                                                Ron Boustead Singing "Moon Song" 

Book Review: Carole King "A Natural Woman, A Memoir"

I have been a big fan of Carole King ever since I first heard her "Tapestry" album. Over the past years I have learned bits and pieces of her musical and personal life so I was delighted when Carole wrote her memoir, "A Natural Woman".  Carole King, unlike most musicians, wrote her autobiography entirely on her own. Her writing is excellent in both construction and style and has produced a book that tells a very beautiful and personal story laying out the major influences in her life and painting a clear picture of what made her one of the greatest singer/songwriters of modern times. I especially liked the stories she recalls about the relationships with fellow musicians who helped her develop into the singing/songwriting genius that she has become. She was a major creator and participant of the music of the sixties and has continued to have an impact on the music scene.

In my mind, as an artist, Carole will also always be musically linked to James Taylor. They share the same feel for melody and lyric and perform as if they were born as musical twins. Carole relates stories of how she performed as a sideman for Taylor in their musical beginnings at the Troubadour.  Carole also gives us the complete story of how she was literally pushed out on the stage by Taylor , an event she credits for starting her solo career.

For anyone coming of age during the sixties, this book and the music of Carole King will touch many emotional buttons and is a must-read. Her "Tapestry" album holds the record for the longest time for an album by a female to remain on the charts and the longest time for an album by a female to hold the #1 position. She has won four Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has recorded over twenty-five albums and is still touring the country today.

I have attached two "YouTube" videos for your listening pleasure. The first is a duet with Carole and James Taylor singing "Up On The Roof" a song written by Carole and Gerry Goffin.  The second is Carole alone singing her classic song, "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman".

                                                         BOOK REVIEW
                                       The Music Man awards this book  "4 Quarter Notes"

                                             4 Quarter Notes= Excellent, Must Read
                                             3 Quarter Notes= Good Read
                                             2 Quarter Notes= Somewhat Interesting
                                             1 Quarter Note = Save Your Time and Money

The Marvelous Callaway Sisters

On Saturday January 29, 2011 My wife and I attended the the Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway sister's concert at the "Great" Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, California. Both of these singers are personal favorites of mine, but I never had the pleasure of seeing Ann Hampton Callaway in person so I was really looking forward to seeing both sisters live at the same time on the Annenberg stage. I was not disappointed, quite frankly their performance was an emotional experience for me. It was that good! First, speaking from a man's perspective, the love and emotional bond between sisters was so much stronger than I would have imagined. This bond between these two immensely talented performers radiated and captured the audience. There was a strange familial sensation transmitted to the audience by the end of the concert. We all felt we were part of the Callaway family. At one part of the program, the sisters spoke about how different they were as kids and yet how close they were.  Ann leaned over to Liz and said, "It was good, wasn't it", and then they sang, "Memories". It was beautifully sung for the audience.  The audience as mesmerized and trying to hide their tears.

The title of this show was "Boom" and was written and produced by the Callaway sisters.  The show was based on the music that both sisters listened to along with millions of baby boomers celebrating the 60's. It is near impossible to pick out my favorites from all the great songs the sisters sang, but I will mention four that personally moved me.  First, Ann sang the underappreciated Joni Mitchell's classic, "A Case of You". The richness of Ann's voice and her full understanding of the meaning of the lyric produced a version of this song that could only be described as outstanding.  Liz told us that there was only one album that both sisters listened to as kids, the "Tapestry" album by Carole King. Is there  any baby boomer living today that did not also love the "Tapestry" album, I think not!  The song they sang from this album was "You've Got A Friend". They told the audience that throughout their lives, this has been their mantra.  I loved their version of the Beetles classic, "Come Together". It was nice to actually clearly hear all the words to this great song. The last song I want to mention is the great Righteous Brothers hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin". There was glorious harmony between these two talented sisters. In truth, there was glorious harmony in every song which was truly soothing to the ear.

Personally, this was one of the most impressive live concerts I have ever attended.  If I had to use only  words to describe this event the words that come to mind are "Extraordinary", "Impressive", "Moving", "Stirring" and "Emotional". And that's not just my opinion. The second the show ended, the entire sold out audience was up on their feet clapping and cheering for these two remarkable performers.