Nusrat Fateh ali Khan (asaalam alaikum) was the foremost practioner/interpreter of qawwali the religious music of the Sufi muslims. The man was mystical, ethereal...his nephew Rahim Fateh ali Khan has taken the torch from his departed uncle (alaikum asaalam)

I just find this EP to be fantastic. The opera piece does not put me off at all, it does make it quirky, and perhaps inaccessible to many listeners. oh, and by the way...I am a huge pedal steel fan...so I am digging that as well...

I get a definite Steely Dan vibe from parts of this...also, a little America...not one of my faves

meydele wrote: I don't feel that the lyrics are nonsensical, as much as poetic and evocative. She is a very good songwriter and a huge talent. Listen to some Richard Buckner for a similar male talent. (no disrespect intended)

This seems tango-influenced to me...even with the odd instrumentation. Shades of the Gotan Project!

Amy has been become my guilty pleasure. She is incredibly talented, I actually prefer her first disc, Frank, to Back to Black, but she is a trainwreck. I really hate the schaudenfraude people seem to have about her.

flyboy wrote: I am in complete and absolute agreement, this is my favorite Neko song, hands down. Hold on, hold on is a close second. The lyrics are outstanding, her voice just impeccable, and her stage presence just breath taking (yes, I am in love with this woman...

chasech5 wrote: I like Jerry Jeff Walker's late 70s treatment of this song as well. Ol' Jerry Jeff was a mainstay of my Saturday nights back in the day...

this has a feel a little like some of, dare I say...Elvis Costello, on 45...i know its the organ, but hey!

folklore wrote: i am quite happily drunk on Iron and Wine, the whole catalog is quite good, and the I&W/Calexico is most excellent

Dig RL, Asspocket of Whiskey is an acquired taste, but a deliciously raw record...

smdeeg wrote: I DO love all things Neko, and the NP are just an addition to her awesomeness

Love Sonny's playing, I am a bit less enthusiastic about his singing. He is awesome with John Hiatt, when he is a player and not the front man. Saw him live a few years back, and his hands are just amazing, plan to see him in Roch in April. Gotta love the Native Stepson...

Lucinda live is a great experience, she is the quintessential singer/songwriter and storyteller between songs. One surprise for me was how petite she is, this is a tiny woman with a big voice. Saw her last year in Buffalo and she rocked the place, too bad it was stadium seating and people couldn't really move around. For me, Essence is one of the great songs of all time, just a raw, aching, wanting song...

I wasn't all that familiar with Nick Cave until RP, but I am digging his stuff and the odd instrumentation in the background.

I agree with the anti-alanis group. She is one Canadian Export I'll gladly send back...bring me a cold Labatts and you can have this bitter little pill back North

Raul Malo has one of the best voices anywhere. Listen to him do Hot Burrito #2 (?) on the tribute to Gram Parsons and you'll see why this guy is one of the most underappreciated voices in music. Simply awesome pipes...

She is every bit as awesome live as she is recorded. I caught her show at the State Theatre in Ithaca and she was incredible. Great voice, good stage presence, band seemed to be having fun, and that hair! Damn, I LOVE this woman!

I have never heard her before, but I LIKE it, I really LIKE it! At first she struck me as a more melodic, less twangy, Stacey Earle. Nice phrasing, nice spare arrangement, and I am a sucker for anything with steel guitar.

Roverfish wrote: Gotta agree, both musically and in the epicurean sense as well. Try the dishes in Sri Lanka vs. India..."Ring of Fire" to say the least... Gomez, I like them, but playing deeply into "How We Operate" they seem to become poppier as the disc progresses, I like the less-commercially oriented songs...this one qualifies