Dear Readers:
It is well-known that Dr. Ink has spent the last decade exploring the relationships between music and writing, seeking the meaning of the sound metaphors we use to discuss our work, words such as voice, tone, cadence, rhythm, crescendo, refrain, chorus, and many more. How does your story sound, we wonder, even if no one is reading it aloud. Can we make our story sing? What if our editor has a tin ear?
The easiest way for writers to tap into this reservoir of energy, emotion, and creativity is to listen to music all the time. Doc keeps about a half-dozen CDs in his car, a PT Cruiser, and replaces them as the spirit moves him.
Doc thought his readers would like to know what he’s listening to these days, and why:
The Beatles “1.” This anthology contains the 27 No. 1 hits of the greatest band of all time, starring two of the greatest songwriters of the rock era. From listening to this, Doc learns that less is more. Doc finds the greatest pleasure in listening to the early stuff, everything from “Love Me Do” to “Paperback Writer.” The hits from the post-Sgt. Peppers era, such as “Eleanor Rigby,” are too orchestrated, too much the product of the studio. What they lack is the spirit of live performance that made the Fab Four great in the first place.
Tony Bennett & k.d. lang, “A Wonderful World.” Doc picked up this mellow album after his mother, the sainted Mama Ink, saw the unlikely duo in concert. From listening to these two great vocalists, Doc learns the power that comes when opposites attract and artists collaborate. Music is the bridge between the old Italian saloon singer and the barefoot Canadian songbird. Whiskey meets silk.
Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy, “The Other Side.” Another great collaboration between an older blues singer and a young chanteuse. Eva Cassidy, who died of cancer at the age of 33, is the great revelation here, a woman whose range and versatility are other-worldly. Doc learns here that white girls can sing with soul, as Eva Cassidy shows in “Let The Good Times Roll” and James Brown’s “I’ll Go Crazy.”
Steve Tyrell, “A New Standard.” This CD was a gift from a Texas journalist. Tyrell reminds Doc, in his piano stylings and vocals, of a mellower, more mainstream Dr. John. One classic American standard after another, from “On the Sunny Side of the Street” to “I’ve Got the World on a String.” Nice music to share with your sweetie after a good date movie.
The Blind Boys of Alabama, “Higher Ground.” These great singers are blind, and they are from Alabama, and they started singing six decades ago. They only sing about Jesus, but they can find Jesus everywhere, including in songs by Prince (“The Cross”) and Curtis Mayfield (“People Get Ready”).
Ben Folds Five, “Whatever and Ever Amen.” Ben Folds may be the most talented piano player among young pop musicians. He’s also an appealing vocalist and an incredibly clever songwriter. The combination is irresistible as he shows in funny raves such as “Song for the Dumped” and “One Angry Dwarf.” Doc had to listen to this CD three times before he decided he loved it. What Doc learned from this: give a piece a chance. [ What are you listening to these days? ]
