Concert review: June 5, 2007
Wow, I've been a lazy blogger...not even checking in to moderate comments for almost three months? I should get my salary cut. At least I've got an excuse: my whole family is packing up and moving to go live closer to Genevieve. I know....you're all jealous.
In the meantime, I have a review from a couple of weeks ago. Well, since now there are new songs, I'm going to try and get a little more into the lyrics rather than commenting on her singing when I write these reviews. I would imagine reading, "Yeah, she's a really good singer" over and over again would lead to a boring blog. It doesn't get old to listen to, but I don't have audio on this blog yet.
The first song up was a new one entitled Life Remains the Same, which reminded me of Willie Nelson's Song Pancho and Lefty. Now, for my millions of readers that are Willie fans, you're thinking to yourself, "what the heck is this kid blogging about?" But hang with me.
Pancho is ultimately about people trapped in a life. Pancho gets out of his hopeless life through lawlessness and ultimately death. But the song is really about Lefty and how once Pancho's gone he's even more trapped than before.
I think the people in Life are just as trapped as poor Lefty. The song uses the theme about how modern life traps so many people in lives they don't want. While it doesn't use storytelling like Pancho, it brings across the same message. We're not trapped by our past decisions if we don't want to be. We can get out of the rut of routine. We don't need to strap on some six-shooters and terrorize the Midwest, but there's always time to break out of what we've let ourselves become.
Up next were two "classic" tracks, So Good For Me and I Left the Light On. I don't think there's much more I could say about either of these songs.
Following Light On, is possibly her only song that’s more depressing. Empty is about a woman driven to wits end by well, everything. Lyrics such as "I want to know what its like to feel nothing again" illustrate the depth to which the protagonist has fallen, and Gen sings this song in a very soulful way. I think if Gen ever achieves the mainstream success that so many of us see for her in the future, this will be a sleeper song. Ya know, one of those songs the hard-core fans cheer for at the concert but the casual fan listens to once before skipping it to hear I'm Going Down.
Before song #5 for the evening Gen complained about the lack of mass transit in LA. I'M WORKING ON IT.
Songs #4 and #5 were both new songs, and unfortunately I don't have great reviews for either of them because they were so much more upbeat than the earlier fare I found myself tapping along instead of writing notes.
The first of the two was Jim Beam, and the second The Bayou. Apparently she chose to write Jim Beam because she was sick of Jack Daniels getting all the glory. The Bayou is an ode to an old college hangout in Georgetown (Washington, D.C. to you Left Coasters). Of course such a reflection is about more than just a dance hall, but an ode to youth when we all were capable of staying out later and partying harder than we do now. Well, harder than I do now. Its 7:00 and I'm ready for bed.
Before moving on she promoted her new PG rated t-shirts which implore people to "Hit the G Spot" and "Find the G Spot." Good think her two-year old nephew had already left.
Up next was Just As Long as You Are There, a song which clearly couldn't have been on the first part of the concert because its not one of the saddest things you've ever heard. This song is a cute ode which captures well the feelings one has for their love. To me, it sounds like its from the viewpoint fo one who has just found their love, as it has a casual sound and when it talks about life before the beau's appearance it doesn't seem like it was that long ago.
Closing out the play list I was handed was I'm Going Down. Lets just say with the intro and way it was sung I now think I made a small spelling error when I typed out the lyrics, "'Cause if I'm going down, you're coming with me." Ahem. I don't know what it was, but this was the song of the night as her stage presence seemed to grow for this song. A good performance.
Closing out the show was In Silence, a song I mention every time Waiting for the World to Change comes on the radio. Apparently, In Silence is a response to that dumb song. Also in the news, In Silence has made Neil Young's list of anti-war songs, which is mildly amusing. Its here, track 1880: http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html . I've always thought In Silence was in the vein of many of her songs and more about doing something extraordinary with your life. Although, I do imagine that ending a war is pretty darn extraordinary.
That’s all for now kiddies, talk soon!
Daymen
In the meantime, I have a review from a couple of weeks ago. Well, since now there are new songs, I'm going to try and get a little more into the lyrics rather than commenting on her singing when I write these reviews. I would imagine reading, "Yeah, she's a really good singer" over and over again would lead to a boring blog. It doesn't get old to listen to, but I don't have audio on this blog yet.
The first song up was a new one entitled Life Remains the Same, which reminded me of Willie Nelson's Song Pancho and Lefty. Now, for my millions of readers that are Willie fans, you're thinking to yourself, "what the heck is this kid blogging about?" But hang with me.
Pancho is ultimately about people trapped in a life. Pancho gets out of his hopeless life through lawlessness and ultimately death. But the song is really about Lefty and how once Pancho's gone he's even more trapped than before.
I think the people in Life are just as trapped as poor Lefty. The song uses the theme about how modern life traps so many people in lives they don't want. While it doesn't use storytelling like Pancho, it brings across the same message. We're not trapped by our past decisions if we don't want to be. We can get out of the rut of routine. We don't need to strap on some six-shooters and terrorize the Midwest, but there's always time to break out of what we've let ourselves become.
Up next were two "classic" tracks, So Good For Me and I Left the Light On. I don't think there's much more I could say about either of these songs.
Following Light On, is possibly her only song that’s more depressing. Empty is about a woman driven to wits end by well, everything. Lyrics such as "I want to know what its like to feel nothing again" illustrate the depth to which the protagonist has fallen, and Gen sings this song in a very soulful way. I think if Gen ever achieves the mainstream success that so many of us see for her in the future, this will be a sleeper song. Ya know, one of those songs the hard-core fans cheer for at the concert but the casual fan listens to once before skipping it to hear I'm Going Down.
Before song #5 for the evening Gen complained about the lack of mass transit in LA. I'M WORKING ON IT.
Songs #4 and #5 were both new songs, and unfortunately I don't have great reviews for either of them because they were so much more upbeat than the earlier fare I found myself tapping along instead of writing notes.
The first of the two was Jim Beam, and the second The Bayou. Apparently she chose to write Jim Beam because she was sick of Jack Daniels getting all the glory. The Bayou is an ode to an old college hangout in Georgetown (Washington, D.C. to you Left Coasters). Of course such a reflection is about more than just a dance hall, but an ode to youth when we all were capable of staying out later and partying harder than we do now. Well, harder than I do now. Its 7:00 and I'm ready for bed.
Before moving on she promoted her new PG rated t-shirts which implore people to "Hit the G Spot" and "Find the G Spot." Good think her two-year old nephew had already left.
Up next was Just As Long as You Are There, a song which clearly couldn't have been on the first part of the concert because its not one of the saddest things you've ever heard. This song is a cute ode which captures well the feelings one has for their love. To me, it sounds like its from the viewpoint fo one who has just found their love, as it has a casual sound and when it talks about life before the beau's appearance it doesn't seem like it was that long ago.
Closing out the play list I was handed was I'm Going Down. Lets just say with the intro and way it was sung I now think I made a small spelling error when I typed out the lyrics, "'Cause if I'm going down, you're coming with me." Ahem. I don't know what it was, but this was the song of the night as her stage presence seemed to grow for this song. A good performance.
Closing out the show was In Silence, a song I mention every time Waiting for the World to Change comes on the radio. Apparently, In Silence is a response to that dumb song. Also in the news, In Silence has made Neil Young's list of anti-war songs, which is mildly amusing. Its here, track 1880: http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/lwwsongspage.html . I've always thought In Silence was in the vein of many of her songs and more about doing something extraordinary with your life. Although, I do imagine that ending a war is pretty darn extraordinary.
That’s all for now kiddies, talk soon!
Daymen
posted by Damien Newton at 3:46 PM
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