As a rule I don’t like country music. I love bluegrass, but not country. As a rule. But I love and adore Sara Evans and Martina McBride. Anyway, while I love these ladies and their music, I do have to ask: is it a written law somewhere that to participate in the ‘country music scene’ you have to sing songs with deplorable grammar? Yes, I’m a certified Grammar Nazi™ and this annoys me. Sara and Martina both have lovely voices and sing great songs, but they are peppered with lines like “Don’t need no copy of Vogue magazine,” “He don’t give a damn,” and “A town that I ain’t heard of.” This is all too common in country music, not just with these two. It’s all over the place.

But the question is: Why? Are there classes available in Nashville to unlearn proper grammar rules for prospective song writers and singers, and if so, how many credit hours are required in ‘Hillbilly Grammar 101’ in order to get a record deal? Is there an exam given by the country record labels before they let someone record to ensure they don’t come off sounding like British nobility? Clearly they don’t want something like “Righto! I do not require a copy of Vogue Magazine,” “He does not give a damn,” or “Gadzooks! A town the likes of which I’ve never heard,” but would it kill these people to use proper grammar? There are hundreds of perfectly delightful songs that get marred by stupid grammar choices. Alas.

As I mentioned two days ago, I was enchanted with Dido‘s new song, White Flag. Well, I bought the whole record Thursday night and it’s amazing. It’s filled with melancholy, yearning, desires. Utterly tragic at times; there’s actually very little happiness on this record. The one real exception is the song Mary’s in India in which the singer tells Mary, who has abandoned her boyfriend Danny to go to India, that she is now “taking care” of Danny in her stead. The rest of the record is an examination of sad, dreary lives. Tragic and beautiful, all at the same time. I actually think this record is quite a bit better than her first record, and I adored that one!

You should buy it. Now!

I am enchanted with Dido. I’ve been in love with her music since she released her first record called No Angel in 1999. I’ve listened to it more times than I can count. Had it been an actual vinyl record instead of a CD, it would long since have stopped playing properly. Her new record called Life For Rent finally came out just the other day. The first single, White Flag, is gorgeous! It’s an amazingly sad song about a woman who refuses to stop loving someone, even though that person has moved on. The chorus is

Well I will go down with this ship
And I won’t put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I’m in love and always will be

The whole song is more of the same poignant lyrics. I have listened to it about 5 times so far this morning. I’ve got it on repeat in WinAmp. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the record.

I got a record last night by a band called Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys and it is really good. Of course, with a name like that, how could it be anything other than good? According to the blurb at the Borders bookstore, it was recorded on vintage equipment so it really has an old sound to it. They sound kind of like the Stray Cats, but recorded about 1956. They also sound a lot like early Elvis. Anyway, the record is called It’s Time and is a really good listen. One of the things that I think helps the sound even more than the old equipment is that they recorded the record with the whole band in the studio, all playing at the same time, just like at a concert. Just like records used to be recorded. Most records today are recorded one instrument at a time and then mixed together afterwards. I really prefer the “everybody ready? All right, let’s go” method of recording. Call me old fashioned if you want.

I really hate songs that end by just fading out instead of coming to an end. It always strikes me as a cop out; the composer couldn’t think of a good way to end it, so they just turn down the volume until it’s gone. But come on! What are these guys going to do when/if they ever play to a live audience? It’s very annoying.

I will say that I’ve heard two bluegrass bands, The Dillards and The Del McCoury Band do live fade-outs that were technically amazing (they actually kept playing softer until you could barely hear them), but I still felt like they just couldn’t come up with a good way to actually end the dang song… Maybe it’s just me…

There’s an advert running on the television right now for AT&T Wireless that features, of all things, the song Blitzkreig Bop by The Ramones. My 4.5 year old son, Thomas, has been running around the house singing the “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!” chorus that is so prominent in the ad. So Saturday we’re in the car heading for Milledegville, GA for my grandmother-in-law’s funeral. We’ve just been listening to some exquisite Capercaillie when I tell Thomas I have a surprise for him. I pop in my 15 year old copy of Ramones Mania and skip to track 9. As soon as the chorus starts his eyes light up and he starts laughing and singing along. Now it’s the only song he wants to listen to. I think we’ve heard it 12 times since Saturday…

I must confess that I really like t.A.T.u, the Russian (allegedly) lesbian, (allegedly) teenaged singing duo. (I also grew to like the Spice Girls years ago, but that’s another story…) Anyway, I’ve been hearing them on the radio for a while, but I recently got the record, and it’s quite good. Their cover of the classic song “How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths is excellent. The song “All the Things She Said” is their defining song and is replete with sexually-charged, “we’re lesbians and we really really fancy each other” lyrics. Whether they are or are not into each other (or even girls in general) is up for debate, but they certainly play it up on camera and on stage.

This record is certainly not for the teen aged crowd (though I’m sure it’s a bestseller there), but for the adults, some good listening.