Adam Salsman [dot] com

In recent history, two albums have found their way onto my truly elitist “Desert Island Records” list. Joe Strummer’s Streetcore, and this album, Griffin House’s Lost & Found.

And, yes, it *is* that good.

Remember, “Along time ago in a blog entry far, far away,” I was praising Glen Phillips work while noticeably ignoring Kim Richey and Griffin House? Yeah, I’m still sorry for that. And that’s not an offense against Glen.

Griffin House masterfully crafts beautiful, realistic, emotional songs, all wrapped in his acoustic guitar and bundled up in his wonderful voice.

Does it sound like I’m tripping over myself to give this guy praise? Well, it should. I honestly feel he’s that good, and after having seen him solo and live recently, my feelings were completely confirmed.

Any way, the album. 11 tracks, just shy of an hour. 100% wonderful. Sorry, there I go again.

Outside of saying “the whole album,” some excellent tracks include “Ah Me” (even if it deals with a crumbling relationship, it’s musically brilliant), “Waterfall” (which has found some commercial success, no pun intended, for oral-b), “The Way I Was Made” (a pride-inducing tune which traces his origins back to his grandparents), and “New Day” (which just slowly builds to this beautiful, optimistic ending).

In the end: I could trip over myself for another hour and a half singing this guy’s praise, but I’ll just leave it at “I think most anyone would, could, and should enjoy this album. On repeat.”

On the web: There are a few shows of the Weekly Review Traveling Roadshow (House, Richey, Phillips) on archive.org. This one is the best of them.

Also available are photos from his concert at Harpers Ferry, in Allston, Ma. on my website: Griffin House photos @ AdamSalsman[dot]com.

Technorati Tagged: Griffin House | Acoustic | Desert Island Album | 2004

This guy can do now wrong, remember that.

Cee-Lo is betterknown as one half of the super star that is Gnarls Barkley, who’s singles have ignited music and radio this past summer. But, did you know Cee-Lo started out with Goodie Mob before heading solo? I didn’t.

Soul Machine, his second album, helps to showcase his vocal talents and skills. He’s not world-class singer, but his music is tailored to compliment his voice, just right. The hip-hop, rap, and R&B comparisons are a given, but there’s this fun pop attitude that seems to permeate the album. You, the listener, get the feeling that he had a lot of fun making this and it helps to bring you into the albums sound.

Soul Machine, the lead off musical track, has a beat meant to drive his point home: Cee-Lo is the Soul Machine; I’ll Be Around was a radio hit a few years back, and listening to it, you can hear why: it crosses genres, has not offense lyrics, and hell, it’s just a great tune; My Kind of People slows things down, showcasing the piano and the brass section, which all help to lend a certain latin feel to the tune; Evening News takes the album to a more adult arena, singing in the same way as a certain old time cartoon song.

In the End: While I’m told this is not as good as the “His Perfect Imperfections” album, I think it’s a great disc. Some of the language gets a little rough, but it’s to be expected from the genre. If you enjoyed St. Elsewhere, check out this one.

On the Web: Hype Machine? Audience. Audience? Hype Machine.

Technorati Tagged: Cee-Lo Green | Gnarls Barkley | Goodie Mob | 2004