Archive for November, 2008
Love And Happiness - The Phenomenal Return of Al Green
Friday, November 28th, 2008Al Green rose to celebrity in the early 1970s when he was signed to Willie Mitchell’s influential Memphis record label ‘Hi’ and subsequently released a twine of hits, including “Let’s Stay Together”, “Tired Of Being Alone”, “Love And Happiness” and “Take Me To The River”. His powerful, expressive voice earned him the position as the first great Southern psyche singer, and breathed new life into the psyche genre, gap the door for a new, more than seductive style of psyche music.
At the tallness of his success and popularity in 1974, Aluminum Green was attacked by a former girlfriend Virgin Mary Woodson, who broke into his house and threw a bowl of boiling hot porridge over him as he showered, inflicting 2nd grade Burns on his stomach, weaponry and back. After the assault, Woodson shot herself. Deeply shaken, Green, who had always been a acute church-goer, saw the violent onslaught as a mark from Supreme Being that he should turn to faith and fall in the Ministry.
By 1976, Green had bought his ain Christian church in Memphis and go a fully ordained Curate for the Gospels Tabernacle. Green’s popularity and gross sales both began to slip, and in 1977, he was injured whilst acting on stage, and again interpreted the incident as a message from God. Later that year, Green built his ain personal recording studio, and started to get work of producing his ain records, focusing mainly on Gospel music releases. From 1981 to 1989, Green won eight psyche Gospel populace presentation Grammys, but none of his work from this time period was very well received by the mainstream record-buying public.
It was with great expectancy and exhilaration then that news of Green’s tax return to the R&B sound that had made him celebrated was received. In 2003, Green released ‘I Can’t Stop’ on the wind label, Blue Note. It saw Green collaborating once again with manufacturer Willie R. J. Mitchell as well as legendary psyche guitar player Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, who had co-written many of Green’s ’70s hits. ‘I Can’t Stop’ was a revelation, and a true tax return to form, recalling the glorification years of Memphis soul, with Green wailing, crooning and moaning through twelve new original compositions.
Green also began to tour extensively again and in 2006, he headlined the Indy Wind Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, an yearly jubilation of wind and psyche music, which have also seen public presentations by BB shot King, Kool & The Gang and Norah Jones. There is no deficit of hotels in Capital Of Indiana available to lawsuit the demands of anyone wishing to go to the festival, which takes topographic point in White Person River State Park in every June.
With his touring, sermon and a follow-up record album owed soon (reportedly featuring an visual aspect from Roots member Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson), it looks Green is determined to dwell up to the statute title of his rejoinder album.
gospel music lyric page
Nat King Cole - Lets Fall In Love [1990]
A Good Day to be in the USA
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Call it luck of the draw, but I got to be in the U.S. today. I’m not that politically inclined, but the election was pretty special, and everyone senses we’re living important history right now. It’s a good day to be an American, it’s a good day for America, it’s a good day in the eyes of most people outside America, and it’s a good day to be in the USA. Smiles all around for me.
Obama is in the House now, and hopefully the honeymoon will be a long one. If you remember JFK and MLK, it’s a good feeling to see so many dreams finally realized, and it’s a great reminder of how special democracy can be.
I kind of thought I’d see or sense a noticeable mood of joy here, but I really haven’t - strange. The airports - both Toronto and Dallas were unusually quiet, and there hasn’t been any visible sign to say today is different from any other day. To be fair, I’m deep in the heart of Texas - GWB country - and their GOP stripes didn’t change in 2008.
With today being such a special time, and being in Dallas, I just figured out what to do about this. This is a short trip for me, but the hotel is not far from Dealey Plaza. I’ve never been there, and I couldn’t imagine a more appropriate time to make a quick pilgrimage to see it.
In many ways, Barack Obama’s journey started there. The dreams of equality didn’t die with JFK, and they didn’t die with MLK. Clinton was a good JFK wannabe, but Barack may end up a better successor to his spirit of hope, change and youth. Like JFK, he is a true breakthrough in his own right. Time will tell if he’s the real deal or if he’ll just be learning on the job, but it’s pretty clear that the world hasn’t felt this good about the USA in a long time. Things are much easier to accomplish when people like you, and we have nowhere to go but up now that the Bush era is over.
I’ll get off that soapbox now - photos coming tomorrow. Back to work. I’m in Dallas to attend the Korean Tech Showcase, and so far, it’s been just great. I’m virtually certain I’m the only analyst here, so I’m getting to see stuff most of my peers won’t likely see for some time yet if at all. Lucky me.
I’ve had meetings with companies with really interesting technologies, and am looking forward to more of the same tomorrow. It’s too early to blog about the details, but as I get to know some of them better, I’ll bring you up to date.
Nice tie-in at the airport. CNN’s 24/7 election coverage, and a TV display stand by Samsung, Korea’s most famous tech company.
Sidebar… I had one of those only-in-America moments here at the airport. While waiting for my ride, I heard this announcement over the PA system: “the post-election noon day prayer will be held in the chapel in Terminal 1″. Praise the Lord and God Bless America… who said Church and State were separate? 
Couldn’t resist. Remember pay phones? They sure are becoming an extinct species in the U.S., and I see this scene at almost every hotel/conference center I travel to. Ugly. Virtually everyone seems to have a cell phone here, and there is simply no rhyme or reason to use a pay phone these days.
Technorati tags: Korea Tech Preview 2008, Jon Arnold, Barack Obama, Dealey Plaza
A Reviewer’s Dilemma
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008While critics often garner our respect for their insightful analysis and interpretations of works of art, reviewers have their share of distress while reviewing. Unlike critics, reviewers do not have much liberty in choosing the books, movies, or albums. Reviewing something which they feel strongly about (especially negatively) is when reviewers may tend to get into trouble.
Jeevi of IdleBrain.com is the most popular Telugu movie reviewer on the Internet. He used to review almost every single movie, straight or dubbed, immediately after its release. A couple of years ago, he skipped reviewing a big-budget movie called Bangaram. The movie turned out to be the worst movie in hero Pawan Kalyan’s career and the grapevine was ripe with speculation that Jeevi might not have written the review only because it would’ve sounded a death knell to the movie’s meagre chances.
Earlier this year, Rediff’s Raja Sen revealed the climax of Race in his review, and after some controversy and debate about whether a review can or can not reveal the ending of a movie, half-heartedly apologized to the film-makers while justifying his actions.
Around the same time, Maxim’s David Peisner gave a 2.5/5 star review to the Black Crowes album Warpaint without actually listening to it. It blew into a high-voltage drama that ended with Maxim’s president releasing an official apology.
These instances, and perhaps most others which have created controversies, originated from a reviewer’s strong feelings, which he or she is entitled to have. The reviewer may find a movie god-awful and might feel dutiful to advise the readers against watching it. The trouble comes when the god-awfulness ebbs over the objectivity. And even Roger Ebert wasn’t immune to it.
Last week, Ebert gave a 1 star review to an indie Tru Loved after watching only eight minutes of the 102-minute movie! He made a full disclosure in the review itself, though that might not usually be enough to avert a controversy, especially for a reviewer of Ebert’s stature.
But there isn’t much controversy over it. His actions in the aftermath have been truly exemplary. Being the honest and wise man he is, he poured out his thoughts into his widely-read journal. He listened to the reader’s comments, pondered even more, admitted his guilt of affection for his prose, watched the whole movie this time, and reviewed it again. (The 1 star remains.) The man who perhaps has contributed more to film criticism than any other single individual showed the path, that more than a review or a movie or readers, it is the plain truth that deserves priority.
However, this doesn’t end the debate nor the dilemma. Can a reviewer skip a review to help his friend-filmmaker? Can a reviewer reveal a climax? Can a reviewer walk out of a movie and still review it? If yes, can he review it watching just the promos? If no, where is the tipping point, the time after which it may be allowed?
It won’t be futile for every reviewer to face these questions, and more importantly to answer it in his or her own manner.
Alaska in Winter
Friday, November 21st, 2008
What? Not only is Alaska in Winter more deserving of the title “maverick” than its eponymous state’s governor, the electronic project is also far more versed in foreign policy. Dance Party in the Balkans, the group’s 2007 debut, married robotic cadence with traditional Eastern European tones, fleshed out by dramatic strings and emotive vocals from frontman/Grand Poobah Brandon Bethancourt. This month’s follow-up, Holiday, takes a trip to Berlin — and in AIW’s Germany, life is a cabaret.
Vocoder melodies and upbeat lyrics tell stories of high-speed boat races (”Speed Boat to Heaven”), a man who “stays awake all night to avoid the sunlight” (”Keep Your Boots Clean and Everything You Step On Is Dirt”), and hard-partiers in need of some pacing (”Korrpromenade”). Even at its most serious, the album’s unfaltering replication of a never-ending European dance party fills you up and never lets you down. With an album cover that features both a keytar and a font that calls to mind arcade video game Cruis’n USA, how could it be anything but fun?
Who? After dropping out of art school in his native New Mexico, Bethancourt spent a winter semester in — you guessed it — Alaska to escape from responsibilities and reflect. Though he meant to take a break from music, solitude bred creativity and he wound up writing the songs for AIW’s first release from his frigid cabin. This year’s album follows Bethancourt’s quest for the perfect party to Europe — and if his foreign-exchange melodies sound at times reminiscent of another musically inclined Albuquerque native, thank high school-chum-turned-collaborator Zach Condon of Beirut.
The two teamed up when Bethancourt returned from Alaska, and Condon reprises his role this time ’round with backing vocals and ukulele on album opener — and standout — “We Are Blind and Riding the Merry-Go-Round.” Holiday also features violin from A Hawk and a Hacksaw’s Heather Trost.
Fun Fact: Hausmusik isn’t the only thing that’s rubbed off on Bethancourt since moving abroad: He’s taken to giving interviews in a phony German accent, as can be seen on his MySpace blog.
Listen: Alaska in Winter, “Berlin” (DOWNLOAD MP3)
Exclusive Video: Alaska in Winter, “Staring at the Sun” (Live)
VoIP Software Developer Job Opening in Toronto - Interested?
Next Stop - Tekelec
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008Got a short trip this week, and one that I’m looking forward to. I’ve been invited to attend Tekelec’s Industry Analyst Day at their offices in Morrisville, N.C. Aside from having followed Tekelec for many years, I’ve never been to Morrisville (near RTP), so it’s a new travel destination for me.
Tekelec has a long history with SS7 and today have a strong focus on IMS and SIP-based solutions. Most of what they do isn’t terribly sexy - routing, ENUM, signaling, messaging and traffic management - but it’s core for any nextgen network. They have a lot going on with mobile messaging, and that’s an area I’m particularly keen to learn more about.
Perhaps more importantly, this is a company that’s doing quite well in a down market. Their stock price is off - no surprise there - but not nearly to the extent that most telecom vendors are seeing. They just had their Q3 results, which were quite strong, and the company is on track for $500 million in revenues next year. They’re definitely doing a lot of things right, and that’s reflected in a couple of recent news items. First, they were just named to the Forbes list of 200 Best Small Companies, and second, they were recently added to the Standard & Poors SmallCap 600 list.
Technorati tags: Tekelec, Jon Arnold