Robert Cray + my anniversary

Tomorrow is our 22nd wedding anniversary. It seems so long but it didn't seem that long while it was happening, you know? The boy is babysitting the girl and we are going to see Robert Cray in concert. I missed Lyle Lovett, who was here last night, but I'm not missing Robert Cray; I have the tickets in my hot little hands -- well, technically, my hot little wallet -- but suffice it to say that they are safe. They were almost lost twice.

New Music

Twenty: Robert Cray: Of course -- in honor of him performing here. This one's a little odd for Robert Cray; usually his songs are about that cheating woman or the cheating man or the man walking out the door -- they involve personal relationships. Twenty's title song is, instead, about the war in Iraq. I like this album; I Was Warned and Shoulda Been Home will always be my favorites, but Twenty is not an unworthy successor to these two albums.

American V: A Hundred Highways: Johnny Cash: This latest in the American Recordings series wasn't totally finished when Johnny Cash died, and there are some things about it that reflect both the unfinished nature of the album and the illness of the singer while he was recording. Polished vocals have never been Cash's forte, but his voice seems more raw than ever here. This isn't to say American V isn't good -- it is. Cash's version of Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind is lovely, though it begins haltingly; Four Strong Winds is a great song -- period, and Johnny sounds like he's being released on the final track, I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now.

What I'm Reading

The Great Deluge: Douglas Brinkley: Yesterday was the anniversary of Katrina, so in honor of that, I picked up this book. I've only just started it, so I'm don't have an opinion on it yet. It just seems odd to me that after only a year so many books have already been published on the storm. When did the authors have the time not only to write the books but to get them to the publishers?

Summerland: Michael Chabon: I'm sure my failure with this book is entirely my own. I just haven't been able to get into it. Normally, I'd be the first person you'd hand this type of book to with its werefoxes and other interesting characters but I'm just not feeling it. I may have to put this one down and try again another time.