Your Daily Song Fix

Hello everybody!
Sorry for the period of radio silence there, but I’ve been in the process of moving from Baltimore to Austin, Texas-the “Live Music Capital of the World”. I took my time and made some excellent stops along the way, including Asheville, NC and New Orleans, but now I’m settled, have internet access, and there will once again be some regularity to my posts.

Today we’ve got Diane Birch, who is a phenomenally talented singer/songwriter/piano player extraordinaire. I don’t really know where to classify her, as she’s got her fingers in a lot of different pies-jazz, gospel, blues, pop, rock, soul, and she does an admirable job of blending them all together in a gorgeous sound. A lot of folks compare her to Carole King, but I don’t think that does her justice. Although she is most definitely easy on the eyes, she’s got talent and soul that goes deep beneath her exterior and she delivers all of her songs without a trace of pretension or saccharin pop overkill. Every track on her album “Bible Belt” is worth a listen, but here’s ‘Fools’, one of my favorites, and a bonus solo performance of ‘Sweet River Tree’. Enjoy!

(+4 rating, 4 votes)

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We have a very special gift for everyone today – the first Daily Song Fix exclusive release.
“Recorded in the Oakland hills in spring 2010, Everybody’s Arms is the first studio release of material from Big Universe. The lyrics are loosely centered around a search for ones “home”. Not necessarily a physical place, but a moment we feel a deep sense of inner peace. A reflective journey through life and love leads us to simple conclusion – Home is in the arms of the one you have always loved.

Since the release, the band has been in deep developmental mode working extensively on the vision and sound of Big Universe. Refining their live performance in the Mission District of San Francisco and recording in Sebastopol, Ca in the summer and fall, Big Universe expects to release their EP in early 2011.” – Greg Chapman of Big Universe

(+8 rating, 8 votes)

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If you’re into the new funk/soul thing, you can’t really go wrong with Soulive. They never fail to deliver melodies that exude funk and Eric Krasno never fails to deliver with some ripping guitar. This track isn’t about guitar though, it’s about horns. Does anyone hear the Bitches Brew influence? I wonder if that was intentional.

(+1 rating, 1 votes)

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“So Long, Marianne” was placed 190 on Pitchfork’s list of “The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s.” I really like the background vocals in the Chorus.

(+3 rating, 3 votes)

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Well, hockey gets started next week, so here’s a little something to get you all pumped up. Warren Zevon-troubled soul, lyrical genius, musical saint-sums up the sport masterfully in five minutes and thirty-three seconds.

Warren Zevon is worth a few months worth of posts on his own-more on that later-but for now enjoy it, and I’ll see you all on the ice!

(+3 rating, 3 votes)

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“Awesome song, AWESOME performance. It’s all about tension and release here. Just compare the way the song starts to the way it ends…what a great job of letting a song just build and build from a simple beginning to huge tectonic ending.” – Eddie Lehwald

If you like this song, check out “Albert Goes West”

(+7 rating, 8 votes)

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“Up the Hill Backwards” was released on David Bowie’s album, “Scary Monsters,” in 1980 and as a single in March of 1981. “Up The Hill Backwards” reached #32 on the UK Singles Chart but I’m not sure how well it did in the USA. I really like the song and I think it’s time to bring it back via Your Daily Song Fix.

(+2 rating, 3 votes)

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Aloha, this is Taylor here. Angel From Montgomery has been in my head for the past week or so, although the song maybe well known it is honest and touches the soul. It feels somewhere in the middle of the spectrum set by the recent amazing posts from Marcus and Danny, expressive female vocals with lots of range and strong roots in folk and country music.

Covered by many artist including Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Carly Simon and Dave Mathews Band, the song was originally written by John Prine a key artist in the Chicago Folk Revival of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The song first appeared on Prine’s self titled debut album that was released in 1971. The version here is a duet with Bonnie Raitt from John Prine Live, also released on a Tribute to Steve Goodman.

Serving in the Army and working for the United States Postal Service for five years, Prine developed a fan base and gained positive reviews once he began playing open mic nights in the Chicago area. At one of his early appearances in New York City, Bob Dylan showed up unannounced and anonymously provided backing harmonica. Prine has released 19 albums over his career; the latest Standard Songs for Average People was released in 2007. He is touring in 2010.

(+5 rating, 6 votes)

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