Music for Entertaining

[DanielSchumacher]

Howdy.

Do you all have any favorite CDs or playlists you use to get the party started (or keep it going)? Right now, I'm looking for something bright and spring-y but let's talk about all the seasons.

My iPod is stuck on Iron & Wine's (http://www.ironandwine.com/) new record, The Shepherd's Dog. The album is much more upbeat than some of his earlier projects, and the accoustic sound is full of restrained exuberance. This CD was made for a laid-back garden party.

For the funkier bunch, I'm all about The Go! Team's (http://www.thegoteam.co.uk) Thunder, Lightning, Strike. One reviewer compared their sound to a 70's police drama. They're a lot of fun. Along the same lines, Mark Ronson's (http://www.markronson.net/) Version is totally unstoppable. Featuring popular artists Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, it has incredibly lively tunes guaranteed to get people dancing. There is one explicit track but don't let that deter you, "clean" versions of the cd are widely available.

And when it's rainy and I feel like baking scones, I let the soothing hippy-ish sounds of Devendra Banhardt's (http://www.devendrabanhart.com/) Cripple Crow keeps me mellow.

-

So what do you all listen to?

[Lisa S]

I enjoy Zero 7 for a little sophisticated background party music.

For a fun summer party, I would recommend The Subdudes.

For funk-e-delic fun, I like Pink Martini's "Hey Eugene" ~ but I'm a Portlander, so I'd have to recommend them. It's in our contract.

When I'm feeling kind of pissy, I need some good 'ole hard rock. Nickleback is fits the bill.

Scone baking requires a 1/4 cup of Nora Jones and a 1/2 cup of James Taylor.

I had my husband install speakers in the ceiling of our kitchen when we remodeled. Cooking and music go hand in hand. :p

[Memmey]

What a fun thread, thanks Daniel.
I'd like to offer up "Italia" by Chris Botti and Andre Bocelli's new one "Vivere".
My all time favorite Cd that I enjoy above all others is "Ti Adoro" by Luciano Pavrotti. It is spectacular and worthy purchase. If you don't think you have had a chance to hear THE tenor voice of all time then you will want this Cd.
Lastly for fun, I love the soundtrack from "Somethings got to Give" loads of quirky old french songs that are a blast to listen to while you cook.:)



Oh and can I add, if you want a hot cup of coffee and a good long stare out a winter window to think about things and dream then buy Joshua Bell...anything of his is wonderful.

[Lisa S]

Good picks, Memmy! Chris Botti went to college with my husband at Mt Hood. Chris was first chair trumpet and my husband was 2nd. Until Chris graduated and then my husband was first chair... friendly competition between those two. It's wonderful to see another local guy make it big.

I love quirky songs ~ especially French. I'll have to check out the CD you mentioned.

Don't you think finding and enjoying new music keeps us young?

[Memmey]

Leese, your totaly right. I found a band called Keane their song "Bedshaped" is great and I told my 22 year old son and he bought the Cd right away. He trusts my music taste. He and I both love Dead Can Dance. Look for a tenor called Vittorio Grigolo he has a gorgeous voice that reminds me of Andre Bocelli.
I tend to like the big dramamtic arias and moody melodic music. Years ago my ears were good for the top 20 stuff but now I want to live in a world of vapourous dreamy music that is makes you float...LOL punctuated by the sexy man voice.......;) ahhhhhhhh.

[Chyna]

Mem

No Harry Connick? I like him and he isn't hard on the eyes either. :eek: :D

[Lisa S]

I'm a big Harry Conick fan. I love his Harry for the Holidays CD. My husband is a great piano player and a Harry fan too ~ so I get treated to live music right in my own home. For that reason alone, I married well!

Mem ~ I haven't been an opra fan, but I think I've been missing out. I'll have my son download some of your suggestions to my IPod. Will you try The Subdudes for me if you get the chance? They aren't full bodied man voices, but they sure are fun!

[cheapdiva]

Love the suggestions -
also a big Harry fan . . . have seen him live a couple of times.

We own hundreds of cd's which I recently took out of their original cases and sorted by music type and put into cd binders. My husband and I were just talking about how much music I have on the computer - he thinks we need a bigger hard drive!!!

In the next week or so I will download a ton of holiday music - we have high quality speakers on our computer because we use it as our stereo.

Here is a list of some of my all time favorite music:

Rabbit Songs by Hem - if you don't know them, go to itunes and listen

Annie Lennox - anything she does I own

kd lang - with or without Tony Bennett - great classic voice

James Taylor - we own more cd's by him than anyone else

Vanessa Williams "Star Bright" holiday cd - my favorite holiday cd BUT Robert Downer Jr. singing "River" is my single favorite "holiday" song

I was looking through my music on itunes and realized that if I keep this up, you'll be bored to tears!

[Lisa S]

We just switched from our CD juke box to music on the computer that's fed to the speakers in the kitchen and eventually to the speakers in the backyard and in our bedroom. I have almost no technical skills but my other half is pretty good at this stuff. The really neat thing is if you have a computer, it's all very inexpensive to set up.

I just downloaded my first iTune. It's John Legend. Pretty good stuff.

Maria... I can see you're the mellow listener. Have you checked out Zero 7? Listen to their song Somersault on the album When it Falls. You would LOVE them. I like all of the artist that you mentioned, but I don't know Rabbit Songs by Hem. I'll check 'em out.

[Lisa S]

Where the heck did that mad face come from? It wasn't intentional, I'm distracted fiddling with iTunes. I'm sorry!:D :) :p

[Chyna]

Love Annie Lennox! But Pat Benatar is my all time fave and she is pretty good to entertain with too. Or at least I'm entertained. devious

[dedavis]

I like the Hot Club of San Fransisco, a guitar and violin ensemble based on the music of the Hot Club of Paris from the 1930's. It's jazzy and swingy and sort of French. I also have a CD by Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt, the original Hot Club of Paris.

We have this game at work called "Songs That Get Stuck in Your Head". When you work outside, you are away from all sounds except natural ones, so the old brain comes up with a soundtrack. So someone might be going down the trail and bust into "What's New, Pussycat" by Tom Jones and then we all have it till it gets replaced by the theme from Star Wars or something. I've downloaded iTunes and made CDs for our crew vehicle. We've got Devo and James Brown and the Wallflowers and on and on. Music really gets us going, and helps span the generation gap.

One woman on our crew has a beautiful singing voice. One day we were cutting brush, and she gave us an a capella gospel version of "I Can See Clearly Now". It sent shivers up the spine. That's not a bad one to have stuck in your head.

I am definitely going to try some of the suggestions posted here!

Deb

[Lisa S]

Hot Club sounds good too!

It's funny... Dan and I get songs stuck in our heads all the time. Since we were first married, I've been known to come up with the anitdote song. If it's What's New Pussycat that's stuck in your head, I can give you another song (Like Wheels on the Bus) that will erase that one. Often, the cure is worse than the illness ~ but it really works!

[DanielSchumacher]

This is fantastic. There are a lot of great suggestions in here. I should have probably been more forthcoming about this, but I hope some of these recommendations pop up in an upcoming Cottage Living entertaining story.

I love the variety and depth of the responses. [Django R. rocks]

Best
Dan

[Lisa S]

I'm sure you can tell that we don't mind our collective voice being heard! I'm looking forward to seeing the article.

[dedavis]

Lisa, we do that too. My current favorite retaliation song is the opening riff of "Purple Haze". I can't carry a tune, so it's pretty awful.

Once I was on a solo backpacking trip and had the same Grateful Dead song for 3 days. That was over 20 years ago, but I still remember the horror and suffering. There are so many good songs--why do our brains latch on the worst ones?

Deb

[Lisa S]

Repetition is a good base for a song, but it easily turns to the dark side!:D Great, now I've got Purple Haze running thru my brain... what's the antidote for that??!

[Chyna]

I do too!! :( I get kids song stuck in my mind. Good thing Laurie Berkner is there, at least you can get somewhat adult music from her! All time fave is Under The Shady Tree, we bought that cd while in Denver last year and listened to it repeatedly for the two days we were there and then the 8+ hr drive home and never tired of it. Amazing!!!

[cheapdiva]

Hey - I really don't want What's New Pussycat stuck in my brain:mad: Will go check out some of the other selections and find something better to be banging around up there.

[Memmey]

I just found someone wonderful!!!!!! This young woman can SING. This is the greatest dinner party music. A splendid glass of wine and good friends.
Jane Monheit...the CD is "Surrender by Jane Monheit". I do beleive her voice is like nothing I've heard. Go listen at Itunes. I can't believe I just found her. Amazing.
Lisa guess what? The Subdudes will be in a town 11 miles from me in Feburary...I'm going to see them!!!!!! Thanks Lisa. One of my clients is a MD and he loves music. I mentioned your suggestion and he said he loved them and they were coming to town. I think I'm gonna take my son and go. What a great night out, I can't wait. ...thanks :D
P.S. we have a no smoking ordiance in clubs ...YEA!!!!

[Lisa S]

You lucky girl! I wanna gooooo. You'll have a blast! I hope you like them after all they hype. I bet you will! I wonder what they're like as people; their music is so unusual. This is simply no fair, you know.

Is this MD married? Cute? We know he has good hair.;)

Jane Monheit does a beautiful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Have you heard it?

[Lisa S]

I'm enjoying Corriene Baily Rae's 'Put Your Records On'. It's upbeat and super cute. It's the first thing you want to play when your girlfriends come over for dinner. This girl has the nicest little English Cockney accent and you can hear it in her music. I love a line in her song... "Summer came like cinnamon ~ so sweet". She was a 2007 Grammy Award winner.