This may have been posted earlier, but there's a version of River being used
in a holiday TV commercial in rotation now. I think it's the Kenny Lattimore
(sp?) vocal; it accompanies some techy company's promotion of a service that
sends messages to American military people overseas.
I love Joan Armatrading too (yet another immensely talented but
under-recognized artist), though I haven't kept up with all her recordings.
Down to Zero and Call Me Names stand out. Joan was one of the entertainers at
the kick-off of the downtown Seattle holiday festival five-six years ago (on
the Friday after Thanksgiving, actually). She stood on a high balcony in
front of a shopping mall, in cold, pouring rain and cheerfully sang to an
audience consisting largely of families-with-kids, most of whom had no clue
who she was, I'm sure. Of course there were a number of crazed Armatrading
fans in the rain too.
Brian Kennedy: I do remember his lovely pop/jazz work in the early 90s (it
was played locally by a particular radio station that has since stopped
playing quality music and now plays shlock). But wasn't he Van Morrison's
back-up singer/emcee during the Dylan/Mitchell/Morrison tour? I think so.
Natalie Merchant: This isn't a diss, really. I have TRIED to like her. But I
can't get past that weird thing she does with her voice at the end of at
least half her lines ("ahhhewwwwaaahhhhhewwww"). You know.
Happy holiday weekend, everyone.
Bryan
