The couple new things I have listened to

The latest Neko Case, Middle Cyclone. It's very good, but not nearly as memorable as previous albums. One problem I had with Fox Confessor compared to Blacklisted was that it was very wordy. It's hard sometimes to get bowled over by her singing when she's trying to wrap around and pound out so many syllables, where I thought Blacklisted for the most part was a perfect balance. She likes to tell her stories though, but unfortunately that, rather than a performance, becomes what you'd identify the song by. I listened to the album a lot the couple weeks after I bought it. It's obvious she put a lot into it, and it's not like it's hard to listen to, but it ends up being, not quite forgettable, but unmemorable.

Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. Better than the usual retro soul, I liked it more than most Dap-Tone stuff I've heard. Not so much reliance on funk they might not be able to pull off. I liked it. Plus they have a song called Bobby Booshay. I don't know if it's actually about THE Bobby Booshay, but I figure it's better than NOT having a song called Bobby Booshay.

Van Morrison's Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl. I've actually only listened to about half of this so far, but so far I'm buying into it. Haven't formed a full opinion on it yet, it's really difficult to hear the album in such a different way. Not like hard to hear as if it churns my stomach to think of the album redone by modern Van. Not at all, completely the opposite, and I'd say to reviewers who have criticized it not having all its young glory are off base. I actually think rather than being straight mumbly old Van redoing the album that he struck a balance between the original album and something like the reworking of Cyprus Avenue on It's Too Late To Stop Now.

I have listened to some other stuff that I didn't like too, but I'm having trouble coming up with the names. They're forgettable and I'd like to keep them that way. I've been having trouble keeping up with Soulbounce lately though, need to get back on board.