Happy Friday

This video makes me soooooooooooooo happy!

Do the happy dance with me!

Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding's Chamber music is another album I recently purchased that I can't stop listening to.

At age 20 she became a professor at the Berklee College of Music at age 20!

As a rule, I am not a jazz fan, but I am in love with Esperanza! David Letterman said that she was the coolest guest he has ever had on his show. Her birthday is the day before mine, this fact alone makes her cool in my book! Gorgeous beauty, gorgeous music and mad talent, what's not to love?

Florence + The Machine

Cover art for Florence + The Machine's new CD Lungs

I bought the Florence + The Machine CD Lungs last weekend. I love it when I find a CD that I can play straight through and enjoy every single song! You may already be familiar with the song "Dog Days are Over", due to the prolific airplay it has been receiving on the radio. I also love the songs, "Rabbit Heart" and "Kiss With a Fist", but I have to say that I hate the video for "Kiss With a Fist". It makes light of the heavy topic of domestic violence. The words are so powerful and the video is playful, low tech and trivial. The images may go with the music, but not the content of the song. I am pissed off by it.

My daughter and I were listening to it in the car this morning. She asked me what Florence meant by "A kiss with a fist is better than none." I explained to her that unfortunately, some people have violent relationships and sometimes people do not love themselves enough and/or feel powerless to end the relationship that is hurting them. I took this opportunity to plant the seed that she should never be with someone who hurts her. She nodded her head vigorously in a "no duh" kind of way. I could tell that she found the concept horrific and I hated to diminish her childhood innocence, but the message is too important, to pass on such a teachable moment.