Of Music and Song

On a recent TV channel surfing, I came across "Soundstage" on PBS where a band was playing live. The lead vocalist had a very inviting voice and the songs they performed were the kind that I imagined repeatedly listening to. I found out that the band's name was "One Republic" and so far has one album out called Dreaming Out Loud (2007). A visit to their website shows that their next album is due on November 17th, entitled Waking Up. I haven't listened to their newest collection of songs but I have already marked my calendar for the album's release.

Another band, "Vertical Horizon," will have a new album out later this month called Burning the Days. I listened to a sample of the songs on YouTube, especially the live acoustic versions, and I can't wait to purchase it. I have two of their past albums: Go (2005) and Everything You Want (1999).

I came upon both bands by accident since I'm largely clueless about contemporary artists. Songs would often sound familiar but without knowledge of who performed them.

My knowledge about "Vertical Horizon" was prompted by a song that I saw being performed in a capella some time ago. The song was entitled Best I Ever Had. I was very impressed by the performance and the lyricism of the song. That led me to other songs by VH and I have appreciated listening to them since.

I like a variety of music and I think that the acoustic style or version is one of the more pure and intimate.

Regardless of one's musical preference at any given time, I think music and song, no matter how simple or grandiose are ingrained in our psyche and innate in our humanity.

Do you have a favorite song or type of music?