Mistaking clouds for mountains This week I went to my first Andrew Bird concert. I have his albums so knew I would enjoy the…
Craig Finn, Clear Heart Full Eyes (2011)
Holding steady for goodness I had never heard of Craig Finn until he was interviewed on The Colbert Report along with guitarist Tad Kubler.…
Leonard Cohen, “Banjo” (2012)
A Broken Banjo Bobbing On Leonard Cohen’s latest album, Old Ideas (2012) he records a song simply named, “Banjo.” It’s a simple, unadorned song,…
Tom Waits, Bad as Me (2011)
You're the same kind of bad as me I was listening to Tom Waits’ latest CD, Bad as Me (2011) recently, and suddenly a…
The Music of Bruce Cockburn
A psalmist for our day Bruce Cockburn is a superb guitarist, a fact evident on his albums and especially in his live performances, and…
Bob Dylan, “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding)” (1964)
A Very Small Faithfulness This week I’ve been writing a lecture on Bob Dylan, and so have been listening to a lot of his…
Listening to Critics: When musicians raise questions about faith (IV)
In the Fall of 2009, I found myself at a stalemate with my collection of music. Nothing in my 9 gigs of iTunes was…
Alison Krauss, Paper Airplane (2011)
At the dimming of the day I am not a musicologist nor am I a musician, so this is just a wild guess but…
Handel’s Messiah (Calvin R. Stapert, 2010)
A guided tour of a masterpiece Some works of art survive the test of time, touching hearts, minds and imaginations across both generations and…
Listening to Critics: When musicians raise questions about faith (III)
Each autumn in Minnesota, as temperatures drop and days shorten, we can see signs that nature is preparing for the winter that is to…