The Buena Vista Social Club was a club in Havana, Cuba that was popular in the forties for holding dances and jam sessions. It has since closed, and is now a recording by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, and Ry Cooder. I’ve got one of the BVSC albums, and recently got my hands on one called Rhythms Del Mundo: Cuba. It features covers of popular songs with la Cuban flair. It’s very cool. Who knew that Coldplay’s Clocks would be so good with that beat? And Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved is a definite improvement, as I hate that song anyway. Yikes.

This album was also created to help fund APE, or Artists’ Project Earth, a very cool organization that is concerned with climate change and other humane earthly issues.

I’d love to post the whole album, cos its great, but then I’m sure I’d get into nasty legal trouble. Just to give you an idea, here’s the tracklisting:

1. Clocks - Coldplay
2. Better Together - Jack Johnson
3. Dancing Shoes - Arctic Monkeys
4. One Step Too Far - Dido & Faithless
5. As Time Goes By - Ibrahim Ferrer
6. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For -
U2 & Coco Freeman
7. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
8. Fragilidad - Sting
9. Killing Me Softly - Omara Portuondo
10. Ai No Corrida - Vania Borges feat. Quincy Jones
11. Modern Way - Kaiser Chiefs
12. Don’t Know Why - Vania Borges
13. Hotel Buena Vista - Aquila Rose & Idania Valdez
14. The Dark of the Matinee - Coco Freeman feat.
Franz Ferdinand
15. High and Dry - El Lele de Los Van Van feat.
Radiohead (samples)

Really, really kickass links (if you don’t know about the BVSC, definitely check it out. Music lovers will appreciate.)

Rhythms Del Mundo // APE // MySpazz (RDM) // Buena Vista Social Club (Wiki) // Buena Vista Documentary (PBS) // YouTube Video showing the collaboration

BUY THE ALBUM

 Coldplay - Clocks [5:02m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Jack Johnson - Better Together [3:28m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved [4:06m]: Play in Popup | Download
 Coco Freeman & U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For: Play in Popup | Download

A couple of years ago while I was visiting my best friend, she gave me a CD she purchased, telling me she thought I'd like it. She enjoyed it, too, but thought the boyfriend and I would like it a bit more, and she was spreading the music love, something I totally agree with. 

She was spot on. Turns out she bought the CD because it was related to Jack Johnson, and back in the day she collected almost everything he produced. This happened to be a soundtrack that was done for one of his many surf movies (Thicker Than Water, The September Sessions). I quickly fell in love with it, and have listened to it on and off since. Since this month is one of those 'on' times, I thought I'd share the prettiness with you.

Sprout Soundtrack @ JackJohnsonMusic.com

Buy Sprout Soundtrack // Film 

Banderilla - Calexico MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/10%20Banderilla.mp3]

Spanish Flowers - Sprout House Band MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/12%20Spanish%20Flowers.mp3]

Practice Twice - Sam Prekop MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/01%20Practice%20Twice.mp3]

It is a very respectable thing to know more about the Violent Femmes than their über-hit "Blister In the Sun."  For a long time before I really got into the Femmes, I got by on my knowledge of "Gone Daddy Gone" but with that being recently covered by Gnarls Barkley, it won't quite do anymore.  On the radio today I heard the Femmes classic "Add It Up" and it hit me that I need to be doing double duty with this post: educating you fine people about the Violent Femmes and giving you songs that are horribly inappropriate for a mixtape directed at your significant other!  All at once!

Violent Femmes Official // MySpace // Buy One of Their CDs, for good measure.

Add It Up MP3

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Violent%20Femmes%20-%20add%20it%20up.mp3]

Gimme The Car MP3 

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/Violent%20Femmes%20-%20Gimme%20The%20Car%20%5BLive%5D.mp3]

If you've seen the film I Am Sam, or heard the awesome soundtrack, you're probaby familiar with this cover of the Beatle's "Blackbird". If not, its your lucky day, as McLachlan does a kickass job of it. Its quite refreshing, hearing her voice touch something done by the all-male Beatles. A little trivia for you, too–I taught my boyfriend how to play this song on the guitar. Go me. 

Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan MP3 

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/sarah%20mclachlan%20-%20blackbird.mp3]

Sarah McLachlan Official Website // I Am Sam Official Film Website // Buy the I Am Sam Soundtrack 

JJJ: Like a Version

In celebration of my going to see John Butler Trio this weekend, this mp3 spotlight post comes to you filled with bias. I'm ok with that.

This track, "Message In A Bottle", is a cover, famously, done by John Butler for Triple J's Like A Version album, which features many Australian and other artists doing covers of well-known stuff.

I'm not sure how I came to find this track, but I'd like to share it with you anyway. It be awesome, just a voice and a guitar, reminiscing a classic.

Related Audio: 

Message In A Bottle - John Butler

[audio:http://lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/john%20butler%20trio%20-%20message%20in%20a%20bottle.mp3]

 Bluegrass + Sweet Harmonies + Awesome Instrumentals = Nickel Creek

Reasons Why: The Very Best (CD + DVD) - Nickel Creek

Nickel Creek Official Website

Label : Sugar Hill

Well, I was just going to do an MP3 Spotlight post on Nickel Creek, but then I couldn't pick an MP3 to feature from this album, or them, in general, especially when it occurred to me that many people don't know who Nickel Creek are. Which is a crying shame.

I've been into Nickel Creek for a couple of years now, and am quite disappointed that they're not playing at Bonnaroo this year, as they have in the past.

What to say? Progressive bluegrass? Sure. Beautiful instrumentals? You bet. Harmonizing vocals? Check.

I love Nickel Creek, and this Best Of album is a good introduction to their music. Some of my favorites in their past albums have been some that I thought wouldn't be on this album, but I was pleasantly surprised.

They have a sound of bluegrass and country, with the mandolin, violin, and guitar of the 3 band members, or sometimes called 'progressive bluegrass', or 'progressive acoustic'. I think it's just good music. I saw in article that someone described their music as "Nickel Creek music". This is why I like it, because you can always expect something different, so different a genre can't hold them. They're signed to Allison Kraus' label, if that gives you an idea. They're lyrically sound, too, with some heavier, darker lyrics on their later albums. They have a talent for storytelling which is prevalent in this style music, like in "The Lighthouse's Tale", a story of a Romeo and Juliet type romance. They do great without lyrics, too, check out "Smoothie Song".

This album is great, with only one hiccup, being "Out of the Woods". I never liked that song. 

Nickel Creek essentially speaks for themselves. To pinpoint what makes them great would be difficult, involve a lot of swearing, and pretty pointless. Hit play and find out for yourself. 

Meanwhile, check out their other stuff if you dig this. Definitely take a listen to the mp3s here. I'll be surprised if you're not hooked.

And sadly, I just found that they're touring this year, the tour being titled "Farwell (For Now)". Catch them while you can. 

Related Links:

Nickel Creek Official Website

Buy This CD

Nickel Creek on MySpace

Related Audio:

Smoothie Song

[audio:http://www.lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/05-nickel_creek-smoothie_song.mp3]

I Should've Known Better

[audio:http://www.lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/09-nickel_creek-i_shouldve_known_better.mp3]

Reasons Why

[audio:http://www.lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/07-nickel_creek-reasons_why.mp3]

When In Rome

[audio:http://www.lovethemusicreviews.com/audio/03-nickel_creek-when_in_rome.mp3]

Enjoy.