Bedouine - "One More Time"

She draws on '60s folk and '70s country — compelling influences, but not necessarily the music that surrounded her early on in life. Born in Aleppo, Syria, to Armenian parents, Azniv Korkejian spent her early childhood in Saudi Arabia. After her family won the green-card lottery, she moved to the U.S. at the age of 10, living in Massachusetts, Texas and Kentucky before winding up in California as an adult.

She found herself making various connections with a growing community of supportive peers and began working with producer Gus Seyffert -- almost by accident when Korkejian stopped by his studio to ask advice about a piece of gear, moving casually from talking shop to recording a demo of one of her songs in the span of an afternoon. Bedouine's self-titled debut album was released in the summer of 2017 on the Spacebomb label; its ten tracks were the best selection of about 30 songs she worked on over a three-year period. Widely hailed by critics, the album put Korkejian on the map and she set about working on a follow-up release. A late-2018 two-song single saw her covering Elton John and Linda Perhacs in her typically hushed, introspective style. Bedouine reemerged in June 2019 with her sophomore album, Bird Songs of a Killjoy, and it is a delight.

Her music is atmospheric and ethereal and yet still makes you feel something intense. She finds a way to lull the listener into a relaxed state only to hit them with deeply emotional subject matters.

So today, with a little more time and a few more chances, I choose Bedouine’s "One More Time" as my find your feelings, listen to the whispers, your heart knows the way, song for a, light upon your path, diamonds in a velvet sky, hope hiding under the blankets - so let’s go to the zoo, Wednesday.

Kiera Weathers - "You Gotta Be (Des'ree Cover)"

It’s got enough of a tasteful homage to the original to be remembered and yet still has a fresh feel to it. Kiera does something rare here, by making something iconic into her own, and she does it well.

British vocalist Kiera Weathers is a soulful performer who first came to the public's attention as a contestant on the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2015. Born in 1997, Weathers grew up in St. Helens, Merseyside, England, where she worked as a barmaid and studied hair and beauty at St. Helens College. In 2015, she participated in the 12th season of the U.K.'s The X Factor, auditioning with Ella Eyre's version of Jermaine Stewart's 1986 single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off." She was mentored by Rita Ora during her time on the show, and ultimately finished in 11th place. In March 2017 she released her debut single, "You Gotta Be," a cover of Des'ree's 1995 hit. A second single, "Talk to Me," followed that November.

So today, with another step towards the door, I choose Kiera Weathers’s cover of Des’ree’s "You Gotta Be" as my, shake off the cobwebs, dust off the hope chest, swing on the sweaters, song for a, lavender always smells sad to me, white is the color of hope, cherries remind me of summers with you, Tuesday.

Michael Torke - "Unconquered"

Michael Torke's music has been commissioned by such orchestras as The Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony; by such ballet companies as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and the National Ballet of Canada; by such opera companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, and the English National Opera; by such large ensembles as the London Sinfonietta, Lontano, and De Volharding; and such small ensembles as the Smith, Ying, and Amstel Quartets.

He has worked with such conductors as Simon Rattle, Kurt Mazur, Edo de Waart, and David Zinman; such choreographers as Christopher Wheeldon, James Kudelka, and Juri Kilian; and collaborated with such librettists as A. R. Gurney, Michael Korie, and Mark Campbell; and such directors as Des McAnuff, Bart Sher, and Michael Greif.

He has been commissioned by entities such as the Walt Disney Company, and Absolute Vodka; worked with such soloists as Tessa Lark, Christopher O'Reilly, and Joyce Castle; and written incidental music to such companies as The Public Theater, The Old Globe Theater, and Classic Stage Company; and been composer in residence with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Beginning his career with exclusive contracts with Boosey and Hawkes, and Decca Records, he now controls his own copyrights and masters through his publishing company, Adjustable Music, and record company, Ecstatic Records.

His music has been called "some of the most optimistic, joyful and thoroughly uplifting music to appear in recent years" (Gramophone). Hailed as a "vitally inventive composer" (Financial Times) and "a master orchestrator whose shimmering timbral palette makes him the Ravel of his generation" (New York Times), Torke has created a substantial body of works in virtually every genre.

Sometimes described as a post-minimalist, his most characteristically postminimal piece is Four Proverbs, in which the syllable for each pitch is fixed and variations in the melody produce streams of nonsense words. Other works in this style include Book of Proverbs and Song of Isaiah. An early piece where he first used a certain post-minimalist style was Vanada, made in 1984. His best-known work is probably Javelin, which he composed in 1994, commissioned by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympics in celebration of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's 50th anniversary season, in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics. Commissioned by Disney and Michael Eisner for the New York Philharmonic's Millennium Celebration, he wrote Four Seasons, an oratorio for chorus and orchestra celebrating various aspects of the months. He wrote a ballet in 2002, The Contract, with choreography by James Kudelka. Torke was also commissioned to help Chicago celebrate the centennial of Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago and produced a work entitled Plans that was performed at the Grant Park Music Festival in June 2009.

So today, with grit in my teeth I choose Michael Torke’s "Unconquered" as my, to the grindstone, walk on, work on, wake up, song for a, try try try, push push push, shuffle shuffle shuffle, Monday.

This is only the first movement, but I urge you to listen to the entire piece. It’s on Youtube and will play back to back, but they don’t have a singular full version out there.

Galantis & Dolly Parton - "Faith feat. Mr. Probz"

The Iconic Queen of Country Music Dolly Parton teamed up with Galantis, Mr. Probz for a spiritual, uplifting new single, and the gays are here for it!

For Dolly Parton, her new song “Faith” with EDM duo Galantis and Dutch singer Mr. Probz, came in “divine order.”

“They were trying to track me down,” she says by phone, calling from the music video shoot in Franklin, Tennessee. “I guess Linus [Eklöw] and Christian [Karlsson], who are Galantis, had this song and they supposedly both were fans of mine. Somebody said ‘Do you think we can find her? Do you think she’d do it?’”

“She has always been one of our dream collaborators, but we honestly thought getting her on the song was a total longshot,” Eklöw adds, via e-mail.

The pair had been working on the track for some time, wanting to build a song off of John Hiatt’s 1987 song “Have a Little Faith in Me.” When Parton finally got a hold of “Faith,” she knew it was a perfect match.

It’s a fun, uplifting ditty with a bouncing bass beat and a great riff. It’s easy to listen to and smile, and it’s certainly a BOP that the LGBTQ+ community is ready to get behind!

In short order, much like bacon, Dolly makes everything better!

So today, with a side of bacon and two servings of Dolly, I choose Galantis & Dolly Parton’s “Faith feat. Mr. Probz” as my, look up to see the stars, hope is never found in self pity, chin up young person, song for a, light up from the inside, shine on, shake it off, Friday.

Kina Grannis & CLARA - "Bad Blood (Taylor Swift Cover)"

I’ve written about Kina a few times now, and hearing this lovely rendition of this neo-classic with CLARA really stepped up her game. Proving, once again, that she is an incredible interpreter of song.

So today, I choose Kina Grannis & CLARA’s cover of Taylor Swift’s "Bad Blood" as my, each little moment, make the magic in your mystery, find sunlight through the silver lining, song for a, break the mold, shatter the sterotypes, lift the lives you carry, Friday.

Joy Williams - "Front Porch" & "The Trouble With Wanting"

So I’ve loved her delicate yearning voice since I first heard her as half of The Civil Wars, and now with her most current solo albums she’s been able to grow on that success. Taking the beauty she found as part of that duo and enriching and deepening all the colors in her own palette.

Joy Elizabeth Williams is an American singer-songwriter. The winner of four Grammy Awards, Williams has released four solo albums and four EPs since her self-titled debut in 2001. She was half of the Civil Wars duo from 2009 until 2014.

With a voice that exudes gentle warmth and songwriting skills that landed her on the payroll of Warner/Chappell, Joy Williams enjoyed careers as both a successful CCM artist and a dedicated songwriter during the 2000s before forming the secular Americana/folk act the Civil Wars with John Paul White. During their five years together, the duo won four Grammys and topped the Billboard 200. Williams returned to a solo career in 2015, releasing Venus, her first solo album as a secular singer/songwriter.

Williams returned in mid-2015 with her first solo album in a decade. Distancing herself somewhat from the sounds of Nashville and the Civil Wars, it offered soft-spoken adult pop produced by Matto Morris, Charlie Peacock, and Daniel James, with Williams, Yetton, and Justin Timberlake listed as executive producers. Venus reached the Top Ten of the Billboard alternative chart as well as peaking at 71 on the Billboard 200. An abbreviated acoustic version of the album followed in 2016. She stuck with an acoustic sensibility on the 2018 singles "The Trouble with Wanting" and "Canary," which were both included on her 2019 LP Front Porch (Sensibility/Thirty Tigers).

So today, with delicate hands holding open our hearts, I choose Joy Williams’ "Front Porch" & "The Trouble With Wanting" as my, hold on to the melody, find your small truth, shout it from the rooftops, songs for a, what’s simple is true, my own little rebellion, sing the songs our grandfathers sang, Wednesday.

Morten Lauridsen - "Les Chansons Des Roses : Dirait-On"

He is a true master of the first art. He knows how to sculpt melodies around voices to create something that is otherworldly. I can honestly say that I’ve admired this man’s craft for years. He has a unique ability to steer a song effortlessly to it’s limits, taking it from something beautiful to something unforgettable.

He is an American composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007), he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (1994–2001) and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 40 years.

His eight vocal cycles and two collections—Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke), Mid-Winter Songs (Graves), A Winter Come (Moss), Madrigali: Six "FireSongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems, Nocturnes (Rilke, Neruda and Agee), Cuatro Canciones (Lorca), Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, A Backyard Universe, Five Songs on American Poems (Moss, Witt, Gioia and Agee) and Lux Aeterna—his series of sacred a cappella motets (O Magnum Mysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, Ubi Caritas et Amor, and Ave Dulcissima Maria) and numerous instrumental works are featured regularly in concert by distinguished artists and ensembles throughout the world. O Magnum Mysterium, Dirait-on (from Les Chansons des Roses), O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna) and Sure On This Shining Night (from Nocturnes) have become the all-time best-selling choral octavos distributed by Theodore Presser, in business since 1783.

His musical approaches are very diverse, ranging from direct to abstract in response to various characteristics (subject matter, language, style, structure, historical era, etc.) of the texts he sets. His Latin sacred settings, such as the Lux Aeterna and motets, often reference Gregorian chant plus Medieval and Renaissance procedures while blending them within a freshly contemporary sound while other works such as the Madrigali and Cuatro Canciones are highly chromatic or atonal. His music has an overall lyricism and is tightly constructed around melodic and harmonic motifs.

Referring to Lauridsen's sacred music, the musicologist and conductor Nick Strimple said he was "the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, (whose) probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered ... From 1993 Lauridsen's music rapidly increased in international popularity, and by century's end he had eclipsed Randall Thompson as the most frequently performed American choral composer."

“In addition to his vast output of German poetry, Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) composed nearly 400 poems in French. His poems on roses struck me as especially charming, filled with gorgeous lyricism, deftly crafted and elegant in their imagery. These exquisite poems are primarily light, joyous and playful, and the musical settings are designed to enhance these characteristics and capture the delicate beauty and sensuousness of the poetry. Distinct melodic and harmonic materials recur throughout the cycle, especially between Rilke's poignant “Contre qui, rose” (set as a wistful nocturne) and his moving “La rose complète.” The final piece, “Dirait-on,” is composed as a tuneful chanson populaire, or folksong, that weaves together two melodic ideas first heard in fragmentary form in preceding movements.”

--Morten Lauridsen

So today, in praise of the mystic, I choose Morten Lauridsen’s "Les Chansons Des Roses : Dirait-On" as my, find your melody, look for the flow, believe that the brighter days are on their way, song for a, do not hold to the things which hurt you, release that which no longer serves, spark joy in the hope that lives on in your heart, Tuesday.

Birdtalker - "Heavy"

I’ve only recently started to fall in love with this band. They’ve got that folk/blues/country mix that just speaks right to my heart. In a Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros meets First Aid Kit kind of way, they’ve figured out how to balance the beauty of their truth with the blade of their melody.

From their website:

BIRDTALKER IS ZACK AND DANI GREEN, ANDY HUBRIGHT, BRIAN SELIGMAN, AND JESSE BAKER.

Zack and Dani were married in 2012 and soon after their wedding tried writing a couple songs together. They liked it, so they wrote a couple more. Andy, a friend from college and very talented drummer, was into the songs and started beating on stuff while Zack and Dani played them. It sounded good. While these 3 were playing the songs at Shakespeare in the Park one August afternoon, Brian became interested in adding his immense talent to the mix as well and began playing along with mandolin and guitar. It sounded even better. Birdtalker as these 4 members wrote and practiced for about a year when yet another talented friend and Birdtalker's biggest fan, Jesse, expressed interest in lending his bass sounds to the band. It is the combination of each member's specific offerings that gives Birdtalker the life and sound that it now possesses. And it doesn't hurt that they all like each other a heck of a lot, too.

Zack and Dani write songs as a way to share ideas they care about and sentiments they feel deeply. Playing music has proven to be a powerful avenue for connection and communion, within the band as well as with listeners. Birdtalker's hope is simply that the more music they write and share, the more true and vulnerable interactions may be born from it.

Many of Birdtalker's songs have an airy Americana feel. While embracing elements of garage rock and staying true to their folk roots, the lyrical content is thought-provoking and inquisitive. They tinker with the meaning of religion in songs such as "Outside the Lines" and question universal meaning and domesticity in others -- not your typical country commentary. Birdtalker make joyful music with a moody twist (if you're listening closely).

Before they released their debut record, One, in 2018, Birdtalker caught the attention of the world with today’s choice track "Heavy." Released independently as their debut single in 2016, it quickly accumulated over 24 million streams; now at 36 million listens, it's been covered by legions of fans on social media, and given them a national fan base. Last September, the group released a video for the song that features Nashville ballet dancers, a stunning visual complement.

So today, as a Mountain Lion pretending to be a tabby cat, I choose Birdtalker’s "Heavy" as my, own up to it, take it on, take it out, song for a, look for the jewel beneath the water, icy though it may be, walk through fire and over ice, Monday.