OBLIQUITY65

I recently got my hands on a preview copy of Kristina Train’s debut album on Blue Note Records. ‘Spilt Milk’ won’t be released until September 22, 2009, but let me tell you right now it’s one of the strongest debut albums of the year. I’ve been listening to it non-stop for two days now and every single time it moves me, it sends me, it captivates me.

Ms. Train, who was born in New York City and raised in Savannah, Georgia, is a singer/songwriter of the first caliber. Her bluesy vibrato easily transitions from gentle balladeering to hair-raising power belting and the album of eleven perfectly crafted tracks does not let down. It’s rare to find an album, especially from a debut artist, that “works” from beginning to end. ‘Spilt Milk’ pulls the trick off flawlessly. There’s going to be a lot of comparison’s to the British songbird invasion (and not unjustly so) of the likes of Adele, Duffy, and Corrine Bailey Rae. However, Train takes that bluesy, soulful and lush genre one step further evoking the stunning elegance of Dusty Springfield.

The bulk of ‘Spilt Milk’ was recorded in London with Jimmy Hogarth (who’s worked with Duffy, Bailey Rae and James Blunt). Hogarth says of Train, “Kristina possesses a true classic voice–an effortless delivery with complete commitment to the emotion of the song. It was a real pleasure and an honor to have worked on this very special recording.” The songs for ‘Spilt Milk were mainly co-written by Train and Eg White (who was nominated for a Grammy for his work on Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”).

The title track unfolds with an almost cinematic grandeur, its string-laden chorus swelling with widescreen melancholy. Balancing the sultry with the strong, Train excels on bittersweet breakup/makeup numbers like “Don’t Remember” and “It’s Over
Now.” As the aphorism of the album title suggests, Train knows how, over the course of a song, to walk away from a relationship with tremendous style.

“I wanted my album to offer glimpses of my influences, but not sound like them,” Train says. “Jimmy, Eg, and I are of similar background, we appreciate the same music. The arrangements are just what we felt the songs needed. They give the songs flavor, but don’t try to steal anybody else’s style. My hope was for the album to nod to the music I love, while still sounding
modern.”

Raised by a single mother, Train took music and ballet lessons, sang in church and school choirs, and soaked up the southern soul, blues, and gospel music that have had such a profound effect on her work. As a teenager, she unearthed her mom’s tucked-away stash of Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin albums and tried to make her voice sound raspier. “When we had
thunderstorms, I would go up to the roof and scream at the top of my lungs,” she says. “God only knows what that’s done to me!”

At 19, Train was spotted by a local producer who offered to bring her to New York to showcase for Blue Note Records, which immediately offered her a development deal. Train decided to put off signing for a few years to attend college in Athens, GA. It was time well-spent as Train now realizes. ”At 19, I would not have been able to make this kind of album, which, ultimately,
is the album I have always wanted to make. It defines who I am. I always had a feeling that music wouldn’t just be in my life. It would be my life.”

The track-listing for Spilt Milk is as follows:

“Spilt Milk”
“No Man’s Land”
“Don’t Remember”
“Don’t Beg For Love”
“It’s Over Now”
“You’re Still Going to Lose”
“Moon Rivers and Such”
“I Can’t But Help”
“Call In The Maker”
“Half Light”
“Far From The Country”

Producer, hit maker, and worldwide ambassador of club culture, Mr. David Guetta, has teamed with the internationally revered Pop/R&B goddess and Grammy winner Ms. Kelly Rowland for his new single, “When Love Takes Over,” released digitally as a single track on April 28th, 2009 on Astralwerks.

The song was unveiled late in March at an astounding live première highlighting this year’s Winter Music Conference, in front of a massive outdoor Miami Beach crowd. With its exhilarating pop melody and uplifting, powerful beats supporting a ringing vocal performance of impeccable clarity and rousing emotion by Rowland, “When Love Takes Over” is set to be THE sound of the summer of 2009.

Two digital single bundles released on May 5th, 2009 will offer listeners a choice of electro remixes, including a version by Abel Ramos; and house remixes by Laidback Luke, Norman Doray & Arno Cost, and Albin Myers. “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland will be released physically on 29th June 2009.

The single is a prelude to David Guetta’s fourth album, which will be released in America on August 25, 2009. Guetta is currently planning a summer-long world tour, following a hectic 2008 in which he played over 200 DJ dates.

David Guetta is a name synonymous with the world’s greatest house and dance music, and with the DJ sets and parties that bring that music to life. Since releasing his first pioneering house single “Up 1 Way” in his native Paris, France in 1992, David Guetta has sold over 2 million albums worldwide and over 3.2 million singles. He has been France’s No. 1 club DJ for a decade, and was named the world’s No. 1 House DJ in 2008. He is a fixture year after year in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 DJ’s list, and was also named DJ of the year at London’s House Music Awards.

With three chart-topping albums to date (’Just a Little More Love,’ 2002; ‘Guetta Blaster,’ 2004; ‘Pop Life,’ 2007), EMI Music will release Guetta’s much-awaited 4th album in June 2009 in France and in September 2009 internationally. Guetta and his wife Cathy are also famed for staging the mega-sized dance parties, Fuck Me I’m Famous, for tens of thousands of house, electro, and dance-loving fans from Ibiza to Miami, New York, London, Barcelona and Paris. They have released four club compilation packages with the same name.

April 20, 2009 (LOS ANGELES)–The Advocate and Advocate.com, the world’s leading multi-platform news provider directly targeting the LGBT audience, successfully implemented a new print and online strategy now accessing millions of gay and lesbian consumers globally. According to a recent article in “The Business Insider,” of 249 major magazines tracked by a Magazine Publishers of America study, The Advocate was one of only 28 titles to bring in more revenue in the first quarter of 2009 than it did in the first quarter of 2008. During the first quarter of 2009 The Advocate saw a 12.5% increase in revenue over first quarter 2008. In addition, The Advocate has seen an increase in ad pages, bucking an industry-wide trend. The website’s unique visitors and page views also continue to grow on a monthly basis.

“No other LGBT media company currently creates the vast array of original, award-winning content across a variety of platforms targeted exclusively to the gay and lesbian consumer,” said Stephen Macias, Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Advocate’s parent company, Regent Media. “Advertisers come to The Advocate confident their product is being associated with the best brand in gay media. We speak directly to our diverse community on a daily basis.”

In early 2008 The Advocate transitioned from a biweekly to a monthly format. The first monthly edition of The Advocate landed on newsstands in January 2009. The new monthly Advocate print publication, recently nominated by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) as Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage for its 2009 Media Awards, inspires LGBT consumers to continue the conversation about the headlines most important to the community. Early retail sales figures for the January and February issues of The Advocate have seen a noted increase in bookstore sales, including Barnes & Noble.

As The Advocate moved to publishing monthly, Advocate.com quickly became the daily news source for the global gay and lesbian consumer. Nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article, Advocate.com reports up-to-the-minute news throughout the day, keeping consumers returning to the site throughout their day.

Keeping up with technology trends, the highly trafficked Advocate.com features professionally produced video content. Having spotlighted such diverse topics as the 2008 campaign for marriage equality in California and an exclusive interview with Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham to in-depth travel guides for cities across the globe, these new video segments provide exciting opportunities for advertisers to reach the LGBT audience. Now, for the first time in the website’s history, Advocate.com offers pre-roll video to its clients. During the first two months of 2009 alone, Advocate.com’s video views have increased by 1000%. Additionally, page views on the website increased more than 35% over the past eight months.

As numbers grow both digitally and in print, the multi-platform sales strategies The Advocate team implements give advertisers direct access to the coveted LGBT audience. Recognizing the buying power of the gay consumer, an eclectic group of clients including The Campbell’s Soup Company, Kaiser Permanente, Subaru, and, most recently, Progressive Insurance have launched aggressive campaigns with The Advocate brands. Lifetime Television already reaped success from this new initiative with a successful multi-platform campaign for their critically acclaimed original film Prayers for Bobby, starring Sigourney Weaver.

These 360-degree campaigns bridge the various Advocate properties and offer advertising targeted exclusively to millions of LGBT homes in print, with online banners, and Web-based video. Additionally, advertisers benefit from added-value initiatives such as premium placement at LGBT-targeted consumer events, where the client’s products receive the undivided attention of a captivated, taste-making audience.

The Advocate is currently available to consumers as a monthly publication via subscription or by logging on to its award-winning website at www.advocate.com. The Advocate is sold in Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walden Books, and other major bookstore chains, as well as in major supermarket and drug store chains including Ralph’s, Safeway, Krogers, Target, and CVS.

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About The Advocate:
Celebrating over 40 years in print this year, The Advocate is the world’s leading gay publication of record. As of 2009, the magazine reports monthly on news, politics, business, medical issues, and arts & entertainment. Hailed by The Washington Post as the “standard of gay journalism,” The Advocate distributes almost four million copies each year. Please visit The Advocate.

Any of you who follow my blog know that I am big fan of paper crafting and cardmaking. Over the past year, I’ve started experimenting with stamping. After some trial and error, I’ve become a great fan (and excellent customer) of Stampin’ Up! products.

They produce a very high quality rubber stamp mounted on wooden blocks. Their inks (markers and stampin’ pads) are available in awesome color spectrum families. Their cardstock is of the highest quality. All in all, it is one of the best lines of general crafting products available on the market today. After being a customer for nearly a year, I recently decided to become a Demonstrator and sell their products. Truthfully, my main motivation for doing so was to get a discount on the products I use for my own crafting projects. However, I thought I would mention it for any of those of you out there who are crafters or might be interested in experimenting with a new hobby.

You can shop on my on-line store by clicking on the Stampin’ Up logo on the sidebar–or by clicking here. You can also visit my crafting weblog on the blogroll under “a.go’s craftomonium”–or by clicking here.

This post was originally going to be about the repeal of the death penalty in New Mexico thanks to Governor Bill Richardson’s signature (something that I applaud), but it was untimely death of another Richardson that made that subject less important at the moment.

Yesterday’s loss of Ms. Natasha Richardson was a very sad one. Her accidental death has left me in a fog of melancholia I just can’t seem to shake. Such a vibrant, larger-than-life woman was taken from this realm way too early. She had a joie de vivre that was infectious–and a hearty laugh to match. She had numerous memorable film and television roles (’Patty Hearst’, ‘Asylum’, ‘Widows’ Peak’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘The Comfort Of Strangers’), however, it was on the grand stage where she really shined. Her Tony award-winning turn as the inimitable Sally Bowles in ‘Cabaret’ was a definite iconic moment. But, her range was wide and she gave enthralling performances in such varied works as ‘Anna Christie’, ‘The Seagull’, ‘Closer’ and ‘The Lady From The Sea’. It was on the stage where Ms. Richardson dared you to take your eyes off of her. It was, of course, a futile proposition. She commanded the entire theatre’s attention and she gave back a sense of humanity and spirit that was indelible.

Beyond her obvious beauty and numerous talents, Ms. Richardson was a doting mother, wife and humanitarian. She gave of herself freely for many charitable causes and endeavors. She was one of the rare few who just didn’t use her prestigious family and fame to raise money, but instead volunteered of her time and experience in too many causes to name. But, it was her enduring work on behalf of the Foundation For AIDS Research (amfAR) that will surely stand as a testament to what a remarkable human being she was. HIV/AIDS remained a personal issue for Ms. Richardson after the death of her father Tony from AIDS-related causes. Mr. Richardson was openly bisexual. In addition to her work for amfAR, Ms. Richardson participated in numerous other AIDS charities, including Bailey House, Gods Love We Deliver, Mother’s Voices, AIDS Crisis Trust and National AIDS Trust.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Neesons, the Richardsons, the Redgraves in this time of sorrow.

Ms. Natasha Richardson, (1963-2009)

Anyone who was predicting favorites when the AI Top Eleven took on the venerable Grand Ole Opry might be re-thinking their rankings this morning. It was a night of surprises, new Paula-isms, a bit of weirdness and some fine vocal performances. Of course, fans of the show know this a watershed moment in the competition, as the top ten finalists are guarateed spots on the Idol Tour. There were definitely more good performances than bad…and once again, the men rode to the front of the pack.

–Michael Sarver: He did himself no favors taking on Garth Brook’s “Ain’t Going Down”. (In fairness, I should say that I do not like this song in the slightest). However, Sarver seemed so focused on sputtering out all the words that the performance was breathless and wooden. He should have had an advantage in this round, but it just didn’t happen. GRADE: C-

–Allison Iraheta: The gruffness of Iraheta’s pipes worked well with the Patty Loveless gem “Blame It On Your Heart”. I’m just not sure her “thing” is Country. She gave it a go and definitely showed up the rest of the women. GRADE: B

–Kris Allen: The resident cutie made a statement last night with “To Make You Feel My Love”. I felt it. The phrasing and pacing were impeccable. More importantly, there was emotion in the words. A few more performances like this and he could be a real contender. GRADE: A

–Lil Rounds: One of several Martina McBride covers of the night, the first half of the performance was sleepy and subdued. There’s no doubt the girl can hit the high notes and power through. But, this performance just didn’t gel. She’ll get by, but the Opry won’t be on the route. GRADE: B-

–Adam Lambert: You know this was going to be interesting. Lambert and Johnny Cash are on the opposite ends of many spectrums. I tend to agree with Kara; it was strange. But, you cannot deny whether you hated or loved the performance that his notes were pitch perfect all the way through several octaves. The performance was defintely over-the-top and most of the Opry faithful were probably seizing through the sitar riffs. GRADE: B+

–Scott MacIntyre: He was fine. But after “Mandolin Rain”, “Keep The Faith” and now “Wild Angels”, he definitely needs to change up his game or he’s quickly going to become muzak and put on elevator home. GRADE: C

–Alexis Grace: This one is starting to bother me (not as much as another blonde to come, but still). “Jolene” was a mess. The pitch was waffling. The delivery was more Jazz than Country. I’m not sure why there’s so much buzz about her. GRADE: C

–Danny Gokey: I like him. I know there’s a big Internet backlash against him that I’m not sure is deserved. His take on Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” was in parts inspired and off-the-mark. I still love his voice. I still think he’s got what it takes to go to the finals. But, last night proved he’s not invincible. GRADE: B+

–Anoop Desai: Probably the biggest surprise of the night. His take on the beautiful “Always On My Mind” was quiet, powerful and emotional. It definitely makes it easier to forgive that “Beat It” fiasco. GRADE: B

–Megan Joy Corkery: I just don’t get the judge’s lavish praise–at all. Quirky? I don’t think so. More like completely irritating with those weird hip twists and accentuated goat bleating syllables. I don’t get it. I don’t buy it–and two weeks in a row, I’m completely apalled. Influenza or not, I’m no fan. GRADE: D

–Matt Giraud: The piano man delivers another great performance. His take on “So Small” was bluesy and heartfelt. He continues to bring it (since the unfortunate Coldplay incident). He’s safely through. GRADE: A-

So who goes home? I’m thinking it’s going to be a bit of shocker night. If it’s a guy, it got to be Michael Sarver. If it’s a girl, Megan and Alexis seem most likely. The shocker just might be Scott MacIntyre.

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SIDENOTES: What the hell was Paula doing to Simon’s arm? Who will teach her to say “authenticity”? Will Kara and Randy stop holding hands? Why do I have a fear of having a dream with Ryan coming down that staircase? Will the “this show is rigged” rumors ever stop? Will I ever have sex? Oops, wrong post.

A bunch of odds and ends running though my head this morning…

01. 20.03% of this year is now over. What happened to the Happy New Year?

02. This weekend I re-watched Gus Van Sant’s brilliant ‘Milk’ on DVD. Though this is the third time I’ve seen the film, I have to say it may have been the most moving watching it all alone in the dark of my bedroom. I am completely mesmerized by the transcendent performance that Sean Penn gives as Harvey Milk. I literally forget that it is Sean Penn. He becomes Harvey Milk–and that is perhaps the highest accolade you can give an actor. Two hours and three minutes of your life and you’ll never forget what hope looks like

03. How much do I love Kelly Clarkson? I’ve been a fan since she stepped onto that AI symbol. Yes, I even liked ‘My Decemeber’, so shut up. This girl can sang and she may have put together her best work on ‘All I Ever Wanted’. You’ve got big pop ballads, R&B tinges, Country tints, Rock power anthems, Electronica influences all wrapped around the strong, strong pipes of Ms. Clarkson. I haven’t stopped listening since Tuesday morning. Among my favorite cuts: ‘I Do Not Hook Up’, ‘All I Ever Wanted’, ‘I Want You’, ‘If I Can’t Have You’ and ‘If No One Will Listen’. She’s the original…and maybe the best.

04. Singles You Should Be Listening To: “Hazel”–The Junior Boys; “Here Comes The…”–Butch Walker & P!nk; “Love Resurrection”–Aurora; “Fight For Love”–Elliott Yamin; “Closer To Love”–Mat Kearney;

A mysterious older woman in post-World War II Germany has an elicit summertime affair with an young local boy, who is later forced to decide how far he’ll go to protect her secret in the thrilling Best Picture Oscar® nominee ‘The Reader,’ debuting on DVD April 14th and Blu-Ray Disc April 28th from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company. With five previous Oscar® nominations, Kate Winslet (’Revolutionary Road’, ‘Little Children’) takes home her long-awaited first statuette for this “fierce, unerring portrayal” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) of the woman who falls for a teenager, leading a trio of powerful and “impeccable performances” (Jeffrey Lyons, NBC Reel Talk) that also includes two-time Oscar® nominee Ralph Fiennes (’Schindler’s List’, ‘The English Patient’) and standout German newcomer David Kross.

A young Michael (Kross) is heartbroken when Hanna inexplicably disappears after their passionate summer together, only to have her re-enter his life eight years later when he is a law student and she is on trial for Nazi war crimes committed long before they met. Michael must then decide whether to use a secret that only he knows in order to save his onetime love from a life in prison.

Helmed by three-time Oscar® nominated director Stephen Daldry (’The Hours’, ‘Billy Elliot’), ‘The Reader’ also received Oscar® nods for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel, ‘The Reader’ has been heralded as “one of the most uplifting movie experiences of your life…a masterpiece” (New York Observer).

With bonus features including all-new cast and director interviews, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes, ‘The Reader’ will be available for the suggested retail price of $29.95 for standard DVD and $34.99 for Blu-ray.

Winslet also received accolades for her performance from the Screen Actors Guild, Broadcast Film Critics Association and London Critics Circle, as well as regional critics groups in Chicago, San Diego, Las Vegas and St. Louis.

Special Features:

* 12 Deleted Scenes
* Adapting A Timeless Masterpiece: Making The Reader
* A Conversation with David Kross & Stephen Daldry
* Kate Winslet On The Art Of Aging Hanna Schmitz
* A New Voice: A Look At Composer Nico Muhly
* Coming To Grips With The Past: Production Designer Brigitte Broch
* Theatrical Trailer
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Rating: R
Run Time: 124 minutes
Languages: English Dolby 5.1, French Dolby 5.1
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Closed Captioned