SOUNDTRACK: KEM: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #115 (November 23, 2020).
I have never heard of KEM, so it’s a surprise to see that he’s been recording for almost 20 years.
KEM’s Tiny Desk performance is light, welcoming and beautifully decorated. So is his music. After almost 20 years of recording R&B hits … he still comforts my soul with his sultry voice and simple, yet satisfying melodies.
That summary is really apt. These songs are light and simple.
He plays three songs from his latest album.
The first, “Friend Today,” has KEM accompanied by Michael “Nomad” Ripoll on acoustic guitar. The song
poignantly articulates a love for our fellow humans: “There’s a roll like thunder / They killing our babies, Lord / They headed straight for the border / And we can no longer ignore it.”
About “Not Before You,” KEM says the recording is a demo vocal because he never got around to doing a real vocal so [logic leap here] this song is very special. I assume he means it is special because it is
a classic romantic love song, as a dedication to his wife, Erica.
Kem adds programming and a deep resonating bass to the guitar backdrop.
For the final song, “Lonely” KEM brought out the “heavy artillery,” David McMurray on saxophone. The song ends the set
with an upbeat, hopeful vibe: “There’s a life waiting for you / In your brokenness.” It’s an affirmation that personal struggles can end in true happiness.
I don’t enjoy a lot of contemporary R&B, but I liked the understatedness of this set.
[READ: November 20, 2020] Ireland Through Birds
I saw this book at work and thought I’d bring it home to read it. I wasn’t sure if I’d read the whole thing, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down.
O’Brien is a bird lover (he should hook up with Jonathan Franzen for a joint tour/book). He grew up loving birds and has seen many of them. He decided to look for these twelve bucket-list birds for an Irish birdwatcher.
These dozen birds tend to be shy and wary or highly localized. And unfortunately
Some need very specific conditions in which to flourish, conditions now found in only a few protected pockets across Ireland. Some are endangered–and still declining.
So in addition to talking about the birds, O’Brien is here to talk about nature: what we have done to it and what we can do for it.
For those of us not in Ireland, a map is helpful just to know where he is. So I’ve added one to the bottom of the page. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 