100 Days 100 Nights.

Amy Winehouse just won an armload of Grammy Awards and she is a wonderful, albeit troubled, young artist. Or does she just have one of the hottest producers working right now with the gifted Mark Ronson? Sharon Jones and the legendary Dap-Kings have put out the best pure soul album I've heard in a long time in 100 Days 100 Nights. While Amy's behavior is tragic, the real crime is that Jones did not even get a Grammy nod, in any category. Amy is on a big label and certainly does plenty to keep herself in the media and keep her publicist employed for life. Jones is on a small, quiet indy label, and, well, is a bit more mature than our Amy. She stays home and reads books while Amy is out getting arrested. Pick this CD by Sharon Jones up today and listen to a memorable voice grown the old fashioned way- in church and at family gatherings. It will be the perfect background for your next gathering.

Love.

Jon and I made a five day escape to Las Vegas for a bit of sun and relaxation. Thankfully, we achieved that as we sat poolside soaking in the 75 degree desert sunshine. An added bonus was that I fell in love with Love at The Mirage. I am a sentimental Beatles fanatic and often struggle to find words to describe the influence they had; no make that: continue to have, on music. Love is so much more than Cirque de Soleil performed to Beatles songs. Yes, the Cirque performers are amazing and the stage itself is a technological wonder. For me, the sonic boom of hearing these 26 tracks remastered and remixed with love by Sir George Martin and his son Giles was a thing of beauty. I was brought to chills more times than I can count and even welled up with tears watching the innocence of the early days of the Beatles shown through rare video out-takes. The father and son team obtained permission from Paul, Ringo, Yoko, and George Harrison's estate before playing with the original work and the result for me was like hearing many of these songs for the first time. There are tracks "mashed-up" and elements from some songs blended with others, but it's all Beatles. The soundtrack from Love just won Sir and son, along with The Beatles, a Grammy Award for best soundtrack album. Listening to this music as the Cirque performers interpreted it as no others can, in a theatre designed especially for this sonic experience, was sublime. See Love the next time you're in Vegas. Even if you're not a big Beatles fan.