Daniel Amos	Mr. Buechner’s Dream
Van Morrison	Hymns To The Silence
Charlie Parker	Cool Blues
LSU	Dogfish Jones
Wallace Collection	Laughing Cavalier
Flee	Honora
Lifesavers Underground	Shaded Pain

It has been a wild week of listening adventures. Various permutations continue emanating from The Grape Prophet in last week’s listening. This week, we have Dogfish Jones from LSU. This is a solid album, start to finish and would make a good introduction to the music of Michael Knott. Shaded Pain was in my car for about 2 weeks and took several spins around town. Jordan River was a highlight track for me, and being the first track makes a good introduction to the album. Shaded Pain is a powerhouse of sound that took Michael Knott out of churches and onto the streets, an honest album about how difficult life can be, but too honest for some churches, apparently. Personally, I am glad because getting labelled as ‘a Christian artist’ can be the death knell of a group/artist.

Mr. Buechner’s Dream is an expansive exploration. Lyrically, the album reflects the tumultuous events experienced by members of the band in recent years: the death of two young and very dear friends, including producer and studio owner Gene Eugene (Adam Again), cancer in Terry Scott Taylor’s family, and in the families of other close friends.

The “Mr. Buechner” referred to in the title is Pulitzer Prize nominated author Frederick Buechner, who has been a major inspiration for the band’s lyrics for years. The album also pays tribute to authors Walker Percy, T. S. Eliot, G. K. Chesterton, Flannery O’Connor, Lewis Carroll, and Dorothy L. Sayers. This album asks for more attention from the listener to fully appreciate it. Just from the list of people in the last paragraph, it is easy to see that this recording is more cerebral than your average Top of the Pops recording. I find it amazing how a band can record a dozen albums and manage to sound fresh on each album. Creative geniuses.

Daniel Amos is one candle on the menorah of my listening.

1. Daniel Amos
2. DA
3. Lost Dogs
4. Swirling Eddies
5. Terry Scott Taylor
6. The Call
7. Adam Again

Laughing Cavalier is an album by the Belgian group Wallace Collection. There is an excellent backstory behind the band’s and the album’s name. Their song “Daydream” has been covered, sampled, and used in soundtracks. I have been enamoured by this album ever since I first heard it in the movie Mr. Nobody. I was able to find a nice, clean copy and spin the album every so often. I still like it.

There has been a bit of a trend lately for bands, such as the Arctic Monkeys, and artists to reinvent themselves. Honora is the debut solo album by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. This album is not a solo version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; Flea is doing his own thing on the album Honora. I love the juxtaposition of alt-rock with jazz. I like it when an artist steps out of their 9-5 gig with a band and plows some new ground.

The album was inspired by Flea’s love for jazz, and features six original songs along with covers of songs originally written by Eddie Hazel and George Clinton, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell.

Flea provided lead vocals, bass and trumpet. Thom Yorke and Nick Cave provided guest vocals. Josh Johnsonperforms saxophone and keyboards, and produced the album. The backing band features guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks, with additional contributions from Mauro Refosco and Nathaniel Walcott, as well as two other members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

With that entourage of musicians, one would have high expectations, and Honora meets those expectations with grace and aplomb. Flea is the narrator for the track A Plea, a shout-out for peace in a world that grows less stable every day.