Design EXchange | SH-LAE03 | Natural Living

Corel Photo Libraries | COR-495 | Textile Designs

Grungy Paper Textures

New Year's Set

SS Flowers #3

Charlie Shoemake may not have the name recognition of Gary Burton, Lionel Hampton, or Milt Jackson, but the vibraphonist recorded a number of memorable sessions during the 1980s, such as this LP for Discovery.

Geneticist Aarathi Prasad considers the theory that mixed-race humans are blessed with innate advantages, something farmers recognise in plants and animals as hybrid vigour. This idea is regarded as repellent by both dingbat racists and, as Prasad discovers, by many mixed-race people who object to being defined by their skin colour.

Lots of people say that J.J. Cale had a great influence on the early Dire Straits' guitar sound. Knopfler went on to a different, brasher sound and became a latter day guitar hero. J.J. Cale himself kept plowing the furrow that he had largely invented, perhaps even taking the occasional page out of the DS book. And yes, listening to his 7th album, it's hard not to notice the similarities with early Dire Straits material. "Downtown LA" for example, sounds a lot like "Down To The Waterline", and so on and so forth.
Comparisons apart, this is a very pleasant listen. It's full of soft, understated vocals and twangy electric guitars. It's a nice piece of rootsy Americana which plays heavily on the whole "drifter hobo" trip. It will rock out if you listen to it closely but won't invade your privacy unless you want it to. As someone has already mentioned, you get the feeling that some of these songs could have been AOR radio hits ("City Girls" for one was a minor hit) There's lots of tasty guitar licks and, with the addition of congas and other percussion, a couple of nice forays into more ethicky territory. Fortunately JJ stays close to his roots and that's enough for the real fan.

City Profiles USA is a convenient one-stop source for business and vacation travel planning.If you handle a lot of travel-related inquiries, then City Profiles USA is an essential ready-reference for your collection. This one-of-a-kind directory profiles more than 250 cities, including the largest U.S. cities by population, the 50 state capitals, and nine major Canadian cities.

If not for the Mahavishnu Orchestra's first album, The Inner Mounting Flame, this second, 1973 outing might well be considered the greatest of all jazz-fusion essays. If you're new to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, this is probably the best place to start, then pick up 1971's The Inner Mounting Flame.