Wordsmithonia Radio --- The Songs Currently Stuck In My Brain

There are a few songs that I can't seem to stop listening to lately.  Whether I have Youtube pulled up on the computer, listening to iTunes, playing a CD in the car, or humming in my head, they are songs that, for whatever reason, seem to be stuck on repeat.  Some of them are new, or newish, some of them are fairly old, but every single one of them are relentlessly bouncing around my head, including a television theme song (because of a game I'm playing). So with no further ado, here is the current soundtrack of my life.

Recipes for the Good Life by Patti LaBelle

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Miss Patti is back, as fierce as ever, sharing more than 100 new recipes that will have your mouth watering and your guests begging for seconds!  With dishes ranging from the Over the Top, Top, Top Macaroni and Cheese (with shrimp and lobster!), to the Poaches Salmon with Basil Cream Sauce and Fettuccine, to the Tender and Juicy Barbecued Baby Back Ribs, to the Fried Apple Pie, there's something perfect for every occasion.  She not only walks you through the preparation of her favorite dishes with ease, but also share heartfelt and witty stories about food, family, and life throughout the book.  

I'm a huge fan of all things Patti LaBelle.  She is in my top five list of female vocalists of all time, and while I never got to try the sweet potato pie everyone went crazy for this last holiday season, I'm going to be on the lookout for it this year.

I've had this particular book for years now, and it's one that I seem to go back to time and time again. It's easy to use, has 6 color coded sections, and almost everything I have made from it is absolutely delicious.  I've even given it as a gift to a few friends, and from the feedback I've gotten, they seem to be enjoying it as much as I do.

The one recipe I make more than any other, is for Smothered Pork Chops.  It was the first thing I ever cooked out of this book, and it's one I tend to go back to a handful of times throughout the year.  I've made it so many times, I don't need to look at the recipe anymore.  The gravy with this is so damn good, rich and creamy, the kind of gravy that sticks to your ribs.  I've used it on mashed potatoes, and love to wipe my plate with a piece of toast, just to make sure I get it all.  I do add more mushrooms than the recipe calls for, and I use regular bacon, over turkey bacon.

I'm not a huge dessert person, never have been, never will be, but I'm a sucker for baked pears.  Hell give me a poached pear, and I'm just as happy.  Her version has them wrapped in a layer of pie dough, and stuffed with sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and nuts.  She calls them Pear Dumplings, and just typing this is making my mouth water.  It's been a while since I've made this one, but I'm thinking that will have to be rectified as soon as possible.  She recommends the same preparation for sweet or tart apples, especially Jazz apples, but I haven't tried that yet.  I've played around with using a mixture of brown and regular sugar, instead of just the granulated, and I find my palette tends to enjoy that flavor a bit more.

So now that I've got your taste buds jumping, I'm going to leave you with one of my favorite Patti LaBelle songs.

Wordsmithonia Radio: Windy Days

The wind is blowing like crazy right now, but with living in Kansas, I should be used to that by now.  I love the wind.  I love listening to the trees rustle, the house creak, and the sound it makes coming in a window.  I love the way it feels on my skin and in my hair.  I love the way it heralds in a storm, and the way it lifts a kite into the sky.  So for the next few minutes, I hope you enjoy some of my favorite "windy" songs. 

Wordsmithonia Radio --- The Eyes Have It

Nobody can really agree on who first commented on the eyes being the window to the soul, but I'm not really sure the source really matters all that much.  I think almost all of us have experienced that sinking feeling, looking into someone's eyes for the first time, and getting lost in them.  Our eyes are almost the perfect barometer, reflecting our emotions, our fears, and our dreams.  I'll be the first to admit, the eyes are the first thing I'll be attracted to when I meet someone knew, quickly followed by legs, but that's for another post.   

Today I just wanted to bring you ten songs that gets that idea across.  They are songs that reflect both love and pain, songs that truly do reflect our souls.

Wordsmithonia Radio: It's Time To Eat

If you couldn't tell, today's theme is all about food.  Sometimes the food is a metaphor, and sometimes, it's just there to eat, either way, it makes for a great song. So sit back, and listen to some of my favorite songs that mention food in the title.

Wordsmithonia Radio: Christmas Music

Most of you know I'm a huge Christmas fanatic.  I'm one of those that will listen to Christmas music in the middle of the summer, especially in the car.  It seems to trick my brain into thinking it's not so damn hot outside.

But just because I love Christmas music, doesn't mean I love it all.  I'm actually pretty damn picky.  I tend to only like one or two versions of a particular song.  So, from now til Christmas, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.

Wordsmithonia Radio --- It's a "Crazy" Singoff

I've been listening to a lot of country music lately, and it seems like Patsy Cline's "Crazy" has been covered more than a few times.  Granted the song was written by Willie Nelson, but it's Patsy Cline that most of us associate with the song.  Some of the covers are better than others, so I thought I would share a few and see what you guys think.

Personally, I adore Patsy's version of it, but then I also have a weak spot for Kay Starr's as well.

Here is Pasty Cline's:

Kay Starr has her shot at the song: 

Linda Ronstadt takes a turn:

Even Julio Iglesias took a stab:

Chaka Khan goes for it:

Wordsmithonia Radio --- Random 80s

There is no theme, no real connection, except that these are all songs that have been swimming around in my head lately.  I guess I'm just stuck in the 80s right now.

Wordsmithonia Radio Goes Eurodancing

Not sure why I'm wanting to listen to Eurodance right now, but it's what's on my mind.  I think because I've been in such a crappy mood today, that I needed something to get my mind off of it.  For those of you who weren't paying attention to the music scene in the 90s, Eurodance was everywhere.  It was on the radio and in the clubs, and it was a ton of fun to dance too.  I find myself turning to it when I'm needing a pick me up, so I thought I would share some of what I've been listening too for the last few hours.

Wordsmithonia Radio: Hall & Oates

No lengthy explanation, cause if you don't get it, I won't be able to persuade you.

Wordsmtihonia Radio: The 80s, Part Deux

I've had had the 80s on the brain lately.  If I'm not listening to music from the 40s and 50s, it's from the 80s.  I'm the same with movies, I tend to like a few decades, and with few exceptions, that's about all I watch.  So today, it's all about the 80s.  My listening has really been all over the place, not really sticking in one genre, rather more of an overall feel of the decade. 

For your listening pleasure, here are a few songs I've been listening to lately.

Wordsmithonia Radio, Hits the Sheets

Even though I've been celibate for almost 8 years now, and yes that does make me shudder just a bit, I still know what sex is.  While it may be little more than a fond memory, I'm pretty sure I remember how it's done. And if for some bizarre reason I have forgotten, there is the internet and what can be found on there, I won't bore you with the details.  But even more than that, artists have been singing about it since the beginning of time.  Some of the best songs ever made are about sex, and those that aren't, are normally good to have sex to, Enigma anyone, remember them.  Anyone of a certain age has had sex to one of their songs.

There are songs for that hard sweaty sex,the kind that involves a wall, the floor, and maybe the stairs. It's the kind that leaves you shaking for hours, and your mind incapable of thinking of anything else.  There are songs for the smooth, slow sex, the kind that last for hours upon hours, leaving you relaxed and sated.  Then there are the songs for the spontaneous quickie, when the mood strikes you both out of nowhere.  The playful kind, that has you laughing and smiling while your world is being rocked, there is a song for that as well.

Since sex is on my brain, or at least the lack of it, I though I would take some of that tension, and let you guys in on some of my favorite sex songs.

Wordsmtihonia Radio: It's All In The Name

Songs are written for and about people all the time.  There are love songs, break up songs, I hate you songs, and don't call me that songs.  Something about using a person's name, makes the song more personal.  It brings the story to life, and gives the listener something to focus on.  By using a name, it allows the artist to tell a story, and it allows that story to grow in ways it won't otherwise.  So for today's post, I thought I would share some of my favorite songs, that call somebody out by name.  There are a few songs I love, but they won't be included because I've recently used them in other posts.  So this time around you won't see "Jolene" by Dolly Parton or "Take a Letter, Maria" by R.B. Greaves.  But I think you will find that the songs I am including, are just as good.

Wordsmithonia Radio Celebrates Madonna's Birthday, A Day Late!

Madonna turned 56 yesterday, and damn does she still look good.  Madonna, after having a 30 year career, is one of those icons that defines my childhood.  While I will never go and say I'm a rabid fan of hers, I do love her and her music, and there is nobody that can touch her.  Much like Michael Jackson, she helped define an entire generation of music fans, and artists.  With no signs of slowing down, I'm pretty sure she is going to continue to spread her influence, and take over the few slivers of the world she doesn't already control.  In celebration of her birthday, I wanted to share my ten favorite songs of hers.  So sit back, and enjoy the trip down memory lane.  And no, I'm not going to be listing them in any sort of order.

Wordsmithonia Radio Pays Tribute to Queen

I'm not sure how it happened, or what I was thinking, but for some odd reason, when I did my post on my favorite bands of all time, I somehow left of Queen.  They were one of those bands that I loved as a kid, I would beg my mom to play their albums, I simply could not get enough of them.  I'm not even sure who I would have kicked off the posted list, but the fact that I dissed Queen in such a way, I should hang my head down in shame.  It's an inexcusable offense, and I just hope that Freddie Mercury can forgive me.  The

To make it up, I thought I would devote an entire post to my favorite Queen songs.

Heartbreak and Pain, The Way Wordsmithonia Radio Does It

Last week was all about love.  This week, not so much.  Today I'm going to treat you to some of my favorite breakup songs.  The songs you listen to when your heart has been ripped out of your chest, and you feel as if life is simply going to end.  They are the songs you listen to when you are crying your eyes out, ripping up the pictures, and burning the letters.  And yes, I've done all those things.  I won't even tell you about the time a stuffed animal went into the fire place with the letters, let's just say it didn't smell all that well.

But sometimes break up songs can do more than allow you to wallow in self pity.  Sometimes, once the pain has started to lessen, they can help you realize it's time to move on, that it's time to pick yourself back off the ground and get on with life.  They can be the songs that makes you realize the relationship wasn't all that to being with, that just maybe, it was unhealthy for you.  And sometimes, when you listen to the angry breakup songs, they just make you feel better, imagining yourself doing every single thing to that car.  No matter the content of the song, a good breakup song will allow you to deal with, and eventually accept what fate has done to your heart, and the great ones will help heal it.