Digression alert! I'm taking a break from talking about food. I really like listening to music while preparing dinner or tackling one of my baking experiments on the weekend so let's do something different and talk about what kind of music keeps you movin' and groovin' while making food!
I love when people share clips of what they enjoy so I can check them out too, and I like to explore roads a little less traveled than just what's on the radio. 
I'd love to hear about what you like to whistle to while you work!
So take a break and take a listen.....
If music be the food of love, play on.
- William Shakespeare
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Need to mellow out? After busy work days, I love listening to Rumer (not the daughter of Bruce Willis, but the Pakistani -born Brit crooner who's a little Burt Bacharachy and has a 70's vibe to her music. She does remakes of Hall and Oates songs that sound better than the originals. You cannot listen to her without thinking of Karen Carpenter. Her voice is pure simple goodness.
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Do you like screaming horns? Sexy saxophones? You cannot NOT dance to Galactic New Orleans funk and jazz jam band - I especially love the tunes with the absolutely fantastic Maggie Koerner singing guest lead (she starts singing about 7 minutes into the video below). I listen to Carnivale Electrica (which makes you feel like you are standing in the street in New Orleans during Mardi Gras) and recently downloaded the Galactic Jam Cruise 14 live recordings which feature Erica Falls as guest lead and she's great as well. I came across this band after getting totally hooked on the HBO series Treme, which was set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Not only were the stories and characters authentic - the show featured lots of local jazz musicians, highlighting what a musical treasure trove the city has. Hey Na Na Na Hey now.
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Wanna rock out?? I turn on The Last Internationale. I don't even know how I came across this band, but I really enjoy their just straight up rock and roll. The lead singer is sort of a mix of Grace Slick and Grace Potter - I'm sitting here head banging while I listen to this clip as I write =). I'm only aware of their one album We Will Reign - I really hope they release another.
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Here's a recent discovery. The kids got me into watching the last couple seasons of The Voice. This season, there was this guy who made it all the way to 4th place who was a bit of an odd character - Laith Al-Saadi. Not just odd because he looked like someone channeling the Grateful Dead with the long hair and the full beard, but more so because his blues guitar playing almost out-shined his voice and he went pretty far because of it - odd for a show that's supposed to showcase 'the voice'. At some point, Pharrell Williams told everyone to go buy Laith's old albums and boy, what good advice....this guy is the real deal. He's got 3 albums going as far back as 2006 (In the Round, Long Time Coming, and Real) - they're all good, but my favorite is Real - just great blues tunes. The guitar solo halfway thru the video below......so good.
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Chris Stapleton has sort of been everywhere this year performing on SNL and then at the Grammy's where he picked up album of the year. But before he went solo, he was lead of the band The Steeldrivers. Great bluegrass music - can't get more authentic than 'Blue Side of the Mountain'. I remember hearing some of these tracks when I watched the series 'Justified' (I think I watch too much tv?). This was a great series about Marshall Raylan Givens going back to his hometown in Harlan County Kentucky - you get totally sucked into the landscape, the characters, those accents! - lots of bluegrass featured and the music really led you into the stories and setting.
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Okay, lastly here's my absolute favorite lesser known performer.....Diane Birch. I download anything this woman does. She had an interesting childhood growing up in Zimbabwe and Australia (her Dad was a missionary) but then came to the States. Prince heard her perform at the Beverly Hills Hotel and plucked her out of obscurity some years back. She's never really made it to the mainstream but has a devoted following. Her style keeps changing with each album (Bible Belt being very different from Speak A Little Louder) but her voice is what keeps me listening. The video below is her jam session with Daryl Hall.
I hope you enjoyed the music samples even if it was just to take a break and chill for a few minutes.
Digressing even further from the topic of today, I did want to mention I got my 1st CSA flower bouquet of the year from Maple Acres Farm this week, and it is beautiful. For the past several years, my husband has given me a seasonal flower CSA as a Mother's Day present....fresh flower bouquets prepared each week from June thru August. BEST gift ever.
Flowers are the music of the ground. From earth's lips spoken without a sound.
- Edwin Curran