tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111887612009-03-01T05:27:00.042-08:00Reviews by Jim Davis: pop culture from a spiritual point of viewSTATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1168332330855164692007-01-08T23:39:00.001-08:002007-01-09T16:55:42.155-08:00

James Brown:-Was with "The Gospel Starlighters", "The Avons", and the "The Famous Flames" - and changed musical styles - moving from gospel to R&B - and considered to be the inventor of "funk music".-Was widely considered a legend in his own time - his bands including such great musicians like Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Bootsy Collins, Bobby Bird, etc.-Was active in late 1960's and '70's

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Christmas morning 2006: Received a text message at 5:15 a.m. from my son telling me that he had just saw a report on cable tv with the news that legend James Brown was dead - hard to believe - since JB was always on the move - had several gigs lined up (was going to be in California & Las Vegas in the spring).... he was referred to as the "hardest working man in show business" - and this moniker

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1162948579226372002006-11-07T17:05:00.000-08:002006-11-08T21:29:23.543-08:00

The Who have released their first studio album in 24 years - "Endless Wire", a record with enough musical and lyrical strength to satisfy diehard Who fans.The record opens with "Fragments" - sounding eerily similar to The Who classic song "Baba O'Reilly" (it is hard not to compare the new songs with their old ones) - but then moves in a different direction. This cut draws the listener in with a

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1157324558046633382006-09-03T15:49:00.000-07:002006-11-13T22:36:10.773-08:00

On his newly released Modern Times record Bob Dylan moves forward by forging songs that are strongly rooted in the past. This album is musically panoramic in scope as Dylan and his talented touring band comfortably and skillfully play a variety of music that includes slow & up-tempo blues, rockabilly, and timeless ballads.Modern times has been compared to Dylan's 1997 Time Out of Mind and his

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1152258584353461702006-07-07T00:42:00.000-07:002006-11-13T22:40:30.536-08:00

The Who (one of my all-time favorite bands) have been busy lately currently performing in the U.K., on the first leg of a world tour which will soon hit the States, set to release a mini-opera single CD on July 10th, and still working on their first studio album (since their 1997, "Its Hard" record), which is scheduled for an October release (will be posting a record review - stay tuned).During

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1151100310480039722006-06-23T14:52:00.000-07:002006-11-13T22:44:13.140-08:00

Pixar-Disney Does It Again...."Cars", the latest Pixar-Disney collaborative effort, has raced its way into the hearts of American moviegoers. This movie sports a good screenplay, cutting edge c.g.i. graphics, appropriately selected music, and great character development. All of these elements work together and set the stage for a story that revolves around Lead character “Lightening McQueen” (a

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The Da Vinci Code (DVC) movie continues to do well at the box office - it is currently in second place in the United States, and has enjoyed even stronger ticket sales worldwide.... Having read (and enjoyed the book, I went to see the movie - and was hoping that it would be a great movie - but it wasn't. Don't misunderstand me - this is not a bad movie - it is just not the great movie that I

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1146869378259182242006-05-05T15:32:00.000-07:002006-05-31T09:21:31.716-07:00

—1. Overview—2. Cast and Crew—3. Photo Pages—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack—5. Posters (Airplanes) —6. Production Notes (pdf)—7. Spiritual Connections—8. Presentation Downloads“United 93” – is an important movie to see, but very difficult to watch. Even though the tragic events of 9/11 have been seared into my heart and mind, this movie served, albeit painfully, to provide me with an

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1141713611963248342006-03-06T22:39:00.000-08:002006-11-13T21:31:11.616-08:00

—1. Overview—2. Cast and Crew—3. Photo Pages—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack—5. Posters (Current Films)—6. Production Notes (pdf)—7. Spiritual Connections—8. Presentation DownloadsDave Chappelle has invited you to his Block Party – and my advice is that you take him up on his invitation. I viewed this film last weekend and enjoyed it all the way. No, I was not one of the people that

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The Rolling Stones have produced their first all new studio record in 8 years, and A Bigger Bang works hard to live up to its rather ambitious name. Songwriting team Mick Jagger and Keith Richards most recent collaborative efforts resulted in fresh new tunes comprising an album that has been oft compared with the band’s 1972 masterpiece, Exile on Main Street. The Rolling Stones record releases

STATE OF THE ART: Reviews by Jim Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203579794922510428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11188761.post-1111734513951186342005-03-24T23:06:00.000-08:002006-10-18T23:39:57.083-07:00

— MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX THE MOVIE "RAY" —Overview—Trailers, Photos—About this Film pdf file—Spiritual Connections —THIS REVIEW POSTED IN FULL IN MUSIC@HJ“Genius Loves Company” is Ray Charles’ last studio recording, completed just 3 months before he died. This record could have easily been titled “Company Loves Genius”, as each of the talented artists that accompany Ray on this

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Full review here Wilco's highly anticipated fifth studio release, A Ghost Is Born (AGIB) showcases the feelings and emotions of the human heart as songwriter and group leader Jeff Tweedy deftly lets the music echo and expand the thoughts and sentiments expressed by the lyrics. While Wilco's previous release, Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, tended to focus on the world around, AGIB looks at

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Full review hereWhat do you get when you combine the songwriting abilities and heartfelt conviction of a county music legend with the excellent skills and trained ears of a Detroit-based rock music artist and record producer? Answer: Van Lear Rose, which just happens to be the title of the latest release by country music star and living legend Loretta Lynn. The recent passing of

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