MUSIC INSPIRES ME….SOME OF MY FAVOURITES

Do you remember what song played during your first kiss or your first break-up?  Do you remember your the first song played at your wedding reception?  (Mine was “Hung Up” by Madonna).  Music was pivotal to the soundtrack of my life.  My tastes crossed all genres but I preffered to listen to Electronic/Dance.  Thinking about your life, what music was pivotal in helping you during the tough and not so tough moments in your life?

Here are 25 cds/albums that I would definitely need or have with me should I be stranded on island:

25:  THE HUMAN LEAGUE – Hysteria (1984)

24:  NEW ORDER – Substance (1987)

23:  GEORGE MICHAEL – Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1 (1990)

22:  ULTRA NATE – Grime, Silk, & Thunder (2007)

21:  UB40 – Labour of Love (1983)

20:  DIDO – No Angel (1999)

19:  TRICKY – Maxinquaye (1995)

18:  JAMES BLAKE – James Blake (2011)

17:  BILLIE RAY MARTIN – Deadline For My Memories (1995)

16:  FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT – ALANIS MORISSETTE (2008)

15:  DAVE GAHAN – Hourglass (2007)

14:  EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – Temperamental (1999)

13:  MASSIVE ATTACK – Protection (1994)

12:  PEACHES – I Feel Cream (2009)

11:  MISTRESS BARBARA – I’m No Human (2009)

10:  DEEE-LITE – Dewdrops In The Garden (1994)

9:  ERASURE – Erasure (1995)

8:  DEPECHE MODE – Black Celebration (1986) and Violator (1990)

7:  FAITHLESS – Outrospective (2001)

6:  BJORK – Vespertine (2001)

5:  SINEAD O’CONNOR – Faith & Courage (2000)

4:  ERASURE – I Say, I Say, I Say (1994)

3:  KRISTINE W – Land of the Living (1996)

2:  MADONNA – American Life (2003)

1:  MADONNA – Ray of Light (1998)

As Madonna once sang:  “Music makes the people come together, yeah”

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

A LESSON TO NOT BELIEVE GOSSIP YOU HEAR ABOUT CELEBRITIES

Sinead O’Connor is – in my opinion – one of the most brilliant vocal talents in my lifetime.  Her debut album The Lion and the Cobra, released in 1987,  was a masterpiece and critically acclaimed.  Sinead became a household name after releasing a cover version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990.  Known to be direct, honest and out-spoken, Sinead was adamant about sharing the truth about the scandals of the Catholic church and the sexual abuse many suffered at their hands.  On October 3, 1992 she appeared on Saturday Night Live in which she performed a capella version of Bob Marley’s “War”.  During the performance, she held a photo of Pope John Paul II and tore it up and said “fight the real enemy” and threw the pieces into the camera.  Sinead was brave enough to ‘out’ the Catholic church and one would think this would create dialogue to address the issues of pedophilia in the church.  Instead, their was a huge backlash – Catholics around the world came together to destroy her cds and ‘pop radio’ turned their backs on her music.  Interestingly enough – this scandal would rock the foundations of the Catholic church almost a decade later.

Society automatically ostracized Sinead for making a statement without fear, why?  Was it because she was criticizing a religious institution?  Was it because she was a very opinionated women and had conviction in her beliefs?  Whatever the reason, it was evident that Sinead’s claims were correct and yet, she never lost faith in the holy spirit.

Sinead hasn’t disappeared – she has been quite busy since the huge commercial success of I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990).  Since then, she has released the standards cover album Am I Not Your Girl (1992),  the alternative rock album Universal Mother (1994), the fantastically under-rated and spiritual journey that is Faith and Courage (2000), the eclectic Sean-Nos Nua (2002) – which is a collection of traditional Irish songs, the reggae covers album Throw Down Your Arms (2005), the inspiring Theology (2007) and her current masterpiece How About I Be Me (And You Be You) (2012) (which is one of my favorite albums of 2012).

Here is a recent interview were Sinead talks about her personal life, religion, the SNL incident and her altercation with Prince – Skavlan 2013.  The interview is very candid, honest and very enlightening for those who haven’t followed Sinead since her isolation from top 40 radio.  Sinead is truly one of the most inspiring artists of my generation and her music has been pivotal in getting me through some really rough moments in my life.  I am very grateful that the universe has given us such a great gift.

For more information – touring, discography, blog etc., please visit Sinead’s official website at: http://www.sineadoconnor.com/ You can purchase all Sinead O’Connors music via iTunes. 

Together, we can make the world a more positive one.

SONG OF THE WEEK

My song of the week comes from an artist who had one of the biggest hits of 1990 – Although she was already well received on college/alternative radio formats in North America, Sinead O’Connor did not become a household name until she released a remake of Prince’s song – “Nothing Compares 2 U” from the critically acclaimed album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.  Sinead has released several brilliant albums since her 1987 debut The Lion and The Cobra like;  Am I Not Your Girl? – which reinterprets some pop/jazz standards, Universal Mother – which includes some soft lullaby’s, emotional ballads and non-apologetic alternative tracks, Faith and Courage – reggae influenced and somewhat of a spiritual journey (my personal favourite) to the current and very much, under-rated – How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? (One of my personal favorite albums of 2012).  

The song “Lay Your Head Down”, written by Brian Byrne and Glenn Close Glenn for the soundtrack of the film Albert Nobbs and performed by O’Connor, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Despite the controversy that surrounded Sinead’s career – we can’t deny her vocal talents and her ability to allow us to feel the emotion that she emphasizes in her songs.  My pick for ‘song of the week’ this week is song was originally released from the Original Soundtrack to the movie Water Horse released in 2007.  A slightly modified version is included in How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? The song is called “Back Where You Belong” – The audio video from the Original Movie Soundtrack Water Horse along with a list of Sinead’s full-length studio albums (not including compilations) – follows the lyrics.

BACK WHERE YOU BELONG

 

Oh it’s hard to
be a boy
when
all the men have
lost their joy
and they can’t find the ones they left behind .Harder still to think
of being a man
in this world of
no lessons or love ,
it’s only war that men be thinking of .

Should you stay
or should you come down with me ?
Is that the question
you are asking of me ?
And do you think that you can
take the answer ?
As it turns ,
you have to wear life well .

Come down with me ,
come down
when you need me
but for now I want you
to be happy .

Sometimes life does
things to you
that will hurt you
and confuse you ,
but when you’re left behind
you’re sure to find .

I am with you though I can’t
come with you .
I am in you and I’m
always part of you ,
and all you ever have to do
to bring me to you
is …

Come down with me ,
come down
when you need me ,
but for now I want you
to be happy .

So you must go back home ,
that’s where you belong.
You must go back home .

You must go back home ,
that’s where you belong .

You must go back home ,
and I can’t come along …

• 1987: The Lion and the Cobra
• 1990: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
• 1992: Am I Not Your Girl?
• 1994: Universal Mother
• 2000: Faith and Courage
• 2002: Sean-Nós Nua
• 2005: Throw Down Your Arms
• 2007: Theology
• 2012: How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?

For more information about Sinead O’Connor – complete discography, tour dates, biography, etc – please visit her official website:  http://www.sineadoconnor.com/  You can purchase the current version of “Back Where You Belong” and the 2007 version on iTunes.  All Sinead’s singles, albums and remixes are also available on iTunes.

Together we can make the world a more positive one.

GOODBYE 2012 and HELLO 2013.

2012 – Ah, what a year.  The United States of America re-elected Barack Obama for his second term in office while Canadians grow more and more concerned with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s lack of respect for the environment, human rights and indigenous people.  Many people have interpreted the end of the Mayan calendar as the end of time – clearly that did not happen.  I choose to believe that the new year represents a great spiritual awakening and that our positive energies will be universally connected thus creating great and lasting positive changes around the world.

Here are my hi-lites of 2012:

Same-sex Marriage (or what I like to call marriage) 

Same-sex marriage has been made legal in the following areas around the world:  Denmark, the state of Sao Paulo – Brazil, the state of Bahia – Brazil, in Mexico – Secretary of State Quintana Roo reversed marriage annulments and allowed for future same-sex marriage to be performed.  In the United States of America – same-sex marriage is not recognized federally, but Maine, Maryland and Washington join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont have all legalized same-sex marriage at the state level.

Our Environment (as reported by Greenpeace)

February 2012: Edison International announced that they would shut down the Fisk and Crawford coal plants. After ten years of gritty and determined grassroots work, communities in Chicago triumphed over the corporate polluter in their back yard. On the same day, citizens in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania celebrated the announcement that Houston-based GenOn would shut an additional 7 plants, including the Portland Generating Station where Greenpeace worked with NJ and PA residents to demand clean air for their community.

February 2012: The countless hours spent scouring legal documents, appearing in court and enduring what must have been trying exchanges with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) by our awesome lawyers at Ecojustice has all paid off. The longtime legal case came to a close in a precedent setting victory for B.C.’s threatened and endangered resident killer whales. After years of facing threat after threat, and population declines, these iconic creatures certainly needed a win. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the 2010 ruling that guaranteed the protection of killer whale habitat by law under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Appeal Court’s ruling was an uncommonly strong judgment, and a controversial one for DFO after the court awarded Greenpeace costs noting that the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ behaviour had been “worthy of rebuke.”

March 2012: Thanks to campaigning by Greenpeace and our supporters, leading Italian tuna brand Mareblu has decided to abandon destructive fishing methods in favour of sustainable practices by agreeing to source tuna only from pole and line and FAD free purse seining operations by the end of 2016. The move is a huge victory for our Tonno in trappolacampaign and is a significant first shift in the Italian tinned tuna market. Mareblu has shown that when a company really wants to commit to taking action to save our oceans, it can do it. Now that the standard has been set, there can be no more excuses – all other major brands and retailers must follow.

April 2012: Danone has released a statement confirming its plans to phase out supplies of paper and packaging products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). The statement also confirms that the company intends to develop a zero deforestation policy, which will cover all of the commodities it buys that could be linked to deforestation. Danone joins the likes of Nestle, Kraft, Unilever, Adidas and many more who have already dropped APP.

May 2012: For over a year, Greenpeace campaigned intensively for the cancellation of Senegalese fishing authorizations. These licenses constituted a serious threat to the livelihoods of millions of Senegalese who depend on the ocean’s resources for their jobs and food security. Organizing a travelling caravan called “My voice, my future,” that engaged artisanal fishermen across the country, launching an online petition, meeting with politicians, and organizing a ship tour to expose and document overfishing in Senegalese waters, were some of the actions Greenpeace took to achieve this result. So it was with joy that we learned of the Senegalese government’s decision to cancel the fishing authorizations issued to 29 foreign pelagic trawlers in West African waters.

July 2012: Greenpeace has reacted with delight at the cancellation of $100 million in public funds to a proposed HRL dirty coal-fired power station and is calling on the owners of the project to withdraw their proposal altogether. Last year, Greenpeace activists placed a 200-metre long banner across the site of the proposed HRL power station, calling on the Prime Minister to live up to her word that “no more dirty coal-fired power stations would be built in Australia”. Greenpeace also partnered with Environment Victoria, Quit Coal and other environment groups to build a petition of over 12,000 people calling for HRL’s Commonwealth funding to be withdrawn and given to renewable energy.

July 2012: You may remember earlier this year we bought 18 tea products at random from nine tea companies in China, and after sending the samples to be tested discovered that a whopping 12 of the 18 samples contained at least one pesticide banned for use on tea. Well guess what? Two of the outed tea companies, Tenfu (天福茗茶) and Anxi Tieguanyin Group (安溪铁观音集团ATG), have agreed to your demands for pesticide use reduction and setting up traceability systems for their supply chain.

July 2012: KFC bosses in Kentucky remain silent on whether it will cut forest destruction out of its supply chain globally, it looks like one country has gotten tired of waiting for headquarters to respond to our campaign. Following a first meeting between KFC Indonesia and Greenpeace, KFC Indonesia has issued a statement to address the issues of deforestation in its supply chain and declared its decision to suspend purchases from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) at this time.

Greenpeace also congratulated the Gillard government for showing the courage to prevent the Abel Tasman super trawler fishing in Australia’s waters. Greenpeace hailed it as a victory for the Australian community which has united to reject this monster ship. The decision also sends a message to the global super-sized fishing fleets that world community opposition is growing to their unsustainable business model.

August 2012: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has denied the complaint by Neste Oil over Greenpeace spoof site. The WIPO panel declared that Greenpeace may use the domains http://www.nestespoil.com and http://www.nestespoilreturns.com to criticize Neste Oil’s use of palm oil as biofuel. The WIPO panel confirmed that non commercial criticism is part of the freedom of expression. According to the panel Greenpeace did not use the sites to unnecessarily tarnish Neste Oil. In similar cases even harsh criticism has not been considered as tarnishing. The Panel concluded that Greenpeace had been using the sites to raise legitimate environmental concerns for non-commercial purpose.

September 2012: Australian Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has announced a ban on the Margiris super trawler for up to two years and further scientific investigations before boats like this are approved. Burke acknowledged overwhelming public concern in reaching this significant decision. Congratulations to the thousands of passionate Australians, community and environmental groups and fishing groups who stopped the Margiris from destroying Australia‘s oceans.

October 2012: M&S becomes the seventh brand to make a credible commitment to clean up its supply chain and products and eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals, joining Puma, Nike, Adidas, H&M, C&A and Li-Ning. More brands need to respond to the urgency of the situation and take ambitious action to rid the fashion world and our precious water supplies of toxic chemicals.

November 2012: The world’s largest fashion retailer Zara – and parent company Inditex – today committed to eliminate all releases of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire supply chain and products by 2020, following public pressure in response to Greenpeace’s Detox campaign. Zara becomes the eighth brand to commit to eliminate releases of all hazardous chemicals throughout its supply chains and products since Greenpeace launched its Detox campaign in 2011. As a part of the commitment Zara is reinforcing the ban on APEOs, and pledges to set further short-term elimination timelines for other priority hazardous chemicals, including PFCs. Most notably, Zara will now require at least 20 suppliers to start releasing pollution discharge data by the end of March 2013, and at least 100 suppliers by the end of 2013.

December 2012: One of Australia’s leading canned fish manufacturer, John West (Simplot) has pledged to stop using destructive fishing methods that needlessly kill sharks, rays, baby tuna and turtles. The commitment means that John West will phase out the use of highly destructive and wasteful Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) used with purse seine nets by 2015.

December 2012: The government of South Korea has abandoned its plans to begin a ‘scientific’ whaling operation, a significant step forward in global efforts to protect whale populations. The proposed hunt would have caught minke whales for commercial purposes under the thin veil of scientific research. More than 100,000 people from around the world sent messages in the last month to the South Korean prime minister, asking him to call off the hunt.

December 2012: Brazilian oil giant Petrobras has abandoned its plans for deep-sea oil drilling off the coast of New Zealand. The world’s third largest oil company has decided to return its exploration licenses for deep-sea oil and gas prospects to the government, effectively abandoning its plans for deep-sea drilling in New Zealand.

***source/additional information for all of the above information can be found at: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/victories/ ***

The WWF continues their global initiatives to save key places and critical species but they can’t do it without our help.  With limited financial resources they really rely on public donations to continue their efforts to save our planet and endangered species.  How can you help….spread the word using social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc..).  Please visit their website for their priorities, accomplishments, new stories and to make a much-needed donation:

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/key_initiatives/

Ethical Treatment of Animals

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has named Sen. Mac Harb 2012’s Canadian of the Year for being the first Canadian parliamentarian in history to introduce a bill to phase out Canada’s cruel commercial seal slaughter and for his tenacity in promoting the legislation in the Senate, Sen. Mac Harb has been named PETA’s first-ever Canadian of the Year.

Uncovering the cruel and mass graves of sea animals at Niagara Falls, Ontario – Marineland.  Hopefully this will put an end to their cruel mistreatment of these imprisoned animals.

Air Canada is set to ban the shipment of primates to laboratories for testing.  This leaves United Airlines as the only North American airline—and one of the few left in the world—to continue this bloody business.

For more amazing animal stories and victories, please visit the following link below.

***source/additional information for all of the above information can be found at:  http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/default.aspx

ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE

Well – since I don’t prescribe to cable television or listen to the radio much…..I don’t have too many hi-lites regarding entertainment or pop culture.  My favourite pop culture/entertainment moments of 2012 are as follows:

Winning tickets to see Madonna in Montreal – not regular tickets but GOLDEN CIRCLE PIT tickets, what a show and what a weekend!  I not only saw her in Montreal but my husband – Jason, managed to win 4 tickets to see her in Toronto – another incredible night and concert!

Meeting Peaches at TIFF at her screening of her rockumentary Peaches Does Herself.  Also catching her amazing and intimate show at the Drake Hotel…what could have been an awful night turned out to be one of the most fun nights out of 2012.  Thank you Peaches!

Madonna/M.I.A./Nicki Minaj performing at the Super Bowl.  Madonna was in top form and gave the over 100 million viewers a 1/2 time show they would never forget…..although it was slightly overshadowed by M.I.A.’s semi-contraversial bird flip – which was completely unnecessary considering what is shown on regular cable television. 

My top 5 Favorite Albums

• MDNA – Madonna (completely under-rated and one of the most successful albums of 2012 worldwide – it was the best-selling album of 2012 in Russia, the first time for an international artist).
• HOW ABOUT I BE ME (AND YOU BE YOU)? – Sinead O’Connor (ever since her infamous SNL appearance – her music career has received much criticism, even after releasing such amazing efforts such as Universal Mother, Faith and Courage and this fantastic alternative rock album).
• MASTER OF MY MAKE-BELIEVE – Santigold (I never thought she could top her debut album Santogold but she did…this is a masterpiece).
• NEW & NUMBER ONES – Kristine W (new tracks and reinterpretations of old classics – awesome comeback from one of Billboard’s top artists of the decade – 2000 to 2009).
• AN OMEN EP – How To Destroy Angels (a 6-track EP from the wife of Trent Reznor’s (of Nine Inch Nails) group and a teaser for what is to come in 2013 – electronic music at its best).

You can purchase all the above music on iTunes or by visiting each of the artists websites, links following:

1. http://www.madonna.com/ (Madonna)
2. http://www.sineadoconnor.com/ (Sinead O’Connor)
3. http://www.santigold.com/ (Santigold)
4. http://www.kristinew.com/ (Kristine W)
5. http://howtodestroyangels.com/ (How To Destroy Angels)

Thanks for all of your love and support in 2012…..I hope you continue to read/share/follow my blog posts.  I also hope that you continue to advocate for a more positive world community – let love, compassion and joy guide you through 2013 and throughout your lifetime!

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

SINEAD O’CONNOR

Every once in a while, an artist emerges whose music and lyrics really connect deep within you.  For me, Sinead O’Connor was is still is one of those artists that continue to awe me.  I was 18 years old when I heard her 1st record – The Lion and the Cobra – I immediately connected with the raw emotion in her voice, her passion and some brilliantly written songs.  The complete album of The Lion and the Cobra was an emotional journey – I know the songs were written based on the Sinead O’Connor’s personal journey but these songs resonated with me personally.  I couldn’t stop listening to this album.  Whenever I am asked about who my favourite artists are and which songs have had a tremendous impact in my life – I respond by saying Sinead O’Connor and Troy as one of my favourite songs.

The Lion and the Cobra was more of an ‘underground’ alternative album – mostly played on college radio stations – we never heard Sinead O’Connor played on top 40 or pop radio stations that is, not until her massive cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U.  This song thrust Sinead into the limelight in the early 90’s and was one of the biggest singles and video’s of 1990.  The album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got became Sinead’s first Billboard top 200 album and her most successful to date.

I am not going to pretend to know or even speculate about what happened in Sinead’s personal life – I wasn’t part of her circle of friends or family.  I do know that she is a firm advocate for mental illness and has been since diagnosed as being bi-polar.  Sinead had her opinions and was not afraid to share them with the world……there was backlash because people housed fear within themselves and did not want to challenge the truth.  I believe that by challenging the  truth – Sinead’s music career took a hit, especially in America.

Personally – I thought some of the albums that were released after I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got were fantastic.  Universal Mother was genius, to this day, every time I hear Scorn Not His Simplicity, I become teary eyed.  Other stand out songs on this album – Fire on Babylon, Thank You For Hearing Me (what a fantastic song), John I Love You, All Babies and Red Football.  Prior to Universal Mother, Sinead released Am I Not Your Girl?  A collection of covers of mostly jazz standards.  For me – I thought Sinead gave life to a music genre I would hardly listen to.  She allowed me to hear music or songs I didn’t enjoy prior to her re-interpretation such as; Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Gloomy Sunday, I Want To Be Love By You and Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.  A great EP called Gospel Oak was released in 1997 and included 2 incredible songs called Petite Poulet and This Is To Rebel You.  Faith and Courage was released in 2000 and I have never heard another album that has resonated with more more spiritually than this album.  Faith and Courage is definitely my favourite Sinead album.  The reason I say this is because each time I listen to the album it invokes so many emotions within me.  The Healing Room calms my mind and soothes my soul.  No Man’s Woman is defiant and strong.  Jealous is brooding.  Daddy I’m Fine is liberating.  Hold Back The Night is heart wrenching and What Doesn’t Belong To Me is absolutely moving.   I am moved beyond speech when I hear Emma’s Song.  I can only imagine the personal journey that Sinead went through to give us this wonderful and moving gift!!!!  (Thank You Sinead!!!).

There have been other album releases – Sean-Nos Nua in 2002, Throw Down Your Arms in 2005 (amazing reggae album), Theology in 2007 and a very under- rated 2012 release called How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?  As a matter of fact – How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?  is currently my favourite release of 2012.  The track that I am completely obsessed with is Queen of Denmark – I don’t want this track to end, I want it to keep going (Sinead – please release and extended version!!!  lol – kidding).  Other stand out tracks are 4th and Vine, Back Where You Belong, The Wolf Is Getting Married and Reason With Me.  Don’t get me wrong – this is an album you definitely have to hear continuously from start to finish…..absolutely incredible – again, thank you Sinead!!!

There are many things that I am grateful for – my partner of almost 20 years, my mother/father/brothers/sisters, my awesome doggy and my passion to spread love and positive energy out into the world.  I am also grateful for artists who are not afraid to express their personal views on social/political and human rights issues.  I am grateful for Sinead O’Connor continuing to use her voice to invoke so much thought and emotion through her music.  I am also grateful that Sinead has not allowed the cruelty of humanity to silence her – instead she continues to challenge the truth on topics of religion, politics and our own mental well-being.

This post is my THANK YOU to a woman who is brave, stands strong in her convictions, is loving, compassionate and a true talent and inspiration.   Thanks for sharing your gift(s) with the world – your words and music have helped me and so many others overcome our inner struggles.