A Blog in the Life...

On Monday, September 17, 2018 I had the privilege of seeing one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters of all time.   While it wasn’t my first time seeing him (it was my 3 rd ), I think this might have been the most meaningful. But first, a (not so) little back story… If you know me, you’ll know that I’m a huge Monkees fan. I’ve been covering Monkees songs as long as I’ve been playing live.   In doing so, I’d always found myself favoring the songs sung (and mostly written) by Michael Nesmith. Contrary to popular belief, Mike was not the only musician in the Monkees. He was however, the most prolific songwriter of the group. For the most part, his lyrics always seemed more natural than the other songwriters for the Monkees. More personal and heartfelt. I don’t know how to really explain it. His music just always seemed to resonate with me. In recent years, his solo work has affected me even more so. While I’ve been a fan of almost all of his solo output, his first 6 ...

***this review was written and originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, September 6, 2017. It has been updated here to include the two extra songs included on the "Deluxe Edition" CD available exclusively at Target stores in North America*** I've listened to " Egypt Station " a couple of times now, and I'm pretty confident that this is where I stand on the album as a whole. First thing, right off the bat, I want to state that I won't be talking about his voice. In fact, I think his voice sounds much better here than it does in concert. That's ALL I need or want to say about his voice. I've never been one to complain if a "legacy artist" like McCartney tries to make a "modern" or "current" sounding record. Truthfully, I admire artists that try to keep their sound fresh, and evolve with the times. "Egypt Station" does this very well. I have to admit that I love the production. It's crisp and punchy...