Weekend catsup

I'm at school and catching up on postponed grading. I'm offering myself ten minutes break after getting two classes's labs finished up. So, Fight for your Mind by Ben Harper is an excellent album, quite and introspective. A little hard to catch if you're not paying attention. My first thought - gathered while listening to the cd and talking to my wife while making dinner this past week - was that the album wasn't catchy, wasn't much more than lightweight. On second listen, in a quieter session, I found that it's a marvelous album. It's got some very tender songs - including the most plain, easy-going pro-pot song I've ever heard in "Burn One Down". Great album but one that'd be easy to miss.

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Chant Down Babylon, and in my mind, this is a sister cd. On Dreams of Freedom, the original Marley recordings are remixed by Bill Laswell into beautiful, swirling rhythms with new feelings but the same spirit of the original recordings. It's a nice chill out cd but not nearly as gripping as Chant. Pleasant but not earth-shattering.