Chill Out: Get A Dose Of Slaid Cleaves

Chill Out One More Time: It's been sometime since I did a brief review of singer and songwriter Slaid Cleaves who hailed from Maine and now lives in Austin, Texas. I've always enjoyed his songs which are life stories sung in his own unique style that sounds like a natural blend of folk, country and rock.

Our Texas troubador's early hit album "Broke Down" which was released in 2000, and his 1997 debut album "No Angel Knows" are two of my favourites.

The above video footage is of Slaid Cleaves singing "Cold And Lonely" from his album "Broke Down." This recording was a special project for Slaid, a collection of songs by admired friends and colleagues including Karen Poston, Michael O'Connor and Adam Carroll.

And here's a video clip by swammy05 (aka Steve) presenting a Slaid Cleaves cover of "Broke Down." I mistook him for Cleaves in the original posting and I'd like to thank monette for kindly pointing out this little mis-step of mine. But Steve's unplugged performance is quite cool, so I'm retaining it here for us to enjoy as well.

If you want to know more about Slaid Cleaves, you can visit his website.

So grab a piece of the action, hear him out and let me know what you think of Cleaves. Hey guys, we need to cool it a bit!

Hungry For Some Good Stories?

Writing posts for a blog can be tough at times, but what about writing short stories? As a short story writer, you either have the flair to be a talented one or none at all to save your own skin.

That brings to mind short story essayist Ian Randall Wilson whose latest book "Hunger And Other Stories" is a collection of 14 serious stories that are profoundly moving and gut-wrenching.

The award-winning author writes about family conflicts, human desires and sexual relationships gone bad.

The first tale, "A Wire Man" is an intense story about a father who is full of prejudice and his son who went about trying to prove his own worth and then ran into financial problem. It's an emotional insight into a father and son relationship.

The title story, "Hunger," is a passionate and powerful tale about a man yearning for love. You'll be surprised by the stunning ending.

If you're the type who's not inclined towards dark tales that touch on the human psyche and often depressing, this book may not be your cup of tea. Better to stick to a lightweight like a Harry Potter book.

These are Wilson's first collection of short stories with characters who are often haunted by their pasts and their apprehension of the future.

If anything, his writing style is graceful and poetic without being overbearing in self-indulgence.