Queen of the Quiet Storm Returns

Absent from the music scene for a decade, R&B titan Sade is back with a stellar new album called Soldier of Love. Read my review here.

The Fundamentals

Greetings from a cold (duh!) and damp Chicago. Today was one of those days that wasn't terribly cold, but just had a dampness you can feel in your bones.

Now that the obligatory weather talk out of the way, you are probably wondering what I've been up to since I last posted. Or not. This blog has about 3 regular readers, so I doubt it. In the time between my last shameless plug, er, post, I've been watching the Olympics, writing for Consequence of Sound and trying to get my shit together.

I'm inspired to post today because I've had cause lately to think about something - actually, a few things - I take for granted.

Even though my reading pace is slower than a Brown Line train during rush hour, I LOVE to read. Always have. One of my new year's resolutions for 2010 is to read more. And, if I may pat myself on the back a bit, I think I'm doing a fairly good job. In the last month, I finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road, read Neil Gaiman's fantasy novel Neverwhere and begun reading LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries series. Maybe if I'm feeling enterprising, I will finally finish Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native, which I began when I first moved to Chicago in 2007.

Bottom line: reading is in my blood. It's a fundamental part of my life. I cannot remember a time when I didn't read; nor can I recall when I didn't know how. It's something I take for granted, not only for myself, but for others. Because I and everyone around me knows how to read, I assume that everyone else in society does. It is this assumption - and all the related assumptions about education and class and access - that I've had to confront since signing up to become a literacy tutor in the field of adult education.

First a bit of background. In January, I decided to become a literacy tutor (even though I have zero experience in it). Part of my motivation has to do with wanting to go into teaching; but I also just wanted to volunteer using one of the few skills I have that's of use to anybody but me. I love to read and I wanted to help others get to do the same thing.

So, for the past two Saturdays, I've been in literacy training and it's made me think about the fact that there are people my age and older, from all walks of life who cannot read. It's also made me think about what my life would have been like if I'd reached my current age (34) not being able to read. Inconceivable. Reading isn't just something I like to do, it's an integral part of my existence. From proofreading (my job) to reading signs on public transportation and in grocery stores (necessities), I'm reading almost 24/7. I can't imagine functioning without being able to read.

But many people do. So, this experience will be eye-opening for me. I hope I can do it justice.

Massive Attack Album Review

One of my all-time favorite bands, Massive Attack, has released it's latest album. It's called Heligoland, and it's a corker as the Brits might say. Here is my review.

Also released this week is Sade's Soldier of Love. It's been ten years since she released Lovers Rock to much acclaim. I've heard this new one and it's every bit as sublime as past Sade albums. Review to come soon.

New Music: Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM

Here's my review of Charlotte Gainsbourg's latest album, IRM. The daughter of the late (and legendary) French singer Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg is known primarily for her roles in films like The Science of Sleep and 21 Grams. But she's also a singer, who has released three albums.

On her latest, she collaborated with Beck, who co-wrote and produced all the songs. The album is populated by intimate balladry, ramshackle blues and indie rock.

Read the review and feel free to leave a comment.

Notes from a Tennis Obsessed Corner of the Midwest

January for me means one thing and one thing only: tennis season officially begins with the first Major (Grand Slam) tournament of the season: the Australian Open. Living in Chicago, I watch the tournament coverage with longing, drooling over the 80-90-degree temps and rooting for my favorite players. Last night, I watched one of the women’s quarterfinal matches, this one featuring Venus Williams (USA) and Li Na (China). I’ve pretty much enjoyed Venus since she and her sister Serena came on the scene in the late 90s. But I’ve had a soft spot for Li since I saw her play Lindsay Davenport on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open 8 years ago.

Anyway, as I sat there watching Li and Venus go through what was truly a crazy match (6 consecutive breaks of serve!), it occurred to me that, for the first time in a long time, I was watching two POC women compete in the latter stages of a Grand Slam tournament. When watching Li or Venus in a match, the opponent across the net is usually white. So, I paused my live feed to savor this moment. I’ve followed tennis very closely for the past 12 years and in that time, very few POCs (on the men’s or the women’s side) have emerged as contenders for titles. After being down and almost beaten, Li won the match and will now play Serena in the semi-finals. In the other semi-final, Li’s countrywoman, Zheng Jie will play recently unretired Justine Henin. My prediction: Serena and Henin will prevail to book their first ever Grand Slam final match (the two have 18 Majors between them, but to date have only competed at the quarterfinal and semi-final stages of a Grand Slam).

The fact that two Chinese women are now in the semi-finals of a Major is on my mind: 1) because the tennis media are wetting themselves talking about the milestone and 2) because the coverage is illuminating some interesting biases.

Take this Yahoo!Sports article about Li and Zheng’s achievement. The reporter goes out of his way to note that both players have benefited from leaving the Chinese tennis federation and hiring foreign coaches (both of whom are white). The implication, of course, is that things are so backward and awful in China that thank goodness these white coaches were there to rescue benighed players like Li and Zheng.

This kind of self-congratulatory tone (oooh, look two Chinese players made it into the semis, isn't our sport so magnanimous and open-minded) is rampant in almost all the press coverage of Li and Zheng. Not only is it nauseating, it fails to look at why it took till 2010 for two Chinese players to make it this far in a Major tournament.

But this is quite typical of discussions surrounding minorities breaking down racial barriers in any field. There's allusion to the fact that the barriers exist, but no discussion of how said barriers were erected in the first place (the coverage of the Williams sisters' emergence is probably the most notable example of this).

In any event, I will celebrate the fact that this year's Australian Open quarterfinal featured FOUR women of color as competitors. It's a small, but significant step in the right direction.

Another Album Review

I just reviewed Kanye West's VH1 Storytellers concert album for Consequence of Sound. Enjoy!

Haiti Picture Post

More photos from my 2007 trip to Haiti. I've been looking through my journal entries from the week in Haiti. It's bittersweet and melancholy to read them. Here is an excerpt.

19 February 07
Today was amazing. It was our first actual work day. We helped lay the foundation for a chapel/community center at a birthing clinic called Maison de Naissance. We heaved buckets of concrete and water alongside people from the neighborhood. The sun baked us, but it felt great being there and participating. In the afternoon, we walked around Les Cayes - some of my traveling companions were on the hunt for good Haitian rum. I took about 1,000 pictures (at least that's what it felt like). I loved taking in the town and its people...Tomorrow is more work at Maison de Naissance, and hopefully, the opportunity to visit some of the mothers have had babies there. I keep thinking about how I'm going to tell everyone at home about what I've seen and experienced here, and I have yet to find the right words. Maybe I'll be able to once I'm back home.