{blog_title}

p. For a while, I’ve been looking for a way to include images of the covers of CDs that I mention or books that I’ve read, without getting in to copyright issues. I heard about the [“Amazon Associates Programme(Amazon.co.uk Associates Programme)”:http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/subst/associates/join/associates.html/ref=mkash32/026-1401664-4955609], which would allow me to do just this, with the pleasant side-effect that if anyone buys something after following the link to Amazon on my page, I’ll get a small percentage of the selling price of the item. I’m under no illusions that it will make me even slightly rich (particularly given my slightly eccentric taste in music), but it might provide a few quid to offset my hosting fees a little. Unfortunately, it will only work with Amazon.co.uk, which isn’t much use for people outside the UK. I’ve set it up now, so if you’re interested in the Sheila Chandra CD, just click the image to go to Amazon’s site.

p. I’m not into advertising for the sake of it (even if it makes me money), so I won’t be linking to any CDs that I don’t own and listen to, books that I haven’t read or DVDs that I haven’t watched.

p. This album (along with another titled ‘The Zen Kiss’) was one of my many impulse purchases made solely on the basis that it was recorded on Pete Gabriel’s Real World label—Peter and I evidently share a particular taste in music, and I’ve never been disappointed yet by one of these impulse buys. Sheila Chandra is a superb British-Asian singer, who cleverly mixes together different vocal traditions (now you see where the title comes from). Both of the albums I’ve mentioned are unusual because they have very little in the way of instrumental backing. On most of the tracks, Sheila sings totally unaccompanied, and in a few she just has a string drone playing in the background. It’s an incredibly brave thing to do, but her voice is so interesting and strong, and her seamless slipping between vocal styles is so compelling that the albums never become repetitive.

{Read more...}