Fine China

In direct opposition to what you hear on the most radio stations in most cities in this country, there is so much great music being released every month that it is almost impossible to keep up with it all.

An early candidate for my favorite album of the year is the solo debut from singer/songwriter China Forbes, called 78. I say solo debut because China's day job (night job?) finds her fronting the popular band Pink Martini. The shared qualities between her songs and their songs is that every one of them is melodic, literate and sublime.

Please check out her MySpace page or website and give her a chance. Or just click play on this page to hear one of her new songs, especially selected for today. She's on a brief tour too, including a stop at Seattle's Triple Door on April 11th. See you there?

Easter Sunday
I'm gonna turn the TV on
There's no holiday
from being left alone again
I'm crossing the parade
I don't know a single soul
Maybe I should stay Easter Sunday
I even almost went to mass
I just want to stand
With a chorus of irrelevants
I got no family
Someone thought they found a future
Went away from me on Easter Sunday

Somewhere on 8th Avenue
All the lights are out
And no one's on the street tonight
No one saw me home
It was just like any day
And everybody's on their own
The boys pile in their Chevy Nova
There's no room for me
The boys peel out like badass rebels
Who's around for me Easter Sunday

I tried to make a dozen plans
Traditions I don't understand
I didn't mean to turn you off

Comments

[Jerry]

She has a nice soft voice. I like it.
To keep on track of new artists, may I suggest Kina Grannis. If you saw the Super Bowl (especially at the end of the first quarter), you might have seen a video clip of the winner of the Doritos' Crash The Superbowl contest. You can check her out at http://www.kinagrannis.com or at her myspace
at http://www.myspace.com/kinagrannis.

Hey Bean... she's young, hot, and asian! :D

[suz]

I am pretty sure China had a solo album out already, long time ago, because one of her songs (Ode) is a permanent fixture on my mix tapes from the late 90s.

[Ken]

Thanks for the heads-up, she sounds beautiful.
Now back at you. Cydney Robinson – incredible.
http://www.myspace.com/cydneyrobinson

[bean]

Thank you, Suz, for the correction. China did have a solo album out in her pre-Pink Martini days, way back in 1995.

It appears to be out of print now but I will be keeping my eyes open for one to pop up somewhere.

[j.thorn]

surprisingly good: check out 2008 Heavy Circles (Paul Simon's wife & son), song Henri.