Say it with Music: CD Gift Ideas
By Jane Louise BoursawMoms
One Tree Hill, Vol. 2 (Various Artists, Feb. 7, 2006)
From the popular TV show comes this soundtrack album with a cause. When one of the characters on the show discovered her mother had breast cancer, the community gathered to stage a concert and record an album to raise money for cancer research. This is the album that was produced on the show. Gavin DeGraw, who wrote the One Tree Hill theme song, contributes a beautiful cover of John Lennon's Jealous Guy. Other highlights include Citizen Cope's Son's Gonna Rise and Feeder's Feeling a Moment. And best of all, part of the proceeds are donated to the National Breast Cancer Association.
All the Roadrunning (Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, April 25, 2006)
During the last seven years, Knopfler and Harris have been quietly recording this CD. It's a meditative meandering of tunes that nicely blends the two's formidable talents. Highlights include the bluesy Right Now, heartbreaking If This is Goodbye (inspired by the events of 9/11), and the marital romp, This Is Us. It's about time these two made beautiful music together.
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing (Keith Urban, Nov. 07, 2006)
Fans of the handsome country rocker are in for a treat. This follow-up to his smash 2004 CD Be Here includes 13 new tracks, ranging from weepy country to hard rock, including the soulful Once in a Lifetime.
A Thousand Different Ways (Clay Aiken, Sept. 19, 2006)
No one has done a better job of bring love songs back in vogue. This CD from the American Idol includes Elton John's Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, Celine Dion's Because You Loved Me, and Bryan Adams' Everything I Do. Aiken knows his audience, and he delivers the goods: romantic and sentimental songs.
Goodbye Alice in Wonderland (Jewel, May 2, 2006)
Known for her introspective songwriting, Jewel is still a hopeless romantic, thank goodness. Highlights of this life/love/happiness CD include the pop ballad Again and Again, the country-ish Stephenville, TX, and the folksy Long Slow Slide. Jewel is, indeed, a jewel when it comes to producing thoughtful music.
