Abra Moore - Soulful, Independent, and Resonating

Abra Moore has been on the music scene for over a decade now, and I am at a loss as to why more people don’t know about her or her music. But then, in a society that glorifies flakey media whores over people of genuine talent and soul, I can’t really say I am all that surprised.
Abra Moore, born June 8th, 1969 in San Diego, CA, is best described as a subtle force to be reckoned with. Her music combines a soulful indie-rock spirit with a stylized flow that creates a safe haven for the listener, while moving them towards a gutsy, non-commercialized realm of alternative music coupled with a smattering of jazz. Her sound is bohemian and conventional at the same time, making her an icon on the Austin Texas music scene (and if you have ever been to Austin during their annual music festivals, you KNOW that this is not small praise).
My first introduction to her music actually came from hearing one of her songs in the background of a tv show. The song, “Family Affair” grabbed me immediately and nearly reduced me to tears. The words were so simple, and in their simplicity, they were deeply resonating. I couldn’t get to my computer fast enough to run a lyrics search and find the melancholy goddess whose sound was rolling around in my head with no signs of stopping. Very few musicians can capture me so completely with only a few bars of music. Abra captured me, tied me up, took me hostage, and has yet to let me go… not that I am trying to escape.
While her music transports you, her lyrics ground you. Her words ring with truth and familiarity on many levels. She’s relatable and accessible whether she is singing about family or rollercoaster that is love.
If you enjoy Fiona Apple, Rie Sinclair, Anna Nalick, Jewel, and the like, you will want to give Abra Moore a listen.

Quick Lyrics: Family Affair

I sleep all day, what makes me feel this way.When everything's a bust, when everything keeps loosing my trust.Where do we begin with this unhappy ending.Where do we begin after all that we've done.How do we begin to say I forgive youAnd how do we begin to repair this family affair.
Artist: Abra Moore – Song Title: Family Affair – Album: Everything Changed





All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners. All lyrics provided for educational purposes only.

Man Of The Year - Robin Williams, Lewis Black

Man Of The Year

Starring: ROBIN WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, LAURA LINNEY, LEWIS BLACK

Genre: COMEDY/DRAMA

In light of the up and coming inauguration of Barack Obama, not to mention the perpetual pistol-whipping over the head by the sensationalist psychos known as the media, I suppose that it is only natural that my mind has turned to the grand arena of incompetence that we call "politics". I started thinking about the political movies I have seen over the years. Given my general disdain of politicians in reality, I found myself pleasantly surprised that some of the best movies I have seen were about the leaders of the world. This posting is to be the first in a small series of movie reviews regarding politicians and leadership. So let's just go ahead and start with Man Of The Year.

Man Of The Year looked promising when I saw the previews for the theatrical release, but I was reluctant to go see it. Much as I love Robin Williams, and I positively worship at the alter of Lewis Black, I was still worried that the movie would be heavy handed in the whole political ethics department. “Political Ethics”…now THAT is an oxymoron. But, I digress.

Now that the movie is out on DVD, I took it upon myself to watch it, and did my best to keep my expectations in check. It was the damnedest thing. When I wasn’t looking, I found myself enjoying the movie.

The premise of this flick is simple. A Jon Stewart-esque comedian who does the fake news, runs for president as an independent candidate. He makes a good enough showing to be added the ticket, and whaddya know? He wins the presidency. The first presidential election where all votes were placed electronically on a computer system, and a comedian wins. Can you guess how that happened? That’s right…a computer glitch. Enter Laura Linney's character, who works for the software company that wrote the program. She discovered the glitch before election day and told her boss, who promptly had her drugged, causing her to flip out in the company cafeteria and it lands her in the hospital. This was the one portion of the movie where they jumped the shark…just a little bit…because let’s face it, something that big…people will kill over it…and would have killed her in a heartbeat.

Naturally, no one believes our heroine, except for the new President Elect played by Robin Williams. So, what is the right thing to do? As the President, he could make the changes that American’s have been asking for. He hasn’t been bought out by special interest groups, he is not tied down by party loyalty, and he genuinely wants to make things better. But the problem is ... he wasn’t elected. And he knows it.

First and foremost, he’s an American and a patriot. So, the question becomes, “Is it right to go ahead and be the leader of the free world and take a shot at making a real difference, or do you speak up because as an American, you don’t screw with the voting process, because then it would no longer be a government by the people, for the people?” Then, of course, there is always the little matter of having proof of the flub. It’s what happens when the government gets involved with big business.

Yes, this is a morality tale. It gently nudges you towards the ramifications of the actions of the people in power. Their hubris is infinite…and will be to their and our own detriment. This movie is worthy of note. It’s not too heavy handed and it encourages you to take a moment and truly look at the people in power, to speak out and be heard, and to do whatever needs to be done to make the government what it was always supposed to be, but has not been for a very long time…a government by the people, for the people. Forget about the “issues” like gay marriage and focus on the things that matter, like the education crisis in our country. Alright. I will get off of my soapbox now.

I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars, for its morality and humor, but it did drag a little in places. It’s watchable, and it points out that it would behoove our leaders to take note of what the people truly want. It would also behoove our citizens to take note of what our “leaders” are doing. This is an educational movie as well as entertaining, and I do think it should be shown in political science and philosophy classrooms all across the country. If nothing else, it is an excellent conversation starter.