I made a CD for Rena.  She told me since I hadn’t been to the Greek for SO long, I had to bring a gift.

Knowing that I can’t compete on a dollar level, I put my mind to it, what could I bring her that evidenced thought, that evidenced me.

They say parents appreciate a home made gift from their kids most.  Not having children, I’m not sure if this is true.  I think it’s too often license for a kid to put a tiny bit of effort into constructing something worthless so they can save their money to blow on something else.  But I wondered, was there something I could make?

Then I hit on it…  I’d burn her a CD of the most played tracks in my iTunes library.

Having switched to a new computer, I had to fire up the old one, to see which tracks had the most spins.  Oh, I knew the Eels’ "Jeannie’s Diary" was number one.  And that Dido’s "Sand In My Shoes" was number two.  And the Vigilantes Of Love’s "Real Down Town" was definitely Top 5.  But as for the rest?  I was surprised when they came over my iPod.

Yup, after burning a CD for Rena, I made one for Felice.  And then transferred the playlist to my Nano.  And lying on my floor doing my back exercises, the song I always heard first when I selected the playlist was Abra Moore’s "Pull Away".  Which had enraptured me so.  Hearing it again was like having an angel descend from heaven to remind me to focus on the bigger picture, not to be caught up in the bullshit, that I’d be okay if I was true to myself and didn’t worry about image and just tried to be who I truly was.

And listening to your most played tracks is like flipping through a photo album of your life.  You remember when you got turned on.  What you were doing when you were listening.  Who you used to be.

And then I heard "Taking Chances".

"Taking Chances" is completely different from "Pull Away".  Demonstrating that human beings have more than one dimension.  That you can be introspective one day, but boisterous the next.  Pessimistic, and then optimistic.  And what’s confounding is you seem to have no control over your mood.  You go to bed in a snit and you wake up with the world at your fingertips, excited about the POSSIBILITIES!

I’m taking chances
I wear my heart on my sleeve

Are you taking chances?

Funny how the older you get the less risk you take.  You don’t want to look bad, you don’t want to get hurt.  But there are moments, completely unpredictable, when suddenly you feel fearless and reach out.  It’s these moments when relationships are kindled.  When inside you NEED it.  And you’re driven to do what you normally wouldn’t.

But it requires honesty.

I wonder if there’s honesty in those celebrity relationships the tabloids feature.  You know the ones.  They’re together, and then they’re not.  What seems to align them is their fame, their profiles, and then suddenly it’s over.  How deep did they get?

Most of us don’t have the luxury of celebrities.  To be able to fuck what we want.  Or we’re not rich or good-looking enough.  Our only choice is to open up, and hope that someone resonates with us.

I’m not sure if I really want to
I’m not sure what it all means
I just want somebody to talk to
To talk to me

"Taking Chances" starts with the kind of acoustic guitar you only heard in the U.K.  A raw, intimate honesty that Americans are afraid to reveal under their sheen.  And when Abra Moore comes in, she WAILS!  The girl in your high school class with the best voice.  The one who could sing at the assembly and hit the high notes with power, not out of tune but perfectly on pitch.  Oh, she liked the attention, but while the words were coming out she was staring at the ceiling, she had her eyes closed, she was in REVERIE!

Oh, you feel the optimism, the hope.  But it’s undercut, with anxiety, with doubt, with a lack of self-confidence.  She’s not sure if she really wants to do this.  Relationships are so SCARY!  You always end up getting hurt.  But she just needs somebody to talk to, talk to her.

That’s what we’re looking for.  The sex is secondary.  It’s just an EXPRESSION of the connection, of the BOND!  When you’re fully understood, when you’re accepted, THEN you merge physically.

I just want someone I can talk to.  I just want someone who will talk to me.

I want to tell you about not only my victories, but my losses.  I want to pose questions, get your analysis.  I want you to reciprocate.  I want to know what motivates you.  How you’re fucked up, how YOU’RE damaged, like me  Don’t be afraid.  Our vulnerabilities make us lovable.

I’m not sure if I really want to
I’m not sure what this all means
I just want somebody to hold on
To hold me

You’ve wanted this SO much.  But now you’re at the threshold.  The sparks have flown, but if you let the fire burn will you end up with a conflagration that incinerates your well-being?  But like the animal you are, you need the physical contact, you need to be held.  Even though you might be afraid of this.  Like I am.  Not being raised in an environment of touch.

And you might just think this is chick rock.  Albeit with a bit of edge.  But then the song BUILDS!  It’s as if Abra Moore gains power by telling her story.  Hell, we ALL gain power from telling our stories.  Like Tori Amos we hear our voice, which might have been silent all these years.  When spoken out loud, events finally make sense.  And when someone listens and understands, we feel this must be what life is about.

Abra is TAKING CHANCES!  There’s no longer doubt.  Yeah YEAH!

It’s like you’re walking down a street alone, and there’s this girl on the opposite corner with a guitar.  The initial music is ear-pleasing.  So you cross the intersection to listen, wondering if you’re going to feel guilty if you’re no longer impressed and don’t want to leave any change in her guitar case.  But then all those inhibitions fade away.  You’re caught up in the joy of the music.  YOU feel powerful.  You hear "Taking Chances" and the vocal, the groove, the SOUND, makes YOU want to take chances!

Go to: Abra Moore

Click on "Enter".

Then click on "music & video".  Then click on "Taking Chances".  (Meanwhile, you might want to stop the automatic music playing when the window/site pops up by clicking on the stop symbol of the player in the lower right hand corner of the window/site.)  You’ll have to have RealPlayer installed, but you can hear the WHOLE SONG!

This ain’t never gonna be played on Top Forty.  And there’s no home for it on Active Rock.  And AAA is dead/nonexistent in most markets and too often those stations still standing play so much LOUSY new music that you don’t want to listen anyway.  So, Abra Moore is not gonna make it.

But this is the kind of music that touches my soul.  And makes me a fan.