Commenting On Andi's Favourites

Another very good VERBOSITY blog, Tripping Toward Lucidity is the work of a woman who describes her blog as "a throbbing mass of kitsch, snark, temper tantrums, work-induced bitchery, and general observations and poke-funnery of the world at large"...So I think I can get into that, but can I get into her MUSIC preferences, that's the thing, now isn't it?
Well, let's take a look at what Andi likes and I'll tell you what I think...I'll even grade 'em on a 1-10 scale for ya!
1. Martina McBride...oh, I suppose she's alright as far as "new country" goes. I've heard worse. With that in mind, I'd rate her a 7.
2. Evanescence...isn't that the band that was getting played on a lot of Christian rock stations and the singer went out of her way to make sure noone got the impression that they considered themselves a "Christian band"? Can't say I've heard (or payed attention) enough to assign a rating.
3. Default...isn't that a Nickelback spin-off (a more nauseating concept is not likely to be quickly conjured)? Probably a good thing I haven't heard from them...although I'm sure I've heard "the hit"...I just can't remember it.
4. Boy Sets Fire...He must have set it out of my earshot, cuz I've never heard 'em. I think I've read the name a couple of times, that's about it...
5. Graham Colton...And there I was, thinking my musical horizons couldn't be much broader, when I read this name and realized I had no idea who it was.
6. Pat Green...I guess I've liked hearing him on the radio, within the context of what's currently popular out of nashville. I guess he's okay, but I wouldn't want to pass out a rating for him.
7. Jimmy Eat World...Can't say I jumped on that bandwagon. Nothing good or bad, just indifferent.
8. Dashboard Confessional...Not too hip to the emo scene, but it can't be too bad, can it?
9. Eve To Adam...Andi, I gotta admit you could show me some new tricks, dahl.
10. Eva Cassidy...At least I've heard her...actually have the Songbird CD, and there's no denying she had one of the sweetest voices, right up there with Sandy Denny. She would get a 7, but that seems a bit too low, doesn't it? Oh well, I'd just rather listen to Denny.
11. Josh Groban...I really have been a hermit.
12. Dixie Chicks...Umm, no. This is the point where we're gonna have to decide whether or not we can discuss music seriously. A low 2, and that's nothing to do with Natalie's politics.
13. Alison Krauss & Union Station...Now there's a noticeable improvement. Krauss gets an easy 8.
14. John Mayer...Believe it or not...and I'm actually having a hard time believing it myself, but I actually like John Meyer. As long as he can avoid any more Dave Matthews comparisons (the very thing that eventually soured me on David Gray), he'll be okay.
15. Aretha Franklin...RESPECT. Give it up. I dun quit wit da ratin' scale, didn' I? She gone blowed it thru the roof, she done did!
16. Joni Mitchell...Then again, who can stand much of Joni's tobacco seared voice? Not me.
17. Shawn Colvin...Let's just say I have not been inspired to investigate Ms. Colvin's catalogue after seeing her appearance on some MTV show where she played her songs to the natives in some out of the way esoteric location...I was bitterly less-than-impressed and found it to be just almost as annoying as Ryan Adams dismal appearance on the same show.
18. Dave Matthews Band...see #14...do these look like the musings of someone who thinks too highly of Dave Matthews and his Band?

And let's see...of the 18 movies she lists as favorites, I count only 4 that I remember seeing. Stigmata sucked pretty bad, I thought. I took my son to see Harry Potter so I saw that one by default. I also watched Scream at the house of an individual I worked with and who wanted to see it, so I didn't really choose to watch that one (meaning that I probably would still not have seen it, had it not been for this circumstance). I will say that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an excellent film, and so it sort of boggles the mind to see it in the company of Sweet Home Alabama and the Shrek movies.
But hey, that's just the critical snob in me...

I wouldn't mind borrowing some of Andi's books...