I have to give a shout out to this renowned country diva for the new single from her tenth studio album, Shine, scheduled to be released on March 24, 2009. I have to say that Martina’s was the first female voice I ever fell in love with. It wasn’t until 2004, however, when I burried myself in popular pop-country music for the first time and held her at high regard for her single, “How Far.” I can’t believe it’s been 5 1/2 years since then! By the way, how great does she look for 42? She looks like someone still in her prime, which is a plus side to country music as a whole and not just something to be said about her. Unlike the rock or indie world, country stars don’t don’t have to be 17 to debut and, as 30 or 40-somethings, they are not out of the running trailing behind fresh developments. Kid Rock seems to be in his prime, wouldn’t you agree. You see. Some stars convert to country music before they die out.

Oren Lavie is a singer-songwriter and playwrite from Tel Aviv. This song from his album, The Opposite Side Of the Sea, has begun to circulate around various internet sources.

The Hazards Of Love is the new album by The Decemberists to be released on March 24, 2009. On March 18th, prior to the album release, I will be at the SXSW NPR showcase in Austin, Texas to hear the debut live. In the meantime, we have a sneak preview of “The Rake’s Song.” The song is appealing right from the get go but the message is simply terrifying. I was going to explain it but you may as well just listen below.

“The Rack’s Song” by The Decemberists