Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees Youth Name and Number T-Shirt (Medium)
$16.99
The "processing time" seems to be quite longer than most other amazon purchases. Over 5 days so far. Other items ordered at same time have already shipped. I know they don't all ship from the same place, but I must be spoiled. I never had to wait this long for an item to ship before. Hoping it gets here in time for my son's birthday party. I practically buy stuff on here monthly so I figure I ordered it in enough time. Just an FYI to future buyers..order well in advance.

Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
$15.00
The title, and dramatic cover picture, drew me to buy this book. My copy is an orange and white hardcover edition, with a layout similar to the one presented here. It's from 1982 and is stamped with the address and name of a local, NY, school.

I think the durable, still mint condition, cover was the best part of the book, along with the first few pages. After getting past the cover, and what seems like might be a good read, the book became horribly repetitive and boring. Over and over, the same issues are rehashed. You wait for a pivotal moment, and none comes.

As such, even if you agree with his beliefs, and, as a person who grew up in a Spanish-speaking household, I don't, you won't be entertained.

As for his ideology, concerning ethnicity, race and language, it's really irrelevant to issues of acceptance, humanity and success, that he tries to tie it to. If you read the book critically, you'll see that he doesn't really make a case for any of this. If you're Latino, raised in a Spanish speaking household, as I am (Puerto Rican), you'll definitely see that the claims he makes, about language and ethnicity, are just untrue and, despite his drawn out writing, go unproven.

I'd call him a cheap, two-bit provocateur, but he never manages to stir anything up, in this bland, boring, shallow-minded piece of drivel.

She Ain't Me
$17.98
I first heard and saw Ms. Rodriguez on a video with Chip Taylor. The sense of site first caught my attention. She is truly a beautiful person in her appearance, but then I heard her voice. I was drawn closer to her. Then she played her fiddle! I was done for. It was as if I was a sailor on a greek ship being drawn into the rocks by the Sirens. But in a good way!

The next time I saw her was with her band at The Luckenbach Dance Hall. It was right after the release of her 1st solo album "Seven Angels on a Bicycle". The song 'Never Gonna Be Your Bride' blew me away! I then realized this performer had her own legs to stand on. She still, I believe, collaborates with Chip Taylor from time to time but is more than capable on her own.

I love "She Ain't Me". Her first album is good but her new venture is far superior. As it says in her bio from her website[...], "She Ain't Me", Rodriguez's second solo outing for Manhattan/Back Porch, "It comes from having to really look within yourself when you're forced to be alone, and to not be afraid of that process," Rodriguez says. "Taking some time off from the road this year to write allowed me to do some growing and reflecting that I often put aside when I'm touring all the time."

And it shows! Ms. Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist from Austin, Texas. She is the off spring of a Mother who was a huge fan of the opera and Dad who was a folksinger. You can sort of her that influence in her songs. They all have a folksy yet classical edge to them.

In the song 'Mask of Moses', it seems you have just about all genres at once, with her own 29 year old version of how it all should sound. We're led in by by the gentle picking of a mandolin, then Ms. Rodriguez's smooth voice singing, "Don't read the news it's sad today/as long as you don't forget to pray/believe in him more than a life/because you turned away". The chorus then chimes in with her urging us to 'come on take off your mask of Moses/ and show us your face". It's a very eerie song and her fiddle playing in the background adds to the eerie feel as well as giving the tune a bluesy touch.

With the track, 'Let Me In', we are lured in by a gentle bass accompanied by equally gentle strumming of the guitar. Then in a very soft, almost whispery fashion, Ms. Rodriguez uses very seductive lyrics. ""Tell me what gets you off/I don't mind if it's hard or soft." It appeared to me she's been taking lessons from her touring buddy Lucinda Williams on the use of her sometimes sultry lyrics. The song eventually introduces us, in between verses, to distorted and reverberated guitar chords that equally match the seductiveness of the lyrics.

'She Ain't Me' was released in the U.S. and Canada by Manhattan/Back Porch (EMI) and was produced by Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Kaki King, etc.).

I loved this record and look forward to hearing more from this young, classically trained artist in the future.

_______


Contact 'Rebel' Rod - [...]

Cold Fact
$21.98
Cold Fact is the long-lost album from Detroiter Rodrguez. Recorded during the heyday of Detroit Rock this album has a life of its own. It cannot die or pass away from neglect. Each song is a revelation in lyrical songwriting. Rocking the life of a street poet, Rodgriguez' takes on life, love and mindbending are as fresh and current today as when it was recorded (1970). "Sugarman", the album opener is an instant classic. My fave track is "I Wonder", the song that kept this album alive half way round the world. This is a collector's dream and a must-have for anyone interested in purity, honesty and jams.