I'm lucky enough to be in the area of the Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma which hosts a library sale every year for 3 days and is one of the biggest in the country. My mother likes going for kids books/movies as well as Christian books, but I always go for the thousands of CDs being sold for $.50 each. The CDs are unorganized, completely randomly boxed up, so it takes a few hours to go through them all, one at a time. There are all kinds of genres from Rap to Opera, some are marked, some aren't, some of the discs are scratched to hell, some (very few) are still in shrink wrap. Typically the recognizable, popular artists are checked out from the library enough they are kept in the system, so what ends up here are the rest.

And that's one of the best things about this sale. 50 cents is cheap enough to risk on an album cover that looks interesting, but you have no idea what the music is like. It feels like a return to the old style music store, but with less risk. Flipping through album after album never knowing what will turn up next. Jazz from someone I've never heard of before? What's the track list, standards or new stuff? Eh... pick it up anyway. Band who's name seems familiar, but you don't know for sure, and certainly can't remember what they sound like, pick it up! Album art indicating themes you don't prefer, toss it! Case says Rock, but album art is odd, open it up and look at the booklet, marimba, brass, banjo, what the heck this sounds interesting, pick it up! No genre indication and the whole thing is in a different language.. how well do I like the album art... eh toss it.

So this happened this morning and I have a huge stack of CDs sitting next to me that has taken hours to rip and I'm beginning to work through. Thought I'd point out some cool finds people here might like as I get a chance to listen to everything.

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The first keeper was not due to the CD itself, but rather due to Craig. You guessed it, Carla Bruni - Comme si de rien n'etait (2008). Never listened to her before and no idea what type of music it was, but it was going in my bag. Listening to it right now, sort of an adult French pop. Catchy and well recorded. Her voice is decent, but I've heard better. Worth 50 cents.



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One from the risk pile with no markings of genre that turned out to be great was Leona Naess - Comatised (1999). A rock band with a cool sound. In particular I love the 3rd track, Chase, which is a great crank it up song. It sounds fantastic on HD800s with it's high treble energy. Leona has a nice voice with a little grain, but sort of a girl next door feel.



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Another risk bought solely because the album art in the booklet was interesting, Butterfly Boucher - Flutterby (2003), a folk rock group. Their music has a modern feel to it, but the band's sound is older due to the instruments and techniques they are using. Another female fronted rock group here. I like Butterfly's voice a little better than Leona Naess'. Boucher is a native of Adelaide but moved to Nashville to further her career. It's not often I prefer the single from an album, but this one is really good - 'I can't make me'.



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Something I snapped up instantly upon reading the director's and symphony's name - Barber (various pieces) performed by David Zinman - Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (1991), my favorite combination. I've come to expect perfection from this tandem and this is yet another album that delivers precisely that. I've never he ard an Adagio for Strings as soulful and goosebump inducing as this. Amazing.



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More to come