Hype and Happy Rhodes

[stevev@greylady.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender)]

Jenn Turney worries that she will be flamed for saying that she
is not at all inclined to purchase the music of Happy Rhodes,
from what I gather she feels is overenthusiastic recommendation
from other Love-Hounds.

Well, this isn't a flame.  Admittedly, a couple of times I have
gone beyond just saying how much I like the Happy Rhodes albums I
have to urging others to buy her albums.  I originally bought a
couple of her albums because my fancy was tickled by the
descriptions of her music other people had posted, and by seeing
occasional quotes (especially Jeff Burka's signature quote).  I
have developed a repuation among another group of people as an
evangelical Kate Bush fan, but that doesn't really reflect how I
feel about Kate Bush's music; I may be dediKaTed but I don't
think that Kate's music is for absolutely everyone.

However, I do think that some of the fanatical urging has a
place.  Unlike all the other artists that Jenn mentioned, Happy
Rhodes does not have her music distributed by a major record
label.  People cannot just discover Happy Rhodes by listening to
the radio or going to a record store and picking up an album (at
least not yet in most places) so what promotion she gets is from
the few people who have heard of her.

Perhaps the recent frequent discussion of Happy Rhodes has ruined
the thrill of discovery for those who would want to listen to her
music on their own before discussing it with others.  The lyrics
postings must certainly seem intimidating to anyone who is not
particularly interested in Happy's music.  However, it was
certainly my sense that the lyrics postings were more of a
service to those of us who have already heard her music and want
to know more about it, than an attempt to sway the uninitiated.

Vickie's promotion of Happy's music may be almost monotonous, and
the often urgent recommendations of other Happy fans may be a bit
heavy-handed, but Happy is an artist who through a sad quirk of
fate has talent equal to all the other artists we discuss here
but who has none of their resources for producing, promoting and
distributing her music.  So in my case I make more urgent
recommendations because I know that it is extremely unlikely that
anyone will hear of her through any other source, and must make
the effort to seek out her music on their own.

It is also very hard to describe the effect of Happy's music in
mere words, which makes it hard to pique anyone's interest.  It
is simple and subtle, but doesn't become boring with repetition;
it is dark and disturbing, but ultimately optimistic and
positive.  Some of her songs I find personally meaningful and
reassuring in ways that the music of other artists has never been
for me.

So I won't try to beg anyone to try Happy Rhodes.  But I will say
that if you like the kind of emotionally honest music by female
vocalists that seems to be the common love of Love-Hounds, then
there is a good chance that you would like Happy Rhodes.  But if
you are at all interested, unless you are near one of the few
places that is distributing her music you may have to make a
little extra effort.

Steve VanDevender 	stevev@greylady.uoregon.edu
"Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population.
Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the
classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."