Music to Cook By.......

I really love listening to music and I find it helps to pass the time when doing mundane housework like washing up dishes. In fact I think it brightens up any situation even when doing something you love, like me with cooking. I thought it would be fun to do a post about some of my favourite music to listen to while cooking or baking.

Let's start with something I've been listening to a lot lately, like 102.5, which is a radio station from Buffalo that plays Christmas music 24/7. In November, it starts off by playing a small variety of Christmas music, but as December 25th draws closer, they start playing a larger variety. I find it so cheerful at this time of year, especially when Christmas baking, and it helps me get into the Christmas spirit.

Other times in the year, like in Summer, I like to listen to a lot of World music. Lila Downs (above) is a Mexican-American singer who was trained in Opera, but reverted back to her roots to sing both traditional Mexican music and original songs. I really love her album "One Blood" because it really drives home the fact that even though one often thinks of a country/region as having one type of people, often that area is more multicultural than one thinks. This album combines African, Eastern, Spanish, and Native musical influences, all of which play a great part in Mexican culture.

Astrud Gilberto is a Brazilian singer with German origins, who was big in the 1960s. I love her for her jazzy, Bossa Nova style, and for her voice that's never quite on pitch, but that's her style so it's ok. "The Girl From Ipanema" is probably her most famous song, so if you haven't heard it, go listen to it. It's such a treat!



This past Fall I found myself gravitating to more rock or folk-influenced music like Fleet Foxes and their fantastic album "Helplessness Blues". Their music is definitely 60s inspired because of the psychedelic and otherworldly sound, particularly on what I like to call the free jazz section of the song "The Shrine/An Argument". There is no weakness in this album and all songs are a highlight.



I also love the band, Beirut, led by Zack Condon who is a multi-instrumentalist. This music is folky, heavily textured, and worldly. I think this would be fantastic music to travel by!



In late-Winter, the acapella group from Finland, Rajaton, are a wonderful listen. Particularly their album "Maa" which includes the haunting song, "Ikävöi, Ihminen!".



In the Springtime I am driven to more earthy music, specifically acoustic instruments with sometimes sparse accompaniment and an angelic voice. Irish singer, Cara Dillon, fits the bill perfectly with her folky sound and inclusion of Celtic instruments.