The Lovely Carly Simon

When I was fourteen years old, I heard the loveliest sound I could ever dream of: the opening bars to "Coming Around Again" by Carly Simon. It was the most beautiful song I had ever heard (I mean, how can lyrics get any better than, "I know nothing stays the same/But if you're willing to play the game/It's coming around again/So don't mind if I fall apart,there's more room in a broken heart"?!) and started me on a lifelong love and admiration for Ms. Simon. Recently Carly just released a CD which is full of remakes of her old songs; old Simon standards of hers from the '70s and '80s have been remade with the help of her son, Ben Taylor (another amazing musician in his own right) and of course, Carly's soulful and powerful voice. Carly isn't just an amazing musician and lyricist, but a breast cancer survivor, grandmother, designer, and a classically beautiful (I've seen her in concert, and she is strikingly gorgeous!) and strong woman whom any young Lovely would aspire to be when they grow up.

Just a few months ago I got my first guitar and, with the help of my very patient guitar teacher, have been learning to play. The first woman I thought of, with my new guitar in hand, was Carly Simon. She's a musician who does use her music to better the world; her music is a powerful weapon which she uses for good instead of evil. While traveling on the train this weekend, I put on the new CD, Never Been Gone (another amazing song) and closed my eyes. Carly's music moves souls, opens hearts, and makes eyes water in ways they never thought they could. While this new CD is full of old favorites, they are remastered in such an outstanding way that you feel like you're getting a whole new song from a song you know and love. I highly recommend Never Been Gone as a gift to yourself, or for the favorite women in your life this holiday season. It would make a great stocking stuffer!

PS. Enter here to win an autographed Carly Simon guitar (or, if you really love me, enter for me! ha!)