HEAR TODAY HER MUSE IS A BURBANK MOTEL.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer Despite the advent of such computer programs as "Digital Songwriter" and the book "Songwriting for Dummies," the composer's craft remains a deeply mysterious process. The urge to set poetry to music can descend with the abruptness of an insect onto a leaf -- or it can linger teasingly without landing at all. Composers keep regular office hours office hours, n.pl See business hours. , cart around notebooks and tape recorders, delve into the darkest corners of their souls and travel long distances in search of inspiration. All without any guarantee of success. For Lucinda Williams
This biographical article or section needs additional references for verification. Please help [ to improve this article] by adding additional sources. , whose critically acclaimed new album comes out today, the craft involves checking into Burbank's '50s retro landmark Safari Inn and waiting for the muse to come knocking. In the liner notes liner notes pl.n. Explanatory notes about a record album, cassette, or compact disk included on the jacket or in the packaging. to her new CD, "West" (Lost Highway; $13.98), the musically adventurous Williams writes, "These songs, and many more, were written at the Safari Inn in Burbank, CA." Williams, it turns out, is no stranger to the Safari, a 55-room, $129-a-night, two-story inn with a terrific faux-African neon sign, located on a main drag near the Media District. According to motel staff, Williams has stayed at the Safari frequently over the past five years, using it as a songwriting haven when preparing a new album or recording in town. Asked if Williams' strumming, singing and mournful mourn·ful adj. 1. Feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful. 2. Causing or suggesting sadness or melancholy: the mournful sound of a train whistle. subject matter has ever bothered guests, the Safari's director of sales Ani Aghamalian sensibly responded that nobody has ever complained. "We love Lucinda here," Aghamalian said. "She knows everybody on my staff, and we have a great rapport with her. She always stays in the same room." While Lucinda's melancholy new songs are getting raves in the press, the Safari Inn, situated on Olive Avenue about three miles from the Bob Hope Airport Bob Hope Airport (IATA: BUR, ICAO: KBUR, FAA LID: BUR) is a regional and national airport located in Burbank, California, United States. It was formerly known as United Airport (1930-1934); Union Air Terminal (1934-1940); , receives generally good reviews from budget-conscious travelers. Many who've posted on such Web sites as TripAdvisor and Orbitz say the Safari Inn is perfectly in tune with a night's stay in Burbank while attending a taping at NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. or one of the other TV studios nearby. The motel's ratings are a solid 3 to 4 points (out of five), and former guests say benefits include tidy rooms, great water pressure in the shower, cheerful service, good continental breakfast, small heated pool and the ability to park your car right outside your room. One other amenity for rockers, Aghamalian adds, is parking for tour buses. "We're kind of the Valley's rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. inn." Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster@dailynews.com Here's a sample of other new releases in stores this week: In "5 for Freddie: Bucky's Tribute to Freddie Green" (Arbors; $16.98), guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli honors Count Basie's exceptional rhythm guitarist. This is not a love song. "Grace & Danger" (UMVD UMVD Universal Music & Video Distribution import; $32.98) is a remaster re·mas·ter tr.v. re·mas·tered, re·mas·ter·ing, re·mas·ters To master again, especially to produce a new master recording of (an old recording) in order to improve the sound quality. of Scottish singer/songwriter John Martyn's classic 1980 album detailing the breakdown of his marriage. More than a dozen newly unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. demos make "Sister Love" (Rhino; $36.99), a three-disc set on the late soul singer Lorraine Ellison, a must-have for true r&b aficionados. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet's "Aria: Opera Without Words" (Decca; $16.98) contains instrumental arrangements of beloved arias. Also in stores "The Hills," various (Sony; $12.98) "Van Morrison at the Movies: Soundtrack Hits," Van Morrison (Manhattan; $18.98) "In My Songs," Gerald Levert (Atlantic; $18.98) "Doctor Who," soundtrack (Silva Screen; $16.98) "With All Due Respect: The Irish Sessions," Young Dubliners (429 Records; $18.98) "New Year's Concert 2007," Zubin Mehta (Deutsche Grammophon; $17.98) "Little Mary Sunshine," cast album (DRG DRG, n the abbreviation for diagnosis-related group. DRG see dorsal respiratory group. DRG Diagnosis-related group Managed care A unit of classifying Pts by diagnosis, average length of hospital stay, and ; $16.98) "Music and Lyrics," soundtrack (Atlantic; $18.98) "Piano Concerto 1," Yundi Li (Deutsche Grammophon; $16.98) "Vieux Farka Toure," Vieux Farka Toure (World Village; $18.98) "Ricky Jay Plays Poker," various (Sony; $39.98) "Storyhill," Storyhill (Red House; $17.98) CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) When Lucinda Williams wants to get some songwriting done, she checks into the Safari Inn motel in Burbank. Dean Musgrove/Staff Photographer |
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