Kaleidoscope Heart

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday I managed to obtain several great albums that I wouldn't have normally been able to afford. One of those new CDs is Sara Bareilles' Kaleidoscope Heart, and honestly, I haven't made much  progress on listening to any of my other new music. I just keep listening to Kaleidoscope Heart.

I hadn't heard much of the music on this CD until now, and was mostly familiar with King of Anything (which song  is, honestly, the main reason I bought the CD. I am finding, however, that this was a great purchase; her music is a wonderful source of writerly inspiration to me. I've already got a couple of future blog posts in mind based on some of these songs, and what I'm not linking up to books I've read are sparking ideas for new stories of my own creation. Here are a few of my favorites:

Machine Gun really got me wondering about the the song's point of view character. Every time I hear it I can see a woman - dark, curly hair cut short, medium height, a bit of a do-gooder, but with a real attitude. Say, if you were to cross Mercy Thompson, Kate Daniels, and a social worker. I keep listening to Machine Gun trying to get her to come into focus. I want to know who she is and who she's trying to calm down.

I have another project I'm working on besides NaNoWriMo (and no, I won't be reaching my 50,000 word goal this year, although I have gotten a great start on that particular novel.) Bluebird reminds me of my protagonist in this other book, a recent widow with three children. Her husband's illness and death tore her life apart and now she's trying to put everything together again. The words and feel of Bluebird are a perfect fit for what she's going through; it speaks to me of hope and fear, courage and resolution.

This pair of wings worn and rusted,
From too many years by my side,
They can carry me, swear to be,
Sturdy and strong but see,
Turning them on still means good-bye.

And so here we go bluebird,
Gather your strength and rise up.

Uncharted immediately made me think of a couple of books I've read this last year. You'll be seeing a post about that combination shortly. (Hint: think cold.)

Have you had a chance to listen to this entire album yourself? What did you think of it? Was it inspiring to you, too?

Books: Mercy Thompson series, Patricia Briggs
            Kate Daniels series, Ilona Andrews
Music: Kaleidoscope Heart, Sara Bareilles