Happiness is...

popping in a brand new CD into your car's CD player. What? You only have digital music in your car? Pfft.

I know, I know, I'm behind the times, I actually buy the entire CD in some instances, instead of just downloading the best of the best. Call me old fashion, I don't care, because it's a whole process: listening to a good new album (do we still use this word?), letting the new songs sink in, figuring out which you love right off the bat, which you don't. Knowing, of course, that many of the songs that don't grab you right away will end up being your favorites; will end up being the songs with true staying power.

I'm only on track 7 of this bad boy:

(which is pure madness since it arrived on Friday, but my kids just don't appreciate ben the way I do...)

Yes, true, it's not being released until May 17th, but, well, that's just the kind-of girl I am -- fast (ha ha, just kidding, mom).

I buy every Ben Harper CD. Ben's the man. His new release is no exception. And so far, well, the jury is still out, but I really like track 2, and I like 7 a lot too. And then, there still 5 I haven't even heard yet. Yippee for me! Sometimes with Ben I don't quite get his vision at first. It took me years to like one of his more preachy albums, but love it I do, and looking back I can't fathom why the earlier resistance. But that's what great artists of all stripes do, they move ahead of the curve, and take you with them.

I may not like every single song on this new album, but that's not the point, the point is the anticipation, the discovery, the deepening of your understanding of the lyrics with each play, the way one track leads into the next, the way that you skip a certain track every single time, until the time you don't. Maybe you're merging into traffic, or you're not paying attention, and there it is, you listened to the entire song. And next time you don't skip it, or at least you don't skip it every time anymore, and pretty soon? Well pretty soon that entire album is a part of you. Even that one song that used to annoy you. Even if you put it away and don't hear it for months, even years. You own it, and I'm not talking about the $9.99 you paid for it.

I know you know what I mean.