Alison Krauss

Mr. Mann likes country western music–say no. I don't listen to very much CW music, but I make an exception when it comes to Alison Krauss. About a year or so I heard this 20 Grammy winning vocalist on the radio, and since I have been hooked. To call Krauss strickly a country western singer is to minimize her talents. This latest CD can attest to that. There is some country, some gospel, some Irish, some folk, and some that is hard to categorize. She even partners with James Taylor on one cut. JT is one of my favorites. On her newest album she sings with Robert Plant lead singer for Led Zepplin–pretty crazy. You can check her out on YouTube at the following link. (You can't of course look at this at school because of our filter.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvKtxTsVoMo&feature=related

Jim Brandenburg, Photographer

Jim Brandenburg is a former National Geographic photographer. You can visit his sight at http://jimbrandenburg.com. He has published two awesome collections of nature photography. His most recent collection called Looking for the Summer I received from my wife as a  birthday present. Most of his photographs were taken in northern Minnesota. They are just breathtaking. In my other life I would be a National Geographic photographer, but then I don't think I am quite artistic enough to compete with photography like this.