Concert Review: Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained at Old Mission United Methodist Church

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

One of my uncles died on Black Friday.  Adding insult to grievous injury, news of the Omicron variant spread global panic, the stock market responded accordingly and my injured foot ached something awful.  I was less than enthused about the prospect of spending Friday night in a church.

Yet ten minutes into the sublime collaboration of Oleta Adams and Isaac Cates & Ordained, wild gesticulations, involuntary shouts and uninhibited dances broke out- and that was just my response. Other congregants among the audience of about 400 at the fundraising event for the Lupus Foundation of America shared my passion for the sanctified music.

Several members of Ordained possess voices as glorious as Adams’.  The fervency they invested into the sacred, secular and seasonal songs was infectious.  Cates’ splashy solo piano segment heightened the devout intensity.  I left church refreshed, inspired and hopeful.  But my foot still hurt.

November 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Valerie a týden divů by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums (released in November)

1. Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates

My review.

2. Summer Walker- Still Over It

Number one with a bitterness.

3. Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O- Umdali

Valiant South African jazz.

4. Brian Wilson- At My Piano

Tragic beauty.

5. Attacca Quartet- Of All Joys

Partly Pärt.

6. Terrace Martin- Drones

Flying high above Silk Sonic.

7. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- Raise the Roof

An old-fashioned barn burner.

8. Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian- Welcome Party

Knock knock.

9. Anna Netrebko- Amata dalle tenebre

Aching arias.

10. Anuel AA- Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren

Legends never die.

Top Ten Songs (released in November)

1. Willie Nelson- "Too Sick to Pray"

On bended knee.

2. Del McCoury Band- "Once Again"

That high, lonesome sound.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- "2010"

Don’t call it a comeback.

4. City Girls- "Scared"

“Ain’t no way I’m stopping.”

5. The Bug featuring Jason Williamson- "Treetop"

Out on a limb.

6. Idles- "Stockholm Syndrome"

Brainwashed.

7. Frogpond- "I Really Don't Care"

Meat-and potatoes heartland rock.

8. NRBQ- "I Like Her So Much"

Still ticking.

9. Adele with Erroll Garner- "All Night Parking"

The best song on 30.

10. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Ghost Song"

Spectral.

Top Ten Concerts of November

1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room

My review.

2. Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained- Old Mission United Methodist Church

My review.

3. Mary Gauthier- Knuckleheads

4. UMKC Opera’s “Acis and Galatea”- White Recital Hall

My review.

5. Dare- 7th Heaven

My Instagram clip.

6. Rod Fleeman Trio- Green Lady Lounge

7. The Kansas City Symphony’s “Coming to America”- Helzberg Hall

8. Renée Fleming- Helzberg Hall

9. Richard Thompson- Folly Theater

My review.

10. Sentenced 2 Die- 7th Heaven

My Instagram clip.

Top Ten Movies (viewed for the first time in November)

1. Popiół i diament/Ashes and Diamonds (1958)

Bloody Polish power grab.

2. La Strada/The Road (1954)

Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn convey crippling sadness.

3. Der junge Törless/Young Törless (1966)

Unflinching teen brutality.

4. Sparrows (1926)

Mary Pickford leads escape from foul baby farm.

5. De Slag om de Schelde/The Forgotten Battle  (2020)

World War II in Holland is hell.

6. Valerie a týden divů/Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)

Frightfully freaky fairy tale.

7. Taking Tiger Mountain (1983)

A very bad trip.

8. The Harder They Fall (2021)

Wild, wild west(ern).

9. La bestia debe morir/The Beast Must Die (1952)

Argentinian noir.

10. Arsène Lupin (1932)

Sexy criminal caper.

October’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.