There are some words that just go together. The two add up to something that makes perfect sense and there’s no confusion about what’s going on. Some examples:

“Richly Decorated”

“Regular Exercise”

“Excruciating Pain” (yeah, it’s not much fun but they DO go together well)

“Vaguely Remember”

“Get Drunk” (which leads to the “vaguely remember” bit…)

“Blissfully Unaware” (stop laughing)

“Crystal Clear”

“Bright Color”

“Happily Married” (why yes, thank you very much)

There are some words that, although they appear together in some way, well…shouldn’t.

“Civil War”

“Uninvited Guest”

“Never Generalize”

“Plastic Glasses”

“Meteoric Rise” (ummm…don’t they just fall?)

“Limited Lifetime Warrantee”

“Freezer Burn”

“Authentic Reproduction”

“Self-Help Group”

“Wireless Cable” (and its horrific friend “No internet”)

“Original Copy”

“Live Recording”

And then there’s one set that I was made aware of that made me do a full-on cartoon character double-take: “Bluegrass Mass”. No, really. I didn’t make that up. Imagine my astonishment when I managed to find TWO in short order. They’re as different as the day as long but they’re both AWESOME. I double dog dare you to listen to both.

“Come Away to the Skies: A High Lonesome Bluegrass Mass” contains big chunks of familiar tunes weaved in and out of the structure of a mass and is really good fun.

“The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass” is unique in about fifty ways. Nothing recognizable in here but the way that the bluegrass genre is stretched and twisted is truly amazing.

If you know me at all you know I grew up surrounded with bluegrass music (all praise be to the Flatt, the Scruggs and the Watson) and there are multiple banjos and a guitar and a mountain dulcimer in the music store that is my den so you’d think that 1) I’m biased in my enjoyment of these two masses and 2) if you’re not a bluegrass geek you won’t like ‘em. The first is kinda true but not the second, trust the Blogmeister that you’ll be sucked in by both (especially the second one). It would be BIG fun for us to sing.

Y’all enjoy now, y’hear?

(And an update after I finished this, turns out Susie met the composer of “The World Beloved” in Italy and it’s already “on the list”. Go ahead, pretend you’re surprised.)