2006年VOA标准英语-Shawn Mullins Pays Tribute to New Orleans With

By Mary Morningstar
Washington
28 May 2006

Many musicians have used their celebrity¹ to bring attention to the ongoing² needs of Hurricane Katrina victims in the southeastern United States. Folk-rock singer Shawn Mullins has a personal connection to New Orleans, Louisiana, which led him to dedicate his latest album to that city's musical spirit.

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Shawn Mullins included the traditional folk song "House of the Rising Sun" on his latest album "9th Ward³ Pickin' Parlor⁴." The 36-year-old singer-songwriter has many friends in New Orleans, including Mike West, who owned the recording⁵ studio Shawn worked in before Hurricane Katrina struck last year.

Mike made it out of the city, but his studio was destroyed.

"We recorded about half the record in New Orleans at a studio called the 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor. So, I named my record after it, after the hurricane came through and wiped that area out. That was kind of my homage⁶ to my friends and musicians and the folks around that area," he says.

Shawn Mullins was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. During the early years of his musical career, he released seven albums on his own label. They included his 1998 breakthrough album "Soul's Core." A radio programmer in his hometown sent a copy of the album to many other stations, which led to several offers from major record companies. He was signed to Columbia Records and, soon after, earned a Top 10 hit with its single "Lullaby."

Mullins wrote 12 of the 13 songs on "9th Ward Pickin' Parlor." He explains what inspires his songwriting, saying, "People are definitely inspirational, and the road is. We spend so much time on the road. You meet and see so many people. They're in so many different types of places, whether it be a nice theater or a truck stop. Sometimes you're in the back of a rock club next to a dumpster, and you're watching a homeless person collect trash. And that's an inspiration in a way in its own. You go, 'How's this person surviving,' you know? There's all types of things that inspire me, but it's almost always other people, not myself."

Shawn says he wanted his latest album to have an "old-school" sound, and not resort to using computerized effects. He accomplished⁷ this by using only live instruments in the studio.

As for his long-term career goals, Shawn admits he isn't driven by thoughts of commercial success. "Become a better artist and a better songwriter, that's really my goal. It's not really to sell a zillion (many) records -- hopefully I can -- but I think the main thing, the focus is the music," he says.

Shawn collaborated⁸ on the album's first single with Glenn Phillips of the former folk-rock group Toad⁹ The Wet Sprocket. It's called "Beautiful Wreck¹⁰."

1 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

7 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

8 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

9 toad   

n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

参考例句：

• Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
• Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

10 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。