india, illinois

• A while back, I was assigned by a friend at LOGO to write a travel guide to Chicago — which I thought might be a challenge, considering I'd only visited the Second City once. Thank gawd for Brad and his BF Bob, who gave me the inside scoop on all things Chitown. With their advice, along with half-remembered flashbacks to my own trip last fall, I came up with a newbie's manual to the Midwestern mecca. Months passed, but now LOGO has finally launched its travel site. I was a little bummed my piece wasn't teased on the home page, but it's there if you dig. Thanks, Brad!
LOGOonline: Trip-Out: Chicago

• I need to write a longer post on all the new music I'm absorbing these days, but in the meantime here's this: The new India.Arie album rocks. I don't adore every track, but four or five of the songs make me deeply happy. The upbeat "Better Pepole" sounds like classic Staple Singers (who I love) and deserves radio play, even though I'm betting it'll never happen. "Good Mourning" will make you want to dump your boyfriend, and "Private Party" will make you get back together. Finally, I'm fascinated by her cover of Don Henley's "The Heart of the Matter." Such an odd choice, but oh so sweet.

My interview with India ran in extremely abbreviated form in this week's HX. Shame, because she offered some lovely insights on living a meaningful life.
India's Summer
Neo-soul princess India.Arie may not be her hair, but she’s relaxed and on a new roll

P.S.: If you just download a few tracks, go for the iTunes single version of "I Am Not My Hair" — which is head and shoulders above the hip-hoppy album mix.