Christopher Rice Kiss The Flame

Chicago based singer-songwriter Denise La Grassa continues her inspiring musical journey with the release of "The Flame." This powerful album is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit - attributes that embody her own 'North of 40' journey, itself ignited by the closing of Lincoln College in Central IL. “I was heading into my 6th year of transforming the former jazz studies program into one with more practical music production and business degrees. The closing was a shock to everyone as the college had been around for 157 years,” said La Grassa. “It was then I decided I was going to follow my own dream by focusing full-time on songwriting and performance.”

As a story, Jewel's origin is impossible to beat: on her way up, the singer/songwriter lived in a van on the West Coast, struggling to find an entrance to a career as a professional musician. This hardscrabble tale, only enhanced by her Alaskan upbringing, stood in direct contrast to the sweet, gentle hits "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant for Me," and "Foolish Games" from her 1995 debut Pieces of You, songs that never suggested a tough background. Nevertheless, Jewel's sensitive side and blue-collar beginnings served her well over the years: once her books of poetry started to fade and her pop makeover fizzled, she was able to capitalize on her back-story and refashion herself as a modern country singer.

Among the staple foods most welcomed on southern tables—and on tables around the world—rice is without question the most versatile. As Michael Twitty observes, depending on regional tastes, rice may be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner; as main dish, side dish, and snack; in dishes savory and sweet. Filling and delicious, rice comes in numerous botanical varieties and offers a vast range of scents, tastes, and textures depending on how it is cooked. In some dishes, it is crunchingly crispy; in others, soothingly smooth; in still others, somewhere right in between. Commingled or paired with other foods, rice is indispensable to the foodways of the South.