7 February 2012 - Vitamin C - Smile

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Colleen Fitzpatrick, who was the lead vocalist of a very cool rock band named Eve's Plum.  (Yes, they did get their name from the actress who played Jan Brady, but that's another story).   They didn't have much commercial success, and so their record label dropped them.  Frustrations following that broke up that excellent band.

So, Colleen Fitzpatrick decided to something different for awhile.  She took on a stage name - Vitamin C - and went a lot poppier.  This brought much commercial success and paid her mortgage.

Anyway, although I didn't like all her Vitamin C stuff, I did, and still do, love this very happy, cheerful song.  It fits with my optimistic personality. I hope you enjoy it as well.



So you have the frame of reference, here is an Eve's Plum video.  Notice the harder edge.  Frankly, I think the poppier sound suited Ms. Fitzpatrick better.... and I liked Eve's Plum.

6 February 2012 - Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup

Before I start, I just want to say that I'm a HUGE country music fan. And while many people reading this would think of that as being a guilty pleasure, I don't. That said, today's song has become my most recent guilty pleasure.

I've never exactly been a fan of Toby Keith's music and when my local country radio stations started playing Red Solo Cup I couldn't change the channel quick enough. What a dumb song I would yell out (Note: I'm sure there was a cuss word between dumb and song). But something strange happened...I started to actually like it. Then it got to the point where I couldn't stop singing it every time I saw a red solo cup (which is surprisingly often...in fact, I almost snapped a photo of my grandmother drinking out of one on Christmas Eve...a twitter post to most certainly entertain, well, me). And now in the present, I find myself turning the volume up every time I hear it and actually watching the video when it plays on CMT. So crank it up and PROCEED TO PARTY!

5 February 2012 - Katy Perry - Electric Feel

I promised you a tune that you could listen to without guilt.  Here it is.

Katy Perry did a live in-studio cover of the MGMT tune "Electric Feel."  Before I heard this song, I couldn't stand Katy Perry.  After this, I enjoyed almost everything she did.  It's that well done.

Long time readers of my blogs know that this isn't the first time I've gushed over it. Sadly, there still isn't a real video of this song, recorded in a 2008 BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge session.  However, the audio is so good, I still think you'll enjoy it.

 

 I think Katy's version even beats the original. By a mile.  However, I'll let you judge that for yourself.


For me, the original gets even more enjoyable with this video.

4 February 2012 - Katy Perry - Firework

OK, here's my final Katy Perry post (thanks for indulging us this week, we'll be back to as normal as we can be on Monday). I really liked Firework when I got Teenage Dream, but this stunning video brought my fandom to another level.

3 February 2012 - Katy Perry - Last Friday Night

Normally, this is Hair Metal Friday, brought to you by Scott, but this is a special week, so that calls for special circumstances.  And for the two of us, it came down to which songs we wanted to share with you.

And I, who has well-documented adoration for all things Friday, HAD to post this song for you.  So many guest stars in the video, the song itself the second-best tribute to the day when we gotta get down.  Why yes, that IS Rebecca Black, playing herself.  And Uncle Kenny! This is the best thing Kenny G has ever done.  Bar none.

It's a fluffy song, but it's a fun song.  Enjoy it.

2 February 2012 - Katy Perry - Ur So Gay

Katy Perry's first single, contrary to popular belief, was not "I Kissed A Girl."  It was this scathing rant against metrosexuality.  For me, this is a really hard song to like - I mean, it is, on the surface, homophobic, which I am completely opposed to. If you dig into the intention of the song, and not just the title, you'll see that it really wasn't intended to be homophobic - just funny.

The video is brilliant.  And it shows Katy's actual musical talent - she plays guitar.  Is there any guitar in this song? Yeah, there's a little.

In order to allay some of the guilt I have over posting this song, I felt I should add this PSA. I don't quite think this is what Katy is doing, but I don't want any of you to get the wrong idea.

1 February 2012 - Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Wicked Guilty Pleasures' week-long tribute to Katy Perry rages on with what I think is her most infectious song.



While Katy's version of Teenage Dream is pure pop perfection, California indie/folk quartet The Rescues went in another direction on their cover of it. Gotta dig those harmonies.