As some of you may or may not know I'm a total tennis junkie (I even coach a high school team in my town). Needless to say I spent many a late night in the last two weeks watching the Australian Open. And if anyone else was watching they certainly heard today's song as it played during pretty much every commercial break in the form of a travel ad for the city of Melbourne. So while it's been a few days since Novak Djokovic took the Men's title, it's also been a few days since I've had my Holly Throsby fix. Luckily I found the video to feed my addiction.
29 January 2013
28 January 2013
28 January 2013 - Big Boi Featuring Phantogram - CPU
It was fun to surprise you during our American Idol weeks with posts like this, but it's time to get back to the business of Wicked Guilty Pleasures.
I never would have thought that Big Boi would be the groundbreaking member of Outkast. And this song and performance are seriously, seriously cool. I'm waiting to see what a video for this song will look like.
But what I love most about this performance? That Big Boi is not afraid to share the stage, and the spotlight, with a really, really good artist. Sarah Barthel doesn't waste her national exposure - I know Phantogram gained a lot of fans that night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Phantogram did three songs with Big Boi on his new album, which is interesting and different than just about anything out there right now, so I urge you to check it out.
UPDATE: The old video broke, so here's a new one, same performance.
I never would have thought that Big Boi would be the groundbreaking member of Outkast. And this song and performance are seriously, seriously cool. I'm waiting to see what a video for this song will look like.
But what I love most about this performance? That Big Boi is not afraid to share the stage, and the spotlight, with a really, really good artist. Sarah Barthel doesn't waste her national exposure - I know Phantogram gained a lot of fans that night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Phantogram did three songs with Big Boi on his new album, which is interesting and different than just about anything out there right now, so I urge you to check it out.
UPDATE: The old video broke, so here's a new one, same performance.
25 January 2013
25 January 2013 - Carrie Underwood - Two Black Cadillacs
And so the American Idol love comes to an end. I like how we bookended the two weeks with the two biggest Idols. Tony kicked things off with the original Idol Kelly Clarkson and I'm closing it with Season 4's winner Carrie Underwood.
When Carrie's most recent album Blown Away was released in May I posted a funny little tale about buying it at this here music blog. I enjoyed the record so much that she even found her way into my top Artists of 2012.
Yesterday, the third video off Blown Away was released. I thought the album's title track and video were pretty dark, but WOW, Two Black Cadillacs makes Blown Away seem like All-American Girl. See for yourself.
I know we've been posting Idol footage, but that All-American Girl "joke" makes absolutely no sense if you've never seen the super sweet cavity causing video. Also, it's a cheap excuse for me to watch the video for the bazillionth time.
When Carrie's most recent album Blown Away was released in May I posted a funny little tale about buying it at this here music blog. I enjoyed the record so much that she even found her way into my top Artists of 2012.
Yesterday, the third video off Blown Away was released. I thought the album's title track and video were pretty dark, but WOW, Two Black Cadillacs makes Blown Away seem like All-American Girl. See for yourself.
I know we've been posting Idol footage, but that All-American Girl "joke" makes absolutely no sense if you've never seen the super sweet cavity causing video. Also, it's a cheap excuse for me to watch the video for the bazillionth time.
24 January 2013
24 January 2013 - Granville Automatic - Never On A Sunday & Glorieta (& Vanessa Olivarez - You Keep Me Hangin' On)
When I was watching Season 2 of American Idol, and enjoying Vanessa Olivarez (12th place - she was the 1st finalist eliminated, and I was angry about that), I never in a million years would have imagined that I'd be rediscovering her music ten years later. But, as I was researching music for these two weeks of American Idol tribute, I did just that.
As lead vocalist (and harpsichordist) of Granville Automatic, Vanessa (along with Elizabeth Elkins) makes classic country music, with a warm southern feeling and a respect for history, musical and otherwise. This song is lighthearted, and seems like it could have been written 75 years ago, or 2 weeks ago, sounding both fresh and classic.
Update (29 July 2020) - the original video is gone. Here's a Sun Studio session version of the song instead.
Oh, the name of the band? It's a 19th century typewriter. Vanessa is a collector. Who knew?
Update (10 Dec 2013): The duo finally made an official video for this song. And CMT featured it on their front page, right here. Of course, they're 11 months behind us. Here's the new video. It's a lot of fun.
Currently, the duo is working on a project - a crusade, almost - to keep (American) Civil War stories fresh. This song, their latest, was written about a battle known as the Gettysburg of the West, in a town south of Santa Fe, New Mexico - Glorieta Pass, if you want to look it up. This project is a partnership with the Civil War Trust, who are concerned with preserving these classic, forgotten sites and protecting them from urban development. I encourage you to go here and read more about their quest as it develops. It's a really interesting read. The song itself is deep in history, with a quiet, classic country feel.
And, since this is an American Idol week post, here is Vanessa, singing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes. Back then, her hair was red, and her voice was huge. Her voice still is huge, but she was already showing the raw talent that she would use for a greater good later.
As lead vocalist (and harpsichordist) of Granville Automatic, Vanessa (along with Elizabeth Elkins) makes classic country music, with a warm southern feeling and a respect for history, musical and otherwise. This song is lighthearted, and seems like it could have been written 75 years ago, or 2 weeks ago, sounding both fresh and classic.
Update (29 July 2020) - the original video is gone. Here's a Sun Studio session version of the song instead.
Oh, the name of the band? It's a 19th century typewriter. Vanessa is a collector. Who knew?
Update (10 Dec 2013): The duo finally made an official video for this song. And CMT featured it on their front page, right here. Of course, they're 11 months behind us. Here's the new video. It's a lot of fun.
Currently, the duo is working on a project - a crusade, almost - to keep (American) Civil War stories fresh. This song, their latest, was written about a battle known as the Gettysburg of the West, in a town south of Santa Fe, New Mexico - Glorieta Pass, if you want to look it up. This project is a partnership with the Civil War Trust, who are concerned with preserving these classic, forgotten sites and protecting them from urban development. I encourage you to go here and read more about their quest as it develops. It's a really interesting read. The song itself is deep in history, with a quiet, classic country feel.
And, since this is an American Idol week post, here is Vanessa, singing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes. Back then, her hair was red, and her voice was huge. Her voice still is huge, but she was already showing the raw talent that she would use for a greater good later.
23 January 2013
23 January 2013 - Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery
Only three more days left in the Wicked Guilty Pleasures American Idol Celebration. Thanks for over-indulging us. We'll be back to our usual nonsense next week. But let's keep the Idol love going . . .
OK, I'm totally going to cheat here, but it's pretty easy to put Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery together. The teens were the top two finalists in Season 10 and their debut records were released within a week of each other. Both have achieved moderate success on the country charts (Scotty, probably a bit more) and in my opinion, both have bright futures ahead of them in country music.
Let's start the video goodness with the second single from Lauren's 2011 debut Wildflower.
And now here's the latest single from Scotty's 2011 debut Clear as Day.
OK, I'm totally going to cheat here, but it's pretty easy to put Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery together. The teens were the top two finalists in Season 10 and their debut records were released within a week of each other. Both have achieved moderate success on the country charts (Scotty, probably a bit more) and in my opinion, both have bright futures ahead of them in country music.
Let's start the video goodness with the second single from Lauren's 2011 debut Wildflower.
And now here's the latest single from Scotty's 2011 debut Clear as Day.
22 January 2013
22 January 2013 - Carly (Smithson) Hennessy - I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind / We Are The Fallen - Bury Me Alive
The Season Seven 6th place finisher was an Irish woman named Carly Smithson. She has a huge voice and a great personality, but she came with a couple of controversies.
First off, there was the album Ultimate High. This was an album that Carly recorded, under her maiden name, for MCA Records. It bombed spectacularly - $2 million was spent on the album, but it sold less than 400 copies. Really, it's because MCA didn't know how to market Carly in a world dominated by Shania Twain. Still, this song, from that album that eventually got a sales bump with a post-Idol reissue, isn't half bad, and her strong voice and personality shine through.
Since Idol, Carly has taken on lead vocals for the band We Are The Fallen. They aren't really all that much different than Evanescence, but at least her label knows how to market her now. This genre suits her better.
I mentioned two controversies. Season 7 was the 2nd time Carly wowed the judges. The first time was Season 5. Sadly, immigration laws, and issues with her work visa, prevented her from progressing in the competition Here is her Season 5 audition. Notice how all three judges love her.
And, in Season 7, she was using her married name. And owned up 100% to her Season 5 issues. But not her prior label signing. Again, she sang "I'm Every Woman:, and again, the judges were impressed.
And, to wrap it all up, here she is, doing "Jesus Christ Superstar" on the show. I've been waiting a very long time to post this one. Just a huge performance!!!!!!!
First off, there was the album Ultimate High. This was an album that Carly recorded, under her maiden name, for MCA Records. It bombed spectacularly - $2 million was spent on the album, but it sold less than 400 copies. Really, it's because MCA didn't know how to market Carly in a world dominated by Shania Twain. Still, this song, from that album that eventually got a sales bump with a post-Idol reissue, isn't half bad, and her strong voice and personality shine through.
Since Idol, Carly has taken on lead vocals for the band We Are The Fallen. They aren't really all that much different than Evanescence, but at least her label knows how to market her now. This genre suits her better.
I mentioned two controversies. Season 7 was the 2nd time Carly wowed the judges. The first time was Season 5. Sadly, immigration laws, and issues with her work visa, prevented her from progressing in the competition Here is her Season 5 audition. Notice how all three judges love her.
And, in Season 7, she was using her married name. And owned up 100% to her Season 5 issues. But not her prior label signing. Again, she sang "I'm Every Woman:, and again, the judges were impressed.
And, to wrap it all up, here she is, doing "Jesus Christ Superstar" on the show. I've been waiting a very long time to post this one. Just a huge performance!!!!!!!
21 January 2013
21 January 2013 - Kristy Lee Cook - Airborne Ranger Infantry
We are now entering the final week of our American Idol Hall of Fame celebration. This week I'll be doing the Monday, Wednesday and Friday posts and Tony gets the days that start with the letter "T."
Country singer Kristy Lee Cook earned a 7th place finish in the 7th season of American Idol. Her first post-Idol album, 2008's very underrated Why Wait (released on Arista Nasvhille), produced the top 30 country hit 15 Minutes of Shame. The record also featured Like My Mother Does which future Idol alum Lauren Alaina also performed on her debut record. The relationship between Cook and Arista only lasted for that one record though as they parted ways prior to 2009.
On to bigger and better things. . .
In 2010, Cook signed with independent country label Broken Bow Records (a much better fit in my opinion). Her BBR debut, produced by country chart-topper Jason Aldean (that certainly can't hurt her singing career), is scheduled to be released later this year (you know I'm looking forward to hearing it). The first single off that record is Airborne Ranger Infantry which was co-written by Cook and inspired by the poems her father wrote while serving in Vietnam. Check it out.
. . . And here she is singing Dolly's Coat of Many Colors from the American Idol Final 9 in 2008 (just ignore what that clown Simon Cowell has to say at the end. . .).
Country singer Kristy Lee Cook earned a 7th place finish in the 7th season of American Idol. Her first post-Idol album, 2008's very underrated Why Wait (released on Arista Nasvhille), produced the top 30 country hit 15 Minutes of Shame. The record also featured Like My Mother Does which future Idol alum Lauren Alaina also performed on her debut record. The relationship between Cook and Arista only lasted for that one record though as they parted ways prior to 2009.
On to bigger and better things. . .
In 2010, Cook signed with independent country label Broken Bow Records (a much better fit in my opinion). Her BBR debut, produced by country chart-topper Jason Aldean (that certainly can't hurt her singing career), is scheduled to be released later this year (you know I'm looking forward to hearing it). The first single off that record is Airborne Ranger Infantry which was co-written by Cook and inspired by the poems her father wrote while serving in Vietnam. Check it out.
. . . And here she is singing Dolly's Coat of Many Colors from the American Idol Final 9 in 2008 (just ignore what that clown Simon Cowell has to say at the end. . .).
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