23 June 2015 - Kacey Musgraves - Biscuits

Today, the great Kacey Musgraves releases her 2nd album, Pageant Material.  My former co-author, Scott, and I agree on the greatness of Kacey Musgraves, which is kind of a rarity.

I've not necessarily a huge country music fan.

Kacey Musgraves doesn't get much radio airplay (which is criminal)

Do you want any more reasons why it's strange that I would be posting this?  No?  Good.  I don't have any more.  This is just a fun song, the 1st single from album #2.  So enjoy a well-written, fun song.

18 June 2018 - Tove Lo - Talking Body

Queen of the Clouds might be the greatest album of the past few years that I've listened to from end to end.  (Yes, people - better than True Romance - happy?)  Before I listened to the whole album and just had heard this song, I thought it was a weak follow-up to "Habits" (and, to be fair, that's on my list of Best Singles of 2014, so I did think highly of it).  I just wasn't a great big fan.  It wasn't a bad song.  It just wasn't great.....

Until I heard it in the context of the whole album - a concept album going through a relationship, from early lust and passion (where this song lies), to the middle part where it gets real and the people in it start thinking about their futures, to the breakup and the aftermath (which is where you would find "Habits").  Then it made more sense to me.

Now I want to hear the next album.

4 June 2015 - David Guetta feat. Sia (and Mary J. Blige) - Titanium

It's amazing that I took this long to post such a powerful song.  And it has a great story!

"Titanium" started off life as a demo.... written by Sia, recorded by Sia, and sent to David Guetta, possibly for a collaboration with Katy Perry, or Alicia Keys.  Sia had retired from performing and recording her own music, since she was meeting with little to moderate success, and, as a pop star, she was done....

3 June 2015 - Madonna - Borderline

My least favorite days are when I can't think of something to post.  I mean, I love guilty pleasure music.  If my well is running dry, even for a minute, it's time to worry.

Thank GOD for Madonna. She's been making this music for so long, I will always have a deep catalog as a go-to. This is the first Madonna song I ever heard, and I was instantly hooked, even at a time when I was fighting against my love of commercial music.

2 June 2015 - Jason Derulo - Want To Want Me

Jason Derulo's new album Everything Is 4 is out today.  The first single from that album is today's post.... and despite being about what every Jason Derulo song is about (being naked with a member of the opposite sex), it's a fun throwback that shows off Jason's vocal abilities.  And it's lyrically damned catchy.

Also, if you look up the phrase "guilty pleasure" in the dictionary, Jason Derulo's picture is right there.



As an added bonus, here's a live performance of the song, from The Ellen Show.  Even in this performance, you can hear the song starts with a whispered "Derulo".

6 May 2015 - The Darling Buds - Please Yourself

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st 
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

21 April 2015 - Charli XCX - Famous (& Sucker)

I have a problem.

I know this.

But c'mon.  This song is fun, and this might be the most bizarre, inventive and awesome video in the last few year.  And as much as I just wanted to let this one go, and stop it with the Charli XCX posts...

1. She is one of the most original pop artists today.
2. She's a reasonably prolific songwriter.
3. Charli XCX posts are usually the most widely read ones on this blog.

So, yeah, I am a fan.  I won't deny that. But this is all about pandering.  And enjoying what is a truly great pop song.

Also, check at about 2:38, to hear the one song off the Sucker album - the title track - that can never be a single.



You know I always like to give you a bonus.  So how about a live version?   Here ya go!



And, here is "Sucker" live...... Completely different style... less pop... very angry... and she pulls it off.