29 March 2013 - All Saints - Never Ever

All Saints were an all-girl group consisting of members from the UK and Canada. In the US, All Saints are essentially one-hit wonders. In the UK and elsewhere, they're much better known for a cover they did that I'll have to put on Totally Covered one of these days.  They were one of the most successful groups of the late 90's there.

This is the one US hit.  It starts as a typical R&B ballad, which in itself would not make it a Wicked Guilty Pleasure.  Actually, that's not 100% true.  It starts off really quiet, spoken-word, and really sad.  But it gets stronger and louder as the song winds on. It also is the rare song that specifically speaks both to a US ("The alphabet runs right from a to zee") and a UK/Canadian ("The alphabet runs right from a to zed") audience.  As someone with a zed in his name, I appreciate that.  All in all, the song is well crafted and well performed.

Plus, there are LOTS of explosions in the video.



As is often the case, the group made a special video just for the US and Canada.  Who knows why, but here it is.  There aren't as many explosions, but there's a car on fire.

28 March 2013 - OutKast - Hey Ya!

Yeah, I bet y'all never thought I'd be posting an OutKast video. It seems about as likely as me rooting for the Red Sox or turning down a free beer. And I likely wouldn't have posted this video if it wasn't for me waking up from a dream at 4:30 this morning with this infectiously catchy song stuck in my head (must have been a party dream). To be honest, I really do like this song, and I'm kinda shocked that we haven't posted this one already.

27 March 2013 - Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man

By now you know we're fans of songs used in iPod commercials.  Here's another one.

Steriogram are a bunch of goofballs who make some pretty good rock and roll music.  They haven't had too many hits - this was their biggest one.  Thanks to Apple.  The song is energetic and fun pop/punk music.  Here is the commercial, which should give you a good idea as to what the song is all about.

 

But the video for the song - which is the only knitted video I've ever seen - makes the song all the more interesting.

26 March 2013 - The Hooters - And We Danced

I've been staring a blank screen for the past two hours trying to think of a video to post today. Mind blank. Absolutely nothing was inspiring me. Feeling like a true failure I did what any good writer would do, I whined like a little kid to Tony that I couldn't think of anything to write about. His sage-like advice, "go 80s." So obvious, yet so right. So let's go back to a much simpler time with a video by The Hooters.

25 Marzo 2013 - Shakira (feat. Alejandro Sanz) - La Tortura

De vez en cuando, me gusta mostrar de que una vez que hablaba español. Tengo que admitir que no es tan fuerte como solía ser.  Además, es un dolor en el culo para escribir en español con un teclado QUERTY.

Pero lo hago por ti.

Esta noche, Shakira hace su debut como jueza en "The Voice".  Vamos a disfrutar de la canción en español más exitoso lanzado como descarga digital en los Estados Unidos.  La cancíon tiene un toque de reggae claro, sin embargo, mantiene tradionales sesibilidad latina y de la música pop.



From time to time, I like to show off the fact that, at one time, I spoke Spanish.  I have to admit it's not as strong as it used to be.  Also, it's a pain in the ass to write in Spanish with a QWERTY keyboard.

But I do it for you.

Tonight, Shakira makes her debut as a judge on "The Voice"  Let's enjoy the most successful Spanish-language song released as a digital download in the United States.  The song has a clear reggae feel, but maintains traditional pop music and Latin sensibilities.

22 March 2013 - Human League - Don't You Want Me (with a Sassy bonus)

This is the first song I can remember being my favorite song.  I outgrew it for a little while, but the song still endures for me.

The song itself is heavily electronic from a musical standpoint, but it isn't terribly sparse, like other electronic songs from 1982 were.  Human League were able to keep a deep sound, almost like a full band (more on that in a minute).  What made this song really intriguing, though, was the dual lead vocal.  It wasn't a traditional call-and-response song - the two vocalists each get a separate verse, with the male lead taking the chorus - but you still got both sides of the story, including a very dark and sinister possessiveness.

This song has been covered several times.  My personal favorite cover isn't going to wait for Totally Covered. It was done for a 1992 covers compilation that benefited Planned Parenthood.  Chia Pet's members included Christina Kelly on vocals, Jessica Vitkus Weeks on bass, Mary Ann Marshall on drums and Jane Pratt on violin.   Those names might ring a bell, if you were a fan of the magazine Sassy - Jane Pratt was the founding editor, and the others were writers and editors for the magazine.

This version was 100% NOT electronic, and didn't have a male lead vocal (there is a 2nd woman singing), but, because the song was so well-written, this still worked! Also, Christina Kelly was kind of bad-ass - still is - which helped pull off the sinisterness of the vocals.

21 March 2013 - G Love - Shooting Hoops

Awwww yeah . . . The NCAA Basketball Tournament really starts today (those play-in games do not count). For me, filling out my brackets and the first weekend of games are better than Christmas, my birthday and St. Patrick's Day combined. And even if I'm forced to miss the late afternoon games today and tomorrow due to my own tennis coaching responsibilities (would it kill y'all to pray for rain for me so I can cancel practice?), my three TVs in my basement bar (I refuse to call it a "mancave") will be working overtime for the next four days.

Oh yeah . . . music. Here's some G Love to get you in the mood.