Season 10 American Idol champ Scotty McCreery released his sophomore album See You Tonight last month. I think those who are tiring of the current trend of "frat boy" country performed by mostly 30-somethings will be pleasantly surprised to hear this remarkably mature set, ironically enough, by a 20-year-old college student. Go figure. Anyway, it's a solid album and I'd highly recommend it to fans of country artists like Josh Turner or Easton Corbin. Check out the video for the very catchy first single See You Tonight.
26 November 2013
22 November 2013
22 November 2013 - The Timelords - Doctorin' The Tardis
A song that heavily samples the Doctor Who theme and references that show in both band and song title? Yeah, there was no other choice for today, Day of the Doctor Eve.
21 November 2013
21 November 2013 - World Party - Ship of Fools
As is the case with many of my 80s Thursday posts, World Party is hardly a guilty pleasure. They were a great band and the music still sounds good today. But, as is the case with many of my 80s Thursday's posts, this video is SOOOOOO cheesy (those special effects, are certainly . . . ummm special) that it kind of becomes a guilty pleasure. I'm sure it was cutting edge back in 1987.
20 November 2013
20 November 2013 - Cher Lloyd - I Wish (feat. T.I.) / Skee-Lo - I Wish
Cher Lloyd will release her new album, "Sorry I'm Late" next year. However, in advance of that, her new single is already out.
And it's clever and humble, even with T.I. guest starring. It's not quite as bombastic as "Want U Back", and not nearly as full of itself as "Swagger Jagger", but it certainly suits her well.
Of course, when I first heard the title of the new song, I thought "Hey, is this a cover of the Skee-Lo song?" It isn't, but the two songs share a similar humility.
And it's clever and humble, even with T.I. guest starring. It's not quite as bombastic as "Want U Back", and not nearly as full of itself as "Swagger Jagger", but it certainly suits her well.
Of course, when I first heard the title of the new song, I thought "Hey, is this a cover of the Skee-Lo song?" It isn't, but the two songs share a similar humility.
19 November 2013
19 November 2013 - Machines of Loving Grace - Butterfly Wings
While I was a much bigger fan of Machines of Loving Grace's self-titled debut, I have to admit that their second album Concentration had their best song - Butterfly Wings. And yeah, it does sound a little bit dated today, but then again it should, seeing that it came out 20 years ago.
18 November 2013
18 November 2013 - Ke$ha - Your Love Is My Drug
So, picture that you are in 2010. You're familiar with "Tik Tok" and that drunk girl with the dollar sign in her name. You're listening to the radio... and this song, full of emotion but still light and fun, comes on the radio.
You, like I, are probably a little surprised you're listening to the same artist. You probably aren't as offended as I was by the similarity in title to a Roxy Music title, but you're probably at least a little impressed.... even if she does refer to herself as a "lovesick crackhead."
One thing you probably didn't know about this song - Kesha (Sebert - it's her real name, without the dollar sign) co-wrote this song with her mother, Pebe. Ke$ha actually started off as a songwriter for other people, and so she is the rare pop artist who writers her own music. Which I would find more impressive, I guess, if she didn't have the lyric "Brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack" to her credit.
Anyway, I was eventually sold on Ke$ha as a truly talented artist who, thanks in large part to her first single, doesn't get enough credit for her talent. So, enjoy this.
By the way, here is her SNL performance of the song. Very little AutoTune appears to have been used (she does some vocal playing pretty openly at about 1:48 for effect, not correction)..... just a lot of Day-Glo body paint. My point is, pretty strong performance for someone who doesn't get credit for her talent....
(Update: 18 Dec 2020) Sometimes, YouTube takes down videos. So I replaced this one with a version in which Ke-Dollar Sign-Ha is still singing, clearly.
You, like I, are probably a little surprised you're listening to the same artist. You probably aren't as offended as I was by the similarity in title to a Roxy Music title, but you're probably at least a little impressed.... even if she does refer to herself as a "lovesick crackhead."
One thing you probably didn't know about this song - Kesha (Sebert - it's her real name, without the dollar sign) co-wrote this song with her mother, Pebe. Ke$ha actually started off as a songwriter for other people, and so she is the rare pop artist who writers her own music. Which I would find more impressive, I guess, if she didn't have the lyric "Brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack" to her credit.
Anyway, I was eventually sold on Ke$ha as a truly talented artist who, thanks in large part to her first single, doesn't get enough credit for her talent. So, enjoy this.
By the way, here is her SNL performance of the song. Very little AutoTune appears to have been used (she does some vocal playing pretty openly at about 1:48 for effect, not correction)..... just a lot of Day-Glo body paint. My point is, pretty strong performance for someone who doesn't get credit for her talent....
(Update: 18 Dec 2020) Sometimes, YouTube takes down videos. So I replaced this one with a version in which Ke-Dollar Sign-Ha is still singing, clearly.
15 November 2013
15 November 2013 - The Cardigans - Been It
Most people can name the biggest U.S. hit by The Cardigans.
"Lovefool"
On both its original issue in Europe and its reissue in the United States, this was the follow-up single. In both cases, it didn't do well on the charts - it did OK in the UK, but not elsewhere. My theory is that most people were expecting a light, fluffy song (even though their 2nd biggest hit here is far far darker), and they didn't get it.
Either that, or the use of the word "whore."
But what everyone missed was a gem of a dark pop hit that broke the mold of all expectations of a female-fronted band. A woman-driven pop sound that could be dark and bass-heavy - who knew that could happen?!? The song tells a story of someone who is regretting a lot of the stupid things she has done in relationships, and owning what she has been. Enjoy!
Update (10 July 2016) - All these years later, we found another version of this video!!!!
"Lovefool"
On both its original issue in Europe and its reissue in the United States, this was the follow-up single. In both cases, it didn't do well on the charts - it did OK in the UK, but not elsewhere. My theory is that most people were expecting a light, fluffy song (even though their 2nd biggest hit here is far far darker), and they didn't get it.
Either that, or the use of the word "whore."
But what everyone missed was a gem of a dark pop hit that broke the mold of all expectations of a female-fronted band. A woman-driven pop sound that could be dark and bass-heavy - who knew that could happen?!? The song tells a story of someone who is regretting a lot of the stupid things she has done in relationships, and owning what she has been. Enjoy!
Update (10 July 2016) - All these years later, we found another version of this video!!!!
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