Earlier today, MTV.com premiered fun.’s new music video, “We Are Young,” which features the talented Janelle Monae. fun.’s latest record, Some Nights, is set to be released on February 21.
Continue reading Music Video >> fun. – “We Are Young” ft. Janelle Monae
Alright y’all, let’s just jump right in! Here are my top five album picks that I found to be absolute ear candy in 2011!
Continue reading Wait…WHAT?’s Favorite Albums of 2011 (#5 – #1)
I cannot tell you how hard it was narrowing down my 10 favorite albums from the past year. As my taste in music evolved a bit this year, I found myself clinging to albums from artists that I never imagined that I would be into as much as I am now. Earlier this week, I finally narrowed down my list and there are my favorite albums (#10 – #6) from 2011!
Continue reading Wait…WHAT?’s Favorite Albums of 2011 (#10 – #6)
Early today, a surprise video from Zooey Deschanel & her [500] Days of Summer co-star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was posted up on HelloGiggles. Check out their performance of “What Are You Doing New Years Eve?” below!
Adorable!
Last night I received a text from my lil’ bro about an up and coming singer, Lianne La Havas. She’s been touring with Bon Iver and has also been named as a BBC Sound of 2012 Artist.
She has an EP available on iTunes called Lost & Found, which features the track “No Room For Doubt” with Willy Mason. Check out the music video for the song below.
Amazing voice, right? I think her sound is just stellar.
Make sure to check Lianne out on her official sites:
The other night at David Cook’s show in Springfield, MO , he was apparently asked to cover “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks in honor of a couple’s anniversary. Who was the couple? His tour manager Jody and his wife, singer Meredith Brooks! Check out his performance below!
Yeah, so this is pretty much my new favorite cover that I didn’t even know I wanted.
What do y’all think of the new cover song? And what other female singer’s music catalogue should DCook dive into? I’m thinking Liz Phair…
Daughtry is back with their latest studio album, Break The Spell. The album was released on November 21, which happens to be five years to the day that they released their self-titled record, back in 2006.
The band (Chris Daughtry, Josh Steely, Brian Craddock, and Josh Paul) made a conscience decision to go into studio without preconceived notions about what was going to result from the writing sessions.
“We said, ‘Let’s just write and see what happens,'” lead singer Chris Daughtry said in the band’s press release. “We came up with some pretty interesting tunes that sound nothing like anything we’ve done before. Even though some of them didn’t make the album, the process stretched us and took us to new places. It was an absolutely inspirational experience.”
Working with producer Howard Benson, who also produced the band’s first two albums, Daughtry co-wrote the entire album with his fellow band mates, as well as collaborating with Marti Frederiksen, Busbee, and Brett James. It was Benson who encouraged the band to think outside of the box with their new tunes.
“Howard called me and said he had some ideas for what we needed to do to differentiate this album. He said, ‘I really think we need to push ourselves,'” Daughtry shared in the band’s bio.
And push themselves, they did. Break The Spell is harder rock music mixed in with Daughtry’s classic sound that the core fan base has grown accustomed to over the years.
The in-your-face track “Renegade” leads off the album with high energy guitar riffs and Chris Daughtry’s intense vocals. This is a side to the band that I felt was starting to show itself on their last album, 2009’s Leave This Town, but now has fully come to fruition. Roaring on, the guitar-laden “Outta My Head” is bold step in a rockin’ direction. The gritty rocker contains one of the catchiest choruses on the album and is sure to get the audience moving at live shows.
Continue reading Music Review >> Daughtry – ‘Break The Spell’
Earlier today, a new video message from Gavin DeGraw was posted up on his Facebook page wishing fans a Happy Thanksgiving! Check it out below!
Also, Gavin released his iTunes Sessions EP earlier this week. If you buy the entire album, you get seven amazing live tracks, plus an audio interview for $6.99! So, if you love his latest full-length album, Sweeter, you would dig this new EP. Just sayin’.
Aaaaand if you never got a chance to check out my interview with Gavin from earlier this year, you can do so right by clicking here.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news & tour info fromGavin DeGraw at his official website!
I literally just got home from work and logged onto Twitter to find that the very talented Syesha Mercado (Idol season 7, Dreamgirls) had posted a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Check out her fantastic performance below!
The girl has got some pipes! Very few can do justice to an Adele song and she just did it seamlessly. Absolutely fabulous vocal performance, Syesha!
For more info on Syesha Mercado:
Alright Cook fans, do you remember where you were on November 18, 2008?
I do; I was on my computer at midnight downloading David Cook’s self-titled major label debut off of Amazon.com. And I’m going to assume that I wasn’t the only one.
The next morning before heading out to buy physical copies of the record, I sat down and wrote a blog post, which you can find HERE.
Last month during an interview I conducted for Blogcritics, I asked David about how his debut record resonates with him now – three years later. Check out what he said below!
I say this, and it’s not to discredit that record or anything like that, but it really feels like every other record that I’ve done up to this point. I go back and I listen to it, and it seems like a very accurate, very honest, I guess, self-portrait at that time. You know, I hear a lot of energy, a lot of spastic energy on that record.
I think coming off of Idol, finally after 10 years of toiling in clubs, and bars, and coffee houses, and stuff like that, I’m finally at this spot. There’s a great vibe to that record. I’m really proud of what that record did. I’m glad I got to make it. With this record, the new one, I think there was just a bit more of a concise focus. I think I was able to put blinders on a little bit with this new record and focus on a singular idea.
And now Cook fans, I turn to you. Being that it’s been three years exactly; how does David’s self-titled debut record resonate with you now? And which song off the record has remained your favorite? (My fave is “A Daily AntheM.”)
Hit me up in the comments!
Wait...WHAT? 