Best Albums of 2011

Below you will find my list for fav albums of 2011. If you agree/disagree post comments below! and Happy New Year!

10. 4 Beyonce/ Talk that Talk Rihanna: Why I love it: I know I know, I can’t choose, and it’s sort of a cop out but I seriously can’t pick which album I like more. Both have hits which I love, both have songs which I really disliked. B get’s points for being preggs and still doing crazy dance moves in all of her millions of videos released this year. Rih gets points for still sounding original a million reggae-pop albums later. So for now both will be in my top ten at number 10. Favorite songs off the album: Beyonce: Countdown, Love on Top. Rihanna: You Da One, Talk that Talk.  For fans of: Destiny’s Child, Mary J Blige, Lady Gaga

9. Whatever Hot Chelle Rae : Why I love it: 2011 Radio airwaves would never have been the same without Hot Chelle Rae’s Tonight Tonight. This album is pure punk-pop perfection. I happen to love random silly lyrics with really catchy tunes. If you do too then you will definitely want to give this album a try. Another reason why I love this album? It makes me feel like a high school girl again and I can always use an album that makes me feel young. Favorite Songs off the Album: I Like it Like That, Honestly, Whatever. For Fans of: The Ready Set, The Click Five, My Favorite Highway

8. Stronger Kelly Clarkson: Why I love it: Good for Kelly. In this album Kelly shows a real maturity which her other albums had been lacking. While there are still tons of pop-hit-anthemy type songs, you can tell that Kelly’s real inner angst has disappeared and she is happy. Not unwilling to try new things the songs on Stronger range in influence from r&b to country but still maintain the pop background that made us fall for Kelly in the first place. Favorite Songs off the Album: What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger), I Forgive You, You Love Me. For Fans of:  Pink, Beyonce, Avril Lavigne   

7.Mylo Xyloto Coldplay: Why I love it: Unfortunately for Coldplay, this album could not compare to the brilliance of Viva La Vida. Yet, there are some strokes of brilliance on an album that had a few duds. Apparently this album is a concept album which tells the story of two people who find love in a dystopian society. (Did anyone get that? Because I didn’t, so thanks Internet!) While there is some cool usage of instruments, again the effect is not the same as their brilliant previous album. Favorite Songs off the album: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Hurts Like Heaven, Paradise. For Fans of: Radiohead, The Killers, Keane

6. Ceremonials Florence + The Machine:  Why I love it: I happen to love Florence’s crazy ass vocals in general. What I love about Ceremonials is Florence could have had an album which was similar and in a way repeated Lungs. However instead, Flo + the machine gave us something completely different. Yes, her lilting voice remains powerful and full, but the depth of the songs is far greater on Ceremonials. Favorite songs off the album: Shake it Out, Breaking Down, Never Let Me Go. For Fans of: Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, Marina and the Diamonds

5. El Camino The Black Keys: Why I love it: Omfg where have the black keys been all my life. To me, the Black Keys are one of the great bluegrass/rock bands of our time. Why they didn’t become famous until last year is beyond me honestly. This album is chock full of great songs. The one negative a person could say about this album, as opposed to lets say their previous album Brothers, is that many of the songs use repetitive chords and instruments. But that being said a hit is a hit and this album is full of them. Favorite songs off the album: Gold On Ceiling, Lonely Boy, Run Right Back. For Fans of : The White Stripes, Mumford and Sons, Wolfmother   

4. Born This Way Lady Gaga: Why I love it: I know many of you may be surprised that Gaga’s album is only at #4 and not higher, but honestly, born this way is just not as good as the ultimate album Fame Monster. It did have some great songs, and some good ones, but also ones I just didn’t LOVE and that’s why its here. That being said, Gaga can produce a hit. Just check out all the singles she has released off of this album (5 and counting! Take that Katy Perry!). Many haters will say that instead of sounding new and fresh her songs sound like they belong in the 80’s. To them I say, 80’s music kicks ass! Favorite Songs off the album: You and I, Fashion of His Love, Born This Way. For Fans of: Madonna, Ke$ha, Gwen Stefani  

3. Wasting Light Foo Fighters: Why I love it: Just when I thought Foo Fighters couldn’t get better they came out of the woodwork with Wasting Light. If you ever find yourself questioning what rock music is/can be today then just listen to this album. All of the tracks have intense hard rock edge and amazing guitar and drum work. Dave Grohl, as lead, never ceases to amaze me and makes me wonder, how if Kurt Cobain had still been alive, if he would have ever have broken out of the background and into the spotlight. Favorite Songs off the album: Walk, These Days, Rope. For Fans of: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, Muse 

2. Watch The Throne Jay Z & Kanye West: Why I love It:  Who would have ever guessed that putting two amazing rappers in one album would create epic awesomeness? I would! Why wasn’t this done before? Seriously! Ye’ and Jay make an amazing pair and continue to play off of one another in every song/rap. This album should remind rappers everywhere that all you need is a little collaborative effort and all of your haters will turn into admirers. Favorite songs off the album: Otis, Made In America, That’s My Bitch. For Fans of: Eminem, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco  

1. 21 Adele: Why I love it: Yes, I know Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You are crazy over played, but, remember when they weren’t? Remember getting your hands on Adele’s new album and the feeling of OMG I have totally been through the exact same thing with my ex? Because if you did not feel that way, then you are either not a girl, or do not have a heart. This album was groundbreaking. Adele’s voice reinvented what it means to HAVE a good voice in this day in age (what with all the auto tuning going on). Yes, many of you know that I have a serious girl crush on her, but that aside, Adele can belt it out!  Favorite songs off the album:  I’ll Be Waiting, Set Fire to the Rain, Don’t You Remember. For Fans of: Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Fiona Apple

Singers Who Can Act (AKA Justin Timberlake Please make music again)

Last night my husband and I had a discussion about the “triple threat.” You know the type: Can sing, Can Dance, Can Act and this got me thinking about some of the greatest singers(stage or recording)-turned actors.

1)  Hugh Jackman: Many people might not be aware but after a short 1 season Aussie TV show stint, Hugh was primarily a stage star. It was only after his adorable success as an amazing singer/dancer with incredibly stage presence that he was offered the role of Wolverine in X-Men. Hugh will actually be playing Jean Valjean in the upcoming Les Miserables musical movie so we will get to see all of his talents in one place. Classic hit: Oh What a Beautiful Morning from the musical Oklahoma!

2) Justin Timberlake: Many of you know I am a devoted Timberlake follower. I will pretty much watch whatever he does, listen to whatever he produces or even recommends. His talent is undeniable. Granted I don’t think I’m in the minority when I say that he should be singing instead of acting. I think he’s hilarious and do watch both his films (even the ugly ones like cough The Love Guru cough) but if he doesn’t make another CD soon or appear in a musical soon someone (probably Joey Fatone) will get a beating. Classic hit: What Goes Around Comes Around

3) Will Smith: I know you might disagree with me on the “dancer” segment of this one, but we should not forget the incredibly awkward yet cool dancing talents of the fresh prince. I did try to “Get Jiggy With It” but the closest I ever got to it was a jig. Will is another one of those actors who I would follow to the moon and back. He’s funny and interesting and also an awesome rapper. I genuinely can’t decide which beats I prefer more, the Fresh Prince/DJ Jazzy Jeff era or the Will Smith late 90’s boom. Thoughts? Classic Hit: Parents Just Don’t Understand

4) Beyonce Knowles: Beyonce is clearly one of our generation’s most incredible talents. She is a kick-ass dancer, makes amazing tracks that in my opinion will withstand the test of time (that’s right my future kids will be listening to beyonce!) and she is a good actress to boot. I am specifically not going to mention her turn in a certain British spy spoof because it was pretty unremarkable, but her roles in Dream Girls and Obsessed were pretty awesome. Classic Hit: Single Ladies  

5)  Queen Latifah: Queen is a great example of why America needs more female rappers. This amazing beat-tress started out as a rapper (beat boxing actually) for a little group called “Ladies Fresh” which then ballooned into her own rap career and eventual singing career and acting career. I will admit freely and without shame that I love many of the movies that Queen is in. She proved she could multi task (sing act and dance) when she was in Chicago and followed up that musical with Hairspray (again amazing choice) but she is understated and awesome in a few roles like Last Holiday (a personal favorite). Classic hit: U.N.I.T.Y  

6)  Neal Patrick Harris: Ok, Ok, technically NPH didn’t start out as a singer, but rather a child actor, after which he moved to Broadway. NPH is one of those rare talents who can pretty much do anything he wants. He dances extremely well, can sing, and even rap (see this year’s tony awards)! My personal favorite NPH venture has to be Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. It’s rare that you route for the bad guy but under the direction of Joss Whedon NPH’s Dr. Horrible is one of the most lovable villains ever. Classic hit: Freeze Ray 

7)  Bebe Neuwirth: Bebe, who was called a “Fosse Girl” for all of her work in bob fosse musicals, is more than just an excellent dancer and singer. She is a great actress. She will forever be known to me and my family as “Lilith” the cold ex-wife of Dr. Frasier Crane on both Cheers and Frasier. She has also been in a ton of movies, and various TV shows. Classic Hit: All That Jazz  

8) Gene Kelly: Technically Gene was a dancer-turned singer- and then turned actor, but who really cares? Gene, obviously an enormous talent for his time was one of, in my humble opinion, the best tap dancers ever. I am a HUGE fan of singing in the rain, but Gene also shined and showed his chops in movies like On the Town and An American in Paris. Classic hit: Singing in the Rain 

9) Sutton Foster: Ok yes, Sutton isn’t really a “screen star” yet, but Sutton is one of the greatest talents on broadway right now. She has an incredible vocal range and an amazing dancing ability. This leads me to believe that she can basically do whatever she wants (see Matthew Morrison’s career.) Classic Hit: Gimme Gimme 

10)(Marky) Mark Walhberg: Le sigh. I love Marky Mark so much. Did you guys realize that he was one of the original members of New Kids on the block but quit to make his own group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Granted my husband thinks my opinion of his acting ability is clouded by my vision of his abs, but I think he is both adorable and a good actor. He can play it serious as evidenced by his role in (one of my least favorite films ever) Boogie Nights. He can play it funny in films like Date Night and The Good Guys. And I personally like him best in his action-y roles. Classic hit: Good Vibrations

Notably Bad Singer turned Actors:

1) Jennifer Lopez: Jenny from the block can sing, and dance, but I personally dislike every acting role she’s had and find her to be pretty one note as an actress. Terrible roles include Maid in Manhattan and Gigli.

2) Puff daddy/P.Diddy/Diddy/ Diddy Dirty Money: No monikers can help Diddy be a good actor. Don’t get me wrong, as a rapper- awesome, as a producer-awesome, as random hip-hop style dancer- awesome. But acting (as seen from his Hawaii 5-0 guest stint)- not so awesome.

3) Jessica Simpson: Employee of the Month. Need I say more?

Coldplay's new single

There is only one album set to release this year that I am more excited for than Lady Gaga's Born This Way and Kanye West and Jay Z's Watch the Throne. That album is Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto. Not only did i love EVERYTHING about their first single Every Teardrop is a Waterfall including the awesome stop motion video, but this new single called Paradise is just as good. Take a listen for yourself. 

Muppet's Post Addendum

Yesterday  I blogged about the Muppet's Green Album which features celebrity covers of some of their hits. Today Id like to post an addendum since OKGO just released their video for the Muppet Show theme song, and boy is it amazing. Not only do they combine classic muppet characters and elements, but they also use some of their best music videos as a backdrop for the video. 

Let me know your thoughts after you watch the video below!

Muppets the Green Album

When I opened up Aol Music today I found that the entire "Muppets Green Album" (a nod to the Beatles "White Album") was up for free listening. What I did not expect was that the entire album of Muppet's Classics (The Rainbow Connection, Manah Manah) are sung by contemporary artists the likes of OKGO and Weezer. You can check out the entire album yourself by clicking here, and leave your comments in the section below! I for one am loving it, but then again I am a huge muppets freak. 

Gaga debuts "You and I"

What are your thoughts?

Why you should be using Spotify:

Let me start by saying this: I work at a desk all day, in an office where I am the only
person here. Spotify might not be suitable for everyone’s work environment like it is for me, but let me tell you, this program has changed my life. An import from England (why is it that England is way ahead of the music game than America?) this music streaming program allows you to listen to endless amounts of free music. Think Itunes meets Pandora. Not only can you add your own music, but you can also search for albums and add songs to playlists. You can search for music you were too skeptical to buy because you could only hear 60 second snippets thanks to Itunes, and listen to the songs and album in full. Yes, not every song is available on Spotify yet but I can only assume that it's only a matter of time.
 
This FREE service comes with limited commercials which can be a bit annoying at times, but it's totally worth it for this free unbelievable service. Where else can I make a playlist that features The Steve Miller Band, Coldplay, Simon and Garfunkel, Madonna, Maroon 5 and T.I? (I’m sure I could find this through random shuffle on my ipod, but I am lazy and need a way to listen at work without headphones). This service is seriously for anyone who loves music (even you mom! They have Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra). 

To request an invitation for Spotify click here and create your account today! Also if you are super cool and have a smart phone this can be added as an app!

Best Music Videos of 2011 (so far)

I know it’s been a while since my last post, so I’m trying to come back on this one with a bang. I’m going to list my favorite music videos of 2011 so far. As you know music videos hold a lot of water in my estimation. They need to have one or more of the following qualities in order for me to like them 1) It has to be visually appealing 2) It has to be humorous, or not take itself too seriously 3) It should relate in some way to the song (even if that means splashing the lyrics occasionally on screen).  So here goes:

10. Yellowcard: Hang You Up:  I’m not sure why I found this video so funny, but It was amusing to me that no matter where Ryan, the lead singer of Yellowcard goes, everyone thinks its bizarre that he is singing. Basically it’s breaking the fourth wall within a music video, since most music videos have the singers singing and most of the people in the video completely oblivious. I particularly like when his ex-girlfriend, who he keeps singing about, comes on screen and without seeing who it is knows it’s her ex-boyfriend because he keeps singing. She says “I got a restraining order against you! You can’t sing within 500 feet of me!” Hilarious.

9. Ke$ha: Blow:  “No Mythical Creatures were harmed in the making of this video.” Genius. I love how Ke-dollar sign- ha doesn’t take herself very seriously. I love James Van Der Beek in this video saying “Don’t Slanderbeek my name.” And I particularly like how their guns shoot rainbows! Can I get one of those?

8. Maroon 5: Never Gonna Leave this Bed:  Originally, when I heard this song off of the album it was one of my favorites. I imagined a sexy romp in the sack video with Adam Levine (which in and of itself would have landed on this list). What I got instead, was an interestingly thought out video. What would happen if we decided NEVER to get out of bed? Maroon 5 tells us that the bed will travel with us (Bed knobs and Broomsticks was obviously WAY ahead of its time!) Needless to say, Adam Levine in a moving truck bed or a bed in the middle of Santa Monica is definitely a sight to be seen.

7. Foo Fighters: Walk: This video, a funny replica of the 1993 movie Falling Down starring Michael Douglas tells the story of an average guy who basically cracks while stuck in traffic. The movie is a bit more violent, where this is more amusing, and features Grohl in the same getup (down to the glasses) as Douglas.

6. All Time Low: I Feel Like Dancin’: This satire on the music business shows the band in the middle of trying to film a music video. They are getting advice from a manager type guy from “the label” who has his own advice for exactly how the video should go. He has 3 tips to make a video succeed all “following the model” of other music videos. I won’t ruin the surprise but the last one is by far the most hilarious. I actually laughed out loud.

5. Coldplay: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall: This video falls into the ‘visually appealing’ category. It uses a similar stop motion technique to their video Strawberry Swing but it doesn’t disappoint. When it gets to the main part where everything is backlit it plays out like an intimate and cool concert that you wish you were actually participating in.

4. Matt and Kim: Cameras:  I love a good old fashion fight video and Matt and Kim’s Cameras does not disappoint in that vein. Not only did this video look fun to shoot, but many of the hits actually look quite real and make me wonder how bruised they got in the process.

3. The Black Keys: Howlin for You: Not only did the Black Keys give their video a plot, they gave it the plot of a movie! It’s an entire fake preview for a movie that doesn’t exist and it is brilliant. It appears to be a mix of Kill Bill and possibly a random buddy cop comedy? Regardless it’s quite smart and interesting.

2. Katy Perry: Last Friday Night TGIF: From start to finish I love this video. From the random cameos (Darren Criss? Rebecca Black?? HANSON!?) to the great acting by Katy Perry as a nerd turned pretty woman for a night, not to mention a crazy cameo by (“uncle”) Kenny G who plays the sax solo on the song, and then 80’s icons Debbie Gibson and Corey Feldman this video is an extreme foray into awesomeness.

1. Beastie Boys: Make Some Noise: This tops my list for part of the same reason as Katy Perry’s. CAMEOS ABOUND!  Will Arnett?! Rashida Jones!? Kristin Dunst!? Will Ferrel!  I LOVE how this video captures the same sentiment as Fight for your right to Party. I love even more that they hired actors (Elijah wood, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride) to play the versions of themselves straight from their other video (since they are definitely too old to play themselves now). On top of it all this song, is classic Beastie Boys. Basically everything about this video is pure genius.

Notable Visually Appealing Videos: Death Cab for Cutie: You are a Tourist: this light and action show supposedly was captured in one take, if that’s the case it’s a huge feat.

Maroon 5: Hands All Over: Stylized animation of Adam Levine? Hells yes.

What are your favorite videos of 2011 so far?

Glee's Top Ten Covers

In honor of the Glee concert last night at the Izod Center in New Jersey which I attended (YAY), I’d like to list my favorite Glee covers and why they are so great.

If you haven’t seen Glee, it is a television show about a group of misfit high schoolers who make up the school’s show choir and perform for their chance at the state and national championships, with many bumps and typical high school drama and romanced mixed in.

10. Blackbird originally performed by the Beatles, covered by Chris Kolfer (Kurt): I happen to love Kurt/Chris and think he has one of the most interesting voices on the show, that’s not to say it’s the best because it doesn’t compare the powerhouse vocals of either Rachel or Mercedes, but it is still really interesting in unique. Kurt has many great hits (I particularly love his duets with Rachel and find all of them to be really beautiful melodically), but this one really touches my heart. The Beatles song, while slow and sweet is brough alive by Kurt and the Warblers and made all that much better.

9.  Maybe This Time from the musical Cabaret performed by Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) and Lea Michele (Rachel): In my house, Kristin Chenoweth can do no wrong. We would see every show she is in and love it regardless of its quality (For Example: The Apple Tree). This song made famous by Liza Minnelli and the cast of Cabaret was actually pretty new to me, in fact the first time I heard it was when it was performed on Glee. Kristin who is usually a powerhouse in her upper register actually sings in a much more mature lower register to get the husky quality of this song. In a duet with Rachel, the Glee club’s resident Broadway belter this song couldn’t be much better. 

8. Poker Face originally performed by Lady Gaga, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel) and Idina Menzel (Shelby Corcoran):  I can’t say this enough about this song, I LOVE THIS ARRANGEMENT. I know a lot of haters felt like this version lost the Gaga-esque quality by being stripped down and sung slowly, but I found it to be both amazing and inspiring. Idina Menzel is as fabulous as always and Rachel and her (both look alike and sound alike) play an amazing mother/daughter tag team. 
7. Like a Virgin originally performed by Madonna, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel), Jonathan Groff (Jesse St. James), Naya Rivera (Santana), Cory Monteith (Finn), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster), and Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury): I chose this number from the Madonna episode not only because it was an ensemble, but also because I felt like it was the most well done of all the Madonna covers (and there were lots). Each character’s voice had a chance to shine (thank you Ryan Murphy for finally putting Santana in the spotlight here!) but it was fun, and frothy, and even lost a bit of the 80’s vibe which made the song so popular back in the day. Kudos.
6. Songbird originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, covered by Naya Rivera (Santana): Ok so this number, a more recent performance, was immediately one of my favorites. Santana has a really interesting sultry and bluesy vibe to her voice, which usually comes out when she sings songs by Amy Winehouse. However on this number, a classic Mac song, she slows it down in one of the most heartfelt and beautiful performances of the entire second season.
5. Aint No Way originally performed by Aretha Franklin, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes): Oh Mercedes. How I love you. Mercedes to me has the best voice in the Glee oeuvre. She can belt, she is a mini Aretha (no great feat) which is why this song is really brought to life. It’s a pretty underrated Aretha song, taking a backseat to more popular numbers like Natural Woman, and Respect. But Mercedes does this song incredible justice and brings it back into mainstream and the spotlight where it really deserves to be.
4. Teenage Dream originally performed by Katy Perry, covered by Darren Criss (Blaine) and the Warblers (The Beelzebubs): This was one of the biggest surprises for me. As many of you know I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Katy Perry’s music. Sometimes she is good (Hot n Cold/I kissed a Girl), and sometimes she is really bad (Firework, Peacock). Katy’s version of the song was completely overplayed on the radio when the Warblers version came out but what I wasn’t expecting was how different and exciting it would be. The fact that it is an acapella version elevates the song about 20 levels from pop froth to actually good music.
3. Don't Rain on My Parade originally performed by Barbara Streisand from the musical Funny Girl, covered by Lea Michele (Rachel): It’s incredibly hard to beat Barbara, but I think in this number Rachel does it. Her version literally gave me goose bumps the entire song. She can 100% belt out a song, and doesn’t need help from anyone else to make a song great (as noted by the fact that this song is sung without any vocal accompaniment).
2. River Deep Mountain High  originally performed by Ike and Tina Turner, covered by Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana): This is probably my favorite glee song to date. I wasn’t super familiar with this song before it was on Glee but I can tell you it’s been on the oldies radio station probably 100 times since then. Because it featured two of my favorite singers in the entire cast (Mercedes and Santana) I was bound to love it. The two harmonize beautifully, and belt incredibly. All in all an amazing number.
1. Don’t Stop Believing originally performed by Journey, covered by the entire Glee cast: How could I not have the song that put Glee on the map as my #1. When I heard the preview for Glee I wasn’t necessarily going to watch it that is until I heard a tiny snippet of their version of this song. Again, even in snippet version, it gave me goose bumps (a sure sign in my book that the artists are talented, and that the song is a success). The cast sounds phenomenal in every note, and actually performs the beginning semi acapella which is interesting.

What are your favorite Glee covers?

Lady Gaga Born this Way Album Review:

As many of you know, I’ve been looking forward to this album’s release pretty much all year. I didn’t need to know what her album would be called or really hear any of Gaga’s songs to know that this would be my most anticipated album of 2011. So when Gaga released her first single Born This Way I was extremely pleased. When Gaga released her second single Judas I loved it and sang it in my house for weeks, much to the annoyance of my husband. When she recently released The Edge of Glory I was elated because even though it has a random 80’s sax solo, I thought her voice sounded really amazing. Yet, upon listening to her entire album I can safely say that this is not The Fame/Fame Monster. It is always incredibly hard to follow up such an amazing album. I would say that I don’t think there is a song on this album that can compare to the crazy awesomeness of Bad Romance or Poker Face.  On Born This Way Gaga does a few things: 1) She has an obscene amount of Christian/Religious symbolism. 2) Many of her songs are throwbacks similar to retro 80’s Madonna. 3) She repeats many themes from songs on her first album, and uses the same melodies on many of the tracks on this album. In terms of #1, Gaga has songs like Judas, Bloody Mary, Black Jesus (Amen Fashion), and those are just the titles! In Bloody Mary Gaga sings “I won’t cry for you/ I won’t crucify the things that you do.” In Black Jesus she sings “Jesus is the new black/ amen fashion on the runway/work it black Jesus,” which in itself is bizarre. In terms of #2 Gaga’s really trying to bring the 80’s back. Songs like Edge of Glory and Hair while entertaining; feature classic 80’s saxophone solo’s by Clarence Clemons of the E-Street Band. Songs like Bad Kids, and Fashion of his Love(written about Alexander McQueen) are fun, and good, but still way too 80’s for right now.  I can safely say that Gaga’s voice does blow Madonna’s out of the water, but I cant help but feel like this album, or at the very least these tracks on the album would feel more at home in lets say 1986(my birth year). In terms of #3, a song like Americano in my humble opinion is a pale imitation of its greater more interesting cousin Alejandro. In Sheiβe (pronounced Shy-e-zah) uses the exact same chorus/beat as the random “prostitute wench” section of Judas. She may even be saying the exact same words but in German. Where Gaga shines is on songs like You and I a ballad similar to her amazing song Speechless on her previous album. Her voice really comes through in songs like this and it is definitely a force in and of itself to be reckoned with.  She also shines on songs like Government Hooker, a song that when I first heard it was like…meh, but actually can not stop singing it now and seems to get better to me each time I play it. It’s classic bizarro Gaga comparable to Paper Gangster Teeth.  I also really like the songs Electric Chapel and The Queen but again they aren’t as good as her earlier material. What I can say is this cd is really a mixed bag for me. I really like her singles so far, and I do like a few of the songs on the album a lot. Its just not to the extent of the last album where I literally loved every single song, and felt that Gaga had a purpose and story to tell with her music. Here I felt she really dropped the ball in terms of storytelling and instead used religious imagery to the max as well as heartfelt inspirations (her grandfather, Alex McQueen) in order to drive the album. All in all I would give the album a B, not the best, but not the worst either. 

Traffic Songs

Many of you know that I commute by car to work. My drive is roughly 40-50 minutes on a good day. This means I have LOTS of time in the car to either listen to the radio or any of the 25 CDs I have made since I began my job in August of 2009. Yet what bothers me most is what happens when I get stuck in traffic. I know every person has their own driving personality and mine is one of anger, resentment, and frustration towards the road and specifically other drivers on the road. Hitting traffic always puts me in a foul mood, and really the only thing that can get me through it aside from viciously banging on my steering wheel is good music. In regard to different personalities though, a song that would work for me during traffic would not necessarily work for someone who is a calm, reassured driver. Therefore I present to you a list of songs you should listen to in traffic by personality type:

Angry Driver:
LIT: My Own Worst Enemy
AC/DC: Highway to Hell
Seether: Rise Above This
The Fratellis: Chelsea Dagger
JET: Are You Gonna be My Girl  

Calm Driver:
America: Sister Golden Hair
The Backstreet Boys: As Long as You Love Me
One Republic: Good Life
Paula Cole: I Don’t Wanna Wait
Duncan Sheik: Barely Breathing

Drivers who like to sing/scream along:
Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
Guns and Roses: Paradise City
Meatloaf: Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Offspring: Pretty Fly For a White Guy
Beyonce: Single Ladies

Classic Rock Buffs:
The Beatles: Hey Jude
Journey: Separate Ways
Rush: Tom Sawyer
Led Zeppelin: Kashmir
The Who: Who Are You

Drivers who use their time to discover new artists:
Freelance Whales: Hannah
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Pairs Ooh La La
Ellie Goulding: Your Song
Locksley: The Whip
Safety Suit: Get Around This

Drivers only interested in top 40 hits:
Lady Gaga: Hair
Nicki Minaj: Super Bass
Britney Spears: I Wanna Go
Christina Perri: Arms
Hot Chelle Rae: Tonight Tonight

Wannabe Gangstas aka Drivers who wish they got on Pimp my Ride:  

Jay Z: Big Pimpin
Eminem: Lose Yourself
Kanye West: Power
The Notorious B.I.G: Big Poppa
Beastie Boys: No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Drivers Stuck in the 80's 

Flock of Seagulls: I Ran

Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen

Peter Gabriel: Sledgehammer

Bon Jovi: Wanted Dead or Alive

Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax 
 

Cowboy/girl in Training:
Big and Rich: Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy
Miranda Lambert: Gunpowder and Lead
Blake Shelton: Honey Bee
Carrie Underwood: Cowboy Cassanova
Rascall Flatts: Life is a Highway

Drivers who complain that "they don't make em [records] like they used to:"

Frank Sinatra: My Way

The Beatles: I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode

Elvis:  Hound Dog

Aretha Franklin: Chain of Fools  

The Broadway Belter

South Pacific: Wonderful Guy

Wicked: Defying Gravity

Anything Goes: Anything Goes

Thoroughly Modern Millie: Gimme Gimme

Spamalot: Find Your Grail

 

 

Who I’m Loving Right Now: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Do any of you remember my Lilly Allen phase (late 2009), my Florence and the Machine phase (early-middle 2010), or my Adele phase (still kind of happening, but mostly late 2010-early 2011)? Well friends and readers, I have now entered the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals phase of my life. I’m actually shocked to find that this band, with such a freakishly amazing singer is not so popular. In theory, these artists are all not super popular. I mean Adele’s hit Rolling in the Deep is JUST becoming popular on mainstream radio which in a way is a travesty, but at least she is getting some recognition for being the amazing artist that she is (albeit late). Yet Grace Potter, an incredible singer, with a bluesy rock tone to her voice reminiscent of singers like Peggy Lee, Melissa Etheridge, and Fiona Apple has had little/no mainstream success in her bands 6 year run.  On fast songs like Paris (ooh lala) and I Want Something That I Want the blues rock of Grace’s tones really shine through. On slower songs like Tiny Light, Apologies, Treat Me Right and Ah Mary you can hear the soulful and intense quality of her voice that draws you in and demands your complete attention. If you haven’t had a chance to hear any of the band’s songs you should definitely listen today and I guarantee you won’t regret it. Let me know your thoughts on my latest obsession below.

Saxomophone

This week Lady Gaga released her third single from her upcoming album Born this Way. The song called Edge of Glory features a crazy (long) saxophone solo by Clarence Clemens of the E- Street band. I happen to really like this song, although I’m not sure why it needed a saxophone solo. The sax, while popular with Lisa Simpson, hasn’t been used frequently since the 80’s. But apparently in this song Lady Gaga is trying to make the sax have a comeback? This got me thinking about other artists who have used a saxophone in their songs. Below is a list of popular songs with sax solo’s in rated order:

1. Aretha Franklin: Respect: Did you all know that the Aretha song is actually a cover of an Otis Redding song? Mind blowing. Meanwhile one of the many reasons this song was more successful than good old Otis’ is the addition of saxophone legend King Curtis extraordinary talent. A
2. Bruce Springstein: Born to Run: Another song on this list featuring Clarence Clemens, this song accurately portrays how a sax should be played. It is fun, sparingly used, but always effective. A
3. Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street: Many of you who have attended a Jewish wedding have heard this crazy intro sax solo, as a possible entrance song for the bride and the groom onto the dance floor. In fact it may even have been used at my wedding. Regardless, the solo which is so bold in its tone and different than the rest of the song actually adds a random but delightful layer to this song. My rating: A-
4. Hall and Oates: Maneater: Surprise! Hall and Oates made it on yet another list of mine. I love those 80’s rockers; what can I say. This song is amazing. From the great lyrics “Whoa here she comes/watch out boy/she’ll chew you up/whoa here she comes/she’s a maneater,” to the crazy cheetahs/lions that are used to represent the maneater women in the video, and the cheesy but awesome guitar solo, this song is a hit for the ages. B+
5. Billy Joel: Just the Way You are: I love Billy Joel and I think he is an incredible piano virtuoso. But his addition of the sax in what would otherwise be a beautiful piano ballad is a bit too cheesy for me. Sorry Billy. B-
6. Katy Perry: Last Friday Night (TGIF): Another song trying to add a sax solo to add a new “fresh” twist to their song. However, in my humble opinion, I think the sax actually dates the song back like 10 years. Bad choice Katy. C
7. Madness: It Must Be Love: Aside from the music video cheese factor of filming the saxophonist playing in a pool, the saxophone solo in this song is so confusing! I actually think this song could probably have been a really cool mix of new-wave and reggae, but it verges on crazy with the addition of that sax. C-
8. Kenny G: Songbird: Of course my list HAD to include Kenny G who basically redefined the use of the saxophone. This song, most used in weddings is so beyond cheesy that it makes me cringe. D