videos

Free “Symphonies”

Posted by John on December 29, 2009
Posted in: free download, new releases, videos, youtube. Tagged: . 5 Comments

A few months back, Paul at Fizzy Pop was raving about Dan Black’s “Symphonies”, and at the time I recall liking it, but not really being swept off my feet. Then I heard it in the car on Radio 1, and I was hooked. You’ll recognize the “Umbrella” hook instantly, but it’s all of the extras that will reel you in, including his very distinct vocal delivery.

So you’re interested, right? Well, head on over to iTunes and pick it up, because it’s the Single of the Week, which means it’s free. Better yet, check out his full-length UN, which is also available at a discounted price, or his iTunes Live collection that was recorded last summer in London.

I Dream of Christmas

Posted by John on December 7, 2009
Posted in: holiday, songs, videos, youtube. Tagged: . 8 Comments

I am a bit obsessed with George Michael’s “December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)” at the moment, and it has caught me a bit off guard. As I posted last Christmas (pun abused, reused, and still intended), this song was George’s Christmas present to the world. However, for those of you who didn’t wake up on Christmas day and run straight for your laptop or desktop, you can now pay for the privilege of owning this track, along with a few other treats if you’re very good and want to pay out a few extra coins.

Enough of the logistics, though…let’s get to the song in question. When I first heard the opening strains of something straight out of It’s a Wonderful Life, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. But the piano and sleigh bells kicked in, and I instantly knew the source. If you pay attention to the structure of the intro (and the chorus), you can hear a slowed-down version of “Last Christmas”, but once you hit the first verse, it’s George circa Older.

The video, which on the surface is an escape for a child facing a potentially disappointing Christmas, actually holds very true to one of George’s predominant themes: coping with a situation that doesn’t feel right or true. It doesn’t take long for the child in the video to lose himself in the fanciful world he has walked into, but soon enough he comes crashing back into the real world. Fortunately, this story looks to have a happy ending, with his mom at his bedside.

No matter what form his December Song took, it saved him from despair and sadness. Don’t we all have a song around the holidays that, no matter what is going on in our lives, lifts us up and puts us right back in the mood for the holiday? For me, that song has always been “Last Christmas”. There is something about Christmas that brings out feelings of melancholy, and I have a deep appreciation for that when it comes around. Even though things feel like they are working against me, I recognize that my life is pretty amazing, and the blessings in my life could fill a whole book. Those moments are cathartic, and I come out of them on the other side with a better appreciation of the moment. I tend to embrace the season much more after that.

George’s website mentions that he is working on a new album. Here’s hoping that he continues to share songs that can inspire as deep a feeling as “December Song” does.

Shayne Bares His…Chest

Posted by John on December 1, 2009
Posted in: news, videos. Tagged: . 10 Comments

So with the holidays here in the US, I have been a bit out of the loop with my normal updates and blogs, but I got a little surprise this morning in the form of new video blogs from Shayne Ward over at his website. Turns out that he’s been a busy guy recently, even though he’s been flying under the radar. Being the literary sacrificial lamb that I am, I put myself through the arduous task of watching these videos to pull out bits of information for you. In no particular order:

– Shayne expects that the album will be done in December, but is still looking at material to add into the mix.
– Shayne is sporting a full-fledged beard.
– Shayne aspires to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.
– Shayne lists the Bee Gees, the Stylistics, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Kings of Leon in his musical top 5.
– Shayne seems hell-bent on sharing his chest hair with the camera, even in heavy clothing.
– Shayne hasn’t been to the dance studio recently, but will as the album release gets closer.
– Shayne will definitely have an album to release in 2010.

This is all promising, but it’s all stuff that we’ve heard before. Hopefully Shayne’s management are committed to making release #3 a success, and possibly bringing some of that success over to the US. He’s not going to make the cover of Rolling Stone without it!

Video Notables – Janet Jackson

Posted by John on November 21, 2009
Posted in: videos, youtube. Tagged: . 12 Comments

After a week of interviews and “making of” video clips, the full version of Janet’s “Make Me” video has made its way out onto the Internet. The clip is primarily a dance performance, but there is some CG going on that gives it a bit of a “Scream” tribute vibe. Janet looks stunning, the dance routines are typical of Janet’s bubbly choreography preference, and the black and white color scheme really strips it down to just her. My fingers are still crossed for this to become a hit, but I don’t know if I get the way this is being promoted. Here’s hoping that her show-opening performance on the American Music Awards Sunday night kicks some life into the track.

Random Notes – 11-19-09

Posted by John on November 20, 2009
Posted in: american idol, charts, commentary, music industry, singles, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , . 13 Comments

– Now that I’m on Twitter (@ConstantLearnin), I’m getting to see what I’ve been missing out on. While there are things about Twitter that drive me nutty (do I need to know that you’re watching “King of Queens”?), when used in a good context, it is a great way for an up-and-coming artist to build buzz for themselves. Courtesy of @PopMuse, here’s a sample of a new track from Chris that must be a result of this studio marathon that he’s been tweeting about at @ImChrisRich.

In searching for more info on this, I also came across an interview and free download that he did for *cough*Wal-Mart*choke*. “Floating Off the Ground” definitely fits into the current pop landscape, although trying to break through without a major label behind you can be tough. Just ask Elliot Yamin about that one. I’ve listened to the track about 10 times over the past two days, and it has me intrigued about the rest of his long-delayed new record, which is now supposed to be released in 2010. Get your guilt-free download of the song here (signup necessary to download). You can also check out the tune in the video posted below. I read somewhere that this is his new single, but I can’t believe that he would be giving away a single that he actually hopes gets him some chart action.

– One song that is showing a little bit of legs and has slowly grown on me is Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet”, which has already been a top 5 hit in the UK. “Haven’t” is bulleted at #57 on the Hot 100, along with being top 5 at Adult Contemporary and top 30 on the Adult Top 40 chart. While it’s been pushed by appearances on Dancing with the Stars and Oprah, the song is a solid straight-ahead pop song without any gimmicks that you just don’t hear on the radio all that much, and deserves to be a hit.

Having said all of this, his record company has already announced that they are planning a re-issue of Crazy Love, which was only released 7 weeks ago. While I am glad that the record company is behind him, this re-issue craze is just getting out of hand. Here’s hoping that Lady GaGa is able to show the industry next week that a brand-new album is a better value to the consumer than just the same 10 tracks with a few new ones thrown in for good measure.

– I am pretty thrilled that after 19 months on the charts, Lady Antebellum is getting their moment to shine on the larger pop stage. Following their triumph at the Country Music Awards on the 11th, their self-titled debut bounds back up the Billboard 200 to #11, and their current single “Need You Now”, from the album of the same name due January 26th, leaps all the way up to #5 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Country singles chart.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the members of Lady Antebellum have some serious music business roots. Hillary Scott is the daughter of Linda Davis, who is most well-known from her duet with Reba McEntire on the original version of “Does He Love You”, and Charles Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley. In fact, Josh actually helped the band out early on by letting them crash at his place and use his recording equipment as they were pursuing a recording contract. “Need You Now” is only their fourth single, but it is already their second Country #1. Look for them to partake in some Sugarland-like domination over the next few years.

What’s A Video For?

Posted by John on November 12, 2009
Posted in: videos, youtube. Tagged: , . 6 Comments

Music videos have seen their better days in being able to help a song get a foothold in the marketplace, with only a few recent examples of ones that can be directly attributed with a song’s success (“Single Ladies”, anyone?). In most cases, the videos just seem like an afterthought or a mandatory exercise in futility. That’s why when a video comes along that stands out, it really stands out. Here are two such videos…

– Randy Houser “Boots On” – It’s a country video, so you’ve been forewarned, but the 3 minutes to watch it is completely worthwhile. Pay close attention to Dillon Dixon, the kid in the backseat who is a born rock star.

-Ryan Star “Breathe” – Ryan has opened for the majority of David Cook’s tour this year, and it seems like he’s made a good number of fans in the process. In addition, he was a member of the group Stage, who were signed to Maverick Records in the early part of this decade. Here is his current video “Breathe” from his upcoming debut CD on Atlantic Records, which highlights the plight of actual jobless Americans, acting as a virtual want ad. To check out his efforts to get them jobs, go to breathe4jobs.com.

When Rappers Go Pop

Posted by John on November 10, 2009
Posted in: concerts, videos, youtube. Tagged: , , . 4 Comments

Mr Hudson BWMr Hudson posted a video today of a Jay-Z show in London that he showed up at to sing “Young Forever”, a riff on Alphaville’s “Forever Young”. Here’s a clip of the chorus done a couple of times. You better bet that this will show up in a concert video or promotional video for the clip:

Jay Z LiveThe most striking thing to me, though, was at the end of the second round, where Hova kicks in to the intro of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This happens at every concert…someone segues from their own song into a crowd-pleaser that gets the audience hyped, or maybe they play a bunch of party jams right before the show starts. For Jay, the fact that he can stage a huge sing-along for a song that was considered alternative in the 80s, it becomes a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, there is no question that Jay-Z can rock a crowd, no matter where they are. But does that ability hurt his street cred? Sadly, it does. There’s a double-standard playing here…so much of the rap body of work talks about escaping poverty and making it big. Yet Jay has to deal with the “sell out” tag, amid accusations that he isn’t street anymore. There’s no winning for winning, is there?

When you get to travel the world and meet people of different cultures and ethnicities, that changes you. If Jay-Z brings other influences to his music, that makes him better, right? Well, you would hope so. And yet, using “Forever Young” as the hook on a track also creates a built-in sing-along for a certain portion of his audience, especially in foreign territories. The hook is undeniable, and the associations for people my age are ingrained. This begs the question of whether “Forever”‘s inclusion is strictly for artistic purposes, or if it is just a crowd-pleaser. From my perspective, I think “Young Forever” is one of the stronger tracks on Blueprint 3, but maybe I need to remove myself from the debate, since I would have been right there in the middle of the crowd, singing at the top of my lungs.

Beyonce JayZ LiveWe talk about selling out, catering to certain audiences, working with the “right” producer, but at the end of it all, if the listener finds something that resonates, then the music has done its job. As much as I hate the God-and-nation forms of country music, it works for someone, and who am I to deprive them of that. So the same goes for rap music. If you can bridge the gap by speaking the musical language of the audience you are playing to, more power to you.

This Could Be the Last of My Control

Posted by John on November 9, 2009
Posted in: concerts, videos, youtube. Tagged: , . 4 Comments

Mini Viva Wish SinglePopjustice posted a pretty brilliant remix of Mini Viva’s “I Wish” today, and I listened to it several times this morning as I was getting ready for work. One of the great things about YouTube videos is that they also show you related videos, and through this I discovered a live performance of “I Wish” from September. Witness the fun for yourself, and let me know what you think.

1. The girls can sing, can’t they?
2. Despite what some other bloggers might think, they are pretty cute.
3. A dance-pop group with a backing band? Revolutionary, I tell ya!
4. I want to hear the full version of this on a dancefloor, STAT!

In a somewhat related note, I heard a remix of Cheryl Cole’s “Fight For This Love” in a bar over the weekend. Pretty brilliant in that form, I must say.

“It’s Only” Lame

Posted by John on November 6, 2009
Posted in: american idol, videos, youtube. Tagged: . 6 Comments

Gokey AudtionsSo Kris, Adam, and Alison have all dropped their first singles, which meant that Danny Gokey’s first offering couldn’t be too far behind. Courtesy of MJ’s Blog, here is “It’s Only”:

If you want to see a perfect example of someone that is so desperate for fame that they will latch on to anything that seems to resonate with the public, here’s your man. The song itself is calculated religious country at its worst, and makes “Jesus Take the Wheel” sound downright transcendent. The “whoa ah ohhh”s at the end of each chorus are just bizarre, and the desperation of trying to find a niche on the first try is palpable. Only adding to my disappointment is the fact that one of my favorite country groups, Lady Antebellum, had a hand in this by writing this drivel.

If you think that I was waiting for a flop, you might be right. I am not a fan, and his prominence in the early going was one factor that caused me to abandon ship this year. Having said that, if Gokey had come out with something stellar, I would have been the first to admit I was wrong. No surprises today, though. This is the calculated lameness that I expected from a contestant who seemed hell-bent on making it big, even on the back of his wife’s memory. Danny’s got his fans, and I am sure I will catch some grief for this, but I don’t claim to be the voice of the people, so to each their own. I am just not hopping on this crazy train.

Video Notables – Mini Viva

Posted by John on November 3, 2009
Posted in: videos. Tagged: . 8 Comments

With a big ol’ h/t to Scopitone Saturday, here’s the new Mini Viva video for “I Wish”. SS notes that there has been a buzz about the track being as epic as GA’s “Untouchable”, and while I agree it doesn’t quite hit that height, this is a pretty solid second offering from MV, and worthy of a near-comparison. Here’s hoping that they can keep up the output. We may be looking at the Saturdays of ’09.
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