I have always liked this song and in fact I think it's off of Brandy's best album of her career. The song is Almost Doesn't Count from her 1998 album Never Say Never. I think it's a witty song with great lyrics and it sounds like it was tailor made for Brandy. Never one of the stronger vocalist, Brandy used that breathy, dusky voice of hers to perfection.
Never boasted a bunch of hits and even a Bryan Adams remake (Everything I Do) I Do It For You thrown in for good measure. It's Almost though that is one of the stand outs for me. When Brandy sings the words Gonna find me somebody / Not afraid to let go / Wanna no doubt be there kinda man / You came real close I can't help but like this song all the more.
Personally I don't think Brandy has ever been this good again. Never Say Never was her at her apex, her voice was still smooth and fresh and she was blessed with some really great songs. Almost Doesn't Count counts as one of those to me. Enjoy!
The very first time I heard this piece I couldn't keep the tears contained. It brought the memory of my father so vividly back to mind and it crushed me. I have loved this piece entitled Spiegel Im Spiegel ever since. It's a very deliberate piece that never changes tempo and it's about ten minutes long in length. it's just a piano and cello and though the original piece was written for piano and violin, the cello adds more gravitas.
The composer is Arvo Part and he wrote Spiegel Im Spiegel, which means Mirror(s) In The Mirror back in 1978. It has been used in a number of movies because it's such a poignant piece. It sounds like it was tailor made for the movies. Arvo Part is from Estonia and he wrote this piece just before leaving Estonia, putting his sadness into music.
This piece always reminds me of my father and it always will. It represents my sadness in missing him like nothing else I have ever come across. I don't know what this song will represent for you, perhaps nothing, perhaps everything. I hope you enjoy it though as much as I do.
This piece of music is a new discovery by me (when I say new I mean, like just a few minutes ago)but I liked it enough to post it to my blog. It's by the talented Ulrich Schnauss and the song is Goodbye, off of his 2007 album of the same name. Ulrich is not new to me but Goodbye is and now I'm wondering where I was or what I was doing to have missed this back in 07. Probably fussing over some girl.
Goodbye is a mid tempo ethereal track over a steady beat. The "vocals" are hard to make out and that's probably because they either in German (Ulrich is from Germany if you were unaware) or just so processed that they're made out to be just another instrument. The sound of the track is produced in such a way that it sounds like it's surrounding you. It starts off a little weird but it finds its groove pretty quickly.
This song to me is great driving music in my opinion. It gets you bopping your head and could influence you to press a little harder on the accelerator. If you get a ticket though it is SO not my fault. Blame Ulrich! Enjoy!
I don't usually post hip hop on my blog, for my own personal reasons. This is one song though, that from the very first day I heard it, has been close to my heart. It's from the iconic and enigmatic Tupac Shakur and it's the classic My Block from the 1995 The Show soundrtrack.
If you listen closely to the lyrics then this sonmg may give you chills like it does to me everytime I hear it. Back when I first heard it, I loved it. When I heard it again after Tupacs untimely demise, I cried. I cried because the man responsible for this sweet and brutally honest testiment to inner city living, offered up in such a heartfelt way, was now gone forever. I cried because there would be no more songs like this and so far, hip hop has proven me right.
Tupac wasn't the best rapper, there were far more skilled rappers lyrically when he was around but Tupac had something no one could ever match. Tupac had a white hot passion and a hunger that came across in everything he did. He also had an honesty I will always love him for. All these years later and he's still missed. Enjoy!
I have been accused of not having enough dance music on my blog. To some extent that accusation is correct but as I told my accuser, mine isn't a dance music blog. However, that being said allow me to introduce you to a dance floor staple entitled Still Going Theme by the group Still Going. To say you need your big boy speakers to get the full effects of this song is an understatement. This song pounds, which is part of it's appeal.
Still Going Theme is off their 2007 EP release. The B side is another groover entitled On and On and if you like Theme then you'll enjoy On and On as well. The beauty of Theme is that beat hits you right up front and then it's slyly joined by the bass line. Then the piano comes in with the melody and it rocks on from there. Added keys and percussion are added for flavor along the way. Still Going is made up of Liv Spencer and Eric Duncan, two people who know what they're doing when it comes to dance music.
Now this song isn't for everybody. This song is for those that have been at the club, danced all night, are all sweaty, their feet hurt, and they don't think they can get back on the floor. This song is for them because that's exactly what this song makes them do, it makes them soul clap and get right back on the floor. Ahhh memories. Enjoy!
This is yet another song by 8Dawn that I can't seem to shake. It's called Into Me and it's a serious piece of music. The tempo languorous and deliberate while the melody is sweet and disarming. What drew me to it was it's dark undertones. This is another piece of music I can listen to until the cows come home and I am becoming an even bigger fan of Colin O'Malley and 8Dawn than I initially thought I'd be.
This music speaks to me on so many levels and it sets a fire up under my imagination. Not that my imagination needs any help mind you but help never hurts. The darkness of the song hits you right away and it slowly builds. The handclaps and slight percussion come in to pace the song and to give you something to nod your head to. The vocals are amazing as they soar over the music effortlessly giving the piece a lightness it needs but just as quick, the song goes dark again.
Into Me is off the 2011 album 2S3xy and it's just one of a few amazing cuts out of that collection. Might I also recommend The Bees, E-Lectric, and Free Form from that album, all amazing pieces of music. For the time being though, enjoy Into Me.
This is one of my favorite pieces of music to write to. Actually it's just one of my favorite pieces of music period. Every now and then on my blog I drop in a piece of epic music that has touched me and inspired me in a certain way. Allow me to introduce to you another one of those masterpieces, it's entitled They Hit Without Warning. This tune is intense and it should be played on your big boy speakers so you can get all the nuances of the rumble.
It starts off ominously and slowly cranks up into gear. Something is coming, you can feel it and when it does it hits hard. There's a slight respite but then the orchestra slams into you and the voices come soaring in, taking this song to another level. The intensity builds to a maddening crescendo of music and voices and percussion and then it suddenly stops and you're dropped off a cliff as the song fades out.
They Hit Without Warning is a song of extremes, quiet then loud, soft and then hard, subtle and then massive. It is truly an epic piece of music and I can listen to this continuously as I'm writing because this song takes me on a journey. I hope it takes you on one as well. Enjoy!
So I was up trolling the internet for new music (oh like you don't do it, don't judge) and I came across this song entitled Last Drop of Blood. I thought the title sounded interesting so I gave it a listen and I'm glad I did or I would have never known the music offered up by 8Dawn. The music is orchestral, brooding, moving, inspiring, and flat out incredible. It takes you on a journey whether you want it to or not and who doesn't love that?
Off of the 2011 album Torn, Last Drop of Blood which is composed by Colin O'Malley, starts of rather guitar heavy. That is until the choir comes in and the song takes on a completely different vibe. It soars with the voices and the crunching guitar in the background, along with the orchestra. It rises until it reaches its crescendo and then it opens like a parachute and brings you softly back to the beginning of the song and then it fades out.
If you like Zack Hemsey's music like I do then you will love Colin O'Malley and 8Dawn. The styles are somewhat similar and both men deliver impressive pieces of art. I would also recommend by 8Dawn Gorgeous, The Bees, and Torn. You will NOT be sorry. Enjoy!
I first heard this song in the 1995 Michael Mann directed masterpiece Heat. If you haven't seen it I really don't know what you're waiting for. Anyway, when this music came on towards the end of the film I couldn't believe my ears because it was one of the prettiest things I had ever heard. Of course it was this song that prompted me to go out and buy the soundtrack. The name of the song is God Moving Over the Face of the Waters and it's creator is Moby. Now Moby has been around for a very long time and I was never a really big fan of his, until this song.
I think the title is very apropos because the music definitely reflects that image. Whatever or whoever your God may be, He/She moving over the face of the waters would be done so to this music. God was used in Heat but it's actually off Moby's 1995 album Everything Is Wrong. Never released as a single, probably because of its length (7 minutes plus) I firmly think it's the stand out of the album.
Moby has been the target of plenty derision from everyone from The Simpsons to Eminem but like Moby or hate him one would be hard to deny that the man is talented. If you don't believe me, just let your ears convince you. Enjoy!
BIG BOY SPEAKER ALERT!!! (You might want to break them out for this song)
Okay, so I honestly sat around last night/this morning trying to figure out which version of this song I liked better. The song is by Hecq & Exillon and it's entitled Spheres of Fury. Now the original version can tend to get a bit boring at first, that is until you get to the 2:28 mark of the song, it becomes ominous. That's nothing though because when you get to the 2:50 mark, there the music puts you in the middle of your own horror film, descending the steps of hell.
The remix of the song done by The Teknoist Dreilide Thrace is far trippier than the original version. Noises bounce in and out, the bassline mows down anything in its path and at the 3:00 minute mark the song truly goes off the rails as far as the manipulation of sounds go. The 3:40 mark has the drums speed up and at the 3:52 mark you're back in your horror movie again.
I know this won't be for everyone but I love shit like this. It's musical chaos, drum and bass mixed with dubstep which I find amazing. If you aren't a fan of drum and bass or a fan of dubstep and you don't have an open mind then this cut isn't for you. If you are a fan of those two musical genres or you at least have an open mind, then I invite you to enjoy! BTW, I'm posting both the original and the remix...just because I like you :)
I couldn't deny him a place on my blog any longer, especially when I love...wait LOVE this song! This song is FIRE pure and simple. Bobby Brown's Humpin' Around is an incredible song but whatever you do, try your best to just listen to the music. Pay no attention to the lyrics and this song will have a serious impact on you. Especially if you play it on your big boy speakers. Now you may not be a Bobby fan, lord knows I'm not but admittedly, he did have some great songs and this is one of them.
Off of his 1992 album Bobby, Humpin' Around was the first single and it went straight to the number one spot on the Billboard R&B chart. From the very start, the bassline hits you and it rumbles on throughout the song menacingly. It's intensity builds and is aided by the operatic vocals that come in during the chorus and the keyboard patches. The one low point of the song is the rapping but if you can get past that AND the fact that Bobby really can't sing then this gem produced by Babyface, L.A. Reid, and Darryl Simmons will blow you away.
I can listen to this song again and again and never tire of it. It never fails to get my adrenaline flowing and gets me moving which is what a good song should do. It should either relax you and take your stress away or it should move you to action. Anything else is a waste of the art form. Enjoy!
No one had ever heard anything like it in R&B music. It was an amazing phenomenon and something you didn't believe even when you heard it with your own ears. The closest thing we've ever got to something like this was Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye and while those two men were unlike any other, they didn't have what El DeBarge had. They didn't have his glass shattering falsetto which is in its full glory on Time Will Reveal off of DeBarge's 1983 album In A Special Way.
Time was DeBarge's biggest hit ever until Rhythm of the Night which hit the ground running in 1985. DeBarge was comprised of siblings Bunny, Mark, El, James, and Randy and they pretty much singlehandedly saved Mowtwon Records back in the 80's. many believed they were brought in to replace The Jacksons who had departed Mowtown by then. DeBarge never had the success of the Jacksons but they definitely carved out their own niche with their own sound, powered by El's voice.
The first time I heard it I imagined two things. A, guys trying to hit that note and winding up in the hospital and B, all those wannabe singers who gave up those dreams after hearing El do his thing. DeBarge had other hits but for me Time is it. It would have been a great song in any else's hands, in El's...it became a classic. Enjoy!
One of my all time favorite songs hit me tonight and I had to put these fellas on my blog. It only felt right. The fellas are Cameo and the song is their classic Candy. It reminds me of a time in my life when things were pretty cool, considering. With simple lyrics and a stand out bassline this song just jumps out of the speakers and if it doesn't make you want to dance, it at least makes you smile.
Candy was off their 1986 release Word Up! (which was another huge hit in itself) and it raced to the number one spot on the R&B charts. There wasn't anywhere you could go back then and not hear this tune. The groove was infectious and the production was an upgrade from earlier Cameo material. This song along with the rest of the cuts on this album made Cameo one of the most successful bands of the 80's.
I can listen to this song and never tire of it. Who am I kidding, I can listen to that entire album and never get tired of it. It was Cameo's Thriller, almost very song was a hit or at least they were hard to ignore. That went double for Candy...and go on and dance, I won't tell anyone. Enjoy!
I honestly think this is The Beatles at their funkiest. Come Together has one hell of a groove and it's hard to believe that this song was recorded without the help of today's recording technology. This song is one of the biggest reasons I am such a huge fan of The Beatles music. It also has some pretty strange lyrics but I chalk that up to a possible acid trip, hey don't judge. Like YOU never dropped acid.
This was the opening song off the Abbey Road LP released back in 1969 and it immediately raced up the charts to number one in the US. Just as immediately, everyone was trying to figure out what the wacky lyrics meant. They were dissecting lines like He wear no shoeshine / He got toe jam football / He got monkey finger / He shoot Coca Cola / He say I know you, you know me / One thing I can tell you is you got to be free...and trying to figure out just what in the hell were they talking about.
I have to admit, Michael Jackson did a pretty good cover of this song but it doesn't touch the original in my opinion. I still marvel at how producer George Martin pulled this track together but it was a masterful job. I never get tired of this song. Enjoy...and go easy on the acid will ya!
I have always been a Sting fan when he, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers were The Police. I became an even bigger fan when he released The Dream of the Blue Turtles and I heard the song Russians. I didn't think it was ever possible to become an even bigger fan of his, that was until I heard Shape of my Heart. I first heard it as the credits rolled for the film The Professional.
I was stuck to my seat and refused to leave until the song was done and then I ran out and searched high and low for the soundtrack. From that moment on I would buy anything he released and the only other artist I have done that with was Prince. Yes, there have been a few let downs by both artists but I never fully regretted buying his music unheard. When he sings the line If I told you that I love you / You'll maybe think there's something wrong / I'm not a man of too many faces / The mask I wear is one and the chorus I know that the spade or the swords of a soldier / I know that the clubs are weapons of war / I know that diamonds mean money for this art / but that's not the shape of my heart...is genius to me.
For me this song represents the moment when I became a Sting fan, a true fan and I never regretted it. Well if you don't count Symphonicities anyway, enjoy!
I remember the first time I heard this piece, it floored me then and still does to this day. It has always stayed with me in one form or another, either in my own musical collection or in a movie using it or a variation of it. It's by the master composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff and it's entitled Rhapsody On a Theme by Paganini and it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever created and it's among one of my all time favorite classical pieces. Played here by Mikhail Pletnev and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the music is flawless.
Like I said, it's been used in a few movies (can't even begin to name them all), and I am sure you may have heard it before. This isn't the whole piece and I won't share the entire piece since it's about 20+ minutes long since there are 24 different variations of Paganini's Caprices for Solo Violin, this however is the most beautiful part of the composition in my opinion. Hollywood's too apparently.
Now if this is your first time ever hearing this piece, I could say you need to get out more but I won't. What I will say is that it is my absolute honor to introduce it to you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Call me a freak or whatever but I have always, ALWAYS wanted to find that song that when you put it on a loop, you could never tell when it ended or began. Guess what? Yep, I have found that song. It's called Faxing Berlin by the great Deadmau5. It's a really cool tune and the more you listen to it the more the subtle nuances make themselves known.
I came across this song about a year ago just looking for something new and interesting. From those searches I found dubstep and Deadmau5. If you're wondering about Deadmau5's sound think Daft Punk, the sounds are similar though Deadmau5 is way more danceable.
Now granted, there isn't much to Faxing Berlin and the coolest thing about it is that when looped it goes on forever, it's one of those "infinity" songs. Don't believe me? Loop it and at first you won't believe it. Eventually you'll get it but at first, it's the coolest thing.
Okay, for those of you who don't know this, I am a HUGE John Williams fan. His music has inspired me and my writing in ways nothing else has and for that I am eternally grateful. This year the maestro turned 80 and while he's busy putting the final flourishes to his score for Spielberg's Lincoln, I was looking for the right song of his to post on my blog to honor the native New Yorker. There are thousands of pieces I could have used but I didn't want to be obvious, I also didn't want to be to obscure. One day, on the commute to work this piece hits my ears and I knew I'd found what I was looking for.
John wrote this dark piece and the rest of the score for the 1978 movie The Fury and while the movie is very forgettable, the music is just the opposite. In my opinion it's one of John's darkest pieces, and one of his best. It starts out with the melody that will carry through the piece and the oboe and clarinet start it off. The flute is eventually accompanied by the the heavier woodwinds and brass which takes the piece from light to dark. There's a short respite but then it gets even heavier in the third movement.
It's classic Williams, dark, beautiful, and haunting all at the same time. It's the reason I consider the man to be a genius. Thank you John and happy 80th. Enjoy!
Are you at all familiar with the Matrix movies? Of course you are, who am I kidding? Anyway, since you are then while you may have not heard of this artist, you have definitely heard of his music. Rob Dougan is his name and his hard charging, beat heavy music played a large role in the Matrix Trilogy in creating atmosphere, so you can imagine my surprise when I came across this song. Nothing At All is dark and almost ominous in its lyrics and music. Rob's voice doesn't help matters any either.
Quite simply, Rob can't sing but then neither can Dylan or Tom Waits (who Rob sounds a lot alike, just a younger version). Thankfully though, I am not listening for great singing, just a great song and I think Nothing qualifies. Musically I can't get enough of this song and with lyrics like Where will we go when we get old / When the bustle and the noise gets too frightening / When each and every angry word / Is banished to the past that's when I think / We learn as we go / To float far away into the silence / And I watch your face / And find patience and grace / In each line there.... I find greatness.
This song is off of Rob's 2003 release entitled Furious Angels and if you like this song then you will LOVE that album. Might I also suggest checking out his song Born Yesterday which was tied into the movie The Professional. If you like Nothing At All then you will definitely like Born. Enjoy!
Have you ever heard a song and remember that moment you fell in lover with it, thanks to that part that grabbed you by the shoulders and made you pay attention? When I first heard this song I remember that moment, that moment when my shoulders were grabbed and I was forced to pay attention. I was sitting in a movie theater waiting for the show to start and this song, Let Her Go by Passenger was playing. I had heard it before and thought it was interesting, the second time I came across it though did I realize how good it really was.
The artists name behind this sweet tune is Mike Rosenberg who goes by Passenger, the name of his defunct band but really it's just a one man show. The band Passenger disbanded back in 2007 but Mike stuck with the music and of course, the name. He was smart doing that if this song is any indication. This song is off his 2012 release All The Little Lights and it's a heart wrenching song about a man who doesn't realize he loves her until he lets her go.
This is song is delicious to listen to. His voice rides the melody beautifully and the lyrics are smart and clever. I never get tired of hearing it and whenever I do, I get taken back to that moment when I fell in love with it. Maybe when you hear it, it'll grab you by the shoulders too. BTW, I included the acoustic version as well. Enjoy!
This isn't exactly a classic but it's one damn good R&B song by Usher. He's had a few songs that were amazing and soared to the top of the charts respectively. This one however was hardly heard. It's called How Do I Say and if you didn't purchase Usher's 2001 8701 album then you never got the chance to hear this beauty. It wasn't released as a single and it had no video. Amazingly this song was album filler and it's my favorite song off of that album.
Written by Usher, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, How Do I Say takes you on a trip of someone who sees a vision of beauty but cannot let her know how he feels. They don't speak the same language so he does what can be done to draw her in and then does his best to express what he feels for her. The magical part of the song is at the end where Usher gets a tutorial on how to say certain phrases in a different tongue.
The song is smooth and easy with a great rhythm. It's a danceable track, the kind that would require some up close and personal moves, you know the kind I'm talking about, where the candles burn in silent witness. And to think, this song was album filler. Enjoy!
This is one of my all time favorite songs by one amazing singer. I've posted another song of hers in the past but this one begs to be shared and I could no longer keep it to myself. Yes, I have been selfish but no more, enough is enough. This beautiful song is entitled Speak Your Heart by the incredibly talented lizz wright.
If there was ever such a thing as a perfect song, it's this song. There is nothing lacking in this song at all in my opinion. The melody is poignant, the lyrics are meaningful, and the vocals are exquisite. My favorite lines are when lizz sings Let me out, let me stay after the sun rises / I want to be...real to you, no more disguises. Combine those lyrics with the yearning in her voice and you have what's known as a real powerful "moment".
Off of her superb 2008 release The Orchard, Speak Your Heart is just one of many incredible songs in that collection. In my humble opinion though, it's the crown jewel of the lot and when you hear it you'll forgive me for being selfish with it. Enjoy!
This little ditty was recently used in an Apple computer commercial. I liked it so much that I went on a quest to find it and find out who did it. The name of the piece is called Song and the group is Kidstreet. The original version isn't as expansive as this version, though it's still very nice. Whereas this piece is dominated by strings the original version is dominated by piano and is far more staccato. Where the original comes across as stuffy, this version breathes.
The piece starts off almost innocuous but then becomes something more, it transforms into something else, something intense. The melody catches you at first and just before you get lulled by it, in come the drums and the song begins to build. All the while the strings never cease in the background. The song is like the tide, coming in and going out and you the listener ride the rhythm of it thanks to those never ceasing strings.
This is a great background piece while you go about your daily routines or it's a get you up and get you moving piece. Propelling you forward into your day thanks to the drums and those tireless strings. Enjoy!
The second I heard this song I realized what sham that song by Jack White and Alicia Keys was that opened the last Bond film, Quantum of Solace. This song is extremely reminiscent to those classic Bond intros musically. It reminds me of those iconic Shirley Bassy numbers she did for Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker. Vocal wise Adele isn't in the same category as Shirley in any way, shape, or form. In fact she seems bored in singing this song.
Musically this song takes me back to those classic Bond films and as a huge Bond fan that's always a good thing. The piano that comes in after the brass intro is both sweet and melancholy. The guitar that joins the piano playfully introduces the Bond theme. Then when Adele hits the chorus the music explodes and hits its stride. It's a nice arrangement and lyrically it's a solid song.
When I hear this song I wonder what it would have sounded like in Amy Winehouse's hands. Sadly we'll never know and while I do like Adele this song is outside of her wheelhouse. You can hear that primarily at the end of the song. Her vocals are over processed to add more strength to her performance. Was this recorded too soon after her vocal surgery, perhaps. Either way, I do like the song and can't wait to see the movie. Enjoy!
