by wildangels

So, you may remember before I mentioned Alexz Johnson of Instant Star and how she's going to be releasing an album sometime soon.  Well, recently I bought a song from the show called "Love to Burn" off Amazon. While Alexz sings the song on the show, her version was not allowed on the soundtrack due to Alexz's then-label. Instead, co-star Cory Lee stepped in to offer her version of the song. Here, I offer you links to both versions. Personally, while I like Alexz's version better overall, Cory's is really growing on me. Check them out and let me know which one you think is the better version.

by wildangels

Since Mariah is releasing "Touch My Body" on Itunes today, I thought I'd talk about some of my favorite Mariah songs. "Vision of Love" is the first one that comes to mind for me. It was the first single and the first video of hers I ever saw. Let's just say that by the end of that song, I was in awe. "Love Takes Time" and "Vanishing" were favorites of mine cause they were a little more soulful. Especially "Vanishing", which had a really bluesy feel to it.

"Someday", "You Need Me" and "Prisoner" from that album are favorites because they were more uptempo and fun. What can I say? I'm a sucker for any song with some attitude in it. Plus, they were a little different from the other songs she was releasing at the time and I like variety in my music.

When Emotions came out, I fell in love with the title track almost immediately. Especially the note towards the end. I still wonder how she does that! It was also nice to see her open the album with something more fast paced and fun, since she had mainly released ballads until then. "Make It Happen" was another really great uptempo track and at the time I just loved that really inspirational message in it. She didn't lose the attitude, though, including "You're So Cold" on the CD. It starts off so slow, you think your in for another ballad until the beat picks up and takes you by surprise.

Mimi's at her best, though, with ballads. "And You Don't Remember" from Emotions is a classic for me. It's so soulful and emotional and a great song to belt out when you're not feeling so great and you just want to let it out.

"Dreamlover", the lead single from Music Box was another instant favorite. I remember dancing around my house rocking out to this one and just having a great time. It's one of those feel-good songs that just makes me smile every time I hear it. "Now That I Know" and "I've Been Thinking About You" were just really fun dance tracks I couldn't help but like. There's something about the message of the songs, too, that appeals to my nostalgic side. I mean, these songs just seemed to be made with her teen fans in mind. "Hero" is also one of my favorites because of it's inspirational message and amazing vocals. I still try and belt along to this one sometimes.

Her Daydream CD's lead single, "Fantasy", was kind of a surprise. I think that was the first time she had some hip-hop in her songs and sampled another song in one of hers. It was a great song, though, and my teenage self loved it. Meanwhile, "One Sweet Day" always makes me bawl like a baby most of the time. It makes me think of my grandmother, who was like a second mom to me. I always thought it was really interesting how she and Boyz II Men were writing pretty much the same song without realizing it until they showed what they had to eachother. I loved "Always Be My Baby" because it was such a fun song and really great to sing along to. My other favorite is "Forever", just because it reminds me of those old 50's ballads for some reason.

So, now Mariah's away from Tommy Motolla and things are really getting shaken up. "The Roof" and "Breakdown" were total shocks to me, but I loved them. From the first beats, I could tell we were gonna see a whole new Mariah.To this day, I'm not sure I like the direction these ended up leading her in, but they're great tracks. Of course, it's not a Mariah CD without some ballads and there were some good ones here. I remember loving "Outside" and "My All" the most. "Outside" even inspired a paper for a music class in college.

Rainbow's actually the last Mariah album I have. Again, not thrilled with how far she's gone in that hip/hop direction. She doesn't seem to show off her voice as much lately. Still, there were a couple here I loved. "Heartbreaker" was just lots of fun to listen to and sing along with and come on- who didn't love the dueling Mariahs video? "Against All Odds" is one of the moments on this CD where you see classic Mariah and it's one of my favorites from the 80s. Mariah's vocals seem to make it even better then it was originally. Finally, couldn't help but love "Cry Baby". Even though I tend to like the songs without such a hip/hop feel, this one still gets to me. Can't explain it, but it does. The video was great, too.

Well, there's some of my favorites from Mariah- now what about you guys? Do you like her more pop-influence songs? Is hip/hop Mariah your favorite? Let me know, it's always fun to hear what other fans think.

by wildangels

I usually stay away from the VH1 and MTV sites since I have very little interest in hte networks and many of their news stories have to do with random celebrities and reality shows/movies. Still, I ended up browsing VH1's site today and found something kinda cool. There's a "This Day in History" feature and today is full of great stories.

Several of the stories that are recorded are from 2003 and have to do with the war in Iraq. According to them, this is also the day that EMI cuts a ton of artists in an effort to save money.

The one that struck me the most was the fact today is the date that Gloria Estefan had a serious accident in her tour bus. That was a huge story here, where Gloria is one of the most popular celebrity residents and I remember the reports very well. I also clearly remember seeing her perform "Coming Out of the Dark" for the first time and how emotional everyone in the audience was to see her actually standing and walking again. Very few celebrities have that type of emotional impact on others.

Check VH1's "This Day in History" to read about more events that happened March 20th. Til next time, take care and "let the music play."

by wildangels

You all know you have one. A song or artist that you like but are too embarrassed to admit it. A guilty pleasure. For the rest of this week, I’ll be talking about some of my guilty pleasures and I hope you guys will post comments about yours. I promise not to laugh if you won’t laugh at me!

Anyway... one of my guilty pleasures is Debbie Gibson. I guess the guilty part of this should be obvious. After all, she’s a teen idol who hasn’t been popular in the mainstream for a long time now. Let’s not even get into the cheese factor of some of her songs and videos... still, I have a soft spot for her and occasionally listen to a song or two.

The reason it’s a pleasure is because of all the memories it brings back. I spent much of the summer of ‘89 hanging out at a community center with some kids that went to a school I was about to start. I ended up hanging out with a fan of hers who played me Out of the Blue. We spent most of the summer listening to that and a couple others.

The first time I made a real recording (as in, actually done somewhere other than my room with a cheap tape recorder), I sang a couple of her songs. It was at a carnival where they had a recording booth set up and let me tell you... I never forgot the thrill I felt when they played my recordings back over the loud speaker. Her music also makes me think of my former best friends who lived next door. We’d spend hours making up dance routines to her songs and singing along with the recordings. It was a really fun and simple time and it’s nice to put one of the songs on once in awhile to kinda go back and reflect on it and where things have gone since.

So, there ya have it- one of my guilty pleasures. Now, it’s your turn! What’s your guilty pleasure and why do you like it? I’d love to hear about it...

by wildangels

Hey, everyone!! Just wanted to give you all a head's up about a cool new feature I'll be adding occasionally to the blog. It's called "He Said, She Said" and I got the idea after meeting up with an artist named Makell Bird on MySpace. He's a rapper nicknamed the Mixtape King of Las Vegas. You can see his page here.

Sometime next week, I'll be review his new CD called How to Walk On Water. In addition to my thoughts on each track, you'll get to hear from Makell himself on the songs. Also keep an eye out for Jnel and J Magazine on MySpace as well, where I'll be submitting an interview with him. I've also interviewed several other artists for it.

In other music news, looks like P!nk and Kelly Clarkson aren't the only ones getting ready to put out new material. Mandy Moore is also working on a new CD. I'm interested in seeing what she comes up with since I really enjoyed Coverage and Wild Hope. She seems to be one of the few teen pop artists of her time that are still putting out music and working to grow as an artist, so that's pretty cool to me. Let's just hope she doesn't start slamming her later albums too once the new one comes out.

by wildangels

For any Madonna fans out there, her concert film/documentary Truth or Dare will be airing tonight on FUSE at 8 PM eastern with many repeats likely to follow. I watched it last night for the first time and thought it was pretty interesting. My favorite part was still the concert footage, though.

The funniest scene had to be when the cops were threatening to arrest her if she didn't change certain things in the show. She seemed positively giddy at the idea of being a poster child for free speech. I'm sure newspaper headlines were dancing in her head the whole time the cops were telling her that. I also thought her pouting about the fact some people in the front row didn't seem to be enjoying themselves was amusing, too.

For anyone who has seen this did you like it or no? If you did, what was your favorite part? I'd love to hear about it! See you all next time...

by wildangels

Singer Jill Sobule has that independent spirit. You might remember her from the 90s with a song called "I Kissed a Girl". Well, now, she's told the label system to kiss off. According to yahoo!, she's asking fans to help her get the new music out through donations.

Yes, the times they are a changing, and it's becoming more obvious every day. Who knows? Before long, releasing an album like this may be the rule instead of the exception. Let's hope!

by wildangels

Mariah is milking the comeback she acheived with her Emancipation of Mimi CD for all it's worth. Her first single off E=MC2, "Touch My Body", has reached #34 on the charts. It's expected to explode from there as well as a few other tracks from the CD. Early reviews seems to be favoring "That Chick" and "Migrate".

I wasn't sure if I was gonna be into this new era of hers, but after hering the lead song and some of these glowing reviews, I've changed my mind. Mariah appears to be back for the long haul and I'm excited to hear what she's come up with. .

by wildangels

Well, Madonna fans- there's some good news and some bad news. According to Yahoo!News, she's got a new Album called Hard Candy due in April. The bad news? The story also says Warner Brothers is going to squeeze out one last Greatest Hits package before they lose her to Live Nation. Who's with me in being a bit wary of these hits albums now? Even Mandy Moore has one and let's face it: she's not the most successful recording artist out there. I'm not saying Madonna hasn't earned a Greatest Hits. Afterall, you don't stick around 20 years without putting out some really great songs. Still, this is her 3rd or 4th such collection.

How many of you remember "Pop Up Video"? This one one of my favorite VH1 shows from back in the days when they still pretended that Music came first. Fellow fans can now rejoice! VH1 classic has been playing it pretty regularly and I'm loving it! Check your local listings if you want to relive the series. The episode I just watched featured Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire", REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and Madonna's "Nothing Really Matters", among others.

Well, I'm out of here for now. Til next time... "let the music play!"

by wildangels

I just read in the "Touch My Body" topic of Pulse that Mariah is debuting the video for the song on BET this week. Check the post for date and time.

I'm curious to see what she's gonna come up with for this one. I just heard the song for the first time the other day and it's pretty good. I guess I wouldn't call it my favorite Mariah song, but it's above quite a  few of the songs she's released lately. The song has a nice r and b sound to it and a nice melody on the chorus that Mariah sounds great on.

Also, for any Instant Star/Alexz Johnson fans out there here's some new info. According to a post by the executive producer of the show, Alexz has, in fact built a MySpace where she's going to keep fans updated on her career. He also said he's heard some of her stuff for the solo CD and it's good. In other updates, he said that the final season of the show will air in June, most likely, and the Soundtrack will closely follow. I wonder if her new label will have the restrictions that Capitol did? Guess we'll have to wait and see...

by wildangels

Children of the 80s, be afraid. Be very afraid. Apparently, the music we grew up listening to is now considered the new "oldies".  According to this article, Culture Club and other 80s acts are taking their place next to The Beatles and other artists from that era on Oldies Stations.

They are, however, trying to soften the blow a bit. According to the story, these songs are not officially called Oldies. They've been dubbed "Classic Hits". Yeah, that helps. Now, hand me my polydent and get off my yard!!

In other music news, Pink has just filed for divorce. While I am a big fan and think it's a shame, I'm not totally shocked. Today, it's more shocking for a Celebrity marriage to actually work.

Well, that's all I got for now. Take care and see y'all next time!

by wildangels
So, I heard from a few different sources that Alexz Johnson does NOT have an official MySpace. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but check these pages with caution. For the most reliable information, go to the official Instant Star forum and check it out. The executive producer of Instant Star often posts there with inside info.

by wildangels

Well, ole Mimi hasn't disappointed. Fans who were complaining about her CD being titled "That Chick" and curious at the somewhat normal title can rest easy now. According to her official site, the CD is now called E=MC2. (Yes, that's right. She's using a famous equation as an album title!) All I know is, this should make for some interesting interviews...

Meanwhile, check out the bit underneath the annoucement. It's a review for her new single "Touch My Body."

Well, the Music Industry is getting yet another slap in the face. This time, it's a lawsuit. Basically, it's your typical "They didn't pay us", "Yes, we did!" story involving many artist's estates. This is coming at a time when the Industry has been complaining more than ever that sales are down. It's going to be pretty interesting to see how everything plays out.

by wildangels

Well, the Grammys are over and here is a listing of some of the winners. For a full list, check here.

Record Of The Year Amy Winehouse, "Rehab"

Album Of The Year Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters

Song of the Year "Rehab", Amy Winehouse

Best New Artist Amy Winhouse (anyone sensing a trend here?)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Amy Winehouse, "Rehab" (See what I'm saying?)

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Justin Timberlake, "What Goes Around Comes Around"

Best Pop Vocal Album Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

Best Female Solo R&B Performance "No One", Alicia Keys

For quite a few of these (Amy's awards) I might have gone another direction. I like her voice and all, but I don't know if her CD deserved all that over everyone else nominated. Especially Fergie's song. It's a personal favorite of mine. For some of the Country info, check out my other blog. As for the show, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the performance Beyonce did with Tina Turner. Alicia Keys was pretty good at the beginning as well. Fergie's performance was nice, but I was kind of distracted by the outfit she was wearing. Whose idea was that, anyway? If there was one big disappointment for me, it would be Jennifer Pena not winning for "Dicen...".She's a favorite of mine and that was a great disc. Ah well. Maybe nexy year...

by wildangels

I've read on some forums that Pink is getting ready to start writing a new album. After listening to M!ssundastood and I'm Not Dead recently,  I'm psyched. I think she's one of the more talented vocalists and writers out there. Now, if she'd just cut ties with PETA....

Don't forget, I still want to hear your favorite songs. Do you agree with my choices? Do I need my head examined for picking a certain song? Let me know! I'd also love to hear what your favorite of her CDs is. Til later... take care and "let the music play!"

by wildangels

Awhile back, I was telling y'all about the show Instant Star and the lead actress/singer Alexz Johnson. Well, it seems she's set up an official MySpace now. Check it out if you haven't heard any of her songs. She's quite the singer. I recommend skin in particular. It's very stripped down and allows you to hear her voice fully without the music getting in the way.

According to one of the few blog posts there, she's shopping her material around after the mess with Capitol and is continuing to work on new tracks. Can't wait to hear what comes of this...

by wildangels

In honor of the fact Kelly Clarkson just started a tour with Reba McEntire that is being raved about, I thought I'd share my top ten kelly songs list.

10) Miss Independant (from Thankful): I love that this song was co-written by Xtina and it's just so much fun to listen to. I love the slight rock edge it gets during the chorus as well.

9) Low (From Thankful): This is just one of those songs that shows what a great singer Kelly is and how rock-influenced tracks are definitely her strength. While the song tells the story of love gone wrong, the basic sentiment of the song  could apply to almost any relationship.

8) Just Missed the Train (Thankful): I love this song because it shows another side of Kelly. She adopts a higher register on this song and for the most part sings it very simply.

7) Addicted (From Breakaway): A hint of things to come, this track is a rock-inspired song that Kelly sings the hell out of. Throughout the track, she tells the story of a person who can't let go of someone they maybe should with passion and conviction. Try giving this song to the majority of the singers out there, and see how badly they mangle it.

6) Beautiful Disaster (from Thankful/Breakaway): While another version appeared on her debut, it's the Breakaway version that really stands out. It's just Kelly and a piano with simple, restrained vocals. It works so much better this way.

5) How I feel (My December): This is a fast paced, energetic number that could have easily been a hit on radio. It's got a little bit of rock in it and Kelly's vocals are great. For me, this line makes the song: "I touch the flame, cause I'm a curious cat. Creeping where I don't belong, finding out what I knew all along".

4) Because of You (Breakaway): I love this song because I can relate to it so well. Kelly's vocals in this ballad are so touching and that high note at the end of "same damn thing" is something today's stars can only hope to acheive.

3) Haunted (My December): This was a beautiful and touching song that talks about loss. It goes from a soft, almost pop sound in the verses to a hard rock influenced sound and vocal in the chorus that fits the story well.

2) Sober (My December): Another ballad that is beautiful and touching. The vocals are, for the most part, pretty restrained proving that less is, in fact, more. She also demonstrates her great upper register in the chorus.

1) Chivas (My December hidden track): It's sorta funny that my favorite Kelly song is one that is hidden and many might not have heard unless they happened to forget to hit "stop" once Irvine finished. I love this one so much because it's just fun and funny. I love how the song quality is distorted to make it sound like you're listening to a record.

So there you have it: my favorite Kelly Clarkson songs. Do you agree? Think I need major help for leaving a certain song off the list? let me know! I wanna hear what you think. Til next time, "let the music play".

by wildangels

According to an article on Billboard, Katherine McPhee is no longer with her record company. Also mentioned in the article is the fact several others have recently left/been dropped as well. It's interesting that a show mainly known for trying to create pop stars has only found success in Nashville. With the exception of Kelly Clarkson, the only Idol contestants/winners to find actual success are Country stars Carrie Underwood, Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler and others.

Meanwhile, Nashville Star (a show actually created to find Country Stars) is having trouble making anyone a success. Miranda Lambert's the biggest name off the show at this point, and she didn't even win it. "Isn't it ironic?"

Good luck to anyone competing to be a new pop star this season. You're most likely in for a bumpy (and short) ride to the top.

by wildangels

According to this yahoo! news story and many other outlets, Britney Spears is currently being held at a hospital after a stand off last night with police. If this doesn't lose her custody of the kids, I really don't know what will. This girl needs to lose custody and have people finally make her face up to what's been going on for a long time now. Too many people have been enabling her for too long and it's become a dangerous situation. Time for someone to think about the kids instead of coddling a fomer pop star.  

by wildangels

Hello there! Well, it's 2008 already. I can't believe it. It's like '07 just flew right by. Sadly, I wasn't as up on the latest stuff last year. I found most of it boring and only got into a few things later on in the year. It's been tough to actually want to keep up with what is current for me, cause I find a lot of it to be more of the same and with little vocal talent to make it better. I'm hoping things start improving this year and I have the motivation to keep up with things.

Right now, I'm exploring and discovering different stuff by checking CDs out of the library. I tend to be a bit cheap, so it's a good way to expiriment with new artists without getting mad later because I spent about 15 bucks on something I can't stand. So far, I haven't been too disappointed. I hope to fill y'all in during the coming year on some of the things I've listened to so maybe you'll discover something new too. If anyone out there would like to offer suggestions for people I must check out, please feel free. I'm always up for something new :) I'm music-obsessed in case you didn't guess already.

Stay tuned later on for more and I hope 2008 is a good one to all of you. Thanks for reading!

by wildangels

It's that time of year again. Time to close out one year and open up a new one. Here are a few of my favorite CDs I discovered this year: I know, some of these are older, but I can be bihnd the times a bit here and there.

* Christina Aguilera, Back to Basics. Some of the music isn't all that different from the pop stuff she did, but overall this is a very diverse and fun CD that reminds everyone why she got so much attention when she came out to begin with: she can sing.

* Fiona Apple, Extordinary Machine. She's back and almost as good as she was on her debut. I still count this just because it is so hard to capture the magic of a debut like she had. It's also a great disc that showcased her voice perfectly.

*Bon Jovi, Lost Highway. It wasn't as Country as it was promoted as, but you could clearly identify the influence in this disc. Bon Jovi was always a favorite of mine, so I loved seeing them come out with new material that was also successful.

I'll have a more detailed review of some of these and others coming over the coming days and weeks so stay tuned for more!!

On another note, I'm glad to see 2007 seems to be the year where the Music Industry is finally wising up regarding the Download situation. Since my last post at least one other major Music company made it's songs available for download on Amazon. Hopefully, the remaining holdouts will see follw. You cannot deny the changing technology and expect to remain on top.

I continue to be disappointed by the quality of most of the videos made today (probably in part due to the fact there is not the same outlet available) but remain cautiously optimistic by the fact that Launch and other services are allowing the great ones to be seen. Here's hoping for more venues and better quality in 08.

That's about all for now. Take care and have a  great New Year's Eve!! Remember to stay safe and I'll see y'all next time.