by wildangels

Hello, everyone! For those who don't read the Country blog, Sorry for my absense. I'm back, though, and ready to get back to business.

First off, Lou Pearlman. You remember him, don't you? He's the puppet master behind Backstreet Boys, N'Sync and other 90's pop acts. Well, instead of making music, he's now facing it. According to yahoo, he's been sentenced for defrauding people and money laundering. I can't say I'm shocked. When your two biggest bands sue you and want to leave, there's got to be something amiss right? Besides that, I always did get an odd vibe off the guy.

Metallica seems to be embracing the old saying "if you can't beat them, join them". The band who became famous for fighting illegal downloading on Napster is now joining the digital world. The site, called Mission: Metallica, will allow fans to get all kinds of cool extras. This is all in anticipation of their new album due out late this year. Some lucky fans will even win the chance to go backstage at every show on their tour. Check out all the details here.

by wildangels

It's really strange, what can inspire a post here. I was browsing a message board on Television Without Pity and saw an Unsolved Mysteries topic. I used to love that show, and one of the sadder cases I saw on that show was about a kid named Katherine Korzilius. She was a 6-year-old girl whose mother let her walk home from the community mailbox often. One day, the girl never came home and her mom and brother went looking for her. They ended up finding her laying dead in the street and to this day no one is 100% sure what happened to her. Some say she was murdered, while others say she probably tried to jump on the bumper of the car as it was driving away and fell.

I'm sure some of you might be asking what exactly this has to do with music. Well, Katherine's father just happened to work with Bon Jovi. When Jon released his solo album, Destination Anywhere, he included a song about the incident. I had forgotten about the song until I started reading those posts and thought I would share a line and a few thoughts about it.

First off... it's a very moving song. Don't get the wrong impression, though- it's not a ballad. This is a fast number with a driving beat that perfectly expresses the anger and frustration over the situation as well as the grief. In the song, Jon tells the story from beginning to end. He starts off talking about how "they raced home from the mailbox, a mother and a son, against a girl of 6-years-old the independent one". His voice is tough throughout the whole song, showing a little vulnerability in a couple spots. One is in the chorus, where he begs someone to "tell me it was just a dream, August 7, 4:15". He goes on to say that "God closed his eyes and the world got mean" that day. The most moving part is the final verse. His mournful voice cracks as he talks about how no one will ever hurt her again. In the same verse, however, he manages to quickly shift to an angry and accusing tone as he says that "somewhere someone's conscience is like a burning bed. The flames are all around you, how you gonna sleep again?"

To this day, I still get chills listening to this one. If you've never heard it before... you are really missing out. This song is pure emotion and is exactly what music can be at it's best. I'm sure "August 7, 4:15" is on amazon or itunes.

by wildangels
I was pretty amused by a yahoo!news story where Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham dismissed Sheryl Crow's announcement they'd be working together. Apparently, they'd talked about maybe working on a project, but nothing was set in stone right now. Take note, kids- this is why you never announce it til the ink is dry on the contracts.

by wildangels

It’s no secret I love music. It’s an amazing artistic medium and a great way to express yourself. It can also be pretty therapeutic. There’s one more thing I love about it... it’s power to bring back a moment in time so clearly just by hearing it. I have many songs that can remind me of certain events and one of them is, kind of embarrassingly, Richard Marx.

It was the late 80's and his hit "Right Here Waiting" was just released and blowing up. At the same time, I was traveling with a family member to visit some friends out of state. If you know me, you know I don’t even go a ten minute car ride without a radio or tape playing and this was definitely no exception. Not far into the trip, however, I was ready to toss the radio right out of that car.

When I say "Right Here Waiting" exploded, I am not kidding. After hearing it about 20 times pretty close together, we got tired of it and tried to find something else. No matter what station we put it on or what time, that song was playing. We’d change the station to get away from it, only to hear it starting somewhere else. Change it again, and we’d find the song starting again or part way through it. Finally, we gave up on the whole thing and I got out some of my tapes to listen to. To this day, if that song comes on the radio I think about that trip. I remember playing with the other kids and making up dance routines together.... getting to visit the Ripley’s Museum and the Fountain of Youth.... even swinging off a tire in their front yard and how big the property was. All of this, I remember in vivid detail, like it’s happening right now.

That’s the real power of music.

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

So, the annual Grammy Award Nominees have been announced. Here are a few categories I’m excited about and my thoughts on them...

Record of the Year: Beyonce, "Irreplaceable"; Foo Fighters, "The Pretender"; Rihanna, "Umbrella"; Justin Timberlake, "What Goes Around... Comes Around"; Amy Winehouse, "Rehab". If you read some of my other posts, you know how I feel about the Beyonce song. While "Umbrella" and "What Goes Around..." are kinda catchy, I have to give the edge to Amy. I love the old 60s sound of "Rehab"... I just wish the song was not so depressing at this point.

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Christina Aguilera, "Candyman"; Feist, "1234"; Fergie, "Big Girls Don’t Cry"; Nelly Furtado, "Say it Right"; Amy Winehouse, "Rehab". I really want either Fergie or Christina to get this one. The retro sound of "Candyman" was just fun and how do you deny that voice? I kinda give the edge to Fergie just because this is the first song she released from The Dutchess where her vocals were able to shine. All the other tracks were pretty much rapping.

Best Latin Pop Album: Papito, "Miguel Bosé & Varios Artistas"; Jorge Drexler "12 Segundos De Oscuridad"; Luis Miguel, "Navidades Luis Miguel"; Jennifer Pena, "Dicen Que El Tiempo", Alejandro Sanz, "El Tren De Los Momentos". There is only one winner in this category for me: Jennifer Pena. Dicen was the best CD she has released so far and showed so much growth as an artist. I’ll post some thoughts on it another time.

In other grammy news, Kelly Clarkson was almost totally shut out. Her only nomination was in the Country collaboration category for "Because of You". Not liking the song’s chances. Check my Country blog for more on that category.

Metallica is also up for some Grammy love this year. They’re nominated under the Instrumental Rock category. I always loved "Enter Sandman", but I didn’t get more into listening to them until recently. My boyfriend’s a huge fan and has been introducing me to more of their material and I’m loving it, so hopefully they can pull off a win.

Another favorite of mine up for some Grammy Awards: Bon Jovi. They’re nominated for CD Lost Highway . Oh, and let’s not forget the nom for "(You Want To) Make a Memory" in the Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals category.

Finally, there’s Christina. Besides the nod for "Candyman", she’s also up for best pop collaboration for her duet with Tony Bennet. It’s called "Stepping Out". Too bad Back to Basics didn’t get a nod. That was a great Pop Music CD.