This morning, I was eager to enjoy a tasty beverage, specifically a Vanilla Coke Zero, and when I went to open said beverage, the pull tab slipped, and sliced the everliving fuck out of my finger. Now, I understand that said pull tab needs to be made of metal, but I don’t understand why said pull tab needs to have a sharpened underside, that is waiting there, innocently, to make you bleed if you lose your minute fingernail grip on said pull tab; even for a split second. The best part? The slice occurred underneath my fingernail. Needless to say, I grabbed a spoon to get the darn drink open, and will think twice about offering up my tender digits to future torture from beverage containers.
I have had a bit of a revelation lately about music. I think that it is a pretty interesting, albeit debilitating thing for me, and I think writing about it is a bit of a confession… and hopefully, I can overcome this condition. See, I have this thing, that whenever someone gets a bunch of hype, and everyone under the sun seems to be singing their praises, for no reason at all, I am instantly turned off at the prospect that said artist could actually be that amazing.
Case and point: Sia’s actually quite brilliant CD, Some People Have REAL Problems, came out very early this year, and while I liked it, I didn’t pay it much attention because of what I perceived to be an over saturated attention for it. My subconscious kicked in, and it was almost like something in me didn’t want me to like it as much as I should, because everyone and their mother liked it so much. After giving this some thought, I think that I will call this the “Dave Matthews effect”. See, I never got into Dave Matthews for the very same reason. Technically, he’s very talented, and has a huge following, but I have always been sort of “eh” about him; mostly because of how amazing everyone else seems to think he is.
Through this kind of recent revelation, I have decided that I am determined to overcome this, and as a first step, I have recently given Sia another chance; and you know what, I am glad I did. Her record is brilliant, and deserves the attention it got; and the attention it is now getting from me.
You know what, I guess it is the same thing as when I scream from the rafters about an artist, and no one really seems to take interest on the level I do… maybe they have a touch of the “Dave Matthews effect” as well. Maybe my “over-hype” turns them off, for reasons even they don’t understand. Either way, I hope that I can open my mind a bit more about potential musical artists, and not let what I consider over-hype to get in my way of enjoying their potentially brilliant work. My apologies, Sia (and everyone else that has been affected by my missteps in the past)… I am definitely listening now.
Secondly, I was super excited about at least one music release this Tuesday: the release of of Jon McLaughlin’s second, highly anticipated CD. His first record really struck a chord with me, so much so, that it made a 
Well, while I was at Best Buy (mine and Deb’s usual Tuesday ritual), we were looking around per usual, and I noticed that there was an Aqualung CD on the end cap that I had never heard of. A quick flip over of the CD case, and I noticed that it was released in 2008! What?!?! Aqualung has a new CD (called Words and Music) out?? Well, according to Amazon, not only does Aqualung have a new CD out, but it came out today! Score!!! I totally didn’t know that, and I am totally jazzed that I saw it. I snagged it as well, because Aqualung not only made my top 31 last year with his amazing Memory Man CD, but he made the 
Yes, the choice of this and the aforementioned Saturdays song are intentional; I love how the titles are so similar, yet so opposite to one another. I wanted to post a great song from Jennifer Hudson’s fantastic debut album, which came out earlier this week, and seeing the Saturdays song, and the title of this one, there is no way I couldn’t choose them both for today’s selection. I should start by saying that Jennifer Hudson has been a favorite of mine since her season of American Idol, and I have been watching this girl, just knowing that great things would come from her. Well, I have to say, that I have not been let down yet; her performance in Dreamgirls was amazing. Additionally, her new record, which is infused with ballads, pop songs, and even a few hip hop numbers, is a showcase that has succeeded in allowing her to show off her amazing voice. While this track admittedly isn’t the one that highlights her amazing instrument the best, it is a really fun track that I keep coming back to, and one that would most certainly be a hot single if it is chosen to be one. I hope that this record is just the first from Jennifer, because, based on what I have seen and heard so far, she is a real star, and a true talent, and one that should be around for a very long time. I am very pleased with her record, and glad that she took her time putting it out; every time I hear her sing, I am really, really impressed. I do have to say, however, that I wish T-Pain would quit with the vocoder. There is a song on the record that he guests on, and it is just too much. End the madness T-Pain!
Okay, I am going to make a pretty grand statement here, so get ready… This is probably the most powerful, well written, and amazing pop ballad of 2008. Will Young has released his fourth record, and he has proven (again) that he is way more than a flash in the pop pan; he plans on sticking around, and making some fabulous music while he’s here. As I mentioned last week, his record is a fantastic blend of jazz, pop, soul, and just overall musical greatness. It is definitely one of the albums of the year, in my opinion, and one that was well worth waiting for. Congratulations are in order for Will, who has succeeded in making another amazing album. And this song… well, I just cannot get enough of it. It is one of those songs that you hear, and think to yourself, “wow, that was pretty amazing, let’s hear that one again”, and then you listen to it again, and you realize not only that you were right, but that it was even better the second time around. It just keeps getting better with each listen for me, and it really makes me wonder why acts like Will Young aren’t popular here in the States. Oh well… at least I know about him, and can educate at least some of you about the pop brilliance that is Will Young.
So here’s the thing, apparently, he was the lead singer of a famous Britpop band called Suede… who I’ve never heard of. Okay, that may be a bad thing, considering how much I love pop music, but it is what it is. Now, I heard this song somewhere (I think it was iTunes), and I have to say, that it is literally, quite amazing. I have almost posted it several weeks before now, but it always got bumped for one reason or another; but this week, it is on the list! I love the feel of his vocals (they’re almost haunting me!), and the gentle piano that accompanies him on this track. This song is from his recently released solo album, which is his second one. Perhaps I need to spend some time exploring his past, and see how he got to this point, because this song is just amazingly beautiful, and I have been enjoying it for several weeks now. 