So the first order of business is to say something, anything about how amazing Lady GaGa was last night at Center Stage. After seeing her in an intimate setting at Bazaar, I was excited to see a full set, and ladies and gentlemen, she did not disappoint. She was amazing. I took a lot of pictures, and hopefully, some of them came out okay; I have NEVER seen Center Stage that crowded before. Since it was so great, I want to post more on the concert later, so stay tuned. Now, let’s get to the five glorious songs for this fine Friday, shall we?
Marmaduke Duke – Rubber Lover
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This is probably going to be the shortest song in the history (or future) of the Five Song Friday. This energetic track clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but the entire two minutes are a fun filled, dancey romp that is too great to ignore. You probably hear the sampling of Billy Joel’s Sleeping With The Television On, that makes the song somewhat familiar, and perhaps, even more lovable. They have been playing this song like CRAZY on BBC Radio One, and I have to admit that I crank the radio up and dance every time I hear it. This song is MASSIVE, which is funny because it is less than two minutes long! I can’t wait to see what else Marmaduke Duke has in store on their upcoming release, Duke Pandemonium.
V Factory – Love Struck
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_vfactory-lovestruck.mp3]
When I first heard this song, one question filled my brain, “could this possibly signal a triumphant return of the boy band?”. Well, of course, only time can tell, but V Factory have an undeniable resemblance to another boy band, 5ive, who were pretty massive in the UK in their hay day. Also interesting to me, is that V Factory shares not only a sound similarity to 5ive, but also that the V most likely stands for 5, and as such, the two are even further, and more inexplicably linked. I am curious to see what V Factory will follow this fantastic pop track up with, because if it anything like this, then we may have an answer to the aforementioned proposed question: hells yes!
Tina Parol – Who’s Got Your Money
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Remember the amazing Blu Cantrell and her ‘it’s over’ anthem, Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)? Well, I do, and this song instantly reminded me of that fabulous hip hop track; but not because they sound similar in any way. Tina Parol uses the same subject matter of Blu’s break-up track, but instead of a tell off fit for a hip-hop diva, Tina steers more towards the pop-rock/Avril Lavigne-angsty rock in her delivery. In doing so, she has made another ‘you screw me over, I’ll take your money’ kiss off track that is radio-ready music to my ears. There’s something about an angry girl, exacting revenge on a bad boyfriend by hitting him in the wallet, that makes a great subject for an empowering ‘it’s over’ song; whether it be a hip hop anthem with a blasting beat, or in this case, an angsty, and energetic rock-pop track.
Paula DeAnda – Roll The Credits
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Initially, this song really didn’t hit me as hard as it probably should have, because the beginning is a little weak. However, at about one minute in when the violins take you to the first crescendo, it really soars. Paula’s sweet vocals remind me a lot of fellow female artists like JoJo and Christina Milian, and with this song, Paula really shows that she belongs on the charts right there along with her pop peers. This is one of those songs that gets better with each listen, and I am really glad that I gave Paula another chance; she’s got a great little pop ballad on her hands with this one.
Bat For Lashes – Moon and Moon
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Finally today, I wanted to bring you something a little bit more subdued than the other tracks featured today. I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes’ most recent release Two Suns (which was released on Tuesday) all week, and this is my favorite track from the CD. The ethereal nature of her voice and the beauty of the arrangement of this track really brings up memories of my favorite Feist songs, and as such, really makes me glad that I gave Bat For Lashes a listen. The rest of the album is quite diverse, at times going from what sounds to me like old Fleetwood Mac, and other times, going all of the way to the other side of the spectrum, invoking a bit of Bjork for some unexpected electronica (or folktronica, as I believe it is called). Overall, the entire album is a great listening experience. This is one of those “hey, you’ve heard of her right? Isn’t she amazing!?!” artists, and I am extremely glad to spread the word about how much I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes. NOTE: Yes, I have seen lots of reference to Kate Bush with regards to similarities; however, believe it or not, I have never listened to Kate Bush. I will try to remedy that, but I make no guarantees; I just wanted to acknowledge that I have heard their are similarities between the two.
So there’s your Friday five, folks! I hope you enjoyed these songs as much I have been enjoying them all week. As always, let me know what you are listening to, and as always, let me know what you think of my picks as well. Have a great weekend, and remember to check back for word about the Lady GaGa show I went to last night.
I feel like I have been singing Adele’s praises for ages now, but honestly, I don’t think that I could ever sing them enough. After seeing her last week, I have been flying high on this amazing Brit’s debut album, 19, and I wanted to post one of my absolute favorite songs of hers. This song is full of emotion, drama, feeling, and power. I love how she makes her voice crack, which really represents the broken heart that she is singing about. She performed this song flawlessly in concert, and if you still haven’t gotten on the Adele bandwagon by now, this is just me shaking you, again, and telling you to get with the program. Adele is amazing!
I’m not normally a big fan of country, and while I used to only listen to it back in the day, I attribute that to being mostly a product of my environment *cough*hick from North Carolina*cough*. I remember when Carrie won American Idol, and I was really excited, because she was one of the first ones that had pipes as amazing as Kelly Clarkson’s, and even though she was country, I just knew that her amazing show stopping version of Alone by Heart would grace her debut. Well, it didn’t, and instead of making me happy, she went full tilt country, which, while it does serve her voice beautifully, it just didn’t “do it” for me (also songs like Jesus Take the Wheel just make me want to roll my eyes… no offense). Now, let’s cut to last week when she appeared on the Idol stage again to sing this Randy Travis remake; I’m not going to lie, I fucking wept. This song is beautiful, and her voice gave me chills all over. Country or not, this girl can SING, and she sings this beautiful song amazingly; both live, and on her Carnival Ride CD. Note: I didn’t post the version she re-released with Randy Travis (also last week), mostly because Randy is just so outshone that I felt a little bad for him. I LOVE this song, and I am glad that Carrie chose to cover it.
This is another fantastic discovery that I can thank BBC Radio One for; they have been playing this song for a couple of weeks now, and I have found myself liking it more and more with each listen. The neo-soul guitar strumming, and popping beats really compliment the lead singer’s sweet voice (which has a resemblance to Eartha Kitt; without the kitty growls, of course). This infectious track has the upbeat sensibilities of the Ting Tings, and while it is a bit repetitive lyrically, it isn’t enough to turn me off. I can’t wait to see what the new Noisettes album will be like; if it is anything like this fantastic track, I am sure that I will love it.
I may make a few enemies with this one, but hear me out; YES, the original version is awesome, amazing, and several other praise-worthy words. It won an Oscar. See? I agree. However, this version, which harnesses the amazing vocals of Miss Pussycat Doll herself, Nicole Scherzinger, is just too perfect to ignore. A.R. Rahman’s Oscar-winning song gets the English treatment, and instead of being a “replacement” for the original Indian hit, I think that this version will just get more people interested in the original. I personally LOVE this song, and love that I can sing along with Nicole, because, call me crazy, but I like listening to music that has lyrics that I can actually understand; catch me catch me catch me!!! So again, the original – fantastic; and so is this version, which I cannot stop playing and dancing around to!!
To end today, we are going full tilt gay. We have covered a lot of ground today(soul, country, bollywood, now disco!!!), but this is disco bananas, and it is fantastic. Alcazar are a Swedish dance group that have been around for a decade, and recently, they released a massive double disc album that is chock full of dance floor fillers. This is my favorite song from that album, which is appropriately called Disco Defenders; because if anyone is going to successful in advocating for the fabulousness of disco, it’s definitely these guys. This song is upbeat, happy, and throw-your-hands-in-the-air dancetastic. Songs like this make me want to dance all night long, and HOW can that be anything but great?! Sometimes, it’s nice to just have a little fun, isn’t it? Well, that’s definitely something you can do by listening to Alcazar!
This week marked the official return of America’s first Idol, as Ms. Clarkson released her latest album, All I Ever Wanted. While I was initially a little hard on the album, I have since given it a few listens, and I have only been able to find fault with a few tracks (and honestly, if she would have left them off, the album would be even closer to the high quality pop album that Breakaway is). The album has tons of radio ready up-tempo tracks, and several soothing ballads that once again highlight Clarkson’s writing skills. This song falls somewhere in the middle, and for me, it is one of the best tracks on the album. As penance for trash talking the album before I had given it a proper chance, I felt compelled to post this track this week, in order to give credit where credit is due. Kelly’s back, y’all, and not only has she made a darn fine record, but she proved that she is definitely back when she performed live on Idol the other night. 
This is one of those songs that came on the radio, and I wanted to change it, but I decided instead to see where it would go. Then, the riff of the chorus cut in, and I was instantly glad I stuck around; it is brilliant!! White Lies reminds me a lot of fellow Brit rockers, the Kaiser Chiefs, the lead singer’s voice sounds very similar to Julian Hamilton of the Presets. This fast paced post punk rock track is just a lot of fun, as I mentioned, it was that jangly guitar riff that reeled me in, and I can’t get enough of it. I listened to the rest of their album, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rest of the tracks are quite good as well. This song was a great random find, and I am excited to be featuring it this week.
I will be honest; when I found out that this was the new Peter Bjorn and John song, I was extremely disappointed. It was almost annoying, and is a real departure to their uber-catchy previous album (which made my year end list for 2007). However, I couldn’t seem to escape this track, because it kept coming on the radio, and as such, I got pulled in by the pops and claps, and slowly, I really warmed up to this song. After seeing the silly video, I was sort of hooked. It was almost like a light switch in my brain; I hated it at first, and now I am listening to it on repeat. It’s weird how that works sometimes, isn’t it? I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album, which should be out soon; I only hope that it is something that I will enjoy instantly, and if not, something worth giving the time to get into it properly.
Based on the type of music that I typically post, I bet that it would surprise many of you that I used to listen to dance music almost exclusively. I was a DJ in college, and I had pretty much every hot dance track that came out, and kept my insatiable appetite for new, hot dance music afloat by having several friends (and another DJ) who were into the same club pounding beats. I attribute my constant hunger for dance music to the fact that I used to go dancing a lot, but as I have gotten older, my time at the clubs as diminished. I still love dance music, and still have a LOT of it on my ipod, but it isn’t the only thing I listen to anymore (which again, is evident when you look at my music suggestions here on this blog). However, I still know when I have heard something amazing, and this is one of those songs that just gets me moving. I heard it on BPM earlier this month, and I am glad to have discovered this track, so that I can add it to my massive and wonderful dance music collection. We all need to dance every once and while, and with great dance music like this, it’s hard not to!
Perhaps this will further lend insight into my all-dance music, all-of-the-time previous listening habits. I first heard this song when I was in Europe in the winter of 2000, where it was climbing the charts, and being played everywhere I seemed to be in London. Well, I bought a great mix compilation (they have so many GREAT ones in the UK… why don’t we have any good ones here?!) that had this song on it, and I literally played it on repeat for months. I have been talking about how I have been going back through my massive music collection in an attempt to pay well deserved attention to many of my “forgotten” favorites for a few weeks now, and I remembered this track, and recently threw it back on my ipod. The UK Garage beat of this track is what I was attracted to, and is a type of dance music that I am surprised never caught on over here in the US. It is fast, fun, and totally dance. I love some Posh Spice, and for me, this is definitely one of the best things she has ever contributed to musically. 
Last album released: Ta-Dah, 2006. First up is one of my all time favorite bands, the Scissor Sisters. I fell in love with them because of their amazing debut, and they only made me more of a fan with their brilliant sophomore album; but that was way back in 2006 (when Ta-Dah topped my year end list), and I am hungering for some new Scissor Sisters. I have been listening to their previous two albums this month, and loving every minute of each one; but it just makes me want more. I love my Scissor Sisters and hope to hear something new from them this year. This is one of my favorite songs of theirs, and it comes from the aforementioned amazing record, Ta-Dah.
Last album released: Zombies! Vampires! Aliens! Dinosaurs!, 2006. I heard of Hellogoodbye randomly, and ended up getting the whole album because of how infectious and poppy it was. I ended up seeing them live, and they were brilliant and full of energy. I like to think of them as like a more electronically driven version of Weezer; with an extra dose of happiness. I loved this album, and it solidly made my best of 2006 list, so I am really anxious to hear more from these guys. It seems like it’s been forever, but that’s how it feels when you haven’t heard from someone you love in a while. I love the energy of this song, and it totally sums up their concert experience; everyone jump around and have a great time!
Last album released: Speak For Yourself, 2005. Oh Immi, how I love you! It’s been quite a while since a 
Last album released: Life in Cartoon Motion, early 2007. Mika was one of those artists that got HUGE buzz from me in early 2007, and my love for him maintained and even grew throughout that year, allowing him a place on my year end list for 2007. However, given that Mika’s brilliant debut hit shelves in early 2007, it has been almost 2 years since I have heard anything new from this amazing artist, and I am really hoping that 2009 is another great year filled with more Mika. This is definitely one of the most infectious songs of 2007, and really highlights how amazing, and how full fledged POP Mika is; here’s hoping that he’s got something great up his sleeve for 2009.
Last NEW album released: Robyn, 2005 (and again in 2008). Alright, now I am being a little hard on Robyn here, but hear me out. Yes, she was nominated for her BRILLIANT 2008 self titled album, but remember that this album was released WAAAAY back in 2005. Did it stand up to the test of time? Certainly! However, it is TIME for some new Robyn. She seems happy to be releasing her amazingness on the world a spoonful at at time, and continues to wet our appetites with singles off of this release, but we are SCREAMING for something new; and I am not talking about an EP with just a few more brilliant songs. If this album is any indicator of how brilliant she is, there has got to be so much more waiting in the wings, and I for one am salivating for it. Robyn, you are one of the best things to happen to pop music in the last few years, so do us a solid and bring us more of your sweet delicious amazingness, won’t you?! I am crossing my fingers for something amazing in 2009 from the equally amazing Robyn.
Next album release: Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, March 24, 2009. I love the Indigo Girls, and with their last album, Despite our Differences, they showed no signs of slowing. In fact, I would venture to say that the Indigo Girls are definitely a fine wine that grows only better and more delicious with age. Their harmonies are the stuff that angels aspire to copy, and their music is wonderfully crafted, and delightful to listen to. I am very eager for this new album, and am very excited to get yet another album from one of my all time favorite groups. 
Next album release: City of Black & White, May 19, 2009. I have been a major fan of Mat’s beautiful blend of alternative/indie/hip-hop ever since I heard his major label debut, Nothing Left To Lose. After seeing him in concert, I became a tried and true fan, and have been waiting for new stuff from this amazing guy. Well, I was more than happy to see that he has a new CD coming out, and if this, the lead single off of the album, is any indicator of how it will be, it sounds like it will be just as brilliant as his debut (now, you KNOW I couldn’t resist bringing you something new and amazing this week, didn’t you!?!? Well here it is; you can purchase your own copy of this brilliant song 
This song has hit written all over it. The first couple of times I heard it, I knew that there was something about it I kind of liked, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Well, after massive rotation on BBC Radio 1, I have fallen head over heels in love with this track, and had to feature it this week. Alesha Dixon had some success in the UK in the R&B girl band Mis-Teeq, but recently released quite a decent solo album. This is by far my favorite song on the album, and I am thankful to BBC Radio 1 for turning me on to this great track! Also, best of luck to Alesha as she heads to Africa to scale Mt Kilimanjaro for Malaria relief!
Alright, if you don’t get it by now, Lady GaGa is massive. HUGE. I have been screaming about her for almost a year now, and I am so pleased to see her getting the attention she deserves. Well, it seems like her steam engine has caught on fire, as there are all kinds of tracks spilling onto the tracks these days. The most recent is this amazing song from the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack, appropriately called (and all about) Fashion. Lady GaGa’s blend of dance-pop is such a great, upbeat sound that it is hard not to bounce about when listening to great pop songs like this one. I’m glad that she released it, instead of Heidi Montag, which was what I had seen swirling around the internets. Hooray for new GaGa! Also, if it is going to all be this good, keep it coming!
Now, I know that this will probably piss someone off, but normally, Morrissey just bores me. Now, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a fabulous artist, but for whatever reason, his voice usually hits the “go to sleep” button in my brain, and I have to shut it off. However, with this new song, Morrissey has made me sit up and pay attention; with my eyes and ears wide open! It’s peppy, fun, and the video is down right cute! It makes me wonder where the depressive Morrissey has gone; although, the lyrics definitely have his typical sardonic twist, but this time, they are juxtaposed with a, dare I say it, upbeat pop backing track! I must declare that I love this song, and I might have to go back through his catalog and see if I can find other moments that are as peppy as this song is. 
Okay, I’ll admit it. I watch American Idol. Mostly, I like to see who’s good and who isn’t, and by the time they get to the top 12, it is all gravy because most of those kids are pretty good. Well, with the recent crop, there was this one chick who stood out; both because she had a great singing voice, and also because there was a lot of press about her having a record deal prior to her auditioning this season. Well, it all came to a head, and unfortunately got her the boot from the show, which kinda sucks I guess, because she had made it to the top 36 as of this week. Well, I was talking to my friend John last night about her previous records, and he informed me of a song she did for the Legally Blonde soundtrack that was actually quite good. After listening to that song, we headed to iTunes, and low and behold, they have some of her songs (although not that particular one… poop), and this one struck me instantly. It is brilliantly sung and totally beautiful. I hate that Joanna got booted from AI, but I hope that the publicity can get her back on track to making more great music like this. Keep going Joanna, and don’t give up!!
Oh Lily, how I have missed thee!!! Ever since I saw her in concert a couple of years ago (
on sale for $3.99!! That’s a steal!
A friend of mine recommended Erin to me a while ago, because he said that she reminded him of Sara Bareilles (that piano intro is definitely Bareilles-esque), and everyone knows just how much I love Ms. Sara. Well, I gave her a listen, and while I do agree, there was something about her that didn’t mesh with me initially. While I liked this song, I didn’t give it a second listen until this week, and I found myself liking it way more than the first time I heard it. While her voice is no where near as powerful as Sara’s, this song is a solid pop rock song, and should have some success on the radio; that is, if it ever gets played. Seriously, Nickelback gets tons of play while talented folks like this fly under the radar. It boggles the mind, really.
Dave Barnes, there is no doubt in my mind that you must make others swoon; because you do it to me oh so effortlessly. I mentioned that his CD Me + You + The World BARELY missed my year end best of list, simply because of how many damn good albums came out last year, but don’t let the fact that it didn’t make the cut let you think for one second that I didn’t enjoy it; it is great. The best part of Dave Barnes is these simple, piano driven ballads that just tug so gently at your heart strings. I love music like this, because it is the type of music that you hear it, and it just feels good. It’s like a really big warm hug; right when you need it most.
This one was a last minute addition to the Friday five; last night I was looking at the weekly releases on iTunes (as I do every week), and being one who loves his female singer-song writers as much as I do, I saw Keri on the main page, and had to check her out. Well, I listened to Ooh Oh, and I really liked what I heard, and I realized that Keri resembles Sara B even more than Erin does. In addition to her similarities to Sara, Keri has an undertone of Bonnie Raitt in her voice that is oh so beautiful and brings a welcome weathered flavor to this song.
Oh Ms. Doolittle, how I pulled for thee; I thought she was definitely the best singer on the show during her season on AI, but alas, she was not commercial enough to capture the votes necessary to win the whole shebang. Well, I was excited to see that she released an album this week, and I will admit that I was very surprised at what I heard. Instead of a modern, mainstream pop album, Melinda channels Billie Holiday and Etta James on a throwback to the hay days of soulful, airy pop/R&B. The result is a pretty decent album of songs, with this track being my favorite. Maybe she was just born in the wrong decade, because this album would have fit perfectly amongst the tunes of time if she would have released it around the same time as Ms. James and Ms. Holiday were hitting their stride. This album is a great surprise; something refreshing, different, and altogether pretty good.
Oh how I love the sweet sounds of Inara George’s voice wrapped warmly in sweet pop beats and clapping rhythms. As a huge fan of the Bird and the Bee, it was a treat to get their new album that came out a week ago, and hear so many fantastic songs on it. I’m not sure if I love it as much as I loved their debut album, but that would just be because I loved their debut so much, and it would be no small feat to overtake that level of love with this album. While the record does have a few minor duds, the strongest tracks show that the Bird and the Bee are still masters of their delightful brand of pop, and I for one, am glad that they are doing their thing, and doing it oh so well. This song is easily my favorite on the album (although I have to admit that it probably ties with Polite Dance Song). 
By all accounts, this song should annoy this shit out of me. It is repetitive, and the vocals border on the realm of childish silliness. However, I now believe that it is the mix of these two elements that makes this song so freaking catchy and fun. I have heard this a few times on the indie XM station, and after hearing it again this past weekend, I went and downloaded it. The playfulness of the beats and the almost silly vocal styling makes for a real earworm that you are sure to be bopping your head to for the rest of the day after listening. I can’t wait to hear more from Matt and Kim, and I don’t have to wait long; their upcoming album is out later this month. Note: If you loved this song, you can download it right now 
Talk about making a rash decision and then realizing how wrong you are; I originally got annoyed by all of the hype and praise heaped on CSS. While I really liked their song Music is My Hot Hot Sex, I really didn’t see what was so out of this world amazing about them. Well, recently, I saw the video for Move, from their most recent album Donkey, and I have to say, I see it now. These guys are just crazy, and totally have such fun that you can’t ignore it. They remind me a LOT of Cibo Matto. This song is so catchy and fun, and the video is a riot. These guys are making some great music (the rest of Donkey is pretty good as well), and I am just glad that I was able to come around and see what others were seeing from the beginning. Beware, because this song will really pull you in; it’s infectious!
Jessica was a former Australian Idol contestant, and went on to record with other Idol alums in the band Young Divas, after Ricki-Lee departed. While I will openly admit that I had no idea she was even in the group, her recent release of this hot track really made me sit up and take notice. This song, with the blaring sirens and hot beats, is ready for the clubs. I have to say, that I am a major sucker for a slick beat and a catchy hook, and this song has plenty of both. Also, the play on the burn of a relationship (or a not-so-desirable left over of love gone wrong) is clever, regardless if it is a little dirty (even hinting at venereal disease is kind of, um, gross).
I first heard this a month or so ago when my friend Stu informed me that one of my favorite songs from the Same Difference album, I Need A House, was actually recorded before by Ms. Serneholt. Marie was in the band A Teens, and did a solo album after leaving the group, that actually has quite a few gems on it. The hook in this song is a piece of pure pop pleasure, and I am glad that he told me about her album that I had no previous knowledge of. I will say, that her voice is so close to Mandy Moore at times, that I can’t help but wonder why Marie didn’t get as much exposure as Mandy did. Oh well, either way, this song is brilliant, and I like it more and more with each listen.
Earlier this week, I got word that a new Toni Braxton song had leaked (thank you to my loyal readers for keeping me informed!), and after checking it out on the internets, I have to say that it is quite literally, an amazing dance pop song. Is there anything that Darkchild can’t do? Well, I guess he couldn’t save Janet in 2008, but there is definitely one thing that I hope that he can do in 2009; give Toni another chance at making it. Darkchild repeatedly produces very high quality pop music, and I am pleased to hear another song that I really like coming from him. Toni Braxton is an amazing singer, and has a bevy of hits in her hay day, but has since danced her way off into the land of reality TV; far away from her soulful and beautiful music. There have been many songs that I have completely loved from Ms. Braxton, and given how much I like this leaked track, and I suddenly very excited to hear more from Toni in 2009. If the rest of the record is anywhere near this good (more Darkchild, Toni!!!), she might have a full fledged comeback in store for 2009… here’s hoping that Darkchild’s hand is stronger for Toni than it was for poor Ms. Jackson last year (I still love you Janet, and Feedback should have done it for you!).
While this song may have come out way back in 2007 (waaay back, eh… lol), I only recently heard it when the dance mix surfaced. After really digging the dance mix, I was intrigued to hear the original, mostly because the lyrics were so emotionally driven and completely heartfelt; not to mention how much I related to them. Well, shock me, because when I heard the original, I realized that I had just heard a song that I would come to count amongst my favorite songs I’ve ever heard. This song is beautiful and amazing. The lyrics speak of pain that has been endured, and a painful solution to deal with the future of family and the unknown. This song completely speaks to me, and I relate wholeheartedly. I read a review of this CD, however, and someone got snippy and insisted that LeAnn would be better off singing about how “good she had it”, and to that, I call bullshit; it’s insulting to someone who has legitimately been through something to insist that they just get over it and move on. LeAnn has made a daring testament to dealing with a less than desirable family situation, and she has done so in the most beautiful way imaginable; I for one applaud her putting this out there and showing us some of her vulnerability. Screw you, reviewer… bravo LeAnn, girl, I certainly relate. I have been playing this song, non-stop on massive repeat since I heard it. It is truly amazing.
Something that you may not know about me, is that I DETEST Christmas music. Seriously, hearing holly jolly Christmas is like nails on a chalk board to me, so the idea of a Christmas album is almost a complete NO from me. However, when I saw that Sara Bareilles has contributed, I had to take a listen; she has done a somewhat “Christmas-ish” song in the past that I loved; her live cover of River is amazing. Well, the 30 second clip on iTunes proved this to be another amazing Sara B track, so I had to snag it. I have to say, that I appreciate how many of you readers asked me if I had heard this song, because it really makes me appreciate the give and take with us sharing our music tastes!! I wanted to feature it, because even though Xmas has passed, this song is more of a “winter” song (ha!), and it is still winter, so why not, right?! This counts as one “Christmas” song I actually love! 
I will admit that I actually screamed out loud a little bit when I heard that the new A Camp album was coming out in early 2009, and even more when I heard this amazing first single from that album (Colonia). I have loved Nina Persson for a very long time, and I count her amongst my favorite female vocalists; and the Cardigans are one of my favorite groups as well. With her previous A Camp album, Nina Persson did not disappoint me, and I know that by how much I am loving this song, that this record will probably be amongst my top records of 2009! See, I’m always calculating that list, people! I’m just hoping that they tour nearby; that would really make my day! As of this moment, the new A Camp is my most anticipated album of 2009.
Wow. Can we say amazing?! It’s no surprise that I love Feist, and when she released a deluxe version of her amazing album, The Reminder, I was floored that this song was included. It is a brilliant remake of the original guilty pleasure made famous by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Feist’s sweet vocals paired with the Constantines is a real treat, and I am nothing less that elated to pass this one on to you. I love a GREAT cover, and this is truly a great cover of a classic hit. I hope that this treat gets some real attention, because its greatness really cannot be ignored. This song makes me want to go sing karaoke; right now!