America's Got Talent Fans AND EVERYONE ELSE Get Ready For Emily West - MY CD REVIEW

EMILY WEST

I rarely watch TV so I missed Emily West on AGT but from the first song I heard which was Sia's Chandelier I wanted more! 

The 411 by Maria 


I love female vocalists! I was happy to find a new female singer that I feel has what I love in a voice when I listen to music. 

Like Lara Fabian, Adele, Christine Perri, Patty Smyth, Stevie Nicks to name a few, Emily's voice has depth and emotion that makes them stand out for me above all others.  

From the first song, Sia's Chandelier; I was in love.  I LOVE Sia. Her voice is another one that bleeds raw emotion but the style in which Emily sang it was completely different. When she breaks into the chorus I am completely gone. The beauty of her voice with the fearless lyrics of Sia are stunning. It is a completely different feeling from Sia's and I love that. 

All of the songs are unbelievable. Delivered like a seasoned pro and will have you NOT singing along right away but closing your eyes and really listening. 

My second favorite is Without You by David Guetta (believe me you know this song).

I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game without you, without you
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same without you, without you

I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by without you, without you
I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I, without you, without you

[Chorus]
Oh oh oh
You! You! You!
Without
You! You! You!
Without you

Is another stunning version of a song I love. Emily's voice is truly an angels. It is pretty, clear and truly mesmerizing. I want to put my headphones on and really listen again. Without outside noise so I can hear the exquisite sounds of a voice I need to hear more of. 

Take A Sentimental Journey With Emmy Rossum

I am a big fan of Emmy Rossum ever since seeing her in Phantom of the Opera. She is a beautiful, talented young woman whose voice seems so much more mature than her 27 years so it was no surprise when I saw that she was putting out a CD of classics from the 20s. I love the look and music of the 20s so was really eager to listen to this CD. 

We loved quite a few but there were some we weren't that into. We didn't like the first three tracks but everything after that we adored. This is the kind of music I listen to in the car on many long drive occasions, so my kids are very familiar with it. Goddess says Autumn Leaves were her favorite. Personally, I loved Summer Wind. It is one of my favorite songs and thought she did a great job! If you love beautiful instrumentals with lovely vocals, you will love this! 

Candice Night - Reflections Review

     

The 411 by Maria and Goddess:

The songs are a mix of folk, pop and country to me. Goddess like them too. She is so into music so I usually just ask her what she thinks. 7 year old Goddess thinks she looks like an angel and sounds like she would be nice.

What I love most and this is usually something I say about female vocalists is that she writes her own stuff! Singer/songwriters amaze me.

My favorite was Black Roses, the melody is beautiful and haunting it reminded me not of Stevie Nicks or Karen Carpenter as some have been saying but Lee Ann Womack. 

I've Loved, I've Lost

My Dreams Were Well Worth The Cost

Her voice is light and sweet.

We like Wind Is Calling (Hush the Wind) with it's catchy chorus. We actually sang it in the car together after hearing it one time.

While she isn't what I would normally listen to. I prefer a more powerful voice, her voice is pretty and soft!

Our least favorite song was Dangerous Smile. While I appreciate the rock guitar the funky vocal reminded me of Britney Spears.

If you are looking for a power house singer who gives you chills or makes you feel raw emotion this is not for you but country music fans and easy listening fans, this may be the new singer you have been looking for.

Do You Like To Really Feel Your Music??

Most of my readers know I am a huge music fan. In my 20s I used to follow a bunch of local bands around. Hitting all the gigs, making friends and hanging out at their rehearsals. Taking their photos or doing video work for free because I loved the whole scene. Watching their rehearsals and seeing how a song comes together was fascinating to me.  Now I share my love of music with my kids and we are always looking for new bands. Goddess loves to sing so we tend to focus of female artists. We recently found Joanne Weaver a throw back to the singers of the 40s.

The 411 by Maria: 

I love the buttery sound of her voice. So smooth, sexy and alluring.  We are hearing more and more of these unique voices and Joanne does sultry well.

Black Coffee. As an Ella Fitzgerald fan, I have heard this song so many times and while it wasn't Ella. It was a beautiful version. Goddess thought this was a silly song until I had her listen to Ella's which she loved. Wheeee...that's my girl.

Anyway...back to Joanne.

We Three originally done by one of my early childhood favorites Brenda Lee (thanks to mom), I really liked the harmony on this. Beautiful whisperery singing and classic music combined with something else. An underlying mystical sound that I couldn't quite figure out.

Nature Boy done originally Nat King Cole when done by Joanne was stunning. It reminded me of an Irish lullaby. I couldn't get it out of my head for days. Even the 6 minutes of music was beautiful and soothing with a lovely melody and cool, spacey sounds accompanied by a little guitar strumming. LOVED it.

Ne Me Quitte Pas while I couldn't understand it, it was beautiful.

Deep In A Dream is probably my favorite on the CD. I could hear Frank Sinatra singing it and done by Joanne, it is completely different.

I dim all the lights and I sink in my chair The smoke from my cigarette climbs through the air The walls of my room fade away in the blue And I'm deep in a dream of you

My cigarette burns me, I wake with a start My hand isn't hurt, but there's pain in my heart Awake or asleep, every memory I'll keep Deep in a dream of you

I love her voice on this followed by very uptempo music, synthesizers and laughing. Love it!

When Sunny Gets Blue ahhh...I have always love this song. My mom was a big Johnny Mathis fan and I heard this at least once a weekend while she cleaned the house. He sang it the same way Nat King Cole sang it but Joanne does something completely different. I almost didn't know it until midway through. She sings it so softly and quietly with pauses between paragraphs. Very current for a great old song!

How High The Moon I love her sweet take on this beautiful song. So much softer than the originals which were a little jazzier and more uptempo. Joanne's contemporary voice lends something to this song.  There is a slow build to the ending and her voice singing How High The Moon over and over was oddly soothing.

Moon River is the perfect ending to this CD. Because I was so focused on all the musicality of the DVD, I was often lost in the subtle sounds that were very unique. Not your basic jazz DVD at all. This song brought me back to the focus of Joanne's voice. Very smokey and sensual. Put it on for a night of amore!

Goddess wants to add that the DVD cover has amazing colors.

Music Monday Continues with The Thousand Pities

My Favorites
What if Everyone is Wrong: Great lyrics, nice music and harmonies, stick a tambourine in and you always have me.

Count My Summer Down: Count Your Blessing, count them quickly you're alright! Great summer song for hanging with your friends at the beach with some solo cups and a keg!

Last Glittering Thrill: Love this song! Lyrics and melody are what makes this band so good. I love all the little details, The drummer is counting, 1, 2, 3, 4..."1, 2, 3, 4. Sha la la...

Point Pleasant: Male and female vocals which would usually get me, but this was my least favorite of the CD. Felt off to me.

Gone to Stay: Nice guitar sound and quiet, soft vocal. Love the female voice coming in on the end of lines.

Warm: Nice vocals on this one! I love the music. Lovely harmonies! Not sure what the noise in the background was but it worked.

From the Air: Ahhh...after all that noise, this was so relaxing with the whispered singing. I really like this one.

Dream About It: Like a Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime I love how the last few songs have moved right into each other.

Making Other Plans: Nice! Love the sound of the guitars and drums on this! Nice High Hat! Awesome vocals. Love the lyrics.

Fourth of July: Started out to me like a Springsteen song. Like the lyrics and love the music.

Looking for Wonder: This was my daughter's favorite! She said she likes the guitar. Personally, I like the chorus.

Believe in Sound: Oh nope, she says she now thinks, this one is her favorite. She likes the chimes!

Super High Moon: Very pretty music. I promise you this is the year of the Super High Moon! This may be one of my favorites of the whole CD.

OK..a.let's bring it home. The best thing about The Thousand Pities is how layered their music is. I found all the songs very well orchestrated and arranged. There is so much going on, you need to hear each song about 3 times to hear all the little details that make up each one. Would love to see them live so that I could sing along. After 3 times, I know each one by heart and believe that at least 6 of these songs are going on my MP3 Player.

Norah Jones Collaborates with Some Legendary Artists on Her New CD

I have loved Norah Jones since Don't Know Why which by the way, I can't get out of my head today.

What I Can Tell You:

I can only imagine what this was like for Norah to do. Imagine being able to record with some of idols.  “A lot of the people on this record are people I've worshiped since I was a kid, and some of them are younger and more my contemporaries,” says Norah. “Even though the musicians are so varied, the vibe of the songs makes sense when we put them all together.” 

While listening to the CD I was reminded at how amazing Norah's voice is. She has such a calming tone. Her style is very smooth and jazzy while being relevant and hip. 

My personal favorites were Virgina Moon with the Foo Fighters. I am a huge Foo fan. Love Dave and the guys.  Such a sexy, pretty song and their voices were amazing together. Both very calm and breathy.

I also loved her collaboration with Willie and Dolly. I am a huge Country fan.  Baby it's Cold Outside would sound great if Norah did it alone but Willie just adds something to it. Love me some Willie.

Dolly Parton has always been a favorite of mine. I am an old time country fan and have all of Dolly's vinyls. Hearing her sing anything is always a pleasure. 

Great CD and I hope to see more artists collaborate. The meshing of styles, voices and genres is really fun and allows people to hear things they wouldn't normally hear or purchase. Great way to introduce young people to some different styles and hear some legendary singers. 

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CD Review - KT Tunstall's Tiger Suit Hits Stores Today, Oct 5th

Thanks to One2One Network I received a copy of Grammy nomination KT Tunstall's newest CD, Tiger Suit.

Does the name sound familiar? She is the chick who sang Black Horse and a Cherry Tree. You know the song...

(woo-hoo, woo-hoo) [throughout the whole song]


Well my heart knows me better than I know myself
So I'm gonna let it do all the talking.
I came across a place in the middle of nowhere
With a big black horse and a cherry tree.

See, you know who I'm talking about.

Anywhoo, I am a huge fan of female vocalists especially the ones who can write their own music and play instruments. You know the kind. The ones who have REAL talent. 

KT Tunstall's voice is like Ani Defranco with a mix of Alannah Myles, Pat Benatar and a smidgen of Kim Carnes. 

From UUmannaq Song's anthemish background singers to the Techie beat and guitar of Push That Knot Away KT has a sound that demands to be heard through headphones in the dark or while driving with the windows down on a sunny day.

My personal favorites are:

• Difficulty I loved the guitar!
• Come On, Get In because it makes me want to sing along!
• Madume Trudeaux because well, the kick ass way it is sung and I can hear Linda Perry's influence. Love me some Linda Perry!

Currently Listening To: Five For Fighting + I Have An Autographed Copy for You

Superman by Five For Fighting was one of my favorite songs back in the day. I loved it!

The there was 100 Years which really showcases  John Ondrasik's voice. 

Fast forward 5 years and there is a new album "Slice" with some incredible songs. John is a gifted songwriter who really speaks to your soul.

Slice
Note To The Unknown Soldier
Tuesday
Chances
This Dance
Above The Timberline
Transfer
Hope
Story Of Your Life
Love Can’t Change The Weather
Augie Nieto

In A Nutshell: While Slice is the title song of the album, Chances is the one getting the radio play and for good reason. Personally I loved Chances, Tuesday, Above the Timberline (love that falsetto), Story of Your Life and Augie Nieto. 

You will not be disappointed with this CD. Five For Fighting features, beautiful piano and intelligent, soulful, heartfelt, lyrics. FFF, John Ondrasik's voice is one of the best male voices out there and I have quite a few favorites.