12.15.09 / New Releases
And…i’m back. So im going to update everyone on some new releases this week.
A new release came out from Robin Thicke this week entitled “Sex Therapy”. Not gonna lie…it’s kinda creepy? I honestly refused to listen to this album on rhapsody because I felt uncomfortable with some of the song titles. I am not a big Robin Thicke fan, so I don’t think i’m really missing much.
A couple movie soundtracks were also released this week:
The movie soundtrack for the movie “Nine” was released today. “Nine” is due out on Christmas day. I am so excited to see this movie. I haven’t seen a good musical movie since Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street came out. The soundtrack for the movie features songs from recording artist Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas), Daniel Day Lewis, and movie stars such as Nicole Kidman and Kate Hudson. I am personally really excited to see this movie come out. I can’t wait! =)
I’m sure we’ve all heard the big hype about James Cameron’s new film “Avatar”. Personally – I Don’t understand the point of it? Im rather confused by it, but in music land…the soundtrack was released this week. The soundtrack was produced by producer James Horner. None of the music in this soundtrack has words,except the final song that is “I See You” by Leona Lewis, so it’s a little bit different than what i normally write about. The music features a type of symphony music from the movie. The music is actually very good. I like it alot. So it must fit into the movie at some point. I think with a combination of this music plus the amazing graphic effects in this movie – it’s sure to be a hit. Check out some samples of the soundtrack at Itunes. I think you’ll like what you see =)
And thats all the new releases I have for this week =)
12.15.09 / Uncategorized
Hey everyone!
I found some free time in my schedule right now to post a blog, and i will be posting another one tonight as well =)
Im just wishing everyone good luck on their finals! I hope everyone does very well – whether you’re from Clarion or reading this at another school – I wish you the best of luck. My Mass Media Professor, Bill Adams, gave probably the best piece of advice for finals. He said to just relax, and go out and have fun. Surprisingly – he was one of the first teachers who didn’t tell us to stay in all weekend and study! He told us go out and do what we do, then come back and study for a bit. He said take constant breaks and not to freak out about them. He said just stay calm & they arent as bad as you think. Surprisingly – I think he was right! After taking my first final (for his class yesterday coincidentally) – I felt much better and more relieved about finals. Believe it or not – you know a lot more than you think. I remembered things from his class that I hardly studied at all. So overall – I think i did okay.
So good luck everyone on finals today! And ill be back tonight to update on some new releases out today =)
12.11.09 / Uncategorized
I just wanted to let everyone know that as finals weeks start next week, I will be busy preparing for finals all weekend, so my blog hasn’t been entirely up to speed. Since I am a freshman, i have no idea what to expect from finals, so my focus needs to be centered there. So hopefully after a weekend of hardcore studying i’ll pass my first semester here at Clarion =)
And as the semester draws near so does the conclusion of this blog. I hope I have been able to entertain most of the people reading with my random rambling and MY personal insight of music. I have loved music for so long and it’s been a huge interest of mine and i’ve had alot of fun writing this blog to share my thoughts and feelings.
Whether you are a student here or just someone who is enjoying reading – Thank you for spending the time to read my work. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope i appealed to your liking.
I wish everyone the best and hope everyone has a happy holiday! =)
12.8.09 / New Bands
Helloooo! Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope everyone is having a great day. I know i’m sure not…Studying for finals blows and I’m on my third hour now. So i thought why not take a break and blog about some new music =)
New music for this week:
Timbaland:
I’m pretty sure everyone is familiar with some tunes from Timbaland’s last album “Shock Value”. One hit that was huge for him was “The Way I Are”. Well, Timbaland is back with his follow up to this album, which is entitled “Shock Value 2″. This album contains various beats produced by the master himself. The album features many big name artists including – Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Keri Hilson, and Nelly Furtado. If you were a Timbaland fan of his beats in the past – you’ll love this album guaranteed. This album i would give a 4/5 stars. Its decent.
Chris Brown:
No people, I’m not gonna put any news about Chris Brown. I’m sure we all know he beat up Rhianna. And I really don’t care. I’m not debating that topic. Chris Brown’s highly anticipated album “Graffiti” was released today. The album follows his latest single “I Can Transform Ya” which features big time rap artist – Lil Wayne & Swizz Beats. Surpisingly – The song “Changed Man” – which was the song that was released on the internet that was written about Rhianna was NOT on the track listing. Overall – I think this is just a typical album. Nothing too special about it. I’m sure Chris Brown fans out there will enjoy it, but for me – there’s nothing that makes it stand out to people. I don’t feel this album is going to fly off the charts from the songs i’ve heard. Chris Brown may have lost alot of respect from the media and his fans and thats probably the main reason this album is losing potential. Step it up Chris. Make a good video or something!
And those are 2 big releases this week!
I hope everyone is enjoying all the festive music that has been playing non stop on the radio! Personally – I’m annoyed with it already, but thats the spirit of the season! Have a good remaining week everyone! 
12.6.09 / New Bands
Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying their first week of december! I know i didn’t – i hate snow haha. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon. But i’d still like to have a white christmas this year. Ok enough rambling…music time!
Anyway…As i mentioned in an older post of mine. My friend here at school – Dom Bucci, is a member of a band “Time Well Wasted” – which is a band here at the Clarion campus. Dom is a good friend of mine and i’m trying very hard to spread the word about his band. Time Well Wasted is such a talented band, and they are 100% raw. They play their own instruments, they sing their own vocals, nothing is edited. Dom works very hard at what he does and he really wants to make it big. Thats one reason I love this band. So i’m hoping my readers will listen to his song that I will attach and spread the word about them. He promised me a cd by the end of the semester – so hopefully he’ll get me that and i can post it to share for everyone. I’ve heard some samples from his ipod and they are really talented, and i’d love for everyone to hear it.
Here is his new song. It is called “I’m Up I’m Down”. I’m hoping everyone listens and leaves some feedback. I’m uploading this file from megaupload.com since the file is too big for wordpress standards. All you have to do is click the link, and there will be on your right hand side a button that says “download now”. All you have to do is click that link and it should open a download file. If by chance it does not work, leave a comment with your email if you’d like the track. I will gladly send it to you. Thank you! Hope everyone has a great upcoming week =)
12.3.09 / Uncategorized
As we enter December – everything changes. The weather changes…here in Clarion we get snow, and the countdown begins for everyones favorite holiday – Christmas! I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say everyone loves christmas. Theres beautiful lights, spending time with family, and of course–christmas carols! I will admit – putting Christmas Carols on the radio on Black Friday kinda got annoying…but now as we are in the 25 days of christmas, I am in total christmas mode! I love listening to christmas music – especially from my favorite artists. My all time favorite christmas album was Jessica Simpson’s. When she was with Nick Lachey they did a cute little christmas segment. And she released an album, and it was really good.
For 2009, a few christmas albums have been released. http://top40.about.com/ lists the top 10 christmas albums released this year. I will admit a few of the artists i did not know, but here ill put my 3 favorites.
David Archuleta: (I really hope I spelled his name right lol)
David Archuleta, American Idol season 8’s runner up released his album “Christmas From The Heart”. This little cutie sings some of my favorite carols including “Joy to the world”, “The First Noel”, and “Angels We Have Heard On High”. These songs are very calming to the heart, and I’d highly reccommend this album for any Christmas lovers. David has a tremendous voice. This album deserves 4 stars!
The other two artists include “Sting”, and “The Jackson 5″. Both of these albums I consider medeokre. They are your typical christmas albums. To me – i Like a more modern christmas cd. But if you’re a ‘Sting’ or ‘Jackson 5′ fan, these albums would be perfect to complete a collection.
As we get ready for the christmas season, and preparing for finals, we should all play some christmas music. It will put you in the perfect mood for christmas and can be alot of fun!
12.1.09 / Uncategorized
Everyone knows that finals are coming up soon (2 weeks to be exact), and I think everyone is pretty stressed out about it. I know i am. My friend Sarah from Slippery Rock is majoring in Music Therapy, and she gave me a piece of advice that I thought was pretty good.
She said when you’re stressed out and studying for finals – turn your ipod on and play some music. Put on your favorite song that you love to listen to – or put something on from your favorite band. She said putting on music will help you relax because your brain will be producing endorphins – which make people release happy emotions.
Also- Listening to music before you go to sleep has been proven to improve energy and focus the next morning. People who listen to music while falling asleep are more likely to be relaxed, and not so stressed while in a sleep mode. Playing a soothing song to get you to go to sleep is the best way to reduce stress.
So i feel in this time of stressful finals – “Hell Week” as i was told it is, play some music, and remember to stay calm through it. Stress will only make the matter worse. =)
11.25.09 / Uncategorized
I am getting sick and tired of turning on my favorite CNN channel and seeing the same things about Adam Lambert’s performance on the AMA’s sunday. Seriously it’s getting annoying! I used to really really like Adam Lambert on American Idol because i thought he was super hot. Yeah sop what – he may be gay. But that kid got slapped with the pretty stick as a baby =D
Anyway…I wanted to blog about my opinion on this subject and see how everyones else’s differ or agree with mine.
I feel that critics of him are making his performance sound like trash when it really wasn’t. Yeah he may have done a few provacative things in the performance – but COME ON. We are blowing this way out of proportion. Adam is still a sensible young performer. I really do think people are taking this so seriously because Adam is gay and kissed another male on national television. As far as kids go - common sense parents – don’t let your kids stay up til 11 at night. Aren’t they suppose to be asleep early? Isn’t that healthy? He didn’t do anything wrong. He said on the CBS Early Show today that “He is not a babysitter” and hes right. Its the parents that control what their kids watch. If they don’t want them to watch it – it’s as easy as changing the channel.
And for the kissing a male and instigating oral sex – WHO FREAKIN CARES! I swear – people need to get over their homophobia. If lady gaga or britney spears did this people would be going nuts saying it was her best performance ever. This all stems back for Adam being a gay male, and people are really sexist about that. And honestly it makes me mad. Adam gave a great performance. I loved the song “For Your Entertainment” that he performed.
Overall–People need to shut up about Adam’s performance. I’m sure the rest of the world is with me when they say they’re bored with hearing it. =)
11.23.09 / Uncategorized
Ok, so I think everyone here either at one point has watched American Idol, or at least heard about it. American Idol has blossomed many artists over the years. Some have been successful, others have not. This blog is going to focus on the idols who have made it, and those who haven’t. The reason I chose to write about this is because it’s a big week for former idols – 2 of them released albums today. So i think a comparison between the idols would be a fun thing to read about.
American Idols? or Just plain Americans?
Kelly Clarkson:
Kelly Clarkson, a Texas native was the very first winner of the American Idol competition. Many people were not expecting Kelly to win, but her surprise vote on the finale proved she had so much talent. Many people expected frontman Justin Guarini to pull thru with the win. After the winner’s single “A Moment Like This” was released, Kelly put out her first album “Thankful”. This album went platinum, and this is when American’s new Kelly wasn’t going anywhere. After winning many awards for her singles such as “Miss Independent”, “Low”, and “The Trouble With Love Is” (which appeared in the Movie “Love Actually”), it was time for Kelly to release a new album. Her sophomore album “Breakaway” released her biggest hit “Since U Been Gone” as the second single. Her next single “Behind These Hazel Eyes” was a success as well. This album profited highly for her. After taking a few years break from the music scene, Kelly Clarkson came back in 2007 with her album “My December”, which was a flop. The album hardly sold, but one hit single “Never Again”, came out of that album. Now after sorting her life out and spending time devoting all her work to her latest album, Kelly Clarkson came back with a vengance this summer with her newest release “All I ever Wanted”. Immediately this album shot to the top of the charts. With 3 top songs under her belt already, Kelly Clarkson is not going anywhere ladies and gents. Her music has only gotten better, and her voice is amazing. She can thank her success to American Idol.
Kelly Clarkson: American Idol Success.
Ruben Studdard:
Season 2 Winner Ruben Studdard was a shock to everyone when he made it through the priliminaries. Ruben was not the typical American Idol, being such a heavy set person. But Ruben made is way all the way through the competition to end up winning. Ruben though only releasing one top single “Flying Without Wings” ended up flopping after his first album was not a success. He tried to follow up with a single entitled “Sorry 2004″, but it never really took off. Ruben eventually left the music scene for quite some time to work on his weight issues. In that time, Ruben and his wife ended up having a child. Now at a healthy weight, Ruben came back into the music scene, only this time entering broadway. He starred in the musical “Ain’t Misbehavin” on broadway. Ruben plans to stick with his broadway career, and possibly release a new album.
Ruben Studdard: Just plain American.
Jennifer Hudson:
Although she may not have won American Idol Season 3, or been a finalist, Jennifer Hudson has emerged again in the last year to become a true success story. After leaving American Idol, Jennifer tried to release an album, but it was a flop. Taking some time to herself, Jennifer thought to herself what she could do to replace music. In this time, Jennifer was cast as a supporting role in the movie “Dream Girls”. Jennifer of course was involved with singing and she realized she loved both – singing AND acting! Supporting in other roles, including a personal movie favorite of mine, Sex and the City, Jennifer was a major motion picture actress now. She won many movie awards for her roles in the films. Releasing her latest single “Spotlight”, we will call it a semi-hit. I think with a little more time Jennifer will have a hit record on her hands.
Jennifer Hudson: American Idol Success.
Carrie Underwood:
Carrie Underwood – America’s country girl. Raised in the south, Carrie came to American Idol to prove she can be the next country star – and she did. It’s quite obvious to anyone that Carrie Underwood is a MAJOR success. I honestly think she has been the most successful Idol that came from this show. Carries first album “Some Hearts” went platinum and released some amazing singles. Some of these include her first “Inside Your Heaven”, and her second “Jesus Take the Wheel”, which made Carrie become a household name. Her next single “Before He Cheats” was known by EVERYONE. I think everyone knew this single when it came out. Carrie won many awards for her country album, and she was entering the country world as a real artist. Her second album “Carnival Ride” included the single “All American Girl” and “Last Name” – two of Carrie’s biggest hits. After taking a slight break, Carrie is back with her latest album “Play On”, including the latest chart-topping hit “Cowboy Cassanova”. I personally love Carrie Underwood. I think she is what American Idol was all about. She was a true All American Girl that won the competition with her amazing vocals. She deserved to win season 4.
Carrie Underwood: American Idol success.
Chris Daughtry:
So, being pretty much the hottest idol to ever walk on stage has already earned Chris Daughtry success. Many people were pulling for him to win in season 5, but somehow he managed to be 4th runner up. Chris did something that no other idol did – Chris started a band. Without even winning this competition, Chris Daughtry EXPLODED into the music industry with his first self titled album “Daughtry”. Daughtry is made of 4 members – and it’s all thanks to Chris Daughtry’s success on American Idol. The first single of the album “It’s Not Over” made Daughtry fans go next. With the following most successful single “Home” winning Daughtry several grammy’s, it was clear Daughtry wasn’t going anywhere soon. Following chart-topping singles include “Over You”, “Feels Like Tonight” and “What About Now”. All of these were at the top of the Billboard charts. Daughtry made a comeback this year with their latest single “No Surprise”. Their second album hasn’t been as successful as their first, but none the less, it is a hit.
Chris Daughtry: American Idol success
David Cook:
David Cook – Season 7 was the battle of the david’s. The final two was down to David Archuletta, the expected winner, and David Cook. Natutally, David Cook managed to win. David Cook was the winner, and with his first single “Time of My Life” being a hit, it seemed as if David was heading on a good track. His self-titled album was released, but it wasn’t as good as many anticipated. His second single “light on” was decent, and had alot of airplay. The third single “Come Back to Me” was probably his biggest success and is still having airplay today. Although he may be busy touring (especially colleges – my sister saw him =D), i don’t personally think 3 singles is enough to call someone a success. I think David will have to do some work if he wants to be known again. It is possible, but it will be alot of hard work for him.
David Cook: Just plain American.
And here we are today. We have a new batch of American Idol winners, but due to their personal views, I chose not to write about them. As you can see, American Idol has released some really major success’s. Others haven’t been so lucky. I guess its up to how much an artist wants to make a career and how much they love their music. Most of the contestants who have made it the furthest on stage are just average american’s now and idol didn’t do much of anything for them. As American Idol continues to be a successful television show, we will have to watch and wait to see who else is gonna be a success story!
Thats all for today! Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving! =D eat lots of turkey!
11.22.09 / New Releases, news
Hello there everyone! I regret not writing a band battle blog this week, but I promise i will do one this week to make up for it. It may not be on friday, but this week there will be a battle.
So, I was watching CNN this morning and I came across some interesting news…
Of course I’m sure everyone has heard about Susan Boyle – the amazing scottish singer contestant on “Britain’s Got Talent” show. Susan, with her strange, interesting look caught audiences attention when she first walked on stage, but when she started singing, her voice moved everyone around. As strange as this woman looked – She really did have talent! Susan stunned host Simon Cowell with her vocals, and everyone knew she had talent. Susan didn’t win unfortunately, but now she is re-surfacing with her new album that’s due out tomorrow.
Susan Boyle has broken the amazon.com record for pre-orders on her album. Her album “I Dreamed a Dream” is set for release in the UK tomorrow. Susan broke the 14 year long record set by amazon. Boyle says her new album is almost like an autobiography.
Although the critics may be after Susan, they can’t deny that his woman has a voice that anyone could fall in love with. Her charm, quiet and quaint personality made the UK and the rest of the world fall in love with her in less than a year. Susan Boyle fans won’t be disappointed with this album. I am not exactly sure if this album will be available for sales in the United States yet, but it is available on Itunes tomorrow. I am personally very excited to sample this woman’s music. Anyone that can sing like she can deserves some respect. Although she may not fall into my favorite genre, I would love to listen to what this woman has to offer the music world. It may be quite interesting.
12.15.09 / New Releases
A Couple New Releases this week
12.15.09 / Uncategorized
12.11.09 / Uncategorized
12.8.09 / New Bands
12.6.09 / New Bands
new Battle releases Band Friday Night news Michael Jackson music release backstreet boys eminem Tuesday albums bands country it is this documentary lady gaga tokio hotel time well wasted new band Elvis Presley AFI Mariah Carey cds Paramore DJ AM
