Moved...

I moved the blog for a few reasons. I changed the name of the blog, and I added a review for the new Kelly Clarkson album that will be released next week. Follow the link to the new blog.

http://hearmeasiam.wordpress.com/

Working on it...

My computer decided to go out on me a couple of months ago. I wasn't doing much until it got fixed. I'm getting everything in order again. This will take a little time.

David Cook - David Cook

I know it's been a while. I got extremely busy in October. I started some reviews and things, but they never got completed in enough time to post them. I started the Jon McLaughlin album, the P!nk album, and the David Archuleta album, and I never got them finished in time. But I promised this one long ago.

I will work on more soon, especially since I only have two weeks of school left this semester. I'll have a little more time to sit down to listen and write. I plan to do a few different entries. I thought about doing the AMA's, but I decided against it for a few reasons. Anyway, the review for David Cook's major label debut.



I've been listening to this one for a while. I've been trying to figure out what I want to say about it because I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first. I think I'm ready to review. Otherwise it would have been up even the night before it was released, but I think I've managed to come up with something that isn't biased.

Anyway.

Whenever I hear "Light On" I think of the Aerosmith video for "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing." And my discussion of that song ends here since I've already talked about it.

Overall, the album flows well. In the end, I liked it. Every song has a "big" feel to it; however, "Bar-ba-sol" (which I'm also in love with) is definitely the heaviest track on the album.

There are now a total of three songs that bring tears to my eyes. (1) "Christmas Shoes" (2) "Last Kiss" ... and finally (3) "Permanent" This has also quickly become my favorite song from the album. It's clear David dumped his heart and soul into the entire album, but it is completely obvious in this song. Other than this, I haven't been able to choose any most favorite songs. Take that as good or bad. For me, it's good, as I like almost all of them.

I think the best thing about this album is that the songs are capable of evoking emotions in a person, and, if I'm remembering the interviews correctly, this is something David wanted.

I can't help but feel something else could have come out of this. I mean, it is very good, but I think what I'm feeling is the difference between Analog Heart and David Cook. David Cook is a record on a major label. Analog Heart was not. I loved Analog Heart instantly. Then again, the first time I heard David Cook, my computer decided that was the time to irritate me by having a part somewhere inside it die. I might just have some weird association with that album and my computer going down the way it did.

Britney Spears - "Womanizer"

I actually don't know why I'm doing this. I'm not a Britney Spears fan by any means. I haven't really liked anything she's done since Oops!... I Did It Again, but I thought I shouldn't ignore her comeback either. And I like to venture into music I don't listen to at times. I promise a write up on the Jon McLaughlin album (which, last I saw was #5 on the top albums on iTunes, way to go Jon!) this weekend...after I get to the store. Maybe one day I'll explain my need to have a physical CD in my hands instead of bits of data floating on my computer.

So, Britney. She's supposedly back from whatever was going on with her. I'm not into the rumors and crap. Personally, I'm glad to see that she does seem better now that her father has taken control of things. Something needed to happen, and I don't think anyone deserves to go through all of that. However, after releasing Blackout in 2007, she will release Circus this year. And the first single from that is "Womanizer." Which is what I listened to today. And I won't be listening to it again by choice.

It isn't my cup of tea, but I do think she'll have a hit with it. I won't be calling up the radio station to request it, but I'm pretty sure her fans will. She's singing about a womanizer (that was a stretch), and she knows what he is. Okay.

When she's singing (speaking? I don't know.) the verses, I would have never guessed it was her. If I heard the beginning on the radio with no indication that it was Britney Spears, I'd be wondering who it was. The chorus, however, does sound like her. I'm actually a little torn on the chorus for a few reasons. It's really repetitive as she sings the word "womanizer" about thirty times, and it isn't a repetitive I like (I can deal with it in some songs, but not in this one). I guess I don't see a reason for it. Well, maybe I do, but even so, it still seems overdone. On the flip side, I do like when she isn't repeating lyrics, but when she sings "a-a-are" I get annoyed.

I was actually pretty distracted by her singing, and I didn't notice the background music very much. It does go with the song (and I really don't know what else to say about it). I guess I miss the days when I could turn on the radio and hear "Sometimes," and when "Soda Pop" ended up on the soundtrack to the first Pokemon movie...when they thought it was necessary for a Pokemon movie to have a soundtrack...wow, that was a long time ago. So, like I said, I'm not a Britney fan, and this song doesn't change my mind. I do think, at the very least, she has a hit among her fans. Then again, I don't know, as I'm not one of her fans.

The song is now stuck in my head. Actually, just the repetition of the word "womanizer."

...I'll be more interesting with the Jon McLaughlin album.

You Should Be Listening to... Matt Nathanson

Every once in a while, I may come across an artist that I feel is amazing and tell you about it. I chose to begin with Matt Nathanson for a few reasons even though "Come On Get Higher" has been a single for a little while.

1. Matt is my favorite current artist. You'll understand why soon.
2. He is getting more popular, and I do think the more he gets pushed out there, the better (even though this place is really tiny at the moment).
3. The blog name actually comes from one of his songs.

Matt Nathanson is a singer/guitarist who comes to us from San Francisco. A majority of his songs utilize an acoustic guitar. I love this. I also love his lyrics. Even alone, they're just beautiful poetry.

If I was to describe his music, I would have to say it's sincere. You can tell the way he's composing is the way he wants to do it and that the lyrics are meaningful to him. His songs can move from the faster-paced "Car Crash" (the first single from his current album Some Mad Hope) to the smooth, beautiful flow of his most recent single, "Come On Get Higher."

Matt might sound a little folksy for some, but he takes on an amazingly beautiful form of rock and does so brilliantly. I think his sound is very enjoyable and well worth a listen.

If you haven't heard "Come On Get Higher," than you really should. As I like to make sure you get a taste of what I'm writing about, the video for this most recent single is below.



Also make sure to check out Matt's MySpace for more of his songs and updates.

David Cook - "Light On"

David Cook. Season 7 winner of American Idol. David is one of the most talented performers to ever appear on the show, and that's definitely good for those involved. For some reason, AI has been unable to have a successful male winner. This isn't to say Ruben and Taylor are crap, but as far as record sales and post-Idol success goes, all of the males who have done well haven't won. It's nearly impossible to turn on a top 40 radio station and not hear Chris Daughtry's voice. I also believe that David is one of Idol's last chances to prove that they can turn out a successful winner, and that it wasn't just that Kelly was the first winner overall or that Carrie was the first country winner. But, for the record, I wasn't turned onto David at first. I was somewhat in that boat of people who found him arrogant. And now I look back at his performances and wonder what I was thinking. He's a rockstar for crying out loud. But David had to make me like him, and I was extremely biased because I liked Michael Johns (my jaw literally dropped when he got kicked off). I think the fact that David was able to change at least one person's mind is proof that he is a good musician. You would have to be to actually make someone stubborn have a change of heart.

And so, we have David's first single, "Light On," from his upcoming album. You can have a listen at the link below.
http://www.popeater.com/music/article/exclusive-david-cook-turns-the-light-on/185647

My first thought when I heard this was, "Aerosmith." I had no issue with that since David proved he was capable of taking that on when he was on AI. But moving away from David Cook the Winner of AI Season 7 and onto David Cook the Artist and Musician (I couldn't think of anything catchier), we've been introduced to this new song. It in no way resembles "Time of My Life," which wasn't a bad song, really, but now we get to see the real David. The music David would perform without video cameras watching his every move. And you will soon find that I'm incredibly biased because I'm very much a David Cook fan.

I had to listen to the song a few times before I liked it. I was also having a bad day yesterday when I first heard it. When my mood cleared up, I was more than willing to like the song. The song does some things that I like a lot, which tend to be common, but I still like. Like when he goes into the last chorus. To be honest, I thought it was a little predictable that he'd get soft for a line or two. I just knew he was going to go there. Don't ask why, but it felt like the song was about to go that way. I think what I wasn't expecting, though, was for the chorus to be as big as it was. David's got a voice on him. Disputing that is just futile. He's not afraid to use it either.

I saw the lyrics first. I was anticipating the song to not be as "big" in sound as it is. Thank you, David, for not being predictable with this. That alone can change someone's interpretation of the song. The lyrics on their own made me think the journey the singer was on was something that was a part of the job, like maybe it was something that was only done because it had to be done. But the way it's sung changes that. It sounds like he's on his journey because he WANTS to be on the journey.

If you're looking for a good power ballad, I think you've found it. If those aren't your cup of tea, then you might want to go look for something else. Actually, if rock isn't your thing, you should probably go find something else. For me, it comes across as an anthem of sorts. I'm not surprised. I'm pretty sure I recall an interview or something where David mentions he likes songs like that.

I will give a full review of David's album when it is released. I may get to it a week or so later (depending on when I get the chance to sit down and properly listen to it), but I will give my thoughts. Until then (and I'm pretty sure I'm about to fail at a play on the song title), I'll leave the light on.