Dani Harmer - Free

What's my excuse now? Relaxation. Before everything starts getting manic, let me remember what matters in life - my sanity and my writing.

(the only decent photo I could find, it's rather unflattering..)

Another one of my PopJustice discoveries, she's apparently being compared to Miley Cyrus.

I don't get it.

Yes, she has her own TV show and yes, she sings but this song is more of a Lindsay-like song back when she was still doing movies and not drugs and it doesn't really show us any talent whatsoever. She can't sing - when you watch the video it's like she looks older than she sings, she might be able to pass for a band but not as a solo artist, never.

A debut single is supposed to show us that the artist in question can actually do something - write songs, sing well or play an instrument but this song shows nothing but unoriginality and boredom. If it doesn't really directly show real talent, it should at least show that the artist has potential, that he/she can get somewhere. She's not a very good singer, she didn't co-write or write the song and by the looks of the video, she can't play any instruments. All of this can compensate for a bad song but not only is she incapable of doing anything musically, the song just sucks, period.

Like I said, it's a bad copy of a Lindsay song because one, the song sucks and two, Lindsay has a certain grip on her songs - she has this character and attitude that makes her songs better than they actually are. In short, you cannot make a talentless(music-wise) girl sing a Lindsay-like song because if you think about it long and hard, Lindsay actually has a heck of a lot of talent.

Back to the Miley comparison. I'll be honest, I don't like Miley but she has a certain appeal, there's something about her that makes you want to notice her, makes you want to listen to her stuff and whether I personally like her or not, she has some kind of talent. Dani doesn't have that - she's bland and boring and the song doesn't do any favors for her either.

Everything about this girl is wrong - her song, her voice and her look don't scream "I'm a popstar and you better believe it or else..", they scream "I'm trying too hard to be American and Disney so my song sounds like a Lindsay carbon-copy and I sound bland".

1/5

New Music!

I can't help myself, there are quite a few things out. I'm almost done studying anyway! hmm.

• THE CRAIG DAVID CONCERT WAS SPECTACULAR. I promise to review the whole thing once all my requirements are done.. You had to be there to feel the brilliance.
• I've become a HUGE The Script fan. When I first heard them I thought they were this crappy Coldplay wannabe but then I turned the volume up and heard my dad's production in it. He didn't produce it, obviously, but all the qualities of something he'd produce were there and it made me tear up for some strange reason.
• Ronan Keating's cover album is out at it's number one in the UK. Not a big fan of the covers(Carrickfergus was better when Charlotte Church did it.), but hey - he's got four number one albums so you gotta hand it to him.
• Two new Mandy Moore songs are out. They're OK, but I Could Break Your Heart.... is still the best new song so far. Will be waiting for the album!
• Esmee Denters has a new song out - AND IT'S BRILLIANT. Just when I thought Gia Farrell would never come back, here's someone who sounds a lot like her! yay! hahah.
• Well, Kian Egan and Louis Walsh's STILL unnamed girl band had an Irish TV appearance the other day, singing a Dixie Chicks cover. They apparently have competition now, the new girl group with a girl who didn't get a place in the other band are rumored to record the new Grey's Anatomy theme song. This is WAR.
• Last year's Swedish Idol winner has an album out. There are some gorgeous songs on it but once again, there's no cohesion. They're nice songs to listen to though. I might review it after exams.
• Savannah Outen has a new song for this charity out and she sounds a lot like Jordan Pruitt at the start and though I will forever love Jordan Pruitt(and her utter brilliance), Savannah can be jaw-dropping at times.
• Pixie Lott got her first play Radio 2 some time back! Congrats!!!!!!
• I got re-addicted to Guy Sebastian some time back. I might do a few reviews as well... yay!
• Taylor Swift's song for the Hannah Montana movie has a video out already and may I say, it's the only good part of the whole soundtrack.
• Hold on, I thought the video for Moments That Matter was out already? Apparently not, here's a new one.
• Girls Aloud's new video is out. The album version was amazing, and I love the fact that Nicola sings first but something in the single mix and the video makes me uneasy about the whole thing. I'd love Revolution in the Head as a single though! haha.
  
  
  I guess that's it! Back to studying. Asian economics, systems of quadratic equations, uniform accelerated motion, Newton's laws of motion, Filipino short stories(which are like 10 pages each..), adverbial clauses of concession, congruence postulates, and everything else! UGH.

Break.

OK, so my exams are on April 1 and 2 which is pretty close already so I'll be taking a break from now 'till then. If something major comes out I'll post but apart from that I won't be posting. The awards will be put on hold until summer so I can focus more on that. Hmm..

Will be out for maybe a little more than a week..

EDIT: And by summer I mean summer here, which is in April.

The boyband special wrap-up post.

BOYBANDS!

While we're waiting for all these amazing new releases from our favorite artists, this period of absolutely no new albums will be dedicated to boybands!

Love them or hate them, they're a huge part of music, and with the slow but sure return of them in both the US and and UK, let's pay homage to some new, old, and outright amazing boybands!

What are boybands?

Westlife vs. BSB - Colo(u)r My World

WIN SOMETHING! WIN! WIN!

The A Capella Showdown

1999 in Boyband Land

The 5 Boybands that Demand Your Attention

Four new Boybands

Westlife Vs. Human Nature - She's Back(Again)

The Best Boyband Debut Singles Ever

Nine of the Most Underrated Boyband Songs

2000 in Boyband Land

Westlife - Back Home

Deconstructing the Perfect Boyband Album

Five of the Best Boyband Love Songs from the Most Unusual Suspects

Pick up your battle of the boybands playsheet here! haha.

The Quizzes

Part 1

Part 2 never materialized, sorry!

New Music!

Things have been slow with me lately, so apologies for the lack of updates.. haha. And I know some of these points are older but nothing's been happening! garr.

• Extremely late but pop band RBD are over - their last album was released a little more than week ago. They were sort of a GA for me, didn't like them at first but I kept on seeing them everywhere so I listened again and got hooked. Garr. I do love the last album, good, solid pop songs.
• Well, Untouchable is officially GA's third single from Out Of Control. Loved the song when I first heard it, still love it and I honestly hope to God that it does heaps better than TLK for the girls' sake. I agree with everyone else when I say that the single mix doesn't do any justice to the original version but oh well.
• Oh, and Been Waiting is Jessica Mauboy's third official single! yay! Was listening to it a lot over the past few days and I love the groove of the song, how you just want to bop your head to the beat - it's infectious. THIS is what I call brilliance, I didn't like Burn that much.
• New Elliott Yamin song - not a big fan of it but it's good. What I'm worried of though is that he might give us an album full of standard R&B songs - he better not.
• Idol related news - two of the now top 11 have solo albums/songs circulating the internet. A few songs from Kris Allen's pre-Idol are out and both of Matt Giraud's albums are out. I'm so-so with Kris Allen's stuff, he sounds like an older/quirky-er Teddy Geiger and so far I've heard one song from Matt's album - I don't like it.
• Ruben Studdard has a new song out and it's pure brilliance. I only have three Ruben songs in my library - one from each stage of his career and his atrocious version of FWW aside, Together is the song I personally like the most from him. Brilliant melody and it's a refreshing change, compared to this Change Me is far too 'heavy'.
• Megan Joy has possibly got to be my best bet to win Idol or even just get to the top 3. Yeah, she sounds a bit like Duffy but that's what the US scene is lacking, plus the fact that she's likable and can actually sing. If she keeps on choosing good songs I think she'll go far. Oh, and Adam Lambert can burn in that horrid 'ring of fire' for all I care - I hate him.

Exam week for me is nearing so I'll have even less time to post but don't worry - I'm off for two months after my exams!!! Which means I'll be posting like every day. Oh, and I know I said that the next special would be Soulshock and Karlin but that'll be pushed back because in preparation for the Craig David concert I'm OFFICIALLY going to - it's the Craig David special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!

American Idol Top 11 - Week 2

It's country week. hmm.

Michael Sarver - I didn't like his performance that much, it was a bit too rushed for me but I don't know if the song's really like that. It's like the song doesn't have any dynamics - there's no high point or low point in it. I'm so-so about the whole thing.
Allison Iraheta - I know she can sing, she has a voice but I'm not convinced. There's nothing really moving about her for me - kinda like Carly last year.
Kris Allen - He's getting better I think. If he keeps on choosing good songs - he'll be a very strong contender. I don't know if it was a technical error or what but the high parts got fuzzy.. hmm. He reminds me a bit of Elliot - he can definitely go the same route as him.(NOTE: it was a technical thing..)
Lil Rounds - Gorgeous, gorgeous voice. The song doesn't match that much but what the heck - BRILLIANT VOICE. She did however, NAIL THE LAST NOTE.
Adam Lambert - I didn't like the arrangement, it's so strange and his voice was a bit weak at the start. He's strange. Plus the screaming at the end was just too much. I agree with Simon! I really don't like him.
Scott MacIntyre - He was so-so this week, nothing outstanding but the performance was OK.
Alexis Grace - Brooke White sang this better and though they have different voices and stuff - I do like Brooke's version better. Not a very good week for her but she better get through!
Danny Gokey - Again, it was so-so. There were high points and there were low points but it's enough for him to get through. yay!
Anoop Desai - YAY! The Anoop we all knew and loved during the earlier stages is BACK! I loved it, it was definitely A LOT better than last week's. yay!
Megan Corkey - BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT! It fits her voice perfectly and the arrangement is brilliant. LOVE IT. She's definitely the most current pop of all of them.
Matt Giraud - Nope. Once again it's nothing special - Carrie Underwood immortalized this song and this is nothing compared to her version. I don't like him.

Almost everyone was so-so this week for me - all but a few. hmm.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

So a few hours ago, it was Irish music's biggest night and yes, Westlife were nominated for their NINTH Best Pop Act award. The run-up to last night was kinda nerve-racking because all the news articles were saying that they might win because Boyzone and the Script are up against them and all.

WELL THEY WOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY! Congrats to them(as if they'll ever read this.) and they better win another one next year!

(btw, WHERE WAS KIAN? what 'special commitment'? he's not doing anything besides planning his wedding(which is apparently almost done and managing a band with Louis Walsh who was there! ugh.) haha.

Flashback: Lindsay Lohan

OK, I know she's practically ruined her career at the moment but she used to be good - better than Hilary Duff if you were to ask me.

If the late 90's had Britney and Christina, the early to mid-2000's had Lindsay and Hilary. If you were a kid/teenager growing up between 2002 and 2005 you would've seen every single episode of Lizzie McGuire, watched Freaky Friday, Mean Girls and Confessions of a Drama Queen and would've eventually bought Either Lindsay or Hilary's albums. Later once the movie/TV acting careers of the two were done and over with, the music remained.

Although I think Lindsay is the more talented of the two, you gotta hand it to Hilary for keeping herself together longer than Lindsay and making tons more albums than her. I'll get to Hilary some other time, let's focus on Lindsay.

The first single off the album was Rumors and it's one of my personal favorites from Lindsay. It's racy, dance-y and it's nothing like what Lindsay was portrayed like in the movies. In a sense I think it was the right move, mainly because they had to separate her movies from her music - if they didn't people wouldn't know her real name and just refer to her as the girl in those Disney movies.

Then came Over - a very nostalgic track for me mainly because it was HUGE here in the Philippines and I used to hear it every single day on the local music channel. After about a year of not listening to it at all, I've come to really, really, really love this track. It's like she goes from pole to pole - the first single was uptempo, club-y and now this is a ballad. Still, it shows just how much better she is than Hilary vocals-wise and gave fans something to argue about. Which's better - Fly or Over? Yeah, sure Fly was a gorgeous song but it's too big for Hilary.

The last single off the album was First and it was featured on the soundtrack to Herbie: Fully Loaded. It's a great song, very catchy - very Disney, unmistakably actually. Very good for promotions and to put on the soundtrack to an advertisement or trailer.

What I'm trying to say is that a debut album must be marketable, it must have potentially commercial songs - songs you can slap on a trailer or ad campaign. It should also be able to sell quite a lot because that's the record company's main criteria if they'll let you make another album - if your singles sell, your albums charts well and you bring in a lot of money and attention.

Brilliance. With free downloads!

Apologies for the absence, have been busy with school and all. Let's get rolling, shall we?

Even if I'm actually one of these kids, I find it amazing how people my age who think they have potential and actually do can hone their skills and get their talents noticed via the internet. I love writing, so I blog and build up my resume but apparently, there are even some singers my age writing and producing actual songs. I got an email from this guy called mnek - a singer in London who's my age, asking me to check his music out. When I was scanning through the email I was happy that like me, there was someone my age pushing boundaries but when I actually heard his stuff, I was absolutely blown away.

Let me put this simply, if he was to release his songs officially - I'd buy them.

I know how much it means to kids like me when people tell us we're good, when they tell us we've got potential so I'll word my review very truthfully and not underestimate the music just because this guy is 14.

I'm impressed with a lot of things, but what I'm most amazed by is the fact that this guy WRITES his own stuff. There are major label singers at this age, a few songwriters but there are even less who can do both. He can write, and unlike a lousy American Idol contestant, he writes/chooses songs that fit his voice and give him an edge - all while being commercial enough to be scooped up by a major label right now.

I love the melodies he's created and I think unlike a lot of artists nowadays, he's not confused as to where he wants to go music-wise but he's not afraid to take chances with style, language and the over-all song.

I'm drawn to his music a little more because of his influences and who he wants to work with - he doesn't marginalize. Every genre's represented - from Lady GaGa to Usher to Whitney, and I think having likes that diverse will very much help define a unique identity and we all know how scarce those are nowadays.

What I'm afraid though is that if he ever gets signed to a label and gets the chance to make an album, the record company might want to take control and order him to make something that isn't him but sells. I DON'T want any more amazing talent sanitized, we've had countless artists already murdered by the commercial market and this guy certainly doesn't deserve to go the same way.

DOWNLOAD(highly recommended):
Devil In Pumps(She Dips)
If Truth Be Told

AND visit his MySpace.

American Idol Top 13 - Week 1

haha. Yes! I'm finally doing an episode recap again..

'Lil Rounds - Brilliant start. She's slowly becoming a Fantasia-like singer, big voice, consistent song choices and lots of personality. I loved the performance, she
Scott MacIntyre - He has a nice voice and I like it but I'm afraid that if he keeps on singing ballads like this, he might become a one-trick pony. I don't however, agree with what Simon said. So what if it's not popular? Ugh.
Danny Gokey - I liked him during the earlier stages, and I still like him. Although I thought he was pushing a bit too much, the performance was OK.
Michael Sarver - I didn't like him during the top 36 but he does actually have a nice voice and I quite enjoyed his performance. What I'm afraid of though is him becoming somewhat a Daniel(of X factor last year in case you don't remember..) who can only sing ballads.
Jasmine Murray - From the contestants who've already sung, lemme guess who Simon will most likely sign because of what they sang today. Scott, so he can turn him into an inspirational ballad-singing machine and Jasmine, so he can make her a young, American Leona Lewis. She has a voice but her top 36 performance proved that all she can sing are ballads, that's it. Not convinced.
Kris Allen - When I first heard the name today, I had no idea who he is. So I wiki-ed and he's Man In The Mirror guy! haha. So-so performance, he has the possibility of becoming a Jason Mraz-ish singer(I SAID IT BEFORE RANDY DID!!!! IT'S TRUE! MY IDEA!) although he sounds like he came straight out of a flop boyband. Plus that note towards the end was just sad.
Allison Iraheta - I never liked her, still don't. It's not that she's bad or anything, I just don't like that kind of voice in particular, I hear too much of it here in the Philippines that I can get annoying at times. I didn't like Carly that much last season but I like her better than Allison!
Anoop Desai - I agree with the judges, the didn't go very well with him. It was kinda flat and bland but I just hope he stays another week... I liked him, not very sure about it now.
Jorge Nuñez - JORGE! Gorgeous voice, but it's average. Still, DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS VOICE. It makes up for everything.
Megan Joy - I love her voice, but I quite liked the song choice. Cutesy, perky and nice. She better get through..
Adam Lambert - He pulled the theme the best out of everyone but I don't know, there's still something if-y about him for me. I liked the performance though..
Matt Giraud - I like his voice but the performance had a lot of flaws. He'll get in but he didn't do very well, I think.
Alexis Grace - She pulled it off. Not brilliant but not bad. Loved her, still do. TOP THREE, here we come! haha.

I said last weekend that the talent isn't as good as it was last year but this episode made me think twice. So, let me rephrase. The talent isn't as diverse this year. You don't have a bunch of big voices, a rocker, an alternative singer, an adult pop singer and heaps of variety.

Some random reviews...

These are the songs I like and want to talk about now but don't have enough to say about yet to be able to make full-length reviews..

Varsity Fanclub - You'll Be Okay

Listening over to the Varsity Fanclub songs I have, I noticed that after maybe one listen, their songs go right through me. I listen to them once and I think they're brilliant but I listen again and there's nothing special about the songs anymore.

That applies to all but this song. It's got all the elements of a typical R&B song while having all the elements a Varsity Fanclub song possesses - the elements are similar to another VF song and the melody is gorgeous.

Rating: 4/5

Pixie Lott - What You Do

This girl just keeps those brilliant songs coming, doesn't she? This song comes as a free download if you sign up on her official website and may I just say that it's possibly the most brilliant pop song I've heard all year.

It feels like all her other songs, it's got the Pixie Lott signature but the melody somehow reminds me of a Motown song. It's gorgeous and spunky, it's soft but it has kick and she reminds me of a certain British singer who was one of a select few who were able to break the US - Natasha Bedingfield. If Pixie can at least match Natasha's success, I'd be one happy blogger.

Rating: 5/5!

The Pussycat Dolls, A.R. Rahman and Nicole Scherzinger - Jai Ho!(You Are My Destiny)

According to Last.fm, my most played song last week was this American attempt at a perfectly good Indian song on the soundtrack of a perfectly OK movie. I'll admit it, I kind of like the melody of the first two lines of the chorus but what irritates me is the way they say Jai Ho - they make it sound like Jay Ho.

I think it's definitely one of the better songs they've recorded(I have a few guilty pleasures from these girls.. but that's for me to know and you to find out..).

Rating: 4/5

Rain - Fresh Woman

I've developed a liking for this guy - he may seem like an Usher copycat but what sets him apart from the rest is that one, he sings in Korean not English and he actually does the R&B thing pretty well.

Apart from the strange title, the song's actually very good. It's got groove, it makes you want to bop your head or tap your toes and it's got a gorgeous melody. I've noticed that what most artists forget to put in when they TRY make songs like this is an actual melody, the element that makes the song an actual song. This not only has a melody, it's got a structure.

Rating: 4.5/5

Natasha Bedingfield - Again

Again is one of those signature epic Natasha Bedingfield ballad - ala I Bruise Easily and Soulmate. If you've never heard a ballad from Natasha, you'll be surprised at how well she sings those fun, funky tracks and these sad/empowering ballads.

That's why I love her so much.

She can do fun and spunky but she can also do epic, serious and be a show-off with her voice. In other words, she's versatile. Plus the fact that her songs are brilliant.

Rating: 5/5

American Idol: Thoughts.

I know I said I'd do live blogs and all but I haven't had the time, so let me just list down some thoughts on this season. I might do a recap for the top 13, but it depends.

• Can someone please explain to me why Tatiana Del Toro got into the top 36 THEN got into the wildcard round instead of Norman Gentle? Norman can actually sing, sort of like the girl from the Ting Tings. They both don't have the most gorgeous voices but they can hold a melody AND entertain us, keep us interested whereas all Tatiana can do is cry and say 'Thank you'.
• Scott MacIntyre has got a gorgeous voice, but somehow he sounds a lot better when I just listen to him. In fact, a lot of the top 13 sound better when I don't watch them perform. Jasmine Murray, for example. I wasn't convinced by her when I watched her but I got the live recordings and now I'm a fan.
• I've got my favorites, Alexis Grace, Danny Gokey, Jorge Nunez, Scott MacIntyre, Anoop Desai and Megan Corkey, let's just see how they do!
• I agree with Simon on the Jorge Nunez thing, I don't see why he should work with a dialect coach. He's Spanish for heaven's sake so it's natural that he sings like that, it's the way he is. Isn't Idol about taking raw talent and making it into a superstar? I can't wait to see him kick butt if they ever do a Latin week.
• I didn't find Lil Rounds' performance as brilliant as everyone says it is. Sure, she's got a beautiful voice, the song really matched her and the performance was very good, outstanding but there were people who were as good as her that night, some even better.
• Ricky Brady is AMAZING but he still didn't get through. This is so unfair.
• Over-all, the talent this is isn't as good as it was last year. The people who got cut last year were better than a few of the top 13 and last year gave us Cook, Archuleta, Brooke, Carly, Michael and pure, raw talent. Watching an episode of Idol last year was like watching professionals do their thing. I wonder what it'll be like this year.

Jessica Mauboy - Been Waiting

I was supposed to do a review on this last year but alas, I got too busy. Better late than never, right?I always stress the importance of a cohesive record that, at the same time shows that the artist can(figuratively) jump through hoops and walk on fire. Been Waiting shows just how to effortlessly do exactly that AND be contemporary enough to compete with existing music heavyweights. The album may be able to compete with the greats but when you hear the album, you know it's her and you know that's who she really is. She isn't trying to be the next Rihanna or anyone, she's being herself.

But aside from a good record, you obviously have to have a whole lot of talent. You can have the best production team, songwriters and a cohesive album behind you but without the raw talent, you won't get anywhere. What's strange for me is that Jessica didn't actually win Australian Idol. Don't get me wrong, the guy who won has a nice voice and his debut single was OK but compared to Jessica, he doesn't seem very special.

The album opens with a very strong, contemporary track - Running Back. Written by Jessica herself and the guy who gave us Delta Goodrem's Born To Try, it's a very strong R&B song that I think can go head-to-head with Umbrella any day. Amidst the very urban/R&B sound, this song still actually has a melody and a structure, which I love. Bottom line is, it's a gorgeous song and it should've gone to number one in Australia.

After the very heavy first track, Been Waiting comes along and brightens up the whole album which is another plus point on this album. You can't put one heavy track after another, people will either get really bored and not listen to the second one or won't listen to the whole album altogether. It's got a lighter instrumentation and the melody is even more structured than Running Back, it's like a proper R&B mid-tempo that can easily rival Mary J Blige.

I remember reading a review that said Burn sounded like a Britney song. It does remind me a bit of Britney but the main difference with Jessica and Britney is that Jessica actually uses her amazing voice whereas Britney sounds like she's being strangled when she sings.

Used2B is probably one of my ultimate favorites out of the already amazing album. It's a sweet mid-tempo verging on a ballad that has one of the most gorgeous melodies I've heard, somewhere around the level of Jordan Pruitt's Unconditional(and that was my favorite song of 2008 already..). I did a little research on the guy who wrote the song and he said that the perfect pop song should be around 3:40 and the first chorus should kick in before a minute, which means Used2B is the perfect pop song? haha. If Used2B is gorgeous, Back2U is brilliant. It's a cheery mid-tempo, even cheerier than Been Waiting and it's a pleasure to listen to.

Phew. That was long, lemme just run down the other tracks..

Empty reminds me of Running Back, it's got a similar sound and a similar structure but I like Empty better. Because is an Unfaithful-esque song with more beats and a snappy-er melody, it's got more bite than the Rihanna song. True to it's title, To The Floor is very dance/club-y, I can imagine it playing in a hip LA/NY club. Not a big fan of Time After Time itself but I love the arrangement, very Jessica from what I'm getting with the rest of the album.

Up/Down sounds like something that would go very well in a chick flick or fashion-related like Confessions of a Shopaholic or the Bratz movie, I love the melody and it makes you want to tap your feet and have a lot of fun. Finally, the album ends with Let Me Be Me - a song written by Britain's entry to the Eurovision, Jade Ewen. I love the melody, I think it's a gorgeous song and the verses definitely stand out more than the chorus. I don't know if it's a good thing or not but over-all, I like the song.

It's a pleasure listening to this album, it doesn't leave me hanging - if this was the only album she'll ever release(God forbid that ever happens..), I'd be satisfied but if not, I'd obviously want a lot more material.

SO, to sum up the album:
Best Track: Used2B
Better Tracks: EVERYTHING ELSE!(Yes! Even Time After Time, it has it's plus points!)
Least Favorite Track: None.
THE RATING: 5/5

A random bunch of stuff I've been meaning to talk about..

It's sort of a new music post - but it's not. Some stuff that I've been delaying for weeks now, better get on with it. haha!

So I got an email a few weeks ago about this band called Parachute. I read the press release and all but didn't have the time to listen to the song so I told myself I would when I had the time. In standard me form, I sort of forgot about it for a while but last night I was checking mail and I came across the email so I gave She Is Love a listen.

The song is absolutely BRILLIANT. haha. I love the melody, the guy can sing and the overall song is something definitely worth listening to. I'd put this in the Andi/Sara Bareilles Pop category, amazingness! If you like the song, you can buy it on iTunes or visit their myspace. Oh, I just came from their myspace and the acoustic version of the song is up as well, I love it more than the original one! haha.

Another e-mail discovery, Emma Deigman. She'll be supporting Girls Aloud starting April this year which is brilliant.

I've heard a voice like this before, not sure where and from who but I've heard it. The song is very Motown/50's/60's, which I have a very soft spot for(the parents used to play the Motown greats when I was a kid.) and I LOVE the melody! haha. Good voice, good video, BRILLIANT song! You can visit her official site, which has a great design and even more brilliance playing! haha. here.

When I first heard the new Eoghan Quigg single I was weird-ed out and shocked.

And then I thought, if Simon's behind this, should I be surprised? NO! A cover of a mediocre song, haven't we seen this all before? But an uptempo, I'm sad to say, doesn't work for this guy. I appreciate the fact that maybe they DON'T want to turn him into a British Archuleta but uptempos don't go with him in the first place so why even think otherwise? haha. I'm not as shocked as I was when I first heard it and I'll probably check his album out but I'm not convinced.

Natalie Bassingthaighte's album is NUMBER ONE! YAY! Congrats to Nat, I'd buy 1,000 Stars if I could!

AH! Forgot something! EDITTTTT!
With the demise of A-List Alliance, I think I've found a new band. The start of Ballas Hough Band's new song sounds a lot like something A-List Alliance would do and I LOVE it! Very teen pop/rock, a catchy melody, good vocals and an over-all great song! haha.

Whoa.

Sorry for not posting in ages, have been super busy with school and tonight's the biggest concert of the year here(I'll be front and center! haha.) so nothing from me tonight.

I opened up my email to see that Ken(http://thebeatreview.blogspot.com/), a fellow blogger and Filipino(we stick together in this big world.. haha.) just gave me an award. I don't want to launch into one of my speeches so I just want to thank him very much for choosing me over tons of other possibilities and that I'm honored, to be given recognition by another blogger, a blogger I support - is brilliant.
The Dardos Award is given for cultural, literary, and personal values in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

The Rules:
1. Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.
2. Pass the award to another five blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.

The five I've chosen are: Melismatic, The Beat Review, Poster Girl, The Billboard Files, You Don't Know Pop.. YAY! haha.