Great Sounds: Bag Raiders

I get eargasms when I listen to Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders. Since house music is still very much in music trend, anyone looking to expand their Ipod music library should add this group immediately to their playlist. This duo from the down-under (that's Australia if you didn't know) have a hit self-titled album that hit airwaves Oct 2010. But it's never too let to grab the album and start jamming. Visit the website here. Until then hope you love the video!

Enjoy
xxx

Great Sounds: Timothy Bloom + V

pictures courtesy of [1] [2]

Remember that amazing yet controversial D'Angelo video? I'm sure you do. It's practically the only song people can remember by him. These amazing new faces have recreated the sensational video taking it a step further. There has been a lot of hype about this video and it's easy to see why. Partial Nudity! Although the video skirts around inappropriateness, it's actually quite beautiful. Not only can the artists really sing, but their bodies look perfectly sculpted, ridiculously smooth and the most flawless shade of black.

Side note: V's body is what I've been working on all summer. I'm taking note and pumping my routine up a notch.

A little about the artists:

Timothy Bloom is a producer, singer, songwriter inspire by the classic R&B vibes. He's written work for Ne-Yo Chris Brown and more artists that we've come to know and love which undoubtedly credits him as a powerful force in the music industry. He grew up on music, playing instruments and singing since he was young. His debut album "In Full Bloom" should be out soon. In the meantime you can check out his EP featuring his single 'Til the End of Time" called "The Budding Rose". Check out his site here.

V is a multi-talented artist as well. Given she is a fairly new face to the main line, there's not much we know about her except that's she gorgeous and has an amazing voice! AMAZING! I can't wait to hear and see more of her. Check out her site here.

Until then, enjoy the video. FYI not suitablee for work.

Enjoy
xxx

Good Reads: Water For Elephants

pic home [1]

In keeping to my New Year's resolution I went to the NY Times best sellers list and plucked out Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. The book was made into film. After seeing the trailers I was uninterested, simply dismissing it as another sappy Hollywood love story. (I'm not too partial to chick flicks). But my interest was piqued when I read all the wonderful reviews. Besides, if it made the list obviously it must be a great story.

Water For Elephants is the story of an old man who recalls the story of his youth. It is of a time when he meets tragedy and very quickly finds himself in the midst of a traveling circus. Along his journey he meets some very interesting characters including a very narcissistic ring master, a highly over powering chief operator, drunken works men, a grumpy midget, a mysteriously beautiful young woman and more. Jocab Jankowski's tale is an engaging depiction of a great adventure one can only dream of.

I loved this story because it was the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. I expected unrealistic accounts of a fairytale like situation encompassed in some glittery feats of love. In fact the story was about adventure. It was about mystery. It was comical, provocative, and heart felt. (Well maybe the end is a bit unrealistic. You'll see when you read)

I believe the author did an incredible job. The story was packed with details. She did extensive background research on the circus including making several trips around the US to collect data. So as expected from her dedication to extracting such information, the story uses vernacular familiar to people in the circus business, and circumstances not to far from reality. I recommend this book to everyone!

After reading this I may actually go give the movie a gander.

Enjoy
xxx

My Darling Amy

I'm so sad to hear that Amy is no longer with us and trust when I say she will be missed. One thing is for certain though, she left an unforgettable mark of this earth. She is and will always be a legend. One day our children's children will be singing her songs.

Great Sounds: The Weeknd

I found this character through tumblr. I really like him. Although most everything about this artist was shrouded in mystery (seriously I not even quite sure what he looks like), I was able to dig up some facts about him. The Weeknd is a Toronto based R&B artist whose first album "House of Balloons" came out in March 2011. Apparently one of his songs is being used as a promo for Entourage.

As I said before he's an r&b artist so most of his music has r&b influences. However there is a bit of an eclectic sound to it. I would even say neo-soul meets alternative. A lot of the comments I read on youtube refer it as love making music and I tend to agree. He's definitely talented and I would be surprise to find out he produces his own music. You can check out the very vague website here.

What You Need

High For This

Enjoy
xxx

Great Sounds: Florence + The Machine

Love love love Florence + the Machine. At one point in time I had almost every track of their latest album plastered on my facebook. Their music has be in constant rotation on my play list lately.

Florence + the Machine have an extremely hypnotic rhythmic heart pumping feet stomping hand clapping sound to almost every track they've ever release. It's brilliant! It's strange that some songs could be talking about something so tragic like heart break yet make it sound like a celebration.

I almost feel like a hippie running through a field naked in slender listening to their music. (I know...extreme. But hey it's the truth). I always feel transferred to another universe when listening to their music. It's like nothing else exists but sounds and words. This is the way music should sound!

Did I mention how much I love their music!
Side note: lately all the artists I've discovered have had  London roots. Is there something in the water over there? I simply must visit.

Enjoy

xxx

Great Sounds: Girl In A Thunderbolt

I was blog surfing and came up across this phenomenal sound. I really love her style and she clearly has amazing talent. As you may know by now, I have eclectic taste in music that can go from classical to funk at any point in time. As for this sound, I can't categorize her music, but then again some music doesn't need categories. Just a simple "good music" label will suffice. You can check out her blog here.

and I love this one even though the video is kind of weird. But in a good way.

Enjoy
xxx

Great Sounds: Jaspects

pic via [1]
A friend had posted a YouTube, so being the curious person that I am I clicked on it completely enamored with the sounds I heard. Jaspects has a really smooth mellow sound remnant of a jazz. But what makes them so fascinating is their unique twist on the beats reminding me of music my Dad would listen to integrates with a revolutionary modern sound which makes it so addicting to listen to. This is music you can pop in and listen to while at work. Loving this discovery!

Here's a little excerpt about the band: "Born during the hip-hop movement, Jaspects integrates their youthful skill to progress music and build a bridge between musical genres. Formally trained alumni of Morehouse College’s music department, Jaspects’ goal is to produce an exhaustive musical experience that involves TRUE freedom of expression via musical and lyrical creativity." [2]

Their last album is called The Polkadotted Stripe. The name alone is so intriguing. Apparently the band has split but their music still lives on so check it out!

Enjoy
xxx

Good Reads: Lost Boys

It's been a while since I've read a decent fiction novel. Lately I've drowned myself in a number of how to's and books that can ultimately help me build my empire. Luckily in a random moment of boredom I came across this lovely novel by Orson Scott Card. At first I was apprehensive to pick up the book being that is was not a real story. And as I began sifting through the first couple of pages I had to truly encourage myself to continue reading not because the book was boring but because I could hardly see how I could relate to a Mormon family moving to North Carolina in the mid 80's. Nevertheless I continued reading and to my delight was pleased to find myself chuckling along the way.

Great Sounds: Esperanza Spalding

I love coming across artist with absolute pure talent. Esperanza Spalding is indeed a phenomenal individual with unparalleled talent. Considered a child prodigy, Spalding has been playing instruments since 5 years old and has not stopped since. She received a full scholarship to attend Berklee College of music in of Boston. Most significant is her Grammy fiasco, where she was awarded best new artist over Beiber and Drake. (Rightfully so I should add). It's very rare to come across music like this today considering the explosion of techno, deep base, fist pumping music. Her tunes are definitely for the lovers of jazz as she is a bass player who was inspired by many jazz music legends.

Her current album Chamber Music Society is an absolute must listen!  I never really enjoyed jazz music growing up, but over the last two years since first discovering her music I've acquired an obsession with all things jazz. I can almost guarantee after listening to one song you will be completely floored by how angelic and addictive her voice is. Below are my two fav songs off of the current album.

Enjoy

xxx

"Short and Sweet"

"Apple Blossom"

Great Sounds: Adele



I am so ecstatic about this album! I've been bumping to Adele's singles "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone like You" since December of last year. Adele's first album "19" was a Grammy award winning success. She took gut wrenching heartbreak and turned it into a lovely soulful album. Once again heartbreak is the outstanding theme of her new venture "21".

Music is Life + Great Sounds: Rox

pic home

I went almost a week without listening to music and it almost drove me insane. It's so amazing how music impacts our live. We all know that it expresses our deepest darkest feeling when we ourselves are unable to find the words to describe the way we feel. Music is so significant, it is a multi-billion dollar industry that has successfully turns average Joes in millionares and celebrties. It has the power to change our moods, and stimulate our emotions which is why we need to pay attention to what we are listening to.

A friend of mine pointed out that only a few years ago, music was dedicated to love and happiness. Almost everything we listened to was rooted in the idea of feeling good. Now our music focuses more on sex, heartbreak, and reckless abandon than happiness. Tragic. Although I love a good blues song and booty shaker here and there, it definitely does not take up my rotation.

But rant aside, I want to take this time to promo this great new artist I discovered. She's a London native who goes by the name of Rox. I absolutely love her sound and her voice is nothing short of amazing. Not quite sure if her music is picking up in here in the U.S but I definitely predict it will.

Amazing! For more infor on Rox check her out here.

Enjoy
xxx

MY FAVORITE 12/17/10

I'm going to deter slightly from my usual romance rants to give way to my favorite things. This week:



Definitely have been a fan since 'Like a Star'. Her music is on constant rotation in my head, as should be because she is absolutely talented and has an addictive way with words and sounds. Her last album the sea has been out for a while, but if you haven't listened to it, what are you waiting for? It's great! But this post isn't her old stuff, it's about her new album coming out in January called the 'Love LP'. The album is going to be a collection of love song cover from her favorite artists. The first single released off the album is a Bob Marley cover of  'Is This Love". Give it a listen.

xxx

Shirley