bErG lOvEs PiZzA

That is the title of the highly anticipated fourth studio album from British rockstars Coldplay.  Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends will comprise of ten brand new songs… recorded in London, Barcelona and New York with producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs. The album will be released worldwide on June 12, 2008. Aaah I can’t wait!

A few minutes ago, their new single “Violet Hill” was put up as a FREE DOWNLOAD on their official website www.coldplay.com and will be available there for the next seven days. After that, it will be available for purchase in most digital music retailers.  Opportunity to download it for free… hello?!?!?! Go grab it now… its free and legal… that’s very rare for a band as huge as these guys!  I just got it and its still growing on me upon each listen (i’m on my 3rd listen now)… not your run-of-the-mill Coldplay sound I must say, and its not bad at all much much better than i expected it to be… i thought I was going to get disspointed by it but I’m not. This one’s ace! Good luck getting it in the next few hours, the site seems to be overloaded with heavy traffic right now hehehe.

(kung gitamad kag adto didto sa site kay basig down gyapon iclik lang ang tuldok nga anaa sa pinakatumoy sa paragrap sa taas. bleh! kung tinatamad kang pumunta sa site nila, hanapin ang tuldok sa pinakadulo ng paragrap sa itaas at paki-clik lang. esep2x! :p)

www.coldplay.com

Got this on my mailbox today… just trying to help spread the word.  I know most of you are all dog lovers.  Our neighbor has lost her Chihuahua and is desperate to find him.  She does a lot of traveling and always takes her dog with her.

Yesterday, she was sitting on the couch watching TV.  She called out for her puppy with no response, and the back door was open.  She has been putting up signs everywhere.  If you see this dog, please let me know and I will notify her.  Your help would be greatly appreciated. (click picture below to enlarge)

——————–music mix for today—————

I got hold of a brand spankin’ new Colbie Caillat recording yesterday and was excited to share it with you guys but I didn’t wanna put it up all by itself so I decided to throw in four other songs with the same “coffeehouse” vibe to create a mini-mix of sorts.  Warm and fuzzy feelings for y’all. Hope you guys enjoy this!

[Colbie Caillat - "Out of My Mind"] This song showed up as a snippet on Colbie’s myspace page last month. A new pal/ regular visitor of the blog told me about it (you know who you are… don’t be shocked I called you a “pal” :P). Where its from I have no clue… a new album? a soundtrack? All I know is that I love it… she’s very consistent.  Here is the full studio version of “Out of My Mind” in high quality. I love me some Colbie!!!

[Matt Nathanson - "Come On Get Higher"] The song is the current single from Matt’s album Some Mad Hope… one of my top 30 albums for 2007 (go grab a copy of it). I was surprised they picked this as a single, but I’m not complaining coz I like the song a lot.

[Marc Thomas - "Your Love, My Love"] I don’t know much about this guy but this song is so pleasant. The singer-songwriter vibe is undeniably there.  I’m still on the hunt for his album/EP… couldn’t find it anywhere. Maybe some of you guys could help me out with this one if its not too much to ask ;-) I’d be really grateful.

[The Weepies - "Gotta Have You"] You must be stone-cold if you don’t find this song appealing at all.  The honest-to-goodness sincere/naive vocal harmonies and sing-songy melody… the song’s charm factor is high up there.  And come on, its The Weepies!!! You gotta love them.  The song’s from their 2006 album Say I Am You … go get it its really good!

[Jason Reeves - "Reaching"] We started with Colbie, and now we close this mini-mix with her good friend Jason Reeves. The two of them sound really good together and they’re best friends… lemme say it… they should just get married and make beautiful music together for the rest of their lives. haha!  Anyway, this song is a track on Jason’s album The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales)… another good album (Top 40 on my 2007 list) so you should get it if you don’t have it yet. Good luck finding it, its an indie release.

More themed mixes to come in the next few weeks… including that rhythmic mix I promised some weeks back… its finished, just gotta find time to upload and post.  What do you think about this set? Leave a comment or two… be nice! :P

[Alanis Morissette - "Underneath"] This song has been floating around for a while now but I wanted to wait till I got a copy in high quality… and here it is finally!  “Underneath” is Alanis’ first single from her upcoming 5th international release (not counting the two pop albums she released in canada as a kid).  The album will be called Flavors of Entanglement, due out May 30th in Germany, June 2nd internationally, June 4th in Japan, and June 10th in the US. The songs on the CD were produced by Morissette and Guy Sigsworth. The regular edition of the CD features 11 songs while a special 2-disc Deluxe Edition will also be available featuring 5 more songs.  Early reviews for the album have been glowing, with one critic even going as far as declaring it an undeniable career highlight, in the same way that Ray of Light was for Madonna.  Too bad, the label is not handling promotion that well. What is up with Maverick?!

[Forever The Sickest Kids - "Whoa Oh! (Me Vs. Everyone)"] Another power pop / pop-rock band set to make waves in the music scene.  Their first full-length major label release via Universal Motown Records is set to drop April 29th in music outlets… Underdog Alma Mater its called.  The song above is the first single… and it’s one uber-catchy high-energy confection. The album is very consistent throughout… make sure to take a rest before hitting the repeat button.

[Newton Faulkner - "Dream Catch Me"] First time I heard his name I told a friend of mine “hey, nice combo… Isaac Newton - a scientist, and William Faulkner - a very influential author.” That same friend introduced me to this guy. Apparently, Newton is warming up to the people in the land downunder. So I decided to give his debut album Hand Built By Robots a listen, and was I pleasantly surprised… it’s really good. I didn’t know that it was released sometime in the middle of 2007 and apparently topped the UK album chart for a week. Well, better late than never. His sound is a mix of acoustic rock, folk, funk and jazz with just enough pop sensibilities to catch your attention.  He would fit right in next to the laidback singer-songwriter types like Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and Donavon Frankenreiter. Check out his highest-charting UK single above “Dream Catch Me”, which is also getting a US release soon, with the album following on the 29th of April.  Check out the album… it is gooood. Look out for the album track “Gone In The Morning”, which is a highlight for me because of the ultra-catchy and fun lyrics and perky melody hehehe.

[Weezer - "Pork and Beans"] Yaaay they’re back! I thought they would just break up after their Rivers Cuomo was having issues about being popular but here they are on the heels of a brand new album. Continuing on their tradition of colored releases, this new one would be again self-titled but probably known as “The Red Album” because of the album cover’s color.  The first single is titled funny… “Pork and Beans” haha. Check it out, its actually really good… reminds me of “El Scorcho”, maybe because of the song’s build-up and melodic style.  The Red Album, which is said to be experimental and contains longer non-traditional songs according to Cuomo, comes out on June 24, 2008. It is produced by Rick Rubin, Jacknife Lee, and the band… ooh we’re in for a good one I can feel it.

[Tristan Prettyman - "Madly"] Just so you know, Prettyman is a woman hehehe.  I noticed her album Hello as a new entry at #2 on iTunes’ top albums chart this week… an impressive feat considering she’s virtually unknown. or is it just me who doesn’t know her?  Her sound borders on acoustic light rock/ folk pop… on first listen I found it kinda unadventurous and somewhat bland. But a few songs stood out, one of those is the one I’m putting up here, the single “Madly”. I might change my opinion about the album after multiple listens, we’ll see.

[Nelly Furtado & Keith Urban - "In God's Hands"] I thought they were done releasing singles off of Nelly Furtado’s Loose but here comes another one.  This version of “In God’s Hands” is different from the one on the album because it features country superstar Keith Urban on guest vocals and a slightly different instrumentation.  They sound great together. Nelly and Keith have made magic here. The song is about the disintegration of a relationship, written after Nelly broke up with the father of her kid.  This version is now available on iTunes for the US and Canada.  For the rest of us who don’t have access to those, the link is up there! You’re welcome! hahaha.

[Alter Bridge - "Watch Over You"] I expected more Creed-sounding songs from them because three of the four members of Alter Bridge are from that band… and their debut definitely had that same feel all over the songs.  This one though, it caught me by surprise. Its really different… and good!  I read some album reviews for their new album Blackbird and they’re overwhelmingly positive.  I think I’m going to check it out.  Too bad this single flopped on the charts… proof that radio stations don’t really know good songs even when it hits them in the head. This one’s stunning… take a listen.

[David Cook - "Always Be My Baby"] Ya’ll probably heard this last week on idol.  Admit it, you know you loved it!  Here’s the studio version for those who don’t have access to US iTunes.  I have a new-found respect for Mariah now hehehe.

rhythmic mix put on hold temporarily. sorry :p hehe. If you like what you hear, buy the real thing please! mmmkay?!?!  artists need to make money so they can make many more songs that make your heart go *padump-badump-bump*

Okay, the rhythmic mix i mentioned earlier would have to wait… i haven’t had enough free time to put it together yet.  But here’s the thing, I heard this song from a movie today and it was really captivating (in my opinion).  It’s called “Heaven’s Last Attempt” by a guy named Jude Cole… very good song based on the one time I heard it.  It was really simple, just him and the guitar and the words.  I looked everywhere for a copy of the song and haven’t had any luck finding it.  Anybody wanna help me out here?  These are its lyrics:

Rain down mercy for the lost and lonely child
For the liars and the losers, the reckless and the wild
There’s no more use in pretending
I know I never fooled you
The deepest darkness I’ve ever known comes
From living like I do

But I swear I’m gonna knock on that gate
Even if it’s all in vain
I’ll stand outside with my mouth wide open
And drink the pouring rain
I know there’s some good left in this world
I’ve seen it shine in your eyes
So rain down salvation, and keep my faith alive

The harder we fall, the closer we come
To finding our hearts and the damage we’ve done
Darlin’ I’ve held the devil’s dirty hand
But holding you now, I know
Is heaven’s last attempt

So won’t you walk beside me, you know I can’t make it alone
Here the fields are dark and the wind is hard, hard as stone
Roll out the sky and let me come home, come home
I wanna come home

The harder we fall, the closer we come
To finding the light and the warmth of the sun
All that I’ve ever had I’ve let slip through my hands
But holding you now, I know is heaven

———-update as of 04/12/08———-

Thanks to Aaron Adler and Alterfever for the help with this.  Yey!  That was fast you guys… I reall appreciate it. Cheers!  Here’s the song:

My laptop’s broken… sometimes it won’t turn on and sometimes it does.  Well, its probably on its deathbed since its already six years old… its chuggin’ along pretty slowly nowadays, sometimes freezing up in the middle of a task. I’m planning to get a new one but i’m still on the prowl for a good deal coz i’m not exactly loaded with a generous amount of cash. I want an Apple Macbook or an HP Pavilion or a Sony Vaio… if you know notebooks its probably obvious that the design weighs in heavily for me hehe.  Maybe the updates here won’t be as slow when I get a new machine to do this on, yeah?  Anyway, here are a few songs I’ve been wanting to put up since my last post.

[Augustana - "Hey Now"]  New album’s release date has been pushed up to April 29, 2008… 3 weeks from today! It’s called Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt and features the first single “Sweet and Low”. This is one of the tracks off of the album, its a ballad and it sounds awesome. One of them ballad-types that could start off an album, and a rock album at that.  I say that because usually albums start off with something uptempo at track one, but this one here could definitely pull off the unusual and set the tone for what’s already looking like a strong release from the band. I’ve heard three of the songs already and they all sound good… but this one here is my fave of the bunch because of the high-relatability quotient on my part. ;)

[Def Leppard feat. Tim McGraw - "Nine Lives"] Why don’t they make jams like these anymore? Oh right, because we’re in 2008 already and this one sounds like a throwback to the good ol’ rock & roll of the 80’s / early 90’s but with the slickness of today’s production.  Still, I can’t deny that I looooove this song… gets me pumped up especially on the road. Good to find Def Leppard sounding like their good old selves on this track. I haven’t liked anything from them since they released “When Love & Hate Collide” off of Vault.  Tim McGraw starts off the song with the first 4 verses and then disappears for the rest of the song… i find that as strange. He co-wrote the song with the band though. Their new album is called Songs from The Sparkle Lounge due out April 29, 2008 worldwide and April 30th in Japan. Rock out to this joint! Pour some sugar on me, anyone?!

[Ben's Brother - "Kiss Me Again (Stuttering)"] I don’t know anything about the artist, but the song’s really nice… and cute… sometimes annoying, but mostly cute and addictive. It was recently featured on a Dentyne Ice commercial… not a very groundbreaking ad but its visually pleasing and sticks in your head with the help of the song.  Haha i love Dentyne Ice! Icy fresh breath changes everything. I’ve been using it eversince I got over my Mentos phase last year hihihi… there you go, an endorsement from me. :p

[Josh Gracin - "Sweet September"] Josh is the first truly successful Idol alum to rule the country charts pre-Carrie Underwood. He placed 4th on the second season of American Idol and released his self-titled debut album under Lyric Street records about a year later. The album spawned three top 5 country singles including a number one with “Nothing To Lose”. The cd eventually got certified as a gold record selling north of 650,000 copies… about the same amount that season 5 winner Taylor Hicks sold with his debut hehe.  Lyric Street is not giving him the treatment he deserves though… they’re shipping only a limited number of copies for Josh’s second album We Weren’t Crazy which came out a week ago, and leaving him in the dust in terms of promo.  My advice to you josh, go to a new label where your talents will be much more appreciated! Boy can write songs too… new country style, of course.  This is one several tracks I love on Josh Gracin’s sophomore effort, the ballad “Sweet September”, a contender to become a single if Lyric Street decides to release any more singles off of the record.  Show the guy some support, buy his album.  For the uninformed, he sounds like a one-man version of Rascal Flatts without the annoying high-pitched vocals.  Some good pimpage from me right there!

[Gavin Rossdale - "Love Remains The Same"] It’s about damn time he released something new! A Bush reunion would’ve been much sweeter but this one will do for now. This is Mr. Gwen Stefani for all you younger folks out there.  His album Wanderlust is slated for a June 3rd 2008 release, and this is the first single… a surprisingly radio-ready ballad.  What’s up with everyone releasing ballads these days?  Go to his official website www.gavinrossdale.com and check out the “album trailer” for the album.  Is this new? They make trailers for albums now?  It kinda works, and the songs sound promising from what I’ve heard.

more songs later… probably a mix of rhythmic, pop and r&b tunes.

I’m getting lazier and lazier, so I better put up as much as I can now while I’m still kinda in the mood to.  Please excuse the genre-jumping. There may be a lot of songs/artists here but each one still deserves your undivided attention, so give each one a fair chance. And remember, if you like what you hear… you know what to do (buy the song/album, etc.) Here we go…

[Fall Out Boy feat. John Mayer - "Beat It" (Studio Version)] Yes, its a Michael Jackson cover and it works! The boys set the song on fire! You’ll find this song included on their new live CD/DVD release, the title of which escapes me right now (Live In Phoenix?) hehehe sorry. But this right here is a studio version.  Its being labeled that it features John Mayer but I don’t hear him anywhere… maybe he’s playing the electric guitar?  Give this a listen and rock out MJ style! or should I say FOB style?!

[Imogen Heap - "Not Now But Soon"] Finally some new music from this fascinating chanteuse. This song appears on, apparently, an upcoming TV soundtrack to Heroes to be released on the imprint NBC Records… which surprises me a bit since there’s not much music on the show except for the score and the occasional songs that pop up every few episodes. Hope its a good soundtrack, and I hope the show comes back much stronger than the tragicomedy that was the second season. Now back to Imogen… she’s coming up with a new LP very soon (rumored title: The Round House) and this song will be on there, too. I’m excited! The song is distinctively her, you can’t mistake it for anyone else. That’s a good thing. I like it!

[David Cook - "Billie Jean" (Studio Version)] Another Michael Jackson cover this time from American Idol 7 front-runner David Cook. Awesome cover… just as awesome as the other cover by Chris Cornell… right down to the tiniest nuances hehe.  Now, if you look at the official iTunes chart this song and any of the other present studio recordings of the current contestants on idol do not appear anywhere. But click on the “complete my albums” link and you’ll see how the idols are stacking up next to the other songs on the chart. last thursday, friday and saturday this was the top-selling (#1) song on iTunes! Just above the new songs by Mariah and Madonna at numbers 2 & 3 respectively. His closest rivals were down there at #11 (David Archuleta) and #12 (Michael Johns).  Other consistent sellers include Brooke White (the top-seller among the female idol contestants), Jason Castro, and Carly Smithson. Buy them on iTunes if you want them.

[Kate Voegele - "Only Fooling Myself" (Radio Remix)] When i first listened to her album Don’t Look Away all I could think about was “Michelle Branch now has a successor”.  I had the exact same reaction when I listened to Michelle’s debut The Spirit Room… didn’t care much for it at first but grew to love it later on.  This is well-crafted pop rock / power pop music. You may not like it instantly but it grows on you fast after multiple listens.  Apparently, she is part of the cast of CW’s One Tree Hill. Good for her i guess… free promo on tv everytime she appears or sings on the show.

[Jon Peter Lewis - "Break The Silence"] Remember him? Top 8 finisher on American Idol season 3.  He was my favorite though many people didn’t like him haha. Give this one a listen… he has improved a lot vocally. The song’s quite radio friendly and ready… you’ll probably be surprised with it. His first album Stories From Hollywood was surprisingly filled with well-written songs, dude can write. Second album Break The Silence comes out in June.

[Taylor Swift - "Our Song" (Pop Mix)] This song is very country in my opinion but its getting major pop radio airplay… much to my surprise.  They’ve even made this pop mix of the song which makes it sound like something Avril Lavigne would do if she weren’t pretending to be angsty. Gone are the fiddles, in come the electric guitars… heavier percussion-work… tailor-made for mainstream/chr pop radio. But most of the radio stations are playing the country version. Imagine that hehe. Good for Taylor, she’s being accepted by the mainstream just the way she really is… a country gal. She’s country’s It Girl now… move over Carrie Underwood. Her album’s even selling much better than Carrie’s Carnival Ride.

[Chris Sligh - "Empty Me"] Here’s another idol alumni… 10th placer from last season. He was my favorite too hihihi. My fave from a very lackluster season. Chris has gone the Mandisa route and went to contemporary christian music. This is his debut single, very Casting Crowns/MercyMe/Third Day-sounding type of ballad. I like it but I still can’t get over how polished this sounds. Maybe he rocks out more on the other songs off of the CD like when he sang Mute Math’s “Typical” on idol.  Sligh’s album Running Back To You will be released May 6, 2008 by Brash Music.

[The Hush Sound - "Honey"] I love this band! Their new album Goodbye Blues came out last March 18th and it is superb just like their previous ones.  One of my favorite ones to come out this year so far. If you haven’t heard of them before, they sound like a combination of Nickel Creek, Vanessa Carlton, Fall Out Boy, and Panic At The Disco… with both a male and a female vocalist. This is the first single off of the album… me likey!

[Death Cab For Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart" (Album Version)] I was so looking forward to some new music from these guys but when I first heard this I was sorely disappointed. I was wondering why on earth they chose to release this as the first single.  There is a radio edit of the song, a shorter version… this one right here though is the album version which is 8 minutes 35 seconds long. The first four minutes of the song is basically an intro… a very long intro with the baseline building up till the first words kick in at about four minutes 32 seconds into the song. I now like the song a lot hehehe. On the second listen I figured out why this song works… the chorus gets repeated a lot throughout the song and the melody kinda sticks to your subconscious… before you know it, you keep hearing it at the back of your head… “you got to spend time, love… you got to spend some time with me… and I know that you’ll find, love… i will possess your heart”.  Sing that over and over… its like doing some freakish mind-control to someone hehe. New album called Narrow Stairs coming out on May 13, 2008.

[Portishead - "Machine Gun"] They’re back!!! Last release happened in the mid-90’s… a looong time ago. Their third studio album is appropriately titled Third and comes out April 28th (29th in the US). This is the first single off of the new LP… i’m guessing its called that because of the underlying beats that sound a lot like errrr a machine gun going off… add Beth Gibbons‘ haunting voice and you’ve got one creepy-sounding tune. Bloody brilliant! It doesn’t get any farther from mainstream than this.  Their sound on the new album has taken more of a Massive Attack route and less trip-hop. I much prefer their old sound but I’m slowly getting used to this. The album is incredibly modern, dark, moody, and haunting. Quite depressing… in a good way haha.

[Sevendust feat. Chris Daughtry - "The Past"] One of the tracks off of Sevendust’s new album Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow. I don’t know anything about the band, never heard any of their songs before but I’ve heard of them.  I’m just posting this because Chris Daughtry appears on the track and some of his fans seem to stumble upon this blog sometimes. Not a bad tune… but I can’t seem to remember its melody after the song’s over. Probably requires a lot more repeated listens before that happens.

[Sara Bareilles - "Bottle It Up" (Remix Edit)] This used to be one of my least favorite tracks off of Little Voice. But coming from my number 3 album of 2007, you know it can’t be bad… and its not.  “Love Song” became huuuge… i knew it! Congrats, Sara! They’re releasing this as the second single off the album and its going for airplay adds in late April. The new mix appears on the 2-CD Special Edition version of the album which is out now… and it did wonders for the song, I love it now.  Who knew that starting the song with the chorus would make it more appealing… apparently they did. If you don’t have the album already, buy it!

[Michelle Branch - "Lay Me Down" (Original Solo Version)] Michelle’s getting ready to release her new album sometime later this year. To stir things up a bit, they put up this song on her website a week ago. It was supposed to appear on her last solo album Hotel Paper but got shelved. It made it onto The Wreckers‘ album though in country form and now here it is in its original rocked out version without Jessica Harp, just Michelle solo. Its not a single, just to be clear.

if you like what you hear, buy the real thing. these mp3s are for review and promotional purposes only. if you are the artist/owner of any of the songs posted above and wish that it be taken down, feel free to contact me and I will rightfully oblige.

Back when I was young(er) I was a very concerned citizen of the planet earth… environmentally speaking.  I was all for recycling… re-using stuff so that things don’t have to be thrown away that easily (hence the very cluttered room and “attic” back then)… conserving water (i scolded my brother, my cousins, our house help whenever i caught them letting the faucet run on too long, etc.)… conserving electricity (i responsibly turned off all the lights and appliances whenever we left a room, or the house)… proper disposal of garbage, against the use of plastic and styrofoam products, fighting to save endangered species of animals, saving the rainforest, and all that stuff… etc.  yeah i realize how uptight i kinda was.  Still, it was all for everyone’s good.  I lost a lot of that spirit as the years went by, though I still find myself nitpicking about things like those every once in a while.  So, as a gesture of bringing back my oh-so-earth-loving self, and more importantly, to help save a planet in peril… our planet… I am participating in Earth Hour this coming saturday.  And so should each and every one of you.

Let me tell you about Earth Hour… On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney (Australia) made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world. In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

We all need to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.  Let us all take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced.  Join us… saturday, March 29 at 8:00pm.

I apologize if I’m sounding too serious on this entry… but the truth of the matter is, it is a serious situation.  This concerns each and every one of you. Do your part. and please tell everyone you know about this.  Save our Earth… its the only home we’ve got.

visit www.earthhour.org for more details.

its officially summer over here where i’m at.  the heat is killing me… i’m sick today. and i’ve got a whole week ahead with no work… nice timing. i wanna go out of town but i don’t have any one to join me yet… any takers?  haha.  let’s see… hmm… i just realized its been almost a month that i haven’t put up any songs here so lemme make up for that now.  here’s a hodge-podge of a few songs that i’ve been diggin’ lately… a bunch of new ones and not-so-new ones.

[Trapt - Who's Going Home With You Tonight?] I like this band… glad to have them back. they’ve been rock radio’s secret since errr 2001? … though some of their songs have enough hook to invade the chr/top40 stations, mainstream radio hasn’t touch them yet.  that just might change with this.  Their 3rd album “Only Through The Pain” hits the sales racks this summer (in the US).

[Ne-Yo - Closer (HQ, Untagged)] This single was somewhat a surprise when it premiered on american radio earlier this week. There was no news that Ne-Yo has been working on a new album and then *bam* he hits us with this.  Even more surprising is that this track is more dance-techno than r&b… he’s gone electro-r&b like Timbaland with The Way I Are and Rihanna with Don’t Stop The Music.  Best of all… it still sounds like a Ne-Yo song and its a hooottt one! New album coming in late spring/early summer.

[Duffy - Mercy] The number one single in the UK for 4 weeks now, and her debut album “Rockferry” debuted at the top of the album charts too a week or so ago.  Not a bad place to be for this Welsch soul singer.  Comparisons to Amy Winehouse are inevitable… though vocally they are miles apart. Amy’s voice is gritty with attitude, Duffy’s is cute (almost like she’s on helium lol) yet strong. I’ve been addicted to this song for a month now and I’m not tired of it yet. The album is wonderful too, but a tad lacking of fast-paced songs.  Overall, she’s one new artist to definitely watch out for.  I just gotta say, its interesting to note that Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” has the catchy “no, no, no” parts… while Duffy’s “Mercy” has a lot of “yeah, yeah, yeah” parts. coincidence? hehe!

[Finger Eleven - I'll Keep Your Memory Vague] This is the follow-up single to their surprise hit on Top 40 radio. “Paralyzer” grew on me so much it was inescapable.  Will this one follow suit? We’ll see in the next couple of months.  The song’s one of their gentler efforts… it shows off this rock band’s softer side… I don’t know anything about them though, sorry haha.

[Colbie Caillat - Magic (Piano Version)] This ain’t a single… not yet anyway.  But its a nice alternate to the guitar-based original version that appears on Colbie’s album “Coco”.  Careful when you listen to this… it has a tendency of putting people to sleep. Not that that’s a bad thing. I like this one… prefer the original but this one has its own appeal, too. Love Colbie!

[Flo Rida - Low (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Remix)] I’ve had this for the longest time and yes, I’m guilty… I dig the song haha shhhhh. But its this version of the song that I love listening and dancing to over and over.  It’s a million times better than the original mix, which makes me wonder why it never gets played anywhere. Maybe it wasn’t released? Hehe.  This one’s for all my friends out there who apparently adore this tune. i just found that out within the past couple of weeks.  Enjoy! :p

[Panic At The Disco - Do You Know What I'm Seeing?] This is one of the tracks that will appear on Panic’s upcoming album “Pretty. Odd.” but the album version will be different.  This alternate version appears on the australian release of their single for “9 In The Afternoon”. It’s different coming from them… almost gipsy-esque in sound acoustically with the guitar and the strings. We’re likin’ this a lot.

[Jason Castro - If I Fell, Brooke White - Let It Be] My two favorites of the studio versions that were released after this past week’s American Idol shows. Brooke sounds awesome in the studio… she really did justice to the song. Jason Castro sounds good too. Though the production in ALL the studio versions sound cheap, these two have made good of what they were given.  The other ones I’d recommend are the ones from Michael Johns, David Cook, and David Archuleta.  Ramiele’s voice sounds really good in the studio, too bad her song’s arrangement is boring. Chikezie’s live performance was much better compared to the studio version coz the recorded one didn’t have the “O, Brother Where Art Thou”-ish intro. Carly and Amanda’s voices sound a little too high-pitched on their songs. David Hernandez’s is a mess. Syesha’s is downright unimpressive and forgettable. and Kristy’s is very memorable for all the wrong reasons. Regardless… the past week’s performance show was very good. and I love the new stage.

Remember to support the artists if you like what you hear… buy their album(s), go to their shows, request for their songs, put up their posters on your wall, tattoo their names on your forehead or your butt, etc.  More songs when I get well. Unless I go off to some exotic destination then I’m pretty much stuck at home with my pc for the rest of the week. Shucks.

and here I was thinking that the Miss Teen USA incident last year was bad. lol. I canet bilebit… she eben come in from the taf ten! hahaha… I mean, I don’t really care for these things but this is just too funny and embarassing.what’s worse is she won one of the titles to represent us in Miss World. There goes Finoy Fried!

So I’ve been kinda obsessed again with American Idol this year. I sorta lost interest in it last year because I didn’t like many of the contestants, I didn’t even mind missing many of the episodes… but this year’s is different… its like Season4 and 5 level of interesting-ness. Here are my thoughts on this year’s top 12 contestants, including predictions and errrr… stuff.

12. Chikezie Ezie - nothing very special… just your token male african-american singer who doesn’t stand out much … he’s not even that good. I didn’t like his attitude during the top 24 round when he talked back after getting criticism from Simon. I would’ve preferred to have Danny Noriega in the top 12, not him. Why America?!?!?! Why oh why did you not vote enough for Danny?!?!?! He wasn’t a great singer but he sure was spicy and very interesting… would’ve made for a more exciting top 12 i’m sure. My favorite performance of Chikezie so far: none.

11. Syesha Mercado - she’s got attitude. but something about her just rubs me the wrong way. she’s a good singer but i don’t feel any emotion when she sings… just another good vocalist in diva mode without emotional connection to what she sings (in my opinion, that is). I wanted Asia’h Epperson in her place! Waaaaaaahhhh!!!!! I loved Asia’h so I was very surprised she got cut.  Her hoarse voice reminded me so much of Keyshia Cole, especially when she sang Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down” during hollywood week… that was pure awesomeness! And did you guys see her encore performance of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” when she got booted out? Not a fan of the song but I thought it was pitch-perfect even though she was very upset and crying. America, you got it wrong! hmmmph! My favorite performance of Syesha so far: “Me and Mr. Jones” … but only slightly.

10. Kristy Lee Cook - I like her even though she’s not that good hahaha. and she’s pretty too.  If you look at her and listen to her closely, you’ll probably realize (like I have for so many weeks now) that she looks a lot like LeAnn Rimes but prettier… and she sounds and sings like her too but not as good.  Oh yeah, I’m so dead on with my comments on this one!  I don’t mind her in the top 12, she’s country so I’m all for it… but it would’ve been better if Alaina Whitaker was in here… too bad she got the boot during the Top 20 round. In addition to the above, I am now addicted (in a guilty sort of way) to Journey’s “Faithfully” after Kristy butchered the song on the show hehehe. Proof that she could sell songs to me! (extra: Journey’s new lead singer, Alan Pineda - a pinoy, is really really good… a dead ringer for Steve Perry vocally. I was most definitely impressed.) My favorite performance of Kristy’s so far: “You’re No Good”.

9. David Hernandez - did you hear simon’s off-camera comment after David H.’s performance of Meat Loaf’s “Its All Coming Back To Me Now”? right at the end of the song, you could hear simon in the background talking to either Randy or Paula saying “say, ‘i like it when you strip to that’.” rofl. Our closeted stripper’s a good singer, so I don’t have any problems here… but I much prefer the others above him on my rankings. I gotta say though… loved his take on Luther Vandross’ “Love The One You’re With” during hollywood week. My favorite performance of David H.’s so far: that one, and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”.

8. Amanda Overmyer - I love her! Our resident rocker nurse who rides motorcycles… haha. Hope she gets to release an album after all of this is over eventhough she won’t win. I know she won’t win. I wanted to place her higher on my list but I’m just making a prediction here, and the fact is many people don’t like her. And her performances have been kinda pitchy. Still… she could definitely sell songs to me! My favorite performance of Amanda’s so far: ”I Hate Myself For Loving You”. I’ve been listening to Joan Jett’s original version of that one all week, as well as Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son” which Amanda performed last week.

7. Ramiele Malubay - Here we go… pinoy pride baby! I like her a lot… she is so cute! She’s a good singer, we got plenty of girls who sing just like her (or even better) over here in the Philippines. I don’t like her song choices though… too predictable. Every song she has picked so far has previously been sung in the past American Idol seasons. Make your mark, girl! Do something unpredictable and bring it on! I know you can do it! I wanted to place her higher, but song choices like the ones she has picked could only take her so far. There’s still hope though. My favorite performance of my future wife so far: “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”.

6. Michael Johns - I’m not that impressed with this Aussie guy’s singing abilities, but he’s not bad at all. I know what’s missing though… Simon’s correct… he hasn’t chosen his “moment” song yet. He better bring that on soon or else he’s gonna lose steam.  What I like about this guy is that he seems like a band frontman in-the-waiting. He just oozes charisma.  Maybe he could take the Daughtry route and form a band after his run on idol. Music-wise, i dunno… maybe take the INXS, Simple Minds, Tears For Fears route and update those types of music to circa 2008? My favorite performance of Michael’s so far: “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, and “Light My Fire” by The Doors.

5. Carly Smithson - I personally think she’s over-rated.  I mean, very good singer but I think there’s a lack of emotional connection here when she’s singing… or maybe she hasn’t picked the right song yet. Cowell’s spot on again on that comment he made. Nobody seems to be pointing out that her delivery of songs sounds Celine Dion-ish, but its been masked so far by her singing two rock-leaning songs and a boring jazzy one. Come on, Carly! Pick the right song already! You’re not living up to your hype. I agree with Simon… go back to pickin’ songs like your Chaka Khan audition. It’d be kinda predictable but at least you’d have me jumpin’ up my chair! I predict… a shock elimination for her haha. My favorite performance of Carly’s so far: “I’m Every Woman” during her audition.

4. David Cook - they keep mentioning Chris Daughtry when David C. comes on… what a way to kill a guy’s chances. David C.’s not in the same vein as Chris, eventhough they both rock. Early on in season 5 we already knew Chris was was gonna go into mainstream rock ala the Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and Creed route.  David C. however is still a blank slate. I keep thinking Bon Jovi because of his song choices so far… but something tells me we’re in for a good surprise somewhere along the way… something better. I hope my gut feeling is right.  I initially predicted that he will make it to the final two as A.I.’s way of making up to the mistake that was Chris Daughtry ending up fourth place. However, two other people have gotten in the way of that… both very pleasant surprises. Anyway, my favorite performances of David C.’s so far: “Hello” and “All Right Now”.

3. Brooke White - here’s pleasant surprise number one… i couldn’t remember this girl back in the early rounds. i didn’t get the whole Carly Simon comparison from the judges. she looked a little too pale and fragile (like she’s about to cry everytime the judges say something - positive or negative). her almost-holy niceness made me think she’d not make it in the music industry because the industry is a whirlwind of obstacles and is very chaotic and dirty.  her past two performances though… were very good in my opinion that she has catapulted herself to being my favorite of the girls this year hehehe (that could still change… Amanda, Ramiele and Carly are still waiting to pounce). the singer-songwriter vibe i got from her performance of Carly Simon’s “Youre So Vain” was so intense that I was jumpin’ out my chair giddy.  Then the week after she performed Pat Benatar’s “Love Is  A Battlefield” acoustic… her voice shined. Her personality’s coming out a bit lately too, and its helping i think.  She’s the top-selling female among the contestants on iTunes, so that’s proof right there that she’s on to something good. Here’s to more great performances, Brooke! and hopefully a great album when all this is over.  My fave performances of Brooke’s so far: the two i mentioned above, duh.

2. Jason Castro - and here’s pleasant surprise number two.  my first impression of him when i saw that he made it to the top 24 was “oh, he’s probably gonna get cut early on… what with zero exposure prior to that.  pure cannon fodder, i’m sure. he probably made it because of his dreadlocks.”  of course, he shut me up after his uber-charming performance of “Daydream”… what a wonderful revelation… a male singer-songwriter type of contestant. i don’t think they’ve ever had that on A.I.. there’s also something about him and his shy demeanor that’s very likeable… seems like a cool fun guy to hang out with.  what put him this high on my list though was his selection of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” last week.  Jeff Buckley’s version of the song is one of my favorite songs of all time, and Jason did the song justice in his own way.  Very good performance… good enough to propel the Jeff Buckley version of the song to number one on iTunes. He made like history right there! an old song topping the iTunes chart.  I am impressed, boy can sell music.  I want his album now! My fave performances of Jason’s so far: the two i mentioned above, duh.

1. David Archuleta - non-distinct voice but very distinctive delivery (heavy breathing, anyone?)… ability to put so much emotion into a song… very likeable lad… very genuine lad… can play musical instruments… picks songs that suit him very well… plus the power of millions of teenage girls voting for him multiple times every tuesday night… equals the next American Idol. He will become the first male A.I. winner to live up to the idol title and sell music like hotcakes catering to the High School Musical market. His performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” is still the best selling idol performance song on iTunes… way ahead of the pack. His “Another Day in Paradise” is third, and his “Shop Around” is still sitting in sixth place. Boy can sell, people! First time I found out that he auditioned, I already knew he’d sail through to the finals. “And the winner of American Idol 2008 is… David Archuleta!” cue David crying tears of joy… hahaha i’m pretty sure Idol would want those waterworks to happen. Hopefully he really wins, because I already made my bet with a friend. (haha! I want those damn new Chuck Taylors, dude!) my fave performances of David A.’s so far: “Heaven” and “Imagine”.

A very diverse bunch, yeah? not only americans… but latinos, an aussie guy, a filipina, and an irish girl.  Overall… i like this bunch a lot.  They’ve got star power. Hope they do great in the coming rounds… can’t wait for The Beatles night next week! woohoo! and i’m also looking forward to Mariah Carey mentoring for the kids in mid-april… haha i’m wondering how she’s gonna pull that off. Speaking of Mariah and idol… here’s a nice ending to this entry… a video of an audition from Bulgaria’s own idol show “Music Idol”. I don’t know the auditioner’s name, but she apparently was singing a Mariah Carey song called “Ken Lee”. say what?!?!? you don’t know that song?! I’m sure you do… check this out!

  hehehe :p