Somehow in the midst of everything, I failed to post on a subject I had been waiting awhile to because an anniversary was coming. Well, it passed, but it still was a game changer for me and how I shop for music: The launch of iTunes and the iTunes Store for Windows, which happened in October of 2003. Continue reading
While reviewing last year’s Christmas Present entries so I could see in which directions to expand the Christmas Present selections, I was surprised to discover I didn’t feature Faith Evans last year. Her Christmas album “A Faithful Christmas” has been on the playlist for a number of years now (the album was released in 2005), and particularly an original track, “Christmas Wish.” Continue reading
Last year, I shared with you Amazon’s 25 Days of Free Holiday Songs, a recurring promotion they have offered which features 25 free MP3s to download for the holidays. The good news is it’s back, and the mixed news is it’s about as good as last year’s batch. Continue reading
Kelly Clarkson has been a force in the more than a decade since she first became a star as the first winner of “American Idol.” Her career of course has sustained itself on the power of a continuous string of strong tracks and her beautiful voice (she could sing the phone book). She didn’t rest in 2013, releasing some new tracks, a greatest hits CD, and a Christmas album, “Wrapped in Red.” Continue reading
Mission Zero is back, this time with a cover of Lorde’s “Royals,” which takes a Joe Cocker piano riff and melds it on the recent hit to great effect. The music video maintains the fun of their other recent videos. This time, the song is available through Bandcamp, and you can either download it for free or make a donation for the purchase, allowing you to support the band if you choose. Continue reading
In our first entry of the second annual round of Christmas Present posts (click here for a recap of last year, or here for an explanation of what Christmas Present represents), I go to another well-considered take of the classic Paul McCartney tune “Wonderful Christmastime,” re-envisioned by The Shins for a record last year. Continue reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEmAHAs_rz8
Somehow I missed that Alison Gold’s already come back with a follow-up hit from Patrice Wilson’s viral hit factory. And unlike when Nicole Westbrook tried to follow up and failed, Gold’s at least got a “huh?” factor with her latest outing. Continue reading
My friend Nick over at The Littlest Winslow is many times on top of things before it’s even on my radar, and the latest Lily Allen release, “Hard Out Here” is no exception. (Warning: Video’s NSFW.) Continue reading
I wrote about Nicole Westbrook here when her second song, “Smile,” came out, but this one kicked things off a year ago. If you’re not ready for Christmas music yet, how about “It’s Thanksgiving” to keep you going? Continue reading
Happy Monday everyone! As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, Hank & Cupcakes recently finished a tour and headed into the studio to work on their second album. Little bits and pieces have started to come out since then. Continue reading