I found this song by accident; I’m giving you a link instead of embedding a video because the video that was embeddable sounded crappy.
I can’t remember what I visited Amazon.com for; I must hit that site a few times a day looking for books & music I end up deciding I don’t really really need. Yeah. I only get the stuff I really really really need.
O-Dogg decided it was time for me to listen to something other than Nothing’s Shocking for a little while, & surprised me with a CD from a 22-year-old Irish girl named Lesley Roy with a unique gravelly sound & a vocal range that can best be described as “ludicrous.” I trust O-Dogg. I popped it into my car CD player the next day.
Lesley Roy has a single out that recently made it to Hawaii. It’s already become popular enough (in parts of the world that get their new music when it’s still new) to be published in karaoke format by Pop Hits Monthly. Yes, I have it already. No, I don’t think I can sing it. But I have friends who can.
The only time I listen to the radio is Saturdays, when I’m in my mom’s car where Jane’s Addiction is not sufficiently appreciated. So I listen to O-Dogg on 93.1, intermittently texting him snide remarks about various songs & getting back his agonized remonstrances or trivia tidbits.
On my radio show I’d play… well, you can probably guess what kind of stuff I’d play.
I never thought anyone would ever be able to cover this song. Or, I never thought someone would cover this song & that I would like it.
It’s not just the staggered Tori Amosesque vocals or the surprising harmonies. She gives the song an entirely new attitude while remaining true to the melody with only minor changes in phrasing. I’m not sure this is an improvement, but the mere fact that it goes over quite smoothly — that the little voice (ok, the big voice) in my head isn’t screaming heresy — is impressive.
They’re saying it’s the “best music of their careers.”
I was very impressed with what Timbaland did with OneRepublic’s “Apologize” (with the exception of the Retard sounds in the background); I thought he did a great job of bringing out the vocals & intensifying the mood of the song. When I heard he would be working with Chris Cornell, my favorite male vocalist since Temple of the Dog, I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like. Chris Cornell of the expensive chords & the soulfully rocking voice.
I listened to 3 tracks, names unknown. The first song was Rob Bass with Michael Bolton. The second sounded cool but could have been sung successfully by any vocalist including any unskilled karaoke singer (like a lot of songs in this genre) & was ultimately utterly boring to me. The third sounded more like Rob Thomas on his hispanic kick & seemed incomplete without a guitar solo by Santana.
Well, now I know.
In 2004 I came across “24″ by a Welsh singer called Jem & ended up buying her album Finally Woken. When I first heard “24″ I thought it was Dido & wondered what had happened to make her suddenly so exciting.
Finally Woken is a very enjoyable album, very easy on the ears & foot tapping, even for those with dislocated feet like me, is quite doable. I shared songs with friends, who enjoyed them, & “24″ became one of my sister’s favorite karaoke songs for me to sing wherever they had Chartbusters.
So now, after a 4 year hiatus, Jem has put out a 2nd album. I remember how good Poe’s Haunted was 5 years after Hello came out. When Keola handed me the CD I was all anticipation.
Today I received an invite from my friend Burt to join a music listening/sharing website called The Sixtyone. I’d heard mention of “The Sixtyone” in the atmosphere over the last day or two & so I didn’t question; I just registered. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes not huge, world-saving reasons, but you know. Besides, the registration page said something about being everything MTV stopped being, or something like that.
I think MTV is the biggest disappointment the world has ever seen. I mean, really.
Anyway, I wasn’t disappointed with the first artist I decided to listen to. Meiko (she’s a quarter Japanese) has a single called “Boys with Girlfriends,” but I enjoyed her sad & beautiful “Hawaii” & her dark “Hiding.”
Her voice is reminiscent of Anna Nalick or Colbie Callait, softer & lusher than the first but more interesting than the latter. The writing, I think, is very good. I probably won’t buy this cd, but others might really like this.
And so another music listening adventure begins. Thanks Burt!
No, not the song by 