Let's Make Music

Imagine John Lennon

2010-03-01T00:58:00.000-08:00

I've heard the song a million times over and then more but I never really understood what John Lennon was saying until I watched Glee. I know what the song is all about and I know how wonderful the lyrics are but they just didn't sink deep enough for me to contemplate on the words until now, after I've read The Celestine Prophecy, Future Shock, Paulo Coelho's works, Being Happy and watched thought provoking movies and documentaries.

I guess back then when I was a staunch Christian I found the lyrics offensive because the opening line is Imagine there's no heaven. Lo and behold how can anyone can that, I remember the brief discussion we had regarding the song. The next line It's easy if you try is a suggestion which most people might find insignificant and yet the hardest thing to do. People with a strong and indisputable set of beliefs will not even want to budge an inch with new thoughts or ideas.

No hell below us follows and may sound just as ridiculous in the eyes and ears of religions because that's what faith is all about; that you will be saved from the damnation of hell. And then Above us only sky is the next line that describes the simplicity of life and existence. I wonder how many of us actually take our time to look at the sky and see its beauty than preconceiving the idea of paradise all the time.

Imagine all the people living for today is the message we all need to know so that we don't get carried away planning so far ahead that we forget to live the right here and now. Motivational books, songs, prose and poems have all done their part in reminding us about the importance of the present rather than the past or the future.

In today's madness and chaos to Imagine there's no country, and It isn't hard to do is so true. Everyone's tired and had enough of their government's double standards, corruptions and responsibilities toward its citizens. The concept of patriotism is losing its grip on nations and may soon be a thing of the past. Nothing to kill or die for is the one thing we still haven't learnt from our repeated mistakes. People are still so angry about so many things in life that the only way to solve a problem is to kill or be killed, or so the media is auto suggesting this to them. The series of awakening people are going through of late are helping them grasp the idea that And no religion to is all right. That one need not fear being struck by the right hand of God or be punished for the next 7 generations if they don't want to commit themselves to a sect or an institution.

Imagine all the people living life in peace is probably the hardest of all to imagine when the whole world is toppling over with massacres, demonstrations, wars and political upheavals. It is almost as though it is unsafe to be around any human beings.

You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one is the most optimistic verse to remind you that even as idyllic as it may sound, you're not alone. And if there are only 5 of us we can still make a difference.

I hope someday you'll join us is an invitation to hope, And the world will be as one is the dream of a happy man. That is the basic truth. If we are happy we want to share it with our neighbors and friends with no ill will or suspicion.

This maxim I keep reading about 'rich people are not bad people' is sounding more like a justification than the truth. Of course we all know for a fact that being rich doesn't make you atrocious or evil but it can be a pretty nasty distraction in your life. When it is easy to dispose off money we tend to accumulate and think very little of the world we live in, especially the environment, the discrepancies of wealth and the idea of being independent and self sufficient. Imagine no possession, I wonder if you can says so much about how we claim everything for ourselves and become obsessed with them.

No need for greed, no hunger sums it all up about the ego we breed within ourselves. The animal that always wants more to survive when it is really not necessary. Of brotherhood of man is the beautiful concept of we are all the same wherever we go. And if everyone believes this to be true than we can all go so far we would be above the pettiness and aggravations of life.

My friends and I had a friendly game of Texas Poker last night and we used folded paper stars for betting. When one of us ran low or out of stars those with more contributed them back to the ones in need. This simple and yet profound understanding of sharing is in this line Imagine all the people sharing all the world. Is this even possible? If you can share a meal, share a shelter, share your friendliness, share your love, you can share anything.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

This is the final curtain call for people of like-minded and like-hearted to find this amazing treasure call 'peace' that lives in us. It is not in the accumulation of things, not the beauty we measure with the yardstick of comparisons, not the perfection we seek in some tangible or non tangible perception but the forgiving, loving and everlasting energy inside us. When we are at peace with ourselves everything else will fall into place and by then we don't need to imagine any longer.

In These Times with Joan Armatrading

2010-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

Before Tracy Chapman there was Joan Armatrading.

I've always remembered Armatrading for the bizarre name and song 'Love and Affection'. It was only recently that the song 'I'm Lucky' came sneaking back into my head that I recalled those days when I used to listen to her.

After digging up my good old collection I played her songs again and all the days of my past came flooding back. That's the wonder of songs, how they can bring back the times that marked the days of tears and laughter, youth and innocence.

When I hear The Weakness in Me I feel helpless just as I do when I hear Torn Between Two Lovers by Mary McGregor. She sings about being in love with two persons and the inability to choose. And then with Me, Myself, I, she makes being alone a wonderful experience instead of the usual melancholy associted with it. And who can forget the upbeat disco-ey Drop The Pilot that makes you want to dance and groove like the good old days.

And for such a great singer, songwriter and guitarist she was only nominated for the Grammy thrice and that was it. How can no one recognize such talent and overlook her? Is it because she is British? It's such a shame! And up until now she is still actively writing and performing.

www.joanarmatrading.com/

Na Na Na Nancy Nova

2009-12-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

I only saw her once on TV performing No No No and that visual stuck to my head forever until now. With the help of technology I found her again on Youtube.

Her performance was so bizarre and the song was so catchy I couldn't help but love her style and song. She, to me, is in the same league as Kate Bush and Toyah Wilcox. Though not as popular as the other two she really made an impression on me when I was a kid looking for heroes. Her tongue-in-cheek song 'Made in Japan' is also another one of her signature tunes. They sure don't make them like they used to.

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered all over again

2009-12-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

The first time I heard this song was when I was a kid which meant nothing at all. And then Rod Stewart and Cher came along with a mischievous, rollicking rendition which made me fall in love with it. But it wasn't until I watched Pal Joey that drove the nail straight to my heart. Suddenly this song is all over my head every now and then it comes to bother me.

This witty song written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers in 1940 is an evergreen with quaint and memorable lyrics. There are some variations to the lyrics because of the sexual connotations depending on who is singing it. Not matter who's version it is it still sounds sensual, romantic and absolutely beautiful.

After one whole quart of brandy
Like a daisy, I'm awake
With no Bromo-Seltzer handy
I don't even shake

Men are not a new sensation
I've done pretty well I think
But this half-pint imitation
Put me on the blink

I'm wild again, beguiled again
A simpering, whimpering child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

Couldn't sleep and wouldn't sleep
When love came and told me, I shouldn't sleep (Until I could sleep where I shouldn't sleep)
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

Lost my heart, but what of it
He is cold I agree
He can laugh, but I love it
Although the laugh's on me

I'll sing to him, each spring to him
And long, for the day when I'll cling to him
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

He's a fool and don't I know it
But a fool can have his charms
I'm in love and don't I show it
Like a babe in arms

Love's the same old sad sensation
Lately I've not slept a wink
Since this half-pint imitation
Put me on the blink

I've sinned a lot, I'm mean a lot
But I'm like sweet seventeen a lot
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

I'll sing to him, each spring to him
And worship the trousers that cling to him
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

When he talks, he is seeking
Words to get off his chest
Horizontally speaking, he's at his very best

Vexed again, perplexed again
Thank God, I can be oversexed again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I

Wise at last, my eyes at last,
Are cutting you down to your size at last
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more

Burned a lot, but learned a lot
And now you are broke, so you earned a lot
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more

Couldn't eat, was dispeptic
Life was so hard to bear
Now my heart's antiseptic
Since you moved out of there

Romance, finis.
Your chance, finis.
Those ants that invaded my pants, finis.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more

I Dream of Susan Boyle

2009-11-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Ever since I saw her on Britain's Got Talent she instantly became one of my most inspirational icons. Everytime I watch her audition I am moved to tears with her simplicity and down to earth jocularity. Her powerful voice coupled with what little she has in physical appearnce made the song I Dreamed a Dream an anthem for anyone who has ever had a dream.

The overnight sensation of her magnificent voice left everyone who loved her hungering for more. This album marks her debut as a professional singer with songs that bring out the best of her voice but I wished they could have been a better selection.

Her rendiditon of the anthemic Les Miserables song is somehow lost in the latest album arrangement. It just doesn't have the heart it had when she sang it on the TV show. Now, it seems more like a recording which is too rigid and controlled.

I like her version of Daydream Believer, Wild Horses and You'll See. If only they had left her alone to sing with all her sincerity and natural ability I feel it would have been a better album. Too much perfection has been emphasized in this debut which makes her lose the authenticity of who she is. Still, it's a good album to have if you want to hear the voice of an angel.

A Whiter Shade of Sadness: A Whiter Shade of Pale

2009-10-07T00:31:00.000-07:00

I heard this song like a millions times over but never really liked it until Annie Lennox gave her sexy, sultry rendition. I guess I didn't quite like it back then when Procol Harem sang it because it seemed so sad and depressing. And in the 60s and 70s when the songs were depressing they could bring you all the way down to the ground.

And then in the 90s Annie Lennox came up with a brilliant album Medusa where she did covers and this was one of the better ones. But it is just as wistful to listen to if you do it once too often. Now, there's another version by Paul Potts with his operatic tenor interpretation which is absolutely beautiful. I've never really sung to this song nor did I pay much attention to the lyrics. So after all these years since it was first released in 1967 I am just looking into the words that make it such a nostalgic and engaging song. The Hammond organ line was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach's Sleeper's Awake and Air on a G string and it is written by Keith Reid.

As the song goes:

We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed

She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died

If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
and attacked the ocean bed

The verses in green are not available in recordings but heard in concerts.

Jim Steinman: He's what it means to be Young

2009-09-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard Tonight is what it means to be young was in the movie Streets of Fire. I was amazed with the epic sounding orchestral music score with poetically written lyrics that I just had to have more of the same. It was only years later that I discovered that the song was written and composed by Jim Steinman, the man behind Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell albums. Never have I had the experience with songs that seem to cramp mouthful of words into a sentence with the rise and fall of varied verses, bridges and choruses.

I love the way Steinman play with words, puns, alliteration, onomatopoeia and paronomasia. The exceptionally extra long titles make it more memorable than most songs I can remember.

Making Love out of nothing at all was one of his earlier songs made popular by Air Supply and redone again by Bonnie Tyler with her operatic version. Of course who could forget the outrageously titled songs like Total Eclipse of the Heart to I would do anything for Love but I won’t do that and Loving you's a dirty job but somebody's got to do it. It's all coming back to me now made popular by Celine Dion and Meatloaf is inspired by Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights.

Steinmen has been involved with musicals ranging from The Dream Engine to Whistle down the Wind to the unrealized Batman: The Musical, Tanz der Vampire and the soon to be seen Jim Steinman's Bat out of Hell. Anticipating Steinmen is like waiting for a spectacular event that has yet to happen.

There were times when we took our chances
There were times we were damn good dancers
There were times when we heard all the answers
In the beating of the drummer and the riches of the rock and the roll
- Loving you's a dirty job

Will you cater to every fantasy I've got?
Will you hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot? Hot!
Will you take me places I've never known?

Now I can do that! Oh oh now, I can do that!

After awhile you'll forget everything.
It was a brief interlude
And a midsummer night's fling,
And you'll see that it's time to move on.

I won't do that. I won't do that.
- I would do anything for love

Kate Bush: The Ultimate Song Siren

2009-08-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

Kate Bush has always been the love of my life and also my inspiration. When I was first introduced to her by my brother to The Kick Inside album (when I was in my early teens) it took me a while before I appreciated her mystifying screeching, wailing and over dubbing of peculiar voices and sounds.

Once 'Wuthering Heights', 'Moving', 'Them Heavy People', 'Oh to be in Love' got under my skin I looked forward to more Kate Bush in the future. The next album I was introduced to was The Lion Heart, which was not as hypnotic as her second album.

Out of the many albums she released I could identify most with The Dreaming because at that point in time I was struggling internally with myself so the song 'Get out of my House' was literally my theme song. I still love this album best although it's the darker side of Kate Bush. I even imagined an animated story based on all the songs.

And then when The Hounds of Love hit the market it became my anthem of hope. In Cloudbusting the lyrics that ran through my head was 'I just know that something good is gonna happen, I don't know when'. I chanted this line over and over again together with one from 'Running up the Hill'; 'If I only could, make a deal with God and I get him to swap places, be running that road, be running that hill...' and that was how I survived those trying times with Kate Bush on my mind.

The albums that came later were mediocre in a Kate Bush sense. They did not have the power her other albums had, namely The Kick Inside, The Dreaming and The Hounds of Love but there were still some outstanding singles that made the mark.

Babooshka is a magical and fantastical song about relationships from the Never Forever album just as Army Dreamers is a wistful tribute to young innocent boys who perish on battlefields. This Woman's Work is an ethereal and haunting piece about womanhood from The Sensual World.

Her reggae rendition of Rocket Man is simply amazing as with her duet with Peter Gabriel on 'Don't Give Up'. Her last album Aerial mellowed down dramatically into a more ambient music chillout feel that is not distinctive of the Kate Bush I know. But that's her life's journey through her music and she is one of the very few artiste who dare explore sounds and sights beyond mortal understanding.

I am always anticipating something mind blowing from her. Something unpredictable, something outrageous and something that would kick me from inside out and outside in.

Another selection of Christmas Albums

2008-12-22T05:53:00.000-08:00

What's Christmas without more Christmas albums? First off is Kenny and Dolly dueting with their country folkish Once Upon A Christmas. Christmas Without You is an easy laid back song to sing along while With Bells On is to square dance with. The Greatest Gift Of All is a sweet, dismal love song for the sentimental fools.

Roger Whittaker's deep lulling voice with a very religious hymnal approach to his Christmas album will appeal to those who are looking for something more spiritual. His Twelve Day Of Christmas is one of the more commercial and upbeat songs among the rest. There's something about his voice that makes you want to snuggle under covers with.

Anne Murray's irresistibly lovely voice is great for pop, gospel, country, ballad and seasonal songs. She has a voice of romance to make you feel what she wants you to feel about the songs and it's as warm as the fireplace. Her duet with Michael Buble on Baby, It's Cold Outside is a cute rendition and at the same time cheeky.

Ella Fitzgerald, the first lady of song, may be unknown to the present generation but her songs are still amazingly fresh as though it comes straight from the recording studio. Her Christmas album is definitely one to swing and slow dance to.

If you're ready for something different other than cheesy, corny, commercialized Christmas songs you could try Steve Lukather's (co-founder of Toto) Santamental. With guest artistes like Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Steve Vai, Edgar Winter and Jeff Babko you can more or less expect the unexpected with wailing guitars and rocking sessions.

It's Xmas Time, It's Xmas Time!

2008-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

Though I've not a big fan for celebrations and gifts, I love listening to Christmas songs because they are simply beautiful, nostalgic and peaceful. Some of the better albums as listed above. Boney M's is a must if you like fun and a little more upbeat songs that will get you to sing along. I love especially their rendition of Auld Lang Syne which makes a wonderful closing of the year.

I've only recently heard Diana Krall's Christmas album and I've always loved her sultry and seductive voice as she croons the melodic songs away. Her album is a treat for easy listening and that wonderful candlelight moments with your loved ones.

Martina McBride's White Christmas is a fun filled joyous time to frolic in the snow with friends and families. Listening to her is as good as making a snowman, a snow angel or having a snowball fight.

For a more nostalgic and romantic offering Elvis Presley duets with some of the more popular female artistes, using the Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole technique, to bring you old songs with a twist. His bluesy, jazzy, rock and roll numbers with bring back those days when the King ruled the airwaves.

For something ethereal with a gospel and evangelical atmosphere, listen to Josh Groban's angelic voice and you will find Noel a wondrous time to be in a festive mood. His melodious voice is enough to get you wondering about the mysteries and magic of the season.

Tom Jones in 24 Hours

2008-11-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Feels like the veterans are coming back with a bang. Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, or more lovingly known as Tom Jones, at 68, is back with his new album as he struts and grunts and croons away like he used to, making women swoon as he shakes his sexy hips.

Looking good and ready to storm the world again with his raw and rugged Welsh origin machismo Tom Jones is rocking hard with I'm Alive, Feels Like Music, Give A Little Love and grooving with If He Should Ever Leave You and We Got Love. Going sentimental he delivers a beautiful number with The Road and Seasons.

If you've always loved Tom Jones, this is him as good as he used to be. Some artistes just don't lose their luster.

Come Into Pink's Funhouse

2008-11-18T05:42:00.000-08:00

For her fifth album 'Funhouse', Pink, Alecia Beth Moore, has developed an even more matured and richer sounds that rock and sooth at the same time. With So What and It's All Your Fault, you'd want to sing along and kick the ass of the person you had a hard time with. Written from the vulnerability of her recent divorce with Carey Hart, she wanted to call the album Heartbreak Is A Motherfucker but settled for Funhouse instead, for obvious reasons.

Funhouse, the song, has an electric guitar strum quite like Rapper's Delight by Sugarhill Gang from the 70s and at the same time pumped with a new wave rhythm and beat. I Don't Believe, Crystal Ball and Glitter In The Air are great ballads straight from the heart while Please Don't Leave Me and Bad Influence are two more upbeat songs that will get you singing and moving along.

Tracy Chapman's Bright Future

2008-11-16T23:41:00.000-08:00

True to her music and lyrics, her latest album Our Bright Future is good for easy listening. The warmth of her voice and strength of her words take you on a journey into the realm of quietude, sometimes making you sing along, sometimes making you tap your feet. But most of all, this album is good for pensive moments when you are reminiscing about nothing and everything.

Though none can come close to her anthemic Fast Car or Baby Can I Hold You Tonight or The Promise or Telling Stories, they are still songs that you would like to sing along to. I Did It All brings an image of a stage performance choreographed by Bob Fosse while Sing For You is like a Joni Mitchell/Colbie Caillat number with the do, do, do-do, do.

For A Dream, Our Bright Future, Something To See are some of the more inspirational songs that help us reflect on the more important things in life.

La Vie En Rose: Life In Pink

2008-08-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

After watching Edith Piaf's biopic in La Vie En Rose I wondered who was the composer of this legendary song which has been covered by various artists across the world.

Sultry and doleful in nature the song is popularized by Piaf and has seen great successes with Grace Jones in her bossa nova, disco rendition, Louis Armstrong, Donna Summer, Diana Krall, Michael Buble and many many more.

It has also been featured in countless movies, parodied and revamped in more ways than one. The lyrics were written by Edith Piaf and the music was composed by Louis Gugliemi. It has remained one of the most romantic songs ever to be written right until today for its enchanting melody and heartfelt lyrics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Vie_en_rose

Driving The Fast Car With Tracy Chapman

2008-07-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Every time I hear Tracy Chapman's Fast Car I feel like taking a long drive with someone into the unknown and fuck everything else in life. That's how it is when I get tired of trying to abide by a set of orders that stifles my every movement and thought.

Her songs have always been powerful both in lyrics and music. She speaks of truth, justice and voices from the heart. Her last album was the Where You Live released in 2005 and the eighth album should be out anytime in 2009.

But in the collection of all her songs that moves me the most Fast Car will be one of them and there is The Promise which is a melodic love song with words that we would like to say to the ones we love.

From the anthemic Bang, Bang, Bang to the hymnal I'm Ready to the upbeat Telling Stories have different tales to tell just like Subcity Crossroads, Talkin' Bout The Revolution and the rest.

With four grammys to her name she is still one of the best female vocalists with her unique blend of music and lyrics.

http://www.tracychapman.com/

Give Me Just A Little More Of The Chairmen Of The Board

2008-07-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

I heard this song when I was a kid a long long time ago and forgot totally about it until I saw Prison Break season 2 episode 16 where they used it as a background music. I was thrilled to hear this strange little almost unknown song again and hurriedly looked for it on the net.

Thank god for the information technology that helped me locate the song and the singer almost instantaneously, of course with a bit of surfing. The song is called Give Me A Little More Time and it is sung by The Chairmen Of The Board. General Norman Johnson who sings with a heavy encumbered whimper makes me picture the Joker (Heath Ledger's version) singing this song because of his bizarre sounding voice.

Even after so many years of not hearing it I still remember that song because of Johnson's distinctive rendition of that distressing lament for a lover to give him more time.

The song hit the US charts in 1970, peaking at number 3, and was later covered by Angela Clemmons in 1982 and Kylie Minogue in 1992.

http://heardontv.com
http://www.chairmenoftheboard.com/

Together With Fern Kinney

2008-07-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

The first time I heard Together We Are Beautiful was when we still had Constance Haslam,
Patrick Teoh and Janet Ambrose was still on the air. Those days, in the 70s, there was only one radio station that played hits from the US and UK charts and that was Radio 4.

Love songs then were beautiful and melodic, sometimes corny but they were love songs that made you feel good. Of course there were also the angry, suicidal and pathetic ones but there was also a time when falling in love was simply lighthearted (I mean the songs).

Written by Ken Leray, this jejune song of love was the only hit for Fern Kinney, reaching number one in the UK charts in March 1980. Her other song Groove Me is the only other memorable release on the disco dance track.

This song was also popularized by Noor Kumalasari and the late Sudirman on a TV show where the duo used to be wonderful together.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=j9zu9FKDdgM

The Queen Is Back: Donna Summer

2008-06-20T04:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize this was what I was missing all these times in the music world. Some energetic, fun, inspirational, disco-dance-like beat songs which are sung with pure life's essence. Donna Summer: the Queen of Disco; she's back with Crayons to color our lives again.

After about two decades of angry, soulless, imperceptible, indistinguishable and paint by number singers and bands, Donna Summer is such a breath of fresh air. Those days it was so easy to tell apart Pat Benatar from Olivia Newton John, or Bee Gees from Duran Duran, or Dionne Warwick from Diana Ross, and of course the indelible Donna Summer from everyone else.

It was always a joy to switch on the radio and hear songs like Another Bites The Dust, You Might Think, You're A Friend Of Mine, Centerfold, Last Dance and the whole bunch of songs which were actually entertaining. Songs that we could sing along and clap to, dance or stamp our feet to. They could have been silly or shallow or formulaic but nevertheless, they gave us a great time.

Today it's hard to tell who's singing or what they're singing about, otherwise they are songs you can't sing along or you would only sing with if you believe in their rants and their raves. But now, thank god for Donna Summer for making a come back. But feels like she's never left in the first place.

The first single Stamp Your Feet is a wonderful Summer anthem that will keep the nightspots reverberating the floors for a long time to come. The Queen Is Back is a self promoting number that summarizes (no pun intended) her entire singing career in a beat. Crayons is yet another turbo charged song with Ziggy Marley duetting with great enthusiasm.

At the age of 60 Summer has proven herself, just like Tina Turner, Cher, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Rod Stewart, Elton John and all the greatest singers in the world that it's all about the staying power that matters. Not the teenybopper, raunchy, sexed up MTVs and mindlessness of music that the fly by night and never settle.

Although Crayons is an album to celebrate the return of the Queen, most of the songs are produced to suit the present time, so don't expect disco, Stock, Aiken and Waterman or another Summer's signature extravaganza. It's a decent album that is a little Madonnaish, especially with Mr. Music and Fame, and a potpourri of music from the contemporary divas.

None of the songs stands out like Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, Last Dance, MacArthur's Park, Love To Love You, On The Radio or that long list that made the charts a while ago. For a comeback album it could have been a greater effort, a more fantastic production or a mind blowing spectacular spectacular. But it's Donna Summer and hey that's good enough for me.

2008-06-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Remarkable. That's what I can say about the effort of the Malaysian Artistes for Unity people. Finally it seems we are getting somewhere with the true Malaysians coming together
to make it known to everyone that this is what we want and not segregation. Pete Teo, the man behind the endeavor, is a popular sing songwriter in his own right. You can check him out at http://www.peteteo.com

This collaboration of filmmakers, dancers, singers, producers, musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, designers, footballers, activists, celebrities, students and a florist is just the beginning of a wonderful wonderful awakening!

http://www.malaysianartistesforunity.info

Paul Potts: The Voice Of Love

2008-05-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

When I first saw Paul Potts performing in the Britain's Got Talent show it brought tears to my eyes. I didn't know if it was Nessun Dorma, the operatic aria from Turandot, or Pott's enchanting voice that weakened my knees but made me want to stand up and cheer.

His first album One Chance is a collection of beautiful, nostalgic, wistful, romantic aria classics that will make you feel exactly the same if you have seen his winning performance with Nessun Dorma. You can't help it but want to fall in love with his rendition of Amapola composed by Joseph LaCalle, Por Ti Sere or You Raise Me Up written by Secret Garden, Cavatina from The Deer Hunter by Stanley Myers and Andrew Llyod Webber's Music Of The Night and be moved by Nella Fantasia, the theme song from the movie The Mission composed by Ennio Morricone and A Mi Manera, or more commonly known as My Way, which is written by Paul Anka and brought to fame by Frank Sinatra.

For a man with humble beginnings of being bullied in school, worked as a manager in a mobile phone store and been in a bicycle accident that almost caused him a career in singing he has come a long way.

Jerome Kugan sings for the Shadow

2008-04-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Launched in the Annexe of the Central Market on April 12th Jerome Kugan's debut CD: Songs For A Shadow, was a Saturday night to remember. Sparking off the night to music was Tan Sei Hon with his tongue-in-cheek humor of the Malaysian life through his eyes. Then it was Azmyl Yunor with his brand of music, Bernice Chauly with her emotive and wistful poetry pieces, Priya K. with her sprightly rhythm and rhyme, Bulemia with her quirky yet fascinating rap and Ferns with his breathless rendition of whispery songs.

Jerome took on the stage a little later with the dreamy and velvety 'I Like', which now has a different connotation since he told us how it was associated with nudity in the river. It's a wonderfully relaxing and mollifying piece to immerse oneself in. The next song he performed for us was the upbeat 'Tomas' that he wrote from the inspiration of a movie (Before Night Falls) with a character of the same name, Tomás Diego. He rounded up the introduction to his release with the last song from the CD entitled 'This Excellent Love', another poetically haunting number and wrapped up the night with a cover duet with Sharil Nizam.

At times, when listening to the songs, I sometimes hear Tracy Chapman, Cher, Tori Amos, Bjork or someone with a voice that is sultry, lyrical and soulful.

I also like 'The Miracle' and 'Flowers' that get the better of me. The cover design is by Sharil Nizam who is a wonderful artist for the fantastic world that he creates. And when you listen to Jerome's song you will actually see what Sharil is trying to depict in black and white.

The Sweater That We All Love To Dream About

2008-04-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of The Sweater by Meryn Cadell before you don't know what you're missing. He is a Canadian singer, writer and performing artist who wrote this narrated song back in 1992. Cadell achieved famed when he was still a woman. He outed himself as a transgender only in 2004 after retirement from his music business. He continues to teach writing lyrics and libretto in British Columbia.

This song is one of a kind that has anything close coming near it and it's hilarious to the very core of both the lyrics and they way it's performed.

http://www.meryncadell.com/
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHQFDf96yrw

Gotta Move On - The Funkytown Destination

2008-03-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

When Funkytown hit both the US and UK charts in 1980 everyone was so much into it I thought the radio stations would never stop playing it. Out of nowhere Lipps Inc. became an overnight sensation with their up tempo, unusual sounding disco energized song about moving on to a place call Funkytown. The song is written and produced by Steven Greenberg.

If someone had said this song was a fluke chart topper like a rigged political vote back in the eighties it wouldn't have mattered because up until now disco songs are still being played and featured in movies, animations and all sorts of media. Pseudo Echo from Australia did a rendition of the song in 1986 and hit the charts again in the US top ten. Shrek 2 picked up Funkytown in 2004 and boosted it back to fame as the chugging tune was featured yet again to the world. Alvin and the Chipmunks followed suit with their version and hit number 86.

Their later songs like Designer Music, Rock It and How Long didn't quite make the impact the way their no. 1 hit did. Although they mellowed down with no other smashes Funkytown alone has made them more popular than they would have achieved with all their albums put together.

Lipps Inc. originated from Minneapolis with Steve Greenberg as the front man and Cynthia Johnson as the lead singer, the rest were passing session musicians.

Madonna: Great mother of god!

2008-03-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

The first time she appeared on the music scene a lot of Catholics were offended because she bore the same moniker as Mother Mary. Her sense of style and vocal range were also denounced and slammed from every critic known to exist, may be except for a few. She was doomed right from the beginning when she was labeled as a one hit wonder, one time flash in the pan, a short lived fly by night, a fifteen minute famed pop diva, but we all know that she proved everyone wrong. Her versatility was as adaptable as the chameleon's and she transmogrified again and again until great respect was in her grasp. Anyone wanting to have that staying power in the performing industry would be wise to learn from her.

My favorite Madonna album is still the first. The self-titled release with my all-time feet-stomping, danceable, inspiring Holiday still brings me back to that time when only cassette tapes were available. Everybody is the next song I love best in that album and then Burning Up and Lucky Star. All her other songs were also great discotheque hits. Yes, they used to be called discotechques, not night spots, not clubs, not bars with dance floors.

She also spawned wannabes and Madonna clones who don on more bracelets than their arms could hold, expressive and bold looking earrings, blasphemous religious adornments and a messy mop of hair that can only be held up by loads of gel. Like many other pop stars of the eighties, everyone figured she would retire and be drowned by up and coming newbies but she survived through one controversy after another.

She stormed the world with her controversial songs and MTVs like Papa Don't Preach, Like A Prayer, Like A Virgin, Justify My Love and then the exposure of her nude pictures followed by an indecent display of her world tour, to her skeptical performance as Evita and adoption of David Banda.

For someone who has been a media fodder all her celebrity life she has risen from a pop sensation to a megastar by doing what she does best and still live through it all. Way to go!

http://www.madonna.com/

Coco, Colbie Caillat's childhood name and debut album

2008-02-27T19:29:00.000-08:00

Colbie Caillat's Coco makes for easy listening. Her distinctive O-O, A-A and I-I is a pleasant treat if you like her sweet nonchalant sedated voice.

The first song that caught my attention is Bubbly. It feels like a bath with all the popping bubbles as it frolics in a melodious laid back ditty. Sooner or later it'll get you hooked into humming it or singing along with it. Realize comes next with the play of the word and is just as appealing.

Other songs that I find fun to listen to are Oxygen, The Little Things, and Tailor Made. They all loose me in a dreamlike fantasy where I skip and gambol among animated flowers and clouds and cute little creatures in a surreal world.

Caillat was already a superstar in myspace even before she was signed up to a recording company. Coco is her debut album and it's great to know that singer-songwriters are doing it again, creating magic from their hearts.

http://www.colbiecaillatmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/colbiecaillat

Sukiyaki - a bastardization of Ue o muite arukō

2008-02-20T00:04:00.000-08:00

The day I heard Sukiyaki when I was still young I fell in love with it instantaneously without hesitation. Ue o muite arukō as it is known in Japanese or 'I Shall Walk Looking Up, is sung by Kyu Sakamoto when it was released in 1961, written by Rokusuke Ei.

Sukiyaki, which is a steamboat dish in Japan, has nothing whatsoever to do with the song. It was intentionally used then, when people were still ignorant, as a term which sounded Japanese and easy to pronounce.

The Japan Airlines Flight 123 took the life of Kyu Sakamoto among many others when it crashed on August 12, 1985. This song has been sung and played in many different versions throughout the entire world and has been covered by 4 pm, A Taste Of Honey, Anita Mui, Selena, Bryan Adams, Styx and many many more.

Every time I hear this song I feel wistful and nostalgic as though I've been transported back in time, especially when Sakamoto performs it.

上を向いて歩こう (Looking up while walking)
Ue wo muite arukou
涙がこぼれないように (So the tears won’t fall)
Namida ga koborenai youni
思い出す春の日 (Remebering those spring days)
Omoidasu haru no hi
一人ぼっちの夜 (All alone at night)
Hitoribocchi no yoru
上を向いて歩こう (Looking up while walking)
Ue wo muite arukou
にじんだ星をかぞえて (And counting the scattered stars)
Nijinda hoshi wo kazoete
思い出す夏の日 (Remembering those summer days)
Omoidasu natsu no hi
一人ぼっちの夜 (All alone at night)
Hitoribocchi no yoru
幸せは雲の上に (Happiness lies above the clouds)
Shiawase wa kumo no ue ni
幸せは空の上に (Happiness lies above the sky)
Shiawase wa sora no ue ni
上を向いて歩こう (Looking up while walking)
Ue wo muite arukou
涙がこぼれないように (So the tears won’t fall)
Namida ga koborenai youni
泣きながら歩く (Keep walking on, while crying)
Naki nagara aruku
一人ぼっちの夜 (It’s a lonely night)
Hitoribocchi no yoru
思い出す秋の日 (Remembering those autumn days)
Omoidasu aki no hi
悲しみは星の影に (Sadness is in the shadow of the stars)
Kanashimi wa hoshi no kage ni
悲しみは月の影に (Sadness is in the shadow of the moon)
Kanashimi wa tsuki no kage ni
上を向いて歩こう (Looking up while walking)
Ue wo muite arukou
涙がこぼれないように (So the tears won’t fall)
Namida ga koborenai youni
泣きながら歩く (Keep walking on, while crying)
Naki nagara aruku
一人ぼっちの夜 (It’s a lonely night)
Hitoribocchi no yoru
一人ぼっちの夜 (It’s a lonely night)
Hitoribocchi no yoru

Remember the girl who sang Pilot Of The Airwaves?

2008-01-20T19:46:00.002-08:00

Charlie Dore, that's her name. It was a long time ago, 1980, when I first heard this song and fell in love with it. I remember a DJ back then used it for her signature music segment on her Sunday morning show. Although Charlie Dore was a one hit wonder with that song, she continued to pursue her acting and song writing career and released Cuckoo Hill in 2006. I'm still waiting for that one day when she comes back with a song as extraordinary at that. And she wrote to me to, look:

Thanks for your message, Julya! It's always nice to know that people still have a long memory for tunes... As for the new ones, you can order either of the current albums here on my site, via Paypal. Just let us know and we'll dispatch them. Also you can have a full-length listen to 4 of the songs on my MySpace page (www.myspace.com/charliedoremusic)...just to give you a decent preview! Thanks for your support and I hope you'll come along to a gig if we're playing in your neck of the woods.

All the best,

Charlie

http://www.charliedore.com
http://www.myspace.com/charliedoremusic
watch the mtv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGtkM41rNk&feature=related