We never had a chance to begin

I got pretty sidetracked when writing about Norwegian singer Maria Arredondo's new single the other day--I hardly spent any time writing about the song itself. Consider this post an attempt to remedy that as well as share the best quality version of the song I've got so far--still not normal quality, but listenable. It is a radio rip, though, so the ending is clipped. As for Maria herself, she's released two pop albums (one in 2003 and one in 2004, both selling platinum) and one holiday album so far. Her voice does have that certain sweetness you'll find in some other female Norwegian singers' voices, but not quite to the same extent, and there's maybe a hint of the potential for her to sing country as well.

Brief and Beautiful--that slight sweetness suits this song really well--it's a great combination of voice and melody (and the songwriters' work really has to be recognized--the melody sounds like a big hit). Great match of melody and lyrics (or at least lyrical sentiment) as well--the bittersweet lyrics about a short-lived relationship (I love the line "like every good thing, it's not yours to keep") and achingly sweet melody (those quick rises and falls in the chorus's vocal melody might as well be the quick rise and fall of the relationship). In short, fantastic beautiful song matched with a singer who brings out its best elements

Since this is a new single, it'll only be posted for a little bit.

I'm not sure of anywhere where you can buy Maria Arredondo's new single "Brief And Beautiful" unless you have access to the Norwegian iTunes store, but you can buy her earlier albums here (physical). They're also listed on Amazon.

Edit: this probably doesn't deserve its own post, but Shayne Ward's video for "No U Hang Up" has debuted over here (you'll have to scroll down a bit, but you'll see a video player). Be warned that it involved black and white, water, and a general lack of clothes.

Next up: a Swedish or American group.