Don't count me out

I'd almost finished this post when I completely changed my mind about what I wanted to post--I'd finished the actual post and was in the middle of my finishing mini wrap-up of what some female Belgian singers were doing when--well, here's what I had, cut and pasted:

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We really will finish the Fame Factory special at some point, and in the near future, I think, but I think we're looking at a couple day break from it.

[Actual post with artist description, song, and where to buy before moving on to...]

Mini-update on some female Belgian singers:

Kate Ryan has a new single coming out; it's called "L.I.L.Y. (Like I Love You)" and you can hear some of it at the end of this performance edit: video pulled from YouTube, but you can listen to a lower quality clip here. Not enough for me to really make up my mind about it, though.

Via PubliSpain: Katerine (who I know I wrote about over at the HotStuff Files) has another single out, making this the second one for her upcoming second album. It's called "Don't Put It On Me" and you can listen to a partial performance of it here.

Natalia, the Idol runnerup-turned-more-than-that who I keep meaning to investigate since I've heard good things about her, is releasing the second single from her third album. In its single version, "Glamorous" will feature En Vogue, with whom (along with Shaggy) she's going to be doing some concerts. You can listen to it in low quality here (it's probably best to open that link in a new window, and no, it's not the Fergie song). I guess I sort of associate her with pop with disco influences, though that's based only on the slightest of knowledge and this latest single doesn't fit that description--check out first album single "I've Only Begun To Fight" (it really benefits from being in higher quality, especially that intro) for a taste of that disco side.. I really do need to go listen to her albums, given how popular she is...and probably post about her.
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But of course, at that point I'd listened to "I've Only Begun To Fight" enough that I decided to skip over (for the moment) what I'd originally written about for today and post that instead. I still haven't heard very much by her at all, so I can't even begin to evaluate it in comparison to the rest of her work--I have no idea how good any of her albums are, though I'm really thinking now I need to find out. As a little bit of background about Natalia, her full name is Natalia Druyts, she's got a sort of soulful voice, and she took second on the first series of Idol in Belgium, but she's by far the most successful contestant so far; she's even achieved that ever-so-difficult task for the ex-Idol contestant: releasing a second album that outsells your first.

I've Only Begun To Fight--very pop and very disco (strings--yay!), as well as having some horns that remind me of the '60's. At times, it's hard for me to believe that this was the second single from someone off of an Idol show, and I love Idol.

And oh, why not throw in one more too...

Risin'--the lead single for her second album, this song is more gospel influenced, I think, though it's got some electro touches at various points and is very poppy. Shamelessly upbeat and a complete feel-good song and for that, I might prefer it to "I've Only Begun To Fight," though I think that's probably the better song.

To buy Natalia's first album, This Time, go here (physical) or here (digital) and to buy her second album, Back For More, go here (physical) or here (digital). You can also pick up both albums as part of one package here (physical) or here (digital; it's worth mentioning that, if you're going the digital route, you can get the whole double album package for €9.99, so there's really no point just buying one or the other).

Next up: maybe a Danish singer.

Oh yeah, I missed a bit out

Oh yeah, and I like this too. It's British, not American, but it fits with the below theme of "I'm not really sure what I'm thinking, but I like it." It's rap, I guess, though how much he's actually rapping and not just speaking as he narrates running from the police is debatable, and I think it's got pop appeal (definitely catchy), despite apparently charting at #37. I heard the song it's sampling on TV or in a movie or something this week.



Lethal Bizzle, "Police On My Back." It and everything about it just appeals to my sort of weird sense of humor. Seriously, near genius, I think.

Back with a better view

Hi all,

Just a quick note to say that I think I'll be back tomorrow...and, more importantly, that I am overwhelmed and truly touched by the messages from all of you. Thank you so much, to each and every one of you.

It'll be good to be back, because apparently every time I take an extended break from the blog, my music taste gets increasingly dubious--over vacation in the summer, I found myself in love with Brad Paisley's "Online." Yes, the premise is incredibly overdone (look at how people make themselves seem cooler online!) and the video I could do without (though I expect it's what makes the song for some people), but the song is really catchy and the perfect laughing group singalong. Plus, the way it goes into a marching band version of itself at the end (because of some of the lyrics earlier) is too funny and, in my eyes, sort of negates any "bullying" accusations. And how can you criticize a song with the lyrics "even on a slow day, I can have a three way...chat"?

Where was I going with this? Oh yeah--well, I'm worried now because I think I like the Santana and Chad Kroeger's (Nickelback's lead singer) single, "Into The Night." And I'm anti-"Smooth," too. I'd cut the guitar break and some of the more obvious "ooo, look, Latin!" guitar touches, but it's good. Plus, despite me thinking it was a mess of sound that didn't add up to much the first time I heard it, Chris Brown's latest single, "Kiss Kiss," really intrigues me now. It's synthy, mid-tempo, "urban," and...as I said, intriguing, for some reason. I guess I'm interested to see where he goes next. Of course, ever since "Run It," I've had time for a little Chris Brown. I could see me getting sick of this quickly, though, too. Oh, but the song does continue the grand Chis Brown tradition of mentioning his age in virtually every single he releases, which still amuses me to no end. Heck, I even think the chorus to the latest R. Kelly/Kid Rock/Ludacris mess isn't bad (do not go looking for the song, though, because the chorus is not good enough to make it worth wading through the simultaneous boringness and offensiveness). Talking about rockstars is in now, I guess, what with that, the Nickelback song, and that Shop Boyz song.

Speaking of Nickelback, I quite like the latest Daughtry single, "Over You," as well--pop-rock, I suppose, of the fairly straight up sort, not innovative, but I like it. And still like Good Charlotte's sort of old by now "I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dancefloor Anthem)," which is apparently at least doing something in the U.S. now.

For more pop-rock with alt influence, the debut single from latest Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo, "All I Ever Wanted," isn't bad either.

Oh, and the two Faber Drive songs I've heard are both good--I know I made an offhand reference to them once, but they may be possible "featured in the near future" candidates.

One more "oh": I guess "Kiss and Make Up,"the song supposed to promote MTV's new TV series Kaya (a fictional show about a singer and her struggles with fame), which I think is supposedly by Crossing Coldwater (the fictional band from the TV show) but is being listed as Kaya & Crossing Coldwater, isn't horrible, but if you're looking for that sort of girl-led pop-rock that draws from alt-rock territory, I'd go with I Nine's "Seven Days Of Lonely" (the song doesn't start until 27 seconds in; and yes, this is the song I mentioned the other day that keeps drawing Avril comparisons) which does have that cheesy title but is catchier, it works the repeated "oh"s better, and it's slightly poppier...or maybe just better. Not fantastic either, but better.

So in other words, I think I desperately need to get back in touch with the blogging world. See what happens when you're surrounded by nothing other than the U.S. mainstream music scene for even a week?

(This was just meant to be a quick, couple sentence post--oops.)

Can we bring yesterday back around?

Hey guys,

I've always made an effort to keep my personal life and this blog separate. Not that that's the only way to do a music blog, but it just sort of felt like it fit for me...so, although it's not as if I never mention me--probably the opposite, in fact; most of my posts seem to be about how I react to music--I've generally avoided real hard details about me and what's going on in my life. With that in mind, feel free to stop reading right now--what follows isn't the sort of stuff you probably come here for, and honestly, there's nothing wrong with that--we all have our own dramas to deal with. All you need to know is that it'll probably be some days, maybe a week or so, before my next post.






Near the beginning of this year, my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I don't know how much people know about it--I sure didn't know much--but it's pretty bad; survival rates are low. Still, she finished up chemo at the end of this past summer and, well, I know everyone says this, but honestly, she was the sort of person that everyone said "she'll be the one, she'll be the one to make it."

I'm in college, in case you hadn't guessed--have been for a few years now, and I went back in mid-August. Up until two weeks from last Friday, she was still at work, still teaching (she'd done a lot of things in her life, but for some years now, she's been a high school special ed teacher in a [inner] city school), and I don't think anyone--let alone me, hours away--knew anything was truly wrong again until about that day. I didn't find out anything until this Monday, when I got a call from my grandmother saying I should come home. Technically, I didn't know anything until this Friday, but when I asked for details about what was happening and only got "we'll talk when I see you" as a response, I think I could guess.

Anyhow, so I got home Friday, got to visit with her a few hours. My parents are both divorced and remarried (I split time with both equally)--well, I say "remarried," though I suppose technically the U.S. government wouldn't recognize what my mom had as a marriage (it's the family I've known for the longest time, that's for sure), but my step mom was honestly the best person in the world to take care of her.

I'm getting sidetracked: at 6:15 AM on Saturday morning, my mom passed away.

We had loads of people in and out of the house all yesterday, and we're not exactly a small family to begin with, but that's been a good thing. Anyway, the point of all this is that it'll be some days, maybe about a week, before I'm back--the service is on Wednesday, but it'll just be a little time. I do promise that I'm coming back...just in a little bit.

Kisses guys--see you soon.

I never wanna live without your love

Sandra Oxenryd is great. I'm not really sure what she's doing entering Norwegian Idol--after all, she's already won Fame Factory in Sweden (the fourth and most recent season) and represented Estonia in Eurovision (in 2006), so I would've thought that would be enough to prove to companies that she's a good singer. It's a real shame if someone like her still can't get enough (record company?) support that she feels the need to go on another televised contest (if she's trying out for Idol in other countries, I presume she's no longer signed). Plus, look at the boots and the strutting (in the final minute) in her Eurovision semifinal performance! Should've made it to the finals.



Anyway, as far as I know, Sandra has only released on album so far (or maybe two editions of basically the same album), but it's got some good songs on it--this is one of them.

All There Is--I think I remember seeing that a couple of other artists had released this song as well (there's a Chinese pop singer who released it back in 2004), but Sandra's great, this is a Fame Factory special, and I prefer this version than the only other one I can remember at the moment, so I'm posting her version. It's very poppy, cute, and catchy--a great pop song, in other words.

Besides the songs I've posted before, I'd recommend picking up "Make Me Better" as well (and some others). You can buy the album here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: in all likelihood, after today I won't be able to post anything until Monday (not for any fun reason)--there's a chance I might be able to post some stuff beforehand, but odds are against it. I'll be back soon, though, maybe with one-half of a Fame Factory couple.

Come on, dance for me

Just another quick post today, guys, sorry! And another singer you probably haven't heard of before: Pauline Högberg. She, like yesterday's featured singer, was from Fame Factory's third season. I'm not sure what exactly she's done after the show, though I do know she released at least one single: the song I'm posting backed with her version of No Angels' "Feel Good Lies" (spelled in that way, I believe, on her version). For the record, I like her version of the song and almost posted it instead of this, but ultimately went for the song I figured fewer people would have in any form. Interesting pop fact that's only slightly related: the sets for the music video for that song as sung by No Angels and the video for German boy band Part Six's "Drive So Far" bear a pretty strong resemblance--it seems pretty likely they are the same.

Doin' It--a mid-tempo pop song with a little bit of attitude to it, but it's sold in a cute way. Catchy, too, of course. I should really have more to say here, shouldn't I? But I don't--just that it's good. Just listen to it--I think you'll get it.

To get this song, you can check Swedish eBay for a single of it (I guess you could check regular eBay, too, but you're far more likely to to find it the other way) or buy Best of Fame Factory from here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe a Fame Factory winner.

Well, to tell the truth I haven't been faithful

I promise we'll be getting to some people who are more "famous" soon, but for now, another singer you probably haven't heard of, though you may have heard some of his writing work--his co-writes include Anders Johansson's "Sooner Or Later" and "It's Over," Sita's "I Surrender," Excellence's "We Can Dance," and Amy Diamond's "Shooting Star." You may have sort of heard his voice before, too, because he's done backing vocals on some A*Teens songs. Robert Zuddas was on the third season of Fame Factory. His MySpace describes his style as "pop/soul," and that sounds about right. Speaking of his MySpace, it's also playing a quite good song called "Unbreakable" on it.

Hand Delivered--OK, yes, sentimental in a cheesy way ("baby I will be the one, bringing love, hand delivered"), but I love cheese and I like this song. "Hand Delivered" is is a simple mid-tempo pop song with a chorus that has a rising feel to it. The verses (well, maybe more the bridge) and chorus both have a nice melody to them.

The only place I know of to get this song is on Fame Factory Vol. 8, which you can buy here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe someone who appeared in Melodifestivalen before and after he was in Fame Factory. Or maybe someone who's covered a No Angels song.

Don't you leave me here all alone against a hurricane

Another quick post, but when I saw the tracklisting for Ola's Good Enough, I had to share:

1.) S.O.S.
2.) Totally Addicted
3.) Natalie
4.) My Addiction
5.) If You Gave Me Your Love
6.) Good Enough
7.) Can't Get Enough
8.) All It Takes
9.) My Baby Girl
10.) Baby I'm Yours
11.) Who I Am

In case there were any doubts, you'll definitely be hearing my thoughts on it when it arrives. It's out October 3 and you can order a copy here (though, if you live in Europe, it's better to use this link so you can get a signed copy).

Taken from someone on his official site, by the way. The same person also posted pictures of the album booklet, which I wasn't going to look at but I wanted to see the writing credits, and yup, they're there! Of quick note: Tony Nilsson (who wrote "Natalie") also co-wrote "S.O.S," "Can't Get Enough," and "Who I Am" and Gary Barlow co-wrote "If You Gave Me Your Love." GHOST did a lot of work on the album, Bassflow (yes, of the "7milakliv" and "100 år fran nu (Blundar)" remixes I'm obsessed with, as well as loads of other great stuff) did some production work (on "Natalie," "S.O.S.," and "Can't Get Enough") as well, and Jeanette Olsson sings backing vocals on "Natalie," "S.O.S.," and "Baby I'm Yours." Oh, and Ola has a lot of co-writing credits.

And another "oh," for anyone needing a Melodifestivalen/Eurovision connection: in the liner notes, he thanks Rickard Engfors for being his stylist.

Love is breaking my heart

Sort of a quick post today, which works well, since I don't know that much about Wictoria Nilsson. I do know she competed in the first season of Fame Factory. She would go on to release a single Thomas G:son co-penned, "Allt vi känner för varann" (which was also co-written by future Fame Factory contestant Pontus Assarsson), which featured other contestants as well. I prefer the following song, though.

(By the way, as a note of warning, some of the pictures I use for this special may seem odd and in some cases there might not be a picture of the artist at all; I usually try to find the best picture possible of them, but in some of the cases I can envision me not being able to find very many to choose from, if any.)

This Game--this is a catchy mid-tempo pop song that's very smooth and sweet in a way, despite the subject (and I'm glad of the sad subject--it just gives the song a little extra impact); in part, that's due to the music (it's got a nice little melody), but I think it also has to do with Wictoria's voice (speaking of her voice, she does this interesting breathy thing on some of the words, like "middle," that surprised me, but that I like--it just makes the song a little more distinctive). It's not in your face, just a really well-done pop song; the only thing I'd possibly like to change about it is I'm never ready for it to be over when it ends--one more go-round of the chorus would be very welcome (though I have noticed how the song clocks in at exactly 3:00--maybe, for its original purpose, there was no time for one more use of the chorus). I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's been reused by another artist later--it would fit in very nicely on a solid pop album.

I'm not sure of any album that contains this song besides Fame Factory Vol. 3, which you can buy here (physical) or here (digital).

Next up: maybe a more famous male singer or a female singer who I don't think is particularly well-known outside of Sweden.