I thought we could start our Sunday morning with a little music from the Dublin Gospel Choir, our spirited friends from Dublin, Ireland. And it seems like it would be wrong not to start with the spiritual written by Irish superstars U2. Listen as the Choir takes on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".
After opening with that, it seems only right to close with "Faith", a song off their album Doing Their Thing.
For More about the Dublin Gospel Choir, visit their official website. You can purchase Doing Their Thing on iTunes and Amazon.
Clockwise: Dorothy Dandridge; Sarah Vaughan; Ella Fitzgerald; and Diahann Carroll.
It's Saturday night, and time for to bring some of the great ladies of song to center stage, and teach us all a little something about love. The first to come out and join us will be singing a song written by Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes, and Louis Prima in 1946. In 1947, Ella Fitzgerald recorded "A Sunday Kind Of Love" on the album For Sentimental Reasons. It was released by Etta James in 1961, on the album with her iconic hit, "At Last". But we'll return to Miss Ella singing "A Sunday Kind of Love", so smooth and gorgeous.
Although she might be known more for her acting, the gorgeous Diahann Carroll made her way their with a magnificent voice. Long before she played Dominique on Dynasty, or the working single mother on the ground-breaking Julia, or the star of the movie Claudine, she was featured on Broadway in shows like House of Flowers and No Strings. Those musicals brought her to a singing career, and engagements on variety shows for decades. While her singing career never equaled her acting, she has a magnificent voice, as she did here singing the classic "Some Of These Days" on a show in the 1980s. The song was made famous by Sophie Tucker several decades before, but Diahann brought down the house with it.
Sometime in 1942, an eighteen-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, played the piano for a friend in the Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The friend earned second place, and later, Sarah Vaughan returned to sing "Body And Soul", and was the winner. In the spring of 1943, she was booked to open for Ella Fitzgerald at the Apollo, the beginning of her career. Here is Sarah singing "Body And Soul".
Like Miss Carroll, some might be more familiar with Dorothy Dandridge as an actress, as she was the first African American woman to be nominated for Best Actress for her role in Carmen Jones in 1954. She also was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the 1959 film, Porgy And Bess. But she worked her way to those roles singing with bands, and making "Soundies", the music videos of the early movies, showing singers and bands to entertain the audience between features. Here is one of those Soundies, with Dorothy singing Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me".
As I seem to be on yet another music marathon, this time featuring the music of Gavin Creel, I thought I would offer a stunning song, "Green To Gray". The song is off the 2010 EP Quiet. There is such a beauty and purity to Gavin's voice, I find it impossible to stop listening to it.
I am quiet crazy about Quiet. Oh, who am I kidding, I am crazy about Quiet, and nuts for Get Out, the album he released earlier this year. But I will go back to the EP, and another delicious song, "Love Fell Down".
For more about Gavin Creel, you can visit his official website. You can find both songs on the Quiet EP, available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.
Clockwise: Gavin Creel; Christopher Dallman; Angelo; SIRPAUL featuring Candy Apple Blue; and Kris Searle.
Well, since I figured out I wasn't going to Philadelphia to see Jay Brannan, I decided to make up a post that was music I might very well be dancing to at home tonight. I would of course include artists seen here on the blog before, that are in regular rotation on my playlists. And as you can see from the pictures above, they are all delicious eye-candy, just waiting to be nibbled on. But mostly, they are amazing artists I also seem to return to when I want to be moved. And they are all independent musicians, working to not only make great music, but trying to promote it on their own. I will start with a talented Broadway veteran whose most recent album, Get Out, remains a favorite of mine. That would include a great song that immediately grabbed my attention, "Whitney Houston".
You can purchase Gavin's Get Out album on iTunes and Amazon. Christopher Dallman writes such personal and honest songs, I can always find a song that will match a mood I am in. In fact, I can usually find several. But I wasn't expecting a dance track, but when DJ Radboy got hold of Chris' marriage equality single "Anthem", I found a great one. So enjoy "Anthem", the Radboy Radio Edit.
You can find a FREE Download Radboy's remix of Christopher Dallman's "Anthem" SoundCloud. Now, Angelo is positively edible in every one of his pictures, but don't let that fool you. His music combines honesty and pain, often wrapped in a jacket ready to go to the club. I absolutely love his latest album, Narcissus Drowned. There is plenty of great music on it, including a bonus track, "Time Bomb" (RAC Remix).
You can purchase Angelo's Narcissus Drowned album on iTunes and Amazon. Somewhere in a musical laboratory, you will find a beaker that combines the chemicals for Electronica and the ones for great Pop music, and you will find a label that simply says SIRPAUL. I've been a fan for some time, and have been thrilled to see constant evolution in his music, always sounding not only current, but just ahead of Pop. I loved the album Music & Me, and one of the singles off the album was "Mistaken", This is one of the wonderful remixes, featuring the talented Candy Apple Blue. Together, they make some incredible music.
You can purchase SIRPAUL's "Mistaken" remix featuring the talents of Candy Apple Blue on iTunes and Amazon. Finally, I will listen to a song from a British transplant making a home for himself in Los Angeles. Kris Searle is making music that combines the UK aesthetic with a growing American one, making interesting tunes. One of those is "Falling For Your Light", a single that really grabbed me, and continues to do so.
You can purchase Kris Searle's single "Falling For Your Light" on iTunes and Amazon. These are some incredible talents, all who would be grateful for your support by purchasing their music. If you do, the joy when you hit play on your iPod will quadruple the return on the investment.
While I love Jay Brannan for great original music, he also has a certain way with a cover song that makes me wonder what I could hear tonight if I go to the World Cafe Live! in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at an early stop on his American Tour. He can come up with a song you might not expect, like "Fuckin' Perfect" by Pink.
One I am pretty sure he will sing is "Rob Me Blind", the new single off the new album of the same name. The new album is fantastic, and I am loving it. Here is the first video, for the title cut.
If you haven't already purchased Jay's amazing album, Rob Me Blind, you can find it on iTunes and Amazon. You can also buy it from Jay's online store, either Option A, the CD a download of his live album, or Option B, a bundle of the CD, live download, and a t-shirt. Jay is just starting the American leg of his tour, although he was recently in Europe and Australia. Jay will be touring near you soon, so check out his tour schedule here. For more about Jay, check out his official website, or follow him on Twitter.
Well, it seems as though George Michael has been inspired by his recent medical struggles. Following the scary hospital stay battling pneumonia for his life, George is back at work to detail his struggle in "White Light", released earlier this month. The song seems to detail his health problems, and begs the question, was he saved by science, or was it the prayers of those who cared for him? One thing seems sure, no matter how tough it might have been George never gave in and just kept breathing. Enjoy the video for "White Light".
You can purchase "White Light" from iTunes and Amazon. You can learn more about George Michael on his official website, and can follow him on Twitter.
Chris Keys remains one of my favorite singer/songwriters from Belfast, Northern Ireland. It continues as he has released an official video for his beautiful song, "You and I", from the EP of the same name. Watch as he plays the wonderful song just for you.
You can purchase the latest EP from Chris Keys, New Day, on iTunes and Amazon. For more about Chris, visit his official website and listen to some great tunes. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.
