Happy Birthday, Skott Freedman!

Today is the birthday of the talented musician, Skott Freedman. In getting this post together, I came to realize I have been a fan of Skott's music for longer than I have realized. It all came out when I came across his cover of "Walking In Memphis", by Marc Cohn. The song appeared on his 2003 release, 'Some Company'. As I am want to do, I found the album on CD Baby, and purchased it, along with his 2001 album, 'Anything Worth Mentioning'. Once they arrived, I played them, and instantly was blown away by this man, and his amazing talent. I swear, I would be able to listen to an instrumental album of Freedman playing the piano, it was so damn good. I swear, after listening, I put the CD player on repeat, and just was bathing in his music. The piano-driven music was lush, and ranged from sweet to intense. He had me from the first bar to the last.

So today is Skott's birthday, and to celebrate the day, I thought I would post a little retrospective of his music. I will start with the title song off his second album, 'Some Company'. The song has a great energy, combining a youthful swagger to a base of raw emotion. The piano has such a high-octane pace, and yet his vocals kept up with it, carrying us on the journey that went from hurt to joy, to dreams that allow you to bargain with God and be a better person. Enjoy the song"Some Company", written and performed by Skott Freedman.

But there was also a slower, softer side to Freedman's music. When I first heard "Do You" from his album 'Anything Worth Mentioning', I was so very touched. There was such a great honesty Skott brings to the song, and a beautifully soulful quality. This is only highlighted by stunning guest vocal by Kristin Cifelli. Listen to "Do You", and hear a different side of Freedman.

Now to return to his 2003 release, there is a stunning song that offered a message that was years ahead of time. "Until That Time", off 'Some Company', is basically telling people going through a tough time that things do, indeed, get better. If you are hurting today, or if you feel lonely, and don't quite feel as though you have the strength, look to your friend to lend a shoulder for you to rest, and regain your strength. I just adore this song.

Since I was already a fan, by the time he released 'Judge A Book' in 2005, I needed to get it right away. The album was a collection of songs chosen by votes from the fans, giving Freedman the opportunity to do some great arrangements for this cover album. He also did a few duets, all quite enjoyable. I will admit that I somehow managed to miss the release of his next album, The Cottage Sessions.' It came out in the fall of 2009, and I didn't realize it for about a month. What amazed me most was that I knew it was coming, because I had purchased the first single from the album a few months before, a cover of "Zombie" by The Cranberries. This song was a perfect match for his voice, and I loved it.

In 2010, Skott recorded the title track from a compilation album for charity. "I Hear On The Streets", from the album 'I Hear On The Streets', looked to raise money to benefit New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth in NYC. The song was written by Emily Nyman, Lynn Berry, and Thomas Raniszewski. The song was dedicated to Jimmy Wheeler, a young man who took his life as the result of bullying. The song is really beautiful.

'I Hear On The Streets' can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby. I have long wished I could see and hear Skott performing live, and still hold on to that dream. You can learn more about Skott Freedman on his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook, or check out his videos on YouTube. You can also find his music on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

Ladies of 1995

Clockwise from top left: Everything But The Girl, Tracy Thorn and Ben Wyatt; Madonna; TLC, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins; and Annie Lennox.

Not exactly sure why, but I while I was thinking about a post for tonight, Tracey Thorn's voice came to my mind, and I decided to go with it. In 1995, Tracey was the lead singer for the group Everything But The Girl, playing with Ben Wyatt. In 1995, they had a huge hit with a remix of their 1994 single, "Missing". I loved the song, and how it managed to have that beat yet still maintain that haunted quality in her voice.



Now, since I was mentally hanging out in 1995, I thought it a great opportunity to visit another fantastic song by Madonna. There were plenty from which to choose, but I decided to go with "Take A Bow". I picked it because it occurred to me that both "Missing" and "Take A Bow" have been covered by Matt Alber, and that made me happy. So here is "Take A Bow", written by Madonna and Babyface, off the Bedtime Stories album.



Now if I am just randomly including some of my favorite artists, I couldn't do without the magnificent Annie Lennox. Annie had been going solo since 1990, making some incredible music in her post-Eurythmics career. That included her 1995 hit, "No More I Love Yous". That was her first single off Medusa, an album of cover songs, all originally performed by men. It was written by Joseph Hughes and David Freeman and was first released by their band, The Lover Speaks, in 1986. But it was Annie's version I remember best.



1995 was a time of CrazySexyCool, at least if you were a TLC fan. The album, released at the end of 1994, was a breakthrough for Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, starting with the first single "Creep". The song, written by Dallas Austen, zoomed up the charts, and paved the way for future hits to come, including the "Waterfalls".



Have a great Sunday night and enjoy your week!

Happy ROCKtober!

Posting is a bit light as I am under the weather, but I couldn't let the new month start without a little something. Since this is ROCKtober, I thought I would start the month out with a little rock and roll. The first entry hails from Ireland, and my boys of U2. Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullin, Junior, and Adam Clayton have been making music together for more than thirty years, and still going strong. This is October from 1981 album of the same name.



The band Evanescence has a dense and driven sound that rose above the din of American Rock in the early 2000s to truly stand out and earn the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Ben Moody and Amy Lee started the band in Little Rock, Arkansas, and they stayed together for a couple of years until creative differences drove them apart. Lead singer Lee continues on with the band, while guitarist and many of the original members of the band went on to form We Are The Fallen with singer Carly Smithson. The song October is from their Unreleased CD, with the original band members.



I guess I shall return to Ireland with the incredible voice of Dolores O'Riordan for the third and final entry tonight. O'Riordan came to my attention when she was lead singer of the amazing band The Cranberries. After the group disbanded in 2003, she went solo and has 2 albums to date. On her 2007 album, Are You Listening?, she had the beautiful song, October.



So, happy ROCKtober!

News - November 2009

There were several big things going on this past week, and I figured I would share the news with you all. Plenty of news on music releases and purchase opportunities, and live shows I am attending for Christopher Dallman, Jay Brannan, Eric & the Adams, Daniel Cartier, Casey Stratton and Tom Goss.

From Soundtrack to my Day

Christopher Dallman recently released his fantastic EP, Never Was. It is now available on iTunes, and you can purchase it here. The four-song EP has scored a perfect 5-star rating with everyone who has reviewed it so far, including myself. And Christopher has another EP coming out soon. Can't tell you how excited I am.

Jay Brannan offers his own particular brand of Christmas cheer with the release of his holiday single, Christmas Really Sucks. It is available on iTunes, and you can get it here. Jay had a big week, as he went all fangirly when he was going to see The Cranberries in concert. The incredible Dolores O'Riordan took his CD and actually waved it around as she sang. How knew it was possible, but I think Jay was not only happy, but excited!



Eric & the Adams released their first video at a party in Tulsa. The video, for the song Every Move. They had a great party, and it was covered by JabberBoxTV. I posted the video earlier here, so here is a report from the party in Tulsa. Angel has some excellent hosting duties!



I also discovered one of my favorite artists [cut me a break, I have many - including the artists listed above] Daniel Cartier, has a couple of releases lined up. There is a Christmas release ready very soon for the holiday season, a collection of cover songs due out in early January, and an album of new songs, entitled Redemption, due out in the new year as well. You can order any or all of them here. The following is Daniel doing an acoustic cover of Under The Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.



Casey Stratton had a concert recently at the Bitter End in NYC [and I am a little bitter I missed it, but I digress]. Anyway, the recording of the show is available for purchase through Casey's website. There are nine great songs, and you can buy them here. Casey performs a combination of some old and new songs, and one of the classics is Blood. Here is a performance from a couple of years ago.



Aiden James has his latest, Live At The Tin Angel, recorded at a concert in Philly I attended and I already have my copy. It is exceptional, and you can listen to and buy it here. Aiden has a show on the schedule for January and I plan to go.

I am going to see Tom Goss performing live at the World Cafe Live in Philly on Sunday. Tom is promoting his latest release, Back To Love. It is an impressive album, and you can purchase the mp3's here for under $9. Tom's video Till The End has been nominated for Click List Video of the Year, you can vote here. Actually, you can vote for several musicians on that list that have appeared on this blog: Telling On Trixie, Jay Brannan, Gregory Douglass, Toby Madigan, Levi Kreis, Ari Gold, Guy B, and Josh Zuckerman.

New Video - Jay Brannan - Cranberry High

Handsome Jay Brannan went to see The Cranberries in concert yesterday, and I was following his Twitter and giggling to myself as I watched a singer/songwriter go all fangrllllly over a favorite of his.



I remember the first time I went to see Jay in concert, and was so excited I would finally get to see the guy live I had loved on YouTube and on CD. So seeing him so on edge just warms my heart. Once he got home, he did a YouTube video as he basked in the post-Cranberries glow.



For more on Jay, visit his website here.