The First Listen: Gwen Stefani - This is What the Truth Feels Like #ThisIsWhatTheTruthFeelsLike #GwenO2O

What are your favorite songs about? Happy times and falling in love? Or do you prefer to sit down and listen to tales of betrayal and heartache? With Gwen Stefani's new album This is What the Truth Feels Like, you will get the best of both.

I've been a fan of Stefani since her No Doubt days, so I was happy to have the opportunity to review her latest album. What fans will notice first about this album is that it is much more grown up than her first two solo releases—that isn't to say that the previous albums were juvenile, because they both have musical complexities that are far beyond typical dance pop. What I'm talking about is a sense of maturity in this new album that opens up much more on a personal level while still giving fans what they want—great music with a range of tempos that you can chill out to or dance to, depending on what you're feeling that day.

The album starts off with “Misery” which is an expression of suffering and rolling with the punches. This track is one of my favorites and reminds me of a classic Gwen Stefani track. As the album continues, another one of my favorites is “You're My Favorite” which goes through all of those twists and turns of life lessons to realize what you really want in life.

But not all of the tracks are about loved lost. Stefani also includes a number of tracks that explore the idea of new love, such as “Where Would I Be?”, “Make Me Like You”, “Truth” and “Send Me a Picture” to name a few.

If you are looking for something that reminds you of the more upbeat, fun pop that Stefani is known for (think “Bubble Pop Electric” or “Yummy”), my #1 favorite on this album is “Naughty”--it's a get-up-and-shake-it kind of track. It's still working with the theme of losing love and betrayal, but it's done in a way that makes you want to smile knowing that the subject of the song's going to realize the power of karma.

Fans of Gwen Stefani won't be able to get enough of this album. Those who haven't discovered her solo work will find a number of tracks that they can enjoy. If you want to go out and get your own copy of This is What the Truth Feels Like, you can purchase it now from iTunes or Target (this version includes four bonus tracks). You also have the opportunity to get your hands on special bundles from Gwen's website, but those are limited so you'll want to act quick. 

 

Want even more? Make sure to follow Gwen Stefani on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

*I participated in this sponsored album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided the album to review but all opinions are my own.

The First Listen: Joy Williams VENUS #JoyWilliams #O2O

The summer always offers up a chance to listen to new music and find that special summer sound that we all love to play. This summer, Joy Williams may have a big part in that summer sound you'll be hearing. Once a member of The Civil Wars, Williams is now on her own and revealing her honest story through her album Venus.



Each of the songs on the album tells part of her story, but it definitely goes bigger than that--the lyrics also provide the listener with a bit of light and encouragement that can come with the clarity of getting through rough times. When it comes to the sound, Williams provides an eclectic mix of country storytelling, dance beats and very clean pop hooks that are interesting to listen to over and over again.

My personal favorites to listen to on this album are "Woman (Oh Mama)", "One Day I Will" and "The Dying Kind." Check out the video for "Woman (Oh Mama)" yourself and let me know what you think:



Venus is available from iTunes and from Amazon so you can discover it for yourself. It's available for download, on CD and vinyl (my personal favorite).

**I participated in the Joy WIlliams Venus album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

The First Listen: Madonna - Rebel Heart

Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll--yep, pretty sure I'm listening to Madonna!

The music of Madonna sort of spans my existence on this earth. When she released her first album, I wasn't born yet. When she was getting her erotica on in the 90s, I wasn't allowed to listen to her. And when she re-emerged at the turn of the century, I didn't give it much of a thought, thinking that she was trying to be younger than she was. Those were my TRL years. I'm not entirely proud of the things I listened to then. But now with her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart, she's the kinda artist I want to listen to.



The album begins with the single "Living for Love" and takes it from there.



While I know that Madonna certainly doesn't want to be labeled, you can break up the songs on this album in a couple of different ways. First, there are the contemplative, serene tunes and the fun dance-your-butt-off tracks. If you want to go zen, try listening to "Devil Pray," "Ghosttown," or "Joan of Arc." If you are more interested in shaking it all night long, try a playlist with "Living for Love," "Unapologetic Bitch," or "Hold Tight" on it.

When the content of the lyrics are more your thing, Madonna gives you a range of her classic themes that include religion, sex and having that attitude--bold and brazen, yet very real. Along with what you would expect from Madonna lyrically, she also has that same voice you can hear in all of her earlier work. Most artists with such as wide-ranging career either have to deal with vocal changes are create them, but she hits every note just right. If you've enjoyed Madonna in the past, this album delivers everything you could ever want. New to Madonna? You'll enjoy dancing the night away to Rebel Heart.

You can get the album on iTunes today, so what are you waiting for?

The First Listen: Train - Bulletproof Picasso #BulletproofPicasso #O2O

Thanks to the One2One Network, I was provided a free copy of Train's latest album, Bulletproof Picasso. For fans of Train, this album delivers all of the things that you love about Train--great, mostly upbeat songs that you can listen to in almost any situation.


What I like about it is that through the lyrics, they go far beyond just fun pop tunes. While many would say the best storytelling songs are in the country genre, I think that Train does an equally good job in telling a great story through song, and (thankfully!) does it without a country twang. All of the tracks are so good that I don't know if I could pick just one to call the best.

If you want to learn more about the album and check out a couple of tunes, here are some videos and information about Bulletproof Picasso. You can also pre-order the album from iTunes or Amazon.


 

 Don't forget to check out Train on tour:
8/28 Gilford, NH Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook
8/29 Lenox, MA Tanglewood
8/30 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel and Casino


**I participated in the Train Bulletproof Picasso album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.

Music Review: David Gray, Mutineers

It’s always fun to discover new music, and I wanted to let you know about an artist that I just discovered recently. While he’s currently on his tenth studio album, I didn’t know much about his work before. His name is David Gray, UK singer/songwriter. You may already know his work from the song "Babylon" from the album White Ladder. I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of his latest album, Mutineers (will be released June 17). Here are my thoughts:

This is definitely a mellow album. David Gray has a vocal quality that is similar to artists such as James Blunt and Gavin DeGraw. The lyrics are descriptive and haunting at times, but always full of emotion. I will definitely be adding some of these songs to my summer playlist.

You can pre-order this album from  Amazon or iTunes.

*I received a free download of the album to review from One2One Network. All opinions are my own.

Lessons To Music

Guest post written by Sidney Owens

Yo Gabba Gabba is an excellent educational show for children. Everyone is wearing brightly colored clothing, and dancing and singing. It is such a fun show to watch. Everyday the cast shows how to do a new dance. They walk through all the steps, and then start the music up and compel all the at home audience to dance with them

Direct Tv offer this show on the nickelodeon network, for younger kids. Nick Jr. There is also lots of singing and celebrating holidays. The cast consists of DJ Lance, Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Plex, and Toolee. It is a show that promotes sharing with your friends and being nice to other people.

Valuable life lessons are here to be learned. Things like waiting your turn, not biting other people, and using your manners are among some of the life lessons taught on Yo Gabba Gabba. It is a cute little show that packs a big message. The music and interaction with the tv audience keeps younger viewers captivated and playing along. A definite to teach how to be a polite and productive person.

Love discovering new artists

Because of my recent immersion in classic movies, I haven’t been keeping up with the new music scene as much as I would like. But today this has change, and I have been looking at a variety of new hip hop artists and think I have found a pretty good one: Icebloc. Icbloc is a hip hop tag team (duo) made up of J. Keys and Vito. They are influenced by some of the greats, new and old in the industry. But these men use their musical talent to take a typical genre and turn it around to create something truly new and exciting.

Icebloc’s new album, KRANKMUZIK is available for purchase on Amazon, and I headed over to their MySpace page to listen to some of the tracks. Even though my musical tastes tend to run in the opposite direction of hip hop styles, these tracks are better than I expected. I especially love the fact that there is a really beautiful melody that mixes throughout the beat and the rapping in “Put It In The Air.” And even though this is not something that would normally listen to, all of the songs have a great beat and I’m confident that these guys have the talent to make it big.

Music Lessons in Your Home

Ever since I was eleven, I have been playing the clarinet. I also picked up the flute later on, but what benefited my playing most was the one on one teaching that received throughout the years. And now anyone can get this type of instructions for playing music right in the comfort of their own home. The Amadeus Home Music School will provide anyone will music lessons at their convenience. And time that works best for you, you can have a one on one lesson with a qualified instructor. This is a national organization and has teachers available in every state. To get more information, you can visit the Amadeus Home Music School or call 877-537-7660.

Songs Can Tell it All, Part 2

Okay, I have narrowed my list down to five songs that describe me:

1. Paperback Writer, The Beatles
2. Just Like a Woman, Bob Dylan
3. Little Willow, Paul McCartney
4. Vienna, Billy Joel
5. I Am a Rock, Paul Simon

There. I did it. That's me.

Songs Can Tell it All

So, if you had to choose just 5 songs that completely described you, what would they be? I started asking myself this question and came up with some interesting answers. I still haven't chosen all five, so I think I'll post them later tonight once I have the list made. But please... feel free to share your lists!

Living in a Fog

I think that this is really strange, but all day today I felt like my head was in a cloud. Maybe it was all the OTR radio programs I was listening to, or my new music, but it was a funny feeling. Maybe I'm getting that spark of inspiration back again... I haven't written a word of fiction in about a month... and I think its making me crazy. If I get all of my work done early tomorrow, I think I'm might work on a story again. I need it.

What Is Going On?

Not only did I wake up in a great mood this morning, it was smashed by an unknown entity by the early afternoon. After that, I just felt miserable. I have tried to bring it up by listening to music, playing mindless computer games, but that didn't help. Among my problems (thought I'm sure no one cares) I have a stack up unpaid invoices, I cannot prove that I can afford an amazing apartment that I want, and I live with my parents. Plus, I fell asleep for nearly an hour around 6:30 tonight, which gave me a headache.

I think I'll just stay in bed tomorrow and not get up. Even my new book doesn't do anything for me. I have no interest in finishing it, though it's decent so far.

New Music

I found new music! Okay, so it's old, but I really like it. I downloaded some Monkees songs today that I have never heard before... they are totally groovy. I also found a free album from a dude name Ryan Hutson... it sounds pretty good, but I found it while I was surfing for credits. I only listened to one song so far, but I will be able to give the rest of the album a chance over the next day or so.

Only wish my iPod speakers didn't buzz and pop every once in awhile... I can't stand wearing headphones anymore.

I'm sick of complaining about my work so I thought I would stop and take the time to tell you about a new site that I found just the other day. It's called Leapfrog.tv What's Next in Music and it's a really cool site. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love music and love discovering new artists. Well, Leapfrog.tv lets me discover emerging artists through music videos, music samples, and a lot of user generated content. I wish I was as talented as some of these musicians are! The site also has support from many record labels including Epic Records, Interscope Records, and many more. If you want to know what the next big thing in music is going to be, then this is the site for you. The site focuses heavily about about 50 new releases that will soon become the next big thing in the music industry. This site not only helps people discover new music, but it also aids artists in getting their songs and videos to the world. If you want to be on top of new music and impress your friends, start hanging out at Leapfrog,tv.

My new computer is finally here. After a few hours of fiddling, I think I finally have it running the way I want it to. But I'll be honest, it was really more trouble than it was worth. I can't transfer my music at the moment, so I still have to use my laptop for all my iPod related issues... just for awhile though, hopefully. And I even got a few things typed that I needed to do... not work, but career related, for sure. I hope I don't have to make my money from personal essays, but if they sell, why the hell not? I'll try it. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. But I have to have the will to sit down and write it out past this little freewriting exercise I typed earlier.

Jeez... it's been a day, you know? Ups and downs with every tick of the second hand. But I'm calm right now, and that's great. It's my music that's doing it. I used to think that my iPod was there to protect me from having to interact with strangers, but it's also a tool for calming my wandering mind. If music could be a religion, I would be the first follower. Seriously.

I must begin with a complaint. Blogger is a goober and MADE me change to a Google account or whatever just to log on today. I'have had this blog here for four years and I just all of a sudden had to redo my username and password. What's with that? Why didn't they warn me when they were going to switch? You can't tell me they don't have my email.

Okay, on to what I really wanted to talk about...

Music. Yes, music. More specifically, my iPod playlist. Is it just me, or is there always one song that makes you feel like smiling? I have one. Right now, it's Rob Thomas, "Little Wonders." I went through hell trying to get it--you can't buy it anywhere! But through various means I did get an mp3 of it. It's just one of those songs with great lyrics, and lyrics are the first thing I notice when I listen to a song. I know that it's featured in a Disney movie and I'm completely anti-Disney, but that doesn't matter. Rob Thomas is a genius. It's true. I want to say that I just like his songwriting, but that's not the whole truth. I have attached significant, life-altering moments to every single one of his (and MB20's) songs that I like. It's strange and sad, but oh well. Keeps me looking sane in public.

Another really good artist I can't get enough of is Sean Lennon. I know I began listening it him because I'm a huge fan of his father, but I'm not like everyone else. I don't compare his music to his father's. It's not right to do that anyway. You wouldn't compare The Backstreet Boys to the Beatles, would you? But hey, people do. My brother says his voice sounds to whiny. I don't see it. It might be higher than most male vocals, but again, it's the lyrics I'm after. His lyrics really hit home, especially in Parachute, Spectacle, and Friendly Fire. The only thing I'm pissed about it that he made a movie to go along with the album, but because I bought it from iTunes I didn't get the movie. I want to see it. Harper Simon is in it. I've never really seen Paul Simon's son, and I think it would be interesting to do so.

I just got a free Augustana CD yesterday. I had NO IDEA they were the ones that performed the song Boston. I love that song, but I haven't had a chance to listen to the rest of the album yet. This, unfortunately, isn't on my iPod yet.

The one CD I'm interested in purchasing right now (which isn't available to download online) is Alexa Ray Joel. Yep, just another famous artist's kid. But I've heard her stuff and she's really good. She needs to get on my iPod as soon as I get a summer job... otherwise, I don't think I'll be able to scrape up the money to get the CD. I gots bills to pay.