Top albums of 2011?

I have issues. As usual during this time of year I'm stressing about my top albums of 2011. LOL. Really stressing. This year I have listened to a lot. The albums that the critics love (besides Adele) probably won't make my top 10. I think I have a #1 album but it is impossible for me to judge the order of the other 9. I could probably do a top 15. Ugh, more stress so maybe not.

Well here are some interesting top albums list:

NPR: Listener's pick their top albums (a good mix)

Pitchfork's Top albums of 2011 (um, interesting. My top ten looks nothing like theirs. Hint: Bon Iver will not be on my list. Looking through random lists, I'm surprised Drake is getting so much love. full song samples included)

JON PARELES from the NYT top 10 albums of 2011

Spinner's top songs of 2011 (I won't be doing a top songs list this year. full song samples included. I've listened to every song on this list and found a few winners).

My list will probably be posted by January 10.

bitter

My song of the week:



Butterfly Boucher - A Bitter Song

Demi Lovato - Unbroken

I have a new purpose in life: To get you to try Demi Lovato! :) She isn't what you think.

"Fix a Heart" from the album Unbroken


How to Love (Lil Wayne cover)

Get More: Demi Lovato, Top 20 Countdown

Unbroken is a great pop album. It isn't flawless but I can't stop listening to it. It is definitely the most surprising album of 2011 for me (in a good way).

Vids

My current song obsession is Joss Stone's Drive All Night:



Beyonce's latest is pretty good. I'm not a Beyoncé fan or Destiny's Child fan but this album is different. My favorite song is "Countdown". I also love 1+1. That song made me give the album a chance.

tears dry on their own

He says, "I just think you're depressed".

This me: "yeah baby, and the rest".

-Amy Winehouse

Hmmm. I wasn't an Amy Winehouse fanatic. I don't know why. I heard "Rehab" and loved it. I thought her album "Back to Black" was good. I mean, yeah it's great. It deserved the Grammys and all but it's not my thing. A whole album about heartbreak?? Uh, try again. After I heard BTB, I listened to her first album "Frank". I wasn't impressed. BTB is definitely a lot better.

Brilliant voice. Wonderful lyricst. What more is there to say? It was hard for me to listen to rehab and not think about her relasping. (Assuming she was clean at times...) I even blogged about her saying that I thought she was good but the alcohol was going to mess up her voice. On a personal level, I could relate to her music even the love songs. She sang, "She's so vacant. Her soul is taken". How many times did I listen to that song on repeat? He Can Only Hold Her is the best song on BTB, imo. Beautiful. It is so perfect.

As a music lover, I just think "Damn, what could've been". One reason I decided to blog about her, is the headline that said she had unreleased music. Well I hope so. She hadn't released anything in FIVE YEARS. (Not counting my favorite song of hers - Valerie). Click on that link to get schooled on the best of Miss Winehouse. ;)




Damn.

I might be found...out

Song Of the Week. Lissie - Look Away

my fav albums of 11 so far

Since the year is halfway over, I've decided to post my top 3 albums (in no particular order because I haven't figured that out yet) of 2011 so far.

My favorite 2011 albums so far

Adele - 21

Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

Matt Nathanson - Modern Love

I'm sure this will change by the end of the year. At least I hope so. I haven't been wowed yet but then again, I haven't listened to much either.

------------------

I really enjoyed the original songs by "The Voice" finalists. I'm shocked at how good the songs are. I didn't see one full episode of the show. Either I would forget, or it was on against the NBA finals. Of course I'm picking sports over any other type of show. But I did get to see some of the finale and I couldn't believe the songwriters wrote/produced quality stars for these people! LOL

(The official website I linked above is pretty good. It has a ton of clips and full shows, I think).

I hope these songs make it on the radio. I don't listen to the radio so as far as I know Javier Colon's (the winner) song might already be on a hit on the radio. I just want people to hear these songs. I know the songs are doing great on iTunes.

I don't even have a favorite original song. Well my least favorite is Beverly McClellan's song. Oh and I did not know Dia Frampton was from the band, Meg and Dia until yesterday! Um, wow. I've really been checked out of everything.

Have a heart

song of the week/month

Sleigh Bells - Rill, Rill

He is a rebel with a tainted heart

Britney Spears' Femme Fatale is pretty good. I didn't like the first single so I expected the album to be trash. If you like pop at all, when was the last time Brit released a bad 1st single? This album is her first dance album. A few of the songs, like my favorite song: Criminal has tinges of r&b.

Excerpt from Rolling Stone's review since I'm not a music critic:

Femme Fatale may be Britney's best album; certainly it's her strangest. Conceptually it's straightforward: a party record packed with sex and sadness. Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the world's two biggest hitmakers, are responsible for seven of 12 songs: big melodies and bigger Eurodisco thumps. But other producers go nuts, tossing the kitchen sink at Britney. The Bloodshy-helmed "How I Roll" is sputtering, oddly beautiful techno. In "Big Fat Bass," Will.i.am turns Britney into a cyborg obsessed with low-end. ("The bass is getting bigger!" she exults.)

Download: Criminal, Big Fat Bass, Till The World Ends, How I Roll, Inside Out





If you like Britney's single "3", you'll LOVE this album. Check Femme Fatale Deluxe out today!

SOTW: My Chemical Romance

(Published on: Apr 23, 2011 @ 3:14)

I cannot get enough of this song. It has been my song for the past couple of weeks.



My Chemical Romance - SING

top albums of 2010

I haven't posted my top albums of 2010 because my list kinda sucks. I didn't pay much attention to what was released in '10. My #1 pick was a shock to me too. ;) But here is my lame list:

My Top 5 Albums of 2010(revised)

6. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (honorable mention)

5. Robyn- Body Talk



4. Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart

3. Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite



2. Christina Aguilera - Bionic

1. Taylor Swift - Speak Now






I never thought I would go back to being a Taylor Swift fanatic. I loved her first album and then I was disappointed by everything else...until now. This is more of an emotional pick but even if I'm 100% objective, I have to say Taylor's album is pop perfection. I miss really good pop music.

I lived with "Speak Now" from November 2010 - January 2011. I listened to it everyday and everywhere. It was where I was in my life at that time. Now it is sort of hard to listen to. (Told you this was an emotional pick!). I don't want to go back to December. December and January sucked for me. I want to go back to January 2010. But I can't and this is a music blog.

"Dear John" is the weakest track on the album but it has its moments. "Haunted" gives me chills. "Better Than Revenge" is the best pop track. If you love pop, try Speak Now. Her lyrics are better. The new "rifts" she does with her voice sold me. (I know "But can she do that live?" blah blah).

The Grammy's are this Sunday. I thought I didn't care until some station (E!) showed Miranda Lambert rehearsing and I got very pissed. I guess I do care. I don't want to see rehearsals or know too much. I don't care who wins (besides Miranda Lambert, of course!) because my peeps didn't get nominated. How could Tracey Thorn make every critics best list but get ZERO nominations? That doesn't make sense. Whatever.

music crazed

What a way to spend Xmas eve. I've downloaded a bunch of iTunes Podcast. Yes I've just discovered their podcasts. I don't do iTunes. I used to own an iPod about 6 or 7 years ago. It didn't work out for me. I returned it in less than a week. Maybe it was my computer or I had too much music. At that time I probably had about 10-20 gigs. I can't remember. I don't even know how much I have now. I have about 7500 songs which is...a lot of GBs. :) Anyhow, I had to keep refreshing the iPod and putting the music back on daily so I just gave up.

Back to the podcasts - You must download Metric's Live @ the 9:30 concert. It is FREE and um, AMAZING. (I've always had a way with words). I don't know how to link to iTunes. Just search for Metric's podcasts. It is under NPR.

Since then I've given up on all things Apple. The best MP3 player ever was the 32GB creative zen. It lasted for 3-4 years which is forever in MP3 player land. Unfortunately they stopped making them as soon as I brought mine. Right now I have a 8GB Zune. With all due respect 8 gigs is like nothing to me. What am I going to do with the rest of my music? I love to shuffle and 8 gigs won't even hold 1/4 of my music...I'm considering getting a Apple iPod classic 160 GB Black (7th Generation) NEWEST MODEL or a Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum). I trust Zune even though I did have one crappy MP3 player experience with them. But it was only 1GB (lol) and it was the first version. That thing didn't last a month.

I'm having the I-want-to-carry-all-my-music-around blues but I'll get over it.

Today I brought FOUR new digital albums. All of them under $5.00. Thanks Amazon.com. :)

Robyn - Body Talk [Explicit] [+Digital Booklet]

Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart [+Digital Booklet]

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Explicit]

Metric - Fantasies

No, I'm not a Kanye fan but I've only heard good things about this album. Just when I thought I had "My top ten albums of 2010" figured out.

Oh yeah, the Grammy noms are out. :/

more like her

(2010/11/06 - Published)

I don’t know much about these country music awards...which ones matter more to the people in the industry. I’m just glad that finally Miranda Lambert is getting the attention/respect/sales she deserves! She writes her own music. I wish I could see her in concert now. When I saw her she was opening for that Aldean guy. LOL. I didn’t even stay to see him. I knew from the start that she was special. The first time I saw her on that country idol type show (?), I fell in love. Congrats to Miranda!





I’ve listened to the latest Sugarland album a few times. It is devoid of depth, filled with mediocre lame “inspirational” lyrics but surprisingly listenable. I guess they will never be as good as their debut. I wish Kristen H. had never left the band. It is apparent she wrote MOST of the lyrics.

I was going to say that I’m not surprised that Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” sold over a million copies. She was everywhere so I expected at least 600k in sales. But considering her last album “Fearless” wasn’t that good, I am kinda surprised. I must be the only person who doesn’t get that album at all. IMO, it had 3 good tracks. I’m not a hater. I loved her first album. I haven’t heard much of “Speak”. I have heard “Dear John” and it is growing on me.

EDIT: I've listened to Speak Now. Like it! :) The best decision she made was to not use co-writers like she did on "Fearless". I love Mean, Enchanted & Better Than Revenge. Btw, the album is not country at all but I like pop-rock.

Some good country

Mindy Smith - One Moment More



I'm also enjoying Lori McKenna. I can't find her stuff on youtube. Check out her song Confetti.

John Mayer concert

(Published on: Sep 26, 2010 @ 3:57)

[caption id="attachment_328" align="alignright" width="176" caption="John in VA Beach 7/2010"][/caption]I'm sooooooo late with this entry. I attended the John Mayer/Guster concert on July 18th. It was the best concert I've ever been to...musically. It was my second best concert experience. (Hootie in '99 stilll #1. That was sorta my first. lol). I don't know what to say about the actual concert. I just decided to post because I'm excited about music again. (Sidenote: I 100% take back that Nina recommendation below). But first I had to post about JM.

Just read every fan's Mayer concert review. DITTO. blah. blah. Happy blahs. :) I'm thinking about going to see him every summer. But I only go to 1-2 concerts a year. So it depends on who else is on tour.

My favorite parts of the concert were him letting the audience (me too!) pretty much sing all of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", his banter and the best was War of My Life. I hate to admit this but I always thought of WAR as an album track...until I went to that concert. What he said during the song really resonated with me. For the next 2 months, whenever I would have a bad day I would listen to WAR. I love when a concert experience changes my feelings of a song.



The setlist:
01: Chest Fever -> Vultures
02: Crossroads
03: No Such Thing
04: Ain’t No Sunshine
05: War of My Life
06: Heartbreak Warfare
07: Waiting on the World to Change vs Perfectly Lonely
08: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
09: Who Says
10: Do You Know Me
11: Raspberry Beret
12: Good Love Is On The Way
13: Thank Yous
14: Half of My Heart -> Don’t Stop Believing
15: Encore
16: My Stupid Mouth (acoustic)
17: Why Georgia (acoustic)
18: Edge of Desire





Music recommendations coming in 2 weeks or less. ;)