Music Monday: Jon McLaughlin Like Us

Katie October 19, 2015 0 Comments

The Beginning
Before You
Down In History
I Am Always Going To Love You
Don’t Mess With My Girl
I Want You Anyway
Thank God
More Than Me
You and I
Let Go
Walk Away

 I’m not sure that I’ve ever fallen in love so quickly with a new album like I have with Like Us before.  A lot of the songs on this album remind me of the Jon that I fell in love with back in 2007 with his album Indiana.  Not to say that the stuff in between has been bad, but there is just something about this album that seemed familiar which may be why I love it so much.  Typically in these reviews I like to list out my favorite songs – but honestly if I did that it would be about 90% of the album.  It would be easier for me to tell me what songs I *don’t* love. (None of them!)   This album came out on October 9th and I encourage you all to check it out.  Jon is also on tour NOW… be sure to check out www.jonmcl.com for all the details. I’ll be seeing him in about a month and you can expect a full report sometime after!

Music Monday: Matt Nathanson Show Me Your Fangs

Katie October 12, 2015 0 Comments

I’ve posted on here before how much I absolutely love Matt Nathanson’s song Headphones.  The first time I heard it, it was like it was written for me.  So I was happy to find out that it was included on his latest release, Show Me Your Fangs.  I don’t really have any other of Matt’s releases, but I do love his music and his live shows (so I’m bummed his tour promoting this didn’t work out for me!) It’s hard to pick favorites from these songs. They’re all so different, but all so great! Obviously excluding Headphone which is clearly my favorite of the 10, it’s hard to rank the rest. Let’s just say the other 9 all come in at #2.  Definitely a quality release and you should check it out!

Music Monday: Bea Miller Not An Apology

Katie October 5, 2015 0 Comments

Young Blood
Fire N Gold
I Dare You
Paper Doll
Perfect Picture
Enemy Fire
Force of Nature
This Is Not an Apology
Dracula
We’re Taking Over
Rich Kids

When Bea was on XFactor, I really wasn’t a fan of her. I just couldn’t get into her performances. But when I was looking for new releases for Music Mondays, I saw her album and figured I’d give her another chance.  My main issue with her was always that she seemed to talk more than singing – which does come through on some of the songs on this album, but it seems to work more. Maybe because they are new songs so I am not comparing her to the original performers.  It’s also been about 3 years since XFactor so she has no doubt grown a bit since then.  I have to say that I enjoyed this album a lot more than I thought I would. A lot.

Music Monday: Carrick Hypercolor

Katie September 28, 2015 0 Comments

I Get High
Wild Child
Beginners
BAnDITS
The Spirit
Hypercolor
All I Think About
Different Drum
Ancient History
Dice
Where We Belong
Chain Me To the Wall

Carrick Moore Gerety was first introduced to me as a part of the band Everybody Else when they opened for Hanson.  Since then, the group has disbanded but Carrick has shown up at a few of Hanson’s song writing camps and recently put together a kickstarter campaign in order to release a solo album, Hypercolor.  The album was released on September 18th and is available now for everyone to purchase, not just backers.

I never did get into Everybody Else so I can’t really tell you how these songs compare to the stuff that they had put out as a group versus just Carrick solo. But I can tell you that this is a really good album. A bit different than what I usually listen to, but very catchy!

Music Monday: David Cook Digital Vein

Katie September 21, 2015 0 Comments

Heartbeat
Criminals
Broken Windows
Laying Me Low
Better Than Me
Carry You
From Here To Zero
Kiss & Tell
Wait For Me
I’m Gonna Love You
Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)
Home Movies (Over Your Shoulder)

I was very excited for the release of David Cook’s Digital Vein and not just because I invested probably more than I should have in his Pledge campaign to help release it. I listened to the album about 5 or so times in a row on my way to the casino and back for 90s weekend.  I fell in love with almost all the songs and am happy to report that there are none that I skipped – even after multiple listens! I am looking forward to this album being on heavy rotation for the next couple of months – even if it is just to make sure I know all the lyrics in case when I go to see David again in November he has no voice again 😉 The album sounds very much like any album you’d expect from David – and you should definitely buy a copy if you haven’t already, you won’t be disappointed!  I think that my favorite tracks are Laying Me Low, Better Than Me and From Here to Zero, although it kind of changes every time I listen.

Music Monday: Owl City Mobile Orchestra

Katie September 14, 2015 0 Comments

Verge (ft Aloe Black)
I Found Love
Thunderstruck (ft Sarah Russell)
My Everything
Unbelievable (ft Hanson)
Bird with a Broken Wing
Back Home (ft Jake Owen)
Can’t Live Without You
You’re Not Alone (ft Britt Nicole)
This Isn’t The End

Mobile Orchestra is the latest album from Owl City.  I can’t say I am really an Owl City fan, I feel like a lot of his songs sound the same, but since Hanson was one of the groups he collaborated with on the album and I really dig their song Unbelievable, I figured it was worth giving the rest of the album a chance.  The songs do all seem to have that same Owl City sound. I’m not sure this will be an album on heavy rotation in my life, but it does have a few fun songs on it.  Although the last song is not one I would consider “fun”, but more of a dark track.

Music Monday: Jordin Sparks Right Here Right Now

Katie September 7, 2015 0 Comments

Work from Home (feat B.O.B)
1000 (feat J-Doe)
Right Here, Right Now
Double Tap (feat 2 Chainz)
Boyz in the Hood
Silhouette
They Don’t Give
Letf…Right?
Casual Lover (feat Shaggy)
Unhappy (feat Elijah Blake)
Tell HJim I Love Him
11:11
100 Years
It Ain’t You

Right Here, Right Now is Jordin’s 3rd studio album. It came out last month.  Jordin has been working on this album for about 5 years now.  I think that this album is a lot more “grown up” from her – and I’m not really all that into it. I love Jordin and I love her voice but some of the featured artists on this album just rub me the wrong way.  I will definitely be skipping those songs on future listens. I am not a fan of the content of their raps.  Jordin, however, sounds amazing on the CD as I expected.

Music Monday: Hunter Hayes 21

Katie August 31, 2015 0 Comments

21
Where It All Begins (feat Lady Antebellum)
Young and In Love
Someday Girl
Saint of a Sinner
The Trouble with Love

21 is the latest EP from Hunter Hayes that was released in a different format – through Spotify – and have become the EP known as “21”, or “The Drop”.  Hunter will be embarking on a 21 tour this fall where he will visit 21 cities in the US to support the EP / single of the same name.  A few dates have been released already but I am keeping my fingers crossed that somewhere in CT is one of them!

You can tell how the music industry is shifting and how artists are trying out new things with this EP. It was released digitally and the songs were released as singles only and not part of a full album.

I heard a few of these live a couple weeks ago when I saw Hunter in concert – but I have to say that I think that “The Trouble With Love” is my favorite from this group of songs and I’m pretty sure it was not one that he did live. (Of course I messed up keeping track of the setlist when he smiled at me and I totally forgot that I had a job to do… but yeah. It didn’t sound familiar lol)

Music Monday: Sam Hunt Montevallo

Katie August 24, 2015 0 Comments

Take Your Time
Leave the Night On
House Party
Break Up In A Small Town
Single for the Summer
Ex to See
Make You Miss Me
Cop Car
Raised On It
Speakers

Montevallo was released by Sam Hunt in October of 2014.  Since I don’t listen to country radio, he didn’t make it on to my radar until I heard “Take Your Time” on Top 40 radio sometime last month. I saw him live a couple of weeks ago with Lady A and he did most of the songs during his set.  I have to say, for someone who is still trying to claim she hates country music, I do enjoy most of this CD. It reminds me a bit of Mat Kearney if he was country with the talking during the songs.  His songs also have a bit more of R&B and pop in them in addition to country – which is probably why I liked it too. I’m more into the rock/country or pop/country. (And one of these days… maybe… I’ll admit I am a tiny bit of a country fan? But that day is not today.)

Music Monday: R5 Sometime Last Night

Katie August 3, 2015 0 Comments

All Night
Wild Hearts
Dark Side
Let’s Not Be Alone Tonight
Repeating Days
Smile
Lightning Strikes
F.E.E.L.G.O.O.D
I Know You Got Away
Do It Again
Did You Have Your Fun

R5’s second studio album “Sometime Last Night” was released last month. This is the follow up to 2013’s “Louder”.  R5 is made up of Austin and Ally’s Ross Lynch, his siblings Riker Lynch (of Dancing with the Stars fame), Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch and friend Ellington Ratliff.  It’s no secret Austin and Ally is my favorite guilty pleasure show, so it makes sense that R5 is one of my guilty pleasure bands.

I really like this cd – I think my favorites are Dark Side – which gave me a bit of a Maroon 5 vibe as well as Smile and Lightning Strikes.  There are a few songs that I’d consider skipping, but I do enjoy the majority of the CD!