You may, or may not, have heard of Demi Lovato, but I'm impressed with this girl's talent, and thought I'd introduce her to all of our readers here at Simple Man Music in a Talented Tunes post.
This girl has been in acting for some time, starring in Disney Channel's Sonny With A Chance, as well as the movie, Camp Rock. Now I know some of you are already groaning - "Another Disney channel diva," but this girl is not another Miley Cyrus…she's much better.
Her first album came out in 2008, and just recently in July of 2009, Here We Go Again, her second album, came out. This debuted on the Billboard 200 at #1, and sold thousands in the first week.
Now there's a reason this girl is popular. She is now 17 years old, but if you throw away your preconceived notions about the fact she comes from Disney, you'll definitely hear the talent here. The first time my husband and I heard her, we both commented that she had the sound of Avril Lavigne back in the old days (before she softened up after getting married lol).
So just take the time to give the video a listen. She's definitely rockin' out in her hit single - Here We Go Again.
Welcome back to Simple Man Music this Friday my friends. Today is not going to be a blog about another new artist, or classic artist, or even a particular genre, or style of music. Today I am going to write about a legendary figure in the music industry who has paved the way for all artists and styles. Do not get me wrong this man was also a great musician and performer, but I believe that he is the original father of what became known as Rock & Roll and the electric guitar too.
The man I am speaking about is none other than Lester William Polsfuss also known as Les Paul. At the age of 13 Les Paul was already a honky tonk guitar player who by the age of 17 had quit high school and was playing guitar in Sunny Joe Wolverton’s Radio Band. Lester also performed as a solo country act known as Rhubarb Red in addition to recording with other great artists like Georgia White. Les Paul also recorded a string of hits with people like Bing Crosby, his wife Colleen Summers also known as Mary Ford.
The Gibson electric guitar also known as the Les Paul is not the only technological innovation that we have to thank Les Paul for either. His interest and innovative thinking regarding multitrack recording have definitely played a pivotal role in the legend known as Les Paul and have helped this man to create and leave a legacy within the music world as well as helping musicians and studios by revolutionizing the recording process.
There are many notable guitar players out there who have carried the Gibson Les Paul out on stage and into the recording studio. These guitar players are from all ends of the musical spectrum too. Great axe men like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Alex Lifeson, Duane Allman, Bob Marley, and Al DiMeola are just a few of the world renowned guitar players who have played the Gibson Les Paul to the great benefit of their music and their fans too.
For those of you who aspire to be the next guitar god on the music scene will almost certainly want to try out and maybe even own one of Gibson’s Les Paul Guitars. Just remember the pricing for these guitars are not to be looked at lightly. You might be able to pick up a used one at a reasonable price, but prices from $1000 to over $5000 are not uncommon. If you can’t afford that you may pick up an Epiphone Les Paul at a more reasonable price for you wallet, however the name Les Paul says it all.
All I have to add to today’s blog is that I am glad we had the pleasure of Lester’s company for the last 94yrs. You have to wonder if there is anybody out there who will ever fill Les Paul’s shoes. Have a fabulous weekend my friends I will see you again soon, CIAO4NOW!!!!!
Welcome to Simple Man Music. Today I want to take a look at a musician in a genre we haven't really delved into yet - R&B. Personally I love R&B music. It's the softer side of Hip Hop and Rap, often called "Hip Hop that tells a story."
One of top current R&B singers out there happens to be Ne-Yo, who was already established as a writer and producer in the genre before. He's collaborated cuts with people like Faith Evans, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, Chris Brown, and Mary J. Blige. He's also known for being the co-writer of big hit "Let Me Love You" by Mario. Although he's been known for some time as a writer and producer, recently he's done a lot as a performer and artist, releasing a variety of excellent music within the past few years.
Ne-Yo is not quite 30, and for such a young artist in the R&B field, he's already established himself in a prominent way. Since he first debuted, he's had five different songs hit the top 10 list on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as two albums that have hit number one on the Billboard 200. He was signed back in 2005 by Def Jam, and then released his first album in 2006 - In My Own Words.
All you have to do is listen to various songs by Ne-Yo, such as "Mad," "Sexy Love," or "Make it Work," and you'll quickly become addicted to this guys smooth voice and slow rhythms. His songs have a slow groove that is incredibly sexy.
What I find so incredible about Ne-Yo, is that he not only brings a sexy, young, and new side to R&B, but he has contributed so much to music through all of his writing. He wrote "I'm You" for Leona Lewis, wrote "Take a Bow," a top single for Rihanna, "Irreplaceable," a number one single for Beyonce, and various songs for Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Ciara, as well as for Enrique Iglesias. Before the death of Pop-King Michael Jackson, Ne-Yo had even been working on collaborations with Jackson for the upcoming album that Jackson was supposed to release.
Apparently Ne-Yo has talents in other areas, appearing in movies Stomp the Yard and Save the Last Dance 2. He's even opened up a recording studio of his own and has his own production company, known as Compound Entertainment. This guy is definitely an all around artist, writing music, producing music, acting, and performing music.
Ne-Yo has a variety of awards under his belt as well. He's been nominated for a Grammy 11 times, and he's won 3 Grammys. He's won two BET awards, a couple MOBO awards, and has been nominated for more than 36 awards over his short career. It's easy to see that this R&B star is just getting started, and I'm sure we'll continue to see more from him in the future, including writing and singing.
Here are a couple of tunes from Ne-Yo to check out. Enjoy.
There appears to be another Pearl Jam album on the horizon and it is called “Backspacer”. This is the bands ninth album and it is definitely not like any other collaboration that this guitar driven band has laid down for public consumption before. I also assure you that you won’t be disappointed this time either.
“Backspacer” is just a pure, simple, fun; rock your brains out, great album. It is not filled with any gloom and doom, or political rhetoric as in past songs or performances. I must say that makes me happy because Eddie Vedder and company do not appear to be politically astute, just my opinion.
It would also appear that Pearl Jam is going about the release of this album much differently than with past releases. The album is set for release on September 20th through several different retailers both physical and digital. They have also secured a deal with national retailer Target to release “Backspacer” as well.
The album will also be released to Indie music outlets by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores Junketboy division and Universal Music will be the label that the album is released under internationally. All in all this method that the band has chosen to release their new album while risky seems to profit everybody.
For those of you who are gamers as well as fan’s of the Pearl Ham sound you can find “Backspacer” on “Rock Band” the day it is released. There will also be a dedicated Pearl Jam game that may hit store shelves by 2010. Also look out for the reissue of PJ’s “Ten”, which is sure to be an instant hit for the fans.
Simple Man Music will be back with more on the Pearl Jam/ “Backspacer” front as soon as more info becomes available. In the meantime get set for Pearl Jams fall tour, because it is sure to spotlight some of this albums music. Some of these tunes have already been performed in public venues. The new single “The Fixer” just flat out rocks too.
I hope you all like this video by Pearl Jam too it is one of my favorites enjoy "The Fixer" too. I will see you all again real soon folks. Thanks for stopping by Simple Man Music and CIAO4NOW!!!!!
Welcome to Simple Man Music. I'm back with another Talented Tunes post, and today we're going to have a look at Whitney Houston's new release. We haven't heard from this female pop star for years. She is definitely considered to be one of the biggest female stars of pop ever, so many have wondered why she has been "silent" for so long.
That silence has ended. Her new album is coming out at the end of August - I Look to You. Have a listen to the main single on that new album "I Look to You," and you'll realize that she's back with a bang.
This is a great piece of music, perhaps even more powerful than music she has released in the past. Her voice is still incredible, and I personally think her voice sounds even better - it's mellowed with age. I believe Houston said it best herself "I'm back home where I belong."
Check out her new single "I Look to You," below. Right now you can also download this tune free at her website.
I started this blog as a way to talk about great music from any genre, not as a forum for attacking any performers who I disagree with or don’t like. However I think that today’s blog is almost certainly going to sound like I have an axe to grind, although I really don’t. For the record like all of my other blogs I don’t write anything until I have researched the subject and have all of the facts.
Quite recently Goth Rocker Marilyn Manson posted a piece on his MySpace blog that attacked and threaten journalists and bloggers who take issue with him, his tunes, and his band. The blog was in response to an interview that Travis Keller who founded BuddyHead.com gave to LA Weekly. In the interview Keller suggested that Manson was a “paranoid cocaine addict who is nothing like his onstage persona”.
Now I personally can understand anyone not just entertainers getting angry if someone said such a thing about them and it was not true. A statement like that is a very inflammatory remark to make about someone. I for one would never say such a thing unless I could absolutely prove it, and even then I probably wouldn’t simply because that is not what this blog is about.
However there is one lesson that Manson has apparently failed to learn in his let’s educate the rock start class. That lesson is that when you are in the public eye as he certainly is, and you are making statements publicly about what you think, feel, and believe in, you have to be ready to here the other side’s point of view. After all if you are going to exercise your right to free speech so are your detractors.
Personally I can give a rat’s ass what kind of lifestyle Manson chooses to live, and I also don’t give a damn about his religious views either. I will also be honest and tell you that I am not a devotee of his music and I don’t even know what his thoughts are on politics, economy, ecology, or anything else that might be considered relevant to the times we live in, but now I know how he feels about other people’s constitutional right to free speech.
What is sad about this whole thing for me is that I will probably never write anything else about Marilyn Manson on this blog, but that is just because I haven’t heard anything musically that has sparked my interest. I will tell you that I saw hem at an Ozzfest concert a few years ago and he put on a great show, but I hadn’t even thought about him since then until now.
Now if Manson takes exception to anything that I have written here today well I am real sorry about that. Therefore If Manson feels the need for me to repeat any of this to his face he is more than welcome to come here and I will. However should Manson decide to do just that he needs to know that I am not only a vicious defender of the 1st amendment, but I am also an avid practitioner of my 2nd amendment rights as well.
So there are no mistakes or misconceptions made about myself and those who write for Simple Man Music in the future the readers of this blog to know that we reserve to right to write whatever we want. We will without reservation take full advantage of our 1st amendment right to free speech/free press and if that is unacceptable to anyone then simply don’t read the blog.
I hope you all have a great weekend and I also hope you enjoy this blog as well. I will be back again soon my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!
