Song of the Week - Lucky (feat. Colbie Caillat)

Jason Mraz is back with yet another great hit following his smashing single, I'm Yours, from his third major album.  Jason really needed this after his second album flop, Mr. A-Z, but the tables have turned!  This is a class A pop song!  Catchy! Simple!

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Lucky would not be so without the wonderful singing by Colbie.  Her voice is amazing and perfectly compliments Jason's.  This will be a duet for the ages!  I know I've already covered it!  Pretty groovy (the chorus) for a pop tune and the way Caillat lays back on that vocal makes it an even smoother ride.

  

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Unfortunately, I wish I could say the rest of the album was as good as his first two singles, but it's not.  I would definitely not advice you to click 'buy album' in iTunes and just stick with buying tracks 2 & 3.  I promise you, though, you will not be disappointed with this one.  I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like it.

stay lucky!

jrv

Song of the Week - Not Myself

An oldie but goodie by John (yeah that's right) Mayer.  On his debut major label album, Room for Squares, he's got too many great songs, but this one, this week is in my head.  So, now it can be in yours too!

Not Myself gets props for being incredibly simple, yet incredibly amazing.  If you know Mayer, you know that his songs, musically, are not your typical pop tune.  Jazz chords, blues solos, stretchy guitar chords, and much more.  But, this one is a good I, IV, V chorus.  

What makes this song get away with the musical simpleness is that it has great lyrics.  Not conversational at all, unlike most of his songs, but each short line full of debt.  Of course, I know, it's not that it's simple, it's that it's right.  Do me a favor and listen to the intro again and see if you've always noticed the keyboard bell sounds.  Most people just hear an acoustic guitar. 

'Gotta love that bridge into that perfect acoustic guitar solo!

going from poetry to prose,

jrv

New Show to Watch!

Better off Ted premiered on the 18th of this month on ABC and I would've never been interested in this show if it wasn't for Portia de Rossi, who was in one of my favorite comedy shows of all time, Arrested Development.  

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Better off Ted is a show based on a company, Veridian Dynamics, that makes just about everything there is to make, as it clearly explains in the opening minutes of it's pilot.  Veridian Dynamics makes everything from edible bouncing balls to uncomfortable chairs that make employees work harder.  Portia plays Veronica, a highly unethical boss of Veridian Dynamics.  Her character has some similarities to her old character from Arrested Development, but successful.  She and Ted are hilarious in this new show.  I highly recommend you watch this show.  Catch up now while there's only been a pilot.  ABC is on a roll!

back in a Snapple!

jrv

iPhone Software 3.0

Finally! What we've all been waiting for, the next and huge update for all iPhone software users!

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Apple announced that they will finally add the overdue Cut, Copy, & Paste ability to their 3.0 software.  Of course, Apple made sure that it was made to be user friendly and easy.  If you need to undo a paste just quickly shake your phone to bring up the option to Undo.  With this new feature, users can finally email more than one photo at a time.  Secondly, the also long overdue MMS ability.  Users can now send photos, contacts, audio files and even location via MMS.  No longer will we have to email photos in order for a friend to see them; now we can just send them straight to their phone like the rest of the world.  Lastly, iPhone now lets you search your phone with Spotlight just like your computer.  There are many, many more features but these are the main ones I am most excited about. 

photo  from iLounge 

Other features include being able to delete single text messages instead of only being able to delete conversations.  We can also forward text messages which, believe it or not, was not a feature until 3.0.  

ps

LANDSCAPE KEYBOARDS! :D

jrv

Song of the Week - Gravity

by Sara Bareilles

Who needs a band?  Clearly, all Sara needs is a piano to make people cry. 

Such a gorgeous song to end her debut album, Little Voice.  Reminds me of Wheel off of Heavier Things, in that it's an honest, brilliant song that really puts the final touch on the albums.  What a great songwriter she is and a great singer.  I'm glad she is as successful as she is and hope that she only continues to climb.  

Nothing makes a song better than soul.  Her Gravity is a soul test.  If you feel nothing during this song, you might want to re-check your insides.  Try listening to this song while doing nothing but just paying attention to her heart.  Music is not art but rather the creation of it.  

bringing it back to you,

jrv

Tweetely-Tweet!

If you have not joined twitter yet, you need to. Why? Because I said so. "Think about it until you agree"

jrv

Song of the Week - Daydreamer

Adele's debut major label album shows us how you don't need to have drums in songs to make great songs.  This song shows us this in great excellence.  Sadly, it's not one of the most bought song from her album in iTunes. 

It was great listening to this song on my iPhone, in a plane flying over a snowed in Boston.  Clearly every singer out there needs to buy 19 so you can learn a thing or two.  I know I'm learning loads from her singing style.  The way she changes the sound of her words is so cool that it makes you want to talk the way she sings.  This is an incredible song.  "Feeling up his girl like he's never felt a figure before."  Don't let her amazing singing make you pay no mind to her lyrics; she has a great way of making you smile with just her lyrics alone.  This deserves to be Song of the Month.

sitting on her doorstep, 

jrv

Top 6 Most Played songs from my iTunes

6. Politik - Coldplay

I really thought this would be a bit higher than 6, around the 4 area.  There was a time where I played this all the time.  This song is the just way to epic and other than No Such Thing, I can't think of a better way to start off a record.  With a play count of 55, it's just one more play shy from #5 on my list.

5. Stop This Train - John Mayer

Honestly, I don't really remember playing this song 56 times, but apparently I'm a fan.  John Mayer is by far my favorite artist, so i'll just stop right now because if I don't, his section will look like an essay.  I'll just say this.. nothing's better than artistic transparency.

4. Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae

If I'm not mistaken, this was a Song of the Week once.  I remember the first time I heard this song I couldn't stop playing it.  That would explain the 62 plays.

3. A Bad Dream - Keane

This song is so dreamy.  There's really nothing like it.  The melodies are simple, not even slightly syncopated and take you on a ride so high you won't be able to see the ground.  Gorgeous. 

2. Everything In It's Right Place - Radiohead

Sadly, I was late to hop on this song, I remember the first time I heard it I was in Writing Skills at Berklee.  We had to bring a song in for some reason that I don't remember, and someone brought this song in.  It was pretty epic.  Right when  I heard that gorgeous Rhodes play, I melted in my chair.  Ever since that day, this has been my favorite Radiohead song. 69 plays and counting..

1. Kid A - Radiohead

Ironically, my favorite Radiohead song is not my most played Radiohead song.  This, in fact, is very normal for me.  I don't like to over play my favorite songs.  My favorite song of all time--which will remain nameless for now, another day another blog-- has an extremely low play count.  I just can't play them whenever.  They're special, and it's not even in my top 25 most played.  Interesting.  Kid A is an amazing song and an amazing album.  Kid A wins with a play count of 80.  To be honest, those play counts are not very high.  I'm sure your 25th most played song has more than 80 plays, I don't know what I do in my spare time.  Apparently it's not listen to music.  I guess I'm just too busy writing it?  Doubt it. 

bringing new meaning to fave 5 (in this case 6),

Josh

Song of the Week - Song of Hope (Heave Come Down)

I've always loved this song, but this Monday I sang it with just my guitar during Monday night worship, not to be confused with Monday Night Football, and it just became something else for me.  The transparency and rawness of the song, being with just an acoustic guitar and in a beautiful Boston apartment, transformed it into something else.  Hearing the group of people singing along to the song during the bridge was truly divine. 

Robbie Seay wrote a great song this time around.  Huge hit.  Finally a worship song with some tastefully used falsetto.. and who doesn't love that great beat driven by those hi-hats?  This is the new Happy Day, Friend of God, etc.. but better. 

fyi...

The parenthesis are used because the artist most likely originally named the track Song of Hope, but the record label recognized that people would recognize the song better if it was called Heaven Come Down.  So, entitling the track Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down) is essentially a compromise.  I agree.

see ya next week!

-jrv