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Monday, January 15, 2007
time to close my eyes and leap...
Friday, January 19, 2007
Sigh. It was my last day at work today. I can't say it's been the most fun place i've ever worked and sometimes I've been frustrated with not being able to do all i can, but often it's people that make the job and i made some amazing friends there who i will miss lots and be bombarding with texts and emails regularly until they give in and meet me for a drink. So Cat, Nick, Anne, Kathy, Sudesh, Inderjit and everyone else, i was surprised how sad I was today when i actually left. Still, it's time to try new things so as a slightly screechy Idina once said "it's time to close my eyes and leap"! And i have a great two weeks coming - the history boys tomorrow, Sky+ (UK Tivo) on Monday, Darren's birthday on tuesday, the hard rock showcase on weds and NYC on thurs! Bloody Marv. I feel so melancholy and reflective in times of change, yet these things always work out for the best... so i will end this slightly morose "preamble" and get on with the post...
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THE CHRISTMAS PARTY IN JANUARY:
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Usually, it's a bit rubbish in January isn't it? The wind means that all the trains are cancelled, no one has electricity in Birmingham and the nation gets in an uproar about Celebrity Big Brother which i can't even begin to start watching as I feel it's now beneath me. And of course I get my post Christmas blues which are always a bit of a nightmare. So rather delightfully and thanks to the slowness of the european mail and Deborah Gibson's myspace being cutting edge I got some Christmas gems on my computer today. First up is Magnus Carlsson who Poppostergirl alerted me to with her infinite knowledge of world pop. She's like google girl on Heroes as well as Veronica Mars. Anyway his mainly swedish language Christmas album Spar i Snon is an absolute delight and joy. I'm just going to mention the English language tracks here - Wrap Myself In Paper could well be the male equivalent to Emma Bunton's Free Me. Swirling strings, jaunty organ keyboard and a very gorgeous sixties vibe. And despite the seasonal lyrics, it's the sort of tune that you could listen to at anytime of year. It may be the greatest non-Christmas Christmas song since Jason's When You Come Back To Me... Wonderful Dreams (holidays are coming) may remind everyone of the festive coca cola advertisements but is actually a lovely seasonal uptempo pop song with a great vocal performance for Magnus. And any Christmas medley that utilises Cliff Richard is both brave and amazing in one fell swoop. Bonus of one of my favourite Disney songs (When You Wish Upon A Star) is just the icing on the (Christmas) cake... And my lovely Deborah (see retrospecticus below) has put up a simply stunning version of White Christmas on her myspace and a 50s Rosemary Clooney inspired medley. Lord luv er. Getting some seasonal sparkle in the most depressing month of the year is never a bad thing! .
LINK: Purchase Spar i snon
LINK: Watch Deb's myspace christmas video
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THE NEW MEN IN MY LIFE:
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Don't get alarmed everyone. I couldn't be happier or my lucky to have my stunningly foxy and lovely and amazing in bed DazPerformer. But sometimes you come across a new singer on myspace who stands out from every other bugger who is trawling their coffee house standard demos. First up, I came across the visually stunning and audibly creative Matthew G. On his main site page he describes himself as piano, voice, image, perfection. Mighty claims for one so young, but when you hear his stunning ballad Dear John - a masterpiece of subtlety yet brimming with powerful emotion - you can't help but be impressed. Seriously, when I heard this song last night I sat in silence until it had completely finished and then had to listen to it again instantly. The piano is flawless and beautifully melodic and Matthew delivers a soothing emotive vocal that made the hairs stand up on my arm. Another original composition is The Man Who changes the tempo slightly and indulges with an electro-ambient beat, horns and a haunting female (i think) backing vocal. I can see this ending up on the sort of album that sells by the bucketload because it's critically acclaimed, loved by the press and taken to the bosom of the nation because it's different enough not to be "pop" but accessible enough to be thoroughly enjoyable. Oh and a cover of Howard Jones' What Is Love is another corker... I may seem a little enthusiastic in my writing of this, but usually I am so "pop" orientated (which i am happy being) that when something as beautiful as this comes along and touches me, i'm geniunely stunned and eager for more...
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Posted by Paul 6:47 PM 11 comments
don't tell me not to live, i'm harry potter
Thursday, January 18, 2007
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THE MISSED IDOL:
Poor Diana DeGarmo. I loved her the most ergo she was never going to win season 3 of American Idol (see I told you I would be cutting edge today!) It was all about Fantasia who was as critically revered and hyped as Leona is today. There is definitely a lesson to be had in there somewhere…Anyway I kind of lost interest in Idol after that, and I had X-Factor to keep me annoyed/entertained. So somehow my fixation on Diana (and PenBoy – both were adorable) meant that I missed Jennifer Hudson completely. And I get the impression that I definitely would have liked her. Facing national rejection at age 22 can't be easy, but would prove to be the ideal preparation for a role in the smash DreamGirls (take that failed auditionee Fantasia!). I haven't seen the movie but heard a song from it last night and was utterly blown away. Jennifer takes all the hurt and humiliation one most feel when being voted off the nation's biggest talent search and channels it all into a genuinely breathtaking, showstopping performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going". Not an easy song to sing (I tried in the shower this morning – it was either the pipes banging or the neighbours on the wall), Jennifer gives a primal and powerful vocal that is already generating best song Oscar buzz (according to my adored Entertainment Weekly). And, thanks to my friend P#1, a storming remix has hit my ears that takes the song to a whole new level with creative beats and tribal infusion that will whip up a frenzy of pulsating bodies on the dancefloor. Suddenly winning Idol doesn't seem so important….
LINK: Purchase DreamGirls the album
MP3: And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going
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THE DEBORAH GIBSON REVERSE RETROSPECTIVE DAY FOUR:
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If Deborah was Kylie, then MYOB would have been her Light Years – the most out and out glorious pop record of her career. Prior to that however, was one of the most accomplished releases of her career. Finding herself without a record contract, Ms Gibson went all Ms Independent and released her album Deborah (called Moonchild in some territories) which, while not as "pop" as her next project, was certainly an accomplished set of adult contemporary tunes that was the perfect stepping stone between the ballad heavy Think With Your Heart project and the more up to date pop sensibilities of MYOB. Lead off single Only Words was one of several perky pop tunes that reminded us all of the 80s before it was trendy to be reminded of the 80s. Mid tempo grooves like Moonchild and Nobody's You actually dripped with pop quality goodness and again ballads were her strong point with gorgeous tracks like the understated Naturally and the "same script different cast" of the pop world Cry Tonight - which if duetted with a man would make a great gay anthem! The album had different bonus tracks depending on where in the world you bought it. In the US it was storming dance remakes of Only Words and a remix for the 10th anniversary (!) of Only In My Dreams that got a little bit of club chart action. However, Japan got the real goodies - two tracks from Funny Girl. People and a totally popped up Rain On My Parade which I am still convinced says "Don't tell me not to live, I'm Harry Potter..." And naturally there are a couple of b-sides and demos floating around from this era including the fun and sassy My Girlfriend's Boyfriend and the utterly stunning Until You're All Mine which was one of our singles recommendations of the week. All in all a great body of work showcasing a clear knowledge of what makes pop work and a songwriting triumph. Tomorrow - Debs first post Atlantic work...
Posted by Paul 5:24 PM 3 comments
all depends on what you want...
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
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THE SURPRISINGLY GOOD GRANDPA ROCK:
Thezapping hasn't been particularly cutting edge this week has it? We've been retrospecticating all over your asses and hardly highlighted any of the brilliant new pop music that is springing up all around us. I'll get to it tomorrow and Friday I promise, but for today I am going to highlight something I didn't really expect to like but quite do actually. It's certainly strange when that happens as Dan can testify with Taylor Hicks clogging up his last.fm recently ;) Still, when on a whim I picked up a new album by 70s folky pop superstars, America (formed in England!) I was instantly drawn into their familiar sounding tunes that bear all the hallmarks of classic America while being given a contemporary boost by collaborators as varied as Ryan Adams, Nada Surf, Smashing Pumpkins and Fountains of Wayne (who of course did wonders with The Click Five). America are actually the Outkast of the 70s – there are two singers and songwriters, each with their own distinctive flavouring and the two produce beautiful harmonies together. Tracks like Chasing The Rainbow is pure and sweet pop that has wisely been chosen as the lead off single. The band bounce between uptempo gems such as Look At Me Now and Always Love, shine on a purely melodic remake of My Morning Jacket's Golden and show a sensitive side on incandescent ballads like Love and Leaving. They may not be cool, and they may not set the pop charts alight, but much like your favourite comfort food, it's utterly delightful when you are craving it….
LINK: Purchase Here and Now
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THE DEBORAH GIBSON REVERSE RETROSPECTICUS DAY THREE:
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And so we rewind to what may possibly be Deborah's finest pop album since ditching Debbie…but it took a while to come together and there were a plethora of other tracks hanging around in the mean time. With the new millennium, came a new attitude for Deborah and she stopped trying to figure out what the pop world wanted and just get on and do her thing. First out the box was a piano only with vocal accompaniment track written especially for those new year feelings called With All My Heart. Certainly one of Deborah's most stunning vocals to date, it was a fan club only release that would do just fine chart wise if farmed out to Leona Lewis or someone of her "ilk"… Also floating around at this point was a charity track called Right on Time, another tender ballad that showcased Deborah's vocal capabilities and pure pop voice. Around April 2000, the album (at this point untitled) was tentatively mooted as on the way and You Belong To Me, a perky if somewhat tinny pop song circulated as first single. After two strong ballads, this was a little bit of a let down, so it's no surprise that it was quickly forgotten and the much sturdier poptastic What You Want released as the first single proper. (B)rimming with a chunky chorus, pop beats and a little bit of sassy attitude it was the ideal song for Debs to crack the British pop charts with (particularly as pop was at a peak with Kylie, S Club and Steps all dominating the charts). Even the b-side (Comes Right Back) was a stand out gently strumming acoustic mid tempo romp. However, the real joy was to come when MYOB was released as the title track from the album. Written and produced by the Alessi Brothers, how this song wasn't topping the charts for weeks continues success in later years, the song took a playground chant and took it into a gloriously dark disco influenced journey of a tale of love spurned, jealousy, gossip and mistrust. And the to keep me awake at night. Utilising gimmicks that would give Gwen her dance remixes were pretty spectacular too – particularly as vocals were re-recorded to match the mood of the remix, rather than just cutting them in after. Then in March 2001, the album dropped and was an instant pop classic for me, along side Light Years, Like A Prayer and Music Box. 3rd single – Your Secret – was another dark dance stomper (being tired of being the other woman has never sounded so frug-worthy), but overshadowed by other tunes on the album. Down That Road was another great ballad, while The One was co-written with Chynna Phillips and featured a soaring vocal on an almost midtempo number. In Blue and Jaded saw Deborah embrace a more jazz influenced sound, while a remake of Knock Three Times with Tony Orlando was a lot of fun, but completely unnecessary considering the quality of the rest of the disc. Around November 2001, Deborah re-recorded a track from a musical about Zorro she had been in entitled What Makes A Hero and sang it live at a benefit for those affected by the twin towers disaster. Even in it's original form, it's a beautiful tale of the ordinary among us doing extraordinary things. 2002 dawned and saw an unofficial remix of album track Wishing You Were Here turned from a soothing AC type tune into a pulsating dance anthem to great effect. And when two futher demos from this period appeared on Memory Line (Any Other Man and the gorgeous ballad Run To Her echoing the more sombre themes of Your Secret), it was clear that this overlooked cd saw Deborah at the top of her pop game. Below is how I would repackage the album for today's audience…Tomorrow ~ Deborah gets independent… .
LINK: Purchase MYOB
LINK: Purchase Memory Lane Volume One
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THE MAROON 5 RETROSPECTICUS DAY THREE:
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So after the unexpected failure of Kara's Flowers and the Stagg Street recordings leading to nothing, 4 became 5 when joined the band and they were reborn as Maroon 5. Adam had clearly been improving his vocals and the band were influenced heavily by the more funky r'nb stylings of the late 60s and early 70s. Much has been written about their "debut" album Songs About Jane being Adam's breakup process, but whatever the underlying factors it resulted in one of the most accessible and melodic albums of the new millennium. Percolating since 2002, it didn't start to break big until late 2003 when the band's music was featured in my favourite movie, Love, Actually and lead off single Harder To Breathe started to saturate the airwaves. The song possessed an urgency and catchiness along side a gritty looking video and frankly, I couldn't get it out of my head for weeks. When I finally purchased the album it was played non stop for most of 2004. Everybody knows about This Love which became one of the biggest radio smashes of the year and saw Adam looking very RAR in the video. Almost anyone of the other tracks on the album could've been a hit – She Will Be Loved wisely was chosen and gave the band the cigarette lighter waving ballad for the stadiums. Other tracks like Sunday Morning and Sweetest Goodbye saw the sweeter side of M5 while Not Coming Home and Shiver saw their fusion of funk, pop and rock mix together so well that it didn't matter that it wasn't original – it was just done so darn well. A more soulful jam appeared in the form of Woman – a Kanye West collaboration for the Spiderman 2 movie. Incessant touring kept the band in the charts and on the road for most of 04/05 and they were rewarded with multi platinum sales in each country and four grammy awards. And in return I got an album that I'm still not tired of 3 years after first hearing it. Tomorrow ~ maroon 5 go live and unreleased….
LINK: Maroon 5's myspace page
LINK: Purchase Songs About Jane
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QUICK BITZ/BLOG WATCH:
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~ Prison Break is back next week and Wentworth has kindly got all stylish for Italian magazine D: la Repubblica delle Donne (pick us up a copy would ya Pinks!) 
Posted by Paul 5:22 PM 7 comments
i may be high on life and love...
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Don't forget to tell me what you think of Gavin's Brave...vote here!
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Good morrow fine people. My mood is classed as jovial and I am filled with the brightness of being. Or something. Anyway, I only have 3 more days at work left (hurrah!), Darren is in gainful employment once more (though to be fair he was only out of it a week!) and we are currently making plans to jet off to New York City a week on Thursday. How very jolly exciting. I haven't been to NYC for years and can't wait to be back strutting my funky stuff around times square and being embarrassingly tourist-y! Which means the blog will be taking a little bit of a breather from next week, though I will try and get some stuff pre-prepared to publish while I am away, for as usual I have a whole lot of hot air in me that just needs to be gotten out! If anyone has any great places to visit in the city that never sleeps, then leave a comment below or feel free to email me avec your suggestions ;) It does mean though that I will miss my beloved Feeling at G-A-Y, so hopefully somebody will be able to give me a full update on how it went. And I am seeing them on Feb 18th with Ruthiepoos!! Plus will be back from NYC to see Nerina Pallot and Tom Baxter with the lovely aforementioned ruthiepoos too! Hurrah to the power of Yay! Anyway, as usual, I am waffling on for far too long, so I will progress with the post…
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THE POP SONG REVIVAL THREAD CAMPAIGN (PART ONE):
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Sometimes there are pop songs just hiding in the vaults of history that require dusting off the shelves and being bought bang up to date by today's chart whippersnappers. Here are just a few that have popped into my head over the past few weeks…
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~ Fuzzbox: Calling International Rescue
Remember these dames? They had a fuzzbox and they were going to use it – a line that has titillated ruthiepoos into many a sack back in the day. This crunky little pop ditty is so overdue for an update by hussies de jour Girls Aloud, that I can't believe no one else has thought of it. Their swirling electro guitars and knack for creating a fresh sound out of anything (bar See The Day) make them ideal candidates to push this song firmly back into the public eye. And they could have some hot male models on their spaceship of love as their abductees – flesh baring men all helpless and captive? What more could you want in a video?!
~ The Carpenters: Superstar
Never has an ode to being a groupie sounded so melancholy and hauntingly beautiful as when the always perfect vocal of Karen Carpenter sings this gorgeous tune. Covering something as classic as this is not an easy task, but I think a good reinterpretation by vocal harmony group G4 (released in time for Mothers Day) would be an absolute sensation. Though I may be biased as I love those cute little moppets. Keeping the slower instrumentation and ethereal quality helps it to become a yearning tale of unrequited love…
~ The Osmonds: One Bad Apple
This was a staple on the stereo and a classic of Mormon discos when I was growing up, so why this US number one smash was never released in this country remains a complete mystery. As joyfully perky and uplifting as anything the Jackson 5 were doing at the time, this glorious nugget of pop can't fail to raise a smile. Billiam or Eton Road could do far worse than shoving this on the AA side of their first original song release…
~ Abba: Kisses Of Fire
It always pained me that Steps or S Club never realised the true genius of this Abba album track. A mid-tempo intro acts as foreplay to a magnificent disco stomper full of thudding beats, beautifully harmonised vocals and a chorus so tight and memorable that current pop producers would kill for it. Deliciously cheesy, I think it would totally suit 11 in 07 act Beyond who could turn it into a class slice of millennium glee. And some xenomania remixes wouldn't go amiss either. This could be their Tragedy (so to speak)…
~ Wham: Ray of Sunshine
Their debut album wasn't always "Fantastic" but this groovy little slice of 80s power pop funk certainly was. With George singing joyously about waking up with the bassline (insert own joke here), over an insistent beat yet with pop sensibilities shining through, how about Conor or even Westlife injecting a bit of millennium magic into this overlooked chestnut??
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Part two coming soon! Email me your suggestions!
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THE DEBORAH GIBSON REVERSE RETROSPECTICUS DAY TWO:
After looking at the plethora of tunes released by one newly naked Ms. Gibson in 2005 and 2006, it's time to move back in time a little further and look at what turned out to be a dream project for me. As Deborah's pop career faded in the 90s (though check out a smashing little single over at robposterdust's blog!), she moved back onto the stage covering roles as varied as Sandy in grease, Eponine in Les Miserables, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Belle in Beauty and The Beast and Velma Kelly in Chicago. And as I love musicals, I loved her for it. So when Coloured Lights was released late in 2003 – an album of broadway tunes done with a pop sensibility, I was in near nirvana! Mixing well known tunes with more obscure songs was a wise move and contributed to a well rounded set of ballads, jaunty pop and dramatic showstoppers. Had tracks been released as singles from this set, I would have gone for On My Own (Les Mis) as the haunting Christmas single, followed quickly by I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (The Boy From Oz) just in time for valentines day. And then check out the sex and the city-esque intro to pop gem Raise The Roof (The Wild Party) – a track that could have been huge with a few scissor sisters remixes. And she was then perfectly placed to host BBC's Sound Of Musicals experiment. But we got some pregnant woman instead. Oh well. Still, this is a great album to check out – Deb even has her own song "sex" on it from her long in production musical Skirts. Coming tomorrow – the myriad of tunes that were and weren't on the marv album MYOB…
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LINK: Purchase Coloured Lights
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THE MAROON 5 RETROSPECTICS DAY TWO:
Despite a solid promotional schedule, opening slots with acts like Reel Big Fish and gigging for every high school prom and graduation that would let them, the punky pop of Kara's Flowers Fourth World passed the public by and the record company decided not to go with a second album. Allegedly tensions in the band were high and Adam (RAR) and Jesse drove cross country to a music school in New York while Ryan and Micky resumed their studies at UCLA (sidebar your honour: I love the fact that all American Universities have acronyms, you don't get that in England!) Time apart did the foursome the world of good and when they reunited in 1999, they had a renewed sense of purpose and vowed to make it all about the music. As you do. Ahem. Anyway, the guys got together and recorded a nine song demo cd known as The Stagg Street Recordings. Still very much Kara's Flowers, it's an interesting stage in the evolutionary process to Maroon 5 as Adam's songwriting skills have clearly developed and they started experimenting with different genres. One highlight from this era is Angel in Blue Jeans is a definite step into M5 territory - the bass is a little more funky and r'n'b influenced and a little less punky... Also check out the demo of the kid, which sees them returning to their favoured homage of beatles and beachboys sounds, to great effect. Tomorrow ~ the caterpillar becomes the butterfly...
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QUICK BITZ/BLOG WATCH:
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~ Daniel Kirkley, lord luv im, has just put the excellent My New Dawn on iTunes. High quality mp3 popness rules!
~ Jess at Dirrrtypop is all in a tizzy over the man-scrap for the number one position this week. I'm routing for Mika, but loving Just Jack all the same. PS, i am totally subscribing to Jess' pop vision for the year!!
~ J'Ason is also reporting man scraps - can't these boys just strip to their undies, douse themselves in mud/lube and wrestle it out? It's what me and dazpants do :)
~ I may have a non sexual crush on I'm Always Right thanks to their love of MYOB, their brilliant tuesday update and the fact that they just added me to myspace so now i have a face to put to the blog :)
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~ Birthday coming up? How about getting an exclusive (i suspect a la Jessica Simpsons pubic affair - yes the spelling is intentional) birthday song made by singer for hire ben adams?
~ Electroqueer has elegantly laid out all Sophie Ellis Bextor's video in a way that is classy as the lady herself. I'm impressed :)
~ Nick shows off his superior ability to find the best in new pop as he gives us Emmon, who he quite rightly points out deserves a place next to Sophie and Kylie on our cd racks...
~ pop over to the lovely Will to tell him what your cheesy getting ready to go out playlist is :)
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Coming tomorrow - some more maroon 5 and Deborah, and a look at other blogs and mags picks for 2007 that i've missed somehow! Plus maybe something else i'm not sure yet!- i may have a simon curtis song to write about, just waiting to hear back!!
Posted by Paul 5:35 PM 6 comments
New job for dazpants!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Good Lord, I am tired this very morning as I type this. I had to get up at 4.30am to get ready to take DazPlushtush to the airport, so I am fairly zonked. Which oddly enough doesn't come up as a word I need to spell check on Microsoft Word. How bizarre (OMC). Anyway, the airport was strangely bustling at 5.30am and mercifully my beloved Starbucks was open so I got a nice white café mocha venti with an extra shot of expresso to wake me up. Of course, now I am totally wired and way too hyper to be enjoying my final five days at work… It seems strange to be leaving behind the world of Direct Payments which I have been immersed in for five years (four as part of a charity then the last 18 months with the local government), but I really need a change and am excited about the challenges ahead. And I have two weeks off before starting my new job, so hopefully Darren and I will get to jet off somewhere together. PS ~ after the disaster that is Celebrity Big Brother and Soapstar Superstar, I remain very thrilled about the prospect of Dancing On Ice returning with Torville and Dean. I utterly adored the last series and the elder statesmen of pop revival continues with Stephen Gately, Duncan James and the always desperate Leisl Scott hyphen Lee. Should be brilliant television :) Got lots of bloggy stuff planned for this week, not sure how I am going to fit it all in, but I better get on with the post to see if I can…
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THEZAPPING RECORD COMPANY PROJECT – WEEK TWO:
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This week I have chosen to spotlight the amazing song Brave by the super talented Gavin Mikhail. Once again, this is a song I have written about many times before but I never grow tired of it and it's beauty and splendour shine through with each listen. I would call this power pop at the very peak of it's game – gavin certainly knows his way around the piano and has great instinct for creating a gorgeous melody surrounded by crashing (but not overwhelming) chords and a soaring vocal. I really can't say enough good things about this beautiful emotive number, so I'll let some other people weigh in with their opinions….
Veronica Mars (poppostergirl) ~ isn't this beautiful? Love the piano, love the melody, and Gavin's voice is a perfect fit with the lyrics he's singing.
Dan (this man's world) ~ This song is gorgeous – it's a sweeping inspirational love song the kinds of which just doesn't get made all that much any longer, and if it does, it certainly doesn't get airplay. I think what appeals to me most about this song is the confession we're getting from Gavin – his not being able to be brave, That is not something that is particularly easy for men in our culture to admit – but with the help of whoever he's singing about, he can be that brave. It takes a strong strong man (Rick Astley?) to admit to that in today's society. Will definitely be checking out the rest of his CD.
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You can stream Brave on Gavin's official home page. You can also choose to download it legally at the links below. And don't forget to vote out of five for what you think of the song at the link below (too messy to include in the post this time – but please take the time to vote! Simon got 93 points last week, so have to see if Gavin beats him or not!)
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LINK: Gavin's myspace site
LINK: Gavin's official site (go to songs and choose Brave)
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