Bittersweet Faith

When I first heard this song I was immediately hit by the musicianship and the strings. I was online one late night just looking for something new musically that I hadn't heard before and I was just punching things in my search engines. I came across a few things that night but this song was the shiny gem of the bunch. The name of the song is Bittersweet Faith by Bitter:Sweet. It's off of their 2006 release "The Mating Game" and this song will make you bop your head, I swear.

It has a tango feel to it at first and then the strings and percussion come in and that adds the groove. Then the vocals by Shana Halligan come floating in over the track giving it an added dimension. Now granted, Shana isn't the strongest of vocalists but her voice is just another instrument added to the mix. You can almost disregard what she's singing about because the track has grabbed you and won't let go. My favorite part of this song is when Shana begins the second verse, all the instrumentation drops away and it's just her, the strings, and the bass. Lovely.

I like this song a lot and if you give it a chance you just may become a fan of Bitter:Sweet yourself. Enjoy!

Sunrise

I fell head over heels for this song when I first heard it and every time it comes up on the playlist I smile. It transports me back to a time when everything was genuine and true in my life and hardship and heartbreak seemed miles from shore. The song is "Sunrise" by the immensely talented Norah Jones off of her 2004 release "Feels Like Home".

I don't know if it's the easy laid back feel of the song, the beautiful melody, or the piano, guitar, upright bass, and knuckles on wood accompaniment that makes this a favorite of mine. Maybe it's Norah's voice or just the overall sweet sentiment. It's a well arranged song and the voice layering is pitch perfect. I don't know about anyone else but this song definitely reminds me of home. That's why it'll always be a favorite of mine.

Luna Negra

One of my all time favorite songs is Luna Negra by Rey Ruiz. It's not one of my favorite salsa songs, it's one of my favorite songs period (and I don't even speak Spanish). Whenever I hear it I just want to dance and I always remember how I felt when I heard it the first time, it gave me goosebumps because I had never heard anything like it before. Sure I've heard some great salsa songs before ever hearing Luna Negra but for some reason this song struck a different chord in me and I was an instant fan.

It's a song about serious heartbreak and how a man finally knows what pain is like when his love walks out on him. He then sees a Black moon but holds on to the hope that one day he and his love will be re-united again to see another morning together. Ruiz' voice is like silk and the music with the muted horns is simply pure perfection.

Like I said earlier, Luna Negra is one of my all time favorite songs. If you take a listen to this classic it may become one of your all time favorite songs too (even if you don't speak Spanish). Enjoy!

E.R.

One of the most underrated soul and r&b singers to hit the scene in the past decade has to be without a doubt the artist simply named Joe. I am a fan of this talented man because he rarely ever lets me down. Usually he releases quality songs that are catchy and entertaining and why he's not on the level of an Usher or an R. Kelly is a true mystery. Maybe he needs to release a sex tape or something or get caught driving drunk. Maybe that would give his career the push it needs to get him out of the middle of the pack with the Avants and the like.

The song E.R. is a catchy and creative song that's a head nodder and foot tapper for sure. Off of his 2008 release New Man, E.R. was the first song on the album and it was a tone setter. The lyrics are witty and the hook is memorable and the song is layered in so many ways both vocally and musically which I like. It's a well arranged song and while Joe doesn't have the pipes of say a Jaheim, he's still a very capable singer and gets the most out his gift.

This song was the first single and it failed to catch on but I am a fan of this tune and of Joe's. Give it a chance and you may be too. Enjoy!

My Right Eye

I haven't blogged in a while for a few reasons. Some reasons were personal and one reason in particular was I was allowing some new readers to catch up from digging through the archives (there are a LOT of songs on this blog o'mine...lol). I'm back now though so I hope all you new people are all caught up, this train is about to leave the station and this is the perfect song to leave said station to. When I first heard this song I was struck by it's ethereal sound and it made me pay attention. The artist is Laurie Anderson and in this case the word artist fits perfectly. Laurie Anderson is not just a musician but a performance artist and sculptor.

My Right Eye is off of her 2010 album Homeland and it's not really a song I can break down, it's more a song you just have to listen to. A song you have to listen and pay attention too. It's a song with no real hook or structure but it's damn addictive. It's intense in it's easy nature and cinematic in sound and scope, like it could be the song the end titles run to at the end of a movie.

I don't know if this song will make you a fan of Laurie Anderson like it did me. I thought the song was worthy of being shared and listened to. I hope you enjoy it.