Count on Me

Like with most artists, everybody has their favorite song from that artist. That's just a natural thing I feel and when it comes to the enigmatic and iconic Whitney Houston my favorite song isn't the song most would readily assume it would be. Whitney leaves behind an amazing collection of staggeringly beautiful songs and other than the late great Marvin Gaye, no one did The Star Spangled Banner more justice.

My favorite Whitney Houston song is a duet with Cece Winans off of the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack entitled Count on Me. It's a beautiful song of friendship and faith and every time I hear it, it puts a smile on my face. It's classic Whitney and Cece's velvet voice is a really nice contrast to Whitney's bright soprano. Whitney also does a great job of reigning in her voice because she could have blown doors off hinges with this song.

While this song didn't get much airplay or much of the recognition I think it should have gotten, I still think it's an amazingly beautiful song and one of my favorites. This was Whitney at her best and this is how I will always remember her, singing beautifully about something as beautiful as unconditional friendship. You'll be missed Whitney.

Meant

When I first heard this tune, I thought it was interesting. The vocal arrangement, the piano playing, the strings in the background all pulled me in at first and I thought Elizaveta was someone on the come up. She may still be and maybe it's just my opinion but the more I hear this song, I hear a knock off of Alicia Keys and a second rate Fiona Apple.

Off of her 2012 debut album Beatrix Runs, Meant starts off with a great piano intro, then right on the heels of that comes the beat and then her voice. Not a strong voice but it's an adequate one for her kind of songs, somewhat torchy. The strings come in right before the bridge and like I stated, they are a nice touch. I just feel that in the hands of one of the two ladies mentioned earlier, this song could have blown the tops of heads off.

The sample of the song I'm including is a live version so there are no strings, no percussion and the artist doing her best Gaga impersonation. Maybe I'm wrong about this song and the artist. Take a listen and let me know if you think I am.

Rise & Fall

Allow me to introduce to you the musical stylings of Gemini and yes you should break out your big boy speakers for this. I'm introducing him and his music as an alternative to Skrillex (who is also on my blog by the way). Gemini, like Skrillex is a dubstep artist yet his music isn't nearly as aggressive and all over you as most of the genres is. Gemini is more melodious and harmonic to me to me than say Skrillex or Noisia (even though I love what they both do immensely).

The beauty of this cut IS it's melody but don't get it wrong. Once you look past it's pretty melodies and vocals, this song gets mean and that makes it a lot of fun. The beat is hard, the overlapping bass lines are heavy, and the strings are a really nice touch. Off of his "Blue" EP, Rise & Fall has quickly become one of my favorite songs.

If you aren't up on "dubstep" yet then you might want to look into some of the artists mentioned above. Granted, white it's not for everyone and not that it's the future of anything, I've found it's just a nice change of pace.

Is Your Love Strong Enough

If you didn't see Ridley Scott's film Legend back in 1985 starring Tom Cruise, Mia Farrow, and the incomparable Tim Curry and you weren't a Bryan Ferry fan then you may have missed this song. If you do see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo then stay as the credits roll and you will hear a very good remake of Is Your Love Strong Enough done over by How To Destroy Angels. Their interpretation of Bryan's classic isn't a straight ahead remake. It's fashioned in a brand new and refreshing way.

If the groups sound is familiar it's because HTDA is comprised of Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. Trent and Atticus won the Oscar for their score to the social network and Trent was the frontman and creative force behind Nin Inch Nails. Atticus Ross did the score to The Book of Eli that starred Denzel Washington.

Their version starts off with vocals only which I think is brilliant, then the keys come in along with the bassline. The song has an eerie feel to it and when the song opens up with the full instrumentation, it takes off. It's a head bobber and if HDTA is the evolution of Trent Reznor from his NIN days then I'm looking forward to the future. Give it a lesson and let me know what you think.

Hey Sexy Lady (remix by Skrillex)

Look, if you haven't heard of Skrillex by now then prepare yourself. You will either absolutely love what they do or you will most assuredly hate it with every fiber of your being. Me, I love it and can't get enough of their sound and music. They have taken the formula of music and thrown up all over it. They have taken songs you would otherwise recognize and turn them completely on their heads. The intro to them I bring to you is a remix by them by the new Bad Boy/Puffy machine group known as iSQUARE and their song Hey Sexy Lady. No never hearing the original version (I found the remix by accident), after hearing Skrillex's version of this song I have absolutely no desire to hear the original and maybe you won't either.

Now I will admit that Skrillex's sound isn't for every ear and while mine finds it tasty, yours may not agree. Their stuff could take some getting used to but if you throw their stuff on your stereo with your "big boy" speakers pumping you may just become a convert. I won't break down what I love about this song, listen to it and you'll hear it for yourself. I will say this though, while I was going through my shit earlier this year, it was Skrillex (along with some other artists) that kept me going, kept my head on straight and allowed me to push through my issues. For that, I will always be a fan.

And if you like this song (or what they've done to it) then you should check out their original piece First of The Year. That is only if your ears can take it of course. Enjoy.

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3-III Allegro

Without question one of my all time favorite classical pieces of music is this, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major: Allegro. It's pretty, lyrical, very rhythmic, and full of breathless energy. It's one of a few Bach pieces that pulled me in and made me an unapologetic fan of this composer (hear Toccata and Fugue for a few of the other pieces).

This piece is also rife with drama and darkness which is almost immediately offset with playfulness and light. It starts off like an avalanche coming at you (albeit a playful one)and it never slows down. It never gives you a chance to catch your breathe and I liken it to someone rushing to catch a plane home for Christmas or the last train. Running through a crowded depot or airport with nothing but obstacle after obstacle in his or her way. Spinning, jumping, whizzing past someone all the while apologizing and saying "Excuse me".

This is a fun classical piece of music and one hard not to like. Bach isn't my favorite composer by any stretch of the imagination (see Vivaldi, Mozart, and DeBussy first) but this piece, which always puts a smile on my face when I hear it and others by him definitely lands him in my top five. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and Happy Holidays.

The Way it Is

I can still remember how I felt the first time I heard this song. It gave me chills (and at times it still does). As a huge fan of the piano (and one time player many moons ago) I felt like this song was written for me or at least written with me in mind. Bruce Hornsby wasn't setting the music world on fire with his lyrics but his playing pushed this song to the top of the charts. Though the lyrics and this song could be the anthem of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement because the times mirror this songs sentiment perfectly.

It starts off with a little piano ditty until the drums kick in and then the song takes off. Bruce Hornsby and The Range I'm sure didn't set out to make an uptempo head bobber some twenty or so years ago. I'm sure they were just hoping to make the world sit up and take notice of the ignorance going on right in front of our faces. With "Just The Way It Is" they did both however. This song will make you bob your head AND take account of all the ignorant injustices in the world. It does this while at the same time being timeless and mesmerizing you with some incredible piano playing.

Give this song another chance to blow you away like it did so many years ago. It's one of my all time favorite songs. I mean how could it not be since it was written for me? Enjoy!