I Wish

To celebrate the birthday of R. Kelly I am posting my favorite song of his, I Wish. I remember how the first time I heard it, I had recently lost someone close to me so this song brought me to tears. I was never a true Kelly fan, his music never connected with me until I Wish. It slammed into me like an out of control truck and at times it still does.

Happy Birthday R. May you see many, many, more and thank you.

I Wanna Get Next To You

It was recently brought to my attention that there are some people that have never heard this classic. Therefore I felt it was high time I included this masterpiece on my blog, so those that have never heard it before can treat their ears to a beautiful song and for those that know it well can get to know it all over again. The song is I Wanna Get Next To You from Rose Royce. It's off the 1976 soundtrack to the smash hit movie Car Wash.

The song starts off with the irresistible groove and you instantly know this song is just going to wash over you. The piano, guitar, and the percussion play off each other nicely after the riff. The falsetto of Kenny Copeland comes in and drops the heartbreaking lyrics about a man hoping to spend some time with a young lady who is apparently not interested. It was the perfect song for the unrequited love in the film between The Fly and the waitress.

This song will always be a classic. It's the unofficial song of the Car Wash movie but Rose Royce also dropped the original I'm Going Down that Mary J. Blige covered on that same soundtrack. Written and produced by Norman Whitfield, I feel he captured lightning in a bottle with this song because I can't help but smile whenever I hear it. Enjoy!

Cool

If you're anywhere near as old as I am then you know this song and its infectious groove. The song is Cool by the groovy (and hilarious) collection of men that make up The Time. Cool was the second single that was released off of their debut album The Time and while Cool didn't rate that high on the charts, it quickly became a staple for the band in concert and defined their attitude.

Right off the bat you get a sense of the groove with the drums and synth hooking up, then the additional percussion and a splash of guitar comes in. You immediately want to move something, it's that catchy but when Morris Day comes in with I got a penthouse in Manhattan / Two more in Monaco / I bought an 87 Cadillac Seville / Got a Maserati too / I wear diamonds on my fingers / I gotta couple on my toes / I wear the finest perfume money can by / Keeps me smelling like a rose...you know this song is all about making you smile and dance your ass off.

Originally written and preformed by Prince (written under his alias Jamie Starr), he thought it was the perfect foil for the group after he jettisoned Alexander O'Neal from the lineup. He thought this song fit his cousins vocals better than it did O'Neal's. Take a listen and see if you agree with him. Enjoy!

Drunk In Love

I have been grooving to this song for a few days now and felt it should hold the honor of being the first Beyonce song on my blog. Drunk In Love is a sexy, groovy, banger and usually those three words aren't put in the same sentence when it comes to a song. This time though those words are the best words that describe this song.

Off of her latest self titled album, Drunk In Love is all about Beyonce's physical relationship with Jay-Z and their first night together. Jays verse spells that out quite clearly and cleverly. My favorite part of the song comes at the 5:15 mark when the song changes and becomes truly sexy, when everything slowly falls away until it's just Beyonce and a synth patch.

This is the best song I have heard off her latest release but honestly I haven't given anything else on her album a chance to grow on me. I've always come back to DIL because it's that good to me. Take a listen and tell me what you think. Enjoy.

Barrel Of a Gun

This song came up on my playlist and I remembered how much I loved it and the album it was on. The song is Barrel Of a Gun and the album is the 1997 Depeche Mode offering entitled Ultra. Those who are fans of this group, band, what have you knows that lead singer David Gahan once upon a time had a serious addiction to heroin. So when I listen to the lyrics of this song, and others on Ultra I get the sense that his addiction is being played out for all to hear.

The title alone, Barrel Of a Gun screams of not having a choice, of having no control regarding ones actions, of being forced which for some is what addiction is all about. Sonically this is an amazing piece of work and one I recommend played over the big boy speakers. The bass rumbles in this song like an small but felt earthquake and it never stops. The guitars whine and wail as David floats along to the chorus and then the drums pound through. There is so much to discern in this song that i almost hear something new with every listen. Producer Tim Simenon must have relished working on this track.

Take a listen to Barrel Of a Gun, try not to get sucked into the trippy video and just listen to the music, and let me know what you think. Enjoy.

I See Fire

The second I heard the voice of Ed Sheeran sing the opening of this tragically poignant and beautiful song I knew I was going to blog it. It had to be shared even though if you go to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug then you will hear it like I did. It plays over the closing credits and it's the perfect song for the close. See it and you'll see why.

The song begins with Ed's intro with a lilting Irish tinge to it. Then when the guitar kicks in and you get a hint of the melody the song begins to unfold for you. The lyrics are all about the quest for the Dwarves of Erebor to reclaim their homeland if they can best the dragon Smaug that inhabits their mountain. The song was written specifically for the movie and it's pitch perfect.

Ed Sheeran isn't widely known here in the states, but something tells me that is about to change. Take a listen and let me know if you agree with me. Enjoy!

General Zod Suite

A fan of the man of Steel score put this together and I really enjoyed it and decided to post it, because I can be a geek at times. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.