Keeping It Fresh

Today I have a little bit of a shorter post, but I can promise you that it's a good one. Today I wanted to focus on ethnic music, particularly, Indian music. And I have music for you by an artist out of England by the name Zack Knight. Now this is a guy who has a really great thing going on in terms of musicality. In fact, this is something I have seen a lot more of, a nice resurgence of a style of music that definitely went underground for a few years before resurfacing. This hip-hop oriented music is a great style because it is a smooth fusion of Indian and Western music. I mean it is a straight flow between the two, switching between them and making sure the song gets some Hindi in there as well as English. Now this song, in particular, is definitely geared more towards English, with only a few verses done in Hindi and Punjabi, but I seriously haven't been able to get the song out of my head. I mean it has everything- a sick beat, a catchy chorus, and a really good vibe....

Today I have music for you from a musical that was adapted from a movie. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is an extremely fantastic movie, one that talks about a lot of things without us even realizing it. Now last week helped bring in a new wave of Broadway shows, so I thought it might be interesting to write about the music from one of these shows. I am completely spellbound and speechless with this soundtrack. There is a special kind of beauty that comes with a choir and orchestra. Now what is cool about this song and the album as a whole, is that each vocalist is a character. They still have the lines of their original characters, and their collective voice is what makes the choir. This is the first song that appears in the movie and in the musical, and it is still my favorite. Even the narrator has a singing version of the narrator lines. And each person has something fantastic to offer. Whether it is the character line they are providing or a part of the choir, each voice is so beau...

Today I have some music for you by an artist that has seemingly taken over a lot of the music game. Drake has his name everywhere, in the rap world, the pop world, even the electronic world! He seems to be one of those artists that everyone has heard of. He is the kind of artists that many people have heard, and are avid fans of. Now despite this, there is a lot of music out by Drake that hasn't really been heard and isn't that popular. Today's song is one of those. This song is one that honestly blows the two lead singles out of the water regarding lyrics and production quality. This song takes the lyrics along the normal path that Drake tends to follow. He is lamenting the end of a relationship, putting Drake in full emotional pop mode. We do get a great R&B pop influence with this song, though, which is a different step for the rap industry as a whole. Drake has taken hold of the 80's synth and production style and has molded it into a modern version that can b...

Today I have some music for you by an artist that has stayed under the radar but has remained very active in the music scene. Most people know Ansel Elgort as being a heartthrob for teenage girls, the kid from The Fault in Our Stars who left every girl swooning. And while I cannot deny his talent as an actor, there is a lot more to him that tends to stay in the dark. And if I am to be quite honest, I think his music is way more brilliant than his acting. Why you may ask? Because the man started out as a producer. He spent a lot of time being a DJ, playing at shows like Electric Zoo and has played sets all over the world. I have to say, he is extremely talented in the music department, and I really do enjoy his music. Now what makes this song a little different from what his DJ alter ego produces, is that he writes, sings, and produces for this song. Within the world of electronic music, this is still a very fresh take. A lot of times we see bands and acoustic singers making their own m...

Today we go round 2 with foreign music, with the artist of the day coming all the way from Spain. Alvaro Soler is one of the best breakout artists of last year, but no one really knows who he is here in the States. Alvaro Soler is a wonderful singer-songwriter who really knows how to make music feel free and alive. His themes tend to revolve around being happy go lucky and carefree and overall feel good. But he does it in a way that isn't "in your face" nor is it overly enthusiastic. He hits that sweet spot of being fun and exciting without being over the top. So there are two versions of this song- one in Spanish and one in Spanglish. But today, I want to talk just about the Spanish version of the song. There is this incredible richness to the way Alvaro Soler sings in Spanish, something that cannot be fully expressed in English words and verses. This song is so contagiously fun, full of this incredible energy and complete liveliness. There is also this constant sense ...

Today I have some new music for you by the French rapper, Disiz la Peste. What I find interesting about a lot of popular music that is being released today, is that there is always some sort of electronic or tropical undertone. It doesn't matter if it is a DJ producing new music or a pop artist releasing a new single, we seem to be surrounded by music that has the same base. Which is why this song was a nice breath of fresh air. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy tropical and electro songs, but it's nice to be surrounded by something else. Listening to something else. Disiz la Peste is an artist that has dabbled in a few different styles. However, the man definitely prefers to stay within the realm of French rap and R&B. Disiz is my focus for today because of how interesting this particular song is. It was released about a month ago, and I still haven't been able to shake how strangely eerie this song. One of the first things you notice, is that there is no bas...

Hello, everybody! It is so good to be back here writing about music! I spent the last week traveling and keeping really busy, which is why we had a bit of a hiatus. But, I'm back today, and it is all about getting funky and jazzy. Today's song comes from an artist that I've mentioned in the past.  Anderson Paak is a very eclectic artist, one who likes to combine differing styles to create something original and fun. This song is one that has this nice funky jazz to it, something that is like an old school groove with a modern twist. Anderson Paak has a strong command of his music, knowing exactly what sound he wants and exactly what words he wants to use. There is an incredible strength to his producing and songwriting skills, one that is impressive. Anderson Paak knows himself as a musician, and that can sometimes be hard to find. Even within his rapping style and cadence, there is strong confidence which comes from an artist who really knows how he...