de la musique
Aug. 18th, 2007 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcIn a break from my usual, lint-picking quotidians (as of late, anyway), here's some music that I think's pretty good. Maybe you do too? And a bit of a backstory to each.
1. The Light in Our Soul - Elena Paparizou (2005). Swedish by birth, Greek by ethnicity, fireball by nature. Elena has twiced represented Greece at the Eurovision, bringing the country its first victory in 2005. In the Greek heats (national selection) she proposed 4 songs...but this one was ineligible, having been previously recorded by another artist. A shame really, because The Light in Our Soul was by far the strongest of the lot.
2. It Takes More - Ms. Dynamite (2002). Having only had 2, relatively minor chart hits in the UK, many were surprised when Niomi MacLean-Daley (her real name) beat David Bowie and The Streets (among others) for the 2002 Mercury Music Prize. But a proper listen to her CD A Little Deeper and it's easy to see why. She's a rapper whose rhymes are in stark contrast--no, make that, fierce critique--of the 'ho nonsense that all too often permeates hip hop music. This is the unedited version of her biggest hit--strange how no one would play "you're just a racist man's pussy" on the radio. And, unsurprisingly, American urban radio fairly banned the record...ooh, too close to the bone perhaps?
3. Am I Not Pretty Enough - Kasey Chambers (2001). Aussie Chambers had an established country music career before releasing her second solo CD Barricades and Brick Walls in 2001. But with the release of Not Pretty Enough she became the first--and still only--country artist to top the pop singles and album charts in Oz. LIke Janis Ian's amazing At Seventeen, Not Pretty Enough is a lament for those trying to be themselves and be a part of something. Chambers went on to win the best selling single and album ARIA Awards.
4. Le Saule - Isabelle Boulay (various). If I were to pick one Canadian vocalist who should be a superstar, it would be Isabelle Boulay. She's a great singer, amazing performer, and can sing any genre equally well--so it was tough to pick "a" song for her here. I chose «Le Saule», The (Wheeping) Willow because it's got an interesting hook and it's her singing live in Montréal.
5. Powerless (Say What You Want) - Nelly Furtado (2003). After the global success of her début CD Whoa Nelly!, most expected another pop/hip-hop hybrid set from Victoria BC's Furtado (go BC! w00t!). Instead she dug deep into her Azorean (Portuguese) roots and wrote an album largely around the idea of being a newcomer: a migrant, a new artist, and a product. This lead single was a full-on critique of how the music and mainstream media industries have tried to make her White. And like Ms Dynamite she wasn't exactly embraced by radio. FYI for those who think last year's Loose was her pandering, Furtado was a fixture in the Vancouver hip-hop scene looong before she went pop.
6. I Remember Love - Sarah Dawn Finer (2007). You might be suprised to learn that Finer is, in fact, Swedish. Her parents (Dad American; Mum British) moved to Sweden in the 70s to join a commune outside Stockholm. Sarah Dawn was one of the surprises of this year's Swedish feats for the Eurovision, having been largely unknown outside the Swedish jazz world. I Remember Love is a wistful pop ballad that requires a powerful sing who can sing counterpart to the melody as the lead--a real challenge. And then soar into the quasi-gospel bridge. I doubt we'll see Finer at Melodifestivalen again, but I wouldn't be surprises if we hear her everywhere else. Her only challenge is her appearance: whomever styled her for the heats probably didn't realize how much she looked like Miss Piggy in that tight tight suit. Really. :(
Click here to download an archive of all 6 songs.
1. The Light in Our Soul - Elena Paparizou (2005). Swedish by birth, Greek by ethnicity, fireball by nature. Elena has twiced represented Greece at the Eurovision, bringing the country its first victory in 2005. In the Greek heats (national selection) she proposed 4 songs...but this one was ineligible, having been previously recorded by another artist. A shame really, because The Light in Our Soul was by far the strongest of the lot.
2. It Takes More - Ms. Dynamite (2002). Having only had 2, relatively minor chart hits in the UK, many were surprised when Niomi MacLean-Daley (her real name) beat David Bowie and The Streets (among others) for the 2002 Mercury Music Prize. But a proper listen to her CD A Little Deeper and it's easy to see why. She's a rapper whose rhymes are in stark contrast--no, make that, fierce critique--of the 'ho nonsense that all too often permeates hip hop music. This is the unedited version of her biggest hit--strange how no one would play "you're just a racist man's pussy" on the radio. And, unsurprisingly, American urban radio fairly banned the record...ooh, too close to the bone perhaps?
3. Am I Not Pretty Enough - Kasey Chambers (2001). Aussie Chambers had an established country music career before releasing her second solo CD Barricades and Brick Walls in 2001. But with the release of Not Pretty Enough she became the first--and still only--country artist to top the pop singles and album charts in Oz. LIke Janis Ian's amazing At Seventeen, Not Pretty Enough is a lament for those trying to be themselves and be a part of something. Chambers went on to win the best selling single and album ARIA Awards.
4. Le Saule - Isabelle Boulay (various). If I were to pick one Canadian vocalist who should be a superstar, it would be Isabelle Boulay. She's a great singer, amazing performer, and can sing any genre equally well--so it was tough to pick "a" song for her here. I chose «Le Saule», The (Wheeping) Willow because it's got an interesting hook and it's her singing live in Montréal.
5. Powerless (Say What You Want) - Nelly Furtado (2003). After the global success of her début CD Whoa Nelly!, most expected another pop/hip-hop hybrid set from Victoria BC's Furtado (go BC! w00t!). Instead she dug deep into her Azorean (Portuguese) roots and wrote an album largely around the idea of being a newcomer: a migrant, a new artist, and a product. This lead single was a full-on critique of how the music and mainstream media industries have tried to make her White. And like Ms Dynamite she wasn't exactly embraced by radio. FYI for those who think last year's Loose was her pandering, Furtado was a fixture in the Vancouver hip-hop scene looong before she went pop.
6. I Remember Love - Sarah Dawn Finer (2007). You might be suprised to learn that Finer is, in fact, Swedish. Her parents (Dad American; Mum British) moved to Sweden in the 70s to join a commune outside Stockholm. Sarah Dawn was one of the surprises of this year's Swedish feats for the Eurovision, having been largely unknown outside the Swedish jazz world. I Remember Love is a wistful pop ballad that requires a powerful sing who can sing counterpart to the melody as the lead--a real challenge. And then soar into the quasi-gospel bridge. I doubt we'll see Finer at Melodifestivalen again, but I wouldn't be surprises if we hear her everywhere else. Her only challenge is her appearance: whomever styled her for the heats probably didn't realize how much she looked like Miss Piggy in that tight tight suit. Really. :(
Click here to download an archive of all 6 songs.
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Date: 2007-08-19 10:07 am (UTC)...or more rightfully so, take the piss out of people who can't sing it properly! LOL
*hugs*