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I’ve had this song in my head for nearly a week now. I’ve only heard it a few times and could only remember the melody, but I was humming it all over the place. In fact, I had never been particularly impressed with Adele until I heard and watched the video for “Rolling in the Deep.”

There is something about the desperation in the lyrics and the passion in her voice that lets you know she poured herself into every second of the song. Every new layer builds on the next and by the time she gets to the chorus where she belts out “We could have had it all” I get chills.

When She talks about scars and fire and you can hear that burning come through in her voice. And the voice…the sultry sound is reminiscent of musical greats of the soul era that hardly anyone in modern music ever touches.

The video is just a cherry on top. Abstract but builds in much the same way the song does. The ninja dancer kicking up dust, the pile of broken china, the sparking that causes the model city to catch fire, the play with light and shadow. This, dear readers is a work of art on every level.

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Erykah Badu has always been an artist, and music, her medium. She has mastered this craft and has also embarked on creative ways to transmit this art beyond providing a beautiful listening experience. The latest video “Out My Mind Just In Time (Movement 1)” is a sensual and unexpected interpretive dance. Badu’s body flows as though compelled by the sound of her own voice, evoking with her body, the same pained and broken feeling. Check it out below.

OUT MY MIND JUST IN TIME from Creative Control on Vimeo.

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After an intentionally slow Saturday – besides Beck there were no absolute must sees – we headed back to Bumbershoot Sunday for a whammy of an evening. Everything we planned to see was packed into the last five hours of the day. The only reprise, however bittersweet, was a cancellation by Kid Sister. black keys

The lawn surrounding the Starbucks Stage was packed with a diverse group of all ages from Pampers to Depends to catch Jakob Dylan. Surprisingly, the audience didn’t contain rabid women throwing their unmentionables. Much like his father, most of his set was indiscernible, with Dylan chewing on his words in mumbles. Unlike us, clearly, there were people there just for the music, many sitting and even laying in the grass.

Half way through Dylan’s set, we bailed, bound for the mainstage to see rock as pure driven snow from The Black Keys. Though, the audience was full already, as the Keys began playing, the floodgates opened and people poured into the venue like the tide. We overheard many a conversation among spectators wondering who was playing; one even vowing to make an iTunes purchase. The music cut through all distractions with laser like focus, driving people to dance involuntarily.

The last hour of our day, as we wanted to catch three performances who were all playing at the same time. First stop Stone Temple Pilots but they were late, so we left to see a recommended band called Thee Emergency. Described by a fan as “Saul Williams as a woman with soul,” our curiosity was piqued. Unfortunately, they didn’t deliver. It was also strange to see the lead vocal actively directing the band, though it was hard to see who was actually playing because so many people apparently loitering on stage. So we left.

Back at STP the crowd had gotten antsy. It was thirty minutes past the scheduled start and the roadies were still setting up. Finally, at 9:45 pm the tour bus pulled up and the audience went ape shit. The sheer volume of people in the stadium was astounding, and almost made the reception for Beck and The Black Keys look small. Seattle clearly loves STP. As the set began, we could see why. There was a good mix of easily recognizable radio hits as well as songs that were clearly for die-hard fans. These are veteran showmen; not only was Scott Weiland in constant motion, the rest of the other members of band also engaged the audience.

Though Weiland started the set in shades, hat, leather jacket, vest and scarf by night’s end he was down to his shirt. The organized mayhem of the mosh pit increased with each number and the band sprinkled their performance with just enough banter between songs. Someone once asked “What’s the Big Deal with STP? Answer, see them live.

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Amy Winehouse may be a train wreck, tabloid queen but her talent is real. It bothers me to no end that she is more infamous than she is famous. Her voice is brassy and rich, raw and emotive.

It wasn’t "Rehab" or "Back to Black" that made me a fan of Winehouse’s music, it was hearing songs from Frank when her voice was more harmonious as opposed to the dissonant tinge she too on with Back to Black. But I digress…

When I finally decided to really sit down and listen to Amy Winehouse, one of the first songs to catch my attention was "Tears Dry on Their Own." I found the peppy rhythm and arrangement juxtaposed with the sullen lyrics fascinating.

The chorus was especially despondent and up-beat as she describes the sun going down on her world as her love walks away.  Amy’s voice is defiant and the background singers go "oh-la-la-la" as she sings:

He walks away
The sun goes down
He takes the day, but I am gone
And in your way
Is this blue shade
My tears dry on their own

Its almost as if she wants to be nonchalant about the affair, but her heart and brain have not come to an agreement. She tries to talk some sense into herself but to no avail:

I don’t understand
Why do I stress the man
When there’s so many bigger things at hand
We could have never had it all
We had to hit a wall
So this is inevitable withdrawal

Even if I stop wanting you
And perspective pushes through
I’ll be some next man’s other woman soon
I cannot play myself again
I should just be my own best friend
But I fucked myself in the head with stupid men

And back to the happy "oh-la-la-las" as Amy laments that she and her lover are history and the sun has set on their triste. The song ends suddenly as Amy declares agonizingly that her tears dried on their own.

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kissey asplund

On a long drive from Harbor City to the Valley, I popped in Kissey  Asplund as an alternative to completely rocking out. My taste in music may be eclectic, but when I’m driving I like the music loud, abrasive and super high energy. But I digress…

Having never heard of Asplund before, my aunt began asking me questions trying to get an idea of what I think (my family may not like my music, but they respect my analysis). I told her that I liked Kissey’s style but that her voice was not that great.

“That’s interesting,” said my aunt. “I wonder why it is that Americans put so much emphasis on vocal ability as opposed to the quality of the content.” Read on »

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Being a blogger is quite possibly one of most fun jobs to have. Even though I was given my own network blog recently, I have been blogging for almost two years now. I have to say that it rocks! For me the best part about it is the networking, finding people with like interests – either by chance or purpose – and making real connections in a virtual world.

To wit, I’d like to shout out Liz from Shame Free and say thanks again for the T-shirt. I met Liz by recommending her blog for Listen In’s weekly music blog review. Like any good blogger, Liz tracked down the review, made a comment and offered the reviewer a T-shirt. For whatever reason he declined but I’ll gladly accept swag from all corners of the world, I asked (rather loudly perhaps) if I could have one.

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Death Cab for Cutie covers “Love Song” by The Cure. What’s the point of a cover that sounds almost exactly like the original?

Lollapalooza is burning up the internet with buzz and is slated to be the biggest music festival of 2008…Coachella is hot on the Lollapalooza buzz tail.

Liz Fair announced a new album scheduled for release in the fall; the first in 15 years. She’s also revisiting “Exile in Guyville” in June with four previously unreleased tracks.

kmmad

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The digital revolution is upsetting mass media. From movies to news, from books to music, the way we consume media has changed over the last 10 years. The music industry is in turmoil and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has a tenuous relationship with consumers at best. The old media models are not working anymore; the music industry is hemorrhaging money as consumers continue to flock to new formats.

Despite the apparent war against consumers for file sharing and supposed piracy, the reality is that the vast majority of consumers still purchase their music in music shops and through legitimate digital downloads. In fact, digital sales make up approximately 10 percent of all music sales in the US, with Apple iTunes (NASDAQ:APPL) as the No. 2 music retailer next to Wal-Mart.

Although many consumers still purchase CDs, the digital market is growing by leaps and bounds particularly among people between the ages of 35 and 50. One draw of digital download is the ability to choose to buy one song at a time as opposed to an entire CD. According to PC World, nearly 50 percent of US teens purchase songs individually and about 1 million buys left the CD buyer market and this trend is growing.

kmmad

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mtb4_logo.jpgAside from the filler of the personal drama between Aubrey and Donnie, this weeks episode of Making the Band 4 was all about Ditty trying to pull emotion out of the boys. They are not going back into the studio until they make him feel it.

The thing is that Diddy already picked them based on their talent; he knows they can sing but he doesn’t want them to get too comfortable resting on their talent. One of the coaches tells them that if Diddy doesn’t feel the emotion he feels like he’s not making any money. Another tells them they are too focused on the perfection of the voice but they need to let go and give in to the emotion of the moment.

As a demonstration of what he wants, he has the Danity Kane girls each sing a short solo. “None of that whispery stuff.” Diddy tells them. “Unlike a lot of other girls out there y’all can really sing.”

kmmad

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I have something to admit…a music lover’s guilty pleasure of sorts. I have been sucked into the MTV reality television show, Making the Band 4 (Season 2). I’ll give you a second to boo me and discuss how tired of reality TV you are…go ahead…

Okay now that you’ve got that out of your system, I’m going to explain Day%2026.jpgwhy I like the show and why Making the Band is back for a fourth season. Diddy has a huge ego but he does not play when it comes to quality. It has always been my opinion that he has a great eye and ear for talent. Whether or not you like pop music, when watching Making the Band you begin to understand that Diddy is serious about putting out the best pop music possible. He will not except anything less than a hit, every time his artists go into the studio.

This season, Diddy has set a goal for the most recent winners of Making the Band to make and release albums at the same time, harkening back to the Bad Boy hay day, when Biggie, Total, Mase, and 112 all had simultaneous hit records. So the cast is Donnie, a singer who impressed Diddy so much that he was awarded a solo recording contract; Day 26, an “all male super group” picked on the first season of Making the Band 4; and Danity Kane the girl group from Making the Band 3, who made a platinum record after being shaped and molded by Diddy.

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