Female Artists Of The 90s Playlist

After a long hiatus, it is back to the playlists. They have been fairly popular in the past and I hope that they continue to be. This time Rizzo Music takes a look back on some artists that don't get enough credit. There were several female artists that defined a section of the music being developed in the 90s. There was the pop side, with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jennifer Lopez, which I tried to stay away from. Then there was the side that I enjoyed, with deep ballads from Sarah Mclachlan and alternative rock from the hugely popular Alanis Morissette.

Here I showcase my top ten female artists from the 90s with No Doubt thrown in there because to ignore the impact this group had on the music world would be a shame. Most likely you will recognize most of these songs as all of them were fairly popular. My favorites from this list have to be the first two songs with Sarah's "Sweet Surrender" and Jewel's "Hands".

That's it for this week. Hope you enjoyed it.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know
1. Sarah McLachlan - Sweet Surrender
2. Jewel - Hands
3. Paula Cole - Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
4. Sheryl Crow - Everyday Is A Winding Road
5. Alanis Morissette - Head Over Feet
6. No Doubt - Don't Speak
7. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
8. Lisa Loeb - Stay (I Missed You)
9. Shania Twain - Forever and For Always
10. Natalie Merchant - Wonder

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Top Female Artists of the 90s

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


"Thief" by Our Lady Peace - Music Video Tribute

This is one of those songs that not many people know about but it is one of my all time favorites. The music video itself isn't anything tremendous but the song is something to be treasured. The video basically just shows the band members getting drenched by a downpour. They don't seem phased and they have some pretty cool slow motion shots of the water falling on their faces. The song itself is actually about a young girl they knew that had a brain tumor. The "Thief" inside her head refers to the tumor itself.

The video does a good job to portray the mood of the song and you can almost see the helplessness in the band member's eyes. The rain doesn't seem to bother them because they are too concerned for the young girl's life and feel that they can do nothing to help her. The song starts out with such powerful lyrics, that if you listen carefully to the words, it almost gives you the chills. "I don't want to understand this horror / There's a weight in your eyes that I can't admit...". It is such powerful song and the video does a good job of capturing the essence of the song. Without further explanation, here it is... Hope you find it as moving as I did.


Jimmy Eat World's New Album: Chase This Light

One of my favorite bands and a highly underrated one at that, Jimmy Eat World has set a release date for their new album. Chase This Light is set to hit stores October 16th 2007. The band finished up recording back in May and are currently out touring in Europe. For this tour they have said they are playing some of their more mellower songs. Getting a chance to hear "Polaris" or "23" live would be incredible. They are also playing some of their new songs too so this tour is really not something you want to miss out on.

I am really excited about this album, and so is the band. They have said that they are hoping that from now on their won't be so much time between released. If this new album is anything like their first three, it surely won't disappoint. The new album was produced by Butch Vig, famous for producing albums for Nirvana and the newly revived Smashing Pumpkins. I will have more updates on this album and the singles to be released in the near future. This fall should be a good one for new albums and I am really looking forward to it.

For more information on Jimmy Eat World be sure to visit their website and their myspace page.


Matchbox Twenty Is Back!

And after about a three month hiatus, I am back as well. I was watching some Music Choice today, much like any other day and I came across Matchbox Twenty's new single, "How Far We've Come". I had to look twice to realize that it was in fact Matchbox Twenty and that the release date was indeed 2007. This is great news for any alternative music fan that was not all together thrilled with Rob Thomas' solo career. Although it was fairly successful for Rob, it didn't carry the same flavor that the group as a whole brings.

Hopefully when they release their new album, Exile on Mainstream on October 2nd, they will revive some of that lost 90s music magic. I am really looking forward to it as well as the tour that will most likely follow the release. The new single isn't anything that blew me away but nonetheless a solid single and a break from some of the less than stellar songs out right now. There website, www.matchboxtwenty.com, has been updated to promote the new album but there is not much there besides a chance to listen to the new single as well as a countdown to the new album's release, which is currently at 57 days.

Well, that's going to my update for now. Thanks for listening.


SNL In The 90s: A Look At The Music

A great recap to a great decade. Saturday Night Live is a show that I really have enjoyed over the last decade or so. From Chris Farley to Chris Rock, this show was stacked with comedic geniuses. This television special had plenty of commentary from almost all the great cast members of the 1990s but it was lacking a little in the video clips. With such a long span to cover, it was hard to fit everything into a two hour special but I think that they did a good job. You really can't go wrong with Chris Farrley's Matt Foley skit or Will Farrell's Cowbell performance.

It was really fun to see all the old cast members come back to talk about the golden age of SNL that was the early 90s. The cool thing about it was that there were only a few missing from the commentary. The only one that I noticed that was missing was Adam Sandler. I, being such a avid 90s music fan, loved that fact that they included a bunch of past performances from so many good bands. The musical acts have always been an intricate part of Saturday Night Live, and it was nice to see them be included in the special.

I had to compile this list by memory because I didn't get a chance to tape it but I am pretty sure this is fairly accurate and almost complete. If you see any mistakes or additions that should be made, please feel free to leave a comment.

Musical Performances Featured on "SNL In The 90s":
Barenaked Ladies - "It's All Been Done"
Gin Blossoms - "Follow You Down"
Christina Aguliera - "What a Girl Wants"
Blues Traveler - "Hook"
Green Day - "When I Come Around"
R.E.M. - "Shiny Happy People"
Pearl Jam - "Not For You"
Dave Matthews Band - "So Much To Say"
Foo Fighters - "Learn to Fly"
Beck - "Sexx Laws"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
Garbage - "When I Grow Up"
Oasis - "Don't Go Away"

I was really happy to see the lesser known bands like Blues Traveler get some air time as well as the more popular acts like DMB, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Nirvana. My favorite part of the whole show was the decision to have Oasis' "Don't Go Away" be the last act shown. This is one of my favorite songs from Oasis and from the 90s in general. A fitting end to a great decade of music and comedy. Thanks for listening and hope you check out some of these classic songs.


New Switchfoot Single: Awakening

The summer is finally here. This time I would just like to bring to your attention Switchfoot's new single, Awakening. As you can see by reading my review of their album here, that I correctly predicted that this would be the next single and it is a good one at that. The new music video, which I will post at the end of this article, was released about a month ago but I have yet to hear it on the radio or see it on MTV. Hopefully it will get some airplay this summer. This video is great, one of my favorites from Switchfoot. As a avid guitar hero fan, I found this video to accurately portray the average Guitar Hero addict. The music video is hilarious and the song is great, not much more to say. Check it out.


Summer Hits Playlists

The summer is just around the corner and I will be posting a lot more often, updating you with music news, reviews and more playlists. For this playlist I wanted to give you a little taste of summer as the school year is almost over and hopefully this cold April weather is going to heat up this week. These ten songs might seem very random but they are some of my favorite songs and either have something to do with summer or just remind me of the season. I would just like to point out one song in particular, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" by Jason Mraz. This song really has nothing to do with summer but I can remember listening to it constantly just a few summers ago and it seems that it is a song that might have been forgotten. I thought I would bring to light some classics like OMC and some songs you might not of heard of like "Just watch the Fireworks". Thanks for listening and I'm looking forward to a productive summer.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know
1. Steal my Sunshine - LEN
2. How Bizarre - OMC
3. Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
4. Run-Around - Blues Traveler
5. American Girls - Counting Crows
6. Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie
7. The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz
8. Just Watch the Fireworks - Jimmy Eat World
9. Sunshine - Keane
10. Blinded (When I See You) - Third Eye Blind

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Summer Hits Playlist Part II

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Itunes Shuffle (Week 15)

Another Monday playlist for you to enjoy. I just realized how busy these next two weeks will be for me but I am going to try my best to keep up with new articles. For this playlist I thought it would be fun to get a good mix of 10 random songs selected by Itunes. I thought this sample would give a good representation of the kind of music I listen to everyday. I just hope that nothing embarrassing comes up. Thanks for listening and I hope you find something that you like.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 15 - March 5-11 2007
1. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
2. Collective Soul - How Do You Love?
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - This Velvet Glove
4. R.E.M. - The One I Love
5. Lifehouse - We'll Never Know
6. Keane - Broken Toy
7. Barenaked Ladies - Get in Line
8. A Perfect Circle - Judith
9. Dave Matthews Band - Angel
10. Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic #3

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Itunes Shuffle Playlist #1

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Semisonic - Singing In My Sleep Music Video Tribute

After a brief hiatus, I figured it would be fun to kick off this return with a great music video that you probably have never seen, "Singing In My Sleep" by Semisonic. This video has that classic 90s music video feel and shows them just rocking out. The song may not be my favorite song on the album, that would have to go to "Gone To The Movies", but it is my favorite single. The album Feeling Strangely Fine is underrated as a whole and this song flew under the radar as well. You might know Semisonic best for their song "Closing Time", which was a big radio hit in 1998. While Semisonic hasn't released anything recently, Dan Wilson, front man of Semisonic, recently won the Song of the Year Grammy for his work with the Dixie Chicks, co-writing the song, "Not Ready To Make Nice". It is nice to see that they still have a voice in the industry today.

Here's the video for "Singing In My Sleep". Enjoy it.