Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #7

It's not Monday, it's not even Tuesday anymore but I felt like that even though I missed it, I should still create one this week. I also missed last week due to Christmas so this is way over due. This playlist will feature some of my favorite songs of all time and is probably my favorite one thus far. It is filled with some classics and ones that you probably have never heard. It's a great way to start off the new year. Thanks for listening and come back next week for another one.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 7 - Jan. 1-7 2006
1. Palm Reader - Third Eye Blind
2. All of You - Vertical Horizon
3. Bleeders - The Wallflowers
4. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
5. Everything - Lifehouse
6. What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie
7. Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies
8. Bunnies (Live in NYC) - Howie Day
9. Turn My Head - Live
10. This Will Be My Year - Semisonic

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Christmas Playlist! - Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist

It's Monday again and its almost Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday like a lot of other people so I decided to make a Christmas Playlist this week with 10 of my favorite Christmas songs. These are all classics and most of them you should of heard of in the past. It turns out that I didn't have to repeat artists this week after all. Next week I am afraid that I must but it will be sure to be a great playlist, I am looking forward to it. I will try to get it out on Christmas Day as it is a Monday but we'll see if I can find time. Hope you enjoyed this edition of "Top 10 Songs You Should Know" and be sure to come back next week.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 6 - Dec. 18-24 2006
1. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
2. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
3. White Christmas - The Drifters
4. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas don't be late) - Alvin & The Chipmunks
5. Please Come Home for Christmas - Southside Johnny Lyon
6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Mel Tormé
7. Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi
8. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
9. Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
10. Home Alone Main Title (Somewhere in My Memory) - John Williams

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Our Lady Peace - A Decade Album Review

Our Lady Peace - A DecadeOur Lady Peace is a gem that I discovered around ten years ago. These guys have consistently produced hit after hit since they formed and the album, A Decade, is a great tribute to the work that they have done. If you only have one of their albums or flat out never decided to go out and buy an OLP album then I highly suggest purchasing this one. It includes one of my all time favorite songs from any band, "Thief". This song can be summed up in one word, fantastic. "Thief" is a slow moving, powerful song that is one for the ages. A Decade contains 12 songs that I have heard in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed. The album has a run time of 1:17:22 with a total of 18 songs including a previously unreleased track and a demo from their Healthy in Paranoid Times album.

The album kicks off with one of their biggest hits, "Starseed", from their first album Naveed. This song is one of those hit singles that you might have forgotten about because I know that I did. You probably heard on the radio all the time but never took the time to look it up. Its a good song and one of the few that I previously did not own but now enjoy. Next up is "The Birdman" and "Naveed", both again from their first album. These are two songs that I had never previously heard before but aren't too bad. I like "Naveed" better, it's a little slower and is a little more mellow. Those three represent their first album, and moving in chronological order we come to their next album, "Clumsy". They put in three songs from this album as well, all fairly big radio hits, "Superman's Dead", "Clumsy", and "4am". This might be the best trio of songs of any of their albums and though I think Happiness Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch is their best album overall, these three songs are gold. "Clumsy" is probably my favorite from this group, with lyrics like this, you can't really go wrong.

"I'll be waving my hand...Watching you drown...
Watching you scream...Quiet or loud...
And maybe you should sleep
And maybe you just need...A friend
As clumsy as you've been, there's no one laughing
You will be safe in here, you will be safe in here..."

Next up is my favorite album, Happiness Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch, with another trio of songs, "One Man Army", "Is Anybody Home", and the previously mentioned "Thief". "One Man Army" is a great song about reminiscing and marching through your troubles whereas "Is Anybody Home" is a fairly depressing song about loneliness but none the less a good one. I have already went over my thoughts on "Thief"; it's one of my favorite of all time. Spiritual Machines is next in order with their two songs, "In Repair" and "Life". "In Repair" is a song that I had not previously heard before reviewing this album but I have since found out why they selected this song for their greatest hits album. It is a song with a solid beat that will have you coming back for more. "Life" was one of the band's biggest hits at the height of their career getting significant radio play. This song has some universal lyrics that will have you singing along and give you hope for a better tomorrow.

We are already up to 2002 with Gravity and the two songs that they chose from this album, "Somewhere Out There" and "Innocent", another two big hits. "Somewhere Out There" is a song about hope and longing for a connection and "Innocent" is about kids who have great obstacles in their life and there is hope just around the corner. We have finally made it to the last original studio album for OLP, with "Healthy in Paranoid Times" and another trio of songs, "Where Are You", "Angels/Losing/Sleep" and "Will The Future Blame Us". My favorite of this trio is "Angels/Losing/Sleep" a classic OLP song highlighting front man Raine Maida haunting voice. "Where Are You" was their main single of this album and got significant radio airplay. "Will the Future Blame Us" was another song that I had never heard before but was not in the least disappointing, with strong vocals and very creative verses. The album wraps up with a unreleased song and a demo from their last album. "Kiss On The Mouth" and "Better than Here" are great treats for the hardcore fans and decent incentive for the dedicated fans to go out and buy their greatest hits even if they own all their other albums.

I would highly recommend this album for the Our Lady Peace fan that somehow lost sight of this group somewhere in their long and lustrous career and also for the alternative rock fan that somehow missed this superb group. I'll giv
e it 4 and a half stars, a great buy for all music fans. Once again thanks for listening, and go check it out.


Live - Overcome Music Video Tribute

Today we are going to pay tribute to one of my favorite bands and one of my favorite songs. Not only is this a great song but it has a very emotional music video to go along with it. The great piano playing combined with Ed Kowalczyk's powerful voice creates an impression that will last a lifetime. The song was written before 9/11 but soon after was dedicated to this tragic date. I believe this song has an epic quality and that is why I present to you the music video for "Overcome" by Live, without further adieu.

http://media.imeem.com/v/-ph2s4rDqP/aus=false/pv=2

Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #5

It's Monday again and I have prepared a new playlist. This one is definitely up to par with the others. There are a lot of good songs that you probably have never heard. This will be the last of the playlists where I stick to strictly previously unmentioned artist. There are just too many good songs to pass up any longer. I will stick to keeping it to ten different artists per playlist though. My favorite song on this playlist would have to be "Rocket Ship" by Guster so be sure to check out. Hope you enjoyed this edition of "Top 10 Songs You Should Know" and be sure to come back next week.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 5 - Dec. 11-17 2006
1. Waiting for the Light to Change - Tonic
2. Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie
3. Which Way to the Top - Fastball
4. Little Things - Bush
5. Why Worry - All-American Rejects
6. Blue & Yellow - The Used
7. Bittersweet - Fuel
8. Random - 311
9. 83 - John Mayer
10. Rocket Ship - Guster

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Better Than Ezra - Before the Robots Album Review

Today is the day that I celebrate one of my favorite albums of all time. Before the Robots is Better Than Ezra's latest studio album, released in May of 2005. It was one of those albums you come across looking for new music and see that one of those fairly popular 90s post-grunge bands is under the new release column. I have always been a big fan of "Good" and "Desperately Wanting" as they were pretty solid rock radio staples in the late 90s. I wasn't expecting much from the album though I decided to give it a listen. I was actually more excited about the new Oasis album set for the same release date but that turned out to be a huge disappointment as "Don't Believe the Truth" did not impress me at all.

Before the Robots is a great album filled with epic and catchy songs that is capped off with one of my all time favorite songs, "Breathless". This song is slow moving and very powerful. It is the last song off the album and it's a great finisher. This is really one of those albums that is almost flawless. Some of the most popular songs on the album are my least favorite like "Juicy" which just feels way out of place when listening to the whole album. "Overcome" and "A Southern Thing" round out my list of least favorite songs. With those songs out of the way, we are left with a great crowning achievement foe the band from New Orleans. The album kicks off with "Burned", a great song about a love fallen by the wayside. The next is "Daylight", a powerful song about the a girlfriend that you love to hate, and hate to love, but you can't seem to get off your mind. "Lifetime", the third song of the album and their biggest hit off the album, is about letting go and holding on.

Next up is "It's Only Natural", a fun song about just fooling around and not feeling guilty about it. "Special" is just that, special. This song is just simply fantastic. "American Dream" is a very underrated song about how time flies and how quickly dreams fade away. One of Better than Ezra's best singles, "Our Last Night", is coincidentally about that last night with a special someone. "Hollow" is similarly to "American Dream" in that it is a look back at the past and how some things can leave you felling empty. Appropriate for the month of December, "Our Finest Year" is another look back, this time with a hopeful look at the future. It ends of course, with "Breathless" and a great finale to an outstanding album that will have you coming back for more every time you listen to it.

Thanks for listening and check it out. I leave you with a little snippet of some of my favorite lyrics.

Some are special.
They come back, racing through your mind.
You were special.
Your light, your heat
Will never die.

I was lost.
I was lost and I found you.
I will know no further love.
People move.
Come in close and fall away,
Love, you refuse to fade.

-"Special", Better than Ezra


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #4

It is once again time for for another playlist. This time I tried to stick to introducing artists I have not mentioned before, but I don't know how long this will last. I tried to mix this playlist up a little with some really famous artists, some not so famous artists, and lead it off with one of my favorite songs even though it was fairly popular when it was released. "Fast Car" kind of goes against what this playlist is all about, since it was her one of her most famous songs but since it came out eighteen years ago, you might not of heard it yet. These are some of my favorite songs of all-time so please at least check some of them out. It is so hard to choose a favorite from this list but if you are only going to listen to one of them, I would have to go with "Compliment" by Collective Soul. This song is just too good to pass up.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 4 - Dec. 4-10 2006
1. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
2. Compliment - Collective Soul
3. Lucky Man - The Verve
4. My Big Mouth - Oasis
5. Stealing Babies - Our Lady Peace
6. Swallowed in the Sea - Coldplay
7. Change Your Mind - The Killers
8. With a Bullet - Sam Roberts
9. Gone to the Movies - Semisonic
10. Have You Seen Me Lately - Counting Crows

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Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose Album Review

Mat is an up and coming artist from Oregon who released his first major label album in early 2006. Nothing Left to Lose, which is also the name of his first single, has done fairly well thus far. He did a summer tour with John Mayer and Sheryl Crow and is currently doing a few shows with fairly big acts like the Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, O.A.R., Sister Hazel, Smash Mouth, Gin Blossoms, and Five for Fighting before he meets up with John Mayer again this winter. His future looks very promising as his fan base is continually growing and his rap style lyrics mesh well with his smooth melodies. I got a chance to see him live in concert about a month ago and he put on a good show. He played all the songs from his new album plus a Johnny Cash song with Griffin House at the end. He sounded exactly the same as he does on the recordings and played both the guitar and piano. In a small venue and Griffin House opening up for him, it was a good time.

I discovered Mat Kearney when I was experiencing insomnia late one night last summer. I flipped on VH1 and Mat Kearney's video for the single "Nothing Left to Lose" was playing. When I first heard his voice it sounded very similar to the Lead Singer of Coldplay, Chris Martin. When I went on to Rhapsody to check out his album, I found that he also did a little rapping in some of his songs. That voice seemed to be very similar to the singer from Fort Minor and Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda. After those connections were made, I began to listen to the album more and more. I listened to the album in its entirety about 5 times the day after seeing the video.

This is one of those great albums that you don't feel the need to skip over some songs and can just listen to the whole thing without feeling anxious about changing the song. I feel like I need to highlight a few of the songs because they should not be overlooked. You can listen to the album in its entirety at at his official website, where there is a player in the top right corner of the page. Besides the obvious pick, "Nothing Left to Lose", the songs, "Undeniable", "Wait", "Bullet", "Girl America", and most recently "Renaissance" are my favorites. "Undeniable" is a great song with rap style verses and a great chorus, the first song of his new album. "Wait" is probably my favorite song off the album, a very mellow song with a great message. "Bullet" has some great lyrics, proclaiming, "It doesn't matter if they call me wrong / Doesn't matter if they steal my song / Doesn't matter if we're all along / It doesn't matter at all / Cause I would take a bullet for you". "Girl America" has a touch of religion embedded in it and carries a good social message. "Renaissance" is a song that grows on me every time I hear it. It is a very powerful song that just continues to build up and has a great chorus.

This is a great album and I highly recommend it. I give it 5 stars, two thumbs up, 10/10, it surely won't disappoint. Thanks for listening, go check it out.


"Save Tonight" by Eagle Eye Cherry Music Video Tribute

This quite possibly could be my favorite music video of all time. Eagle Eye Cherry's album, Desireless, is one of my all time favorites and he puts on quite a performance in his music video for Save Tonight. Not only is the song very good but the music video is just flat out classic. Any music video in which the lead singer plays multiple roles is a good one in my book but Mr. Cherry takes it to a whole other level. Not only does he play multiple roles but all the main characters and continues to sing the entire video without breaking stride. He is the cashier, he is the robber, he is the driver, he is the man living out on the streets, and he even plays the guitar! Just when you think, that it can't be him, its him. Really you just need to watch it to get the full effect.

http://media.imeem.com/v/v69eTQutoW/aus=false/pv=2

Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #3

I may have been lazy this week with Thanksgiving and other events but I am trying to hold the Monday theme for this playlist so here it is again. For those that don't know, this is a list of ten songs that you may not of heard before because most of them aren't singles but come from fairly popular artists.

This playlist features some pretty solid songs, my favorite from this list is probably "Jet Pack" but its a tough choice. I tried to stick with the theme and feature 10 artists that haven't been mentioned in previous playlists. This list features quite a few so called one hit wonders with Lit, Marcy Playground, Stroke 9 and Splender but if you get a chance to check out their songs, they are pretty good. There is a reason that these artists had hits and that is because they make good music. This playlist is pretty well rounded so enjoy.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 3 - Nov. 27-Dec. 3 2006
1. This is your Life - Switchfoot
2. Back to California - The Wallflowers
3. Jet Pack - Eve 6
4. Not Even the Trees - Hootie & The Blowfish
5. Four - Lit
6. Gone Crazy - Marcy Playground
7. Letters - Stroke 9
8. Yeah, Whatever - Splender
9. Crazy Life - Toad the Wet Sprocket
10. Light in Your Eyes - Blessid Union of Souls

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