Heaven by Rebecca Ferguson: Album Review

June 22, 2012 Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

I’ve had this album for a few weeks now, and I have to say it’s been on repeat ever since. Rebecca Ferguson found fame as the runner-up on the 2010 season of X-Factor; her debut album ‘Heaven’ was officially released on May 29th 2012.

Her voice is reminiscent of the late Amy Winehouse, with a little more soul, R&B feel to it. Often I find myself needing to listen to a record several times to get a feeling for a new artist, but I immediately connected with Ferguson’s voice.

The CD starts off with her debut single ‘Nothing’s Real but Love’ which I already adored and didn’t even realize it was her. As soon as I realized she was the singer, I knew I’d enjoy a ton more of her work. She has the kind of music that you can put on and listen to for hours without even realizing. The first track was just the beginning.

‘Heaven’ continues on with that mellow, R&B feeling to it throughout. It picks up with the song ‘Fairytale’, close to the halfway point. Although the song is somewhat reminiscent of a melancholic teenager, it’s not in a bad way at least. She sings her lyrics confidently, and her voice really shines through. At the chorus when the music really gets to its high point, I couldn’t help but start dancing along a little bit!

Although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to Rebecca’s music these last few weeks, the one thing that stood out to me as a negative on the album is that her mellow tracks had very similar beats. I realize her album is very soul/R&B, but I wished I could have heard a LITTLE something different throughout. A song or two that would break up the records’ consistency & surprise listeners. Her voice clearly has the potential to sing in a multitude of ranges, and I sincerely wish I could have heard a little bit more for her debut.

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That being said, the album has very few faults. It is seamlessly produced and truly brings out the beautiful qualities of Fergusons’ voice, music writing, and clearly shows the kind of musical influences she’s had in Aretha Franklin and Amy Winehouse. Fans of good, classy, soulful music will truly enjoy her work. I don’t often listen to this type of music, but there really is something about her voice that had me clicking back to her CD over and over again!

4 out of 5 stars

**Sony Music supplied me with the album for this review, but all thoughts on Rebecca Ferguson are my own! She really has a beautiful voice worth checking out.

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Now Playing: May in Music

June 5, 2012 Filed Under: CD Reviews, Music = Love Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the last couple months, particularly the month of May, there have been a ridiculous amount of good albums released. Here are some short reviews of my current favorites!

My Head is an Animal- Of Monsters and Men

This is a bit of an older release, but it has been a consistent listen for months on my iTunes now. I absolutely adore every single song on this record- there is something about their signature indie style that I just can’t get enough of. If you haven’t heard this band yet, you’re missing out. No matter WHAT your preference for music might be.

Listen to: Little Talks, Lakehouse, The King & The Lionheart

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Boys & Girls- Alabama Shakes

I started listening to this album thanks to my favorite music friend and blogger Jessica. She reviewed their album the week it came out and although the country style didn’t sound like something I’d normally like, I was intrigued. Turns out?  It’s awesome. Vocalist Brittany Howard is a force to be reckoned with!

Listen to: Hold on

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

What We Saw From the Cheap Seats- Regina Spektor

This album just came out last week and I knew from my first listen that it was love. I’ve had it on repeat since receiving it. Regina’s voice is beautiful, fun, melodic & she really does have her own unique style on this record. I just know I’ll be listening to this one all summer; not to mention it has me nostalgic for her last album, too!

Listen to: Small Town Moon, The Party

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Born & Raised- John Mayer

For a long time, I kind of ignored John Mayer in the music world. I liked a few of his songs, but not enough to pay attention to his full albums. Then, he released Heartbreak Warfare and I was basically like “wow”. This new album is no different for me. It kind of has a country twang I wasn’t expecting, but his songs are sweet, and each are unique one from the next.

Listen to: The Age of Worry, Born and Raised

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Here- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

This album took a few listens to grow on me. When I first heard it I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but there were quickly a few songs that really stood out for me- much like on their first album. There still isn’t a song that will ever replace ‘Home’ in my mind, but I think the more I spend time with ‘Here’, the more I’ll grow to love it!

Listen to: That’s What’s Up,

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

+- Ed Sheeran

This album is only officially set to be released in Canada on June 12th but I managed to get an early version of it (it was released a while ago in the UK) and honestly I just ADORE this CD. Ed Sheeran is one of the most talented singer/songwriters that I’ve heard in a long time, and his album ‘+’ is something I listen to every single day. The record is a lot of melodic, acoustic style songs that anyone can appreciate. Each song is beautifully written & his vocals seem to hit all the right notes. I highly recommend this one!

Listen to: A-Team, Drunk. Small Bump, Give me Love

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

And finally, a few albums I’m anticipating in the month of June…

Life Will Write the Words- The Rocket Sumemr [June 5th]

Synthetica- Metric [June 12th]

Go- Motion City Soundtrack [June 12th]

Oceania- Smashing Pumpkins [June 19th]

Overexposed- Maroon 5 [June 26th]

What are you listening to these days? Anything I should be listening to that I’ve missed? 

 

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Sounds from Nowheresville by the Ting Tings: Album Review

April 4, 2012 Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Since the musical duo known as the Ting Tings first got together in 2007 they’ve been getting more popular within their indie rock/pop/synth music genre.

I’ve always found the Ting Tings to be extremely fun to listen to, but in small doses. I love their sound in general, but they’ve never been the kind of band that I can sit and listen to over and over again. Their sound is reminiscent of a really hot summer day where the music is blaring by the pool & you’ve got hours ahead of you to just relax with your sunglasses on and a good book. Basically, I love listening to them when it’s gorgeous outside and I’m in a good mood.

Their second full length record hit stores on March 13th 2012 and I’ve been listening to it on and off ever since. It might be because their music reminds me too much of a season that isn’t here yet, but it took me some time to actually get into their new songs. As I listen to it again while writing this, I realize that I needed to find that ONE SONG that would really get me hooked to the album.

I think having a cool, unique sound is a great idea, but it’s important for artists to show their raw talent too. The song “Day to Day” was the song I needed to hear on this album to really enjoy it. It’s the one track on Sounds from Nowheresville that is just Katie White, her vocals, and a good ballad-like feel.

That being said, I actually really like the album as a whole. I like that it’s more upbeat than not- it suits the Ting Tings- and I like that it isn’t the kind of style of music you see every day. The opening track “Silence” is a great mix of vocals and production to get the album going. It starts off more mellow and slowly builds up, getting louder. “Hit Me Down Sonny” reminds me a lot of the song Paper Planes by M.I.A, which I loved. Katie White’s vocals are funky and relatively upbeat, intermingled with bells and other random sounds in the background. Is that where the album title came from? The random sounds? Anyway, it really WORKS for the Ting Tings. It’s weird, but it really works.

Individually, the songs don’t make as much sense as they do together. From beginning to end Sounds From Nowheresville distinctly starts off mellow, builds up, and goes back down. The tracks in the middle, “Hang it Up“, “Give it Back“,  and “Soul Killing” are all the louder, more fun songs of the album. The ones at the end (including “Day to Day”) are all the softer, more simplistic tracks. The album has a great flow to it overall.

My main problem with Sounds to Nowheresville is that it doesn’t particularly show any growth in Katie or Jules’ voices. Even though I really liked the more mellow tracks at the end, their voices don’t do much for me without all the crazy effects. I think it’s all the added effects that MAKE the Ting Tings who they are on this record. For their next album, although I think it’s important to stick to what works for them (effects/fun production style) it would be nice to see a greater vocal variety or even song variety interspersed throughout.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars 
If you’re a Ting Tings fan, you’ll enjoy this record, and it’s definitely one of those albums that I’ll be playing in the summer!

**Sony Music supplied me with the album for this review, but all thoughts are my very own!
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Scars & Stories by The Fray: Album Review

March 7, 2012 Filed Under: CD Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

I first heard of The Fray when I was in college & someone did a music review of their song “How to Save a Life”. I wanted a copy of the song in my hands that SECOND… It was that good to me.

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I’ve been a fan of their work ever since, and although I’ve missed every one of their Montreal shows so far, I still make sure to get all of their new albums; often times they’re on repeat for a month, or two, or until I find something else to obsess over.

Their latest record “Scars & Stories” was released on February 7th 2012. A month later? I’m still listening to it at least once a day. It’s THAT good. Lead singer Isaac Slade really shines on this latest CD; the band has given some of their most powerful work to date.

One of my favorites off the album is definitely their radio hit “Heartbeat” which gets you almost immediately with catchy beats and Slade’s unique vocals. It is, in my opinion, one of the best off Scars & Stories, and maybe in my top 5 all time favorite songs by The Fray (alongside How to Save a Life/Over My Head/You Found Me).

Not far behind is the slightly more mellow tune “The Wind” which caught my attention after a few listens. I didn’t really pay attention to it at first- probably because I was still trying to differentiate all the songs and make sense of them- but once I started knowing the album better I would hear the chorus and turn the volume up a little louder to get the full effect of Isaac’s vocal range.

Equally fantastic songs on the record include “48 to Go“; a sweet melody with an upbeat chorus, and another favorite of mine “Rainy Zurich” which is one of the most beautiful songs about love I’ve heard in quite some time: “I’ll keep you warm dancing in a downpour/And I’ll hold your body slowly turning/I’ll keep you warm dancing in a downpour/And breathe it in and take it off and soak our skin“… Goosebumps.

I checked out the DELUXE version of Scars & Stories but have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of any of their bonus tracks. I love the song “Maps” (originally by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) however their cover isn’t one of the best I’ve heard out there. I’m not sure where the other two bonus tracks come from, but I think they are the only ones that I find myself skipping over when I’m listening to the complete album.

Other than that?

This album is some of The Fray’s best work. I’m pretty sure I could spend days listening to Isaac Slade. He is raw talent and I can’t wait until I finally have the opportunity to see him perform live.

4.5 out of 5 stars

**Sony Music supplied me with the album for this review, but all thoughts & love for The Fray are my very own!
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