Category: Music

Remember When I Featured Mackenzie Bourg? He’s Back!

BourgIn an effort to gloat, I will take a moment to highlight Top 14 ‘American Idol’ contestant Mackenzie Bourg, with whom I previously shined a spotlight on during his stint on ‘The Voice,’ despite the fact that he prematurely got axed from the rival NBC show.The 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Lafayette, Louisiana sang “Pumped Up Kicks” on ‘The Voice,’ and his tenacious efforts to showcase his talents landed him on FOX’s final season of Idol. Watch below. I have a feeling he’ll go far in the competition, and if he wins, you can expect that I will brag for eternity. 

Artist Spotlight: Emmy the Great

Emmy
Known by her stage name “Emmy the Great,” London based singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss has performed with Indie favorites like Noah and the Whale, but she began releasing solo material in 2006 and her debut album, ‘Virtue’ was released to critical acclaim. Her third record, ‘Second Love,’ will be released March 11. Listen below to “Swimming Pool.”

Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy Performance — Watch Now

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There are few disrupters in mainstream music, and Kendrick Lamar makes the list. On the heels of Beyonce’s kick-ass ‘Formation’ video, Lamar graciously performed at the Grammy’s, proving that even though that awards show doesn’t deserve him, he will give his consistent 100% amidst the night’s many non-contenders. Watch below to see Lamar perform “Alright” off his sophomore album, ‘To Pimp a Butterfly.’ He won five Grammys, and was nominated for seven.

Seattle-Based EMI Releases Debut Single — LISTEN NOW

EMI
If her hypnotic debut single is any indication of things to come then Seattle-based singer/songwriter EMI is on her way to something big. In just two days, her SoundCloud track has amassed 20,000 listens. Because it’s produced by Rex Kudo (Post Malone, Mac Miller) and Sevn Thomas (Rihanna, Drake, Kanye) it’s likely this is a little more calculated than meets the eye.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show — My Thoughts

It would be wildly unfair to compare Coldplay to Beyonce and Bruno Mars. First, Chris Martin is in an actual band and writes his own music (that’s a hit at Beyonce, not Mars, since Mars does in fact co-write his songs). Second, his songs have longstanding impact, and the guy doesn’t dance. Why? Because he doesn’t need to. Anyone who has attended a Coldplay concert is well aware of Martin’s live-performance skills, and in fact — I became a fan only AFTER seeing them live for the first time via my friend’s extra ticket. Having said all that, it’s the Super Bowl, and if you can’t dance, you better call upon people who can. Stay in your lane, and go to others for the glitter. And who better to bring it than Beyonce? Only Queen Bey  can use the Super Bowl as a venue to debut a new song, executing insane choreography, great costumes, and dominating more than just the stage itself. Bruno Mars also deserves accolades, but even the Uptown Funkmaster himself couldn’t hold his own in the Beyonce dance-off, using his turn to simply tilt his head and flutter across the stage with his arms behind his back. Seriously Bruno, you couldn’t push yourself just a tad harder with the choreography? It might not be Chris Martin’s lane, but it’s certainly yours. But Bruno also brought it, and just about anyone would look lesser next to our eternal Single Lady. Watch below to see one of the best halftime shows I’ve seen in some time, and then enjoy some very funny tweets at Chris Martin’s expense. It might be mean spirited, but something tells me Martin can take a good joke.

American Idol’s Standout Star — Jenn Blosil

It’s a shame to see ‘American Idol’ in its last year, especially since the ratings still warrant buzz, but I suppose they’d like to stop the bleeding before it gets any worse given that the viewership is decreasing each year. It’s also worth noting that they have not produced a star in some time, so hopefully they’ll go out on top. I’ve seen many of the auditions thus far, and Jenn Blosil is the first to grab my attention. Watch her chilling rendition of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.”

Queen and Bowie’s Isolated “Under Pressure” Vocal Track — LISTEN NOW

How do singers sound sans auto-tune? Well, if you’re Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, the answer is pretty damn good. With their isolated vocal track gaining traction, you can listen for yourself to “Under Pressure,” a 1981 song originally recorded by Bowie and Queen. It would later make it to Queen’s 1982 album, ‘Hot Space.’ Sources reveal that the riveting song was created in Switzerland during an improvisational, 24-hour jam session, with is evidenced by much of the scat singing. Listen to the magic moment below.

Celine Dion Covers Adele’s “Hello”

Simon Cowell used to advise his ‘American Idol’ contestants to avoid covers of powerhouse performers because unless a singer is capable of contending with the original, he or she will always be compared. So what happens when one powerhouse performer with the right pipes actually covers another? Watch below to see Celine Dion cover Adele’s “Hello,” which will bring you the first shot at a serious singing match-up. While Dion obviously lacks Adele’s emotional attachment to the performance, it’s extremely interesting to compare the two.

Adele at Rockefeller Center: WATCH NOW

NBC aired Adele’s November performance at Rockefeller Center, and the powerhouse performer’s 45-minute set included songs form her record-breaking album, along with hits from ’21’ and her signature Skyfall song. Adele once said that if her ’21’ record is a breakup album, then this is a “makeup” album. Given that I’ve experienced far less tears this time around, she’s probably right. That is of course, except for “When We Were Young,” which caused some serious tears.

The AMA’s: See the Best Moments

Meghan Trainor and Charlie Puth sent tongues wagging with their lip lock toward the end of their AMA performance, but the spicy twosome insist it was all simply for show, and they are just friends. You know what they say . . .true love begins with an ass grab.

Dressed in all black and rocking red lipstick, Gwen Stefani belted out “Used to Love You,” an emotional ballad off her new solo record, which is presumably about Gavin Rossdale’s alleged affair with their nanny. Blake Shelton tweeted support for his new girlfriend, despite not attending the event.

Apparently Selena Gomez isn’t so sick of that “Same Old Love,” because she recently reunited with Justin Bieber, for the 105th time. And while her performance and choregraphy was shockingly good, I can’t help but feel disturbed by what appears to be a pre-pubescent looking girl dancing around the stage in booty shorts.

Proving that they’re being handed some of the best songs in the business, One Direction harmonized their way through “Perfect,” sans Zayn Malik, who tweeted a curious message about their win.

Just about everyone has attempted to emulate Alanis Morissette’s bad-ass breakup anthem, “You Oughta Know,” so it’s only fitting that Demi Lovato would illustrate its impact with an all-black getup and some very dramatic facial expressions while joining her on stage. The beauty of Alanis is her pulled-back pesonality coupled with her cutting lyrics, so Demi’s performance was a little too obvious for my taste. That being said, it’s worth the watch.