Mariah Carey Performs ‘Hero’ Dedicated to Obama

 

“I wrote this song to inspire people that anything is possible. Tonight I think we believe that, a whole lot more. This is for everybody out there with a dream, and of course, I have to dedicate it to our new president.”

That was Mariah’s dedication to U.S. President Barack Obama last night (January 20, 2008) as she took the stage at the first ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. Mariah proceeded to sing her inspirational 1994 # 1 platinum selling song “Hero” in front of millions of attendees and TV viewers of the historic event. – Source: Mariah Carey Facebook page

 

 

 

Honestly, I don’t know if she was having a bad day, her once known “powerful” voice isn’t as “powerful” as 15 years ago when she first perform the song. But nevertheless….it’s still Mariah and she still makes it sound good. =)

Cathy Nguyen

Who is she? Well, I just came across a video of hers by accident on YouTube today when I saw this cute girl performing a cover of Jason Mraz's "Lucky". The first thing that struck me was....she is cute! She performed it with another guy named Aj Rafael (Jason Mraz'z song is a duet with Colbie Caillat) in a bathroom because it supposedly gives them a "more acoustic" sound. And MY GOD...that voice!!! She is not only cute but this girl can also sing!....it was like a "love at first sight" moment!

 

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David Cook's Always Be My Baby

I know by now you all will probably be saying "Enough with Mariah Carey already!" but hey, TOO BAD...did I mention I am an avid fan? Anyway, "Always Be My Baby" from her "Daydream" album, has always been one of my favourite MC songs of all time. Well, simply because that song brings back certain memories that will always be dear to me, and I will feel happy each time I hear that song.

Having said that, when I heard it was Mariah Carey week on American Idol, I just have to watch it, even though I don't exactly follow AI. Obviously, one performance caught my attention. Yep, it's this song which was performed by David Cook. All I got to say is.....HOLY @&$#!!! It's really really good. It really does the song justice. I love it and I really do hope they record his version. I mean, not every guy can pull off a song which was done originally by a female singer...and what more if it's done by MC?.....AWESOME!

Watch the video and tell me what you think...

Mariah Carey

IT'S FINALLY HERE!! You have no idea how long I have waited for this album. I have been an avid fan of Mariah Carey since her first album so this review will obviously be bias toward her. I have all her CDs (all original mind you...some of my friends think I'm crazy!) and her latest offering, her 10th album, E=MC² already has a number 1 single "Touch My Body". The album name means "(E) Emancipation (=) equals (MC) Mariah Carey (²) to the second power". It is a play on Einstein's famous mass–energy equivalence formula and is the sequel to her 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi. If you think her last album is good, I personally think this one is better. She don't have as much collaborations as in her previous 3 albums, but it just goes to show, that she is still capable of making some good tunes on her own. There is also a track ("I'm That Chick") that samples Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" disco remix. Watch out for her second single "Bye Bye" and my personal favourites "I Stay In Love" and "I'm That Chick" which won't surprise me if they reach #1 on the Billboard charts at some point.

Here are the track listings:

01. Migrate

02. Touch My Body

03. Cruise Control

04. I Stay In Love

05. Side Effects

06. I'm That Chick

07. Love Story

08. I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time

09. Last Kiss

10. Thanx 4 Nothin'

11. O.O.C.

12. For the Record

13. Bye Bye

14. I Wish You Well

Oh, if you get the Japan edition, it comes with 2 bonus tracks "Heat" and "4Real 4Real" which features Da Brat. Overall, I think this album is freakin' awesome! Packed with easy listening tunes as well as some tracks that could get you grooving to the beats (hey, I told you I will be bias). But seriously, if you like Emancipation of Mimi, you would definately like this one as well. Give it a try and don't just take my word for it.

My rating: 5/5
Sounds similar to: NO OTHER...she is the one and only! :)

Leona Lewis

Leona Louise Lewis, an English singer-songwriter and winner of the third series of the popular television talent show The X Factor.

Her debut single, "A Moment like This" (a cover of Kelly Clarkson's version), was released on 20 December 2006. The single was also available as a digital download from midnight on 17 December and broke a world record after it was downloaded fifty thousand times in thirty minutes (info sourced from Wikipedia). Wow! That is really something I must say. Her debut album titled "Spirit" reminds me a lot of Mariah Carey during the late 90's. Her vocals are really good. You know when you watch a good love movie, where there is always a good original soundtrack to go with it?....Think of this album as that...a collection of love songs from various movie soundtracks.


Here are the track listings:
01. Bleeding Love
02. Whatever It Takes
03. Homeless
04. Better In Time
05. Yesterday
06. Take A Bow
07. I Will Be
08. Angel
09. Here I Am
10. I’m You
11. The Best You Never Had
12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
13. Footprints In The Sand
14. A Moment Like This – UK Bonus Track

My personal favourites? "Yesterday" and "Angel". If you're feeling "emo", this is definately the album you want to be getting.


My rating: 4/5
Sounds similar to: Mariah Carey (during the late 90's), Kelly Clarkson (minus the attitude), Mandy Moore (typical "emo" love song singer)

Corrinne May

"Gorgeously sung retrospection that chronicles a spiritual revival of mind and spirit." - The Straits Times, Singapore

I have always been a fan of Singaporean born Corrinne May Ying Foo for her voice. Well, I have her first 2 albums and although some of the lyrics in the first 2 maybe a bit errr..."cheesy", she always tends to make up for it through her voice. This is her fourth album titled Beautiful Seed. This is by far her best (and longest) album to date. Her vocals here are just short of perfect, and really, since I got the CD all the way from Singapore (thanks again Jill!), I couldn't stop listening to it. This album is entitled Beautiful Seed, because it talks about her life's journey for the past 8 years or so - her ups and downs and it also reflects on how she has matured as a singer.

Here are the track listings:

01 Love Song for #1

02 Shelter

03 On The Side Of Me

04 Five Loaves and Two Fishes

05 Beautiful Seed

06 Leaving

07 Scars (Stronger For Life)

08 City of Angels

09 My Little Nephew

10 Slow Down

11 Green-Eyed Monster

12 On My Way

13 33

14 Shelter (Cherry Blossom Edition)

I think it's quite obvious that I totally like the album. Would I recommend it?....HELL YEAH!

My rating: 5/5 (definitely worth getting the original!)

Sounds similar to: Celine Dion, Sarah McLachlin

Juwita Suwito

What:
Intimate Acoustics with Juwita Suwito

When:
24 October 2007

Where:
Sunway Resort Hotel Selangor,
Avanti Italian-American Ristorante

Time:
7:00 - 10:15 p.m.

Reservation 03-74928000 ext 3176
Price: RM168++ per person

4-course set dinner with wine and an exclusive showcase by Juwita Suwito at 9:30 p.m.

Click here for more information

Anyone interested?

Robyn

Do you remember the Swedish pop singer-songwriter known as Robyn? Well she was known in the late nineties for her dance-pop hits 'Show Me Love' and 'Do You Know [What It Takes]'. She has since started to gain mainstream success in the United Kingdom again, due to the massive critical and commercial success of her single 'With Every Heartbeat'.

'Robyn' is the fourth album by Swedish singer Robyn, originally released on Robyn's own label, Konichiwa Records in April 2005 in Sweden. The UK version was released on April 2nd 2007 with different cover art.


Here are the track listings:
01 Curriculum Vitae
02 Konichiwa Bitches
03 Cobrastyle
04 Handle Me
05 Bum Like You
06 Be Mine
07 With Every Heartbeat [With Kleerup]
08 Who's That Girl
09 Bionic Woman
10 Crash And Burn Girl
11 Robotboy
12 Eclipse
13 Should Have Known
14 Anything You Like
15 Jack U Off

Well, if you're thinking that this album sounds like another one of those teen pop albums...think again. The album has a lot of catchy tunes. Personally I like the second track (Konichiwa Bitches) and I promise you that if you were to have this CD in your car, you will be bouncing to the beat while you drive (I know I did)

My rating: 4/5
Sounds similar to: a cross between Missy Elliot + Gwen Stefani + Britney Spears! (go figure)

Pandora Radio

Have you heard of Pandora Radio? Well if you haven't it was started by a group of musicians and music-loving technologists who came together with the idea of creating the most comprehensive analysis of music ever on the internet. I've been listening to Pandora for a few months, and its one of those internet radio sites that uses Flash technology to stream and search music. So you can imagine, the interface of the music player is way cool because you can drag and drop albums into the player and listen to it. You can also view information about the artist while your song is being played. Not to mention, it has a very wide selection of music - from mainstream music to the upcoming new artists. Plus, you can save your playlist and listen to it again the next time you visit the site. How cool is that?!

So you can imagine to my dismay when I tried logging in this morning to listen I got this:

Click on the image for larger view

Darn! Apparently they stop the service for users out of the U.S. Boooooo! Luckly for me, I didn't pay for the access as I was using their free account (limited features of course). Well, I hope they will open up access for users outside the U.S. soon and when they do, I will definately be promoting it.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez's first ever Spanish album Como Ama Una Mujer is really something different. I liked the album from the first time I sampled it. This album show Jennifer's maturity in music. It made it sound that she has finally came out of her usual pop genre, and moved on into a more adult contemporary kind of tune. The album and its lyrics tells a dramatic story of love and separation (so I heard). Her husband, Marc Anthony worked and co-produced the album.

Here are the track listings:

1. Qué Hiciste
2. Me Haces Falta
3. Como Ama Una Mujer
4. Te Voy A Querer
5. Porque te marchas
6. Por Arriesgarnos
7. Tu
8. Amarte Es Todo
9. Apresurate
10. Sola
11. Adios

You don't have to understand Spanish, but once you play the tracks, somehow it makes you start getting into the mood. Then again, a lot of people listen to music they don't understand as well. I guess that's the beauty of music, it creates no language barriers.

My rating: 5/5 (yeah..definitely worth getting the original!)

Sounds similar to: Celine Dion, Sarah McLachlin

Secondhand Seranade

Secondhand Serenade is invading the hearts, minds and airwaves of the world. This album was actually recommended by my sister. Before this, I haven't even heard of the group. I must say, they have some really good tunes most of them accoustic and they're lyrics are typically related to relationships and love issues.

Here are the track listings:

1. Half Alive
2. Broken
3. Vulnerable
4. Your Call
5. Maybe
6. It's Not Over
7. I Hate This Song
8. Awake
9. Take Me With You
10. Let It Roll
11. The Last Song Ever
12. End

"This acoustic album is loved by almost everyone who listens to these songs of love, deception and desire. They are sweet and meaningful, which I find intriguing and addicting. I know the words to every song. Even people who like other kinds of music will love and appreciate Secondhand Serenade. Songs like Awake, Broken, Your Call, and Vulnerable all connect to people's inner feelings and make them think of their own love life and loved ones. Even the names of the songs relate to the human emotions we use to describe our feelings. The soothing music in only adds to the appeal of this album. " - Judy Crystoff (Northridge, CA)

Overall it's a nice album if you want something easy and simple to listen to.

My Rating: 4/5

Sounds Similiar To: John Mayer, Fall Out Boy

Note: Ok, I know promised some pics of the chinese procession in my previous post. I will get it up as soon as I download it off my camera, together with some pictures from Singapore. Yes, I'm getting lazy these days, so sue me! =P

Paula DeAnda

Move over Shakira! Paula DeAnda is pop's newest Latin darling. I liked this album from the moment I listened to it. It has some really catchy and "beaty" tunes. It might not appeal to some as it has that "teen-pop" lyrics thing. But nevertheless it is still an album worth listening to (in my view at least). I'm currently hooked to the song "Walk Away (Remember Me)". So hooked that I even have it as my ringtone!

Here are the track listings:

1. Doing Too Much (feat. Baby Bash)
2. Walk Away (Remember Me) (feat. The DEY)
3. Easy (feat. Lil' Wayne)
4. When It Was Me
5. Overloved
6. So Cold
7. Good Girl
8. Wanna Be With You (feat. V Nice)
9. Make 'Em Clap To this (feat Ak'Sent)
10. Breathe
11. Let's Go Out Tonight (feat. P.B.)
12. I'll Be Down For You
13. Footprints On My Heart

I think 13 tracks are way too little, because once you hear the first few tracks, you will be asking for more. All I got to say is you got to listen to it to find out.

My Rating: 4/5
Sounds Similiar To: Ciara, Stacie Orrico, Beyonce Knowles, Kelis

Note: This is my first album review on this blog. From time to time now, I will post up reviews on albums which I think are good and worth listening to.