Sometimes It's Good To Look Back

Every now and then you need music that takes you to another time, another place. A time when we were young and our biggest decision was which color laces to use on our roller skates. The new album, "Head First", by Goldfrapp will take you back to those lazy days. Goldfrapp is known for their catchy tunes and synthesized sound, but this goes a step beyond. The entire album is reminiscent of Xanadu and even ABBA. My favorite is the title track, "Head First". It is simple, pure and just makes you feel good. I really think the entire album is fantastic.

Definitely part of my personal itunes Summer Essentials.

Small Discovery

Last night on American Idol, a band named Sons of Sylvia performed. When Carrie Underwood did the introduction, I was skeptical. This band is opening for her tour and I am not a Carrie Underwood fan. But these guys were great! All season long, big names perform on American Idol and many of the performances are quite lackluster. Being new, Sons of Sylvia had something to prove last night. These guys know who they are and their first release, "Love Left To Lose", is beautiful. It reminds me of an old U2 song, "40". This is their first album. I do not love all of it, but this song makes me think there will be many more hits as time goes on. Preview it on itunes.

Performances of Note

I know it has been awhile and yes, I have come to terms with the fact that I am an “Inconsistent Blogger”. I hope some of you (if not all of you) are still with me and reading this.

Since my last entry, we have entered a new year and with it there have been some amazing musical performances. Here are a few favorites.

Pink, "Glitter in the Sky", 2010 Grammy's

After the Grammy's, I thought we would all be talking about Lady GaGa (and we were, of course), but Pink was the standout! We all know Pink can sing, but this transcended the norm. I have watched this so many times. The song is beautifully haunting. An absolutely breathtaking performance with a killer vocal.

Christina Aguilera, "Lift Me Up" Hope for Haiti Now

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, countless stars came together for a telethon. When we landed on the channel, Christina was singing and the song was so beautiful, we stopped to watch. Then we continued to watch the entire telethon. The performances were fantastic and full of heart. But this was my favorite. I am not really a big Christina fan, but have always admired her voice. There is just something different about her in this performance. Maybe the circumstances, maybe the fact that she is all grown up now, or maybe it's just that voice. Whatever it is, this is amazing.

Click to view:

Christina Aguilera Performs At Hope For Haiti Now (VIDEO)

Lady Gaga, "Speechless"

Finally there is Lady Gaga. Though she did not win album of the year, for me, 2009 was the year of Gaga! I have not been this excited about an artist in a long, long time. I was hooked from the first time I heard "Just Dance", which was played every 30 minutes on Sirius in 2008. Now with "Bad Romance" and "Speechless", I cannot imagine what is next. Lady Gaga is bananas, but she is authentic. And on top of all the pomp, she can really, really sing!

Click to view:

Lady Gaga : Now Playing : Speechless (Live at VEVO)