Eclectic Ear

Ne-Yo- Because of You

Thu, 10 May 2007 19:23:31 +0000

In the R&B world, Ne-Yo has all but became a common name. After his debut album, In My Own Words, which was released in February 2006, he made a name for himself in the industry. He's back with his sophomore album, Because of You.
His debut album went Platinum after ten weeks and held the number 1 position on the Billboard Top 200.

save pandora + internet radio

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:18:05 +0000

Call me a sucker, but...

I got this letter below in my personal email and though it has that aura of pointless spam-mestry, I believe it's true because (a) it appeared in a nice font and had no major grammatical misspellings; (b) I read about the legislationelsewhere; and (c) I checked the link and it goes to what appears to be an authentic petition generating site.

But I digress...

Azalea City

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:06:43 +0000

TP claims a creative soul.

Check out this article about Azalea City Records.

Soraya: El Otro Lado de Mi

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:41:58 +0000

On May 10, Colombian-American pop star Soraya died of breast cancer. She was 37.

A singer, musician, and songwriter, Soraya won a 2004 Latin Grammy for Best Songwriter (for the song “Casi”), and a 2005 Latin Grammy for Female Pop Vocal Album (for El Otro Lado de Mi).

Soraya’s final album represented an exciting new direction in her career, which makes her death all the more poignant. With El Otro Lado di Mi, Soraya made it clear that she was more than a pop princess. She explored more complex musical paths, combining South American guitars and percussion with a rock vibe.

Lisa Moscatiello: Trouble from the Start

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:39:20 +0000

This album by Takoma Park chanteuse Lisa Mosciatello was proclaimed the 2005 album of the year at the Wammies (awards by the Washington Area Music Association) held in February.
Moscatiello has taken many paths in her career. She got her start at 16, singing traditional Irish songs for Ceoltiori. Later, she moved on to British folk rock with The New Saint George. More recently, she has explored both techno and Celtic fusion.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs: Show Your Bones

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:37:05 +0000

Shifting gears, I turn to my most eagerly awaited album of the year, Show Your Bones by Yeah, Yeah Yeahs. Unlike the previous two selections, this album is built from the raw snarl of rock and roll. Often compared to other fierce female rockers—Patti Smith, Crissie Hynde, Siouxie et al.—Yeah’s frontwoman, Karen O, carves her way through these songs with distinction.

Haydée: Haydée

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:33:15 +0000

On her debut album, Haydée Milanés—like so many pop stars since Madonna—simply goes by her first name. But I suspect that in her case her reason is less vanity, and more an attempt to stand outside the shadow of her father, famed Cuban singer/songwriter Pablo Milanés. Then again, using simply her first name better invokes Che’s guerrilla compañera Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider, for whom Haydée Milanes is undoubtedly named.

Lila Downs: La Cantina

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 19:24:28 +0000

Lila Downs has been a prolific artist. This album is her fourth since her first major release, La Sanduga, in 1999 (in the mid 1990s, while bouncing between clubs in Philadelphia and Oaxaca, Mexico, Downs made a few jazzier recordings with limited release). Her other albums are Tree of Life (2000), Border/La Linea (2001), and Una Sangre/One Blood (2004). Last year, Una Sangre/One Blood won a Latin Grammy for best folk album. In 2002, Downs contributed a number of songs to the film Frida, and had a striking role in the film, periodically appearing to sing. Her physical similarity to Frida Kahlo, and the passion of her voice—at times lusty, at others festive, and at others heartfully melancholic—aurally embodied the spirit of Frida.