HELLO THERE GOOD MUSIC

Hello everybody. I hope the new year is treating you well and I hope you are dancing in the snow and building a whole army of snowmen because that is totally possible, given the fact that it has been snowing all day, all night, all morning, all evening, all the blinking time.

But if you are sitting there, crying in to you mug of tea in front of Jezza Kyle because you couldn't get your damn car off the drive, or the buses aren't operating so you can't get into town to buy a gorgeous dress for that party this weekend, or some ignorant little kid has just pelted a snowball at your new window, cry no more.

For I am here. And I am here to tell you tales of good music that I have stumbled across in the last week or so. So dry those tears, whack out a Hob Nob or a Rich Tea, lean back in your chair and read on....

So who, what, when, why?

Well....

1) TOM ODELL 

This guy, let me tell you now, is amazing. 

I could just leave it at that, because that word is more than enough to sum up Mr Odell and his musical capabilities, but I'm guessing that you want more and you would be right in guessing that I do in fact want to tell you more about this incredible new talent. Having already won the BRIT's Critics' Choice Award 2013, which is a rather prestigious award presented by industry experts to a new, up and coming artist that they believe will own 2013, Tom Odell is the name on everyone's lips.

Now given that the likes of Emeli Sande, Jessie J, Ellie Goulding and let's not forget the mighty Adele, have also previously won this accolade, and also given that Tom is the first male to win this award, surely the critics know what they're talking about?

I for one think they most certainly do. 

It becomes completely apparent, in fact, when you take the time to listen to one of Tom's perfectly crafted tracks. Take for instance 'Can't Pretend', a real belter of a song for all the right reasons. It contains such power, strength and spirit that is all conveyed through vocals that seem to be pouring emotion and accompanying music that emits punches and beats of real passion and fire. 

Or take 'Another Love', a song that begins slow, ballad like before Tom discreetly injects a flame of fire that causes the song to blow up into an extravagantly emotional affair that reeks of the same passion in 'Can't Pretend'. 

The more I think about it, the more I realise that the one word that describes Tom Odell's music more so than any other word is passionate. There really is no other word, because when you're sat there, listening to one of his masterpieces, you can just feel the passion pouring out of the music. You can feel it surging through your veins, causing goosebumps that only arise after listening to a truly captivating song. And that is the sign of an artist who will go on to produce great things, because that is the sign that the artist themselves are passionate about their music and the work they are creating.

I could literally go on for hours about Tom Odell and the many reasons why he is so talented and why he will become so huge. You would need to stick a cork in my mouth, followed by a lashings of duct tape before I would cease to praise this man no more. Tom really will make something of himself; it's impossible to possess so much talent, determination, power and passion and not convert it into something bigger. 

So I hope this is only the first post about Mr Odell and the start of a career with the longevity of the can of baked beans in the back of your cupboard that seem to last for eternity whilst retaining their tomatoey goodness.

HOMEPAGE: http://tomodell.com/

ANOTHER LOVE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwpMEbgC7DA

CAN'T PRETEND: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-OxOmsqR0

ALBUM 'LONG WAY DOWN' OUT 15TH APRIL 2013

2) ANDY BURROWS

You may or may not have watched a certain short film called 'The Snowman and The Snow Dog' this Christmas and you may or may not have heard a certain song accompanying the many lovingly hand drawn scenes as they unfold to tell the story of a little boy who goes on a magical Christmas Eve adventure.

 If you did indeed watch this film, then you just might remember the song, but if not, I am here to enlighten you with a song so beautiful that it may just have been added to my mental 'First Dance at Wedding Songs' playlist... I'm not weird, I promise you. It's just that this song, 'Light The Night', created by Razorlight's Andy Burrows, may just be one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard in my whole entire existence on this planet.

It's a dream like beauty intertwined with some form of magic or whatever, it really is. I can't quite believe someone actually created this using a voice, some instruments and some epic producing. I owe Andy Burrows big time because what he has lovingly created is a song that only comes around once in a blue moon. And it doesn't matter if you're a little kid with a world full of innocent dreams, or an adult lost in a world devoid of such magic, 'Light The Night' will still mean something to you and it will evoke the same feeling of belief and hope in every person who takes the time to listen to it.

I know I sound kind of crazy, telling you these hazy tales, but you need to trust me on this one. Now I want you to open up www.youtube.com and type in 'Light The Night' by Andy Burrows. Then I want you to sit back, stop what you're doing, close your eyes, put on a jumper to combat the inevitable goose bumps and let the music take you away on a  magical journey through your mind. 

Alternatively, you could just follow this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne-01EorQBs

Either way, that's an imperative, so do it.

3) CIDER SKY

I've fallen in love with this band.

I think of their genre as being 'techno dream' because of the way they infuse techno and electro with what can only be described as dream like vocals and harmonies and swirls of rhythms and riffs.

Every song is beautiful yet you could easily slide their music on at a party and get everyone up on their feet and dancing till sunlight streaks the sky with shades of pink and blue.

Cider Sky are just the perfect combination of genres, sounds, beats.

I can't quite tell you how it's possible to describe this duo's music as peaceful, timid, honest, raw, yet powerful, strong, fierce, but when you listen to the music, it seems to answer for itself.

I urge you to let Cider Sky provide you with the perfect sunset to sunrise soundtrack.

Check out...

WE ARE IN LOVE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ygsx4IGTKQ

WHITE DOVES: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JL9y7Dv4vc

NORTHERN LIGHTS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY1GhBB4dcY

FALL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7W_LE-ce9w

4) TAYLOR SWIFT

I know that Taylor Swift is now a world wide mega star and not a young, innocent in love, guitar playing country girl, and I know you don't need me to waffle on about her, but this is just a little heads up for anyone who is a fan of T. Swizzle (my affectionate nickname for her).

So on Taylor's latest album RED, it was possible to get your hands on an exclusive addition with three extra tracks and some acoustic versions of album songs. 

If you haven't yet heard these beauties, please find your way to You Tube and listen, pretty please.

COME BACK, BE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLs30f5GkVc

THE MOMENT I KNEW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgy79coMcw8

STATE OF GRACE (ACOUSTIC): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfyRpEG4uCE

GIRL AT HOME: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5rjH32sSwA&list=LLpJE_hKgDjKBLSDV_N6timg

5) BON JOVI 

So Bon Jovi's back and now I'd like to introduce you to your anthem of summer 2013.

Enjoy it. It's ruddy awesome.

BECAUSE WE CAN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Z3nh-ah_k

6) A FEW SONGS I'M ENJOYING

And I have no shame either, particularly of this first one...

1) I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aeo86iOS0QU&list=LLpJE_hKgDjKBLSDV_N6timg

2) Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc

3) Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdmIhCkp3p4

4) Unintended by Muse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJDAmXHHfuM

5) All Apologies Nirvana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbXo3DYjqLo

I hope you enjoy.

PLAYLIST THREE (EPIC AMERICAN ANTHEMS)

This week's playlist is to tie in with the 'Epic American Anthems' post which can be found here: http://teepotmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/epic-american-anthems.html

Here's my top ten favourites...

1) O' Sweet Child Of Mine by Guns'N'Roses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4

2) Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk

3) More Than  A Feeling by Boston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSR6ZzjDZ94

4) You Shook Me All Night Long by ACDC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bomv-6CJSfM

5) You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ

6) Poison by Alice Cooper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sT54IEORII

7) Paradise City by Guns'N'Roses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygzQx6-GSkI&feature=fvwrel

8) Highway To Hell by ACDC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv24N8H1KyI&feature=related

9) Don't Stop Believing by Journey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0&feature=related

10) Here I Go Again by Whitesnake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gin-l4LDdXQ

FULL PLAYLIST:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4&list=PLJJ2XVSdsukzSAgkNLv1iVzE_OSrpRGOW&feature=plpp_play_all

EPIC AMERICAN ANTHEMS

This week, the topic is American Anthems. Yes I know that as soon as you see those words, your mind automatically time travels back to the 80's when America ruled the rock anthem roost and it was all about those slick guitar riffs and powerhouse vocals and songs that seemed to have a life of their own. 

Yeah I get that, because trust me, I am exactly the same.

This is the exact scene I see in my mind (just imagine me in that car...)

If I close my eyes, I can see skies the colour of the Caribbean sea and I am driving a monster of a car down a highway that takes me through desert, towns, landscapes with those epic American Anthems blasting out of the car and my screeching voice accompanying them. 

That's what these Anthems do to you, they transport you to a place better than the reality you're living in.

Even as a teenager in today's day and age, I can fully appreciate the sheer brilliance and magic of these American Anthems. These songs are everything that is and was good about music and they have the power to ignite a spark within you, making you feel alive and invigorating that desire to go out and live.

Now who could say that about a Nikki Minaj song?

I know I wasn't even around to witness the era itself, but with my parents being very much into this genre, I have grown up with these songs and being a guitar player myself, I'm almost hypnotised by those guitar riffs that are almost compulsory in an American Rock Anthem.

I want to be able to whack out my guitar and spin those riffs and licks in the same ferocious and arrogant manner that those American Guitar Gods possess. I want to wow people in the same way they do, I want to put on one of those electrifying shows too, I basically want to be a rock star playing before a humongous 10,000 crowd like all the American greats.

And when I play just one of those anthems, I can imagine that, if only for a minute or two.

For the duration of those songs, I am on top of the world and I love it.

When I think of American Anthems and who was at the forefront, spearheading the songs that championed the era, I think of ACDC, Bon Jovi, Guns'N'Roses, Meat Loaf, Boston, Journey, Aerosmith, Poison, Alice Cooper as well as many more legends to whom I will always be grateful to. I've seen videos of those performances and these bands, they were masters of their art; they knew how to convey that power, they knew how to put on a show and they had the whole world eating out of their hands.

The artists who produced those American Anthems we still adore today possessed a type of talent that artists today rarely know how to access. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but lets face it, you don't see many bands who have the capability to make an anthem, not just a song. 

We hear booming bass beats instead of spectacular guitar riffs, we hear auto tune instead of the majestic power of a well attuned and magical voice, we hear lyrics that make us want to live for the weekend and not for a lifetime. 

I'm not saying all artists are like this, gosh no, but the majority are, and it makes me sad to see that the magic of decades past just gets glossed over and packed into boxes to be stored in the depths of an attic, destined to be forgotten forever more. It's as if people have forgotten how to make music like this. 

 So I'm dedicating this article to the music of a time long gone.

This is for all those artists who made music that could only ever be described as EPIC in every sense and way possible

 These bands and artists, they make me believe that music was once something indescribable, it had an ingredient that you don't tend to see so much these days and it had the ability to create goosebumps and ignite sparks of life.

Those Epic American Anthems, they are like a lifeline to someone like me, growing up in this day and  age. Of course I adore some of the artists around today and I appreciate that the direction of music had to change and will continue to change for ever more, but I wish I had been able to witness these American Anthems for myself. I wish I had been around to be a part of the era, the moment, when these songs were dominating the radio airwaves, when they were released on vinyl, not CD's or downloads, when these artists were the ones with tour dates and crazy fans. 

If only I could go back and witness this epic moment of music history....

Oh well, at least music lives on forever.

American Anthem Play List:
http://teepotmusic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/playlist-three-epic-american-anthems.html

AMERICAN ANTHEMS YOUTUBE PLAYLIST:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4&list=PLJJ2XVSdsukzSAgkNLv1iVzE_OSrpRGOW&feature=plpp_play_all