Mary J. Blige fans rejoice! One of the singers most anticipated albums ever, The London Sessions, has finally been unleashed and I couldn't be more excited. Here is one of the tracks off the new album, produced by Brit electronica duo Disclosure. It's a little R&B, a lil soul and oh so good...
The debut single to from the project, which is due out late November/early December, is Therapy, co-written by Sam Smith. I liked it the first time I heard it...to me it's got kind of a beatnik vibe to it and of course Mary's vocals, which can do just about anything great, make it a killer of a tune and quite different from other things she's done.The song was released last Tuesday and you can get it on iTunes by clicking the link to the left. In the meantime, check out Therapy...
Happy Friday! It's been awhile since I've posted an MJB song, and since this is my first TGIF of the school year, I think this feel-good tune is definitely appropriate. Enjoy!
Here's a beautiful, soulful ballad by Brit singer/songwriter Sam Smith. The tune is the third single from his debut, In the Lonely Hour, and it's my favorite so far. Smith's voice is so soulful, a great match for R&B soul queen Mary J. Blige, who contributes her voice in this equally awesome version...
Today is my dad's birthday, what would have been his 73rd. In a little over a month he'll have been gone five years, which seems impossible to believe. Though he's away from us that long, his spirit still lives on within our hearts. I tried hard to think of a special song to post today, and I looked through many, but when I came across this one, I knew...
Happy Birthday Dad!
Each Tear
There's something that I want to say, But I feel I don't know how. Still I just can't hold it one more day, So I think I'll let it out.
You're on my mind more than I may show You're in my heart more than you may know And the last thing that I want, Is for you to fall apart. Your future will get clearer, I want you to remember.
In each tear There's a lesson, (there's a lesson) Make you wiser than before (wiser) Makes you stronger than you know (stronger) In each tear (each tear) Brings you closer to your dreams No mistake, no heartbreak Can take away what you're meant to be
We can't change the things, That we done that's in the past. But fighting won't get us anywhere. So if you want, Here's my hand
Every night there is one thing I do I bow my head and pray for you (pray for you) And the last thing that I want, Is for you to fall apart Your future will get clearer I want you to remember
In each tear There's a lesson, (there's a lesson) Makes you wiser than before (wiser) Makes you stronger than you know (stronger) In each tear (each tear) Brings you closer to your dreams No mistake, no heartbreak Can take away what you're meant to be
You're much more than the struggle that you go through You're not defined by your pain, so let it go? You' re not a victim, your more like a winner And you're not in defeat, you're more like a queen
In each tear There's a lesson, Makes you wiser than before Makes you stronger than you know (stronger than you know) In each tear (in each tear) Brings you closer to your dreams No mistake, no heartbreak Can take away what you're meant to be
In each tear (each tear) There's a lesson, (there's a lesson) Makes you wiser than before (wiser) Makes you stronger than you know In each tear (Make you so much stronger) Brings you closer to your dreams No mistake, no heartbreak Can take away what you're meant to be
No no we can't be held out No no oh noo I I I can't held out You you you can't be held out We we we can't be held out
Love It makes you so much stronger (stronger) It makes you so much wiser (wiser) In each tear (in each tear) And You so close to your dreams and no dreams No mistake, no heartbreak can't take away you're meant to be
I caught today's song just last night via Facebook. You see, there is a remix of this song with Mary J Blige, which was posted on her page (not featured here, unfortunately, but check out below for the link.). The Queen of Hip Hop Soul added her own vocals to this very catchy and funky electronic song by Brit duo Disclosure, and she and the song are slammin!!!!
Unfortunately THAT video is only on YouTube, which I highly recommend you watch here...but only after you check out the original version here. It's not even available on iTunes yet, but it is one hot song! .
I recently did a piece for Yahoo entitled The Top 20 Dance/Club Hits of the 2000's and this fantabulous piece of deliciousn dance groove was my #9 for the decade. With Mary's awesome voice and a great, anthemic music track, this one always gets me going....
Second Monday of the school year and I needed something to pick me up. Yeah, can you tell from all of my posts lately that it's going to be a great school year? Ugh, I needs mo' time! Hmm??? Anyway, let's get a crunk up on it....
Here's an awesome duet between Mary J. Blige and U2's Bono in a reworking of the band's 1991 benefit song, One. The song was featured on Mary's 2005 album, The Breakthrough. Love it! Happy Hump Day!
It's been awhile since I shared any Mary, and since almost the whole world will be off the next few days, this is how we're probably all feeling. Enjoy!
I make this Song of the Day post with a heavy heart. You see, I once had another family, not so long ago. This family was big and it was loving and though it took a long time for me to become a part of it, I did. When I lost that family, it was hard, and though I still keep in touch with a few of them here and there, it's not nearly the same.
I miss them, and when they celebrate, I watch with a smile, and when they suffer, I suffer right along with them. Last night I heard news that one of the members of that family lost his life. He was young, far too young, but such is this crazy life we all live. For all the years I'd been in that family, he always treated me kindly, and I always appreciated that. So, the news simply stuns and saddens me greatly.
I'd suffered through tragedies with this family before, and I can imagine right now that they are all pulling together as they always have. My heart goes out to them, and if I can in any small way do something to help, I will.
I tried to think of an appropriate song to honor this young man, something reflective, something tender, and after a lot of ideas I came down with this one. This song is classic Mary, very R&B, and very honest and true. It's about looking back and remembering the things in your life that got you to whatever point you're at now. I think it's an important thing, remembering, because memories make us smile, they make us cry, and making them is what life's all about.
All this week, the music channel VH1 has been counting down its’ list of the 100 Greatest Women in Music, and the big winner is…you guessed it, Madonna! The five-hour miniseries is the latest in the popular Greatest countdowns aired on the network, and this one concludes tonight, Friday, February 17th at 10PM. This particular list only takes into account the past 20 years, during which time Madge has been at her most popular.
Here’s a list of the top ten greatest women, according to VH1:
#10 – P!nk #9 – Mary J. Blige #8 – Christina Aguilera #7 – Janet Jackson #6 – Whitney Houston #5 – Adele #4 – Lady Gaga #3 – Beyonce #2 – Mariah Carey #1 – Madonna
The list is pretty good, but not perfect in my eyes. I have no idea what VH1’s criteria was for choosing these ladies in this particular order, but if you’re going by the last 20 years, then I’d say there would be many on the list who’d be further atop the list than newer artists like Adele or Lady Gaga. Hmmm, I may just have to come up with my own list…
Other great ladies found on my iPod who made the list include Britney Spears (#11), Alannis Morissette (#15), Katy Perry (#17), Missy Elliott (#18), Kelly Clarkson (#19), Rihanna (#20), Sade (#30), Cher (#31), Shakira (#36), Nicki Minaj (#40), Kylie Minogue (#47), Nelly Furtado (#51), Macy Gray (#70), Natalie Merchant (#71), and Robyn (#87). Several girl groups also made the list, including the Salt n Pepa (#37), En Vogue (#52), Destiny’s Child (#59), and the Pussycat Dolls (#100).
For a complete listing of VH1’s 100 Greatest Women in Music, check out their website here, and tune in tonight at 10 for the top 20.
Madonna’s “Gimme All Your Luvin” becomes her 38th Top Ten Single
There’s been some hot action from the ladies on this week’s Billboard charts. Madonna’s new single, which she performed at the Super Bowl, has hit the #10 spot on the magazine’s Hot 100 charts this week. The achievement extends to 38 the number of times Madge has had a top ten song, the most in history, besting the Beatles by four and Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder by ten. Go Madge!
Whitney Love
It’s not too big of a surprise that there’s been a surge in interest in Whitney Houston’s music since her death last Saturday, but three of her best loved songs all made it back to the Hot 100 more than twenty years after they first hit big. The song, “I Will Always Love You,” the theme song to the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard,” climbed all the way back into the top ten at #7. Her 1987 dance hit, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” reached #35, and “Greatest Love of All” hit #41. I’m sure that Whitney is somewhere smiling down...
Also on the Hot 100 this week, Kelly Clarkson holds steady at #1 with “Stronger,” Adele at #2 with “Fire to the Rain,” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love” remains in the Top Ten at #6. Way to go ladies! Here's Whitney:
Tonight is the 54th Annual Grammy Awards and hopefully it'll be a great night for Adele, who is nominated for six awards this year. The young impresaria will be performing at the show for the first time since throat surgery in November, and I am looking forward to watching. MTV recently interviewed another favorite singer of mine, Ms. Mary J. Blige, who threw her hat into the ring for Adele:
"I'm sure an Adele fan and I love what she's done this year. Her album was amazing. She's amazing and I'm just rooting for her. I'm rooting for everybody. But you really just want that one person to get what they deserve. Finally. And not give it to someone else [just] because. Just win all six of her awards, you know?"
I love it when artists openly appreciate other artists for the work that they do. To me it's classy and I think it's really cool that MJB loves Adele, too!
Here are the six award categories in which Adele is nominated:
Record of the Year - "Rolling in the Deep"
Album of the Year - "21"
Song of the Year - "Rolling in the Deep"
Best Pop Solo Performance - "Someone Like You"
Best Pop Vocal Album - "21"
Best Short Form Music Video - "Rolling in the Deep"
For a listing of all the nominees for the Grammy's, click to their website here.
NOTE: On short notice, there will be a special tribute to Whitney Houston at tonight's show featuring Jennifer Hudson. Houston won six Grammy's during her career and had been nominated a staggering twenty-six times overall. This show is definitely being DVRed, lol.
"Titanium" is by far one of the best tunes on David Guetta's latest, "Nothing But the Beat," and it's finally begun to take off. I featured it as a "Song of the Day" a few weeks back, but now there is a video for the song that you can see below. Neither Guetta or Sia, who I'm starting to learn is uber talented, appear in the short, which I don't quite get. All I can say is interesting and anyway the song is great.
Please take a listen below for another version of the song that was recorded ahead of the album's release, but left out in favor of Sia's version. The vocals are by none other than Mary J Blige, and it's pretty interesting to hear how she sounds singing it. Guetta gave her voice a metallic sound which is very different than anything she's ever done. When I had heard Mary had done a version of the song I was hoping that it would be that one that would make the final cut, but I really didn't know Sia back then. In retrospect, Guetta made the right choice!
The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am is working on a new album called “#Willpower,” and he debuted the first single from the set on Sunday night’s American Music Awards. The song is called “T.H.E. (The Hardest Thing Ever)” and it features Jennifer Lopez and Mick Jagger on vocals, and I like it!
My weekly new music update features a big week in new stuff, with a little for everybody including Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Nickelback, Daughtry, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift and more.
Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest nights of the year to for going out, and there’s plenty of hot happenings all over the island tonight only….too bad they’re all straight clubs, lol.
Ah, what a classic! I recently remembered this one while I was listening to Mary J Blige's newest, "My Life II," which includes a cover of this one. The soon to be classic songstress pays homage to an already classic one! Though I love Mary, her version doesn't hold a candle to the original...not as good a job as she did on "Sweet Thing," from her debut album, "What's the 411?." The original is that good!
There's not much more I can say about this song, except press play and enjoy!
.JPG)
