More Great Songs

Hello,

Dearest Spotify,

I absolutely love you and thanks for letting me listen to some great music by Glenn* Campbell, The Vines, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Band of Skulls (the early favorite for the 2012 band of the year) and others. However I have one small complaint. Sinead O'Connor released a new CD last week and the Cranberries released a new CD this week, yet neither is available on Spotify yet. With The Black Keys "El Camino" and Band of Skulls "Sweet Sour" also not available, this is becoming a disappointing trend. I'm grateful for all the great music I listen to for free, so please only consider that a small complaint. (* I've seen his name spelled both Glen and Glenn, I'm not sure which one is the official spelling.)

Enjoy the following songs from all genres.

Warning the following song is an ear worm, Once it gets in your head it's hard to get out.



Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishing In The Dark":



Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong":




I know this is one of the songs that I post the most, but I love the percolating rhythm of this song:



I seriously love this song and I love The Band Perry. When did the singer get to be so gorgeous though? I always thought she was cute, but she's babetastic in this video. She also has a great voice. Their CD (which is available on Spotify) gets a hearty themusicaddict recommendation.



A couple from the under appreciated Glenn Campbell:



R.E.M. covered Glenn Campbell, who knew?



"Galveston":



"Rainbow Tour" from "Evita". This is sung by Madonna, Antonio Banderas and others:



The amazing Sarah Brightman singing another one of the classic songs from "Evita". "Another Suitcase In Another Hall":



Okay one youtube link leads to another and then another. If I'm including Sarah Brightman, I'm going to include her most famous work. That note she holds in this song for so long is so amazing. The music was written for her by her husband at the time, Andrew Lloyd Webber. This song also features the amazing Michael Crawford.



themusicaddict

Band of Skulls: Are they 2012's Break Out Band?

Hello,

I was at my favorite local record store, Graywhale, the other day. They usually have 5 different CDs playing on a random basis. They have all sorts of music playing. Sometimes the music is really good and sometimes it's really bad. Well Band of Skulls came on and they were kicking butt. They have a very Black Keysish feel to them. I didn't buy any of their music, but now I'm regretting it. However I'm listening to them on Spotify.

The song that was playing was this very dirty blues vibe song:



I vowed to myself that I would check them out, today I started listening to them on Spotify this morning. I've found another band that I'm going to love. I really love their rock/ blues vibe. Listening to them on Spotify this morning, I realized I already have this song on my iTunes:

I love this song "I Know What I Am":



The above song reminds me a lot of Boom Crash Opera's "Onion Skin":



I also like the title track from their new CD "Sweet Sour":



I enjoy this song for the title alone, "Your Not Pretty But You Got It Going On":



I also really like this song: "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own". (Which should be subtitled "Until He Doesn't Need You Anymore".)



Last night I didn't watch a minute of The Oscars or the NBA All-Star game. Yes, I'm proud of myself. However I did watch another good episode of "The Walking Dead":

This show has certainly been a lot better since it returned in mid-February. I love that there's a lot more action and a lot less speechifying. Nothing wrong with people making speeches. But the speeches have been so frightfully boring, especially when given by Rick or Lori. The scenes set at the government installation where Rick and Shane were going to dump Randall was all kinds of awesome. What happened wasn't completely predictable, I honestly had no idea if Rick and Randall were going to go back and rescue Shane. Too bad these scenes were intercut with Hershel's boring farm. Is it bad that I find myself not caring what goes on Hershel's farm and that I start to root for the zombies?

I liked that this episode didn't have the waste of flesh characters Hershel, the boring Dale and the why even bother having him on the show at all T-Dawg. Again I noticed that rarely does anything exciting happen on Hershel's farm. My prediction is that this is being done on purpose. At the end of Season Two the zombies will discover Hershel's farm and finally over run it. I'm hopeful that they will kill all of Hershel's boring family. I'm also guessing that Shane may not be around for Season 3. That will be the impetus to finally get Rick's crew back on the road. And it sounds like in Season 3 they'll be running into the famous "Walking Dead" character The Governor. That sounds good to me, I just hope that they don't spend all of Season 3 hanging out at the Governor's compound. As for now though the boredom of Hershel's farm will continue. I always have to suspend my disbelief whenever we see his farm.

I also like the zombie that was out wandering in the field when Rick and Shane drove by both times.  I don't know what the purpose of that was, but it was a cool shot. There was something peaceful about the shot. It made me wonder about the true humanity of a zombie. Also the story continues to be strong in this second half of season two. I love how Rick said they need to start using their knifes more. They are running out of ammunition and this is a lot more quiet way to dispatch of the zombies. This shows that both the characters and the show itself is evolving. I like Rick talking about what might happen when winter comes. Will that hurt or kill off a large amount of zombies? Honestly I would be disappointed if the zombies didn't evolve in some way though. They are very much living organisms that want to live as much as humans want to. It seems to me they will do what they can to continue to survive.

Grateful that this show has got so much better. However I still do have a few complaints about the show. The first is can we get rid of that lame character Lori? It was a nice change of pace last night in that she was only mildly annoying. Robert Kirkman/ "Walking Dead" producers how much does someone have to pay you to dump this lame character? Also can we just please stop having these actors speak with a Southern accent? Especially Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick, that's the worst accent I've heard. He's not very good at it and it just makes his character sound stupid. This show doesn't need any more stupid

Also I laugh that even those these characters are fighting for their life everyday, they like to ease up on their own safety. They still have time to get into extended fist fights with each other. Although Rick had this big speech about using knives to be quiet, Shane tosses that wrench. And of course it makes no sense this is when the zombies come out. What have they been doing when Rick and Shane were very loudly fighting outside? Why didn't they react to Randall's desperate screams? Do they forget they are in the midst of the Zombie Apocalypse? I know the body can't stay in fight or flight mode all the time. But if it was me I would constantly be on the outlook and I would have a lot more urgency when performing a task. I wouldn't be sauntering around like there's no chance there's any zombies around. Thankfully not every place on "The Walking Dead" is Hershel's farm.

I also don't like how these obscure characters become relevant for one or two episodes only to try and bring some excitement to the show. For instance, Hershel's suicidal daughter. I could care less if this character died or not. Actually I would prefer that this character dies as there are just too many subplots going on already. It seems like next week will be the end of Randall's arc. Again I just don't care.

NBA notes: 7 things I'd like to see:
1) Trade of Dwight Howard and then for him to stop whining and being such an attention whore.
2) Kobe Bryant retire, I'm so sick of him. Thankfully both he and the Lakers are on the way out.
3) With the Jazz playing like crap, I would like to see the Thunder win the NBA Championship. I love their players, all their hard work and I love Kevin Durrant. He seems to be playing with a lot of heart and desire now. He seems to have determined that he won't be denied this season.
4) I know I shouldn't like the Heat. However I can't help but like them. James and Wade play so well together and Wade is the man. He's one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA. If the Thunder don't win the title I'd like to see the Heat win it. It was interesting to see James choke at the end of the All-Star Game last night. It seems some things will never change.
5) I would like to see the Knicks continue their streak of playing poorly, Jeremy Lin gets sick of it and joins the Jazz in the offseason. He would fit right in on the young and upcoming Jazz.
6) I would love to see the Nuggets finish with a better record than the Knicks, further tarnishing Carmelo Anthony's being over rated.
7) David Stern retire, it's time for some fresh blood in the commissioner's office.

Two more sports related thoughts. Readers of my blog know that I have a huge crush on ESPN hottie Hannah Storm. The dress she wore today highlighted her amazing figure and was very pleasing to the eye. I'm jealous of her lucky husband. She's gorgeous, has a great figure and knows a lot about sports. Is that not the perfect woman?

Also with MLB Spring Training opening I can tell fans are planning for their teams to win the World Series. Sportscenter was showing film of Prince Fielder in the batting cage today. I can't help but think that there's no way he'll ever live up to his 9 year, $214 million dollar contract. Oh I think he'll have a few great years. However near the end of his contract the Tigers won't be able to get rid of him quick enough.

As a Dodgers, Pirates, Cubs and Braves fan I'm honestly not expecting any of those teams to win the World Series. In fact the only one of those teams that I think has a chance to make the playoffs is Atlanta. And Atlanta likes to choke in the playoffs. As usual I'll be putting all my World Series hopes on the Red Sox. Although I'm very concerned about their starting pitching.

Here are some other great songs:

Elvis Costello's "Alison": I dedicate this song to all those who missed out on someone they really, really liked.



needtobreathe's "Through The Smoke". (This band was one of the best finds of 2011.)



Bettie Serveet's "Deny All":



Ok she may be one of the dumbest people in all of show business and I have no idea how she keeps on getting jobs. (I have my thoughts.) But man Paula Abdul was something back in the mid to late 80s. And there's no denying the greatness of this song, although from the opening note you can tell this is the CD track.



This is such a great song to exercise too and just a great song overall, "Rebel Yell":



New Found Glory's "Summer Fling":



themusicaddict

"Hunger Games"

Hello,

Add me to large contingent of people that have fallen in love with "The Hunger Games". The first two times I started reading the book I stopped out of sheer boredom. The reason I even gave it a second chance because of the near universal praise for the book. However I still couldn't get into it. I continued hearing all the praise but I wasn't going to give in this time. That is until I saw this amazing trailer:



I had bought the book awhile ago and have kept it. Starting this past Saturday, I've been reading several pages each night and I have seen why so many people have fallen in love with this book. This is a great book and I love it so much. I have read to page 234, which is right in the middle of a chapter. I usually stop at the end of a chapter, but I had such a hard time putting the book down last night.

I've reached the part where Rue was killed by one of the other original 24. Then his life was ended by an arrow from the bow of Katniss Everdeen. That leaves the pool down to 6 people. That 6 include Katniss, Peeta, Foxface and I believe 3 of the so-called "career" tributes.

I'm looking to the final 140 pages and the events that will happen. Thanks to my middle son for letting me borrow books 2 and 3 of the series. I probably will be watching this movie opening weekend, but I won't be taking my kids. I wonder how they were able to keep this movie PG-13 with as much violence as there is in the movie. Also I heard that the third book, "Mockingjay" is even more violent.

Random NBA thoughts. After the Jazz led the woeful Timberwolves by 18 points, they still found a way to lose. Going into this season, most Jazz fans didn't expect a lot from this team. The Jazz have a lot of nice pieces, but their point guard situation was a big question mark. (For those that don't think a point guard makes that big of a deal, if there is anyone like that, look at the Jeremy Lin situation in New York. The Knicks are winning because they finally found a great point guard, not because of the twin black holes.) As this season continues, it's obvious the Jazz are in a desperate need of a true first string point guard. Right now they have two very capable back up point guards. It's still disheartening that they found a way to lose last night. I'm glad I haven't become emotionally invested in this team. I didn't waste my time watching the game or feeling the disappointment of their choke.  I also hope they find a real point guard in the off season.

Last night the Orlando Magic were in New Jersey, where the crowd was chanting they wanted Dwight Howard to join their team. Why does anyone want Superbaby to join their team? He's more about himself than the concept of team, which is why he'll never win an NBA Championship as a key player. Not only is he mostly about himself, he's one of the biggest whiners in the NBA. Sometimes he wants to be in Orlando, sometimes he wants to leave. Pick almost any topic you can think of and chances are he's whined about it. He whined a few times during the lockout, it seems he wasn't getting enough attention. While most players were worried about having a season, Dwight was only worried about himself. I hate the new modern NBA player that he represents.

Also what the hell is up with Joakim Noah's bun, the one he wears when he's playing basketball? Can someone please take away his man card? Where did he play college basketball at? Oh he's a Dukie, that explains a lot. I can't take anything away from his game, he had a triple-double last night. It's time for him to get a haircut though.

When Lebron James was in Cleveland a couple of days ago, he was asked about possibly playing in Cleveland again. Here's my question, who cares? Why are people worried about where James is going to be playing 5 years from now? Also dearest ESPN please don't show Allen Iverson's practice rant ever again. We get it that he was a selfish player, we just don't want to see him again. Thanks.

Finally the Jeremy Lin train continues. The Knicks are 8-2 with him as the starting point guard and 9-2 over their last 11 games. Carmelo had yet another average game. He was 7 for 16, had 4 rebounds, 15 points and the Knicks were +7 with him on the floor. How does this allegedly, amazing all-star player get so few rebounds in so many games?

Lin had a good game, but he didn't knock anyone's socks off either. He was 6 for 11, had 9 assists, 17 points and the Knicks were plus 9 with him on the floor. Maybe someone should ask Anthony if he might want to play in Cleveland some day, I think that he'll quickly become an unneeded expense for the Knicks.

I was looking at the stats of the Knicks game last night and one thing jumped out at me, Jerry Stackhouse played 12 minutes. I hadn't been aware that someone was still paying Stackhouse to play basketball.

All songs brought to you by my iPod's shuffle:

Tim McGraw's "Red Ragtop":



Yes, I know I have this song on my blog quite frequently. The reason why is because I think it's an amazing, amazing song. This song is why the lame Gallagher brothers were put on the earth. It's too bad we have to endure all their other stupidity.



Trapt's "Headstrong": "This is not where you belong".



I so love this song. This singer is Meiko, she's not to be confused with the very lame and boring Mika. This is "Boys With Girlfriends":



"YMCA" gets all the love, but this song is equally catchy. This version is almost as catchy as the original. I've tamed it down for younger eyes that may stumble across my blog.



I love Pink, she has had some amazing songs. Hey Pink I know you recently had a baby, but isn't it about time to release a new CD?




themusicaddict

Leslie James Ford 1925-2012

Hello,

On Tuesday morning February 21st, 2012 Leslie James Ford passed away peacefully at home. He was born February 20th, 1925 in New Mexico. Yes, he died the day after his 87th birthday. Amongst the many highlights of his life included a stint in the US Navy during WW2. He dodged death at least once while on active duty. He left behind a legacy that includes 4 children, 18 grandchildren and 51 great grandchildren. At his house there's a wall with pictures of all the kids, grand kids and great grand kids. Out of all of his legacies, that's his most impressive. How much different would have life been for 100's people if he hadn't married his sweetheart?

His funeral will be Saturday morning. His internment will be at the Kaysville City Cemetery where he'll be accorded full military honors.

Les is my ex-wife's grandfather. I always had a great amount of respect for him and all that he had accomplished in his life.

Les, thanks for your part in protecting this great country we are all so blessed to be able to live in. This song seems to be appropriate:



themusicaddict

"Smash" is a Smash!

Hello,

I love the new Katharine McPhee TV series "Smash". I'm a bit concerned that the ratings dropped both the second and third weeks. I love the back stage cattiness and drama behind producing a new Broadway play. I love the music that's being sung in the show, both the originals and the reworked classics. All the actors and actresses have great voices and it's a very compelling show. I find both the show "Smash" and the actual Marilyn Monroe play compelling.

I only have two objections to this show. The first is Tom's personal assistant, Ellis. I liked his character at first. And I love how he stands up to Julia, his boss's fellow songwriter. However I don't like the whole idea of him stealing the unfinished script and wanting credit for having the idea of a Marilyn Monroe play. I'm sure that idea iof a Marilyn Monroe play has been batted around Broadway since Monroe was originally a big star. She was married to some of the most intriguing men in America, including two all-time greats. Not only did she marry Joe Dimaggio, one of the greatest baseball players ever, she also married Arthur Miller. He's one of the greatest playwrights ever. One of his biggest hits is the heart breaking "Death of A Salesman", the sad story of Willy Loman. He also wrote the amazing "The Crucible" It's his snide and mocking allegory of the stupidity of McCarthyism. He also is famous for his "A View From The Bridge".

The second objection is do the sex scenes have to be graphic. I really don't need to see Ivy's naked back in the throes of sex.

So if you get the right people behind that, how would that not make for an amazing play. Here's some of the great songs from the show. This is Bruno Mars original of "Grenade":

I love this rocked out version by actor Will Chase. He portrays Broadway veteran Michael Swift. He had a torrid affair with Julia and has been cast as Joe Dimaggio in the new Marilyn Monroe play.

Again I can just say how much I love Katharine McPhee in this, I love her take on this Gretchen Wilson classic. Unfortunately it's clear she's lip synching and she didn't do a very good job at it. But I still love the sass she sings this song with:

Unfortunately the duet by Megan Hilty and Will Chase singing "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" isn't available on youtube.com. I think that's an original song and I really like it.

Here's Megan Hilty singing "Crazy Dreams", this song gives you an insight into her talent:

Sleigh Bells recently released their new CD, but I'm not understanding the hysteria. I don't get their music at all. Their only song I would even recommend is "Infinity Guitars":

Although I'm not a big fan of Sleigh Bells, I've been enjoying some of the great songs of Chris LeDeoux today. Here's a selection of some of his great songs.

"Hooked On A 8 Second Ride":

This is my favorite LeDeoux song, "Riding For A Fall":

themusicaddict

Linsanity Ran Into The Carmelo Anthony Roadblock

Hello,

The quickly becoming tiresome Linsanity ran into a roadblock yesterday. The Knicks had gone 7-1 over their last 8 games, all games that Carmelo Anthony missed due to an injury. Of course the Knicks were going to win that game right. Now only did they have the amazing Anthony back, the Knicks were playing at home and against the woeful New Jersey Nets. The same Nets that entered the game still in the single digits in number of wins. What could go wrong?

I mentioned that the human black hole was back, right? I'm not blaming this loss all on Anthony, but it's no surprise to me the Knicks lost on Anthony's return. Anthony missed 7 of 11 shots, only grabbed 3 rebounds and did have 6 assists. The assists look good but the other stats aren't up to his reputation. Anthony, although he's not a guard, also had 6 turnovers. And the Knicks were outscored by 10 points when he was on the floor. I know a lot of people don't put a lot of stock in the differential stat, but sometimes it can be useful. This time the stat is useful as it shows Anthony's less than stellar defense. I've heard many people say playing good defense is simply a matter of desire. I just don't see a lot of desire, or even caring, when Anthony is playing his version of defense.

Meanwhile Jeremy Lin had a better game. I'm sure he felt under pressure as he knows that Anthony is the man in New York. I'm sure he either intentionally or unintentionally deferred to Anthony. Lin missed 11 of 18 shots, but that was really his only bad stat of the night. He had 7 rebounds, 4 more than the all-star Anthony. He also had 9 assists and 3 turnovers, again both better numbers than Anthony had. The differential when Lin was on the floor was the Knicks were outscored by 1 point. He also scored 21 points.

Okay I know this was only one game and I'm certainly not going to draw any conclusions based on it. It will be interesting to see how the chemistry between Lin and Anthony affect the Knicks over the next several games. That being said I'm not surprised Lin had the better stats. It's not because I think that Lin is a better player. It's because I believe Lin plays with more heart and has more determination. He almost single handily revived this moribund franchise. Although he's a great story, Lin has reached the point of over saturation. Having several minutes devoted to an interview with him on Sports Center is over kill. Let's see how the Knicks finish this season, then we'll have a much more accurate judgment of Lin and his influence on the Knicks.

My predictions about the Knicks for the rest of this season: 1) Lin will continue to thrive. 2) However he and Anthony will have chemistry issues all season for which Lin will take the blame. He'll get the blame whether he deserves it or not. 3) The Knicks won't make the playoffs. If they do by some miracle, they'll quickly be elimanated in the first round.

Other NBA notes: I wish the Jazz had had enough fore site to sign Lin, the Jazz's biggest weakness remains at point guard. Their starting point guard honestly should be a back up. The Jazz would be much better with Lin's skill, heart and determination.

And no matter who's coaching the Jazz, their susceptibility to the opponents 3 point shooting remains mystifying and irritating. That was long one of the weaknesses of the Jazz under Jerry Sloan. Tyrone Corbin, as a Sloan disciple, does a lot of great things. However the Spurs hitting three pointer after three pointer last night in a fourth quarter had an awfully familiar feel to it. I never fully bought into Jerry Sloan and I'm not sure Corbin is the man to take the Jazz to the next level.

Honestly I still love the Jazz, but haven't followed them very closely this year. Although this team has a lot of great players, I didn't expect them to mesh this season. And I don't think they will mesh until they get a better point guard.

One final NBA note: It's time to give up on Greg Oden. How many micro fracture injuries, games missed and money spent before Oden announces his retirement? I was surprised that the Trailblazers paid him about $9 million to play for them this season. For their faith in him, what did they get? They got a player who will miss the entire season and not even play one minute. If someone pays him much more than the NBA minimum next season, that will be a crazy decision.

Also with MLB players reporting to training camp, I'm feeling the excitement in the air. I love Major League Baseball and I'm excited for yet another fun season. I look forward to seeing how the Dodgers will do under new ownership. They are already ahead of where they were with McCourt on the way out. I'm not entirely sold on Buck Martinez as the new Red Sox manager, but will give him a chance. I hope the Red Sox play this year with an edge in an effort to make up for last season's choke. Let's hope the Braves can redeem themselves in Chipper Jones final season. I'm hoping the Cubs actually look like a MLB team this season and that the Pirates build on their early season success from last season.

This song seems appropriate:

This song has been rocking my world lately. Got to love working out with an iPod. (Thanks to Apple and all the amazing people they have working for them.)

I watched the Michael J. Fox movie "Teen Wolf", for some reason I thought that was an 80's classic movie. But after watching it, I now know that isn't true. However a certifiable classic 80's movie is "St. Elmo's Fire". I love this song from that movie:

Another equally great, but less known, song is "Ghost Town". This is by the band First Aid Kit:

I love this song by Colbie Caillat:

themusicaddict

"Smash", "The Walking Dead", "The Hunger Games"

Hello,

I'm really enjoying the new Katherine McPhee show "Smash". The show follows the backstage drama of producing a Broadway play about the life of Marilyn Monroe. Karen Cartwright, who is played by Katherine McPhee, lost the role of Marilyn to the other girl. But I have a feeling it won't stay that way for long. I like the arrangements of the songs that Katherine McPhee has sung in the show so far.

This is the first we saw of the lovely miss Katherine McPhee:

One of her highlights from Season 5, she really lost to what's his name? Whatever happened to him and his soul patrol.

I love her voice and the arrangement of this Christina Aguilera classic:

I also like the start of episode 2 of "Smash" when the lovely Miss McPhee sings this Blondie classic:

Oh and by the way when the "Smash" soundtrack is released I'll be buying it.

Speaking of TV shows, what did everyone think about the second half debut of "The Walking Dead"? While the survivors are still on the most boring farm in the history of the world, thankfully this episode had a pulse. Lori is still making the dumbest decisions known to mankind. She has rarely been useful, was going to go into town to help her husband and Glenn, why? She ran into one of those convenient zombies causing her car to crash. (The same convenient zombies that left Hershel alone when he was in the bar for hours on end.) That obviously is setting up so she can miscarriage the mystery baby. The baby is either Ricks or Shanes, but did anyone care?

Wouldn't it be great if the lame character of Lori died, wow is that a boring character. The alleged actress portraying her is also awful. In addition can we get rid of Dale and T-Dawg, two more very boring characters. Dale is the Carmelo Anthony of "The Walking Dead". Whenever the focus is on him, all action stops. Both are the black holes of their respective enterprises.

But thankfully there was finally some action in this show. Of course they had to leave Hershel's farm to find it. Just who were the two hooligans they ran into in the bar last week? Were they two loners or did they really represent a larger contingent of other survivors? What is their purpose? And why is it that they wouldn't want to work with Rick and his people. Finally wasn't it nice to see Rick actually kick some butt? I was also glad to see this episode get away from all the boring speeches. The horrid dialogue they make these characters learn has been painful.

I've started reading "The Hunger Games" twice, both time I had to stop out of sheer boredom. However I saw this very cool trailer for it:

I started reading, actually continued reading, where I had last stopped. From the way the trailer is set up I knew there was excitement coming. So I continued reading, indeed the third time is the charm. It's good to see something might live up to it's source material. (Unlike a certain zombie show on AMC Sunday nights.)

I love this song and the way that Alicia Keys sings it:

themusicaddict

Linsanity, Happy Valentine's Day

Hello,

It cracks me up how quick one can become a sensation now days. Jeremy Lin has had 5 good games and everyone is hyping him up. Yes, this same player that has been cut by at least one team and was almost cut by the Knicks before he went on his hot spree. I love all the money the Knicks gave Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler. Then Jeremy Lin is the one making the biggest impact of the four. It makes me wonder about the ability of those making basketball decisions in New York. Stoudemire is almost making 24 times what Lin is making. Can you believe that some fool is paying Stoudemire over $18,000,000. The same fool is paying Anthony even more. And people wonder why the Knicks aren't relevant. Paying $36 million to two over hyped, under performing players, they should probably glad they are only 2 games under .500.

I have nothing against Jeremy Lin and wish him all the best. It seems that he can actually play. I don't think he'll be a flash in the pan like Tim Tebow. Although I do wonder if both hadn't also had the benefit of playing against inferior opponents. I love that the Knicks went on their hot streak when both Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudamire each missed a few games. A coincidence? I don't think so, I think that Coach D'antoni found a perfect point guard to run his run and gun offense. This hot streak shows how important it is for the Knicks to have a great point guard. It will be interesting to see how well the Knicks play when the two ball centric players get back from their absences.

Linsanity has been so crazy that people are wondering if Lin and Anthony can play together. That's a great and fair question. Not that I've ever been a big fan of Anthony, but I'd trade him for pieces if I was the Knicks GM. Having both Stoudemire and Anthony is redundant. Meanwhile Anthony should adjust to playing with Lin, not the other way around. With the ball stopping when Anthony gets the ball, why do the Knicks play that offense? The Nuggets played better once they traded (dumped) Anthony last season. The Knicks were 8-15 before their recent 5 game winning streak powered by Lin. Stoudamire missed the last 4 games and Anthony missed the last 3.5 games. Bad news Knicks fans Anthony is due back this week.

Oh by the way the Nuggets are 16-12 without the highly overrated Anthony on their team this season. Do you remember how boring that whole story about Anthony possibly being traded last season was. He held the Nuggets and indeed the entire NBA hostage. It was excruciatingly boring. Another thing about Anthony is he's all about him. It never seemed that he cared about the Nuggets in anyway. Just another reason I wouldn't want Anthony on my team.

If Anthony buys into team and works with Lin, imagine how much better the Knicks could be. Getting Anthony out into the open floor constantly would create many scoring opportunities for the Knicks without slowing down the whole team. If Anthony was Lin's run and gun swing man, imagine how much fun that would be Knicks fans. If that happens then the Knicks should try and trade Stoudamire for an outside shooter. He'll never live up to his contract..

I could care less about Linsanity, and wonder how much less it would be if it wasn't in New York. He wouldn't be such a big deal in Charlotte or Memphis.

Today is one of those corporate holidays that most people seems to have a big fuss about it. I'm in a few groups of single people on Facebook. The whining about not having a love interest is annoying and ridiculous. As for me, I'm okay with it. I've only been divorced 18 months and am still recovering from it. Divorce is the gift that keeps on kicking one in the ass. I can't believe how much it continues to come back and bite me.

I'm sort of dating, but it's not a big priority for me now. Financially dating isn't feasible and getting married would be financially impossible probably for at least the next few years. Dating isn't a big priority now. I also wonder why isn't the ones that you are attracted to seem to always be attracted to someone else. And why do the ones I have no interest in, have an interest in me? So why am I writing about this. Well Hallentine's Day got me thinking about this. Also on random play my iTunes was playing me some songs that was making me feel the conflicting emotions of love.

This is probably my favorite Chris LeDoux song. This is such a great song about the pain that can come from love:

Oh man I love this song, definitely a Top 500 all-time song:

One of the greatest beginning of a song of all time:

Olivia Newton John's "Twist of Fate":

I loved this song the first time I heard it on "American Idol". "Leave Right Now" by Will Young:

Perhaps the band that sings the most bittersweet love song of all-time, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", here's "Harbor Lights":

Here's that Top 100 all-time song, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes":

This song caught my attention when it played random on iTunes this morning. This is The Cab's "La La (Like A Symphony)":

I'm working all day, I hope your day is better than my Valentine's Day.

themusicaddict

The Amazing Whitney Houston, 1963-2012

Hello,

I like the above tribute to Whitney Houston. I thought it's perfectly set to her last great song "I Didn't Know My Own Strength".

As anyone that has ever read my blog knows, I'm an unabashed lover of anything 80's music. There were very few stars bigger than Whitney Houston during the 8os. She really broke out in the mid-80s and didn't let go for several more years. I still remember when she burst on the scene. Here's this amazingly gorgeous young woman who had one of the greatest voices I've ever heard. This was the era before auto-tune so all the notes Whitney hit, she really hit. And not only could she sing, but she was also gorgeous. Then later she showed that she could act. She was a multi faceted, multi talented artist.

Although she hasn't worked much lately, Whitney will truly be missed. Thankfully her talent has been recorded and we'll be able to enjoy her performances for ever and ever. I've been enjoying her music most of today. The Grammy's are tonight and Jennifer Hudson is preparing a tribute to do in her honor. She's one of the few performers that could pull this off. Could you imagine Britney Spears or Ke$ha performing a tribute that would be worthy of the amazing Ms. Houston? I still probably am not going to watch the Grammy's but I definitely will catch Hudson's performance on youtube.com.

There's grainy video circulating of Whitney Houston singing "Jesus Loves Me" from a couple of nights ago. This allegedly is her last performance. I'm not going to have it on my blog, but it's easily found on youtube.com. To me this final performance is very sad. She clearly had lost so much of that amazing voice of hers. So much promise that she had and she did hit a pretty high peak. But the fall from grace was so very sad, a cautionary tale to anyone who wants to pursue pop stardom.

At the end of Houston's career she broke away from many of the traditional arrangements of her songs. She started singing these weird funky versions that stripped these amazing songs of so much of their power. I know very little about vocal technique, but it seems these arrangements were a way to help her reach her previous glory. Unfortunately it didn't really work.

I did see Whitney Houston live during the early or mid-90s. And honestly her performance was very disappointing. She sounded good, but there were too many costume changes. Also this began the era of wanting to ruin a great pop song by having a rapper on the song. A rapper actually performed at this concert. That didn't improve the concert any. But honestly I remember so very little about the concert.

Now just a few of the highlights of the amazing Whitney Houston. This is the ultimate highlight for most Whitney Houston fans:

It was revealed later that she sang to a backing track, but the above moment is still amazing. Whitney Houston at her peak.

One of her amazing songs at the beginning of her career. Although I don't like the lyrical content this is just an amazing song. I love the sax flourishes and the way Whitney sings this song is so amazing. This is a combination of an amazing song sung by amazing singer. Something that truly is greater than the sum of it's parts.

Whitney Houston grew up singing in a choir and she sang some amazing spiritual related songs. Her version of this all time Christmas classic is probably the best I have ever heard. Let the goosebumps begin:

If you like an amazing voice singing great gospel music, I'd urge to pick up the soundtrack to "The Preacher's Wife". This is just one of the many amazing gospel related songs on that CD. A shout out to the amazing Georgia Mass Choir.

"Hold On, Help Is On The Way":

themusicaddict

Happy Friday!

Hello,

I'm feeling good today. I'm going to go see "Grease" tonight with a cutie and I want to pass on the good feeling. Here's some happy tunes:

And my theme song of the day:

Damn Olivia Newton-John was hot back in the day.

Olivia Newton-John was probably my first female crush:

I learned some words when I saw this song performed:

themusicaddict

Glad Super Bowl is over, Bring On March Madness!, Styx

Hello,

Has the Super Bowl hysteria wound down yet? The Giants have to be one of the least interesting teams in the NFL. They also proved that mediocre teams can win the Super Bowl. Yawn.

Now can we get on to what is actually a truly exciting sporting event? That would be March Madness, it's starting in the next few weeks. You can get a taste of the Madness and also see one of the greatest sports rivalries there are tonight. That's when the pasty white boys of Duke invade the Dean Dome. I've long been a North Carolina Tar Heel fan. For a time I even worked in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and saw Roy Williams. He came in to pick up some things one fine Sunday morning. He seemed like a very classy guy. But I was a fan before then. I've also been a Duke hater for about as long. Nothing against Coach K, he seems like a decent guy. I just get so tired of seeing all of Duke's uncoordinated, pasty white players trying to play white basketball. How many of them have had an impact in the last several years? Maybe 1 or 2.

With North Carolina playing a more up tempo pace and with more athletic players they are a lot more fun to watch. North Carolina represents everything that makes March Madness so fun. I can hardly wait. I do have a special request for Gisele, we could care less about your opinion of this amazing event.

Now here are some great songs. First of all I'm so glad that Adele didn't lose her voice. The music world would be even a worse place without the great voice of Adele. I'm still loving her cover of this great song:

I discovered a lot of great music in 2011. From Black Stone Cherry and my appreciation began to grow for My Chemical Romance. But that all being said, I don't think it can be argued that Adele was the biggest winner in 2011. Also there's no doubt that this was the song of the year:

I think the lyrics are pretty amazing as well:

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go 'head and sell me out and I'll lay your ship [shit] bare
See how I leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling
We could have it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it, to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

Baby, I have no story to be told
But I've heard one on you
And I'm gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Make a home down there
As mine sure won't be shared

(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
The scars of your love remind me of us
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
I can't help feeling
We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it, to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
Could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside your hand
But you played it, with a beating

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown

(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
We could have had it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
It all, it all, it all
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
And you played it to the beat
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)

We could have had it all
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
Rolling in the deep
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
You had my heart inside of your hand
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)

But you played it
You played it
You played it
You played it to the beat.

Other songs rocking my world of late, here's another great female musician:

Also for some reason this song has been rocking my world of late:

I like the more rocking twist on the above song as well, it seems things were so much simpler back when this song first debuted. And yes for some reason I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.

Let's stick with the Styx theme for a bit, here are a few other of their classic songs:

"Babe":

"Renegade":

This song is dedicated to all those blue collar men and women, those who are the true heart of America:

"Lady":

Here's a newer Styx song from just a few years ago, this song is just as good as their classic stuff:

themusicaddict

Gisele: NFL Expert?,

Hello,

Why is Gisele criticizing Tom Brady's teammates dropping balls even news? Why does anyone care what an untalented, way past her prime super model has to say about anything? And may I also say that the bar has been lowered considerably for what it means to be a super model. I grew up when Cindy Crawford were supermodels. I know many women that are so much more attractive than Gisele. Tom Brady's first baby mama was the truly gorgeous Bridget Monyhan. Also Bridget actually can do other things.

At this point my son has found someone to go to the Nickelback concert with, which I'm mostly glad about. However I will be sad not to see Seether, I've really grown to like their music over the last couple of weeks. I've been jamming out to them all day. Although I would urge you to avoid their remix CD, "Remix EP". Rock songs just aren't meant to be mixed beyond their rock origins.

I heard a dance remix of "Rolling In The Deep" the other day, that was atrocious. Some songs just shouldn't be messed with.

Right now I'm listening to Van Halen's "new" CD "A Different Kind of Truth". According to Sammy Hagar a lot of the music was music that the band originally worked on back in their David Lee Roth heyday. Honestly that's what it sounds like. There are a couple of good songs but a lot of the music sounds like the retreads that Hagar intimated that it is.

I listened to this CD twice and it's okay. It's not ground breaking by any stretch of the imagination though. My two favorite songs are "Tattoo" and "Stay Frosty". "Stay Frosty" is probably the most kick butt song on the CD. There's a lot of classic Eddie Van Halen guitar playing in this song.

themusicaddict

Josh Powell: Hell has its new doorman.

Hello,

Yesterday was a perfectly good day for me, that is until I got home from a church related meeting. At that time I found out the shocking and unbelievable news that Josh Powell had intentionally killed himself and his two small, innocent children. Thankfully a social worker dropping off the two kids for a supervised visit was spared the same tragic fate. After I heard that I was in shock the rest of the day and honestly still am not back to feeling 100%. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. If you are wanting to meet Josh Powell, he currently is burning in hell.

I try to keep this blog mostly light hearted but the above news was just too tragic not to comment on. My prayers are with all the family and friends of Susan Powell. Susan is probably dead also. This whole bizarre incident started when Josh Powell claimed he took his two kids camping on a cold and late night. Obviously he had killed his wife and dumped her body out in the desert. The police were never able to gather enough evidence to charge him though.

RIP Susan Powell and sons.

I wasn't much interested in watching the Super Bowl yesterday, but after hearing that news my interest dimmed even more. I caught the final 57 seconds of the game. For me the worst thing about the Giants winning is that we have to hear about the "greatness" of Eli Manning for the next 6 months. The funny thing though is I still have no desire for him to be on any of my teams.

Finally it looks like I'll be going to see "Grease" on Friday night at my alma mater Woods Cross High. It's a student production. Last year these students performed "Les Miserables" and did an incredible job. I don't expect anything less this year.

themusicaddict

Super Bowl Lite Blog

Hello,

Dearest Google I hate your new privacy policy on youtube.com. That is all.

I'm so sick of all the Super Bowl coverage. About 2/3rds of Sports Center's coverage is about the Super Bowl. Honestly who cares what Vince Wilfork, Tom Brady and Eli Manning have to say? I mean we know they all talk in coach speak, saying a lot without really saying anything. Do they say anything interesting or useful ever? No, and we have to go through two weeks of it. Who cares about a special cleat that Gronk may wear on Sunday? If you know what I'm talking about you have had too much Super Bowl coverage. I also don't care about who the Patriots inspiration is. How many insipid angles can the media dig up?

Here's my Super Bowl prediction, I predict I won't be watching a whole lot. I may watch some of the actual game, but the things I'm looking most forward to are Madonna's halftime performance and the commercials. If I miss either of those things I can catch them on youtube.com Monday.

Give me March Madness any day. Three weeks of great, exciting and competitive basketball. There's also not two weeks of hype leading up to the finals either.

I'm still not sure if I'm going to the Nickelback concert yet. If I go, I'd be good going and seeing the three opening acts and leaving before Nickelback takes the stage. I've listened to Nickelback's new CD "Here and Now" and it's as bad as most of the rest of their music. And it's just not me either. Here are some of excerpts from Entertainment Weekly. "But the lyrics- between cries of for world peace and anti-fame diatribes- just sound silly." "Worse Kroeger seems bored, wasting hours watching Baywatch reruns and conjuring up creepy metaphors for ... something". Yes, just what your are thinking, the boys of Nickelback aren't the greatest of lyricists. EW gives their new CD a C+ rating, which is being generous.

Rolling Stone review excerpts: "Grunge titans get back to the depressing basics." "Chad Kroeger and the guys return to their thudding essentials." "Plodding anthems.... make drinking and sex seem like shift work" "..... a synched up toe-dip into social commentary that's as natural as Mitt Romney passing out Thanksgiving turkeys at a homeless shelter, but gets a couple of points for surveying life beyond the strip club." I think that last statement is supposed to be a compliment, but actually sheds light on the lameness of Nickelback. (All this as My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days" gets scant coverage.)

I also watched "Drive" last night. The movie stars Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. I'd heard so many good things about this movie and honestly I was disappointed. I get that Gosling's character wasn't the most dynamic character, but damn he was boring. I'd give the movie about a C- and I don't think I would recommend it. I might watch "Ides of March" tonight and I'm hoping that Gosling's character is much more dynamic in this movie.

Here are some videos:

This is Sugarcult's "Los Angeles", the lyrics aren't for everyone. Great song.

In contrast to the above video, this is probably one of the most joyous songs ever. "Put me in coach...."

Wise words of advice that has taken me too long to understand. Although the band sucks they are right on about letting a woman cry.

I like Lady Gaga, but I'm kind of getting tired of her now. However there's no denying how many great songs she has had. This is one of my favorites:

I love me some Chromeo, "Don't Turn The Lights On":

Halfway To Hazard's "Daisy":

Here's a couple from the Cars, this is "Tonight She Comes":

This is "Drive":

"Ain't No Reason", a great song that's a bit out of left field for most people. He ain't the best looking guy in the world but I love his voice. And this song is amazing.

themusicaddict

More great songs

Hello,

Today is tax D-day for me. Hopefully I'll be more happy than sad in a few hours. With divorce still biting me in the butt I'm not sure.

Aerosmith's "Angel":

Siouxsie and the Banshee's "Peek A Boo":

More Siouxsie:

How about some Garbage:

Lifehouse:

I love this song from a couple of years ago:

I'm not a big Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, but they do have some good songs:

"Under The Bridge":

Now this is one of my favorite songs by a band that ultimately ended up being extremely lame. However "Santa Monica" is a classic song:

themusicaddict