Too much music, too little time! :D

Hi everyone, today’s playlist is something I like to call: Grammy aftermath. I’ve been watching the Grammy broadcast for many years. I used to be a lot more in the loop in the early days, but have to admit that not too many artists retain my attention nowadays. However, I always seem to find some redeeming discovery that makes watching the show worthwhile. This year, I found a few more than expected. I’ll run you through my latest finds. Some are performances and some were just audio clues I followed. Okay first, Ariana Grande’s “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-50nRyuy8
Her performance on the Grammies was pretty good, but it was harder to find, so I brought this link. I enjoy when young singers show us that there is a good foundation beneath all the production. The next one, my son had told me about this song a few weeks back, but since he’d told me Ed Sheeran sounded like Jason Mraz, I kind of labled him as a wannabe and dismissed him. There are similarities in their tone and phrasing, though I find Jason’s voice warmer. In any case, this is Ed Sheeran’s Grammy performance of “Thinking Out Loud”, with among others, John Mayer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1yxWWcoe7Y
Now of course, I couldn’t pass over the star of the night, Sam Smith with Mary J Blige "Stay With Me"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwM0BFWzbIM
I didn’t know they had already recorded this duet. I found it as an mp3 on Amazon, labeled as the “Darkchild version”, but no mention of album it’s on. Okay, my next one is the exception to my regular listening. It’s Brandy Clark’s “Hold My Hand”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai4kVwg1kkc
For those who don’t know, as I didn’t, she’s a country artist. Anyway, Brandy has a pretty voice and the theme of this song is really sweet, as you’ll hear in her introduction. All right, my last one was the musical clue I followed. This band, Ledisi, has a luscious R&B sound I thought they didn’t make any more. Here’s their song “Like This”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzXK_qS_IDQ
I listened to a few more of their songs and although many follow the same path, the stratospheric range of the lead singer isn’t what I look for in my daily listening. Guess that’s it for this year’s Grammy finds, more to come next year I’m sure! :D Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, today I bring a serious blast from the past. It’s one of those songs that takes you back the second you hear it, gives you chills and you say: “OMG, I haven’t heard that song in decades!”, which is exactly what I said when I heard it on Galaxy/Stingray R&B. The singer is Toussaint McCall and the song is the 1967 song “Nothing takes the place of you”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfpxLACsqqo

I was hoping to get  a little of background on the song, but nothing on Wiki, except that it seems it was Mr McCall’s biggest hit. He is/was an organist also, so I’m assuming he was playing on his song. I’ve checked out a few more renditions, like Al Green’s version:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14aRYYlWjMY

Oowey, there’s something so special about Al Green’s phrasing: the falsetto being the most obvious, but also the way his voice lands on certain notes, or how he lets it drop on others. Somehow, I was expecting Al’s version to be less subdued, but I’ve realized that, going through several versions on YouTube, that this song speaks for itself and says what it means without having to dress it up with vocal acrobatics. Listen to Isaac Hayes’ version:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKTyCfvCTS8

So yeah, no power vocals, it’s all there in the words, but man I love that organ sound in his song... It’s the kind of song that would probably sound great as a country song, a blues song or just straight forward R&B: no wonder it was Mr McCall’s greatest hit! Well anyway, thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, well here’s a different spin on an old classic I heard on the radio today, Billie Holliday’s rendition of “They can’t take that away from me”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krD1hUce5gE

Funny how the narrative paints a much different picture in my head from a woman’s point of view, but I like it! :D Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I decided to do a more extensive internet round today and going through old links from the Olivia Newton-John site, I found this unexpected little gem from last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsQTW45oPro

It's a song called "Never never never" that she recorded with Engelbert Humperdink of all people, for his duet album. I didn't do more research on the subject, but this was Olivia, so I had to acknowledge it. :D Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, does it ever happen to you that you’re surprised  hearing an old song and at that moment, it just urges you to get up and sing? No? Guess it’s just me... XD Anyway, I heard this song at supper tonight and just marvelled on how much I loved it. The song is the Jackson 5’s “Got to be there”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=270Fr-B4ad0

Obviously, the incredibly sweet voice of Michael Jackson has a lot to do with why I love this song, but there was something wonderful and innocent about it and I love the harpsichord, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed the Partridge Family too. :D No Partridge Family song with harpsichord comes to mind right now, except for the old “Come on get happy”, but it doesn’t quite fit the vibe of this post. There are tons of Jackson 5 songs I like, but this next one is very close to my heart and could be one of my theme songs. It’s called “Music and me”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7s4rwLnCI

A good example of “less is more”... Michael was edging towards puberty on that one vocally and lyrically around that time. I borrowed once a 3 CD compilation from that period, very nice. Well speaking of sweet singing from pre-teen boys and sort of tying in with the Partridge Family “swag”, XD , I’m sorry but I couldn’t resist posting yet another one from my first musical love, René Simard with his song  “Un enfant comme les autres”, (A child like many others):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3cea730NoU

I actually heard one of his other songs earlier, but thought this one would fit better with a quieter vibe. I remember as a child, I cried every time I heard this song: I seriously couldn’t believe how beautiful his voice was… Well anyway, thanks for indulging me in this trip down childhood lane. :D Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, today’s entry is  for my special music-loving friend. This is German singer Peter Maffay, with an appropriate song for the occasion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra0q45KGXyg

It’s different, but hope you like it anyway. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I thought I’d end the year with good thoughts and good vibes. I heard this song on the radio today and thought it would be a great theme for the New Year. This is Bob Marley with “Three little birds”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGYAAsHT4QE

 Yep, let's just keep our minds on: "Every little thing's gonna be all right..."... :D Hey, as long as we're into good vibes and 3 little birds, here come 3 more from Corinne Bailey Rae, in her song "Put your records on":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gPD7kY1amE

 I had surprisingly not posted it here, although it's one of my favorite feel-good songs. Well on that happy note, take it easy folks and I'll definitely look forward to sharing more music next year. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I want to post something a little different today. I wouldn’t usually search for music from artists like Demi Lovato, but following my daughter’s advice, I watched the Disney movie “Frozen” this past week. I’ve always loved Disney movies and have loved most Disney musicals since “The little mermaid”.  I’m mentioning Demi Lovato because she’s sung the most popular song off the “Frozen” soundtrack called “Let it go”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHue-HaXXzg

Through a series of fortunate events, I’ve come to know of this lovely young lady  called Kiara Pollice covering a Demi Lovato song, this one called “Skyscraper”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8eDQ58OkbQ

She has a sweet beautiful voice and tons of potential! Hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3  

Hi everyone, I just got this in my Amazon recommendations and thought I’d share. It’s a Crotian duo of cellists, conveniently called 2CELLOS. They’re in the same category as the Piano Guys and play  a mix of pop and classical and/or various permutations of both. Here they are with U2’s “With or without you”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbFao4M2_os

Uh-oh, I had to check suggestions! Lol Here they are with one of my favourite songs and certainly my ultimate favourite from Sting, “Fragile”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QERx3GcXr8

Ooh, goosebumps on that one! They also do Sting’s “Shape of my heart” and a few interesting Michael Jackson covers, which I’ll most likely investigate in the future. They’re apparently another of those YouTube sensations, which will most likely end up on PBS... :D I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3