Author: Elizabeth Rosalyn The

Elizabeth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor. Her first book “Beyond Black and White” is available now. She is an old soul who's young at heart, a human jukebox, and a corgi lady in training.

Kree Harrison Brings The Blues To American Idol

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn American Idol, Entertainment, Music, Television2 Comments

The fire in Kree Harrison is burning brighter than ever before!

Personally, I felt that Top 4 Week (Free Choice/One Hit Wonder) was her best week on American Idol thus far. I absolutely loved how Kree tapped into her bluesy side with Susan Tedeschi‘s “It Hurt So Bad”. Like with her Top 10 Victory Performance of Tedeschi’s “Evidence“, she was right in her element and it was all so awesome to see (and hear) unleash with a fine mix of grittiness and naturalness. “It Hurt So Bad” was her best vocal to date, and more importantly, it was also the performance that is most quintessentially true to her artistic styling of rootsy-bluesy-soulful country.

I was also happy that Kree chose to sing Procol Harum‘s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (from 1967) for her second performance. The easy breezy Summer of Love anthem one of my favourite classic recordings to sit back and listen to – it has a groovy, timeless, and unforgettable vibe to it that I just adore, and Kree did such a wonderful and effortless job singing it!

I respect how she always chooses songs that evoke special memories and feelings to her. It’s very apparent that she’s a massive appreciator of music of all genres (she even cites Percy Sledge‘s rendition as the inspiration behind her song choice). It’s always risky to pick songs that aren’t so familiar to the Idol audience, but she manages to make it work every time. There’s something so genuine and sincere about Kree that makes me gravitate towards her and her gorgeous voice. When she sings, she means every word, and consequently, I believe every word.

Sara Bareilles’ “Brave”

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Music, Tunesday3 Comments

The ever-so-brilliant singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles has released a new song, “Brave“, from her upcoming third album, The Blessed Unrest (out on July 16th).

The lyric video for “Brave” features a group of young girls singing and dancing along to the uplifting anthem of encouragement and empowerment, spreading a message of community and self-confidence.

In this webisode on the writing process behind “Brave”, Sara speaks to the song’s role as a modern-day civil rights anthem, remarking on the “honour, integrity, and beauty” of being free to be who you are, and how acts of bravery are important in giving others an opportunity to be brave as well.

As Sara’s lyrics say, don’t keep yourself caged in with fear, doubt, and pain – speak up and let the promise of better days shine through!

Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be Brave.

Download “Brave” on iTunes.

Album Review: David Archuleta’s “No Matter How Far”

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Music, TunesdayLeave a comment

No matter how far away he may be from the rest of the world, David Archuleta always goes above and beyond the distance for his faithful fans. Now past the halfway mark of David’s two-year missionary work in Chile, Team Archie (on behalf of David) has released a new album, aptly titled No Matter How Far, of ten unreleased tracks from his previous musical projects.

Continue reading “Album Review: David Archuleta’s “No Matter How Far”” →

Album Review: Michael Buble’s “To Be Loved”

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Music, TunesdayLeave a comment

As per tradition, Michael Buble‘s new album To Be Loved brings back swingin’ standards and old favourites treated with the Canadian crooner’s classy yet cool modernized interpretations.

This time around, the smooth-voiced singer presents his renditions of the Bee Gees (“To Love Somebody”), Smokey Robinson (“Who’s Lovin’ You”), Frank Sinatra (“Come Dance With Me”), and Jackie Wilson (the title track, “To Be Loved), and features special guests in the forms of actress Reese Witherspoon (“Something Stupid”), acappella group Naturally 7 (“Have I Told You Lately That I Love You”), and the retro vocal trio The Puppini Sisters (“Nevertheless (I’m In Love With You)”) for some inspired collaborations.

Nostalgia is a running theme throughout this album, which is evident by the choices of “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “Young at Heart” as the opening and closing tracks.

On that note, my favourite cover on this record is Bublé’s jazzified version of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – otherwise know as the theme song to the childhood classic, Toy Story.

The album also includes four original songs co-written by Bublé: “I Got It Easy”, “Close Your Eyes”, “After All” (with Bryan Adams), and the lead single, “It’s A Beautiful Day“.

Michael Bublé is Old Faithful when it comes to making music that makes people swoon and smile, and To Be Loved is guaranteed to have listeners swooning, smiling, and supremely satisfied!

Life Lessons Learned From… Vulnerability

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Life, Life Lessons9 Comments

Vulnerability is a topic we tend to avoid talking about, but it is so crucial to our existence.

In a TED Talk on “The Power of Vulnerability” and an article on “Vulnerability and Inspired Leadership”, Brené Brown discusses how vulnerability is commonly seen to be synonymous with weakness.

Continue reading “Life Lessons Learned From… Vulnerability” →