On June 19th, Michael Bublé kicked off the Canadian leg of his To Be Loved Tour at Rogers Arena for the first of two hometown shows in Vancouver.
Continue reading “Michael Buble’s To Be Loved Tour in Vancouver”
Category: Music
Tunesday: The Girls of Summer 2014
Summer solstice is fast approaching, which means it’s almost time to break out the tunes that’ll enliven the atmosphere for the sunny days and summer nights up ahead! Here are some of the female-driven tracks I’m looking forward to playing this Summer 2014…
Daughtry Rocks the Hard Rock Casino in Vancouver
Rock band Daughtry performed at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver theatre in Coquitlam, BC on May 23rd, 2014 – their first concert in the city in seven years.
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Caleb Johnson Wins American Idol Season 13
Congratulations to Caleb Johnson, the winner of American Idol Season 13!
The big-voiced, retro rocker from Asheville, North Carolina, who successfully channeled his classic rock/southern bluesy-rock sound into stand-out performances each week, was named the champion of the 2014 edition of the long-running singing competition. As first proven by Season 12’s Candice Glover, another returnee contestant turned winner, Caleb proves that the third time really is the charm! Jena Irene, the spirited and talented teen from Farmington Hills, Michigan, is this year’s runner-up. From wild card to blossoming pop-rock musician, she fought a fierce fight and came a long way with her gutsy artistry and steady growth.
Caleb and Jena kicked off the grand finale celebrations with a BANG – their sensational duet medley of “We Will Rock You”, “I’m Just a Girl”, and “It’s Only Love” raised the bar sky high for the night’s performances. The Top 2 also got the chance to sing with their own favourite bands, with Caleb and KISS on “Love Gun” and “Shout It Out Loud” and Jena and Paramore on “Decode” and “Ain’t It Fun”.
The Top 10 finalists were also treated to special duets, trios, and group performances with some of the industry’s top stars, including: Alex Preston with singer/songwriter Jason Mraz on the new single, “Love Someone“, Jessica Meuse with country singer Jennifer Nettles on “Wrecking Ball“, Sam Woolf with fellow Idol Phillip Phillips on “Home” and “Raging Fire”, Alabama boys CJ Harris and Dexter Roberts with Darius Rucker on “Alright“, and Malaya Watson with soul singer John Legend on his beautiful ballad, “All of Me“. As well, the Idol Guys teamed up with Aloe Blacc to sing “The Man” while the Idol Girls girl-powered it up with Demi Lovato for “Neon Lights“.
The judges (Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr.) and Randy Jackson joined forces for a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration to pay tribute to two classics – “True Colors” and “Go Your Own Way”. Even host Ryan Seacrest got in on the performance action with his primetime television singing debut – a duet of “Right Here Waiting” with Richard Marx.
Caleb’s winning moment was met with genuine shock and gratitude from the singer, who ended his victory night with an encore of his debut single, “As Long As You Love Me” while bombarded with hugs and congratulations from his finalist friends, his family members, and the judges.
And with that, it was another end to another great American Idol season. Until next January, when we will do this all over again!
Album Review: Phillip Phillips’ Shines From “Behind The Light”
Phillip Phillips has just released his sophomore effort, Behind the Light. The album’s title is derived from a lyric in “Alive Again” (“I see myself again / Behind the light I flicker”), which speaks to the notion of re-discovering yourself from the shadows, or in Phillip’s case, allowing fans to uncover a side of his musical identity that hasn’t been revealed before.
As a result, Behind the Light boasts a more rock-oriented sound with intricate instrumentation and powerful production – an evolution from the rootsy-folk driven sound which dominated his platinum selling debut, The World From The Side Of The Moon. Though ambitious, the new album still retains that authentic feel which drew listeners into his music in the first place.
Phillip leaves his artistic mark all over the album, which he produced in collaboration with Derek A.E. Fuhrmann and Gregg Wattenberg. The songwriter was involved in the writing of all of the songs, sharing co-credits with the likes of Fuhrmann, Wattenberg, Todd Clark, Jon Green, and David Ryan Harris and being the sole writer of “Trigger”, “Open Your Eyes”, “Thicket”, “Face”, “Don’t Trust Me”, and “Armless Crawler”.
His songcraft has grown in depth, with lyrics containing ideas that are more mature, more introspective, and more thought-provoking, and that cover a spectrum of moods, emotions, and energy. Behind the Light is heavy with imagery of light and dark, day and night, and nature, with fire serving as an overarching metaphor that is wovened throughout the album. The fire rages from the colourful cover art to the tracks themselves, which follow themes of being true to oneself, finding strength, and coping with the passage of time.
Continue reading the track-by-track review on The Hudsucker…
Phillip Phillips‘ Behind the Light is available on iTunes.
Elizabeth Rosalyn 