Album Review: Jessica Sanchez’s “Me, You & The Music”

Jessica Sanchez is proving herself to be quite the chameleon! Fresh from her re-launch on American Idol (where she performed her lead single, “Tonight” with Ne-Yo) and current appearance on Glee (as Frida Romero of the Hoosierdaddies, one of New Directions’ competitors at Regionals), the emerging young singer experiments with new sounds on her just-released debut album, Me, You & the Music.

She showcases her diverse musicality with a selection of different styles within the realm of Pop, R&B, Urban, and Dance – also throwing in a bit of reggae (“Don’t Come Around”, which samples Tom Petty‘s “Don’t Come Around Here Anymore”) and Spanglish (“No One Compares”, a duet with Prince Royce) into the mix. Fans will appreciate and adore her sweet ballads about holding onto and lamenting over love (“Crazy Glue“, “Plastic Roses”), but it is her upbeat and catchy mid- and up-tempo tracks (“In Your Hands”, “You’ve Got The Love”, and my personal favourite, the hip and addictive “Drive By“) that are the surefire stand-outs. Two of the most memorable tracks are the ones that kick off and close out the show: the commanding techno groove “Right To Fall” (a song about fighting for the right to love who you want to love) and the punchy and sassy “Gentlemen” (an anthem for the ladies who demand to be treated with respect they deserve – where have all the good men gone / without a lady you would’ve never been born).

Me, You & the Music is a invitation to catch a glimpse of what Miss. Sanchez has to offer musically – which is a very youthful, fun, and energetic contemporary R&B/Pop vibe that’s guaranteed to make her a force to be reckoned with!

Download Me, You & the Music on iTunes, and catch Jessica on the Glee finale airing May 9th!

Album Review: Kacey Musgraves’ “Same Trailer, Different Park”

Kacey Musgraves has been generating a ton of buzz in the world of country music with her debut album, Same Trailer, Different Park.

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Kree Harrison Brings The Blues To American Idol

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”

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”

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.

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