Kylie's outta her head, Paolo sings live, Christophe frenches Whitney, Barbra does Broadway, Swingout Sister breaks out, & Eric sings the blues - Music Friday
Woo, what a week. With the finales of Dancing With The Stars and American Idol and the start of So You Think You Can Dance, this site has been beyond busy. Add to that my choice to go see some live music, and I am getting exhausted just being reminded of it all. But, as Rickey had asked me to do, I am offering up from great music that has appeared on my blog, Soundtrack to my Day, to kickstart your Friday and get you ready for the weekend. And this weekend is a holiday for the American followers of the blog, even more reason to get ready to party!
Kylie Minogue was an unknown in the US in 1988, although that was set to change when an oldie buy goodie, Locomotion, was released and caught fire. Fast forward 22 years and you can listen to her latest single, All the Lovers. But in 2001 she ruled the airwaves across the globe with the Pop sensation, Can't Get You Out of My Head. [Then & Now with Kylie Minogue]
I am a fan of Paolo Nutini, the handsome Scot who put out one of my favorite albums of 2009. Sunny Side Up is a great collection of songs, reminding me more of (Irishman) Van Morrison than the Popster his first album led me to believe he was. Here he performs the song Ten Out of Ten at the Radio 1 Big Weekend in the UK. [Last Request from Paolo Nutini]
http://www.youtube.com/v/jGKKr0IyjfE&hl=en_US&fs=1&
In 2006, an amazingly talented Frenchman won the televised competition Nouvelle Star, the French version of Pop Idol. For me, Christophe Willem is the quintessential French artist, oozing with quirk and even more talent, delivering unexpected performances. I checked out a videos and discovered while he was on Nouvelle Star, he did this amazing performance of I Will Always Love You, the Whitney Houston standard. [Sunday Morning with Christophe Willem]
http://www.youtube.com/v/PgXju-H0e2g&hl=en_US&fs=1&
This clip is from the 1994 HBO Special filmed in Las Vegas. The songs are Stephen Sondheim's I'm Still Here (with lyrics rewritten by Sondheim himself) from Follies, Everybody Says Don't from Anyone Can Whistle, also by Sondheim, and the classic Don't Rain On My Parade by Jules Stein from Funny Girl. [Dark Monday - Barbra Does Show Tunes]
http://www.youtube.com/v/ioJeE1W2a3w&hl=en_US&fs=1&
In 1986, a quartet emerged from the UK, a trio with a single that shot up the charts around the world. Swing Out Sister was made up of Andy Connell, Martin Jackson, and Corinne Drewery. Their first album for their label, It's Better To Travel, made it to #40 on the US album chart, mainly on the strength of the first single, Breakout. The single was on top of the charts across the globe, including hitting #1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. [Then And Now - Swingout Sister]
Instead of watching the American Idol finale on Wednesday night, I drove to Philadelphia with my sister to see Eric Himan, and amazing singer/songwriter now living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've been a fan of Eric's for several years, watching him live whenever I can. His voice is so crisp and clear, with a strength and depth few could match. Here he sings There's Gotta Be Something, the title track from an EP. Currently, Eric is also working with the brother/sister team of Jimmy and Angel Adams to make up the band Eric & the Adams, who I hope to catch playing live this summer. [Saturday Rocks - Eric Himan]
http://www.youtube.com/v/JGzoroVKwKk&hl=en_US&fs=1&