If you’re anything like me, the first time you heard the name Colin Hay you were probably a little bit confused. How can this guy be a “throwback” when I don’t even remember him to begin with? Bear with me. Colin Hay is from a little group called Men At Work made popular by 80s pop culture. They are popular for the song “Down Under” and are from, you guessed it, Australia.
But beyond the novelty of their popular single, Colin Hay has produced songs beyond his time with Men At Work that are powerful and catchy. I first came across his solo work through the show Scrubs. There is one episode that utilizes the song “Overkill” for a particularly emotional scene in an episode for an earlier season. I immediately fell in love with the song and had to find out who it was. Imagine my surprise when I googled it to come up with the lead singer for Men At Work. I thought to myself, “This isn’t right. I have to dig deeper.” So using my extreme computer hacking skills, I checked an underground website known for digging up this kind of information (Wikipedia) and confirmed that it was in fact the Aussie from the 80s pop band.
Upon further exploration I came across Hay’s album Man At Work which contained the song “Overkill” as well as some retakes on the popular single “Down Under”. The entire album is very pleasant, but what really sticks out for Hay are his simplistic “guy and guitar” tracks. In my opinion, he’s best when it is just the melody and the lyrics. With songs like “Waiting For My Real Life To Begin” and “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” (made popular by the movie Garden State) Colin Hay has a real knack for simple, powerful acoustic tracks.
Check out his appearance on Scrubs:
Buy Man At Work:
So we haven’t posted anything super hardcore in a while. I’m talking about the type of stuff that makes you feel like you just got punched in the face by pure awesome. The kind of music that makes you run faster and jump higher. The stuff that was made by the business end of a kick-ass stick. Well guess what? You’ve just been served. 10 Years has that kick-ass stick.
Figure 1.1
Their new release Feeding the Wolves not only has a manly name, but a manly album cover (see Figure 1.1). Historically I’ve found that if an album has an awesome cover, an awesome name and an awesome artist behind it, you are destined to have something worth its weight in gold. Don’t believe me? Tell that to Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Guns N Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. Yeah, I didn’t think so.
The entire album is a hard-hitting mix of heavy guitar and steel-laden vocals to match. The tracks rarely miss a beat, taking breaks only to show their softer side with powerful ballads (that are not-so-much ballads, I just can’t think of another word to describe them.)
10 Years is currently on the tail-end of the Carnival of Madness tour with the likes of Shinedown, Chevelle, Sevendust, and Puddle of Mudd. But not to worry, they will be headed back out on the road with numerous upcoming tour dates to support the release of their new album.
Buy Feed the Wolves:
We here at FreshScouts loves us some JJ Grey. We’ve been following his albums since his first release with Alligator records in 2007, have been to numerous festivals to see his amazing headlining southern blues shows, and have essentially been stalking his whereabouts online (in a completely non-creepy way.) So of course, when we saw he was coming out with a new album in August, we were ready. We set up shop outside our local record store and slept there for weeks waiting for the arrival of Georgia Warhorse. After numerous scuffles with the locals and run-ins with the law, we realized that waiting outside a record store weeks before an album comes out is NOT a good idea. You live an you learn I guess.
But the waiting was worth it. JJ Grey & Mofro’s latest release is a soulful blend of down-home raspy vocals, heart-wrenching organ licks and some serious slide guitar. I’ve always said that this man’s albums never do justice to his live shows, but this album definitely gets closer with its more intimate moments. Of course, there may be none more intimate than the track “Slow, Hot & Sweaty”, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
JJ Grey & Mofro have come a long way since Country Ghetto, but one thing I appreciate is that even though their sound has continued to evolve, they have not strayed away from their original style. They continue to be the same gritty blues band they were 3 years ago (and before.) They form the industry instead of the other way around. Props JJ Grey. Props.
Buy Georgia Warhorse:
I know it’s out of season, but I love the movie Elf. I also know that it’s meant for 6-year-olds, but I can’t help myself. Something about it’s enchanting storyline and magical memories leave me with that unmistakable Christmas-y feeling every year. Or maybe it’s just Will Ferrel prancing around like a 6-year-old and me having the humor of a small child. It doesn’t take much for me.
But the other great part about the movie Elf is Will Ferrel’s love interest, Jovie. At the time, I was unfamiliar with actress Zooey Deschanel. In the movie, she steals the stage in the moments she decides to spread the Christmas cheer with her voice. Usually in these situations, one would think she is most certainly lip syncing. At first I thought the same thing. But the unique jazzy, flowing tone of the voice made me dig deeper to find out the truth. And the truth is, Zooey Deschanel can sing. For real.
It wasn’t long before I discovered her band, along with songwriter M. Ward, She & Him. The indie folk duo brings back the roots with a genuinely old-fashioned sound that’s relaxing and clean. Rhythmic piano, melodic guitar and light drums compliment Deschanel’s unique voice in such a pleasant way, it’s a guaranteed feel-good album. Check out both volumes and expect more to come. These guys are on the ups.
Check out the video for “In The Sun”
Buy Volume Two:
Usually when you think of Jamiroquai, you think of the single that rocked the nation in the ripe year of 1996. “Virtual Insanity” was our first real introduction into the jazz/funk/pop fusion that is Jamiroquai and we/I welcomed them with open arms. But what you may not have realized is that they actually have other songs that you already love and other that you are destined to love. But first, some quick facts.
Jamiroquai is actually a funk band from the U.K. Most people (including myself) have wrongly mistaken the lead singer Jay Kay as the solo artist that is Jamiroquai. As you will recall, Kay is the guy prancing around the trippy mobile room in the over-sized, fluffy top hot in the music video for “Virtual Insanity”. But if we are being specific (and we are being specific) the name would refer the band as a whole and not just the lead singer.
Now that we got that out of the way, let me introduce you to the songs you know and the songs you’ll love. Many of you that have seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite have already heard another one of his songs and may not even have known it. Remember this scene?
Yep, that’s Jamiroquai. So it is a proven fact that one can get down to some serious funk. But only if you have a choreographed dance and some moon boots…those are requirements.
Now for the song you should be listening to. “Feels Just Like It Should” snuck up on me in 2005 as the most recent jam from the band reminding me that these guys still know how to do it. And whether or not you’re a fan of the fuzzy top hat, I guarantee you’re a fan of their music.
Check out the video for “Virtual Insanity”:
Buy High Times: Singles 1992-2006:
