Once upon a time, in a far away land (we’ll call this land “2001″), there lived a band who coined themselves The Calling. These gentlemen were popular among the princesses of America and drew in the hearts of acne-producing teenagers with their first hit single “Wherever You Will Go.” Now time passed and an evil wizard named “Indefinite Hiatus” came to the band and cast a spell leaving their musical careers dangling from the Cliff of Broken Dreams. My attempt is to creatively highlight this week’s throwback band, The Calling.
Upon initially hearing The Calling’s first hit single, “Wherever You Will Go,” I, along with many others sharing in my musical preference, were intrigued by the deep, melodic vocals of lead singer, Alex Band. To continue the seduction of new listeners, the song itself lured you in with the strumming of a soothing guitar and lyrics that seemed to pull from the diaries of first loves everywhere. Alex Band himself probably produced such emotions in the ladies with his siren songs. The song topped the charts and was even recognized as the #1 Adult Pop song of the decade by Billboard magazine.
So, where’d they go? Where’s Alex Band? Is he single? The band released a few more singles from their first album, Camino Palmero, including “Adrienne” and “Could It Be Any Harder.” Their music even made appearances in a few popular films such as “Coyote Ugly” and “Love Actually.” Their career allowed them to make a second album cleverly titled Two, but their popularity slowly faded after that. Until just now. When I brought it back. Let’s rekindle the romance and appreciate the talent of a band whose career may have ended too quickly. If anything, The Calling will always have that first single…and Paris (Casablanca reference).
Check out Camino Palmero:
My college years introduced me to a lot of things that I would take with me into adulthood (or what people keep telling me is supposed to be adulthood.) I drank my very first alcoholic beverage in college which eventually led to a few more alcoholic beverages. I learned about life outside of a curfew which usually meant the necessity to schedule more naps throughout the day. I was introduced to the 20 page paper due in a week which also introduced me to the life punishments that accompany procrastination. But most importantly, on one magical day during my sophomore year of college, I discovered the musical creative genius of a band called Florez.
As a sat at the desktop computer “kids” today would consider to be dinosauresque, I happened upon the Nashville-based rock band, Florez. As I listened intently through a few of their diddys (not to be confused with “P” diddys), I was immediately intrigued by the unique sound emanating from my speakers. Lead singer and guitarist Alex Florez paired with bassist Erik Huffman produced a sound combining styles from many different musical genres to produce energetic, yet smooth harmonies.
Despite their brief hiatus in 2006 so that bassist Erik Huffman could participate in a little show called Survivor, the band has traveled with several well known artists and bands including Gavin Degraw, Better Than Ezra, and The Doobie Brothers. Returning to the music scene, they were snatched up by the Hothead Group and recently released their latest EP Yellow Shoes.
So that’s enough facts to lure you in. We’ve done our job. Now do yours and take a listen to their music. If you’re in college, then I’ve held your hand through the first baby steps of a successful college career. Now grab a beer (if you’re 21+ of course), stay up until 2am, and write that paper before it’s too late.
Check out Yellow Shoes:
A lot of good things have been brought to American from Europe: pizza, Robert Pattinson, French kissing, racy foreign movies, an indie alternative garage-rock back know as The Beatles, and escar go. Ok, maybe we’re not as excited about that last one. Europeans have introduced us to the quaint game of golf, nude beaches, and even wooden shoes. We really owe them a couple of high fives, a round of drinks and possibly some gold stars. They’re the country that just keeps on giving. So naturally, it wasn’t long until they came up with another treat. Their recent gift comes from England in the form of indie pop singer, Ellie Goulding. Born in Hereford, England, Ellie has been laying down entrancing, unique tracks that have earned her a following of dedicated fans.
Ellie’s music is the perfect combination of “dancing just because you’re happy” and “bubble bathing because you’re in need of relaxing.” Her voice could carry its own, but combining it with the perfect rhythm of drums and a string quartet brings an additional flavor that is more enticing than the frosting on a perfectly toasted Toaster Strudel (which is saying a lot.) Both are so delicious that it results in a craving for more; whether it’s frosting or one of Ellie Goulding’s singles.
Ellie Goulding has been noted to be “the next big thing” by the entire UK music business, which they made official when they presented her with the critic’s choice award at the most recent Brit Awards. Her debut album, Lights, was released on March 1, 2010 preceded by her first single “Starry Eyed” which reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. But we here at Freshscouts know that we can provide you with as many facts as Wikipedia can provide (sometimes more), but what really reels in your attention is to actually sample the work. You’re gonna like the way she looks. I guarantee it.
Check out An Introduction to Ellie Goulding on:
When we say Jessie J we don’t mean Jesse James, Jesse Jackson, or even Jesse Katsopolis (although he did have a successful career with “the Rippers”, so a solo album would naturally be the next step.) Before you rush to a feeling of disappointment, let me explain to you who we ARE talking about. Jessie J, born Jessie Cornish, is a singer/song writer from London whose single “Do It Like A Dude” only recently presented itself to us here in the US of A after hovering in the UK for awhile. Despite the talent she exudes herself, to strengthen her musical resume further Jessie J has written for a few no-name artists you may not have heard about: Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, and Christina Aguilera. Mr. Timberlake has even been quoted as saying Jessie is “the best singer in the world right now.” And if you can’t trust Justin Timberlake, then who can you trust?
I hypothetically tripped and fell into the lap of this artist while perusing the World Wide Web to expand my own musical library even further. The song that introduced me to the wonder that is Jessie J was with the hip-hop power ballad “Who You Are”. Listen to this song for 30 seconds, and you’ll find out that this girl can wail. Her voice demands attention. And that’s exactly what I gave it when I first heard her voice. I Google-d, YouTube-d, and MySpace-d Jessie J until I had a sample of every flavor she had to offer and, like the free samples at Whole Foods, it intrigued me to buy in bulk. Lucky for me (and now you) Jessie’s USA debut album is scheduled for release in June of 2011. The album’s debut single is rumored to feature current Top 40 rapper B.O.B. and is said to hit airwaves in February of 2011.
To satisfy the longing I have now instilled in you for Jessie J’s music, you can take a listen to the single “Sexy Silk” which was featured in the recent theatrical release “Easy A.” It’s smooth, it’s sultry, it’s smokin’, and every other “s” word that means “a song you should listen to immediately and share with your friends.” That’s why you have 2,000 friends on Facebook and 500 Twitter followers, right? Share the love.
Buy the single “Do It Like A Dude”:
If you’ve ever heard one of Ke$ha’s albums, you’ve also thrown up. There really is no avoiding it. It’s like watching a Saw movie while trying to eat lasagna. You just can’t do it. Her fake talking/”rapping” is the reason that radio is dying. You may argue, but I know this to be true. I read it on the Internet. But this isn’t entirely bad news. I mean it is, but there is a silver lining. It makes you appreciate actual female rappers even more. That’ s why when I recently heard Kanye West’s new single “Monster” that featured a number of different artists, I was immediately drawn in by Nicki Minaj.
Her style is 100% unique and 100% in your face. She is a very aggressive rapper and her flow makes you feel like you’re getting yelled at (in a good way.) Her debut release Pink Friday is full of hot beats and cameos from other rap icons including Eminem, Kanye West and will.i.am. With so much support, the album builds a strong repertoire of singles that are sure to get some radio play. Although I don’t completely agree with adding pop icons such as Rihanna and Drake to the mix, the added exposure for Nicki Minaj will help her gain exposure in this day and age of lost talent.
Hopefully in the future we’ll see some independent releases from Nicki Minaj as I think she would do better to showcase her unique style under her own terms. I imagine we’d end up with an album that shows the raw lyrical talent of Nicki Minaj without all of the production. Check out her video for Massive Attack featuring Sean Garrett. The music video is a little bit “Jay-Z”, but I suppose that’s what makes it so gangster.
Buy the album:
