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:
As I motored down the interstate the other day I saw a guy kicking a box down the side of the road. That immediately made me think of Blake Lewis. Blake is best known as the “beatboxer” from Season Six of American Idol. Isn’t it funny how the mind works. You see, when I saw the guy beating the box I thought of beatboxing, which then made me think of Blake. You still with me?
As the seasons starting adding up over at American Idol, we the audience began to see a contestant pool that was blending together. Folks started looking alike and singing alike. So, it was like a hearty slap in the face when Blake Lewis hit the stage for the first time. Not only did Blake’s clubish clothing and faux hawk catch my attention, it was also his unique infusion of vocal percussion into his performances. As the weeks went on I found myself tuning in just to see what he would do next. In the end it was Jordin Sparks’ candy coated smile that kept him from taking the top spot.
Instant exposure ended up being the greatest prize for Blake. His 2007 major debut album, Audio Day Dream, just went through a major replay in my car stereo. It is safe to say that Blake has not gone on to super stardom, but his unique pop/soul/club style certainly did invade a lot of households across the globe. Audio Day Dream is something worth checking out. It is not your typical pop album. If A.D.D. leaves you wanting more, you can check out his 2009 sophomore album, Heartbreak on Vinyl. Fans of Justin Timberlake are gonna be lovin’ them some Blake Lewis.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Know My Name” featuring Lupe Fiasco, “Break Anotha”, and “Gots to Get Her”
Check out the video for “Break Anotha”
Buy the album
How should I describe the music of Paula Fuga? Soulful? Bluesy? Sure, those will do, but that just doesn’t cut it. How about Hawaiian soul? Yeah, that hits the spot. Not familiar with Hawaiian soul? Well, you need to introduce yourself to the gifted beauty of Paula Fuga. This woman possesses something special and she is ready to share it with anyone willing to listen.
Paula Fuga and Jack Johnson
American Idol enthusiasts that have a freakish memory regarding past contestants will remember Fuga’s audition. If you want to see the judges blow a decision you can watch it here. So AI didn’t work out for her. Were the judges too concerned with selling an image and not finding amazing vocal talent? Well dawg, we will let you be the judge of that one. That “missed” opportunity has not held her back one bit.
Fuga’s 2010 EP, Misery’s End, is the follow up to her 2006 self-released debut album, Lilikoi. Fuga doesn’t need Simon, Paula Abdul and Randy. On Misery’s End she saddles up with Jack Johnson and Ziggy Marley. Yeah, we think she is doing just fine for herself. Fuga’s music is simply beautiful. Her style blends traditional Hawaiian sounds and instrumentation with contemporary blues, soul and jazz. Misery’s End is the perfect music to celebrate the remaining weeks of summer. Support amazing music. Support Paula Fuga!
KC’s Personal Picks: “Country Road” and “Parachute”
Jack Johnson joins Paula Fuga on a live version of “Country Road”
Buy the album
*Thanks April!*
Whoa. It is kinda like Fresh Scouts can see into the future. Think of our Weekly Jukebox as our crystal ball. Back on February 8, 2010 we first featured Eli “Paperboy” Reed. And earlier this month, we featured him again on August 2, 2010. As we gazed into our crystal ball, a.k.a. the Weekly Jukebox, we just knew that Paperboy was going to be huge. His latest album, Come and Get It!, is a smashing success. So yeah, we will be playing the lotto this weekend.
These guys deliver.
I love a good list. Grocery lists are cool. Letterman’s Top 10 lists are dandy. “List” is in word “Listerine” and it keeps my mouth feeling crisp. Yes sir, I love me a good list. So here you go. My list of why Eli “Paperboy” Reed is the bee’s knees.
- Eli spent a good amount of his formative years practicing his music in Chicago. Chicago is rad.
- Eli has an awesome head of hair.
- He has a nickname that doesn’t refer to slingin’ rocks or killing someone. He just appreciates a good hat.
- The music that he puts out is fun-throwback-party-soul. I will be trademarking that genre so don’t even think about it.
- Listening to Reed makes me wanna dig out my Sam Cooke records.
- The lead single “Come and Get It” is infectious. Infectious in a good way.
- Eli’s backing band, The True Loves, are out of this world.
- The guys have been touring around the world like crazy in support of their new album. Expect to see a lot from them in the States in the coming months.
So there we go. Not only did I have a chance to highlight my passion for lists, but I was also able to focus on my appreciation of Eli “Paperboy” Reed. Join me and take a trip back in time with some *fun-throwback-party-soul music. Paperboy does not disappoint. I guess you can say that he delivers.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Come and Get It”, “Pick a Number”, and “Name Calling”
Check out the video for “Come and Get It”
Buy the Album
*Trademark pending
Andrew Belle is the kind of musician that makes other musicians sick to their stomachs. For many aspiring artists, it’s a lifelong goal to hit the big time in the music business. They might spend their entire lives from childhood well beyond middle age trying to get a record deal. They fight and scratch and starve and suffer waiting for that big break.
Belle didn’t really have to go through all that.
Instead, he graduated with a business degree from a four-year university and, on a whim, decided he’d give songwriting a shot instead of pursuing a normal 9-to-5. One year later, he was touring the country, receiving accolades from all directions, and recording a successful album.
“It was kind of a serious thing to just jump out of college when all of your friends are getting jobs with insurance policies and retirement plans,” Belle says. “It’s a little scary to not have that, so I always kind of had a plan in the back of my head, a sort of What If thing.”
His way of viewing his music career wouldn’t stay so conservative, however.
“As I was getting into things a little bit more,” he adds, “I was chatting with one of my songwriter friends, and he told me to never have a plan B. If you have a plan B, you’re never going to make it. Might as well save your breath and don’t waste your time. That really influenced me, and from that moment on I decided not to have a plan B and that I was in it for the long haul.”
The long haul has only been a couple years, but in that time Belle has come quite a long way as an artist. Growing up in a religious family, he wasn’t even allowed to listen to secular music or, obviously, watch a lot of music videos. He hopped into the music thing, he found himself relatively unprepared and extremely inexperienced. Learning on the job, he says, wasn’t always easy.
“Learning how to perform was a lot like how I learned how to song write—I just watch the artists I admire and emulate them, at least to a degree because there’s a point where you have to make it your own,” Belle says.
“I’ve been doing it for a couple years now and I’ve played way more shows than I ever thought I would, and every show I learn something new—strategies and techniques of singing, stuff like that. It’s not something I think I’ve conquered by any stretch, but I’m learning things here and there and definitely enjoying the fact that I’m getting better as I tour more.”
To think that a young man as talented as Andrew Belle is still really only learning the trade is more than a little mind-boggling. Already he’s been added to the Ten Out of Tenn tour and named “Best New Artist, Chicago” by MTV, and he’s only been doing this for a few years.
Still, Belle is trying to keep his burgeoning career in perspective. “Typically, long-term and music business don’t go hand in hand,” Belle jokes, “But it is something that I think about. We’ve had a lot of success relatively early, and part of me just wants to continue that success.
“I just think about keeping it to the basics—do what I do best, which is songwriting, and try not to let the success that we’ve had intimidate me into thinking that now I have to do better or sell twice as many records. I just want to do what I do best—writing thoughtful, interesting music and keeping that the focal point. Hopefully if I do that, things will continue to happen for us.”
Considering the fact that he’s still so new at this and already is so good and so distinctive and so humble and so hard-working and so grounded, it seems inevitable that he’s at least got a few more albums in him. If he continues to grow the way he’s grown since leaving Taylor University for the music business just a few short years ago, more success is inevitable.
We’re looking forward to it, and if we had to venture guess, those spiteful, sick-to-their-stomach veteran musicians are likely looking forward to it, too. Listen to “The Ladder” and tell me I’m wrong.
“None of this was planned, really,” Belle admits incredulously. “It all just kind of happened, but I’m glad for the way that it happened.”
Grab “The Ladder” at Amazon or iTunes by clicking the links below!
