Songs In the Key of Life

I visited a lot of sites in my search to find a article about something that interested me. I was able to come across a blog site called Songs In the Key of Life. It is a site that discusses things that happen in the R&B world. There were a lot of album reviews, as well as, news about different artists. One of the posts that caught my eye was about listening to and finding jazz songs that you might like. Jazz 101: Become a True Aficionado talks a lot about finding jazz songs that you might be interested in. The writer of the post was trying to step into the jazz world, and really didn’t know where to start. I can say that this post offered great help. I am “a jazz music virgin” too. I listen to jazz, but I do not know that much about it. I am not familiar with a lot of the jazz artists or their work. I know a couple of songs, but I have no clue who made them.

This post really did help me and can help others find music that they would not usually listen to. I listened to a couple of songs on the “Jazz 101 Starter Kit” list. I knew a couple, like “Strange Fruit” and “What the World Needs Now”. The other songs were really good too. Ramsey Lewis “The In Crowd” really caught my ear. I am excited to start my exploring in the jazz world. By the sounds of it, I am sure I will find many more songs that I like.

Check out the post!!!
http://songsinthekeyoflife.net/2009/04/13/jazz-101-become-an-true-aficionado

HotNewHipHop.com

So there is this website that allows you to listen and download new music. The site is HotNewHipHop.com ( www.hotnewhiphop.com ). Everyday there are new songs put up by different artists. The music is usually hip-hop, but there are sometimes R&B songs as well. You can listen to the song, and if you like it, you are able to download it. The site does put up a sort of disclaimer saying that you should purchase the artist’s album if you like the song. I am not sure how effective that is though. Up-and-coming artists can also submit their music to get it heard. It is a great site for getting new music.

I heard about the site through a friend a while back. They had been telling me about a lot of new music that they had heard. I was very excited when I found the site, because I was then able to have access to all of the new material from artist that I liked.

Ten years ago, we were not able to have a site like this. New music was not readily available. It was not at our fingertips for free. I think that the music industry has come a long way. We are able to do things now that we would never have had the chance to a few years ago. Whether this “freedom” is abused or not is another story, but as for being able to have a site like this and get music, we are very fortunate.

TV for Kids

Music in television shows can usually set the mood for a scene. This is no different in children’s television shows. Whether it is Dora the Explorer or Blue’s Clues, the music serves some kind of purpose. I have a weird thing of watching children’s television now. It is really calming for me because it is so simple. The Berenstain Bears is not only a great book series; it is also a wonderful television show. The music on the show is great. Like any other children’s show, it is very light and fun. I think that the theme song is the best part. There is singing. It sounds like country music. There are a lot of banjos used. All of the music is done by what seems to be strings, piano, and bass. The music does not usually play when the characters are speaking. When it is though, it is usually just the strings. They are played softly so it does not drown out the speaking. It also seems to be used in transition. When the scene is switched or an idea changes, the music is played for a short moment. It shows emotion and it also shows what character is speaking or doing an action. It is low pitched for Papa Bear, high pitched for Mama Bear and enthusiastic for the children. In these cases it does not distract from the actions of the characters at all. It helps the flow of the show, as well as, the flow of the characters.

at the grocery store

We all know that music is everywhere, even in the grocery stores. The local grocery store where I live closed. Sad to say, it was a great loss for my mother and I. She is always in the grocery store picking up odds and ends, and I usually go with her. When we would go to this particular grocery store my mother would always talk about how good the music was. They would play pop music from yesteryear, usually from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. She would always know the song and would occasionally sing or hum along with the record. She was not the only one to do this though. We would run across a lot of people, who were grocery shopping, doing the same thing. They would all say how great the music was. Here recently a new store has opened. My mother hates the store because they don’t play music often, and when they do, it is nothing that she wants to hear. She says that shopping is not the same anymore, and how she wants the old store back. I have to admit that shopping in that store is not as exciting as the other. I never realized that it was the music that was making it that way.

I feel like the music helps people relax. In the grocery store, people are often in a rush to get home and cook. They have been at work all day, and now they must go home and begin to work all over again. Instead of making the grocery shopping more stressful than it already is, the music is there to lighten the mood.

5 of the many favorites

I can’t really say what my top five songs of all time are. That is extremely hard for me seeing as how I have a lot of favorite songs. I can tell you five of my favorite songs that come to mind right now.

The first one is “Regulate” by Warren G & Nate Dogg. This has to be my all time favorite! It is significant to me because my brother used to listen to it all the time when I was little (I spent a lot of time with him when he would come home on the weekends), and I am a huge Nate Dogg fan. I can play this song whenever and wherever. It never gets old to me.

After that, there is no particular order the songs are in. The next one that comes to mind is “You Better Tell Her” by Teedra Moses. This song, to me, is awesome. It has a really smooth melody and it’s rather calm. I totally agree with the lyrics. They sort of get you a little pumped up, but it’s a calm rendition of that sort of feeling. Plus her voice is beautiful.

The next one that I can think of is “Unapologize” by Carrie Underwood. I really like her songs. This particular one comes from her latest album. I really like the rhythm (or melody) of the song and the lyrics. To me, it’s a really relaxing song, yet it has so much meaning.

Another song I really like is “Doggin’ Around” by Jackie Wilson. My mom is a huge Jackie Wilson fan, and this particular song is one that she used to listen to a lot. I like it, too! When I was younger, I did not like slow songs at all. This one, however, stuck with me. I guess because my mom really liked it.

The last song for this list (that I can think of) was Janet Jackson’s “Doesn’t Really Matter”! I absolutely love that song. It came out when I was pretty young, and I can remember loving the video. She had the robot dog and the cute pajamas. I really wanted to be her. The song is great itself. The music is mellow with an upbeat groove. It creates happy feelings (for me) and makes you want to dance.

I like all types of music, but....

Okay…so I am not a huge fan of Marilyn Manson. Scratch that! I am NOT a Marilyn Manson fan at all. Never have been, never will be. I think his music sucks. I like all types of music, but this, to me, is pure garbage. I’m pretty sure that most people know who he is and what his music sounds like. He was prevalent in the 90s…my childhood. Can you imagine the look on my face when I first saw him?! Not a happy one, I can tell you that. I was scared of him for a very long time. When I was younger, I couldn’t figure out what he was. He did not look like anyone that I had ever seen. My mother tried to explain that it was make-up (and that I shouldn’t be watching it anyway), but to me, that was not the answer. His music was not good either. It went along well with his image. I guess that was the point though.
I really just think it is stupid. I can’t find a reason to even want to listen to or try to like the music. It seems dark and tainted, and I am so not the person for that. I mean I don’t really care about the teenage kid’s parents in Middle America. I don’t care if they stop the kid from listening to it or not. All I know, is that I am not going to listen to it despite what anyone thinks or says.

Buying and Selling of Music

I think my thoughts on the buying and selling of music are a little undecided. I understand that the artist should be supported in order to keep them around, but sometimes buying their CDs are not really successful. Since they are not really getting a lot of money for selling their albums then why should we buy them? There has to be other ways that we can support them. If the artist’s work can be sold and profit them, then it seems like buying it would not be a problem. When you think about buying the CDs, the label comes to mind. The labels are the ones profiting from the blood, sweat, and tears of the artist. I remember watching a Behind The Scenes episode where they featured TLC. There was a segment in the show where they discussed the fact of selling millions of albums and not being paid for it. How can we, as consumers, look at this and think that we are helping the artist? But then you see the artist in their designer clothes, fancy cars, and other expensive things. They could not have been able to get these things without money. Part of me wants to think that buying their work does profit them.
Whether I buy it or not is another question. I’m sort of picky with the music that I buy. I have to either LOVE the artist or I’ve heard the music previously and wanted to support. I am a huge fan of Brandy. Because of this, I have purchased all five of her studio albums. I did not have a problem with this at all. I was a fan supporting the music. I did not like her last album, but I feel like this is still okay. When I feel this way about an artist, I feel like it is my job to do this. When I find a song I like, I will listen to others by that same artist. I won’t go out and buy their CD though. They have to earn that right from me.