Think of Me- by David Archuleta
Alright, well I’m a huge Phantom of the Opera fan, I love American Idol, and I think
David Archuleta's vocals are always spot-on. So, when I heard he was going to be
performing the beautiful “Think of Me,” I was excited to say the least. If you’ve ever
seen The Phantom of the Opera, you know that this was a huge song—sung by an
operatic diva. David did a great job making this song his own. A soft finger-picked
guitar flows throughout the song, along with subtle violins creating the sort of
ambiance one would hear in a soft pop hit. However, with the hints of harp and flute
suggest a theme closer to the original. David changed the beat to “Think of Me” and
gave it more of a ballad feel, instead of an aria, and his voice is so smooth and even
that he covered the song nicely. This is, in my opinion, David Archuleta’s best
performance to date.
Music of the Night- David Cook
Sorry—I just couldn’t choose one American Idol performance this week! While my
usual ‘favorite,’ Jason Castro, didn’t make the cut, David Cook sure did. This up and
coming rock star not only can belt out terrific rock hits, and play the electric guitar, but
now we get to see his softer side. “The Music of the Night” is a difficult song to sing—
I wasn’t sure he would be able to pull it off—but he did! Not only do we get to hear his
vocal range, but we get to hear emotion in his voice we don’t usually get to hear. At
the same time, I can hear that rocker edge in David’s voice all throughout the song—a
sort of gravelly tone that adds depth and personality to the performance. It’s quite an
interesting combination—orchestral instruments with a rock vocal—but it’s oh so
good. Definitely a keeper.
World of Stone- Blackmore’s Night
“World of Stone” is a narrative song from our favorite Renaissance-rock group, Blackmore’s
Night. Immediately the song grabs your attention with a low Gregorian-esque chant, which
dissolves into Candice Night’s rather haunting vocals. “Bring to me all of my arrows, bring to
me my crossbows too, I fear we might need them both before this night is through.” The
lyrics tell the story of someone trying to talk an army into leading a rebellion in a
‘world of stone.’ The instruments used are intriguing—lots of classical guitar, some
brass, soaring violins with interweaving harmonies that make the song, some sort of
flute, and of course, a low, Gregorian undertone throughout. It’s one of those songs
that make you want to go join the battle. A wonderful addition to your Blackmore’s
Night collection.
Time on Your Side- Emily Jane White
I would never have found Emily Jane White if it wasn’t for iTune’s free downloads. This song
is extremely simple, it’s just a guitar and Emily’s vocals layered on top of one another a couple
of times. Ms. White’s voice is a bit lower than average, very natural sounding and casual. The
guitar is actually played in a fairly simple pattern—it’s one that I use on a couple of songs—and
the lyrics are soothing. It’s a great let-me-kick-back-and-just-listen sort of song. Simple, easy
to remember, and yet strangely elusive. A great song for anyone’s library.
New World- TobyMac
As some of you may know, the Dove Awards were this past week. TobyMac walked away with
the title of Artist of the Year, so, in honor of both his new found stage in stardom and the
upcoming, highly-anticipated release of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” I decided
to include this song in this week’s review. “New World” is in fact a rock-rap song, about
Narnia. It gives a good message about believing without seeing, talking about Lucy first
walking into Narnia, Aslan’s promise, and Aslan rising again. TobyMac uses just the right mix
of rap, vocals and rock instrumentation in this song to keep me interested (I’m not usually a big
fan of rap). All in all—pretty good.
Allegretto- Bond
The cross-genre music sensation, “Bond” is in fact, made up of four classically trained
women. Three of them play the violin, while the other plays the cello. Instead of
performing conventional classical music, these amazing musicians have taken it to
the next level with traditional classical music mixed with techno dance beats. Now
don’t get me wrong—I’ve never been a big fan of techno—and usually mixing beats
and styles comes out pretty corny. But this song—this group in general—is different.
They don’t overdue it with the synthesizers, and leave just enough melodic classical
to define a style and not drive you insane from repetition. “Allegretto” is great for
exercising, or just listening to.
Sink ‘n Swim- Plumb
Plum (her real name is Tiffany Arbuckle) is an underappreciated artist in the music industry.
She has done both Christian and non-Christian music, and something somewhere in between.
Her voice is soft, but can easily take on rock music—her tone is a bit like Gwen Stefani and
Avril Lavigne combined—now just imagine that with meaningful lyrics and great music! With an
easy, almost (for lack of a better word) yodeling transition to the higher falsetto, the song “Sink
‘n Swim” is full of summertime goodness. Plumb’s semi-rough vocals are complimented by soft
violins, a guitar and a prominent, pop drum beat. The song sounds like something you might
listen to in the car with the windows rolled down. Beautiful, slightly poetic, and catchy—the
perfect summer radio hit.
Canto Alla Vita- Josh Groban (featuring The Corrs)
This song is a bit of a departure from Josh Groban’s usual style, but I really like it.
Entirely in Italian, Josh Groban’s vocals are accompanied by The Corrs’ high, feminine
harmonies, and backed by semi-symphonic sounds and a dance beat. Weaving in and
out of one another, the harmonies are absolutely haunting. Josh obviously knows
what he’s doing, and this song perfectly compliments his voice. This is one of the few
songs by him that I can sing and play on my guitar—that’s probably why it’s one of my
favorites! I looked up the English translation for the Italian lyrics, and from what I can
tell, the lyrics are basically about the tragedy of life, and yet how it all calls to us. As
Josh sings in the song “Chi Chiama…” or, “It calls us.” Haunting, memorable, and
melodic—lovely for everybody, even those not overly fond of Josh’s semi-operatic
vocals.
Fighting for Your Heart- After Edmund
After Edmund is my new favorite Christian rock group. Named after Edmund from C. S. Lewis’s
“The Chronicles of Narnia,” they bring a new sound to the scene. The lead singer’s voice is
higher than your average rocker-guy vocal, and sounds like something you might hear on
mainstream radio. Backed with a rocking electric guitar that seems to use some sort of wicked,
distorted chord pattern, “Fighting for Your Heart” is a catchy, head-bopping song! This is the
sound that Christian rock really is looking for, it’s rocking, without screaming, it’s got enough of
a melody for you to want to sing along, and it’s edgy and new sounding. Definitely a keeper!
Smell the Color 9- Chris Rice
This has got to be one of the most intriguing songs I’ve ever heard. The melody is soft and laid
back. The instruments include an acoustic guitar, soft bells in one part, dogs barking, children
laughing… all sorts of stuff. It also has an over all ‘cool’ feeling to the song—what I call a
‘summery’—and Chris’s vocals are so easy going and soft. The lyrics, however, are half of
what makes this “Smell the Color 9” so amazing. “I can sniff, I can see, and I can count up
pretty high/ but these faculties aren’t getting me any closer to the sky/ but my heart of faith
keeps pounding, so I know I’m doing fine/ its just that finding You is like trying to… smell the
color 9” is the chorus. The words echo and reverberate from speaker to speaker, along with
the humorous lyric thrown in here and there. “Nine’s not a color… and even if it was you can’t
smell a color…” If that doesn’t convince you to buy this song, I don’t know what will!
Click here to go back to the JeccaLand homepage, or here to visit last weeks music pa
Alright, well I’m a huge Phantom of the Opera fan, I love American Idol, and I think
David Archuleta's vocals are always spot-on. So, when I heard he was going to be
performing the beautiful “Think of Me,” I was excited to say the least. If you’ve ever
seen The Phantom of the Opera, you know that this was a huge song—sung by an
operatic diva. David did a great job making this song his own. A soft finger-picked
guitar flows throughout the song, along with subtle violins creating the sort of
ambiance one would hear in a soft pop hit. However, with the hints of harp and flute
suggest a theme closer to the original. David changed the beat to “Think of Me” and
gave it more of a ballad feel, instead of an aria, and his voice is so smooth and even
that he covered the song nicely. This is, in my opinion, David Archuleta’s best
performance to date.
Music of the Night- David Cook
Sorry—I just couldn’t choose one American Idol performance this week! While my
usual ‘favorite,’ Jason Castro, didn’t make the cut, David Cook sure did. This up and
coming rock star not only can belt out terrific rock hits, and play the electric guitar, but
now we get to see his softer side. “The Music of the Night” is a difficult song to sing—
I wasn’t sure he would be able to pull it off—but he did! Not only do we get to hear his
vocal range, but we get to hear emotion in his voice we don’t usually get to hear. At
the same time, I can hear that rocker edge in David’s voice all throughout the song—a
sort of gravelly tone that adds depth and personality to the performance. It’s quite an
interesting combination—orchestral instruments with a rock vocal—but it’s oh so
good. Definitely a keeper.
World of Stone- Blackmore’s Night
“World of Stone” is a narrative song from our favorite Renaissance-rock group, Blackmore’s
Night. Immediately the song grabs your attention with a low Gregorian-esque chant, which
dissolves into Candice Night’s rather haunting vocals. “Bring to me all of my arrows, bring to
me my crossbows too, I fear we might need them both before this night is through.” The
lyrics tell the story of someone trying to talk an army into leading a rebellion in a
‘world of stone.’ The instruments used are intriguing—lots of classical guitar, some
brass, soaring violins with interweaving harmonies that make the song, some sort of
flute, and of course, a low, Gregorian undertone throughout. It’s one of those songs
that make you want to go join the battle. A wonderful addition to your Blackmore’s
Night collection.
Time on Your Side- Emily Jane White
I would never have found Emily Jane White if it wasn’t for iTune’s free downloads. This song
is extremely simple, it’s just a guitar and Emily’s vocals layered on top of one another a couple
of times. Ms. White’s voice is a bit lower than average, very natural sounding and casual. The
guitar is actually played in a fairly simple pattern—it’s one that I use on a couple of songs—and
the lyrics are soothing. It’s a great let-me-kick-back-and-just-listen sort of song. Simple, easy
to remember, and yet strangely elusive. A great song for anyone’s library.
New World- TobyMac
As some of you may know, the Dove Awards were this past week. TobyMac walked away with
the title of Artist of the Year, so, in honor of both his new found stage in stardom and the
upcoming, highly-anticipated release of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” I decided
to include this song in this week’s review. “New World” is in fact a rock-rap song, about
Narnia. It gives a good message about believing without seeing, talking about Lucy first
walking into Narnia, Aslan’s promise, and Aslan rising again. TobyMac uses just the right mix
of rap, vocals and rock instrumentation in this song to keep me interested (I’m not usually a big
fan of rap). All in all—pretty good.
Allegretto- Bond
The cross-genre music sensation, “Bond” is in fact, made up of four classically trained
women. Three of them play the violin, while the other plays the cello. Instead of
performing conventional classical music, these amazing musicians have taken it to
the next level with traditional classical music mixed with techno dance beats. Now
don’t get me wrong—I’ve never been a big fan of techno—and usually mixing beats
and styles comes out pretty corny. But this song—this group in general—is different.
They don’t overdue it with the synthesizers, and leave just enough melodic classical
to define a style and not drive you insane from repetition. “Allegretto” is great for
exercising, or just listening to.
Sink ‘n Swim- Plumb
Plum (her real name is Tiffany Arbuckle) is an underappreciated artist in the music industry.
She has done both Christian and non-Christian music, and something somewhere in between.
Her voice is soft, but can easily take on rock music—her tone is a bit like Gwen Stefani and
Avril Lavigne combined—now just imagine that with meaningful lyrics and great music! With an
easy, almost (for lack of a better word) yodeling transition to the higher falsetto, the song “Sink
‘n Swim” is full of summertime goodness. Plumb’s semi-rough vocals are complimented by soft
violins, a guitar and a prominent, pop drum beat. The song sounds like something you might
listen to in the car with the windows rolled down. Beautiful, slightly poetic, and catchy—the
perfect summer radio hit.
Canto Alla Vita- Josh Groban (featuring The Corrs)
This song is a bit of a departure from Josh Groban’s usual style, but I really like it.
Entirely in Italian, Josh Groban’s vocals are accompanied by The Corrs’ high, feminine
harmonies, and backed by semi-symphonic sounds and a dance beat. Weaving in and
out of one another, the harmonies are absolutely haunting. Josh obviously knows
what he’s doing, and this song perfectly compliments his voice. This is one of the few
songs by him that I can sing and play on my guitar—that’s probably why it’s one of my
favorites! I looked up the English translation for the Italian lyrics, and from what I can
tell, the lyrics are basically about the tragedy of life, and yet how it all calls to us. As
Josh sings in the song “Chi Chiama…” or, “It calls us.” Haunting, memorable, and
melodic—lovely for everybody, even those not overly fond of Josh’s semi-operatic
vocals.
Fighting for Your Heart- After Edmund
After Edmund is my new favorite Christian rock group. Named after Edmund from C. S. Lewis’s
“The Chronicles of Narnia,” they bring a new sound to the scene. The lead singer’s voice is
higher than your average rocker-guy vocal, and sounds like something you might hear on
mainstream radio. Backed with a rocking electric guitar that seems to use some sort of wicked,
distorted chord pattern, “Fighting for Your Heart” is a catchy, head-bopping song! This is the
sound that Christian rock really is looking for, it’s rocking, without screaming, it’s got enough of
a melody for you to want to sing along, and it’s edgy and new sounding. Definitely a keeper!
Smell the Color 9- Chris Rice
This has got to be one of the most intriguing songs I’ve ever heard. The melody is soft and laid
back. The instruments include an acoustic guitar, soft bells in one part, dogs barking, children
laughing… all sorts of stuff. It also has an over all ‘cool’ feeling to the song—what I call a
‘summery’—and Chris’s vocals are so easy going and soft. The lyrics, however, are half of
what makes this “Smell the Color 9” so amazing. “I can sniff, I can see, and I can count up
pretty high/ but these faculties aren’t getting me any closer to the sky/ but my heart of faith
keeps pounding, so I know I’m doing fine/ its just that finding You is like trying to… smell the
color 9” is the chorus. The words echo and reverberate from speaker to speaker, along with
the humorous lyric thrown in here and there. “Nine’s not a color… and even if it was you can’t
smell a color…” If that doesn’t convince you to buy this song, I don’t know what will!
Click here to go back to the JeccaLand homepage, or here to visit last weeks music pa
 |