Do They Know It's Christmas?

I wasn't going to talk about Band Aid 30's 2014 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" but it's number four on the iTunes charts so maybe I should.

Recorded earlier this week in Notting Hill, London, the purpose of the track is to help in battling the Ebola virus.  The song was originally written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 (hence why the current name is Band Aid 30 because it has been 30 years) to aid the famine in Ethiopia.

Several artists came together to record the song, including One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs, Bono, Sam Smith, Rita Ora, Chris Martin, and Emeli Sande.

You can purchase the song on iTunes and all of the proceeds go to helping battle the virus.

Buy the song.  Stop the virus.

[Source:  YouTube]

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I was just on the Billboard website and watched the music video for Idina Menzel's and Michael Buble's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and it is very adorable.

The video is two kids singing and dancing through a hotel lip-syncing to Menzel's and Buble's parts.  The two singers even make some appearances in the video.

The song is off Menzel's Christmas album, Holiday Wishes, which was released back in October.

Check out the video below.

[Source:  YouTube]

Illusion

One Direction's fourth album FOUR was released at 11 PM last night.  I don't know if I've ever said this, but I have to have the actual CD - I don't buy albums on iTunes.  I won't have the CD until Friday (don't worry, my mom already bought it), so to hold me over until then, I bought the deluxe tracks on iTunes last night.

They have had better deluxe tracks.

All of their deluxe albums thus far have had some of my favorite One Direction songs on them - "Nobody Compares," "Does He Know," etc...

My favorite album of theirs is Midnight Memories.  I loved the edge they had with that album, but they still had some stuff that sounded like a mature continuation of Take Me Home, like "Best Song Ever," and some stuff that sounded like current British folk rock, like "Through the Dark."  I'm hoping this album as a whole can live up to the edgy potential it should.

I have not listened to the songs yet because I'm waiting for Friday when I have the CD in my possession.  From what I have heard, though (ie "Steal My Girl," "Night Changes," and "Fireproof"), the album put together isn't bad.

"Illusion" on the deluxe version is my favorite deluxe track - I love it.  The opening measures sound like "Little White Lies" from their third album.  "Act My Age" is very fitting for the only Irishman in the group, Niall Horan, with the Irish kick to it.  The song doesn't have as quite an edgy sound as a Dropkick Murphys song, though.

"Change Your Ticket" sounds like a song by The Script.... or a very pop-y song by The 1975.  That one is my second favorite deluxe track.  And "Once in a Lifetime" reminds me something but I can't remember.  That one's my least favorite on the deluxe album, but I'll listen to it over and over anyway because I know every word to every single One Direction song and there's no way I'm stopping now.

I've been listening to the deluxe tracks since I started this post.  As I continue to listen, they're not terrible at all.  And from what I have heard from the album, I'm pretty excited to listen to the rest of it.  When there was just Up All Night out, I loved it.  Then when Take Me Home was released, that one became my favorite and then the same thing happened with Midnight Memories.  I just hope the same thing happens with FOUR.

Say You Love Me

After being nominated for a Mercury prize with Devotion, Jessie Ware's fans became so excited when news came out about a sophomore album. After two years, the wait was finally over with the release of Ware’s title track, “Tough Love,” in June. With its peak in the Top 40, the single gave clue to what would come with this collection of broken hearts and deep feelings.

The difference between her sophomore album and her debut is her improved maturity, vocal delivery, and poise, making this album one of the best out right now. Her songs, like her debut, convey feelings of sadness and broken hearts. Produced by Dave Okumu, BenZel, and James Ford, the album is the perfect mixture of Electronica and Pop.

[Source:  YouTube]

Co-writing every track, Jessie Ware found herself occasionally collaborating with some of the most well-known songwriters of today’s time. Fellow Brit Ed Sheeran assisted in writing ballad “Say You Love Me,” the second single from her album, released in September. The song presents her power-alto voice in the way it should be presented.

Regardless of how her songs were composed, what really matters is how Ware sounds. Her powerful and romantic voice makes each song worth listening to 10 times over. With the electronic sound not as profound as in her debut, her vocal delivery is more apparent, resulting in an album that should be put on repeat.