Don't Give Up

So I went MIA again, so I apologize.  But on a good note, there's a lot happening in the field of music right now, so be prepared for plenty of amazing posts coming up.

To start off my comeback, Blue Hawk Records is preparing to release their seventh album on DECEMBER 9th!!!  I can first-handedly say that this is one of our most rocking' albums yet, so be prepared to be bombarded with posts about the upcoming release!

Another thing you'll have to look forward to is a bunch of random information.  If you've been a reader of mine for a while (and I thank you if you have) you'll already know that I talk about some really random stuff sometimes, so it's only appropriate that that continues.

If you have a Spotify, a lot of my posts will probably involve playlists, but if you don't have a Spotify, I will be sure to make the songs accessible to you.

So that's basically what I am going to be talking about from here on out, but I'm going to try to make it as interesting as possible.  So things you will NOT see anymore on here are song reviews (so no, I will not be covering "Hello" by Adele) and people I'm sick of seeing in the music industry.  So many people are sick of Taylor Swift, so you don't want to hear me say I'm sick of her when a majority of the world is already saying it.

So to leave you today on a good note, here's One Direction's latest music video (because if you've been a reader for a while you will know that I love the boys).

[Source:  YouTube]

Hallelujah

I was watching old X Factor performances from both the X Factor UK and US.  I didn't watch X Factor US, but I remember how crazy people went for Carly Rose Sonenclar.  Her voice is incredible.  She was the runner-up in the second season of the show in 2012 but honestly deserved to be the winner.

In the live finals she performed "Hallelujah" and I get goosebumps every time I watch it.

[Source:  YouTube]

Please tell me you did not get goosebumps watching that.  Flawless:  the word I will use to describe her talent.  She sounds absolutely perfect the whole three minutes.  Absolutely perfect.

American Girl

[Photo:  dearagi.com]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' second single from their debut album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  It is from 1977 and people still play it all the time.  That is when you know a song was a good one.

The chorus is only four lines, but it is sooo good:

Oh yeah, all right

Take it easy, baby

Make it last all night

She was an American girl

And along with the chorus, the second verse is astounding:

Well it was kind of cold that night,

She stood alone on her balcony

Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by,

Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach

And for one desperate moment

There he crept back in her memory

God it's so painful when something that's so close

Is still so far out of reach

Is that not a powerful set of lyrics?  "God it's so painful when something that's so close / Is still so far out of reach," hits home I think for everyone.  But while it is so relatable, I guess you could say it is a tiny bit depressing.  "And for one desperate moment / There he crept back in her memory."  A "desperate moment" is always a hopeless moment.

So many different feelings I feel are tackled in this song, which is partially why I think it is formidable.  The band made it an upbeat, fun-sounding song, yet they talk about a girl who stands on her balcony alone thinking about some guy who has no meaning to us as listeners.  It is like, you want to feel badly for her, but the song is so dance-worthy that you...can't.  Am I misinterpreting it?  Probably.

With A Little Help From My Friends

Happy Thanksgiving!!  We all get caught up in work, school, and everything else in our lives, that we forget about what we do have.  Today is the perfect day to say "thanks" for everything great in your life.  I always give thanks for my family, my friends, my good health, and music.  What would I do without music?  Not much, that's what!

I am thankful for all of the classic artists, as well as the new and upcoming.  There is a lot to be thankful for with the music industry.

[Source:  YouTube]

Midnight Memories

I bought One Direction's new album, Midnight Memories, yesterday and I have to say, it is different, yet very good.

Actually, I kind of want to change what I said.  It is different, but I have seen that every new release of theirs sounds different than the one before.  The only thing, is that this one sounds extremely different.

Here's the track list:

1. Best Song Ever
2. Story Of My Life
3. Diana
4. Midnight Memories
5. You & I
6. Don't Forget Where You Belong
7. Strong
8. Happily
9. Right Now
10. Little Black Dress
11. Through The Dark
12. Something Great
13. Little White Lies
14. Better Than Words
15. Why Don't We Go There*
16. Does He Know?*
17. Alive*
18. Half A Heart*

*Deluxe version

If you listen to Up All Night and then listen to this album, you will be amazed as to how the boys have matured; lyrically and musically.  Even the jump from Up All Night to Take Me Home was a pretty great one.

Louis's solos make me want to cry.  Zayn's high notes make me want to scream.  This whole album makes me want to go crazy.  Play this album on the highest volume your device allows!!!!

"Midnight Memories" is very rock 'n roll (actually a majority of the album sounds very rock 'n roll), "Little White Lies" has a BASS DROP, and "You & I" sounds a little like "Change My Mind" from Take Me Home.  This whole album has me very impressed.  Amazing job my little British and Irish lads!

You can of course purchase the album wherever CDs are sold.  

Salute

There are plenty of songs that I absolutely hate before I love.  Whether it's the rhythm, the lyrics, or the genre, sometimes all I need to do is listen to it 50 times before it is one of my favorites.

1. Little Mix - Salute - This song is off their new album Salute which is not yet available in the states.  I couldn't resist myself and I listened to all of the songs on YouTube and the second this song started playing, I immediately turned it off.  I thought it was absolute rubbish!  The beat just gave me chills.  But since I love Little Mix, I brought myself to listen to it a few times and now it is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
2. One Direction - Change My Mind - I know, I know.  How could I hate a 1D song?  I'll admit that I had never listened to the song from the beginning to the end until about four months after I got the album.  The reason?  I hated the beginning of the song.  It was not Louis, I just found the first ten seconds to be very dull and borrring.
3. Lorde - Royals - I have never heard a song played on the radio as much as this one.  I was sick of hearing it, until I listened to it on my own.  I don't love it, but I like listening to it.  I guess you could say it's one of those songs that I have to be in the mood to listen to.  

Stop the Music

A new EP by Sammy Adams was recently released and I just had the chance to listen to it.  It's called Homecoming and sounds similar yet more mature than his previous albums...not that his previous albums sounded immature.

The EP is just $4.99 (plus tax) on iTunes and features six brand new tracks...which are all explicit so I don't recommend it for children under the age of 17.

The genre, of course, is rap, but they don't sound like songs from a new Lil Wayne album.  No, no, no.  The songs sound the way Sammy Adams has always sounded, trust me.  My favorite one is called "Stop the Music" which is the first track on the EP and really does not sound like rap at all.  Here's the tune:

[Source:  YouTube]

Sammy Adams is currently on tour with Timeflies and their final show is tomorrow night in Detroit.  If you would like to find out more about Sammy, you can go here!

Oath

Well, it is official.  English singer Cher Lloyd married longtime beau Craig Monk on the 18th.

You all know I am a huge fan of the pop star so I am so happy for her and her new husband.  She may only be 20-years-old, but he star has already accomplished so much with her career with number-one singles, top twenty album in five countries, and a sophomore album on the way, Cher has done more than the average 20-something.

Want U Back

With Ur Love

Oath

I Wish

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)

I was thinking about this song a lot yesterday, so I thought I'd share it with you.  Enjoy!

Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)

[Source:  YouTube]

The Way I Am

So something interesting was recently brought to my attention.  Hip-hop vs. Shakespeare.  When given the task of determining whether a line is from a famous rap song or from one of the playwright's works, the answer is quite difficult to come to.

You see, Shakespeare was a self-educated man who spoke with deep meaning.  Rappers (although not always) do the same thing.  They take their feelings and modern day issues and address them in their raps, but do so with a lot of emotion.

So, I thought we would play a little game.  I am going to give you a line from either a work of Shakespeare or a line from a contemporary rap song and you will have to guess what it is from.  No cheating!!!  Ready?  Let's go.

1.  "And I rest again peacefully."

2.  "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

3.  "I must be cruel only to be kind."

4.  "Then I hope this take away from my sins."

5.  "May the Lord protect me as the world gets hectic."

6.  "To destroy the beauty from which one came."

7.  "The most benevolent king communicates through your dreams."

8.  "I was not born under a rhyming planet."

How do you think you did?  Well, you had a 50/50 chance, right?  Let me explain the answers.

First, let's look at number one.  Hip-hop or Shakespeare?  Hip-hop.  This line is from Eminem's song "The Way I Am."  Number two is...Shakespeare.  "Hell is empty and all the devils are here" is from  Act I, Scene ii of his play The Tempest.  Number three should have been a piece of cake!  It was from Act III, Scene iv of Shakespeare's play Hamlet.  Know Kanye West's song "Jesus Walks?"  That was the answer to number four.  "May the Lord protect me as the world gets hectic" sounds like a line from Shakespeare.  Wrong.  It's a line from Nicki Minaj's "Autobiography" which means number five is hip-hop.  The answer to number six is hip-hop.  It 's from Jay-Z's song "You Must Love Me."  Number seven is a tricky one.  If you guessed hip-hop, you are correct!  It's a line from a Wu-Tang Clan song.  And finally number eight, which is surprisingly Shakespeare, Act V, Scene ii of Much Ado About Nothing.  

Little Me

Little Mix just released their sophomore album basically everywhere except the US!!  Thanks, girls (sorry for the sarcasm).  Salute features their brand new single "Move" which is available for download on iTunes.  At least we get that to help make this dreadful wait a little bit better.

Well I am a huge fan of the X Factor UK.  There is a portion of the show called The Xtra Factor and Little Mix performed a song from their new album called "Little Me."  I fell in love with it immediately!

[Source:  YouTube/The Xtra Factor]

This is a piano version of the song, but it is still as good as the recording.  I just think they sound beautiful in this.  The four girls - Perrie, Leigh-Anne, Jade, and Jesy - sound amazing together.  Their voices all compliment the next girl's perfectly.  This song has the same sound as their first album DNA, so I like that, too.  

Summertime Sadness

The lyrics to "We Can't Stop" and the title Bangerz for her album have made Miley Cyrus one of the most well-known names in the music biz.  Despite her recent decisions (which have been viewed as "trashy" by some) I love her.  She has an incredible amount of talent and is perfect in so many ways.

I also love BBC Radio 1, the radio station in the UK. Well, Miss Cyrus was there the other day and did a cover in the Live Lounge of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness."  I have nothing to say except it was incredible.  Lana has such a distinct voice that I have felt no one can really mimic, but Miley does it beautifully.  Here it is:

[Source:  YouTube]

I am also blown away by how well she sings this live.  I sing Del Rey songs around the house and I always have a hard time.  I saw her in concert in 2009 for her Wonder World Tour and she was flawless then and continues to be flawless now.

She gets a lot of crap from so many people, but my cousins and I will always be true Smilers...forever!  Love you, Miley xx <3

The Nerds

On Thursday night I saw a band called The Nerds.  They are a cover band that has been around for quite some time - my mom used to see them with her friend in the '80s.  I've seen them before and they are absolutely incredible!!  Their name fits them well because they are dressed up as, well, nerds.  

They performed a very diverse group of songs:

1.  The Boys Of Summer - Don Henley

2.  Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

3.  Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars

4.  Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

5.  An insert from Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Several more were in this mix but unfortunately the concert had to be cut short due to rain since the show was outdoors.  

Here is a picture of the stage before the concert. 

I am unable to post the short video I took of their performance of "The Boys Of Summer," but if you have an Instagram you can watch it on there. My Instagram is @jordanhanley03 

The moment you have all been waiting for

Here it is!  I have uploaded my performance of "Operator" by Jim Croce onto YouTube!  Again, a big thanks to Cameron who agreed to play the guitar for me - he made my talent show experience so much better.  Please tell your friends and families about this video, I would love for it to go viral or possibly land me a record deal!
Here is the YouTube link so you can view it and leave comments there:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqAxyb6YfqA

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me.  This would have never been possible without all of your help! XOXO

We are not the champions

I REALLY apologize for not posting for two whole weeks!  The past two weeks have been a little insane, but my life is now going to be going back to normal.  On that note, I would like to share with you all some news.  Last Friday I participated in my school's talent show.  Even though we did not place, (I am not too happy) in my opinion, we still did very well.  I really have my friend, Cameron, to thank.  He's the reason we did as well as we did.  When I first wanted to be in the talent show, I thought about how I wanted to sing acoustically but I had no one to play the guitar for me.  When my brother's friend brought up Cameron, I jumped at the opportunity to ask him to perform with me.  When he agreed, I immediately started thinking of some song ideas.  My first song choice was "Landslide" by Stevie Nicks, although we would have covered the Dixie Chicks' version.  Our song choice ended up being one of his suggestions, "Operator" by Jim Croce.  I am going to be uploading the video of our performance onto YouTube soon, so stay tuned for the video, as I will be posting it on here.  But because you have to wait, I'll give you a sneak peak with a picture!