Posts Tagged ‘Acoustic’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

As I’ve mentioned before, if Jessie J’s charisma and powerhouse vocals could be sculpted into car form, the result would definitely be a hot pink Cadillac. That, or an 18 wheeler. That’s the kind of force that’s steering Jessie J into superstardom.

And with the release of her debut album, JJ’s left a mark as unforgettable as seeing a freakin’ UFO. Honestly, this might be the best mainstream pop record I’ve heard all year. If you haven’t picked up a copy, do it now.

Besides Who You Are (I know, I know, I’ve raved about this track way too damn much), my favorite tracks are Rainbow and Stand Up.

Listen/watch below.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

It seems like every day someone else is jumping on the Adele train, and I say, all aboard! Rolling In The Deep is such a beautiful song, so why shouldn’t we get as much as we can? It’s so nice to see such a talented, true artist getting recognized by so many. Her album, 21, is a must have if you haven’t already picked up a copy.

Check out two new awesome renditions of Rolling In The Deep, performed by the new Irish girl group, Wonderland & BTB favorite, the PS22 Chorus.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

This girl never seems to fail to impress me. Christina Perri has dropped another track entitled Penguin and I can’t get it out of my head. I loved Lonely and Jar of Hearts and can barely stand the wait; the album needs to drop! Her vocal talent and lyrical content can be greatly appreciated and respected as real, raw music. Homegirl has talent.

This song is light, fluffy, and done right. Cute and poignant, this track can relate to almost everyone. Give it a listen.

By: Caitlin Hoffman
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I dig musicians with soul. And not just the kind of soul that gives magic to the groove. I mean the soul beneath the skin that so many philosophers debate about. The spark that wants to make a difference in the world.

Jack Johnson is a musician with that kind of soul. Part musician, part surfer, part family man, but all about the love. He has promised to donate $50,000 to the Japan Tsunami Relief Effort, and that’s a move that deserves a pat on the back. Jack and his band were actually in Japan when the earthquake hit, mid-way through their To The Sea tour. The experience was so rattling for him that it awoke his inner philanthropy. He describes it as such: “My family and I were in our hotel room on the 29th floor in Osaka when the earthquake hit. Although it was an extremely nerve-racking experience, it was nothing compared to what those closer to the epicenter are going through. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families that have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We are making a donation to help with the relief efforts and hope to be back in Japan soon to reunite with friends and play more music.”

What’s more, all of the moolah he’s making from his tour is going directly to charity.

I only hope that more men like him get out into the world and keep on making music. He has an attentiveness that comes through his music’s mellow vibes.

Let’s all have a round of applause for Jack Johnson, a man who uses his music to make a difference, not as an excuse to hit on groupies and throw up backstage.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

One of my beloved powerhouse groups, Halestorm, are back with a new EP entitled ReAnimate: The Covers. Lead singer, Lzzy Hale, blares notes so high, things may possibly explode. Her voice is truly one of the best out to date, with a range that’s purely epic. Halestorm covers a diverse collection of greats such as Skid Row, The Beatles, Guns N’ Roses, and modern day diva Lady Gaga (among others).

This disc has a little bit for everyone, while putting a unique, rock and roll touch on each track. This group never disappoints, live or on the airwaves. See the video below in case you need a reminder.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Someone teach this boy how to dougie!

[The dougie comment will not make sense until you watch the 2nd vid.]

Adam Lambert has dropped a remixed version of Aftermath specifically as a charity single to raise awareness/benefit the Trevor Project. If you live under a rock, the Trevor Project is an organization that focuses on the prevention of youth crisis suicide in the LGBTQ community.

Recently, the organization posted some of Lambert’s inspiring Aftermath lyrics via Twitter, tweeting to their followers: “Anytime anybody pulls you down, Anytime anybody says you’re not allowed, Just remember you are not alone, In the #Aftermath ~@adamlambert”

Lambert performed the track last night on the Idol stage and the result was nothing short of dandy. Yes, dandy! I said it. It just felt appropriate. His vocals were amazing (as always) and he showed nothing but grace and humility (as always).

Lambert’s a good guy!

Be sure to purchase this track to support a wonderful cause.

Check out Lambert’s interview with Ryan Seacrest + his acoustic performance of the track via American Idol following.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing Joshua Radin (with opening acts Justin Nozuka & Andrew Allen), live in concert via the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square…

The general consensus is that Joshua Radin is a cutie pie, an A+ type of man dipped in whip cream and covered in rainbow sprinkles. Because honestly, let’s face facts: the guy’s sweet. Yet after seeing him perform live, I think that statement is only partially true. Missing from that statement is the fact that Radin’s substance isn’t sugar coated or sugar based at all. It’s apparent when Radin takes the stage and tells his often quirky stories of past ex-girlfriends and awkward moments in baby making, that Radin is a man whose heart has been shattered and put back together time and time again with a guitar pick and a microphone.

The man comes across absolutely genuine and real on stage and that aura of energy is one of the reasons he is so beloved. The minute he starts to strum, the audience is mesmerized and captivated by his marshmallow voice — his lyrics and emotion as comfortable as peanut butter and jelly — yet as beautiful and exotic as white sand.

Ok, I’m gonna take a moment to step away from the writer mentality and quickly say that my favorite moment of the whole damn show was when Radin — who works with the amazing organization Little Kids Rock – brought three kids on stage from a public school in the Bronx (which he had visited earlier as a part of the organization’s mission to save music programs in public schools), and had the three students play along with him as he performed Brand New Day, all three of the girls strumming along on their acoustic guitars. The audience went wild — not only for the heart that seems to bleed from this artist — but for the utterly normal, giving, non-egotistical being that he comes off as being.

Radin’s low-fi sound is one that shouldn’t be missed live.

Opening acts Justin Nozuka and Andrew Allen were also incredible. I have seen Nozuka in concert before and he always delivers and packs a punch. One exciting note on Nozuka’s behalf is that he mentioned his plan to record with India Arie. Something I definitely look forward to hearing in the future.

Canadian singer/songwriter Andrew Allen comes off as quirky on stage, wrapped in a package that is full of a marketability factor that should ultimately be used as an advantage for him as he tries to make a splash in the States.

Go.see.this.tour.

The end.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Sorry, Kris — Zorro takes the crown!

Aside from his serious work with the UN Foundation and Haiti relief, Kris Allen is usually a nut. Someone got hit with the looks stick and was also served a big fat bowl of lucky luck charms. He ain’t just a pretty face, he’s got a sweet soul’d out voice and quite the witty wit wit to boot.

Check out Kris Allen and his French Bulldog pup, Zorro, in action below + a live acoustic cover of MJ’s classic Man In The Mirror following. (Notice the comedic commentary before the song begins. Love this guy!)

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Seriously random!

I saw Posner in concert this past October (see related post below) and the new kid on the block definitely delivered. As expected, his show was an intense sucker punch of energy. However, in a new live performance clip, Posner pulls the plug on the romp and intimately strips down.

Call me blind but when I started to watch the performance, I noticed that something about Mike Posner slightly reminds me of Macaulay Culkin. One google click later and I realized it’s the freakin’ droopy eyes! Do you see what I see? Or do you think I’m batshit crazy?

Aiight, back to the goods…

Watch Posner’s stripped performance of Falling (via Rolling Stone) below.

[Related Post: Gettin' Slizzard with Mike Posner]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

[Photo by: Kevin Winter/Getty Images North America]
If you’re familiar with this track you’re probably wondering why I am writing about a song that was released in 1995. Well, lil’ marshmallows, it’s because I can and because I am seriously hoping that this article will be seen as a plea to the universe, one that might possibly inspire Loeb to pick up the guitar again.

Sandalwood is one of those perfectly shaped heart-splattered songs that was made for a mix tape (for your new found crush or significant other). It bleeds with the scratch of a guitar pick and a desperately yearning-to-be-touched soul. It will literally go down as one of my all-time favorite songs.

If you have yet to do so, you must kick it back to 1995 and check out the studio/album version.

In the meantime, you can watch a performance of the song (live in 2008) below.

Oh and btw… Lisa, if you’re reading this — your music has helped me out in many painful times in my life and I think I speak for your fans when I say, thanks, and we miss you.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Effing rad!

BTB has long supported Cee Lo Green’s genius. Following the huge global success of F**k You which spent two weeks at #1 and is fast approaching 400,000 sales in the UK alone, the soul giant has released his latest album, The Lady Killer.

The awesome disc features collaborators including Salaam Remi and Fraser T. Smith. The critically acclaimed album seals his rep — not only as a writer, producer and performer of unrivalled pizzazz, but as a singer whose voice can nail an emotion: pain, frustration, yearning, sarcasm, anger, love, lust, & frustration like no other musician in the game. Cee Lo Green is truly one of a kind.

While promoting the record in the UK, Cee Lo stopped by Radio 1’s Live Lounge and performed a beautiful acoustic cover of Kings of Leon’s hit Radioactive, dusting the song with his signature soul’d out vocals.

Listen to Cee Lo’s take on Radioactive below.

Cee Lo Green – Radioactive (Audio)

[Related Post: The 'Radioactive' Return Of Kings]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

[Photo: Rob Brayl (Me), Maria Ciezak, Caitlin Hoffman -- BTB Staff]
Yo kiddies & parents & any soul who is reading,

I suppose I should start with the purpose of this letter. I wanted to do my part in partaking in the Love Is Louder / It Gets Better projects that have been circulating the media and infiltrating the internet. If you read BTB, you know that I have posted videos on the cause – celebrities and musicians who have brought awareness to the issue – and although I appreciate these voices of power, I also felt like no one had mentioned what I’m about to mention and that is why I knew I had to do this.

I’m not a YouTuber, and I don’t ever make vlogs but I did record a video for this project. After watching it though, I realized that I’m unsure if I feel comfortable posting. I got a bit too emotional in the video, to the point that I just have issues with putting that out there right now. This could change, but as of now, I’ve decided to write instead. I’m a writer after all.

I can only speak on personal experience, so here goes…

To me, the biggest bully in my life, wasn’t necessarily a person (although a few individuals come to mind). The biggest bully in my life was an organization, one whose intention isn’t meant to demean or to spew hatred, one whose purpose is actually to do the polar opposite, but for me, as unfortunate as it was, this was not the case.

The biggest bully in my life growing up was The Church.

I want to state that clearly not all churches are bullies – there are some wonderful churches in the world – but for me, growing up in the environment in which I did, the church was a devastating part of my existence.

To give a brief back-story: I grew up in the South, in a town of 4,000 people. Dirt roads, farms, Wal-Mart, rodeos, football – it’s most likely everything you’re thinking of and more (basically, think Varsity Blues for reference). I don’t want to say that I was a target of a particular church or that it was solely the reason I was led down such a dark road because there’s deeper issues there and deeper issues at play. Issues I do not wish to disperse openly in this format. Underneath, I realize that there are so many other factors that you have to take into consideration, but this is my truth and this is how the church left me feeling completely alone and tortured.

I remember being around ten years old when I heard what so many of you have heard. There was a distant relative in my family who I had never met, and one time when my family had guests over for dinner, he became the topic of conversation. I was playing with Legos, being a kid, when I overheard something that felt like a bullet. This relative was gay. He died of AIDS. And what I heard was that he would never get into heaven. I remember crying myself to sleep that night, because even though I had no clue how to verbalize who I was, I knew that I was somehow like this man. I cried myself to sleep, praying.

My prayer: I begged God to fix me.

This is just one example. There’s more personal issues I do not wish to tell, stories that probably have been told before. But what lies underneath that one moment in which is shared has to deal with The Church and how so much fear and hatred is poured into the potion of God. And I find it to be painfully sad that the church often dilutes God’s love.

The Church made me constantly question my own creation. I battled with the idea of why God would create me, if all I would ever be viewed as is flawed. There were times when I literally hated myself. I felt ugly and unlovable, to the point that eventually when I would look into the mirror, I would not even question it, for the weight of the feeling of ugliness had already found its home on my shoulders.

No one should ever feel this way.

I carried that weight around for years and years, until I finally realized that maybe my colors were a little too bright because God was going to use the palette of all that I was to paint a visual that only I could create. The same can be said for all of you, every single person who finds this, who stumbles upon this. You were meant to read this and your colors, the insane mixture of colors that swirl inside of you, were hand selected. You were born an original. Why set on being a copy? God didn’t just create black and white, he also created rainbows. And colors that the eyes can’t fully digest, so do you really think that if his design and genius was this intense, this wonderful and magical and complex that he would only create one single idea of what is right and one hue of sexuality?

It would take me forever to count and to present to you the ways in which God has never left me along the way, through all the struggles I’ve faced and still face. It’s made me come to one conclusion: God effing loves me.

I want you to know that God loves you, too. I realize that may sound like some summer camp cheesefest but know this is coming from a genuine space and that I’m real, that is the truth and nothing but the truth. God loves you and you are exactly who you were created to be. I know it can be hard and that high school sucks balls but I promise you, that if you focus on your mind, and you stay positive and hold onto faith, that you will develop into something beautiful.

I want to note that my family is loving and supportive of me and all my colors. That story of the distant relative has a lot to do with the time period and the place and the culture of where I grew up. It just goes to show that not everyone really knows what they’re saying and how those words can be used as weapons. Often, it’s the ones who love us the most who leave the deepest wounds. And often, it’s because they are blissfully unaware, which is why these projects are necessary.

I want to end this sappy situation with one of my favorite quotes by the awesome Zach Galifianakis. When asked his views on the Bible here is what he had to say:

“Well, it is hard to argue the teachings of Jesus – whether you believe or not. But the jerks at the Southern Baptist Convention and the freaks at Focus on the Family have completely hijacked those teachings of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount is all about turning the other cheek. I think if Jesus were to come back he would more likely hang out with low-lifes and perhaps be in a really bad cover band, but do his good work.”

My thoughts exactly.

Your buddy-o,
Rob Brayl
#loveislouder
#itgetsbetter

The Seven – MTV Shows

Since I used Zach’s quote + for comic relief, and since I love how he mentions his daily reading of the Scripture, I thought I’d throw the clip above into the mix.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Gorgeous.

Ellie Goulding made her US debut recently with An Introduction To Ellie Goulding EP, and the response has been solid. The UK songbird proved to have a presence in the states with sold out shows in Los Angeles and New York City. While in New York, Goulding stopped by the Last.fm studios to perform Guns And Horses and The Writer.

You wait for a silence
I wait for a word
Lie next to your frame
Girl unobserved
You change your position
And you are changing me
Casting these shadows
Where they shouldn’t be

We’re interrupted by the heat of the sun
Trying to prevent what’s already begun
You’re just a body
I can smell your skin
And when I feel it, you’re wearing thin

But I’ve got a plan
Why don’t you be the artist; and make me out of clay?
Why don’t you be the writer and decide the words I say?
Because I’d rather pretend
I’ll still be there at the end
Only it’s too hard to ask…
Won’t you try to help me?

Check out Ellie’s live performance of The Writer, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Saw this kid live last night at Mike Posner’s show…

This cover really doesn’t showcase what his music is like live, I just thought it was a rad cover. Jerzak is jerking with animation in concert and his music feels very neon and positive in an emo pop sort of way. Basically it’s perfect for a mixtape, one you can give to a crush or throw on during a summer roadtrip.

Check out his version of Dynamite below.

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

LA’s Crash Kings are high energy piano rock gods. Fittingly named after their ill-fated disasters with motor vehicles and their party-crashing boldness, they’re the ones to look out for. Crash Kings have a distinct voice, and that is what I look for in musicians. Don’t we all?

This self-titled album came out over a year ago, but the boys are starting to get radio play with single Mountain Man, and are truly breaking the mold. Admittedly, I had only known the band for this one song, but it inspired me to listen to the whole album, and it’s very addictive. Another attractive quality is that these guys use analog keyboards such as the Clavinet with twist effects and a whammy bar in place of an archetypal lead guitar. So you’re telling me this is a guitar driven band without a guitar? Well, kinda. Dudes are on a musical quest to create hits with just keys, bass, and drums! With tube overdrive and assorted amps, the bass brings substance to the band’s sound. Yeah, they are indisputably one of the most creative bands I’ve heard in years.

Let’s face it, since the demise of Ben Folds, piano rock has been absent of late. Antonio Beliveau (vocals, piano, keyboards), Michael Beliveau (bass), Jason Morris (drums) turn it up to the max on every minute, and it only helps that Tony and Mike are bro’s, for when siblings play music they are apt to make a certain magic exclusive unto itself. Crash Kings’ style is so damn prominent, and not to mention the lyrical genius that presents itself on the album. You’ve got rock songs, you’ve got ballads, and you’ve got success. They clearly know how to write a hook in the chorus and flank it with convincing verses – and their harmonies aren’t too shabby either. The key standouts include the trendy, previously mentioned opener, Mountain Man, the contagious 1985 (no, this is not a Bowling For Soup cover), the well-dressed Raincoat, and tremendously mesmeric My Love.

Crash Kings are ready to rule your musical world; they may be a trio, but they sound like a full house, for just like a crash, it falls in your ears and comes down violently.

Check out a stripped down performance and find out for yourself!