Friday New Releases – July 29th

July has been lackluster with the number of albums out mainly due to August & September being such huge release months.  There are some good ones coming out this week, at least I hope they are good.  The ones that have my interest peaked the most are in blue.

  • 517YSRrNH9L._AC_US160_  3 Pill Morning – Never Look Back – (Countdown Ent):  3 Pill Morning followed me on Twitter so I gave their music a listen and I have to say I am really excited about their new album.  If you haven’t heard of them, you should check them out.  What type of music, well they have toured with Theory of a Deadman, Shinedown, Blackstone Cherry, Saving Abel, Fozzy and others so that should give you a good idea.

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Top TV Show Theme Songs – Playlist

I was listening the Monkee’s new album and it got me thinking about their TV show.  My first thought was what a great theme song they had.  That then led me to think about other TV theme songs and which shows had the best.

To do this, I had to break it up into two categories…those with vocals and those without. There are so many TV shows that had great catchy, theme songs.  Off the top of my head you had the Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Different Strokes, Saved by the Bell and so many more.  My kids would add the song from Full House as well.

Nowadays, I don’t feel that TV show theme songs matter much.  No show seems to focus on that at all.  I feel that a good theme song really adds to the show.

Without further ado, here are my Favorite TV Show Theme Songs:

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Needtobreathe – Hard Love – Album Review – 91%

‘Hard Love’ is Needtobreathe’s sixth studio album and one I have been anticipating for quite awhile.  Needtobreathe is one of my favorite bands and their last album wasn’t one of my favorite albums they have done.  It had a darker tone and overall message and didn’t leave with me the great feeling I usually have with a Needtobreathe album.

When I heard about the new album, I was hoping they would lighten up a little and to my surprise they did more than that.  They actually did deliver a much lighter, happier sounding album, but so much so that it feels more like a pop album.  A POP ALBUM???  Needtobreathe is a southern rock, country, folk and straight up rock band.  They are a Christian based band. They are not a POP Band.  Maybe working with Gavin DeGraw on the song “Brother” influenced them greatly.

If you listen to their songs on this album, there is a drum machine.  Not real drums, but a freakin’ drum machine.  And dance grooves on some of the songs.  WTF???  My mind is spinning, what is going on.  The world has gone crazy!.

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Friday New Releases – July 22nd

This is a very quiet week for new releases.  Only one new one that I am eager to hear, Leeland’s ‘Invisible’.  There are 2 greatest hits that you should check out if you don’t have all their stuff already – Dio and Dragonforce.  Outside of that, not real excited about the others.

  • 515hrNs8fbL._AC_US160_  Leeland – Invisible – (Provident) – It has been about 5 years since their last album. The band’s line-up has changed significantly and only 2 members left.  If you like Christian music, they are worth giving a listen.

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Billy Joel – “It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me”

Did you know that Billy Joel’s song “It’s Still Rock & Roll To Me” was #1 on this date, July 19th, back in the year 1980?  And amazingly was his first #1 single!!  He had been releasing albums since 1971 and this was his first #1???  Incredible!!

If I am not mistaken, it was also his first Gold Record, but the song went on to sell over 2 million copies in the U.S. alone.  It is featured on his album from 1980, ‘Glass Houses’ (which I proudly have on vinyl that I have recently rediscovered).

From what I can gather, the song is about how the press was talking up the “new wave” of music at the time and He thought that this so called “new sound” wasn’t really new but it was just rock. It seems also that the label said he needed to change up his style and sound to stay relevant. He felt he would stay relevant and it didn’t matter how he dressed or what he did.  Below is the video and check out the lyrics below.  Enjoy!

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Friday New Releases – July 15th

I have been waiting for this Friday since I found out Needtobreathe was releasing a new album.  That pretty much means I don’t give a rat’s ass about anything else coming out today.  There are some I will check out after several days of listening to ‘Hard Love’.  Those will be highlighted in Blue.

  • needtobreathe-hard-love  Needtobreathe – Hard Love – (Atlantic):  Nothing else matters.  This is the release to check out.  They have been one of my favorite, if not my favorite, band over the last decade.  “Happiness” is classic Needtobreathe so I have high expectations this release.

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#TBT – The Coolest Songs of the 80’s – Playlist

The 80’s was a great time in music for me. It was the time I started really getting obsessed about with it.  There were so many great songs, thanks to the dawn of MTV, during this time. They exposed us to so many more bands that our radio stations were not playing.

There are good songs, great songs, rock songs, dance songs, pop songs and some songs that are just too damn cool.  This list is what I felt were the really cool songs of the decade.  Cool could be the subject matter or the overall sound of the song and of course it is very subjective.  I wasn’t very cool back in the day so my definition of cool might not equal yours.  Come to think of it…I am not cool now.  Oh well, I hope you enjoy the playlist.

Red Rider – “Lunatic Fringe”

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Carey Durham – Mr. Music – Album Spotlight

I used to work with Carey in Atlanta until I moved up to our corporate offices in Charlotte. About 2-3 weeks ago, I ran into Carey in our Charlotte office not realizing he had moved up here a few months earlier (he is working in a different building than I am which is why I hadn’t seen him earlier). I also came to find out that he had released his first full length album back in April 2016.

Now I knew Carey was an extremely talented violinist, as he has performed at company events, but the extent of his talent I had no idea.  He was kind enough to supply me with a copy of his album and I told him I would give it a listen. Let me tell you that I am so glad I did.  I was blown away by the musicianship, the vocals and the production of the album.

How would I describe his album ‘Mr. Music’?  I would say it is a blend of hip-hop, jazz, R&B and a little blues.  A total fusion of many different types of music. The flow of the album is exceptional and it will really put you in a great mood. What I also like about the album is its broad appeal to audiences.  My wife and I both loved it and both of daughters as well. I think that speaks to the fact that really good music can impact anyone and everyone.

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Melanie Martinez – Cry Baby – Album Spotlight

Melanie Martinez was on Season 3 of The Voice and Team Adam.  She didn’t win, but she was able to transition to a record deal with Atlantic Records.  Her first full length album is ‘Cry Baby’ and was released last year on August 14, 2015.

I don’t know if I would have listened to this album on my own.  The only reason I really know about her is my oldest daughter.  Melanie is one of her favorite artist.  When we were on vacation a couple weeks ago, we came across her record in the Vinyl section of a store and I let her get it.  And of course on the car ride home, we had to listen to the album (no, not on vinyl as my car is not outfitted with a turntable – we streamed it).

IMG_2977

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Def Leppard – High & Dry – 35th Anniversary

Today, July 11th, marks the 35th Anniversary of Def Leppard’s best and heaviest album, ‘High & Dry’.  Everyone knows the albums ‘Pyromania’ and ‘Hysteria’, but the album that started it for me was ‘High & Dry’.  My brother had their first album on vinyl ‘On Through the Night’, but that album didn’t really do much for me.  I liked it, but it was lacking in a lot of areas.

It was this album that changed my views on Def Leppard.  This album is what a Rock & Roll album was supposed to sound like.  Once I heard this album, my world was never the same.  Def Leppard became a part of my life and has not stopped since.

What was so special about this album?  For starters, the producer was the legendary, Mutt Lange.  He went on to produce ‘Pyromania’ and ‘Hysteria’ as well.  Mutt Lange was able to take the elements that were missing on their first album and put them together here.  The improvements from their first album to here are huge.  They sounded like a band that had a plan and an idea of who they were that they didn’t have before.

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