Songs I Dig - 10

Here it is! At long last, here is the much anticipated "Songs I Dig" blog I intended to write in July but which I never got around to it. All of the songs you see in this particular edition have been on the radio for a few months now and you might just be sick of hearing them by now. I know one such song is always on the radio to this day! Apparently the listeners haven't gotten tired of it yet. But we'll get to that song momentarily. Most of the artists featured in this edition are new to the SID blog. That doesn't mean they haven't been around for long; it's just that my blog hasn't been around for long! Anyways, without further ado, here are the songs I am digging!

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay - Ah yes, it's the Coldplay juggernaut. What a brilliant piece of work this song is; complete with the title which never gets mentioned in any of the lyrics to the song and the fabulous use of orchastry throughout. When I first heard it, I loved it instantly and still do to this day. This was the song I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this blog as a song that gets plenty of radio airplay to this day. It's no wonder the song has already reached number one here in the United States and in many countries throughout the world. Coldplay is no stranger to the music industry. The band first met in 1996 and basically played locally in and around London, England. They released their first album independently in 1998 - releasing only 500 copies. Soon afterwards, they signed with a record company in the U.K. Ever since then, Coldplay has been known for a number of giant hits such as "Yellow," "Trouble," "Clocks," "In My Place," "Speed of Sound," and "Fix You." Their latest album, "Vida La Vida," is one that moves the band in a different direction from their previous albums. Chris Martin, the lead vocalist of Coldplay, also says he uses much less falsetto than in previous songs. Definitely big changes for a group that has already experienced tremendous success.

"Come on Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson - This song is about as catchy as it gets; and it's sweet, soulful beat is just as enjoyable. I know I became a fan of this tune almost instantly. I think the lyrics are what I found to me most intriguing, especially the chorus. "So come on, get higher; loosen my lips ... faith and desire, and the swing of your hips ... just pull me down hard; and drown me in love ... These lyrics are repeated quite often throughout the duration of the song; so as you can see, it's pretty easy to see how catchy the song can be. "I miss" is used quite often throughout the song, so I am lead to believe that this is a song about a break-up and the individual "singing" the lyrics is fondly remembering the person the song is about. Obviously it's a male singing about a female, so essentially, he'd "walk on water" and do eveything he could to have what he once had. At least that is the message that comes across as I contemplate the lyrics. You may be familiar with Matt's other tune he released from his most recent album titled "Car Crash." It was a song with a faster pace but it probably didn't make as big of a splash as "Come on Get Higher" has. Also, for the fans of the movie franchise "American Pie," Matt's cover of the James band tune "Laid" was used in the "American Wedding" and "American Pie Presents: Band Camp" soundtracks.

"Bottle it Up" by Sara Bareilles - Here is another soulful, sassy, and fun-loving tune by an up-and-coming artist. Bareilles burst on the scene with her 2007 hit song "Love Song" and has experienced a tremendous swing in popularity as a result. In fact, "Love Song" hit number one on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She grew up in Eureka, California and music has been a big part of her life ever since appearing in high school musical productions and choir. She moved on to college where she attended UCLA and participated in an a cappella musical group there. Sara has opened and toured with a variety of musical groups since, including Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, Guster, Jon McLaughlin, Mika, Maroon 5, Paolo Nutini, and James Blunt. In fact, she's probably more familiar with Maroon 5 than most, considering they were both based out of California. Her first major studio voice titled "Little Voice" released in 2007 has thus far been certified gold, while "Love Song" has been established as a double platinum tune. "Love Song" and Bottle it Up" have been the first two songs released from the album, and expect "Love on the Rocks" to come up fairly soon. As I mentioned, "Bottle it Up" is a fun, catchy, and sassy little song. It's one of many reasons why it's a song I've enjoyed listening to.

"9 in the Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco - Another fun; yet rather strange song here; at least if you go by the title. It's a complete contradiction in of itself: a time of nine o'clock simply is not possible in the afternoon. Morning, yes. Evening, yes. Afternoon, no. But I think that is one of the reasons that makes this song unique. The lyrics itself appear to be one big rambling as there doesn't to be one simple subject. I get the sense that it's a song about youth and possibly love, too. The people written into the song are experiencing many different things and I sense immaturity as well as a sense of adventure. It's definitely a song about more than two people; although a couple (male & female) is mentioned, "...feeling as good as lovers can, you know..." Maybe I have lost the true meaning of the song and it's gone way over my head; but whatever the case, I still find it enjoyable. I'm not always perfect at interpretting a songs meaning, I'll admit that. Panic at the Disco, which used to be more famous for the exclamation mark after the word "Panic" in their name, has been around since 2004 and their debut album "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," has sold over 2.2 million. Their most recent album, "Pretty. Odd." debuted at #2 in the U.S.

"If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5 & Rihanna - Last but not least in this edition of "The Songs I Dig" is a fun, quirky kind of song. Essentially the song is about two people that simply cannot get enough of each other, no matter how hard they try to break away. I envision a lusty affair between a man and a woman and they both know how wrong it is to do what they are doing. However, the immense passion they feel for each other draws them back time and time again. I don't consider it a true love song and it's definitely not a ballad. It's got a fun beat to it and it's something you can dance quite briskly to. This song was performed by Maroon 5 on the seventh season of American Idol without Rihanna. In fact, the re-release of their current album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" features this duet version with Rihanna. She is also going to include the single as part of a re-release of her current album "Good Girl Gone Bad." Maroon 5 broke onto the scene back in 2003-2004 with their hugely popular "Songs About Jane" album. Hit tunes from that album include "Harder to Breathe," "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Sunday Morning." Their current album includes the popular tunes "Makes Me Wonder," "Wake Up Call," and "Won't Go Home Without You."

So there you have it; the latest "Songs I Dig;" well, the songs I found quite enjoyable back in July (are we into late September already??!). It was certainly well over-due, but I am glad I have finally been able to present them to you. The songs basically speak for themselves and considering they continue to get a tremendous amount of airplay to this day; you're looking at quite possibly a few of the bigger songs from 2008. I already have half of the newest list of the songs I dig and am looking for just a couple more. It won't be long before you see the 11th edition of this specific subject blog posted. Stay tuned for it in the next few weeks!

Songs I Dig - 8

With a brand new edition of "The Songs I Dig" blog, I am happy to present to you five high quality songs that I recommend everyone listen to. A lot of times when I have three decent selections, I often have to scrounge around looking for the final two to make my list complete. And sometimes those songs really aren't all that spectacular, in my books. It took a little while this time around, but the last song that made this edition is really superb. Actually, all of these songs are equally as great. And each lead singer has different personalities and life styles from each other. Not to mention all of these songs have a different flavor all their own, as well. Without giving anymore details away to the many specifics of these songs, let's just delve into this edition of "The Songs I Dig."

"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry - I guess it was a few weeks back when I first heard this song on the radio and I didn't really pay much attention to it. The only time I had been able to catch it was around 10:00 in the evening. I kept hearing it at the same time each evening and finally it got to a point where I really started liking it. I have to suspect that the radio station around here that plays the song didn't really want to air it during the mid-afternoons when more people are listening to the radio - or at least until the song gained more popularity. The subject of the song is a rather taboo one, another girl kissing another girl and admitting they liked the kiss. Now for most guys like me, we all think that idea is totally hot. So when she sings in the song, "...I hope my boyfriend don't mind it," I have to think to myself, "why wouldn't we mind it?" But I'm sure the female audience would have an opposite opinion of that. With that being said, it is an extremely catchy song that it's pretty difficult not to sing or bob your head along to it. It's got a great beat and lyrics that absolutely make you chuckle. Also, it doesn't hurt that Katy herself is an absolute bombshell to look at. This song is quickly gaining popularity and it won't be long before it hits number one.

"Shake it" by Metro Station - This is a fairly recent song to the radio airwaves and one that I find incredibly enjoyable. I remember hearing it while at a computer at work and secretly jiving along to it. It basically sucks you into the beat and just like the first song in this blog, it's incredibly catchy. I can see this one being a fun song to dance along to at a night club. Before I did any research into the individuals that made up the group Metro Station, I had assumed it was a group from the UK. To me, it sounds as if there might be a slight hint of a British accent when the two singers sing. But I was completely wrong! There are four members of the band, including Blake Healy, Anthony Improgo, Mason Musso, and Trace Cyrus. And that last name of Cyrus looks awfully familiar, doesn't it? Yes, Trace is the brother of Miley and the son of Billy Ray. Talk about a successful musical family! So no, these four do not have any British roots in them; they are very much American. "Shake it" is one of those songs that'll get you up on your feet and I have no doubt it'll continue to rise on the music charts. It's just so darn catchy!

"All Over You" by The Spill Canvas - Talk about a song completely coming out of left field. This song basically came out of nowhere and it's already proving to be quite successful. Although you may not have heard of The Spill Canvas prior to "All Over You" getting radio air play this year, they have been around since 2002. Believe it or not, The Spill Canvas was originally only a side project for lead singer Nick Thomas. Eventually, he put aside all of his other activities and focused solely on the band, which is described as an emo/punk rock band. With albums in 2002 and 2004 receiving very little fanfare, "One Fell Swoop" in 2005 did receive recognition. But their 2007 album "No Really, I'm Fine" has become their most successful yet. Despite the fact that lead singer Thomas does make a few funny facial expressions in the video for "All Over You (not purposely, mind you, but just when he's singing)," it's really a great song with moving lyrics. The message in the song is about doing everything you possibly can for someone you love but not getting the message across to that person. That all you can do is think about the person, but they can never really love you back. It's actually quite powerful and you should give it a listen if you haven't heard it yet.

"Take a Bow" by Rihanna - It's amazing how quickly things can change in just a matter of days. I was planning on going a completely different direction with these last two songs, but I liked two songs much better than those others, so here we are. "Take a Bow" has gotten more and more airplay and is closing in on the number one spot on numerous radio charts, if it's not there already. This is the first appearance for Rihanna on "The Songs I Dig" blog and it's probably not going to be the last time, either. Just look at her track record already since making a splash in 2005. "SOS," "Unfaithful," "Umbrella," "Shut up and Drive," and "Don't Stop the Music" all being huge hit songs for Rihanna. In fact, "Umbrella" was named as the most successful song in 2007 for the entire world. In the UK, it was number one for ten straight weeks; Rihanna being the first female artist since Whitney Houston (1992: "I Will Always Love You") to accomplish such a feat. In my opinion, "Take a Bow" is headed in that same direction. It's one of those true break-up/cheating type of songs. No matter how much apologizing goes on, it's just one big show because quite simply, the relationship is over. Just one grand performance and the fact of the matter is, it's over. The song definitely gets that message across loudly.

"One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks - I am pleased to say that Jordin Sparks is back! Not that I had any doubt, but I am especially pleased to hear not one, but three of her songs get airplay around here. That is a good sign for longevity and hopefully her sophomore album will prove to be just as successful as the freshman one. When I first paid close attention to the song, I had to really listen closely to whom the artist was singing it. Then it finally hit me; it's Jordin! It's a fun, positive kind of song that really gets you moving. The beat of the song is remeniscent to steps people take while walking, making the title that much more appropriate. You really get a good sense of this while watching the music video of the song. I get an understanding from the lyrics that it's a song especially close to Jordin as it sort of embodies her life experiences within the past year. Such as "you wanna show the world ... but no one knows your name yet" and then later on in the song "...you're gettin all kind of impatient ... waiting, we live and we learn ... to take one step at a time ... there's no need to rush." The lyrics basically say if something's going to happen, it's only a matter of time and you can't rush things. Just enjoy and live in the moment. It's definitely something we should all follow.

And seeing that two other songs I was considering for this edition of "The Songs I Dig" were bumped out at the last minute, I will give them honorable mention. The first one is Natasha Bedingfield's song "Pocketful of Sunshine." It is a fun little song, very positive and hopeful. Natasha is continuing to storm America and become the new queen of British pop. She has done quite well over here in the States and I look for that trend to continue. The other song to receive honorable mention is the second from One Republic's recent album titled "Stop and Stare." In no way is it as popular as their first smash hit "Apologize," but it's still proving to be a popular follow-up. It has received a decent amount of radio airplay and I expect that to continue for awhile, even though it is probably starting to make a trend downward on radio charts.

And with that, I wrap up the latest edition of "The Songs I Dig." Thank you for reading. If the recent flurry of amazing new music continues, you can be sure another edition won't be very far away.