Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Missy Higgins!

Yesterday I was suddenly reminded of this singer (thanks to Marcos.... well, actually Justin, but never mind). She is an Australian (Melbourne) singer who was discovered through a competition held by some radio station. But the unique things about her is that she is a singer/songwriter, and she has a very distinctive voice and character to her songs. Very good for bedtime songs or to be heard when you're feeling blue.

Recommended songs: The Special Two, Scar, The Sound of White, Drowning, Nightminds, Drop The Mirror, Hold Me Tight.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

music review - september 2006 (indo music)

Well, as usual, every 6 months, when I get back to Indo, suddenly I got lots of new Indo songs on mp3 (thanks Emil!), so here's the review

1. Samsons
Really really like their songs. Very catchy, and the vocalist (Bams) has a very unique voice and pronounciation, especially the 'r' and 'u'. The good songs : Kenangan Terindah, Naluri Lelaki, Dengan Nafasmu, Kehadiranmu, Akhir Rasa Ini.

2. Ada Band
Have liked them from the beginning. Their songs are all kinda sounds the same, but I like it haha. The single "Karena Wanita (Ingin Dimengerti)" is being used as the jingle/theme song for Softex commercial haha. Another one that I really like is "Singgasana Cinta".

3. Ratu
Consist of two female members : Mulan Kwok (not chinese, just a stage name) - vocals, and Maia Ahmad (keyboard, backing vocal, guitar, and basically everything else). Their first single was a huge hit in Indo.... it's TTM (Teman Tapi Mesra). The second one is "Lelaki Buaya Darat". Her voice is just so-so, but the songs are very very catchy haha.

4. other new bands - Ungu (Tercipta Untukku, Demi Waktu), Nidji (Hapus Aku)

5. old bands with new hits - Dewa (Sedang Ingin Bercinta), Radja (Benci Bilang Cinta), Kahitna (not really loving them anymore), Warna (Kisah Terindah)

6. indon divas - 3 Diva (Krisdayanti, Titi Dj, Ruth Sahanaya) - Semua Jadi Satu

7. not yet reach diva status - Rita Effendy (Lagu Tentang Cinta w/ Bebi Romeo, Menepis Bayang Kasih), Audy (Untuk Sahabat), Agnes Monica (kinda like the Indon Britney - great energetic dance performances but absolutely hate her voice and songs)

8. Dangdut!!! Really really cheesy rythym and lyrics, but somehow catchy and quite addictive :P. Jablai (Jarang Dibelai) - Titi Kamal, SMS - Ria Amelia.

music review - september 2006 (western music)

Since I'm back in Beijing, I've been downloading like crazy.... lots of new songs.

1. Beyonce - B'day
Love love love this album. The songs that I like are DejaVu, Sugar Mama, Ring The Alarm, Upgrade U, Irreplaceable, and Listen. Great videos, too! Oh, and I've seen her performances on the MTV VMA and also on Fashion Rocks. Great, great performances. She really deserves her Grammys haha.

2. Justin Timberlake - Future Sex/Love Sounds
I only like Sexyback and My Love. The rest of the album just make me have a headache. Not really a fan of this genre. Sexyback is really really great, though. Good for clubbing :)

3. Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics
Another side of Christina we never knew..... well, you know I'm a big fan of her voice, so I still like it, although I still think that "Stripped" was her best work up to date. The songs that I like : Ain't No Other Man, Back In The Day, Still Dirrty, Here To Stay. And if you haven't seen her performances lately.... I recommend the one on Fashion Rocks, and MTV Movie Awards. The one on VMA was just OK, not really up to her standards.

4. Other new songs that I like : Ciara - Get Up, Sean Paul ft Keisha Cole - Give It Up To Me, Evanescense - Call Me When You're Sober, Jesse McCartney - Right Where You Want Me, Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars