Music Archives - Page 143 of 244

Will Majesty Rose Be the Next American Idol?

Now that there are eleven American Idol contestants standing and this week will determine the top ten, one might start wondering who will win season 13. One readers’ poll has Caleb Johnson at the top, followed by Sam Woolf and Jessica Meuse. Las Vegas oddsmakers currently have Sam Woolf as a 3/1 favorite, followed by Alex Preston (7/2), Majesty Rose (4/1), and Dexter Roberts (6/1).

A lot can happen week to week, and there is no way to tell who is going to develop into the American Idol. Some seasons, like in the first season, there is a very strong frontrunner who is solid through all of the performances. In other years, someone begins to shine more and more each week, rising to the top. At this point in the season, I would put my money on Majesty Rose, who has been my favorite since the auditions when she sang “Violet Hill” by Coldplay.

Rose, whose real name is Rochelle York, is a young preschool teacher from Goldsboro, North Carolina. So far, she has shown great potential with her voice and the ability to bring her personality into her performances. Last week, the judges criticized her song which started out great but did not finish so well. If Rose can use the criticism to grow as a performer, she could make it to the end. Her best performance so far has been when she showed her high-energy entertainment chops with Pharrell Williams’s “Happy” during the show with the top ten women.

Majesty Rose – Happy – American Idol 13 (Rush… by IdolxMuzic

Caleb Johnson may have the most powerful voice since Adam Lambert was on the show’s eighth season, so Johnson has potential to do well too. But his rock performances have not yet shown the versatility that Lambert displayed during his run on the show. Below is one of his highlights on the show so far, covering “Stay with Me” by the Faces.

Alex Preston may be the contestant who is most ready to make a hit record that would play on the radio today. He could end up being the person from this season who has the most successful career, whether or not he wins. Here, Preston sings Jason Mraz’s “A Beautiful Mess” during Top 13 week.

Sam Woolf, who has a good voice with great potential and the teen vote, understandably has the best betting odds. I was impressed this Top 12 week when he chose a more obscure song, Blind Pilot‘s “Just One,” showing he may have some surprises in store for us.

Dexter Roberts gave a solid country performance of Montgomery Gentry’s “Lucky Man” this week, and Jena Irene Ascuitto has the potential to rise from the bottom three. So those two would round out my top six . . . for now.

[March 14, 2014 Update: Two days after I wrote this post, Majesty Rose ended up in the bottom two, barely missing elimination. Voters have been disappointed by her performances the last two weeks. Her mistake may be going for big high notes that she cannot quite hit consistently. If I were her coach, I would tell her to stop trying to be Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston and to find the songs that fit the sweet spot of her talents. Not every American Idol has to hit those big high notes to win, and many of the contestants who did better than her this week did not even try to hit huge notes. She has the potential for a comeback.]

[March 28, 2014 Update: On the March 27 episode of American Idol, Majesty Rose was sent home after she ended up at the bottom of the voting and by a “narrow, narrow margin” the judges opted not to use their save. Rose is considering whether to pursue music, acting, or continue her teaching. But because she made the Top 10, she will be touring with other American Idol finalists. Now, who are the front-runners to win? From the last few weeks, I would put Jena Irene Ascuitto and Caleb Johnson as the favorites, with an edge to Jena.]

Who is your favorite contestant this season? Leave your two cents in the comments and do not forget to vote.

What You Need to Know for the Final Episodes of “American Idol” Season 13

Pharrell Williams’s “Happy” in Sign Language

How Kiss Wrote the Hit Song “Beth”

Adam Lambert Sings “Bohemian Rhapsody” On Tour With Queen

Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”

Final UK Concert of Rod Stewart & The Faces in 1974

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Sean Lennon and The Flaming Lips Perform “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

Sean Lennon recently joined The Flaming Lips on The Late Show with David Letterman to sing the Beatles classic, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The visuals are almost as good as the music, with Lennon sporting a beard like his late father as well as the hat that John Lennon wore on the cover of Hey Jude.

The performance was part of Beatles week on Letterman’s show, a week that led up to the network’s celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Fab Four’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan’s Show. Check it out.

Sean Lennon’s father is not his only family member connected to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which first appeared on the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). The title came from his half-brother Julian, who came home from school one day with a drawing, telling his father that the picture was of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Many still question whether the initials of the song indicate that instead the song is about L.S.D. Either way, it is a great Beatles song.

What do you think “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is about? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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The Latest and Last Beatles Song: “Now and Then”

Roy Orbison Without the Sunglasses: “Only the Lonely”

Ringo Starr Records a John Lennon Song (with a little help from Paul McCartney)

ATM Money, It’s a Gas

James Taylor Live in Greensboro (Live Review)

Paul McCartney & Bruce Springsteen: “I Saw Her Standing There”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

March Winds Gonna Blow My Blues All Away

Although bad weather may still be on the immediate horizon, I still feel relief every year getting through February and knowing that spring is not far away. Thus, there is the old saying about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb.

The song “March Winds Gonna Blow My Blues All Away,” as sung by The Carter Family, recognizes that March optimism. Although the song hints at heartbreak (“My mama told me long years ago/ Never to marry no girls that I know/ Spend all your money and wear out your clothes”), the song also recognizes the March winds and the warming of the winter sun: “Sun’s gonna shine in my back door some day.” So on this first day of March, we wish you nothing but sunshine and March winds to blow your blues away.

For a bonus version of “March Winds Gonna Blow My Blues All Away,” here is a live performance by the underrated Robbie Fulks. I have admired Fulks’s original works for some time, but here he does an excellent lively version of “March Winds,” showing off his guitar skills too. Check out this performance in Chicago from July 7, 2008.

Lion photo via public domain.

What is your favorite song about March? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Jewel as June

I Sit Here Tonight, the Jukebox Playing Kitty Wells

Marty Stuart’s “Nashville, Vol. 1: Tear the Woodpile Down”

Bon Hiver (First Day of Winter)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Marty Brown Interview on WBKO

Country singer and America’s Got Talent performer Marty Brown recently appeared on Bowling Green, Kentucky television station WBKO. The video does not include Brown performing, but it is a nice interview for us fans. In the segment, Brown talks about his new single, “Whatever Makes You Smile,” which Brown wrote as a Valentine’s Day present for his wife. He also discusses how they made the video for the song, and explains how one can know all they need to know about him just by watching his mom and dad dance. Check out the interview.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

How Marty Brown Wrote “Whatever Makes You Smile”

Video for Marty Brown’s “Whatever Makes You Smile”

Sneak Peak at Marty Brown’s Video for “Whatever Makes You Smile”

Marty Brown on “Words & Music”

New Marty Brown Single: “Whatever Makes You Smile”

Marty Brown on WKCT Radio & “Whatever Makes You Smile”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Happy Birthday Fats Domino!

New Orleans legend Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr., was born in the Big Easy on February 26, 1928. Fats Domino began recording in 1949 but had his big breakthrough in the mid-1950s with the classic “Ain’t That A Shame,” which was soon followed by “Blueberry Hill” and “I’m Walkin’.”

For Domino’s birthday, check out this video that puts together his appearances on a 1957 Perry Como Show. Rock music was still young in those days, but Domino illustrates why it was around to stay.

When The Beatles came along in 1964, many original rock and roll singers like Domino were pushed aside. Domino’s streak of hits ended that year.

But he did have a top 100 song when he covered The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” in 1968. Interestingly, Paul McCartney originally wrote “Lady Madonna” as an homage to Domino’s boogie-style piano playing. Similarly, John Lennon recognized Domino’s work when he recorded Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” for his 1975 Rock and Roll album.

Belos is Fats Domino’s version of “Lady Madonna.” There is another connection between the song and Domino too. Domino’s song “Blue Monday” followed a man through the work week (“Here comes Tuesday, Oh hard Tuesday”). And McCartney’s “Lady Madonna” follows a similar trajectory from the female perspective (“Tuesday afternoon is never ending”).

Domino continued to perform in later decades. But he passed away on October 24, 2017. So we will settle for listening to his records and thinking of him on this birth date of one of the great joys of American music.

What is your favorite Fats Domino song? Leave your two cents in the comments.