Vincent James on Love Songs & More!

2012-01-02T13:29:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year 2012 to All!

Hard to believe that the year of the Mayan curse is finally upon us. You know, the year where the Mayan Calendar runs out on 12/21/2012 so we all assume its the end of the world. First thing I want to know is how did we actually arrive at that date considering the "calendar" has changed many times over the last 5000-6000 years. Is 12/21/2012 really the right date? And maybe the Mayans were simply predicting (optimistically) the end of their own civilization, which unfortunately ended way before the year 2012. I don't know what the real story is but we'll get to watch what happens up close this year and we'll all (hopefully) breath a collective sigh of relief when yet another doomsday story fizzles out. Stay tuned!!

Musical Soundtrack App for your Phone

Okay on to music news. I came upon this cell phone app that is a "soundtracking" app, which means it identifies and captures (or retrieves) song samples from your environment and allows you to pass them among your family/friends. Kind of like posting Facebook status (happy, sad, whatever) but with a musical note added to it. Sounds pretty neat to me (being musical and all :)). For more info check it out the full article here Soundtracking App for Cellphones .

That's all for today folks....in 2012 I'm going to try and post 3-4 times/week and spotlight some of my favorite new (and old) songs. You know the kind of songs that are so good they give you the chills when you hear them :) Have a great day and we'll talk soon!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2011-11-20T17:05:00.005-05:00

Music CDs going the way of the Dinosaur in 2012

The music industry is now reporting that Major Labels are planning to discontinue music CDs as early as sometime next year. I still remember the first CD single I ever released to radio, and back then I never thought that format would go away. But just like 8-tracks, vinyl records and cassette tapes they one day get replaced by the next technology.

For more info on Music CD's going away read the full article at Daily Finance Music Lovers Prepare to Say Goodbye to the CD

Are you "All In" for your relationship?

Ask yourself "Are you all in for your relationship or are you just taking what you have for granted?". Take it from someone who has "been there" and "done that", you really should take the time every day to show appreciation to your wife, husband or significant other. Life is just way too short and you'll never know just how amazing your relationship could be if you tried just a little bit harder. Be there for him or her, listen to them, love them for all that they are (faults and all, you know you have'em too :)). The more time and effort you spend working on your relationship the happier you will be in all areas of your life..I promise you!

I happened to catch Lifehouse's song "All In" on the radio this week and it just hit home in my heart and soul once again..check it out this great pop tune with a message we can all learn from:

Please feel free to leave your comments below..I'll moderate 3-4x a day and get them posted. Have a great day and stop back in a few for our next update!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2011-11-02T20:32:00.004-04:00

DON'T START the CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Yes I know all of us in the Northeast US got a winter snowstorm BEFORE Halloween but that's no excuse to start playing the Christmas Music early. Used to be our local station B101 in Philadelphia would start playing it right after Halloween but I guess enough people finally complained that they stopped. Now they are running a poll on their website www.B101Radio.com where we get to tell them when we think Christmas music should start on the radio. My vote goes for no earlier than Thanksgiving...that way I can actually enjoy the holiday music DURING the season and not be totally sick of it two weeks before Christmas.

And now I see Justin Beiber already has a holiday song "Mistletoe" on the Top 40 Billboard chart and its only the beginning of November. Just goes to show you that some radio stations are already playing holiday music and that's scarier than a snowstorm before Halloween :)

X Factor renewed for 2nd Season in 2012

It was just announced today that X Factor was renewed for a second season to begin airing in the fall of 2012 (see full article here X Factor 2nd season. I have to say I was a big fan of watching Simon Cowell for much of his run on American Idol Run but I have yet to turn on X Factor for a single episode (and there have been 10). I'm not sure why I've lost interest but I'm curious to know if you guys have been watching the X Factor. Post some comments here and I'll review/publish as they come in (have to keep out the spammers :)).

Thanks all and have a great nite!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2011-09-20T05:14:00.003-04:00

International Love Songs Day - Friday Sept 30th, 2011

The 2nd Annual International Love Songs Day is coming up on Friday September 30th and to help celebrate we're giving away a custom love song to one lucky winner. For your chance to win all you have to do is tell us in 100 words or less why you want your love or family member to have their very own song. To enter please visit Love Song Contest no later then September 30th at 8 AM EST.

Simon Cowell is back on US TV with X-Factor this week

The man who helped make American Idol a huge success starting 10 years ago is back on American TV with his new show X Factor starting this Wednesday. Joining Simon will be Idol fun girl Paula Abdul, music exec LA Reid, and former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. I'm sure millions will tune in this week to see what its all about and hopefully Simon and his new cast of TV-mates will not disappoint. I definitely have to wonder though if we're all getting a little (lot) of Reality TV Show burnout especially in the singing competition category. Oh well only time and TV Ratings will tell for sure :)

Love Songs of the Decades

Launching next month is a new feature at LoveSongs.com called Love Songs of the Decades where we'll feature some of the most popular songs of each decade from the 1920's to today making up almost 100 years of Love Songs. This will take us pretty much from the first ever radio broadcasts to the present. You'll also have an opportunity to tell us what your favorite songs are from the decade your most nostalgic about.

That's all for today folks check back later this week for another ppppost!

~Vincent James

2011-08-27T16:20:00.004-04:00

Earthquake, Hurricane and Facebook vs. Myspace Music

Hard to believe that in less then one weeks time we've seen/felt an actual 5+ Earthquake on the East Coast (5.8 on the Richter scale to be exact) and now we have Hurricane Irene bearing down on the City of Brotherly love among other east coast cities. I don't know if this is a sign of something but if it is I'm hoping its a good sign. If nothing else its gotten me to finally wake up and do another blog post for the first time in almost 6 months....I promise I won't wait for another earthquake/hurricane for the next one :)

In the music world, Myspace announced two months ago that Justin Timberlake had taken a ownership stake in Myspace and had plans to help re-make Myspace into a music destination online ( see Timberlake & Myspace). More recently though it looks like Facebook is planning to jumpstart their own music inititives in ways that will let music fans share music and see what their friends are listening to (see Facebook bringing on the Music.) I don't know how this will all play out but you can bet it will be pretty hard for Myspace to make much of a dent with anything that Facebook gets involved in. As a musician myself I will be watching closely to see what happens.

That's all for this 6 month late blog but take heart we will post again in just a few days. Next week we are launching a Custom Song contest to help celebrate International Love Songs Day on September 30th. Please stop back this Monday to check out the contest and if you're on the East coast of the US please stay dry and safe this weekend!

~Vincent

2011-03-12T12:13:00.003-05:00

Spring is drawing closer - Prayers for Japan

We are nearing the middle of March pretty quickly and its so hard to believe Spring is knocking on our door. At the same time I'm very saddened by the events unfolding in Japan this week. The amount of force that Mother Nature can unleash on the planet is pretty unbelievable. Be thankful for what you have, for your family, your health, everything, because you never know when it can all be taken away in a second. Please send out your prayers and other assistance if you can to those really needing it this week in Japan.

American Idol is Back - Pia James has got my attention :))

American Idol is back and I'm happily enjoying the fresh new format with Steven Tyler and J Lo on the panel. Sure I miss Simon's spot on criticism with his sarcastic style, but having two bonafide recording artists with one being a legend on the panel makes up for it. Looking at the Top 12 left after this week I'm gonna put my vote in for Pia Toscano and James Durbin to both make the finals. While are some very talented voices left after that I just don't see any of them competing with Pia or James in the end. As always it will be interesting to see how the show progresses and see which singers grow the most during the process (and which fall by the wayside). Overall a much better caliber group of singers then we usually see in the Top 12.

LoveSongs BLOGGG is Back

Yes I know its been like 5 months since my last blog posting which is a bit ridiculous. Was just so many things going on in life either with music or away from music I couldn't keep up. I'm hoping to be back to a 2x/week blog and will start posting my favorite new songs on the radio (or internet or anywhere). I'm always on the look for the next pop masterpiece and I'll let you know the best I find every week. Have a great rest of the weekend and again please send your prayers out to all the people affected by the quake and tsunami in Japan.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-10-28T07:08:00.004-04:00

Happy HALLOWEEEN Weekend to All!

Usually I blink and maybe a few days goes by, maybe a week or two. This time I blinked and almost two months slipped by. Just so much going on hard to believe I think I've written 11 or 12 new original songs this year including custom songs, songs for other artists and songs for my own Christmas release. I'm going to take a deep breath this weekend and try to catch up on everything else.

LoveSongs.com Members Area - Now open!

LoveSongs.com has finally opened up its members area - to find out more please sign up for our 2x/month newsletter on our home page and we'll send you the link and password so you can download new love songs every month for free (and no charge for shipping and handling ha ha).

Scary Love Songs??

Whats the scariest love song you've ever heard? It could be "scary good" or scary creepy either one (hey its Halloween :)) Connect with us on Facebook and tell us about your scariest looove song :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vincent-James-Love-Songs/367685720872

New Fall Music on the Radio

So far there's not a lot of great new music this fall in my opinion. Earlier this year there just seemed to be a flood of great new pop songs but not so much as the year continued on. One song that did catch my attention recently was "Dynomite" by Taio Cruz. The verse/rap doesn't do much for me (hey I'm a melody guy :))..but the prehook into the chorus hook definitely draws you in and makes you hit "replay" on this one. Check out the international version of Taio's song and video right here:

That's all for tooooday kiddies. Have a great weekend and a very SPOOKY Halloweeen and I will be back Monday November 1st with another post or my name isn't Johnny Walker....or is it??? :)

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-09-04T13:47:00.002-04:00

Custom Love Song Bonanza for International Love Songs Day

In just 3 weeks, we will be celebrating 10th Anniversary @ LoveSongs.com by launching the very first International Love Songs Day on Saturday September 25th. I've always felt that everyone should have their own song, so to help make that happen we are presenting a very special offer for Custom Love Songs the weekend of Sept 24th-26th. Stop back next weekend for details on this offer of how to give that special someone in your life a custom love song.

Summer ending "This Afternoon" by Nickelback

Okay so its not really a love song and summer isn't official over yet :) But it is Labor Day weekend which is the unofficial end of summer, and this feel good pop-rockin' song by Nickelback can't help but get your feet moving. Formed in the mid-90's Nickelback has sold over 20 million CDs and now has their 10th Top 40 Hit in the US with "This Afternoon"...the unbelievable part is that this is the 8th single off their 2008 CD "Dark Horse" and its a bonafide pop hit. Some folks just know how to write'em and Nickelback shows'em how with "This Afternoon"...here's the link to the YouTube video "This Afternoon" by Nickelback

Lots going on in my music world these days..just finished doing final mixes on two Christmas songs coming out this holiday...songs are "Christmas Heart" sung by yours truly and "Pretty Please Mister Santa" featuring Kris Ballerini. Both will be featured on "Christmas Across the Lands" syndicated radio show that will broadcast in over 50 markets. I'll send out info later this fall where you can download and share them both this holiday season. Lots more stuff going on look for another update/post next week...have a greaaaat weekeend all!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-08-28T08:09:00.002-04:00

1st International Love Songs Day in 4 Weeks - Sept 25th, 2010

This year LoveSongs.com is celebrating its 10th anniversary and to make sure we do it in style we're launching the very first International Love Songs Day on Saturday September 25th (last Saturday in September every year after).

Love songs and music in general make up such an important part of our lives. We remember where we were,who we were with and other details when we first heard a song or what song was playing when we were celebrating a big moment in our life. Music is truly the international language and what better music than Love Songs. We'll be posting more info on how we're celebrating next month the very first International Love Songs Day!

Daughtry Tribute to the past with "September"

"September" is the 3rd single off Daughtry's 2nd CD entitled "Leave This Town". With this track the band is going for its 8th top 40 hit since launching in 2006 after Chris's 4th place finish in American Idol that year. Daughtry has been one of Idol's biggest success stories along with 1st year winner Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood who won in 2005 the year before Chris Daughtry's AI appearance. "September" is a song reflecting on the past and starts out rather slow but mid-way picks up in a big way giving me the rare goosebumps on my arms (which was really unexpected). Definitely give this track & video a listen/looksee below and after letting it play to the end see if you're hooked like I was.

That's all for today's post folks...been almost two months since our last post but this time we'll be back at you next week with a few posts as Summer 2010 comes to a close.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-06-26T17:10:00.003-04:00

LoveSongs Blog is Back & "If Its Love" by Train!

Gee I blink a couple of times and next thing I know two months have gone by since my last post. Since then my musical world has been a little busy in a good way. I wrote a very cool pop'n'love ballad for a client from Singapore and with any luck you'll get to hear it some day..its probably one of the best songs i've ever written. There is another artist from NYC with big Chile connections who may be recording some of my songs on her debut CD this summer. AND we finished up writing/recording "Christmas Heart" that I co-wrote with a DJ friend from Florida and we are readying it for radio release this holiday season...AND we are working on a second Christmas song that we'll be having a female lead sing on (stay tuned to find out who). I'm having a hard time keeping up with all this fun, but its fffun!!

Yesterday marked the one year passing of Michael Jackson who I musically adored throughout his whole career..from ABC with the Jackson 5 through his latest albums in the years just prior to his death. Michael is probably the most talented songwriter/performer combination that ever walked the planet (like the Beatles were the most talented group) and there will never be another like him. We have his music to remember him by and I hope wherever he's at he is happy and finally at peace. Maybe just maybe he's teaching Saint Peter a few Moonwalking steps up at Heavens Gate :)

Today's Featured Song - "If It's Love" by Train

Train was a monster pop-band back in the late 90's, early 2000's with tremendous hits like "Drops of Jupiter", "Meet Virginia" and "Calling All Angels" ..selling over 4 Million albums in the US and lighting up the radio airwaves everywhere we went. There popularity and songs faded a bit with their releases in 2003 and 2006 (tough to keep a great thing going) but then emerged in 2009 with the album "Save Me San Francisco" and WOW! The song "Hey Soul Sister" is a bonfide hit in the first 10 seconds and does not disappoint through out...it went all the way to #3 on the Billboard and sold triple platinum (is that 3 million singles??). Their follow up to "Sister" is almost as strong with a tune called "If Its Love" currently at # 77 on the chart and climbing. When I hear an uptempo song that is this catchy I immediately turn my attention to the radio...its so hard to have an uptempo song with a strong hook that when its done right we stand up and pay attention. If you haven't heard "If Its Love" listen to it here you won't be disappointed I promise!

"If Its Love" by Train on YouTube

That's all for today...we're gonna try and do two posts each week one on Saturday and another mid-week on Wednesday and will feature a new song each time (until we run out of great new songs :)). Hope you're having a good summer so far and be back in a few daaaays!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-04-28T19:26:00.003-04:00

American Idol Goes to Top 5 Tonight

This week I did get to watch the show live and all in all it was a good show. Shania still looks great and she had some really good advice for the contestants. As for the performances there were definitely some I liked better than others. My Top 3 would be Aaron Kelly with "You've Got a Way"(that boy can sing and he really means it when it comes out), Michael Lynche with an excellent job with "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing"(Michael is probably the best vocalist over all in the top 12) and once again Crystal Bowersox with "No One Needs to Know" (although the wow factor was missing from her performance this week). Lee DeWyze sang "Still the One" and for some reason I just don't understand the praise consistently given him....he's almost always off-key many times in his performance and there is just no real energy with his delivery. Casey James I generally like a lot although the song last night ("Don't") for me didn't do much for me. This brings me to my biggest disappoinment Siobhan Magnus with "Any Man of Mine". I love it when Siobhan wails (most times) but more and more when listen to the sound of her voice when she's not wailing and its just not that appealing a sound..it almost has a cringe factor with it which is odd because it is on key. I don't know what it is but I definitely don't like her as much as I used to.

Here's my picks for tonight...I think the bottom 3 are going to be Siobhan, Casey and Lee (or maybe I'm being hopeful ha :)) and my vote for most likely to go home is Siobhan...she's very talented but I think her time as come and hopefully her regular voice will develop more as she tours and continues to perform.

That's all for Wednesday folks...be back tomorrow with more info on Idol and full details on my "Music for Mom's" tour at 8 different Borders Bookstores next week!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-04-26T19:48:00.001-04:00

Featured Song "Baby" by Justin Beiber & Happy 100th POST!!

This weeks featured new (almost new song) is "Baby" by Justin Beiber. Justin has had himself one heck of a career already selling over 1 million CDs, has had a #1 Album, a Top #5 single and is all of 16 years old. Not bad work if you can get it :) I know this one is straight for the teens (and some Moms who won't admit it) but I have to say "Baby" has quite a pop hook on it. You hear it just one time and you're singing it in your head whether you want to or not :) This one went all the way to #5 on the Billboard chart and for good reason. Now we have to wait and see if Justin has another song that matches up to this one. For now check out "Baby" on YouTube where it has been seen and heard 100 Million times (that's right 100 million). This is the version with the Ludacris breakdown: "Baby" by Justin Beiber featuring Ludacris (YouTube)

Happy 100th Blog Posting!!!

That's right this is our 100th blog posting yeaaaah! We started with 8 posts in 2008, 18 posts in 2009 (I don't know what the heck was going on) and we jumped in gear this year with this being blog post #74 for 2010 (yes we is on a roll roll roll). My goal is to hit 250 posts this year with at least 75 featured songs...stick around and lets see where we go (btw May 1st is our 10 year anniversary at LoveSongs.com - gonna break out the cake and candles :))

American Idol is down to 6 singers this week (Teflon Tim is history) and we'll be monitoring a little closer now each week until the last man/woman is standing. Who are we kidding Crystal Bowersox better be the last one standing or those of us still watching AI will revolt and jump ship to Simon Cowells new show!

That's all for Monday monday...be back tomorrow with another post after Idols sing!

~Vincent

2010-04-20T22:33:00.002-04:00

Tuesday - Idol Gives Back with Inspiration

Tonight was Idol's Give Back episode and due to a studio emergency I didn't get a chance to watch it. Just reading back the blogs of how the night went it sounds like musically it wasn't a great night with the exception of Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze. If I have to make a guess as to who will be sent packing tomorrow nite I'd say Michael Lynche will most likely get his walking papers one last time. Michael is a really good singer (better than many of whats left) but I just don't know that there is a fan base big enough to overcome the teens voting for Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly. Siobhan will probably also find herself in the bottom 3 along with either Aaron or Tim. At this point when I look towards the finale I'm hoping its going to be Crystal vs. Lee or Crystal vs. Casey but I guess we'll have to wait a few more weeks to see.

That's all for Tooosday will be back tomorrow with another update and a new featured song (I'm hearing it in my head over and over got to get it out :))

~Vincent

2010-04-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

Today's Featured Song - "Glitter in the Air" by Pink

I promised myself I'd get back to doing daily blogs this week so here we go. We'll feature 1-2 new songs each week along with bits on whats new in the music world. About a week ago I heard one of the most touching and emotional songs I've ever had the good fortune to hear. In my opinion Pink's "Glitter in the Air" is nothing short of an emotional masterpiece and has gone all the way to #18 on the Billboard Pop chart. If you haven't heard it I urge you to take a listen - Here's a link to Pink's live performance of "Glitter" in February at the Grammy Awards complete with spinning aerobatics that is very very cool
"Glitter in the Air" - PINK at the Grammys

Lady Antebellum nabs 5 Trophies at the Academy of Country Music Awards

Country/Pop act Lady Antebellum is on a roll this year after receiving 5 trophies including best vocal group at Sunday's ACM Gala. American Idol's Carrie Underwood took home Entertainer of the Year and with that Carrie is the first female artist to ever win that award two times (sorry Taylor :)). For more info check out the full story here: Lady Antebellum wins big at ACM Awards

That's all for Monday's post - we'll be back tomorrow night with a review of the American Idol Give's Back Show - Part 1 where the Top 7 square off in an effort to survive another week along with lots of guest stars helping to raise money for charity..should be a great show and a great cause so tune in!

~Vincent

2010-04-14T20:48:00.002-04:00

American Idol Loses 2 Tonight - My Picks!!

Okay I've got 10 minutes to make my guess as to who is going home tonight. AI brought back Elvis night (they did do that before right?) and most of the performances were pretty forgettable. The best by far was Crystal Bowersox with a song called "Saved" that I'm not really that familiar with. After that it was a toss up between Tim Urban (yes Teflon Tim) and Lee DeWyze with "A Little Less Conversation". Tim sang a laid back very intimate version of "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" and although slightly off-pitch at times you could really feel the song when he sang it. Mr. Tim just may find himself in the Top 5 if he keeps this up.

Going home tonight in my book will be Andrew Garcia and and Michael Lynche. Andrew's has a great voice but its not distinctive enough unless he has a killer arrangment go to with it and his version of "Hound Dog" didn't do it. Michael Lynche does not deserve to go home but he was in the Bottom 1 last week, was saved and came back with a low key song "In The Ghetto" which while moving is not the kind of song to help you stay. Considering two singers have to say goodbye tonight I'm afraid Michael's time is here.

That's my guesses for tonight and also Katie Stevens in the bottom 3 (sorry Katie but like Andrew your voice is not distinctive enough). Stop back tomorrow for a another post and our first new featured song in a while (its been a crazy month :))

~Vincent

2010-04-02T19:50:00.002-04:00

Weekend Flashback Song - "Walkin' on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

Hard to believe this song only went to #9 on the US Pop chart..."Walkin on Sunshine" is a classic summertime hit and it was soooo nice in Philadelphia today they were playing it early on the radio. If you need an uptempo pick-me-up this is the song that will do it for you..check it out here: "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves (YouTube)

"Walkin'.." was originally on the debut 1983 album by Katrina and the Waves but was re-recorded and released as a single in 1985 and that's when it caught fire on the radio - 25 years ago this year!

Didi says Bye Bye this week

Didi Benami said good bye to American Idol this week after a less than stellar version of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted". I certainly never thought Didi would win but I thought she might last a few more weeks but her performance this week did her in. Teflon Tim Urban is still hanging in there after a very plain and cold version of Anita Baker's "Sweet Love"...(Anita Baker really Tim?? Really???). I know the young girls are voting for him as are VoteForTheWorst folks but hey we really need to send TIm to the showers this upcoming week :)

Blog is back after a week break.

After 80+ postings in 2010 from Jan 2nd to March 26th we took a little break from blog-land this week to recharge some batteries (like in my brain batteries). Lots of stuff going on with custom songs and other special song projects so at some point the juggling act needed an extra hand. We'll be back next week with a blog entry Monday through Friday and at least two new featured songs of the day (along with our favorite weekend flashback :)).

Have a great Easter weekend all - enjoy some time with the family, be close to the ones you love...and if you happen to see the Easter Bunny say hi to him (or her :)) for me!!

~Vincent

2010-03-26T05:55:00.002-04:00

Weekend FlashBack song - "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy

Okay so the video has to go down as one of the cheesiest 80's music videos ever with its pretend live concert theme. I mean they could have at least bussed in a crowd of folks to pretend to be fans ha. But on the musical side "Weekend" is one of the best uptempo pop songs ever written/recorded. One of Loverboys 9 Top 40 hits, this one went to #29 and really its amazing it didn't go higher on the chart. But "Weekend" had the last laugh as its been a classic played every Friday throughout the land for almost 30 years now. If you somehow missed this one or want to celebrate the weekend today then take a listen here: "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy (YouTube)

Music News at LoveSongs.com

Lots of stuff going on this month...we are in the studio now recording a Christmas song (yep that Christmas) that will be released this holiday season. We also just finished doing some instrumental music for a comedy short video that will be out later in the spring. We'll also be on the radio and blogsphere this spring with Mothers Day Gift Giving shows featuring custom love songs as a special gift idea for Mom. We also just finished confirming the 8 locations for the upcoming Mothers Day mini-tour of Borders Bookstores from May 6-9 in the Philadelphia area with some Musical Mom's joining in at several locations. Its gonna be a fun fun spring (heck it is already!!)

Hope you have a great Friday and weekend we'll be back with a new post and featured song on Monday!!

~Vincent

2010-03-24T20:34:00.003-04:00

Featured Song "I Never Told You" by Colbie Caillat

This one takes a few listens but the chorus line "I miss everything about you" really does start to grow on you. Colbie has had some great success the last few years winning a Grammy for her "Lucky" duet with Jason Mraz and 3 Top 20 hits on her own "Bubbly", "Realize" and most recently "Falling for You" which is the one I really liked. Still her voice is so smooth on "I Never Told You" and you really feel the emotion as she laments over what she misses the most and why. If you enjoyed any of Colbie's previous hits you should definitely check this one out here: "I Never Told You" by Colbie Caillat (YouTube)

American Idol - Turn the Paige time to go home

As we and many others predicted, tonight we said goodbye to Paige Miles which was a shame - she had sooo much potential or so we thought just a few weeks ago. I remember she did the Kelly Clarkson song (which was a bold choice) and she really nailed it. She just lost her way at some point and never really recovered it. I guess part of it is being so young and relatively inexperienced and having to compete on such a large stage (physically and psychologically). Other folks who were in the bottom three these week were Tim Urban (as we guessed) and Katie Stevens (which we didn't guess we had Andrew Garcia in that slot). Well all three need to really step up their game next week or else the Top 10 is as far as they are gonna go.

Have a great nite all and may Thursday be a goooood day for you...we'll be back tomorrow with another post and some new music news!

~Vincent

2010-03-23T22:40:00.002-04:00

Crystal Rocks it like there is no tomorrow on Idol

Well lets start with what was undeniably the best performance of the nite and maybe the best of the season. Crystal Bowersox took on Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby Magee" and she nailed that sucker to the wall :) Regardless if Crystal wins the competion or not, American Idol has found another star artist who will launch like a rocket when the show is over. My only hope is that they don't doom her with terrible songs to sing (please somebody listen :))

As for the rest of the night much of it was pretty terrible...so many old irrelevant songs. I mean you can do an old song (Crystal did) but then you have to deliver big time on it or its a huge disappointment. Between that and the pitchyness all over the place it was a mess (as Simon would say). Some bright spots were Aaron Kelly with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith..obviously under the weather this week Aaron still delivered one of the better vocals tonight. And Michael Lynche delivered nicely on "When a Man Loves a Woman"...but as the judges noted it was a safe choice and not an artist defining moment.

Its a toss up this week as to who may be going home...my bottom three would be Paige Miles (Paige where have you gone?), Tim Urban (its time Tim) and Andrew Garcia (another early favorite fading fast). My bet would be on Paige to go home tomorrow which is a shame that she would miss the Idol tour.

That's my picks and guesses for the night..will be back tomorrow with a new featured song and Idol results to see how I did :)

~V

2010-03-22T19:11:00.002-04:00

Featured Song - "The Perfect Mistake" by Cartel

I went fishing for a new new song to feature today and stumbled upon this little beauty by pop-rockers Cartel from Georgia. Cartel has had some previous Billboard chart success with a song called "Honestly" in 2006 and they also appeared in MTV's Band in a Bubble in 2007. "The Perfect Mistake" is the perfect blend of melody and lyric delivered with a driving beat that leaves you wanting more of it when the song ends. If you have never heard this band or maybe just this song I invite you to check it out here. See if you're not singing "Get out, get out" before the song is done ha :) "The Perfect Mistake" by Cartel (YouTube)

What was my most perfect mistake ever?? Probably the one that led me writing music in the first place..music is never a mistake in the end unless of course you stop playing and listening :)

Miley Cyrus leaving the Music Biz??

It seems Ms Cyrus has had enough of the music biz and is looking forward to more film projects. I can certainly understand it as she's been putting out music as Hannah and Miley most of her growing up years. She just needs a chance to get away from it for a bit but rest assured she will come back to music they always do :) Here's the full story from MTV News Miley Cyrus leaving the Music Biz?

That's all for Monday ...twas a rainy rainy day here in Philly (something about Rainy Days and Mondays :)). We'll be back with another post on Tuesday after the 11 remaining Idols do their thing and we'll pick who we think is going hooome this week.

~Vincent

2010-03-21T10:13:00.004-04:00

Weekend Flashback Feature - "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson

Now that American Idol Season 9 is fully in gear, I decided to take a look back at where it all started in 2002. As we all know Kelly Clarkson won the first year and has since gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide. Its safe to say that American idol has definitely fulfilled its purpose in finding new music stars (and bringing in boatloads of money to the shows creators, producers and FOX not to mention Simon Cowell and the many others involved :)). "A Moment Like This" was perhaps the perfect first coronation song for AI as it delivers both lyrically and musically on the emotion of the moment for the winner (no pun intended). It truly is one of the great ballads of the decade. There have been 8 other Idol winner songs since then and honestly I have a hard time remembering any of them. Kelly's winning song went to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in both US and Canada and went on to sell a million copies of the single alone (and this is before the paid download era so would probably be more if it happened today). Take a walk down memory lane from 8 years ago and take a listen and watch the original video here: "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson (YouTube)

Spring is Here - Lets hear some great new tunes!

Hard to believe it just 5 weeks ago there was like 2 feet of snow still outside (and 6 weeks ago it was still falling). The long awaited spring has finally arrived and it feels soooo good. I'm looking forward to see what interesting music news comes across the wire this new season and what new songs are released. There was a ton of great new pop songs near the end of 2009 into 2010 but lately there hasn't seemed to be much. If you happen upon an incredible new pop song please let us know by posting it hear so we can check it out. It doesn't matter if its a ballad, rock, country or R&B as long as its got that amazing hook that draws you in. The kind of song that will rise up the chart without any promotion or hype at all just because the song is that good.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks (sorry we missed our post on Friday was a crazy few days)...we'll be back on Monday nite with another post and a new featured song!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-18T19:40:00.003-04:00

Michael Jackson scores the biggest record deal ever

Even in death, Michael Jackson is seemingly larger than life as his estate has signed what is probably the biggest record deal of all time. The deal is for 10 albums and is worth $250 million dollars and will include lots of previously unreleased material. If you're like me you still can't almost believe that Michael Jackson is no longer with his..I had been listening to MJ since I was a little kid and poof he's gone. Just goes to show you how fragile life really is (especially when you live it on the edge as many celebrities do). Read more in the NY Daily News here:
Michael Jacksons biggest Record Deal Ever!

Well the week is almost over folks...tomorrow is Friday and I caaaan't wait. This weekend I'll be posting info about my upcoming Mothers Day week mini-tour (8 Borders in 4 days - slowing it down a little so I can actually see the people I'm playing to :)). Will be another fun time with some musical moms joining me along the way.

Have a great nite all and will be back tomorrow with a new featured song and some music biz news!

~Vincent

2010-03-17T19:52:00.003-04:00

Featured Song "Light On" by David Cook

We're going Idol-themed for the rest of the month and our featured songs. On Monday we hit ya with "Whaddaya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert. Today we'll talk about "Light On" by David Cook who won the 7th season of American Idol in 2008. "Light On" was David's 2nd single from his debut album and it went to #17 on the Billboard chart after his Idol coronation song "TIme of My Life" hit #3 right after the 2008 AI season finale. I heard "Light On" again on the radio today and it just reminded me how great David's voice really is and when match with a powerful song like "Light On" he can compete with almost anyone on the charts in my opinion. If you haven't heard "Light On" or its been a while you are really missing something check it out here: "Light On" by David Cook (YouTube)

David also sang tonight on the Idol Results show with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by the Stones...definitely was a rockin' rendition that was very well received and for good reason. David has a new CD in the works (maybe this summer?) so we're definitely looking forward to that one!

My pick for going home - goes home tonight on American Idol

Last night I picked who I thought would go home and this time I was right on the money with Lacey Brown. She seems like such a nice girl but her voice is just not steady enough and on pitch enough to really make it through. I definitely wish her the best and hopefully she'll keep singing and improving as she goes. Also in the bottom this week was Paige Miles and Tim Urban. Paige definitely deserves to hang around a lot longer, hopefully she'll recover from her laryngitis and will knock'em dead next week!

That's all for Weddddnesday..have a great nite and we'll be back tomorrow with another post on waz happening in the music world!

~Vincent

2010-03-16T23:07:00.003-04:00

American Idol Top 12 Does the Stones!

Its hard to believe that Mick and Keith from the Rolling Stones first met forming a band way way way way back in 1962. And this past summer their tour is one of the biggest live tours ever by any artist. I mean isn't that just incredible. There are many Stones songs I've always loved and most have been the softer ones..."Angie"..."Beast of Burden" (ok not totally soft) and mysterious songs like "Paint It Black" and the classic "Ruby Tuesday". Then there are the classics played by almost every bar band for the last 40+ years..."I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and so so many more.

Well our American Idol Top 12 took on the Stones tonight and for the most part did a pretty good job. My favorites tonight were definitely Siobhan Magnus with "Paint it Black" and Aaron Kelly with "Angie"....and Casey James did a great job with "It's All Over Now"....Didi Benami did "Playing with Fire" which honestly until tonight I had never heard (or don't remember hearing). She definitely pulled something out of what was a slow moving song and made it pretty cool (although I'm sure Mick Jagger did a fine job of it as well :)).

My least favorite performance of the night was Lacey Brown with "Ruby Tuesday"..the judges praised it for the most part but I just felt it was way too pitchy and unsteady throughout. I'm afraid Lacey's time may have finally come. Also in my bottom three for this week would be Andrew Garcia with "Gimme Shelter" and Katie Stevens with "Wild Horses"...both kinda boring performances...decent vocals but just nothing you could grab onto and say wow that's good.

Well stay tuned tomorrow nite to see who goes home and see how far off I am with my bottom 3 guesses :) Have a ggggreat nite all we'll back on Wednesday with a new featured song tooo!

~Vincent

2010-03-15T20:23:00.002-04:00

Today's Featured Song - "Whaddaya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert

I have to admit I wasn't initially a big fan of this song but after hearing it a few times it definitely grew on me. I always loved Adam's performances on Idol last year...to me he was already a star and just needed to be launched. "Whaddaya want from Me" definitely showcases some of his amazing vocal talent especially near the end. The haunting verse starts to draw you in after a few listens and after that the song builds into a powerful chorus that holds nothing back. Check out the song and video here and stay tuned for Adam Lambert's next single:
"Whaddaya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert (YouTube)

Babies Boogie to the Music

Well they say that babies start to boogie to music at a very early age (and I mean very early age). Apparently they love music a lot more than they like spoken voice so maybe we should all be singing to the little ones (and not just when we want to sing them to sleep :)). Check out the full article and info on the study here: Babies Boogie to the Music

Hope ya have a great Monday nite - we'll be back tomorrow with a blog update after American Idol's Top 12 go at it 8 PM EST. This is where we start to separate the men from the boys (or the girls from the boys :)). Either way should be much fun and we'll all be talking about it tomorrow nite!

~Vincent

2010-03-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

Flashback Love Song - "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton

Perhaps the sweetest love song ever written and recorded, "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton which went all the way to #1 in 1975. Minnie's voice featured a 5 octave range, the beautiful melody and real chirping birds in the background all helped make "Loving You" stand out as a timeless classic. Sadly, Minnie was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after releasing "Loving You" and passed just a few years later in 1979. She was one of many talented artists that passed on way way before there time. If its been a while or perhaps you've never heard "Loving You" I invite you to listen here: "Loving You" by Minnie Riperton (YouTube)

Romantic St. Patricks Day Gift Ideas

Who says you can't be romantic for St. Patty's day which is coming up next week on Wed March 17th. I mean not all of us are Irish but this is the day we all get to be Irish for a day and wear our green. LovingYou.com has come up with a list of romantic gift ideas for St. Patricks day and the list includes many interesting items including specialty green underwear (hmmmm) to a custom love song by yours truly. For the full list with some really neat ideas please visit Romantic Gift Ideas for St. Patricks Day

That's a wrap for the week folks...enjoy "LovingYou" by Minnie Riperton and LovingYou.com with their St. Patty's day suggestions. You know I didn't even plan that tie-in (really I didn't) but man oh man that's just amazing :) Have a wonderful weekend and we'll be back on Monday with a new featured song!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-11T21:27:00.002-05:00

American Idol - Looks like I picked only 2 out of 4 this time

2nd post for the day - just an update on AI. The final 12 are in and looks like my average is slipping this week as I only picked 2 out of the 4 folks that went home (see my blog posting from a few hours ago above). I was right on the money with the guys both Todrick Hall and Alex Lambert said goodbye...Todrick gave an even better performance tonight of "Somebody To Love" by Queen and almost brought the house down. Alex was visibly upset at missing the cut but managed to get through "Trouble" again....Alex has a lot of talent too just needs more experience.

Now for the ladies I was completely off...I had Lacey Brown and Paige Miles going home but in the end it was Lilly Scott (my runnerup for going home) and Katelyn Epperly. Both Lilly and Katelyn sang old songs ("I Fall To Pieces" from 1961 and "I Feel the Earth Move" from 1971) and didn't do anything to update them. When your possibly on the edge of being voted off that will do it every time. Paige also sang an old song "SMile" but she got away with it this time probably because she wailed on a Kelly Clarkson song last week (so that girl can sssssing!).

Next week its the Top 12 with one singer going home each week (most weeks sometimes its 2). We'll be blogging after each show what we think, picking our favorites and also featuring 3 new songs each week. Have a great nite all and we'll be back tomorrow with another post and the featured song for da weekend!

~Vincent

2010-03-11T17:40:00.002-05:00

American Idol - My Picks to go home for Top 12 tonight!

This is part one of a two part post tonight :) Here are my picks for who is going home tonight and who will be left in the American Idol Top 12 this season. Last week I was 3 for 4 going from Top 20 to Top 16. Lets see if my luck continues :)

For the guys I believe Todrick Hall and Alex Lambert will be saying goodbye tonight. Todrick is just too over the top with not enough real emotion in his voice to last too long, and Alex has a great sound to his voice but he is still too experienced behind the mic to connect with the audience...I'm hoping we see him again in another year or so as he continues to develop.

For girls I think it will be Lacey Brown (that was such a boring performance this week) and quite possibly Paige Miles. Paige has an incredible voice but her song choice this week was mystifying ("Smile" by Nat King Cole)..just too old fashioned and no pizzazzz

Other folks possibly in trouble tonight (Going home runnerups :)) would be Lilly Scott ("I Fall to Pieces" from like 50 years ago---really???) and Aaron Kelly (pick a song thats for your age Kara was right on - you can't connect on a song thats not you - it just doesn't work at least not with his level of experience).

That's my picks and runnerups to go home tonight Thursday March 11th. Stop back later again tonight and we'll see how I made out :)

~Vincent

2010-03-10T20:01:00.002-05:00

Wednesdays Featured Song - "Naturally" by Selena Gomez

Okay I admit it, there are some non-adult shows I really enjoy watching. Two of them are music related, "Hannah Montana" and "Wizards of Waverly Place". For HM even if you take away the music, the writing is funny, the casting perfect and the acting pretty darn good for a kid-friendly comedy. I will definitely miss this show when it stops at the end of the upcoming 4th season. "Wizards" is another one..there is no music there but good ensemble cast, lots of funny lines and deliveries. Out of Wizards comes Selena Gomez who at 17 is starting to make inroads in the music biz as well. Her latest is "Naturally" which is so far up to #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Most songs by actors/actresses from Disney/Nickolodean shows are not very good with some of Miley Cyrus's material being a notable exception (for us pop music fans). However Selena's song "Naturally" has an intriguing beat which leads into a haunting verse and pretty powerful hook in the chorus. If you haven't heard this song yet you should check it out at: "Naturally" by Selena Gomez and the Scene (YouTube)

American Idol Girls - Crystal the one to beat!

The Top 8 Girls of AI performed last night and for the most part it was an unforgettable night. Even Lilly Scott who sang yet another song from another generation was just not interesting. The judges praised her performance but I just don't get it...she is a great singer/performer but without something new/original/unique its just not happening for me. The one bright shining star of the night was Crystal Bowersox who showed right away why she is the front runner with her version of Tracy Chapman's "Give me one Good Reason". She took Tracy's version and give it her Crystal spin and it was allll that. Other performers who had a decent night were Didi Benami and Siobhan Magnus. I've been a fan of Siobhan for a while but Didi surprised me with a laid back version of Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac which was pretty tasty. The top 8 guys are up tonight - tomorrow we'll post again with our picks for who is going home.

That's all for tonight folks....we missed our Tuesday post yesterday cause it was my birthday YEAH ME I'm 19 again ha ha! It was a fun day and at the end I just didn't feel like spending the end of the night on the computer. We'll be back again tomorrow though and again with a weekend post on Friday. Have a great nite all!

~Vincent

2010-03-08T19:25:00.002-05:00

Monday's Featured Song - "Do You Remember" by Jay Sean

Exactly one month ago we featured "Down Down Down" by Jay Sean and we're back pushing his tunes again. "Do you remember" is one of the best R&B flavored pop songs I've ever come across with a bit of tasty hip-hop thrown in for good measure. His other hit "Down, Down Down" went to #1 on the Billboard chart while this one stalled at #10...but truth be told I like 'Do you Remember" just a bit better. When you're done listening you will want to listen again and you will remember I promise...check it out here: "Do You Remember" by Jay Sean (YouTube)

Male Mice sing Love Songs!

Did you know that male mice sing ultrasonic love songs to drive the females wild. Maybe there is something we can all learn from our little rodent friends...they seem to know the right way to attract a new mate ha ha. Check out the full article here: Male Mice sing Love Songs!

That's all for today folks...like most Mondays its always a hard adjustment back to the grind of everyday life (can't Sunday last twwwwo days all by itself :)). Oh well we'll be back tomorrow with another post after the American Idol Top 8 Girls showdown (is it girls on Tuesday or guys who knows :)). This is the last week before they start the Top 12 Format next week and start eliminating one singer per week (most weeks..some weeks it may be 2). Have a great nite all!

~Vincent

2010-03-05T23:46:00.003-05:00

Fridays Featured Song - "Old Fashioned Love Song" by 3 Dog Night

Almost 40 years ago there was this really cool song that with its opening organ-driven melody almost put you in a trance. "Old Fashioned Love Song" for me will always be a very special song...it was 3 Dog Nights' 7th top 10 hit and this one went all the way to #4 on the Billboard chart. If you have never heard it or its been a while check it out here: "Old Fashioned Love Song" - 3 Dog Night (YouTube) . By the way one of those other top 10 hits was "Joy To the World" (not the Christmas song) which starts out with a line about a bullfrog...talk about a very cool song that is unlike anything you've ever heard :)

Welcome to Corporate Sponsored Music :)

With CD sales continually heading downward more and more artists are turning to corporate sponsorships and product placements to help earn a living. From Lady Gaga to Chris Brown to Iggy Pop, musicians of varying styles and substance no longer find it objectionable to tie their music to a corporate brand. I personally don't think its such a bad thing and if its not done overboard by any one artist (or brand). A recent LA TImes article really delves into this topic check it out here: "Welcome to Corporate Sponsored Music"

That's all for Friday we almost didn't make it to post by Midnight but here goes..we'll be back on Monday with another post and a new featured song from the modern times :)

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-04T21:04:00.003-05:00

VH1 Behind the Music is Back!

VH1's Behind the Music is back with several update episodes including Judas Priest, John Lennon and Genesis. All three of those are available to watch online here: Watch VH1 Behind the Music . Also an updated Def Leppard episode debuts this Saturday March 6th on Vh1. Some of the best music-related television I ever watched was some of these behind the music shows. Its good to see VH1 bringing them back and hopefully they will continue and do new artists as well.

American Idol - Bye bye to 2 girls and 2 guys - I was 3 for 4 :)

Tonight we said goodbye to 2 girls and 2 guys as we're now down to 16 finalists. 3 of the 4 that went home tonight I picked in last nights blog posting and they were
Haeley Vaughn , Michelle Delamor and Jermaine Sellers. John Park also went home tonight so that means my other pick Toddrick Hall lives on another week. Check back next Tuesday and Wednesday as I review the shows and try to guess the next 4 going home (its gonna get harder and harder to do). After next weeks show we'll have the Top 12 which is where the competition really heats up.

Hey hey tomorrow Friday is finally here YEAAAH we'll be back with another post tomorrow nite and a new featured song for the weekend!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

Wednesdays Featured Song - "Private Emotion" by Ricky Martin

This one goes back 10 years ago but it was and is one of my favorite love songs and recordings ever. Written by Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman of the Hooters, they put it on the Hooters "Out of Body" CD In the 90's...Ricky picked it up and put it on his self-titled CD in 2000 and it went to #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hhonestly I feel it deserved top 10 - the song really delivers on the emotion both lyrically and melodically. If you haven't heard "Private Emotion" you are missing out take a listen here: "Private Emotion" by Ricky Martin (YouTube)

Girls takin' the stage on American Idol Tonight - Crystal Rocks and Siobhan was AMAZING!

After getting switched with the boys last night the girls finally did their thing tonight and were some shining spots. Two of my favorites was the leadoff spot with Crystal Bowersox. Ill last night (which moved the girls to tonight) she delivered what I thought was an amazing performance. She's the one I can't wait to see each week what she is going to do next. Coming close to her is Lilly Scott....its great having two indie singer-songwriters on the stage and even cooler having so many contestants playing their instruments this season. Then the end of the show came with Siobhan Magnus and oh my goodness she was amazing. SHe performed "Think" by Aretha and is nailed that song to the wall and it aint never coming off. If you didn't hear it go find it online today and wait for that note near the end. Siobhan if you continue like that you ARE the one to beat this season.

Apple ITunes Playing Hardball with Amazon

Once again Apple is playing more like Goliath instead of David and is whining to the record labels because they are doing promotions with both Itunes and Amazon.com. At some point someone needs to put Apple in their place - they are not gonna be the be all and end all in digital music forever. They had a nice run being in the lead but at some point competition is going to surround them on all sides thats how capitalism works. I wouldn't be surprised if their complaining eventually backfires driving more people to Amazon.com and other sites to buy their music.

That's all for today folks...be back tomorrow with another post after the AI REsults show - my guesses for who's going home would be Haeley Vaughn (pitchiness continues) and Michelle Delamor (which I hope not - she is much better than the song she did tonight "Arms Wide Open". For the guys going home may be Toddrick Hall and Jermaine Sellers. Check back tomorrow to see if I'm right or waaaay off :)

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

Lady Antebellum leads the ACM Nominations

We just can't get that "Need You Now" song out of our head and apparently neither can the country music industry. Lady Antebellum snagged 7 American Country Music Award nominations to lead the pack with Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert tagging at their heals. Its been a big year already for this talented trio after already appearing on the Grammys recently. I'm looking forward to hearing more great music from these folks! Lady Antebellum leads ACM Nominees

American Idol Top 10 Guys are finishing up now

Just finishing up watching the Top 10 guys for American Idol as they prepare to lose two more this Thursday after the voting. Overall as a group they have gotten better from last week but I haven't seen a lot that amazed me this week...although I missed almost all of Michael Lynches performance (will check the tape and feedback later). Once again though song choice is proving to be crucial..I wish I could spend 15 minutes with each contestant each week helping them pick a song and the arrangement. I mean I'm no musical genius but I think I'd do a bit better...its hard for them most are so young and inexperienced.

Most disappointing performance of the nite for me was Andrew Garcia..I really like Andrew but like the judges said he's continuing to take steps backward...strange song choices and pitching all over the place...he really needs to pull another "Straight Up" miracle out of his hat if he's here next week.

On a side note I really enjoyed Ellen a lot more tonight then last week. She's bringing a lot more humor to the panel with her comments tonight and it makes the show that much more entertaining.

That's all for tonight...featured song is still "Perfect Day" by Hoku - stop back tomorrow for another blog post and a new featured song!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-03-01T18:23:00.002-05:00

Mondays Featured Song = "Perfect Day" by Hoku

Okay so the song actually came out several years ago but has gotten new life with TV commercials including JC Penney's and Sandals Casinos. Hoku, the daughter of the late great Don Ho, disappeared from the music scene for 5 years after parting ways with Geffen records but has recently surfaced again and appears to have a new CD out. The song "Perfect Day" only went to #121 on the Billboard chart back in 2001 but has just about the most perfect chorus hook I've ever heard - absolutely perfect for any spring/summer day (no pun intended). Since today is March 1st and we hit 50 degrees in Philly I say its a perfect song for the day :) Check out the song and "Legally Blond" movie clip that featured teh song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHybxGEcbZY

To see and hear what Hoku is up to nowadays check out her official YouTube Channel: "Perfect Day" by Hoku (YouTube)

LoveSongs.com Chart Update - Feb winner was "Need You Now"

Tonight we're resetting the current favorite love song chart and adding some new tunes in. February's winner was again "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum with runner up "Life After You" by Daughtry. Check out the updated poll on our homepage here at http://www.lovesongs.com/

LA Times reports that music is good for any age

Its never too early or late in our lives to enjoy music according to the LA Times. There are so many benefits ranging from increased brain/memory capacity to simply boosting our spirits. I've always said a song or 50 songs a day keeps the doctor away ha ha...now here's proof :) CHeck out the full article here: Music Good For You At Any Age

So glad March is finally here and looking forward to some warmer weather. Tonight when you go to sleep say a prayer for the folks in Chile and for Haiti again as well..mother nature has definitely putting them on the ropes.

Will be back at ya Tuesday with another post seee yaaaa!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-26T19:06:00.002-05:00

Featured Flashback - "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks

Canadian singer Terry Jacks had some success in Canada along with his wife Susan in a band called The Poppys in the last 60's-early 70's. But when the Beach Boys decided not to release "Seasons in the Sun", Terry Jacks jumped at the chance to release it himself in 1974 and 36 years ago this week it went to #1 in the US, Canada and UK. Definitely one of the saddest songs ever written & recorded, you can't help but feel for the artist as the lyrics and melody work together perfectly to paint their very last goodbye. The song "Seasons in the Sun" is actually an English-language adaptation of the song "Le Moribond" by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel who passed away in 1976 sooner after the songs huge success. If you haven't ever heard this song take a few moments and take a listen. It will help you appreciate what you have and want to spend more time with the ones you love: "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks (YouTube)

Yeaaa weekends here and the Snow has finally stopped

I'm happy to report that the weekend has finally arrived and the snow finally stopped (although some reports call for yet another storm in the Northeast next week :)). I'm spending the weekend catching up on some song projects and making some new updates to the website.

Have a super weekend and please check back Monday for a new blog post, a new featured song and to see whats new on LoveSongs.com woooohoooo!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-25T21:16:00.002-05:00

ITunes sells its 10 BILLIONTH SONG!

In less than 7 years Apple's ITunes has managed to sell 10 Billion songs...that is a little more than one song for every second since they launched...that is just amazing. All that and they claim they still aren't making money hand over fist. Yes I know the record labels take a nice cut from each song sold (so the artists and songwriters can be paid and the labels kept on life support). But 10 BILLION Songs...I mean even if Apple was making just a nickel per song thats $ 500 Million dollars in just under 7 years. That's a lost of song cashola for any company don't you think? And add into that all the Apple hardward they sold along with it (Ipods, Iphones, soon the iPad maybe ha :)). Apple really has got a huge thing going on and by the looks of it will only get bigger and bigger. Remember when Microsoft was the big bad wolf to look out for and Apple was the underdog favorite....maybe just maybe those times are changing we'll have to wait and see. For an interesting article on the 10 BILLIONTH song, who bought it and what they got check out the full article here: ITunes sells 10 Billionth Song

American Idol says goodbye to 4

Just finished watching the first results show and there were a lot of surprises...Tyler Grady? Ashley Rodriguez? Even Joe Munoz really connected with his performance (not a great song but he has the stage charisma)...and Janelle Wheeler going home instead of Lacey Brown. I mean what is America thinking? I don't know but definitely some of the front runners in my mind went home the first week. I hope the trend doesn't continue or it will be hard to watch the final 12 be whittled down to one when its all over.

That's all for tooooday folks - its another snowy Thursday nite (but hey its not sticking yet :))....we'll be back with another post and our weekend song feature tomorrow!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-24T17:22:00.002-05:00

Today's Featured Song - "Break Even" by The Script

I heard a very different and cool song a few weeks back and I didn't catch the name or band. Then I went searching today and found it - "Break Even" by The Script. An Irish rock band very popular across the pond, The Script has started to make inroads in the states. "Break even" really gets your attention from opening notes and by the time it hits the soaring end of the chorus "I'm falling to piecessssss ...." you are completely hooked. If you haven't heard it yet you are missing it out - please check out The Script right here: "Break Even" by the Script (YouTube)

American Idol Guys debut Tonight on FOX

I just finished watching the guys do their thing live for the first time on American Idol...I missed the first 4 contestants and unfortunately most of the rest never really got my attention either. Probably the one that really has potential is Joe Munoz...I wasn't bowled over by his performance but definitely a lot of potential..same thing for Tyler Grady and Casey James. Its good these guys and the girls will get 3 weeks to develop their chops some more before the Top 12 are announced in 3 weeks. Those that remain will really benefit from this extra development and some will start to shine even more as their confidence builds. In the end my favorite of the nite was Lee DeWyze who I almost forgot about simply because his name is kinda different (makes no sense right). Other then being a little pitchy his version of "Chasing Cars" by Sno Patrol was excellent. Tomorrow nite we'll find out which 2 girls and 2 guys are going home and see if my original Top 8 are still intact ha!

Have a great Wednesday nite folks we're in for more snow hear in Philadelphia (noooo nooo make it stop :)). Will be back tomorrow with another post!

~Vincent

2010-02-23T22:10:00.002-05:00

American Idol Girls Debut - Song choice song choice song choice

Its like real estate - its all about location, location, location. If you don't have a great location then nothing goods gonna happen. Same with song choice for singers. If you don't sing a song that shows off your voice in a flattering way, no good can happen. Don't pick a song by the same gender artist and sing it the same way, especially if the original singer has a monstrous voice. Janelle Wheeler tried "What about Love" by Heart and you're just never gonna compare favorably to Anne Wilson from Heart not ever ever. Then Katie Stevens is all of 17 years old and they say she's gonna sing a song by Michael Buble....o my goodness I love Michael Buble but his music is geared for people 30+ years older then Katie. Pick a song that hasn't been done by a singer like yourself (ie. different gender is a start)...pick a song that's suitable for your age (ie. that's current) and sing that song in a way unlike anyone else has ever sung that song. I know this is a tall order for many singers especially when they are so young. But that is what is going to get attention from the AI judges and more importantly by America as they are voting.

Best performance of the nite was Michelle Delamore who sang Fallin' by Alicia Keys...she broke the song rule but she actually pulled it off. Another one I really liked which the judges didn't was Haeley Vaughn's interpretation of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles. Honestly I thought it was a bold move and that it was a refreshing take on a song thats been extremely popular for no less then 46 years. Well done in my book!

Worse of the nite was unfortunately Lacey Brown who was beat out by Megan Joy for a top spot last year. Lacey sang "Landslide" and between the pitchiness and the tone of her voice nothing really sounded right. I don't recall her voice ever being so annoying so I'm not sure what happened but it just didn't work for her tonight. For her sake I hope she gets another chance but she may be saying goodbye after Thursday nites results show.

Check back tomorrow as we review the AI guys live on stage for the first time. For full-size edition of what happened tonight on IDOL check out the USAToday blog here: American Idol Girls take to the stage

New Featured Song back tomorrow!

We'll be doing a new song feature 3X/week Mon/Wed and Friday to give us a chance to really find the gems out there. So "Hey Soul Sister" by Train gets a ride for another day check it out here: "Hey Soul Sister" by Train (YouTube)

See ya'll on Wednesday folks!

~Vincent

2010-02-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

Mondays Featured Tune - "Hey Soul Sister" by Train

The rock band Train hit it back in 1999 with the song "Meet Virginia" off their debut self-titled CD...then hit paydirt again in 2001 with "Drops Of Jupiter" that went all the way to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They took a break in 2006 to spend more time with family and came back in 2009n there was a bit of a dry spell before last year when they hit #7 with "Hey Soul Sister" which really is a catchy number. I'd only heard it a few times and then I came across it again tonight on the radio and its such a cool little song that makes you wanna dance around and sing it :) Check out "Hey Soul Sister" here:

"Hey Soul Sister" by Train (YouTube)

Voting starts on American Idol Tuesday Nite with da Girls!

The Top 12 girls of this years American Idol class kick off the live singing and voting tomorrow nite. Will be our first chance to see and hear Ellen live on the show and hear how some of our favorite singers this year do singing live. The girls kick it off Tuesday then the boys on Wednesday with the results for both coming on Thursday. I made my top 8 prediction last week we'll see if any of my favorites start dropping off (don't ask me why top 8 I just picked the 8 I thought could really win based on what I'd seen and heard so far).

Here's hoping for a great week for everyone - will be back at ya tomorrow/Tuesday with another post and possibly another great pop song to tell you about...I love finding great new (and old) songs!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-21T10:19:00.003-05:00

Sunday's Flashback Song - "Shannon" by Henry Gross

Henry Gross first knew fame as founding member of the 60's rock'n'roll vocal group Sha Na Na that performed at Woodstock and other well known venues of the time. Henry left Sha Na Na to pursue a solo career in 1970 and after six years of mostly struggling hit pay dirt with this incredibly moving song that was dedicated to Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter dog of the same name that had drowned. I remember first hearing this song back in the late 70's and really being drawn to it ....even today I still get chills whenever I hear it. If you have never heard "Shannon" or its been a while you are in for a treat please take a listen here:

"Shannon" - Henry Gross (YouTube)

Does Playing an Instrument makes us smarter??

A recent article suggests that those of us that play an instrument (any instrument) actually improve our ability to focus and remember as well as motor skills. That's great news for me - if I hadn't started playing piano and guitar all those years ago I would be a lot dumber than I already am ha ha :) Seriously though if you have children (or will have them somday) its probably worthwhile to get them hooked on an instrument and music early in life - you might just have some real smart kids on your hands and have a lot of musical fun along the way. For more info on how playing music makes us smarter check out the full article here: Playing Music Makes us Smarter

After last Saturday's running around playing at 7 different Borders (supposed to be 8 but the traffic was unwielding :)) this weekend has been quite and peaceful which is nice. We're in the planning stages for a big Mothers Day week mini-tour so stay tuned for more info on that.

Please enjoy the rest of your Sunday and weekend and we'll be back with another post manana!

~Vincent

2010-02-19T18:02:00.004-05:00

Fridays Featured Song - "Our Song" by Taylor Swift

I first heard this song a year or so ago and thought wow this is a really cool uptempo pop song I wonder who sings it. This was of course before Taylor Swift had become absolutely huge on both both pop and country radio. "Our Song" was the 3rd single off her debut CD "Taylor Swift" from 2006 (when she was like 17 years old) and went to #1 on the Country chart and #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...this is before "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me" off her 2008 "Fearless" CD that is still hotter than ever. Also on her debut was another really good song "Teardrops on my Guitar" (my daughter just loves that song). Altogether Taylor has sold over 9 Million copies of her first two CDs in the US alone and holds the record (24 million) for the most digital tracks sold by any artist ever. Pretty heady stuff for someone who just recently turned 20 (think its too late for me to adopt her?? ha ha). Well "Our Song" was my first introduction to Taylor Swift and its as catchy as any uptempo pop ditty there is. If you haven't heard it recently or at all check it out along with the video here:

"Our Song" by Taylor Swift (YouTube)

New Free Austrailian Music Streaming Website launches March 30th

There's a new free music streaming site called Guvera coming online March 30th from the land down under. It will be ad-supported but instead of having the ads delay the music the webpages will be branded with an advertiser thats suited for that particular style of music. So you'll see the ads but won't have to wait to hear the music you want to hear. For more info on the beta launch coming next month check out this article on Wired.com

That's all for Friday fellow music lovers - I'll be back tomorrow with another post and perhaps another song post - We'll have a flashback weekend favorite coming right at ya!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-18T19:55:00.003-05:00

Thursdays Featured Song - "Not Meant to Be" by Theory of a Deadman

Definitely one of the strange band names I've come across, but the song "Not Meant to Be" is a great pop tune...about love that maybes not gonna go anywheres and coming to grips with having to walk away...never easy. Theory of a Deadman (also known as TOAD) hails from Canada and is very popular up there and also managed to sell 500,000 copies off their 2008 CD "Scars and Souvenirs" where "Not Meant To be" is from. The song itself peaked at #55 on the Billboard chart and if they were more known in the states would have gone much higher - its thats good a song. Check out the song and video here:

"Not Meant to Be" by Theory of a Deadman (YouTube)

American Idol Top 24 is Ready to GOOO!!!

Watched both episodes of AI this week as they rounded down the numbers to the best 24 in the group. There were a few surprises in the selection but not many. Some of my favorites to make it to the top 12 are Aaron Kelly, Casey James, Ashley Rodriguez, Janelle Wheeler, Katie Stevens, Lily Scott, Todrick Hall and Tyler Grady. There thats my top 8 ha ha...I'll check back with you next week to see how many of these make it to the Top 12. Definitely looking forward this year as its a great crew of performers and as they get better each week some will be amazing (and of course some will falter as the pressure builds up). That's what makes it so much fun to watch because its as real as you get in the music biz.

That's all for Thursday folks - will be back tomorrow with another song and some more music fun for you!!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2010-02-14T18:07:00.003-05:00

Wednesdays Featured song - "We are the World" for Haiti - 25 years!

After a crazy weekend with 7 shows at different Borders Stores on Saturday we're finally catching back up online today. We started at 9 AM in Newark, Delaware and ended up 7 stores later in Wynnewood PA playing at least 30 minutes in every store to a very receptive audience. We were soooo sorry to miss Plymouth Meeting Borders but traffic on Route 202 going to King of Prussia was unbelievable...combine cabin fever from the recent snow storms and two holidays in one weekend it was just too much :) We made it to King of Prussia about an hour late and then struggled to get out of King of Prussia area to make it to Bryn Mawr for scheduled time at 7:30. What a crazy fun day playing love songs for folks everywhere - can't wait to do it again!

"We are the World" - Hope for Haiti

"We are the World" 2010 Version was recorded a few weeks back and you can catch the entire video here featuring many of the great singers and performers of today plus spliced in footage of Michael Jackson singing some of his parts from 1985...its a moving song and video you won't want to miss:

"We Are the World 2010" - YouTube

Written by Lionel Richie and the late amazing Michael Jackson, the song was originally used to help raise funds for hunger in Africa. This time around the focus is on helping to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake just a few weeks ago. I wonder if we'll also see another "Hands Across America" next year in 2011 for the 25th Anniversary of that historic event in 1986. Music wil always help bring people together..that's why I love it soooo much!

That's all for today - we'll be back with a Daily Blog again starting tomorrow and we'll be featuring just 2-3 new songs per week - The very best that we can find on radio and beyond!

~Vincent

2010-02-13T05:58:00.003-05:00

Saturdays Feature - "Nothings Gonna Change My Love" by Glenn Medeiros

Perhaps the most romantic song ever written and my personal favorite is "Nothings Gonna Change My Love For You" by Glenn Mereiros. From his native Hawaii at age 17 , Glenn recorded a cover of George Bensons original version ..won a radio station contest with it and ended up with a huge radio hit going all the way to #12 on the Billboard chart and #1 in UK for 4 weeks. A few years after that Glenn had a #1 hit on the US with "She Ain't Worth It" with Bobby Brown on vocals as well. Now residing in Hawaii again Glenn teaches music and history and performs still on the islands. This song will always have special memories for me and my wife Joann as it was our Wedding Song and we had a chance to see Glenn perform when he did a radio tour in the early 90's. If you have never heard this beautiful song or want to remember please watch and listen here:

"Nothings Gonna Change My Love" by Glenn Medeiros (YouTube)

Whirlwind Valentines Tour - Today in Philadelphia area!

Todays the day I attempt to perform a 30 minute Love Song set at 8 different Borders Bookstores in the Philadelphia area. If you'd like to catch me along the way here are the locations:

9 AM - Borders Newark - 101 Geoffrey Drive, Newark, DE
11 AM - Borders Wilmiington - 4221 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE
1:30 PM - Borders Concordville- 968 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA
3 PM - Borders Exton - Exton Square Mall, Exton, PA
4:30 PM - Borders King of Prussia - King of Prussia Mall - The Court
6 PM - Borders Plymouth Meeting - Plymouth Meeting Mall, PA
7:30 PM - Borders Bryn Mawr - Rosemont SHopping Center, Bryn Mawr PA
9 PM - Borders Wynnewood - 80 E. Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA

And here is the Facebook Event: Whirlwind Valentines Tour

Just one more day to Valentines Day and it looks like a beautiful weekend (ie. no more new snow till at least Monday ha ha)

Have a great Saturday and will be back with a new post on Valentines morning!

~Vincent

2010-02-12T06:51:00.003-05:00

Friday's Featured Song - "Stop and Stare" by One Republic

One Republic has a different single on the charts right now "All the Right Moves" which has a pretty cool chorus - but the song I really like (apart from their monster hit "Apologize") is "Stop and Stare" - haunting verse and chorus that are perfectly matched and the orchestrated background is just perfect. "Stop and Stare" went all the way to #12 on the Billboard Chart in 2008. One Republic originally formed out of Denver, Colorado in 2002 and at one point became the most popular unsigned band on MySpace (which will tend to get you some serious attention :)). "Apologize" from their debut CD hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and was followed up by this really cool song check it out:

"Stop and Stare" - One Republic (YouTube)

Warner Music may pull their music from Streaming Sites

Warner Music has said they don't support streaming only sites (aka Last.fm and Pandora) that are advertiser supported as they take away sales of MP3s through other sites. Instead they may support sites that offer paid subscriptions to hear unlimited tracks. This whole music streaming battle is far from over will be interesting to see how it all plays out over the next few years. Here's a recent article on Warner Musics position: Warner Music to pull music from Streaming Sites

Valentines Day just two days away!

Valentines Day is not just around the corner but its two doors up the street and moving fast. Fortunately the snow has actually stopped and we are almost dug out of our neighborhoods so maybe we can enjoy Valentines weekend. Tomorrow I'll be doing my crazy Whirlwind Valentines Tour visiting 8 different Borders - should be a fun time and I'll get to actually celebrate Valentines with the Mrs on Sunday whooo hoooooo!

Have a great Friday and will be posting another update and tune early tomorrow before we head out for the shows - first show is at 9 AM (man thats early :))

~Vincent

2010-02-11T13:04:00.002-05:00

Thursdays Feature - "Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl

Can't believe its been 22 years since this song first came across the radio airwaves. "Waiting for a Star to Fall" went to #5 on the Billboard Chart in 1988 and was the only big hit from pop duo "Boy Meets Girl" that hailed from Seattle, Washington area. Prior to this big hit they also penned two #1 hits for Whitney Houston "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and have written for many other big names as well. When I hear "Waiting for a star..." its like the most perfect pop song there could ever be - definitely in my all time Top 10 pop songs ever. If you have never heard it or want to remember what it was like check it out here:

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl (YouTube)

Just Three Days Till Valentines Day - Whatcha gonna do??

Well folks Valentines is almost upon us and will be here in just three days. I know in the Mid-Atlantic states we're digging out from the latest snowstorm and hopefully we'll be done in time to have some fun this weekend. We at LoveSongs.com would love to hear how you plan to spend Valentines. Email us at vj@lovesongs.com or simply post a comment here on the blog and we'll post some of your replies this Saturday before we head out on our crazy Borders/Valentines tour of 8 stores.

That's all for today folks - I'm totally beat from shoveling (again) and need to go find a couch to rest on. Hope you have a great day and we'll be back tomorrow with another great love song for Valentines week!

~Vincent

2010-02-10T10:53:00.002-05:00

Wednesdays Featured Song - "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles

Yes its been almost 3 years since "Love Song" was released but hey its our first chance to feature it for Valentines week :) "Love Song" was offered as the free song of the week by Itunes in June 2007 and it gradually picked up steam from there week after week. After appearances by Sara on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the Today Show it eventually peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went on to sell 3 Million copies. The album from which it came is called "Little Voices" and that managed to go Gold selling 500 thousand copies and peaking at #7 on the Billboard album chart. Unfortunately for Sara, recovering from this one monster hit song may prove to be impossible. "Love Song" is such a catchy uptempo tune - talking about how she doesn't have to write him a love song just to prove how she feels - it's infectious, so well written and performed that anything else Sara does will most likely pale by comparison. I have to say most likely because we just never know. Hopefully Sara will be out with a new CD sometime later this year or early next and we'll get to hear where she's going with her music. For now check out this amazingly good song and video for Valentines week called "Love Song"

"Love Song" by Sara Bareilles - YouTube

Ellen has arrived on Idol -and it was cool!

We all got a chance to see Ellen on American Idol for the first time and she was everything we hoped she would be. Funny, interesting and definitely honest when she needed to me (no more Paula praising how some one looks because the performance was terrible). Was absolutely a fun show and looking forward to more from Ellen. The one Paula related note that was a highlight was an amazing performance of Paula's "Straight Up" by 24 years old dad Andrew Garcia. His acoustic rendition and arrangement was exactly as fellow judge Kara Dioguardi stated last night...absolutely genius. I'm hoping Andrew can keep the momentum going as we go into group night tonight which always proves to be the undoing of some of the better contestants. Working well with others is such a hard thing to do for some :) For more info and clips of last night Idol show check out this article:

Ellen has arrived on American Idol

That's all for Wednesday folks - The snow is moving in again to the mid-Atlantic area so I see more snow shoveling in my future (as in today :)). Will be back tomorrow with another Valentines week feature and music news!

~Vincent

2010-02-09T06:13:00.003-05:00

Tuesdays Featured Song - "Smile" by Uncle Kracker

Not as popular (or as egotistical) as his Top 5 hit "Follow Me", Uncle Kracker's newest hit "Smile" has a catchy bouncy hook with an upbeat message that feels so much better than "follow me cause I so goood la la la" ha ha :). Seriously I think "Smile" is the better song but unfortunately for Kracker his popularity had already started to wane (that old 15 minutes of fame thing) so this song didn't have as much of a chance. Uncle K also hit the Top 10 chart a few years back with a cover of Dobie Grays 1973 hit "Drift Away" with Gray singing again on the song bridge...it was nice to hear that song come back it was a good one. "Smile" did manage to hit 43 on the Billboard chart and if you want to hear a song that didn't get its due check it out here:

"Smile" by Uncle Kracker (YouTube)

Simon and Ellen together on IDOL - Tonight!

The long awaited pairing of Simon and Ellen DeGenerous on Idol will happen tonight as Hollywood round begins. Okay okay so it probably happened a few months ago but we're just getting to see it now. I'm looking forward to hearing the comments that come between them and how this years batch of performers holds up under the real pressure. If they thought auditioning was the hard part boy were they wrong :) When your in direct competition with other singers in the same room, on the same stage (and yes its a stage now) and with songs you haven't prepared forever its gonna be a lot harder. The audition round in the beginning is always amusing but when we hit the Hollywood round I think thats when the real fun starts.

Hope you all have a great Tuesday - we're due for another round of snow in the Northeast sheeeeesh its getting a little crazy up here :) Will be back tomorrow with another song, a LoveSongs.com newsletter and more!

~Vincent

2010-02-08T06:50:00.004-05:00

Monday's Featured Song - "Down Down Down" by Jay Sean

Okay so its only one "Down" but this ones just so catchy I keep repeating "Down". Dance music may be making a comeback if this track is any indication - with a beat straight from the Freestyle music days, the melody is infectious and the lyrical hook pulls you in deep. Jay has been around a little while being signed to UK Virgin Records and having two top 10 UK singles in 2004. He later parted ways with Virgin records and made his American debut on Cash Box Records with the CD "All or Nothing". Definitely leaning towards the ALL as "Down" went all the way to #1 on the Billboard 100 chart in the US and 2nd single "Do You Remember" cracked the Top 10 as well. Check out "Down down down" :) here on YouTube - once you hear it you'll want to hear it again:

"Down" by Jay Sean - YouTube

Jay Letterman on CBS last night :)

No you weren't dreaming when you saw Jay Leno, David Letterman and Oprah together in a commerical on the Super Bowl last night. Dave complaining they were at the worse Super Bowl Party ever and Jay chiming in that its only because he's there ha :) Nicely done Jay and Dave with Oprah in the middle as mediator. When Jay returns to late night in a few weeks it'll make the Late Night wars interesting again with Jay and Dave going at it night after night. Nothing like real competition to get the creative juices flowing.

First AM Blog Post

This is my first time posting in the AM/Morning - So Mondays post is actually visible most of Monday instead of coming out Monday nite (and maybe even more typos :)). We'll see how long I can get up early and make this happen every day. Have a great Monday and we'll be back on Tuesday with another featured song!

~Vincent

2010-02-07T16:11:00.001-05:00

Sunday's Flashback Feature - "Lonely Boy" by Andrew Gold

I first heard this song back in the late 70's and from the very first listen I was hooked for a lifetime - I must confess I don't know exactly what its all about (I'm a just a melody guy who occasionally writes a semi-decent lyric :)), but "Lonely Boy" is just a monster of a pop song....great verse melody and incredible hook...driving piano background - and then they hit you with a way cool guitar solo which just puts the icing on the cake that's already tasting good ha :) If you are not familiar with "Lonely Boy" I highly recommend you check it out - both a studio and live version are posted below. Andrew also penned "Thank You For Being a Friend" from Golden Girls TV show and many other songs covered by big artists. "Lonely Boy" went all the way to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977 was a nice ride:

"Lonely Boy" - YouTube (Live version)

"Lonely Boy" - YouTube (Studio Version)

Super Bowl Halftime brings us The Who

Well tonight is SuperBowl nite (starts in about 30 minutes) and since the Eagles arent' playing I'm not too worried about who will win. The Saints are definitely a sentimental favorite so I'll definitely be happy for New Orleans if they win. At halftime this year, they'll bring out another super group that started well even before my time ha. The Who is one of my favorite bands from that era...so many of their songs deliver emotion like nobodies business..."This Song is Over", "Baba O'Reilly", "Behind Blue Eyes"...and songs from the Rock opera "Tommy" - quite a legacy that will live on long after Pete, Roger and John stop making music together. Sadly original members Keith Moon and John Entwistle won't be there to join them....both died of drug related incidents....Keith in 1978 and John in 2002...behind the sadness of them not being alive with their family and friends...the live version of the Who could never be the same after their passing.

Enjoy the game and the music tonight and we'll be back with another song and some fun tomorrow!

~Vincent

2010-02-06T17:30:00.003-05:00

Saturdays' Snowy Featured Song - "Misery" by Suzanne Gorman

Well the snow finally stopped coming down and when it was all over it was 2+ feet and higher due to drifting..unbelievable! I finally managed to drag myself in the house so I could do a blog post. Today we're featuring another indie pop song this time in the country vein. "Misery" by Suzanne Gorman has an extremely cool vibe to it and gets your attention from the first notes in the introduction..then the first vocal line seals it with "I don't feel real pretty today..."..totally not true in Suzanne's case but her delivery of the line is so sincere and heartfelt you are drawn into the rest of the song. We always say that "misery loves company" and this song makes it feel all too real for the listener. Another great song on her site is "Heartbreaker" - to hear "Misery", "Heartbreaker" and several other really good songs please visit Suzanne Gorman on MySpace here: www.myspace.com/suzannegorman

Whirlwind Valentines Tour @ Borders in 1 Week!

Just one week from today on Sat Feb 13th, I'll be running around the Philadelphia area playing a 30 minute set at 8 different Borders Bookstores...trying to keep my voice and my sanity intack at I go. For more information on tour locations visit me at www.vincentjames.com . We'll also be posting updates on Facebook from each location look for Facebook links on LoveSongs.com shortly.

That's all for today folks - I'm pooped and need to go practice some more - 8 mini-shows in one day is like running a marathon and have to almost train like one :) Have a great nite and we'll be back tomorrow with another song and some more music news!

~Vincent

2010-02-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

Friday's Feature - "Replay" by Iyaz

Well I have to admit I thought he was saying "Charlene's like a melody...." but actually its "Shawty's like a melody..."...glad I looked that one up :) This is definitely a catchy song that you just want to play again and again. Born Keidran Jones, the artist known as Iyaz. Sean Kingston found Iyaz's music online and tried unsuccessfully to contact him a few times, then finally Iyaz responding just incase it really was Kingston's email :) Well the rest as they say is history...Iyaz signed with a Warner Brothers affiliate..his debut CD "My Life" came out in 2009 and "Replay" went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (not a bad debut :)). More music is on the way from "My Life" listen for it on radio..for now check out this infectious tune and video:

"Replay" - YouTube

Record Label Giant EMI lost 1.7 Billion Pounds (as in $$$)

In the past year, UK record label giant EMI REcords lost a staggering 1.7 Billion pounds. Not sure what that exactly translates to in dollars (about $ 2.5 Billion Dollars I believe) but its huge. Home to Katy Perry, Coldplay, David Bowie and many other successful artists. Currently they have 4 albums in the Top 10 charts in the US and have about 18% of the market. But illegal MP3 downloads are continuing to take a big bite out of EMI and other companies as they try to stay relevant in the digital age (would have helped if they had jumped on the Itunes/paid Napster situation much sooner). Check out the full article here: EMI Records loses 1.7 Billion Pounds

That's all for Friday nite folks - BIIGGG snowstorm coming in tonight to Philadelphia area - 12-18 inches should be a long white weekend. Be back tomorrow with an Indie song favorite and some more music news!

~Vincent

2010-02-04T20:44:00.004-05:00

Thursdays Feature - "All Around Me" by Flyleaf

Flyleaf and this song in particular reminds me of Evanescence at their very best. The haunting, silky voice of lead singer Lacey Mosley pulls you in, the amazing melody feeds on your ears and any song that sings "my tongue dances behind my lips for you" has got to be something special. The contrast between the verses and chorus is so intense with the chorus guitars and lead vocal pounding the message into you...its just way past cool. "All Around You" by Flyleaf actually came out in 2007 as a single from their 2005 debut CD and cracked the Billboard Top 40. They've been quiet on the Top 40 charts lately with one song "Again" from their new CD getting played on Rock and Alternative radio...but I wouldn't count these guys and gal out yet. Currently touring the US with Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace look for more good stuff to come from Flyleaf. Watch and listen "All Around You" here:

"All Around Me" - YouTube

Kenny Rogers to mark 50 years in the Music Biz with TV Special

That man who first brought us "Lady" (written by Lionel), "You Decorated My Life", "The Gambler" and many many other great hits will be taping a TV Special in April that will include Dolly Parton and other special guests. For more info check out the news here: Kenny Rogers TV Special

That's all for Thursday folks. A BIG Snow is coming our way tomorrow so I'll be snowed in, writing and playing music and will post another blog entry with a new song. This weekend I'm also gonna switch to posting in the mornings so starting Saturday morning the posts will be early...that way Mondays post will actually be out all of Monday (instead of Monday nite into Tuesday ha ha). Have a great nite all and see ya manana!

~Vincent

2010-02-03T20:39:00.004-05:00

Wednesday's Feature - "Life After You" - by Daughtry

Talk about a Cinderella story. One moment he's working as a service advisor for a car dealership, and then a few short months later he's got 4th place on American Idol. In 2006 that same year his debut CD comes out and sells almost 5 million copies and spawns 7 top 40 singles. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that all 7 are really great songs which is so rare these days. Well Chris Daughtry and the band Daughtry are back with a new CD called "Leave this Town". The first single that I really liked was a song called "No Surprise" and #2 is this song called "Life After You". Once again he delivers with really solid songwriting, great lyrics and emotion for the listener. Check out Daughtry's latest musical offering here:

"Life After You" - Daughtry

The Day the Music Died - 51 years ago

Long long ago a small plane crash took the lives of 3 very special musicians along with some other folks. Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valenes ("La Bamba") all met their terrible fate that day and Don McLean memorialized is many years later with the song "American Pie". For some interesting details on the events leading up to that day and who traded fates before the flight check out this Wiki article:

"The Day the Music Died"

That's all for Wedddddnesday...will be back tomorrow with another tune and some more music newzzz!

~Vincent

2010-02-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

Tuesdays Feature - "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon

This is an interesting song..it starts out hard driving and then it hits the breaks when the vocals start in the verse (which is a very cool contrast). And that voice is so expressive it really makes you want to listen to the words being sung. This song and production was in fact so cool that Grammy voters gave it the Record of the Year in Sunday nites broadcast. Not bad for a band of brothers from Nashville that formed in 1999, put out their first studio album in 2003 - Kings of Leon initially had success in Austrailia, Ireland and the UK and only with their 2008 release "Only By the Night" did they start to get attention in the US. The single "Sex on Fire" went to #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and "Use Somebody" went all the way to #4. If you haven't heard it yet check out this very interesting tune you'll be glad you did :

"Use Somebody" - YouTube

The well of what I call great songs is starting to run dry on the current charts. That just means if I'm gonna feature a new song every day I'm gonna have to dig a little deeper. If there is a really cool song (I mean awesome :)) that you've heard and I haven't featured it yet - post it to the blog here and I'll take a listen.

American Idol in Denver Tonight - High Pitch Bare Back goes to Hollywood

Tonights broadcast was pretty interesting - definitely some good folks going through and a few went through I was surprised - the girl with the high speaking voice who flew all the way from Italy to audition and then there was the guy who only got his golden ticket after he took off his shirt (well sex sells in Denver as well as anywhere else :)). I know they have to put some interesting folks through so we get to see some of the fun drama in Hollywood week. I definitely think some of the folks in Hollywood will surprise - some will go much farther then we expect - while frontrunners may be quickly gone - Thats how it is in the rough and tumble entertainment business - If it were easy, EVERYONE would be doing it!

Have a great Tuesday nite (stay out of the snow) and be back tomorrow with another tune - gotta dig deep now :)

~Vincent

2010-02-01T18:14:00.003-05:00

Mondays Featured Song - "Never Gonna Be Alone" by Nickelback

Its hard to believe Nickelback started out way back in 1995, had their first mainstream success in 2000 and 38 million albums sold later can still crank out the hits. Criticized for their lack of originality (which I agree they are not the most original sounding band or songs), Nickelback has that knack for writing a pop-hook and building up a production that gets you singing it over and over. Hey if it was so easy every other band and label would be doing it - you can't tell me they don't want a piece of 38 million albums sold in 10 years in the US alone. And being from Canada, they are the 2nd biggest foreign act (record sales wise) in the 2000's decade just behind the Beatles. What can we say..the bigger you get, the louder your critics are :) Well the current Nickelback song caught my attention with its strong anthemic chorus and heartfelt verse lyrics. The story line is so simple but sometimes that is the best message to deliver. What girl doesn't want to hear "You're never gonna be alone"? Check out the tune and video here:

Never Gonna Be Alone - YouTube

Whirlwind Valentines Tour at Borders Books - Sat Feb 13th.

On Saturday February 13th I'll be attempting to play a 30 minute set at 8 different Borders Bookstores in one day. I'll be starting at 9 AM in Newark, Delaware and circling the city of Philadelphia to end up in Wynnewood, PA at 9 PM. If nothing else it will be a day to remember (and one to see how my voice holds up :)). To get more details and the locations/times please visit me at http://www.vincentjames.com/ . We'll also be posting updates on a new Facebook fan page we'll be launching this week we'll post that info mid-week.

Well Monday's a wrap folks - I hope you enjoyed the Grammys last night - certainly was one of the more interesting broadcasts in a while with the highlight being Michael Jacksons Lifetime achievement award being accepted by his children. I am glad to see that Michael's memory will live on in both his music and his family.

Please have a great nite and we'll be back tomorrow with another tune and American Idollll talk!

~Vincent

2010-01-31T17:28:00.005-05:00

Sunday's Flashback Song - "Lost Without Your Love" by David Gates & Bread

Perhaps my most favorite male voice of all time was that of David Gates from the 70's group Bread. His tenor voice is so smooth, so sweet that it captivates you from the moment you first hear it. When you add to that some of the most beautiful love songs that were ever written, their catalog is truly a treasure. Bread's first album was in 1969 and titled simply bread and features one of my favorite Bread tunes "It Don't Matter To Me" (we'll feature that song another day). Their 2nd album in 1970 featured a song that came them their 1st #1 hit "Make It With You". They would follow with several more albums and a total of 5 Top 10 Billboard hits. The last of their Top 10 hits was a beautiful song about being completely lost without the one you were meant to be with...called simply "Lost Without Your Love" . I found it online with a very moving picture presentation to go with it here:

"Lost Without Your Love" - YouTube

Sadly, 3 of the original members of Bread passed away in the last 5 years so another reunion is out of the queston (they did a 25th anniversary tour in 1996 which would be their last together). I myself am such a fan of David Gates and Bread that when I play out I include several of their songs including "If", "Diary" and of course "Lost Without Your Love". By all accounts David is still writing and producing in his personal ranch studio in California. If you're reading this David please give me a call I would absolutely love to do a song with you some day!

"We are the World" to be recorded tomorrow/Monday

No thats not a typo...Quincy Jones has announced plans to re-record an updated version of "We are the World" tomorrow/Monday right after the Grammy awards tonight. Written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson and sung by a slew of top names/voices back in 1985, "We Are The World" helped raise millions of dollars for hunger across the planet. Proceeds from this new event will go towards the relief efforts in Haite where they will be recovering from the recent earthquake for many years to come. I myself am curious to hear what hte new "We are the World" sounds like...the first was a pretty magical listening experience and will be difficult to top. And better than that egos are even bigger than they were 25 years ago so Quincy will have his hands full tomrrow as he brings many of the current stars together tomorrow to participate. Stay tuned we're sure to hear the new version in the next couple weeks (or even sooner)!

Some Charts Reset Tonight

Tonight we reset 3 of the Voting charts - Alltime favorite songs and artists and current favorite artists so we're counting a new for 2010. We'll be adding some new names/songs to these charts in the next few days to reflect whose been popular the last few years.

Have a great nite all - enjoy the Grammys, the Pro-Bowl or whatever your watching. We'll be back tomorrow with some new news and another featured song!

~Vincent

2010-01-30T18:07:00.003-05:00

Saturday's Pick - "Black and Blue" by Jim Boggia

Several years back I had the good fortune of meeting (and even opening for)an up and coming singer-songwriter named Jim Boggia from the Philadelphia area. By up and coming I mean he was way past my level already :) Jim is possibly the most expressive performer I've ever seen on stage...as his songs and stories seem to come to life with every note he plays and sings. I also remember being amazed at how many great songs Jim brought to the table..."Several Thousand", "BubbleGum 45s", and even a beauty called "Peter Pan" about the joys and pitfalls of never having to grow up. Perhaps my favorite is a song called "Black and Blue" - a great mid-tempo pop number that tells the story of a songwriter-songwriter relationship that was brought to life in song itself when things went bad. The lyrics and music speak to the listener on a strong emotional level from beginning to end. I invite you to listen to Jim's song "Black and Blue" and check out many of his other cool songs you can find online:

"Black and Blue" - YouTube

An American Idol tidbit...In addition to being a very successful solo performer, Jim has also played in backup bands for many folks over the years and one fairly recent stint was for American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis. If you search you can also hear Constantine covering Jim's tune "Several Thousand"

Grammy Weekend - more parties and fun

The Grammy's are tomorrow night with many of the events and festivities being held all weekend. One party honored Neil Young as Musicares person of the year for all his philanthropic efforts over the years. You can read about it here plus items on Taylor Swift and Tina Campbell from gospel duo Mary, Mary

Pre-Grammy Party News

That's all for Saturday folks - its snowly slightly in Philly and cccccold. Hope you are keeping warm in your part of the woods...we'll be back tomorrow with a Sunday Song Flashback!

~Vincent

2010-01-29T17:58:00.003-05:00

Friday's Fun - "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift

Well Taylor Swift has had quite a career so far with her latest CD "Fearless" spending 11 weeks at #1 and her total US Album sales alone over 9 Million (can you say ka'ching :)). She's even bigger on the internet having sold over 24 Million tracks. I can personally think of at least 5 Taylor Swift songs from the last few years that I really liked. They include "Our Song", "Love Story", "Teardrops on my Guitar", even "Fifteen" has grown on me quite a bit...but "You Belong with Me" is a gem that any pop writer would be proud to have written it. Tells the simple love triangle story with one person being the odd-girl out. Taylor's up for at least 8 Grammy Award's this weekend and I for one am hoping she wins a few (not all of them.. lets leave some for the other talented folks). To see and hear "You Belong to Me" check it out here:

"You Belong With Me" - YouTube

Grammy Weekend is Here

The 52nd Grammy Awards is here this Sunday Night - lots of great artists will be performing and taking home trophies. Michael Jackson will receive a posthumous Lifetime achievement award and his two eldest children Paris and Prince Michael will accept the award on Michael's behalf. I have to say, a musical world without Michael Jackson is pretty strange..I still don't think I realize he's really gone. He led a strange life but what an incredible entertainer - the most talented ever bar none in my opinion. To see a list of the Grammy nominee's for this Sundays telecast get it straight from the Grammy website at http://www.grammy.com/nominees

Friday is almost done folks - Hope you had a nice week and looking forward to a great weekend. We'll be back later tomorrow with another post and one of our favorite Indie love songs!

~Vincent

2010-01-28T20:15:00.003-05:00

Thursdays Tune - "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus

I will admit it I am a full fledged fan of Hannah Montana the TV show - You might think I would say its the music connection that draws me to it, and initially it was. But after watching a few episodes I realized the writing, casting and acting of the ensemble cast was one of the better sitcom combinations on any TV network. The story lines are interesting (for this kind of show), the jokes are funny, and there several funny characters on the show that always keep it moving. You almost forget that the show was supposed to be based on the music of Hannah Montana. When the HM show ends after this current season I for one will be sad to see it go.

Now for the main topic of the blog and that is how Miley Cyrus made a grown man cry. "The Climb" is not your typical love song - its about someone loving their dream enough to follow it no matter what, and to enjoy the ride because its that journey that will be remembered most not the destination. When I saw first saw the Hannah Montana movie last year and that song came on it was such a perfect spot; the writing/production and delivery of the song so emotional that yep ol VJ let out some tears. Now thats what music and art is all about - connecting with someone so strongly that you can't help but be overwhelmed by your feelings. If you haven't heard "The Climb" or heard it lately check it out here you won't be disappointed:

"The Climb" - YouTube

And if you haven't seen the movie go rent it and tell me if you doesn't make you think about your dreams.

Not counting her hits as Hannah Montana, Miley has had 4 Top 10 hits in the last year including "See You Again", "7 Things", "The Climb" and a very cool uptempo tune "Party in the USA" which went to #2 (will feature that one a little later).

I hope you had a great Thursdaaaayy - This weeks been crazy for me - will be back tomorrow with another tune and more news on the music scene - Its Grammy Weekend!!

~Vincent

2010-01-27T21:04:00.004-05:00

Wednesdays Song - "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly still love you! On her 4th album including her American Idol debut CD in 2003, Kelly shows she has no plans to leave the pop music scene anytime soon. This album featured "My Life Would Suck Without You" (#1 Billboard Hot 100), "I Do Not Hook Up" (#20 and another great pop/rocker like "My Life would Suck.." and now she hits us with "Already Gone" which made it to #13 on the Hot 100 chart. This is a haunting mid-tempo song that draws you in slowly one line at a time in the verse...then the soaring chorus of "Already Gone..." seals the deal and you undeniably in love with another Kelly tune. I was so glad to see her bounce back from the disappointing "My December" and look forward to seeing many more great tunes from her. 10 Million albums sold in the US and counting way to go Kelly and thanks to American Idol for finding this talented girl! Watch and listen to "Already Gone" here:

"Already Gone" - YouTube

Imagine for minute how many lives would have been different had Justin Guarini had won the First American Idol back in 2002. You just never know where fate is gonna take you!

Music Biz exec to replace Simon Cowell at American Idol?

Didn't I just post about this yesterday - man I'm psychic ha ha. Seems that music biz veteran Tommy Mottola (ie. the former Mr. Mariah Carey) is being courted by producers to replace Simon Cowell. I don't know if Tommy or any music biz exec has the charisma to pull this off but I guess we'll have to wait and find out. I wonder if its not working out Fox will pull an NBC move and yank the new judge and try to get Simon back :) The entertainment biz is a strange place. Here's a CNN Article on the possibility of Tommy Mottola replacing Simon: Tommy Mottola to replace Simon?

I watched both nites of Idol this week - there were a few singers that really caught my attention and some interesting back stories (and the whip was a nice touch too from the Barney girl :)). All in all its shaping up to be a good season and looking forward to the Hollywood round in a few weeks.

That's for Wednesday folks its been a crazy crazy day in my world. Have a great nite and will be back tomorrow with another tune for ya!

~Vincent

2010-01-26T19:35:00.002-05:00

Tuesdays Tune - "If You Only Knew" by Shinedown

I'm telling ya pop and pop-rock is making a comeback :) The band Shinedown from Jacksonville has had much success on the rock charts - every one of their 11 singles has cracked the Top 5 on the Mainstream radio charts - and now "If You Only Knew" went all the way to #42 on the Billboard Hot 100 - definitely the noise from their fans is getting louder you might want to join in. This is a great pop-rock song, beautiful message and the verse AND chorus melodys are a 1-2 knockout punch - Trust me listen to this and you'll be hooked:

"If You Only Knew" - YouTube

American Idol in LA tonight - taped :)

AI comes to us from the LA live auditions from last year and with any luck we'll have some interesting singers to hear and watch. Rumors are also swirling about who will replace Simon next year...Madonna? Jamie Foxx? I dunno I think we need another music biz exec who has the charisma and comebacks to match - there must be a music biz exec whose star is just waiting to shine. I'm sure we'll have to wait until this summer before any real announcement. I will definitely enjoy seeing Ellen on teh show this year and for Simon's replacement we'll just have to wait till summer.

Have a great nite all and we'll be back tomorrow with some notes on the Idol show tonight along with another pop'n'love tune!

~Vincent

2010-01-25T18:41:00.004-05:00

Mondays Song - "Rain" by Creed

The band Creed was a significant part of the Rock and Top 40 radio airwaves from 1997 till 2002 before going their separate ways in 2004. With songs like "My Sacrifice", "With Arms Wide Open" and "One Last Breath" it was hard not to hear their pop-friendly tunes every day. After a 5 year break dabbling in solo and other projects Creed is back and have hit the pop music nail on the head yet again. Their new CD "Full Circle" released in 2009 features their latest single "Rain" which is another excellent mid-tempo pop-rocker that feels like it keeps moving underneath you while the rain falls from above. Creed may never match their earlier commerical success (26 million albums sold in US) but they have shown they still know how to a write a great song. Please take a listen here:

"Rain" - YouTube

Live Nation merges with Ticketmaster - One big Goliath

Live Nation and Ticketmaster just got the go-ahead from the Justice department for their planned merger so look for more changes on the live music front. Together the new Live Nation Entertainment controls some of the biggest artists on the planet including Madonna, The Eagles, Christina Aguilera and Jay Z and they also control many of the large venues in major cities. There was some language in the Justice Department findings that will help the smaller companies (a little...) but it remains to be seen how this will play out long term. For more info here's the full Rolling Stone article:
Live Nation - Ticketmaster Merger/

Well Monday came and went pretty quick (which is usually a good thing). Tomorrow we'll post our Borders Valentines Tour info along with another pop'n'love tune from the radio!

~Vincent

2010-01-24T20:19:00.004-05:00

Sunday's Love Song Flashback - "Clair" by Gilbert O'Sullivan

40 years ago an Irish singer-songwriter burst onto the US music scene with a voice that was unlike any other. Unmistakeable whenever you hear it, Gilbert's beautiful tenor delivers raw emotion at its very best. He hit the top of the Billboard chart in early 1972 with "Alone Again, Naturally" perhaps the saddest song ever to hit the airwaves. I personally was hooked on this song for many years first learning to play solo guitar using the instrumental passage from "Alone Again.." as a guide. Later that same year Gilbert hit #2 with "Clair" an uptempo ode to a girl he will never forget. This mid-tempo pop ditto will stick in your head long after you hear I promise. Gilbert is still actively releasing new music and performing live in his native Ireland (I wish it were in the states so I could go and see). Please listen to "Clair" and tell me what you think

"Clair" - YouTube

You can catch up with Gilbert's current activites on his own website at www.gilbertosullivan.com and if you make it to Ireland this year to see him pls say hi for me :)

I hope you all had a great weekend and I'm looking forward to making more updates to the website this week. Look for the full info on my Whirlwind Valentines Tour tomorrow and some fun with American Idol mid-week and of course a new pop'n'love song feature every day!

~Vincent

2010-01-23T12:00:00.005-05:00

Saturdays Indie Tune - "Danielle" by Leigh Goldstein

A few years back i had the good fortune to meet singer-songwriter Leigh Goldstein from the Philadelphia area. When I first heard his collection of songs I was pretty amazed. We meet so many indie songwriters/performers but we rarely meet one with so many songs that really touch us. Leigh's amazing gift has his smooth baritone voice reaching out to the listener with a story of love and loss - always making us feel the pain and joy along the way. I had the priviledge of hearing Leigh perform live many times and after hearing his CD I asked if I could record one of his songs entitled "A Little Bit". Perhaps my funniest story was when I played "A Little Bit" once in a crowded venue, two girls came up to me afterward and said that was teh best song they had ever heard. Which to me is the ultimate compliment for a songwriter and I quickly pointed them to Leigh and passed on the story so he could feel the looove :) For todays' indie release we're gonna feature another of Leigh's songs called Danielle and you can hear it on his MySpace page here. Its haunting etheral sound will connect with you immediately and you'll be quickly drawn into Leigh's special world:

"Danielle" by Leigh Goldstein at MySpace

95% of all Music Downloads Illegal?

A new report says that up to 95% of all music downloads are not paid downloads. While physicl CD sales continue to drop (16 % in 2009), digital sales increases are slowing down (just 12% last year after 25% in 2008). This seems to coincide with our post last Saturday about the possibility of streaming music becoming the new model to sell music (see our post from last Saturday The End of Itunes as we know it?? . Some how it will all have to work out and consumers will need to pay for music and arts in some fashion - the alternative would be that music and arts will slowly but surely die off which isn't a path any of us want to take. Here's the new article from Financial Times about the Digital Sales drop off Digital Sales Dropping Off

This last story reminds me of another funny Leigh Golstein moment...we were both playing at the local mall for Valentines Day or Fathers Day I can't remember...we were selling our CDs too and Leigh commented "I wish someone would just take my CD" - he was so happy at the idea that someone would like his music enough to steal it that he was okay with that...was a funny moment that I'll always remember.

That's all for Saturday - gots lots to do - will be back tomorrow/Sunday with another post and a flashback love song that you may have never heard before but wish you did :)

~Vincent

2010-01-22T21:40:00.002-05:00

Fridays Featured Song - "Love Drunk" - Boys Like Girls

Here's a song I heard several months back and never caught the name of the band - Turns out it was Boys Like Girls with "Love Drunk" with a cool uptempo pop tune. This was the first single from their latest CD of the same name that was released in fall 2009. "Love Drunk" the song went to #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and like so many other recent songs it gives me faith that pop music is on its way back (you know songs you can hear just one time and remember exactly how it goes). Take a looksee and listen to Love Drunk on the video featuring Ashley Tisdale (she's just in the video not on the song :)).

Love Drunk - YouTube

Boys Like Girls has another single climbing the charts right now called "Two is Better Than One" - a slower, softer mix with a heavenly chorus that really gets your attention. We'll definitely be featuring that song soon before we hit Valentines.

Manilow on Conan - Last night darn I missed it!!

Turns out Barry Manilow was the musical guest on the next to last Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Somehow I missed the memo and didn't realize so I missed it (and a search of YouTube has yet to appear which is surprising). Sounds like Barry has a new CD coming out this month called "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" - I guess after he did the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80's he didnt' want to tackle the grunge 90's song catalog so he went for a wider selection. Look for a review of this new Barry album here sometime in February.

That's all for Friday nite folks - Hope you had a good week and will be back to you tomorrow with an indie pop song pick of the day (on Saturdays we feature the wanna be famous instead of the already famous :))

~Vincent

2010-01-21T19:38:00.002-05:00

Thursday's Tune - "Just Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble

Michael Buble's big break came from singing at a corporate party when an aide to former Canadian Prime Minister heard him and passed his CD along and Michael ended up singing at a wedding where legendary producer David Foster was in attendance. It took some convincing and a lot more work on Michael's part but things worked out. He soon had a very strong career doing mostly covers of old standards and the occassional original song that came through. "Home" from his second album put him on the Billboard Pop chart for the first time and "Everything" from his 3rd album did it again landing a little higher on the chart (#46). Fast forward to fall 2009 and the release of Michael's 4th CD and the song "Just Haven't Met you Yet" is a wonderful pop gem. Uptempo, slightly reminiscint of Sara Barrelis "Love Song" (but definitely its own song)..it has such a cool groove and vocal hook you can't help but want to hear it again and again. Check it out here and see if you don't agree:

"Just Haven't Met You Yet" - YouTube

American Idol - Orlando fared much better

Based on the reviews from last nights show, Orlando fared much better than the snooze fest in Chicago the night before. Definitely looking forward to hearing the sunshine state contestants when Hollywood week starts. Speaking of Michael Buble and American Idol, he appeared on an AI episode back in 2007 and I'm no drinker but the man definitely came off as having a few too many. Being a live TV show I was pretty shocked to see it and my opinion of Michael wasn't too high at that point. Unfortunately the lives on forever on the internet and will hopefully serve as a reminder to performers what not to do when going on live TV. Here's a link to a story and clip from 2007:

Michael Buble on American Idol results show in 2007

That's all for Thuuursday folks...have a great nite and will be back to you Friday with another cool pop'n'love song.

~Vincent

2010-01-20T23:07:00.003-05:00

Wednesday's Tune - "Halfway Gone" by Lifehouse

Lifehouse burst on the scene with the tune "Hanging by a Moment" back in 2001 which I thought was pretty good and it went all the way to #2 on the Billboard Top 40 chart. Since then they have had several singles on the charts including "You and Me" (#5) and "Whatever It Takes" (#23). But their new song "Halfway Gone" really grabbed my attention from the first haunting oooohhhh that kicks off the song. The verse builds perfectly and the chorus delivers like nobodies business. If you like a strong pop song take a listen to "Halfway Gone" and you won't be disappointed (#79 on Billboard chart and climbing!!!)

"Halfway Gone" - YouTube

American Idol - Missed Wed nite will check out the recaps

I caught Tuesday nites show from Chicago the windy city and overall I was less than impressed..nothing really great and nothing really interesting. Hopefully the show tonight from Orlando was much better. I still have "Pants on the Ground" from last week and the unforgettable Skibolski both from the Boston auditions (I think :)). On top of that some of the singers last week were really really good. I'll check out the recaps from Orlando and include some thoughts on my Thursday post tomorrow.

Almost didn't make my Wednesday post in time its 11:22 PM EST and counting...16 days straight for our Daily Blog don't wanna start missing it now. Will be back tomorrow with another cool song and some more music fun!

~Vincent

2010-01-19T19:24:00.003-05:00

Tuesdays Song - "Falling for You" by Colbie Caillat

Maybe its the uptempo beat or just the simple yet refreshing chorus hook that just draws me in..I'm not sure what it is but I really like Colbie Caillat's "Falling For You" better than her previous two singles even though "Bubbly" was a top 5 hit and "Realize" cracked the Top 20. Still "Falling for You" hit #12 which isn't too shabby and I think in the end has more staying power. If you don't know Colbie's story its pretty cool...her dad Ken Caillat co-produced both the Rumours and Tusk by the legendary Fleetwood Mac (definitely had a musical upbringing). As an unsigned singer Colbie's MySpace page became incredibly popular which let to her major label ties, 2 CD releases and lots more we hope. To hear this cool tune check out the YouTube video at "Falling for You" - YouTube

Music Stars onboard for Haiti Telethon

Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera and others have signed on for the Hope for Haiti now telethon this Friday January 22nd. For some more info on this important cause visit the People magazine article at Hope for Haiti Now Concert. I know the past year has been tough for many of us but if there is anything you can give to help the effort I'm sure the people living the tragedy every day will appreciate it.

That's all for today folks...be back tomorrow with more music news and another featured song...hmmm I wonder what it will be (really i do since I don't usually decide until right before I post :))

~Vincent

2010-01-18T17:51:00.003-05:00

Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr - "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2

There are many songs that give tribute to perhaps one of the greatest promoters of peace the world has ever known. Most of these songs never crossed over into the pop realm rising up the charts, with one notable exception "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by rock legends U2. A powerful anthemic song from the early 80's, Bono and crew hit the nail on the head with this song that still reverberates today in so many ways. For more info on this song visit the SongFacts entry on it at Pride (in the Name of Love) - SongFacts where you can also stream the music straight to your ears. For Spinner.com's article on 15 MLK tribute songs start reading here: 15 MLK Tribute Songs at Spinner.com/.

It seems the message of peace brought forth by Dr. King and many others will never go out of style due to the constant war, strife and ethnic & racial conflicts both abroad and in the US. My hope is that some day there will be a more peaceful tomorrow where we can all say "remember when this message was so important - when we really needed it". Some day maybe we won't - when that happens the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. will still live on but our world will certainly be a better place.

~Vincent

2010-01-17T19:49:00.004-05:00

Sundays Classic Love Song - "Bluer Than Blue" - by Michael Johnson

Thirty-two years ago Michael Johnson took this very wistful song entitled "Bluer Than Blue" to #12 on the Billboard Pop Chart and #1 on the AC Chart. The song talks about how great life is going to be now that his lover is gone - all the things he'll be able to do now....but truth be told he's feeling about as sad as he can be and "Bluer Than Blue" expresses it perfectly. If you haven't heard this song before I definitely recommend you check it out on this YouTube Link

"Bluer Than Blue" - YouTube

Launch of International Love Songs

Our International Love Songs section is launching this evening with one important catch. There are no love songs listed yet...instead we're asking our visitors from across the world to tell us their favorite love songs from their culture. We'll post up what we get in every weekend and adding new countries along the way. To check it out or submit a song from your country please visit International Love Songs

Sundays now toast and tomorrow is Martin Luther King day. On this day we'll reflect on what it means to all of us living on this planet. We'll also try to tie-in a special love song that fits the message.

~Vincent

2010-01-16T20:39:00.003-05:00

Saturdays Song - "Does Anybody Know" - Jag Star

During the spring this year I had the privliedge of helping to judge entries for the Just Plain Folks music awards. Unfortunately I didn't get to vote in the Pop Song category but if I did "Does Anybody Know" by Jag Star would have been right up there. Fortunately other judges seemed to notice the incredibly strong hook and "Does Anybody Know" ended up winning the Pop Song category. Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, Jag Star has had their music featured on many TV shows including The Soup, The Hills and Laguna Beach and even on the David Letterman show. This tunes definitely a beauty you can check it out on their MySpace page, and scroll down to about song #6. Heck while your at it listen to all their songs posted you won't be disappointed.

Jag Star on MySpace

Download Sales Leveling Off - The End of ITunes? - Reuters

Very interesting article about how music downloads are leveling off and streaming music may be the business of the future. Here's a snippet of the article:

"The migration from downloads to streams is driven by several factors. First is the realization that the digital download market is beginning to level off.

While digital downloads account for the vast majority of digital music revenue, they aren't even close to making up for the lost revenue from falling CD sales. That's why labels and digital music services are turning more attention to streaming music access services that carry either a monthly fee or provide opportunities to "upsell" to other products..."

For the full article on whats going on with this go to Music Downloading Article on Reuters.com

That's all for Saturddddday...have a great nite and will be back tomorrow with a classic love song that you may never have heard...its a surprisssse :)

~Vincent

2010-01-15T22:06:00.003-05:00

Fridays Featured Song - "Come On Get Higher"

Matt Nathanson spent the better part of 15 years doing the indie thing playing venues across America and steadily building up a fan base. Matt finally hit paydirt when the 2nd single "Come on Get Higher" from his 6th album "Some Mad Hope" hit the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and went all the way to #3 on the AC Chart. The album came out in 2007 but the single finally caught file in 2009 and helped land Matt on both the David Letterman show and Ellen DeGenerous show. This acoustic marvel has an infectious groove that you won't want to put down and it was perfect for Valentines week on Letterman last year. Take a listen to Matt's live performance from the show here:

"Come On Get Higher" - YouTube

Late Night Battles - when will it endddd??

Okay so Conan says he won't do the TOnight show at 12:05 (I guess we'd have to call it the Morning show and Johnny Carson would be turning over in his grave)....so now will Leno take back the Tonight show at 11:35 or will someone else new take over...will it ever be the same if Leno takes it back (and more importantly will Jay miss that extra 90 minutes of sleep if he does). Not sure where its all going (and there are definitely more important things going on in the world) so we'll just have to wait and see.

"Pants on the Ground" - Simon Sez so its a hit.

62 year old General Larry Platt entertained us all with his funny tune "Pants on the Ground" this week on American Idol. Simon needed to hear it just once when he commented "I Have a horrible feeling that song could be a hit" and turns out his prophecy was true. "Pants on the Ground" has spread like wild fire on the internet with several popular remixes. Here the original here "Pants on the Ground" - YouTube

Have a great Friday nite and be back to you tomorrow with a cool indie pop song!

~Vincent

2010-01-14T21:35:00.003-05:00

RIP Teddy - The Sound of Philadelphia

News today that Teddy Pendergrass lost his battle with cancer and passed away at the age of 59. Teddy was one of the original love song singers and helped defined the Sound of Philadelphia back in the early-mid 70's. At the pinnacle of his career, Teddy's luck took a down turn in 1982 when he was paralyzed from the waste down in an auto accident. He eventually returned to music recording and performed live again including sellout shows in Atlantic City. Teddy you will surely be missed but you will live on through your music. One of Teddy's signature tunes was "If You Don't Know Me by Now" from his days singing lead with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Take a listen now to this beautiful tune and see Teddy at his prime in 1972:

"If You Don't Know Me By Now" - YouTube

Don't look now the week is almost over..I hope its been a good one for you and you've got some nice plans for the weekend. I'll be playing tomorrow/Friday at the Coffee Club in Media to prepare for my crazy Valentines tour on Sat Feb 13th. More info on that next week along with more updates to the website. Will be back tomorrow with another great pop tune!

~Vincent

2010-01-13T21:41:00.002-05:00

Wednesdays Song - "Bad Romance" - Ga ga on a roll

Lady Gaga is continuing her dominance of the pop/dance market with her latest hit "Bad Romance" from her new CD "The Fame Monster". Her debut CD "The Fame" gave us 4 Top 10 hits including #1's "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". "Bad Romance" is about wanting it all ("not just friends") and is perhaps the best of the bunch with "Ra Ra-ah-ah-ah Roma Roma-ma GaGa Oh la-la.." sounding amazingly cool. I know most artists only get 15 minutes but I think Lady Gaga has signed on for at least an extended hour. If you haven't heard "Bad Romance" yet take a listen on this YouTube link:

"Bad Romance" - YouTube

My first American Idol Pick - Tyler Grady

The American Idol Boston and Atlanta audition broadcasts are history and my favorite from both nites is Tyler Grady from Nazareth, PA. Singing with both forearms in a cast (fell from a tree?), Tyler's voice has more texture and depth than most of the other contestants combined. Add to that his look and it was almost like the 2nd coming of Jim Morrison. Definitely see a lot of potential with this one and will be curious to see how far he goes...many great singers fall part during the Hollywood round. The funniest contestant going to Hollywood would be Atlanta's Skibolski (check that spelling)....he was over the top (strange) and actually had a great voice. He will definitely provide some entertainment in the next round.

Say A Prayer for Haiti

Unbelievable a 7.0 earthquake hit the small island nation of Haiti yesterday possibly killing hundreds of thousands of people and affecting 3 million residents. Say a prayer for them this week and if your able to donate to help visit the Red Cross website at http://redcross.org/

Hope your week is going well look out its almost the weekend. Will be back on Thursday with another cool pop tune (hopefully I'm not running out of great songs anytime soon ha :))

~Vincent

2010-01-12T19:39:00.002-05:00

Tuesday's Song - "Uprising"

Okay is kind of a wierd song and even a weirder video....and thats before the giant evil stuff teddy bears crawl out of the ground and start wreaking havoc on the city. There is however something very cool about the song as the verses bring you into a trance and then the chorus hits you over the head with a big pop anthemic (is that a word) sound. The song "Uprising" is by alt-rockers Muse from across the pond in the UK. Out in the music world since 1994, this is their 5th studio album and "Uprising" is their first foray into the US Top 40 radio market (congrats!). See kids hang around long enough and you just might start to get the attention you deserve. Check out "Uprising" by Muse on this YouTube Link

"Uprising" - YouTube

Tonights the Night for IDOL

First set of auditions start tonight with auditions in Boston along with guest judge Victoria Beckham otherwise known as Posh Spice. Looking forward to some strange auditions and hopefully some bright spots as well. We'll be back tomorrow with our thoughts along with another song of the dayyyy!

~Vincent

2010-01-11T18:33:00.004-05:00

Monday's Song of the Day - "FireFlies"

I have no idea what this song is about but its one of the coolest pop songs and studio productions I've heard in a long time. The group Owl City is really Adam Young from Owatonna, Minnesota where its probably so cold (now) you get to spend a lot of quality time in the studio. Adam apparently did some indie releases before he caught the attention of major label Universal Republic and the rest as they say is history. "FireFlies" was a #1 hit in the US and at one point was the most downloaded song on ITunes. No surprise once again its a really neat tune. If you have't heard it yet check it out using the YouTube link below. And if you know what the heck the song is about please let me know :)

"FireFlies" - YouTube

Simon heading to X-Factor - Bye bye Idol (next Year)

Its official this will be Simon Cowell's last year on American Idol so he won't make it to the 10th season next year. Don't cry too much though we will still get to see Simon on his new show X-Factor which is coming to FOX in the fall of 2011 (which is next year wow). Whats cool about this show is the age limits are like from 14 to 100+ and groups can also audition. Looks like its time to spiff up the old vocal chords and find myself an audition location ha ha...seriously who knows we'll check it out.

Hope your weekend was fab and your week is gonna go great. That's all for Monday be back tomorrow with another ccccool (but not cold) song!

~Vincent

2010-01-10T16:39:00.003-05:00

Sunday's Featured Song- "2nd Avenue"

On Sunday's we'll be taking a look at a great love song from years gone by. "2nd Avenue" by Tim Moore sings of a love lost in such a way you really connect with his emotions when he first wrote and sang it. Art Garfunkle also covered this song around the same time (1974) but Tim's version is by far my favorite. Tim was also a successful songwriter (wrote for Bay City Rollers and others) and session musician. Please take a listen to "2nd Avenue" on Viddler.com and see what you think at:

"2nd Avenue" by Tim Moore

Jay Leno headed back to 11:30 PM

Well despite the fact that Jay was in the 10 PM spot I never did get around to seeing him more although I swore I would. Well just one month left as Jay will head back to 11:35 starting the week of the Winter Olympics in February. Maybe I'll still have a chance then to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno someday ha ha :)

Hope your weekend was cool (and not too cold)....this week looks to warm up a bit. Look for more updates to LoveSongs.com this week plus the full Borders store tour itinerary for Saturday February 13th. Will be back on Monday with another great love song!

~Vincent

2010-01-09T14:41:00.003-05:00

Song of the Day - "Are You There Yet"

Each day we're featuring a different love song, some by famous artists and others by the not so famous. It could be a brand new song, a classic or a tune from the not too distant past. We'll run the gamut from pop, country and into R&B with the only criterion that the song must have a great hook and move me (not a across the room but inside :)). As part of this, each Saturday we're gonna feaure a song by an unknown artist or songwriter that really deserves attention.

Today's featured song is called "Are You There Yet" written by Mark Oates, Donna Aylor, and Ande Rasmussen and sung by Dave Brooks. I was first introduced to this incredibly beautiful ballad by Ande back when MP3.com was in its heyday. When you listen to "Are You There Yet" you'll be transported to an amazing place...the song is a treat both lyrically and musically...any song that starts with "I have Chocolate strawberries..." and delivers a hook that strong deserves to be heard by the masses. It also goes without saying that the vocalist Dave Brooks delivers a performance that compares with any major label talent bar none. To see what I mean take a listen to "Are You There Yet" on the SongRamp link at:

"Are You There Yet" - SongRamp

You can hear more of Ande's songs at http://songramp.com/ande

Music Sales climbed in 2009 - Well Sort of

It looks like the # of CDs/Singles sold in 2009 increased 2% up to 1.5 Billion units. Thats the good news. However since a bigger share of the items sold are digital singles (and not albums) the revenue for the music industry is now down below $ 10 billion from its one time peak of $ 15 billion. For more info on this trend and to see what sold big in 2009 (Lady Gaga 15 million downloads sold) check out this Chicago Tribune article at
Best Selling Music of 2009, Decade

Hope your having a great weekend and keeeeeping warm. Stop back tomorrow for a great love song from days gone by that didn't get as much attention as it should have.

~Vincent

2010-01-08T19:12:00.002-05:00

Friday Nite - Song of the Day "1, 2, 3, 4 (I Love You)"

The Plain White T's are most known for their #1 hit "Hey There Delilah" but I'm an even bigger fan of the acoustic ditty called "1, 2, 3, 4" and subtitled "I Love You". This song draws you in at the very beginning and when the chorus kicks in you are absolutely sold. I know this tune came out last year its still getting lots of play on AC Radio after peaking at #34 on the Billboard pop chart. Take a listen and see if your head doesn't start boppin' back and forth -

"1,2,3,4" (I Love You) - YouTube

American Idol back next week - Paula's out and Ellen's in

American Idol roars back into TV land next week - Season 9 says goodbye to Paula (we will miss her antics and heartfelt compassion) and hello to Ellen (bring on the standup comments its gonna be fun lookout Simon :)). We'll be following this season closely and hoping for a brighter star or two this year. Kris Allen and Adam Lambert from Season 8 are fine vocalists but unless the song selection for the singles released gets better I don't think they are going to be in the spotlight very long. Both have yet to sell 1/2 million CDs copies of their debut, which considering we just past the holiday shopping period they are a long shot to reach a million copies. That will put them in the company of Taylor Hicks whose quirkiness quickly faded into the blues-rock scene. Well tune in this Tuesday on FOX and we'll see how the hopeful's matchup!

Have a great start to your weekand and we'll be back tomorrow with another cool tune!

p.s. and stay warm...i hear its 30 degrees in Florida and 50 below wind chill in Minnesota..I do believe global warming is very real but it does take a slight break sometimes :)

~Vincent

2010-01-07T20:08:00.002-05:00

Thursday's Tune - "According to You"

I'm starting to think POP Music is beginning to make a comeback...how amazing and awesome would that be!! One cool new pop-rockin' tune is a song called "According to You" by new artist Orianthi. She first jammed on stage with Carlos Santana at age 18 and recently was the guitarist on Michael Jacksons tour which unfortunately never left the practice arena. Definitely she has something going on check out the tune on Youtube below:

"According to You" - YouTube

LALA LA LA Music

Some of you may already be familiar with LALA (ie. LaLa.com) where you can listen to almost any song for free (at least once :)). If you want to listen to the same song again (and again and again) you pay just 10 cents once and then you can listen it from your Lala account anywhere. Recently ITunes bought Lala and will be using it so you can listen to ITunes samples online without using the ITunes player. Hopefully just maybe we'll also see some price lowering over time from ITunes for an MP3 file too. Will be interesting to see where how it develops....stay tuned! (no pun intended :))

Have a great nite and come on back Friday to check out another cool tune and more updates!

~Vincent

2010-01-06T20:39:00.002-05:00

Wednesday Jan 6th - Song of the Day - "Need You Now"

Today is Wednesday and I'm getting really hooked on the song "Need You Now" by new country group Lady Antebellum. I really thought Lady was a girl singer but turns out its a trio of vocalists from Nashville who debutted as guest vocalists on Jim Brickmans "Never Alone" in 2007. The song starts out a little slow but when you hear the chorus you will be mesmerized by the medley. Take a listen to it here and see if you don't agree:

"Need You Now" - YouTube

Each day I'll be featuring one of my favorite love songs..anything with a great melody, feel or rhythm or something that just makes me melt (hey I'm a guy and I can still melt ha ha).

In other news we've now got 7 Borders stores confirmed for our Whirlwind Valentines Tour on Sat February 13th in the Philadelphia area. This Friday we'll list all the confirmed locations and times for those local to the area.

That's all for tttttoday..be back tomorrow with another song and more fun!

~Vincent

2010-01-05T19:50:00.002-05:00

Favorite Song of the Day - "Heaven Can Wait"

Starting today I'm gonna include my favorite new song of the day in our daily post. It might be a popular artist or someone you've never heard of. What it will always be is a great and sometimes incredible pop song...ballads, uptempo, pop, country, R&B anything with a great melody and hook. I don't know about you but I'm always excited to hear a great song..there are so many so so songs being played on the radio/TV and its nice to know some great ones still can be heard.

I was driving home today and heard "Heaven Can Wait" for the first time by We The Kings on the radio (yes good old Top 40 radio) WSTW 93.7 out of Wilmington, DE. Great uptempo pop song with nice message (and a love song too!). Take a listen below and see if you don't agree its pretty cool.

Heaven Can Wait - YouTube

Stop back tomorrow for another great song and some music news!

~Vincent

2010-01-04T20:45:00.002-05:00

Whirlwind Valentines Tour - 10 Borders Stores in one Day!

I'm heading down the path of madness once again. On Saturday February 13th, I planning to perform at 10 different Borders Bookstores in a single day - all to help celebrate Valentines day in the City of Brotherly Love (we need a little love after that Eagles game yesterday :)).

This will be my 3rd crazy Valentines event....few years back I performed 100 shows in the 45 days from New Years to Valentines ("6 Weeks to Valentines" Tour) and a few years before that performed at 8 different Barnes and Noble Stores in a single day (the original "Whirlwind Valentines" tour).

Well I figured I had to break my old record of 8 shows/stores in a single day so we're going for 10 and we'll see if I have a voice left when its all over. Stop back later this week for more info on what I'll be playing and a full intinerary. Until then have a great day/night wherever you are and Happy New Years 2010 we finally made it!!

~Vincent

2009-12-05T18:34:00.002-05:00

National Tolerance Week & LET IT SNOW!

I recently learned that the first week in December is "National Tolerance Week". Being at the start of the holiday season its a great time to remind ourselves that its okay for others to be different than us. Race, Age, Sex and Religion are just a few factors that we all pay too much attention to when interacting with others. Lets face it...we are all human beings at the core and irregardless of our own beliefs we should all be respectful, tolerant and understanding of each other in every aspect of life. I tried to search online for some more information on National Tolerance week and was surprised when most of the search results had to do with promotional products to be bought (yes Hallmark has even invaded the peace message :)). Oh well at least its a start. So when you go out into the world this week, this month and next year....when you run into someone who is different from you and your first inner reaction is to pull back...think again and instead reach out. We are one world, one planet and one race..the human race.

That's my heavy topic for the weekend...now on to the lighter side...specially snow. I'm happy to say that we have SNOW in Philadelphia again in early December. My first son was born today and it seems that almost every year there is snow on Dec 5th...maybe its just me but I think I'm on to something...maybe he should have been born an elf or something :)

Hope you are having a great week and keeping warm (I heard it snowed in Houston this week...really???). We'll be back with another post on Monday and some music news you can use :)

~Vincent

2009-11-18T18:11:00.004-05:00

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Yes its almost holiday time so I'll throw in a Christmas reference now and again :) All I can say is thank goodness the local radio stations aren't playing holiday music already. I guess all those complaints we made finally got their attention. Although I was in the grocery store on Nov 1st and was treated to some way too early Christmas music...o wellll...

Alright on to the topic of the post. Slowly (very slowly) but surely we are making strides to move forward with the website. We updated our Voting charts last week for Nov and December and we will have a special holiday chart that launches day after Thanksgiving. We'll also post a few Holiday related MP3s for you to download between then and New Years.

Whats next...well we've been wanting to launch an International Love Songs section for quite a while and it will finally be real on Jan 1st (as opposed to April 1st...no Foolin :)). We have visitors come to LoveSongs.com from all over the world so many countries I lose track. Our first rendition of the International section will have favorites from 10-12 countries and we'll build from there. Look for more info in our November newsletter going out this Friday (if you're not on the list just sign up on the top of the our home page at LoveSongs.com

Other good stuff is on the way stay tuned as we slowly put "one foot in front of the other"...soon we'll be "walking out the doooooor"...quick name that Holiday special!! Have a great Wednesday and we'll be back with another post on Friday.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-11-16T18:59:00.003-05:00

Whats Your Purpose??

Did you ever wonder why the person known as you was put on this planet Earth? I have to say thats not something I often thought about during my own life. I was recently had the good fortune to read a motivational book entitled "Success Principles" by none other than Jack Canfield...co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series (more on how this happened later...it starts with horses). While reading I soon discovered that I've been wandering (not wondering) my entire adult life without any purpose at all. I tried this activity and then I tried that one, and then maybe I tried something else. Sometimes I tried all three things at the same time (lack of focus..thats another chapter in the book). It turns out I was missing the ground floor of the building of success...namely having a purpose that gives your actions some meaning...gives you something to build upon.

So I spent some time thinking about it...I know I love music..I love to play it, hear it, write it, pretty much anything to do with music. I also know that I have a deep caring for my fellow human. It really bothers me when I read or hear about bad news whether its a friend or someone far away in another country. So after breaking my brain for a few hours I've come up with this purpose:

"My lifes purpose is to use my creativity and compassion to entertain, inspire and motivate others to live joyfully and to be loving towards all humanity"

Pretty much this just means I want to use the creative gifts that God has given me to help make people happy and to help us all treat each other better.

I've been slacking bigtime on the LoveSongs website and this blog (6 months between posts really??). Now that I have a purpose my goal is to have 3 blog updates per week with Monday's purpose highlighting the chapter in the "Success Principles" book. Chapter 1 was about finding your purpose and I've finally found mine.

Did you know that today November 16th is International Tolerance Day (and Dec 1-7 is National Tolerance week in the US). Lets all try a little harder to be nicer to folks we meet, people we know and even people we don't know (a little more smiling on the road and a little less yelling ha ha). Life is too short to be spent being angry at anyone especially for things that in the grand scheme of things are not important. As the Beatles once said "All We Need is Love"

For info on "Success Principles" visit Success Principles Online Site. There are lots of free online resources here to help you on your way.

Have a great Monday folks and we will be back on Wednesday with a musical update!

~Vincent

2009-04-29T12:27:00.002-04:00

American Idol down to 5 and we’re baaaaaack

Last week was such a blur I barely remember a single thing that happened...hopefully this week will be much calmer and we’ll actually get our blog postings out. Okay here’s whats up:

Last week on American Idol we lost two folks Anoop and Lil’Round and neither was a surprise to go. Both were very talented but there was nothing original about the sound of their voice, look, song selection, etc that made them stand out as star material. Not to say they won’t continue to develop these qualities and one day become stars it’s just not happening right now. Now we’re down to 5 contestants and the choices are going to be tougher. After last night’s performances I would definitely put Matt and Kris in the bottom two. Adam, Allison and Danny are all at a different level than Matt and Kris and I think the results this week and next will pan that out (or at least I hope so :)). Beyond that I had been hoping for an Adam vs. Allison finale for a long time but I can see its going to be difficult to keep Danny out of the finale. I really like Danny a lot, his voice and artistry are really good..I just think commercially that both Adam and Allison have a better shot at becoming a legimate star after the intial Idol attention fades (ie. A Kelly or Carrie vs. Taylor or Ruben.

This week is apparently National Karoake week so there are many opportunities to sing your stuff in your local bars, clubs and even online. Its kinda funny that this week coincides with nearing the end of the Idol season. Maybe you can use this week as a springboard to audition for next years American Idol :)

Mothers Day is around the corner (less than 2 weeks) and we’ll be posting lyrics to some of our favorite songs about Mom later this weekend. In the meantime have a great Tuesday and we’ll be back at ya on Thursday after the Idol results.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

Weekend Edition - National Record Day 4/18/2009

Saturday April 18th is National Record day where you can help celebrate the spirit of the independant record store in 1000 locations throughout the US. Once the hot spot where almost everyone stopped and shopped to listen to and buy their favorite records, the number of stores continue to dwindle as the big chains and online retailers take over. I can remember early in my youth going to record stores, walking the aisles and browsing through hundreds of artists and titles and being fascinating by the very cool album covers (remember album covers anyone??). Oh well maybe album art will make a comeback in some fashion in the online world so we can print out own covers and posters from our favorites. Well remember a bit of history tomorrow by visiting your local indy record shop..there are contests, live performances and other cool stuff going on to help celebrate the day (visit Record Store Day for locations near you.

Sad note for all you baseball fans, our Philadelphia Phillies announcer for the last almost 40 years has moved on to the big baseball diamond in the sky. That's right Harry Kalas "That ball is outta here" passed away suddenly earlier this week and will be greatly missed by many. You could also hear Harry's voice prominently on NFL films for the last 32 years which brought Harry fans far beyond the Philadelphia and baseball worlds. Baseball and music were my two passions growing up and Harry's voice on the radio was a big part of my baseball world and I will definitely miss hearing him.

That's all for the weekend edition folks...enjoy the weekend and we'll be back at ya on Monday with some new music news.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-16T06:01:00.000-04:00

Saved by the Bell and Britains Got Talent Toooo!

As expected Adam and Allison were both safe safe safe (yeah) and our bottom three of the night was Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai. Matt drew the short straw and was sent home...no wait a minute the judges have decided to finally invoke the special save and Matt stays another week. Matt is certainly relieved and next week two contestants will be sent packing (most likely two out of the three in the bottom three this week). Next weeks music theme is ugggh Disco week :) Well I kinda liked Disco as a passing fad (no other music sounds more dated to me). It should be interesting to hear what 7 song choices these folks come up with and I hope and pray they mix it up at least a little bit (ie. take a Disco song and extract the disco out of it...should be interesting.

So what did everybody think of the two judge comments after each performance on Tuesday instead of all four? I have to say it definitely felt better paced though at times I missed hearing what certain judges (meaning Simon) had to say about a certain performance. If all of the judges could learn to keep their comments brief and not ramble on then I guess it wouldn't be necessary ...I guess we'll see what happens next week.

I'm sure many of you have seen the story already but in case you haven't, there recently was an amazing audition contestant for AI's counterpart Britain's Got Talent. Apparently for this show there is no age limit and when 47-yr old Susan Boyle took the stage absolutely no-one in the audience wanted to give her a chance. As the old adage goes "appearances can be deceiving" and they certainly were as Susan "rocked the house" with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Le Miserables. Check out this incredible clip on YouTube at Susan Boyle Audition tape

That's all for Thursday will be back Friday with some non-Idol related music news (hey we've got to find something else to talk about once this years show is over sometime in May :))

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-15T06:08:00.000-04:00

Tuesday - Adam in Concert and This Rose isn't blooming

Sorry we missed our post yesterday this means we'll need an extra one this weekend to catch up ha ha. Last nights Idol Movie Theme night demonstrated once again why Adam Lambert is the clear front runner. Singing "Born to be Wild" from Steppenwolf he managed to take his performance both vocally and visually to another level. I honestly don't see any other contestant having a chance against Adam in the finals. The trick will be what song choice will they dump on Adam once he is the new Idol and how much leeway will he have after the initial Idol song to forge his own artistic direction.

Most of the other songs sung last night were nicely done but my goodness with all the possible movie songs did we really need to hear that many sappy ballads (and this is coming from me the king of ballads ha :)). Anoop sang "Everything I do" from Bryan Adams and Matt sang "Have you Ever Really Loved a Woman" both well sung and with great feeling but just too much slow stuff. I more enjoyed Kris Allen's take on an obscure song that I can't even remember at the moment but at the time it had me more interested (bad me I'll have to look up the tune again..it was faintly recognizable as I heard it last night).

Lastly Lil decided once again to sing an old song "The Rose" which is again again another ballad and another old song for her. Yes she dressed up the 2nd half with some R&B flavor but in the end its still "The Rose" from like 1980 and you would never hear that song in a ballad arrangement as a new tune on radio. With all the great vocal ability Lil has, she really doesn't understand what Simon means about song choice...pick something more current/hip, whatever you want to call it and even then re-arrange it to make it your own. For the first half of "The Rose" last night I could close my eyes and it was almost exactly like Bette Midler's version from way back..which was real nice way back :)

I really think that unfortunately we'll be down to a single lady contestant after tonight and that will actually be teen Allison Iraheta who did a nice job with Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing". It was a current song (within last decade) and was sung originally by a different gender (always smart to do) and although the beginning part of the arrangement was a little dull, the song and her voice picked up considerably after that.

So my bottom 3 for tonight will be Lil, Kris and Matt and Lil getting the unwanted ticket home.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-13T18:55:00.000-04:00

Monday - Start of Tax week boooo :)

That's right if your in the US this is the week to get your taxes in by April 15th oh what fun. I usually manage to delay mine by 4-6 months with an extension so we'll see how it goes by this Wednesday :)

I took a look around and thought it was interesting that Entertainment weekly also is listing Adam (no surprise) and Allison (yeah!) as their favorites to be in the American Idol finals (see Adam and Alison on EW ). With any luck and some continued seasoning on Allison's part our wish will come true :)

Todays posting is short as not much went on music wise over the Easter weekend. I did see that the new Music video channel coming from Google and Universal has a name and the name is "Vevo"...kinda like Viva only not as exciting ha ha. Hopefully the service will do a little better than the name.

Have a great rest of tooday Monday and we'll see ya tomorrow for some new info on AI and other music happenings.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-10T15:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Easter Weekend!!

To all the folks who celebrate this holiday I wish you all a very happy Easter Weekend. Its a very meaningful holiday for many of us and for the rest well its an excuse to scarf down jelly beans, marshmellow peeps and chocolate bunnies :)

Amazon joins ITunes with Variable Pricing for MP3s

It appears that Amazon.com, Walmart.com and other online retailers are also being pushed into variable MP3 pricing by the record labels. Some songs are at 0.69, many more at 0.99 and some of the bigger hits are 1.29 . Its funny now that the labels finally see the eventual demise of record stores and physical CDs they are starting to jack up the price. I know I said this before but come on I should be able to buy 10 good songs for $10...there are no manufacturing or inventory costs for them so the profit they make from each sale is increased. In fact if the record labels had jumped on the digital band wagon long ago like they should have then they could have had their own digital online store eliminating the middle man costs of Itunes/Amazon and letting us pay even less.

No More Digital Rights Management for MP3s

The only good thing the labels have done with the variable pricing move is finally eliminate the DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection the MP3's sold...now we can freely move our purchased songs from computer to computer to Ipod to anywhere without having to worry about losing our rights. This move was long over due and of course will give the labels a chance to blame piracy once again for their own misguided business decisions. Since the labels in large part no longer discover and nurture new talent, new and even existing artists no longer have to be tied to major labels to get their music out to the masses. I can write a song this morning, record it this afternoon and have it available for listening and for sale by this evening all over the world. What an incredible shift in power this is for artists folks. Of course with this power comes the responsiblity to create the best art we can and not litter the internet landscape with piles of sub-par art that we all have to wade through just to find something decent. More on this topic later...

Please all have a great weekend and we'll see ya on Monday with another update. AI is down to seven contestants and we'll see whose star is rising and whose star is beginning to fade.

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-09T19:03:00.001-04:00

Its ByeBye for Scott - Was a great ride!

I admit when I first heard Scott MacIntyre audition I was rooting for him. He definitely has a great voice but like most of us there are limitions to his voice and some of his recent song and arrangement choices did not serve him well. But we will get to see Scott on the tour and hopefully his American Idol exposure will lead to some good opportunities for him.

We're now down to the lucky 7 AI Contestants and its going to get harder each week as more talented folks start to get cut. I was originally rooting for Anoop to be in the top 2-3 and he certainly has the voice to be..however I don't believe his onstage persona is large enough to rate star quality and that will eventually bring him down in the competition. The same goes for Kris Allen and Matt and Lil to a lesser extent. I believe the top 4 will round out to be Adam, Danny, Allison and I'm rooting for Lil to make an artistic comeback with some smart song and arrangement choices...we'll see as the weeks count down.

Universal and Google to Launch All-Music Video Channel - Just announced Google and Universal are teaming up to launch an all music video online website later this year. Universal Records is one of the four major labels left in the game and currently only their artists will be a part of the channel, but the new venture is negotiating to bring the other 3 into the venture. Well if your old enough to remember the launch of MTV in August 1981 it was so cool back then when there was a channel dedicated to playing video's all day and night..yes I know there are MTV spin-offs/etc that do play mostly videos but its just never the same as the original. Maybe this new web channel will bring a spark of creativity and newness to the Music Video profession and we'll be rewarded with some really cool music videos made especially for web viewing.

That's all folks see ya tomorrow with our Easter-edition weekend blog!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-08T05:53:00.002-04:00

Wednesday – Idol Recap, Beatles Remastered and Itunes

My AI Recap - Last night was practically 80’s night with most of the idol’s singing songs from the year of their birth which only puts Allison in the 90’s. Adam Lambert closed the show with a Tears for Fears cover “Mad World” and his amazing performance was rewarded with a rare standing ovation from all 4 judges. Week in and week out Adam finds a way to amaze us with both his vocal chops and his artistic choices. Other Idols delivering good performances last night included Danny Gokey, Anoop Desai and Allison Iraheta. Many of the idols however broke the golden rule and picked songs from the same gender and the only time you can get away with that is if your performance and arrangement are over the top incredible. Lil’Round in particular did a great Tina Turner’ish version of “Whats Love Got to do with It” which unfortunately can only be compared with Tina’s version and it doesn’t match up. Scott MacIntyre also made the same mistake and fared even worse with his version of Survivors “The Search if Over” as his vocal chops were definitely not up to par with the original for that song. In both cases if Scott and Lil had substantially rearranged their songs to be different from the original they would have gotten away with it. Doing that serves two purposes as it allows their performances to not be compared with the original artist so easily and it demonstrates their own creative artistry which is sorely lacking by most of the Idols. This is as they say “where we separate the men from the boys”..the folks that can just sing and the folks that are true artists.

My vote tonight is for Scott to go home and I am hoping Lil can return at least one more week with a glimpse of real artistry.

Beatles and Apple - In other unrelated news it looks like the Beatles catalog is going to be finally digitally remastered. Most other classic groups have seen their catalog digitally upgraded two or three times since CD’s first came on the scene in 1983. Should be pretty interesting to hear the difference on some of our favorite amazing Beatle tunes when this comes out. For more info check out this LA Times article Beatles Remastered. Also yesterday the new ITunes variable pricing from Apple began and in a week or two we’ll start to see if there is any fallout from that.

That’s all for Weddddnesday folks. Have a great day and we’ll be back tomorrow with Idol results and other new news!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-07T18:34:00.001-04:00

Tooosday Today - What makes a great song choice??

Did you ever wonder why Tuesday is not spelled Tuesday?? I don't know why but I do :) Well today is Idol Tuesday and I'm a little late posting as the show starts in a little more than an hour (plenty of time right ha). Tonight we get to hear songs from the year each contestant was born and like you I'm praying for some good song choices.

Here's my top 3 rules for choosing the right song....

#1 Pick a song sung by the opposite gender....

#2 Pick a song that has not been played to death or was made popular by a major voice (Celine, Whitney, Michael Jackson, etc).

#3 And last but not least pick a song that you can sing well and make it your own by changing the arrangement (possibly a lot) and melody (at least a little).

Make us want to hear your version of the song again and again. Granted this isn't always an easy task but with some research and effort this is achievable by almost anyone. So we'll tune in at 8 PM EST and see what they sing and we'll report on it in a Wednesday morning blog (that's right I said morning ;))...see ya in the AM and have a great nite!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-06T20:26:00.002-04:00

Monday Monday – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Paul McCartney and Carrie Underwood

It was a busy music weekend with lots going on. First up Paul and Ringo reunited for a benefit show in New York on Saturday nite for the David Lynch Foundation. David is the writer/film maker behind Eraserhead and Blue Velvet who is trying to spread the message of change through meditation. In addition to McCartney and Starr other acts included Sheryl Crow, Eddy Vedder and Ben Harper. For the full scope visit Paul and Ringo reunite and you can also catch some of the performances on YouTube search David Lynch

Saturday nite was also the inducation of the 24th class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio with Metallica, Jeff Back, Run-DMC and Bobby Womack among those honored. The 3 ½ hour show included a who’s who of guitar legends onstage including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) and Joe Perry from Aerosmith. Boy I would have loved to have been on stage for that one..here let me let down a few simple piano chords for you guys to jam on :) For full info on the night visit Rock and Roll 24th Induction

Last but not least the Academy of Country Music Awards show was last night and American Idol queen Carrie Underwood took home the top honor Entertainer of the Year…the first time a female entertainer had won that award since the Dixie Chicks won in 2000. Newcomer Taylor Swift also snagged a top honor with Album of the Year with the album “Fearless” that featured tracks “Love Story”, “Our Song” and “Teardrops on My Guitar”. Was a great night for the gals of country which is always good to see. If you missed the awards you can catch up with some of the performances on my favorite Video channel YouTubeeee.

That’s all for Monday folks..a little late today but hey you know what they say :) Have a great nite and we’ll see ya tomorrow ‘round lunch time and we’ll talk some Idol

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-03T23:30:00.002-04:00

Dizzler Fun - Listen to any song you want!

Woo hoo the weekend is finally here and can you believe it we did 5 new Blog postings this week! I almost can't believe it myself :) but hey we're on a roll and will be posting 5x/week Monday through Friday going forward. Soon you'll also be able to post replies on the blog and tell us whats on your mind.

Well we were going to talk about some of the interesting online dating sites today, but we'll cover that sometime next week. Instead I want to mention this really cool free music service called Dizzler. Dizzler allows you to listen to almost any song you want and build up a playlist of favorite songs. I'm not exactly sure how it works but somehow it goes out on the internet and finds available MP3 copies of songs and streams those songs right to you. You can't download or save the songs (at least i don't know how to :)) but I'm sure the music industry lawyers are still trying to find a way to shut it down. Basically it amounts to free online radio where you can pick the songs you want to hear..an idea whose time has come. It also looks like they even provide a widget you can add to your own Website so you can stream almost any song right from your own (that I will have to check out).

To check out Dizzler visit Dizzler.com . To learn more about its launch last year here's the Fox News press release at Fox News Dizzler article

Have a great weekend folks and will be back on Monday with a new post!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com

2009-04-02T12:35:00.002-04:00

Thirsty Thursday – Idol’s and Song Choice

Okay I don’t know what Thirsty Thursday has to do with song choice, except after last night I am really dying for some better songs (read on). Last night was the Idol Results Show and I there wasn’t much love lost when we said goodbye to Megan Joy. Earlier in the season I kinda liked her vocal style and it seemed to fit with the song choices she made. But as the weeks wore on it just became harder to listen to her quivering voice. At least she’ll be able to do the tour, get some more experience under her belt and perhaps something will come of her Idol experience.

David Cook and Song Choice - Yes I know David Cook is last years Idol but now more than ever song choice is very important if you want your career to have life after your initial Idol album. I was listening to David’s performance last night of “Come Back To Me” and was the first time I had heard this tune. Honestly this is a B-Side song if I ever heard one…a B-side for those not from the Vinyl days is a song that’s not good enough to be an A-side hit on the front of the 45 Single (back when we all played records on a turntable :)). I jumped online and was relieved to see that “Come Back To Me” was off David’s debut Idol album and not a new album. Meaning the record label is just trying to milk the album for more singles (after "The Time of My Life" and “Light On”)…I haven’t heard the rest of the album but if “Come Back to Me” is the next best song its time to stop marketing singles off this CD and quickly put together a new one with at least 2-3 hit quality songs. Many of the Idol winners (Taylor Hicks, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard) and runner ups have not had much chart success after their initial album and the #1 reason is song choice, song choice, song choice. Instead of the label/19 Entertainment going out and finding the best possible hit songs for these artists the song choice is left more to the artist or others controlling the production of the CD (producer, manager, etc). There’s a saying “It all starts with a song” and its absolutely true the better songs they put on the albums (regardless of who wrote them), the better chance the artist will have a lengthy career. So can you tell I’m a songwriter with this rant :)

We’ll do a followup posting on Song choice soon with more fun details to kick around. Next week this years Idols will be singing songs from the year they were born…so will range from 1980 (Danny Gokey) to 1992 (Allison Iraheta). As always should be interesting to see what songs they pick.

Tomorrow’s blog will touch on some different dating websites and the different audiences they attract. Have a great Thursday and will see ya soon!

~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com