1. Time flies and my birthday is over. Thank you all for the wonderful birthday greetings and wishes! Here is my improvised birthday cake from Redbox karaoke. LOL!
Why is there just one candle? Well, it signifies that I am one year older but none the wiser. Haha!
2. Last Sunday, I went to watch the movie 'Life Of Pi'. Have you watched it? I have read the book of the same name years ago, and was wondering how anyone could possibly make a movie out of it.
But thankfully, director Ang Lee is a genius! I enjoyed the movie very much from the beginning all the way to the very end. It's easily, in my opinion, one of the best movies of 2012!
3. Have you seen the new underwater hotel in China? It's called Hotel Ark.
This unique hotel is half submerged in water, whereas the upper half has self cleaning windows! Would you stay in this hotel? According to feng shui expert Joey Yap, this hotel brings a whole new dimension to water feng shui!
4. My friend came back from a holiday in Turkey last month and bought me a box of Turkish Delight.
It was my first time tasting this sweet dessert from Turkey. It was made from pistachios and hazelnuts and a host of other ingredients.
I was expecting it to be overly sweet but surprisingly, it was not. In fact, it was chewy and yummy! I just could not get enough of it! Have you eaten Turkish Delight before?
5. The other day I found a huge envelope in my postbox. I opened it and found these!
They are souvenirs from blogger friend Mariuca who went on a holiday in Monte Carlo and Amsterdam.
This is fridge magnet clogs from Amsterdam. Nice?
And this is a super giant pencil with three mini pencils from Monte Carlo! Cute! : )
Oh by the way, I love the blue color clogs and pencil! Blue is my favorite color in case you do not know. Thanks Mariuca for these gifts! : )
6. I try to eat healthy nowadays. It's quite tough to do so when you are eating out most of the time. Do you think this is healthy? It's for my lunch.
However, just eating lots of vegetables and fruits do not mean you are eating healthy. You also have to make sure the vegetables and fruit are not pesticide laden, which is pretty common these days. That's why I said it's tough to eat healthy, but we must always try to do so to maintain good health.
7. On days that I need to lose some belly fat, I go for Subway Veggie Delite Wrap! Yes, it's very low in calories as it's all vegetables, but you can easily spoil it all with the added sauces!
To make sure it remains low in calories, only add honey mustard sauce. It tastes yummy and has the lowest calories among all the sauces offered at Subway, I think!
8. Of course eating unhealthy once in a while is OK so please live a little! LOL! I always love Tong Kee egg tarts, but recently I discovered a delicious egg tart from - of all places - KFC!!
This KFC egg tart is truly delicious! Have you eaten it before?
9. I love all types of fruits. Durian is still at the top of my list of favorite fruits, but I never ever turn down a bunch of duku langsat!
Unless, of course, they are tasteless or rotten. LOL!
10. Guess what song is playing in my mind again and again nowadays? No, it's not some Christmas songs although they are on heavy rotation on my CD player. It's Adele's Skyfall - the theme song for the latest James Bond movie of the same title.
This song suits Adele's voice perfectly and the background orchestration is super awesome! After listening to this classy song, a lot of other songs (refer to No. 11 below) sound like trash to me haha!! OK, I'm exaggerating but I just love this song!
11. How do you feel when 8 or 9 year old kids start singing Flo Rida's Whistle or Katy Perry's Peacock or even Rihanna's Rude Boy? I wonder if the kids know what they are singing? The hidden meanings in these lyrics are obscene, at least to young children, don't you think?
Now I am not saying that I don't enjoy listening to these songs. They have pretty catchy melody and rhythm. But to think that children are happily singing away these songs just make me cringe. LOL!
Posted by : foongpc | Monday, March 28, 2011 | Published in hit songs,
music,
singers
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By the time you read this post, I would already be in Hong Kong. Yes, this is my first time going to Hong Kong so you can bet that I am excited!
I'm gonna visit the Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, The Peak and The Arena Of Stars! And of course I am gonna shop till I drop and eat till I am fatter than the fattest Panda! Haha!
It's all about shopping and eating in Hong Kong, I was told, so that is what I'm gonna do there!
Meantime, I would temporarily stop my current Manila travel posts, but no worries, cos I will resume them once I return from Hong Kong. Of course, I have scheduled a few posts with special topics while I'm away so be sure to drop by and leave your thoughts.
Who knows, if I like your comments, I might send you a souvenir from Hong Kong! ; )
For today, I would like to share with you this favourite song of mine called Grenade. It's sung by Bruno Mars who will be in KL in April to give a concert. Here's the live studio version. Enjoy!!
Easy come, easy go That's just how you live, oh Take, take, take it all But you never give
Should have known you was trouble from the first kiss Had your eyes wide open Why were they open?
Gave you all I had And you tossed it in the trash You tossed it in the trash, you did To give me all your love is all I ever asked Cause what you don't understand is
I’d catch a grenade for ya Throw my hand on a blade for ya I’d jump in front of a train for ya You know I'd do anything for ya Listen babe I would go through all this pain Take a bullet straight through my brain Yes, I would die for ya baby But you won't do the same
Black, black, black and blue beat me till I'm numb Tell the devil I said “hey” when you get back to where you're from Mad woman, bad woman, That's just what you are, yeah You’ll smile in my face then rip the brakes out my car
Gave you all I had And you tossed it in the trash You tossed it in the trash, yes you did To give me all your love is all I ever asked Cause what you don't understand is
I’d catch a grenade for ya Throw my hand on a blade for ya I’d jump in front of a train for ya You know I'd do anything for ya See I would go through all this pain Take a bullet straight through my brain Yes, I would die for ya baby But you won't do the same
If my body was on fire, ooh You’ d watch me burn down in flames You said you loved me you're a liar Cause you never, ever, ever did baby...
But darling I’ll still catch a grenade for ya Throw my hand on a blade for ya I’d jump in front of a train for ya You know I'd do anything for ya Oh babe, I would go through all this pain, Take a bullet straight through my brain Yes, I would die for ya baby But you won't do the same.
I just don't feel like doing anything at all except to lie in my bed and maybe, daydream!
Those of you who have been expecting my post on my Manila travels, I am sorry to say I will have to postpone it to another day. Really, really sorry about that.
It's just one of those days you know, when I don't even feel like writing a long post and putting up photos and things like that. I don't want to go out and meet up with friends. Or go out shopping or to the movies.
No, I just want to stay home, preferably snuggled up in my bed and do absolutely nothing at all! Have you ever experienced such a day?
Anyway, The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars sort of summed up my feelings at the moment. Listen to this live studio session and tell me if you feel the same. Enjoy!!!
Today I don't feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed Don't feel like picking up my phone So leave a message at the tone 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything
I'm gonna kick my feet up Then stare at the fan Turn the TV on, throw my hand in my pants Nobody's gonna tell me I can't
I'll be lying on the couch Just chillin' in my snuggie Click to MTV, so they can teach me how to dougie 'Cause in my castle I'm the freaking man
Oh, oh Yes I said it I said it I said it 'cause I can
Today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed Don’t feel like picking up my phone So leave a message at the tone 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything Nothing at all Nothing at all
Tomorrow I'll wake up, do some P90X Meet a really nice girl, have some really nice sex She's gonna scream out 'This is Great!' (OMG this is great) Yeah
I might mess around, get my college degree I bet my old man will be so proud of me But sorry pops, you'll just have to wait Oh, oh Yes I said it I said it I said it 'cause I can
Today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed Don’t feel like picking up my phone So leave a message at the tone 'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything
It's that time of the year again. Yes, I am talking about Christmas!
Are you feeling Christmassy right now? If you aren't, let me recommend you something that will straight away put you in the Christmas mood.
Last week, I bought this Christmas CD and I have been listening to it ever since. Yes, I am talking about Mariah Carey's latest and newest Christmas album, Merry Christmas II You!
I absolutely love this CD! It is undeniably, a classy and cool album totally suited for the holiday season! Believe it or not, I love every single song on this album! But of course, knowing that I am a big fan of Mariah, you may think I am biased, right?
Well, you can now judge for yourself! I have put up snippets of each song from the album in this post today for your listening pleasure!
The first track is a short 23-second orchestral intro of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town without any singing from Mariah so I shall skip that. The intro however leads nicely to the very first single from the album titled Oh Santa!
Oh Santa! is catchy, sweet, endearing and playful all at the same time! It surely brings back the Christmas cheer in a delightful way! Listening to this just makes me want to dance! Not surprisingly, it debuted at No.1 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs Chart and amazingly went from No.12 right up to No.1 in just its second week on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart!
Due to some technical problems, I was not able to put up snippets of certain songs like this third track, O Little Town Of Bethlehem/Little Drummer Boy so you may want to listen from YouTube HERE. Listen to how she sang "ra pa pum pum" on the 1.45th minute. Lovely! She sang the whole song with such grace and warmth and with just the right amount of vocal acrobatics which she's known for!
Christmas Time Is In The Air Again is absolutely one of my most favourite songs on the album. It is an original song written by Mariah herself and I find it exceptionally classy, romantic and elegant - enough to stir that emotions inside me. This song definitely showcases Mariah's songwriting skill! Of course, award winning Marc Shaiman's orchestration contributed a lot to the magical feeling of this song!
The First Noel/Born Is The King is a nice medley to listen to, with Mariah belting out the word "Noel" in her signature melismatic way. I love it! Listen HERE.
When Christmas Comes is another original song written by Mariah. My, she's such a fantastic songwriter! This jazzy song reminds me of her Emancipation Of Mimi album and I just can't stop listening to it!
Here Comes Santa Claus is a classic which is made to sound modern, trendy and with all the right hooks! I really, really adore Mariah's version of Here Comes Santa Claus!! The song is infectious! You must listen to this HERE!
Honestly, I have never heard of Charlie Brown Christmas before but it sounds good to me! Well, at least it makes me feel Chrismassy!
O Come All Ye Faithful is one song you must listen as we are introduced to the operatic voice of Patricia, Mariah's mother! Yes, listen to this powerful duet of mother and daughter, the former singing in operatic style and the latter in pop and R&B ! Simply mesmerizing! Watch the video below.
The 10th track on the album, O Holy Night is a recorded live performance of the same title taken from Mariah's previous Christmas album. As such, I have decided not to put up a snippet of the track here. Of course, this song remains one of my favourites on the older Merry Christmas album.
One Child is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard! Written by Mariah Carey, this is another showcase of her songwriting talents! It's truly amazing how she could come out with such beautiful melody and chords to match! Mariah did not do much vocal acrobatics here although I wished she did! But I have to say, the children choir is amazing and I am glad Mariah did not let her vocals overpower them.
All I Want For Christmas Is You needs no introduction. To date, it is already the world's most successful and best selling Christmas song. Every year since its release in 1994, this song is a chart-topper during the Christmas season. Mariah had just made this song "extra festive" for this album and if you want to know the difference between this one and the older version, check out the song!
Lastly, we have the traditional Auld Lang Syne - the New Year's anthem. A fitting end to a perfectly enjoyable album, it started with strong vocals from Mariah and then followed by a countdown which very cleverly turns this song into dance music! Totally a great song to start the new year!
I am really, really impressed with this album. This is exactly the type of Christmas music that I like! I was so used to her new hip hop style since The Emancipation Of Mimi that I was quite surprised that this Christmas album had very little of that but instead reminds me of Mariah of the 90's.
With lots of lush string orchestration and soaring vocals, Merry Christmas II You is indeed my favourite Christmas album of the year and perhaps for many years to come!
I love Jay Chou's songs. One of my favourites is Hua Hai (Ocean Of Flowers).
Have you heard of this song? Watch this music video!
Taken from his 2008 album "Capricorn", Hua Hai has a very nice melody and I was inspired to play the song on my piano.
So one fine afternoon, I was in the right mood and decided to try this song on the piano. It so happened that someone had given me the piano score of this song earlier and so I did not have much difficulty figuring out the chords and all.
But as usual, I never ever play a song following the written score strictly. The only type of music where I played exactly what was written on the score is classical music. For all other types of music, I always improvise and add my own decorations and melodies. In my opinion, that's the way it should be to keep the song fresh.
Now this is not the first time I play a Jay Chou song. I had played another one of his songs before in an earlier post. The song is called Cai Hong and you can listen to it at my blog post HERE.
This time however, I found that I could not stop playing and actually did not know how to end the song! So my playing turned out to be a little bit longer than usual, lasting almost 7 minutes! (The original song was only about 4 minutes long)
If you are interested to know, I started improvising the melody from the 4th minute onwards. Well, I hope you will enjoy my piano version of this beautiful song albeit a bit long!
And guess what? I got to shake hands with Enrique! Yay!!! It's just too bad I did not get to chat with him for a few seconds longer! Oh well...at least I shook his hands! Good enough for me I guess : )
Well, Enrique gave a great awesome performance that had the audiences eating out of his hands! I particularly liked his performances of I Like It and Heartbeat. Listen to Heartbeat HERE. Do you like it?
The concert was hosted by none other than famous Singaporean-based Thai VJ Utt Panichkul (photo above). Hmm, how come all Thai VJs and DJs are good looking?
I was not really into Kpop or Korean boybands or anything to do with Koreans! Heck! I was not even fond of Wonder Girls and their cheesy song Nobody! The song was catchy no doubt, but after some time, I felt it was too plain, too simple for my liking!
But that night at the 12,000-seat IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, I was introduced to Kpop 'live' for the first time. I could not believe how the Thai audiences screamed and screamed their lungs and hearts out during the entire concert! Oh my, I have never been to a concert with this kind of noise! At least not in Malaysia! It was painful to my ears!
I had to cover my ears with my hands most of the time to prevent damage to my ear drums! It was that serious! Since I was there to watch Enrique perform, I just had to leave the arena after his performance and did not stay on to watch Super Junior. I could not take that high level of noise!!
Before Enrique's performance, another Korean group by the name of CN Blue came on stage. Honestly, I have never heard of them or their songs before. But it turned out that their songs were really nice! One particular song that stood out was "Love".
So today, let me introduce you this song "Love" by CN Blue. OK, maybe some of you are already big fans of this group and I may be a latecomer, but then it's better late than never right? Haha!
Watch their cool music video and enjoy! Lyrics provided below : )
Yeah! C N to the BLUE (that's right) To the sky ha get em high Yes! We ready to go
Chagabkae deo chagabkae mareul haebwa Nal ddeonal su ittdago Keu mareun Mis Mis Oh Mistake Everybody got it LA LA LA LA
Tik Tik Tok Tok nunmuri ddeoreojyeo Digi Digi Bob Bob to the sound Yurijogakcheorum buseojin Uri dori break it now
Haneuri eotgallyeo noheun sarangira keuraetni Keu mareul mideul sun eobseo
Tell me why why why neoman wonhago ittjanha No bye bye bye keureon seulpeun mareun hajima I can try try try dashi doraondamyun You know I want to get get get your love
Love Love Love Everybody Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me Kkumeseorado nae soneul jabdeon Keu ddaero doragago shipeunde
Love Love Love Everybody Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me Kkumeseorado doraondamyun Sesangeul da gajin geot gateultende
Oh Oh naega wonhanun geon I wanna go back hamkkaehaetdeon keu ddaero Oneuldo Miss miss missing you Everybody got it LA LA LA LA
Tik Tik Tok Tok bitmuri ddeoreojyeo Digi Digi Bob Bob to the sound Gaumi jjiteojinun apeume Uri dori Break it now
Haruman dan haruman saranghal su ittgirul Ireohkae aewonhajanha
Hold me cry cry cry nae moksori andeullini Oh Hi Hi Hi maeil neoman chatgo ittneunde Tell me lie lie lie dashi doraondago You say I want to get get get your love
Love Love Love Everybody Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me Kkumeseorado nae soneul jabdeon Keu ddaero doragago shipeunde
Love Love Love Everybody Clap Clap Clap I want you back to me Kkumeseorado doraondamyun Sesangeul da gajin geot gateultende
(Rap) Yeah! We make you high ~ I'm ready for this CNBLUE microphone Check one two
Ajikdo neol bureumyun dallyeoul geot gateunde Ibyeoreul mideul sun eobseo
Tell me why why why neoman wonhago ittjanha No Bye bye bye keureon seulpeun mareun hajima I can try try try dashi doraondamyun You know I want to get get get your love
Have you heard of this song Tong Hua (童話) sung by Malaysian singer Michael Wong(王光良) ?
It is one of the most popular Chinese songs ever in the world, making it to the top of the Baidu 500 for a record 15 weeks right after it was released as a single in January 2005.
Translated to English, Tong Hua means Fairy Tale.
Composed and written by Michael Wong himself, this song has a simple but very nice melody. Perhaps because of its simplicity, many people like to sing it, making it a top song on the karaoke charts for many years.
Here's a music video of the song. You may need to increase the volume a little as the audio quality is not very good.
This video had generated much debate as many people believed it was based on a true story about a girl who died of blood cancer. As such, this song had moved many to tears.
The song was so popular that it was even recorded in the Malay version by young and upcoming Singaporean singer Aliff Aziz. However, the lyrics were changed and the title was called Cinta Arjuna.
Watch the video here.
After listening to this song many times, I decided to try and play it on the piano. I love to improvise a song I hear to make it sound a little different from the original and that's what I had done for this one.
As usual, my playing is not perfect, in fact I think I was rushing in certain parts, but I hope you will enjoy it! Thank you for listening!
It has been quite some time since I last shared my piano performances with you all. With Imeem gone, I had some problem finding the right tool to store my songs and embed them on my blog. Until now, that is.
Let me introduce you to Chirbit, my life saver! It is a recording tool that allows you to record, upload your recordings, listen, download and share your recordings with anyone! What I really like is you can embed codes to your blog so that you can share your recordings with people who read your blog!
Since I am a huge Mariah Carey fan, what better way to start than to play one of her songs on my piano, record it using my iPhone, upload it on Chirbit and then share it with the rest of you here?
So, without further ado, here is my piano version of Mariah's Hero. Written by Mariah herself, this song had proven to be very inspiring for me since the very first time I heard it.
I must admit my playing is not perfect and if you listen carefully, you will no doubt hear some wrong chords, wrong notes and even wrong timing!! Oh well, I just did the best I could so I hope you will enjoy it. Thanks for listening!!
I've provided the lyrics below if you feel like singing! : )
There's a hero If you look inside your heart You don't have to be afraid Of what you are There's an answer If you reach into your soul And the sorrow that you know Will melt away
And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you
It's a long road When you face your world alone No one reaches out a hand For you to hold You can find love If you search within yourself And the emptiness you felt Will disappear
And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you
Lord knows Dreams are hard to follow But don't let anyone Tear them away Hold on There will be tomorrow In time You'll find the way
And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you
I am not sure if this will be her next big hit, but I just love this song! It's called "100 Percent".
This song was supposed to be included in her latest album "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" but it was taken out probably due to the song not fitting into the theme of the album.
The song was then supposed to be used for the highly acclaimed movie "Precious" where Mariah was finally praised for her acting ability. But the director did not want the audiences to be reminded of Mariah as the singer, so her song was not included. Instead it was replaced with a song sung by Mary J. Blige.
Unperturbed, Mariah had said that she's going to use this song for "something really good" so finally, here we are - this is going to be the song for 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver! Hooray!!
Written by Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri, "100 Percent" is a totally inspiring song. A song for dreamers and champions in the making. In other words, my kind of song!
And I'm going to dedicate this song to none other than my friend QuaChee, who is an inspiring dreamer himself! I'm also dedicating this song to all of you who are currently struggling to make it big, to achieve your dreams.
Watch this live footage video taken from Mariah's recent "Angels Advocate" Tour in Toronto, Canada. Enjoy!!
I am a dream, just beginning Truth is I prayed when you'd open my eyes, And you reveal, something to me, Suddenly, I am no longer confined!
My life ain’t defined by limits I don’t need no permission to live it I’m a break through the door til I get in Everything that I got I’m a give it 100 Percent and I ain’t stopping til I reach the finish
I’m a believer, not just a dreamer I’m givin everything I got I’m a go-getter 100 Percenter Undoubtedly I can reach the top and I ain’t gonna let nothing discourage or dissuade me Coz I’m walking out of here a champion either way babe I am givin 100 Percent So go on put your ones up
If you’re putting in a hundred put your ones up, ones up If you know that this is something, put your ones up, ones up If you really comprehend this feel, your ones up, your ones up If you’re walking into victory keep on shining One hundred percent
You can only do it if you do it like I did Cause suffering ain’t easy But if you can turn your wounds into living proof that you’ve survived the fight And you're no longer defined
My life ain’t defined by limits I don’t need no permission to live it I’m a break through the door til I get in Everything that I got I’m a give it 100 Percent and I ain’t stopping til I reach the finish
I’m a believer, not just a dreamer I’m givin everything I got I’m a go-getter 100 Percenter Undoubtedly I can reach the top and I ain’t gonna let nothing discourage or dissuade me (Nothing can discourage me) Coz I’m walking out of here a champion either way babe I am givin 100 Percent So go on put your ones up
If you’re putting in a hundred put your ones up, ones up (Put your ones up) If you know that this is something, put your ones up, ones up (Everybody) If you really comprehend this feel, your ones up, your ones up (Put your ones up) If you’re walking into victory keep on shining (One hundred) One hundred percent
Don’t you ever be discouraged, let nobody take your courage If you gonna pray don’t worry, If ya gonna wait don’t pray You just keep the faith and listen to me
If you’re putting in a hundred put your ones up, ones up (Put your ones up) If you know that this is something, put your ones up, ones up (If you know you were) If you really comprehend this feel, your ones up, your ones up (If you ever hear something) If you’re walking into victory keep on shining One hundred percent
I’m a believer, not just a dreamer I’m givin everything I got I’m a go getter 100 Percenter Undoubtedly I can reach the top and I ain’t gonna let nothing discourage or dissuade me (Percent I will share with you) Coz I’m walking out of here a champion either way babe (Either way) I am gotta givin 100 Percent So go on put your ones up
If you’re putting in a hundred put your ones up, ones up If you know that this is something, put your ones up, ones up If you really comprehend this feel, your ones up, your ones up If you’re walking into victory keep on shining One hundred percent!
It's that time of the year again! Yes, I'm talking about the Christmas season!
Walking in a shopping mall yesterday, I was suddenly hit with this song playing in the background. I recognised it almost instantly as it is one of my favourite Christmas songs of all time!
The song, which was a little sad for such a festive season, nevertheless got me into the Christmassy mood.
And as I listened to the beautiful voice of my idol Mariah Carey singing those sad lyrics, I could not help but be transported into a world of white Christmas complete with images of snowflakes and Santa Claus and silver bells and the feeling of warmness of the fireplace and sound of carolers singing in the distance.
So for today, despite it being a Monday and most of you are probably suffering from Monday blues, I would like to share this song with all of you.
This song is called "Miss You Most At Christmas Time" and is probably the kind of song all ex-Mariah fans would want her to sing nowadays! Enjoy....
The fire is burning The room's all aglow Outside the December wind blows Away in the distance the carolers sing in the snow Everybody's laughing The world is celebrating And everyone's so happy Except for me tonight
Because I miss you Most at Christmas time And I can't get you Get you off my mind Every other season comes along And I'm all right But then I miss you, most at Christmas time
I gaze out the window This cold winter's night At all of the twinkling lights Alone in the darkness Remembering when you were mine Everybody's smiling The whole world is rejoicing And everyone's embracing Except for you and I
Baby I miss you Most at Christmas time And I can't get you Get you off my mind Every other season comes along And I'm all right But then I miss you, most at Christmas time
In the springtime those memories start to fade With the April rain Through the summer days Till autumn's leaves are gone I get by without you Till the snow begins to fall
And then I miss you Most at Christmas time And I can't get you Get you off my mind Every other season comes along And I'm all right... But then I miss you, most at Christmas time
No, I am not an angel. And no, I am not writing memoirs about my life.
If you don't know already, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel is the name of superstar singer Mariah Carey's latest album.
As you have most probably guessed by now, I have bought her album and listened to it for many rounds already. So want to know what I think of it?
OK, so here's my take on Mariah's newest album. Well, that is, if you don't mind reading a review written by one of her huge fans! Just keep in mind that I'm a little biased, but I will try my best to give a fair review. Haha!
I will review every single track on the album and rate it from 1 to 5 stars, where the ratings go like this.
1 star - the song sucks! 2 stars - not really good, but passable. 3 stars - quite good, but won't make it to No.1 on the charts. 4 stars - great song - love it! 5 stars - Wow! A potential chart topper!
And I have included a 30 seconds sample of each tracks for your listening pleasure. However, be warned! This album is unlike Mariah's past albums and there is no single track that I like on my first listen! Yes, incredible that I would say this, being a huge fan of her, but it's true.
Most of the songs in this album require repeated listening because they will sort of 'grow' on you.
On my first listen, I find them a bit monotonous, bland and even boring! The songs all sound pretty much alike! Suffice to say I was disappointed.
On my second listen, the slow songs started to depress me a little. I needed more energy, more vibes!
But on my third listen, the charm started to work its magic. I suddenly found I love almost all the songs very much and once I started listening intently to the lyrics, I was hooked! Few albums ever had this kind of effect on me, and I am glad this one did!
So do not judge these songs too quickly by merely listening to these 30 seconds tracks.
This song is about catching your lover cheating on you and the hurt and vengeance that ensues. It is beautifully sung, with much emotion and breathtaking intensity. I love Mariah's voice on the chorus part! Absolutely a delight to listen to. In fact, I would even say this is a very classy, slow jam!
It is interesting that this song mentioned a little bit about Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters and how Mariah will "laugh right in your face" if you cheat on her.
This song definitely sets the tone for the rest of the album!
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
2. Obsessed
Before the song starts, Mariah said these words "I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?"
Now we would never be sure if she was referring to notorious rapper Eminem, as she kept denying it. Don't know anything about the Mariah vs Eminem feud? Read here.
But of course, both Mariah and Eminem took full advantage of this opportunity using social media and all the publicity generated to elevate their songs to the top of the charts!
In any case, I love this song! It's very radio friendly, with a catchy hook and chorus that can be sung to anyone whom you think is delusional or crazy. Haha!
And I just love the witty lyrics! Man, I think Mariah is getting better and better at writing sharp, put-you-down lyrics! Consider this...
"You a mom and pop, I'm a corporation. I'm the press conference, you a conversation."
If those words are aimed at Eminem, I would say, OUCH! Of course, Eminem responded with another song but I will leave that for another post : )
By the way, this song made it to the top of the charts on Malaysia's Fly FM. Yeah! You can continue to vote for this song on Mix FM and Fly FM.
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
3. H.A.T.E.U
This song, which is a tribute to Minnie Riperton, is about a lover's lament (not necessarily Mariah) over the untimely end of her romance. Although the title seems to say "I hate you!" but in actual fact it stands for 'Having A Typical Emotional Upset'.
It's a beautiful heartbreak ballad filled with lush harmonies. Mariah seems to be singing a recurring melody in the upper registers not unlike in the style of Minnie Riperton. Ironically, this song is called "Hate U" while Riperton's famous song is titled "Loving U".
Not only that, Riperton's album is called "Perfect Angel". And this album is titled "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel". No coincidence there - I believe Mariah is a fan of Minnie Riperton!
I actually did not like this song on the first listen, but it seems to 'grow' on me. Surprisingly, most Mariah's fans love this song a lot!
My Ratings : 3.5 stars
4. Candy Bling
This song is all about reminiscing past love, mainly teenage love. Reminds me of the song "Underneath The Stars" from her Daydream album.
Not exactly my favourite, although again I didn't like it on my first listen, but it gradually grew on me. I guess maybe Mariah used too much whispery vocals throughout the song and it wasn't until towards the end that she let her voice go. Now that's the best part of the entire song!
My Ratings : 3 stars
5. Ribbon
I can't tell you how much I love this song! It just gets better and better with each listen! Currently, it's my most favourite song on the album although that might change later on.
I like the syncopated rhythm when she sings "Wrapped up, packed up, ribbon with a bow on it." I love how she adds in those counter melodies - she's just so damn talented!
Definitely a very radio friendly song with all the right hooks and a potential chart topper if released as a single.
My Ratings : 5 stars
6. Inseparable
Another song which took me some time to like. It uses a small sample from Cyndi Lauper's song "Time After Time".
I like Mariah's voice when she sings the second verse "Got photos of us on my refrigerator...". Nice song, but unlikely to be a chart topper.
My Ratings : 3 stars
7. Standing O
This is a stand out, foot thumping anthem with a tinge of raggae. Mariah is lashing out at her ex-lover and sarcastically salutes him by giving him a standing ovation.
I like this song on my second listen, probably due to its very infectious and addictive chorus. As usual, Mariah is brilliant in her counter melodies - just listen how she adds in those melodies while the infectious chorus is going on.
Oh, one interesting part in the lyrics is where she sings "As you embrace her in your arms, give her 'my all', give her more than you gave me." Incidentally, "My All" is a hit song from Mariah's Butterfly album, and also one of my favourite songs of hers! I guess only a fan like me will be able to spot this! Haha!
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
8. It's A Wrap
This one also took me some time to appreciate. But once I like it, there is no turning back! On this song, Mariah sounds refreshingly raw with no soft whispery vocals. Instead she showcases her strong vocals throughout which is a delight to listen to.
I even dare say this song may join Mariah's classics like "Vision Of Love" and "Always Be My Baby". What makes this song a good listen is Carey's multi-tracked voices that seem to flow around her lead vocal and all with minimal instrumentation - just perfect!
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
9. Up Out My Face
This is another song where Mariah lashes out at her ex-lover although she is also doing it in a most humorous way! It's actually humourous bordering on craziness! Don't believe me? Here's the ridiculously funny line from the song...
"If we were two Lego blocks, even the Harvard University Graduating Class of 2010 couldn't put us back together again!"
It must be a mouthful singing that, but Mariah sang it effortlessly!
I wonder if she's dissing Eminem again when she sings "You ain't a rapper, so you need to stop spitting it..." Haha!
I absolutely love this thumping club jam of a song. It's definitely hip-hop Mariah with an attitude! And minus the rappers, which I am glad as she does not need rappers to spice up this song! A potential chart topper IMHO.
My Ratings : 5 stars
10. Up Out My Face (The Reprise)
I could not believe my ears when I hear this track! It's the reprise of the previous song but using the big sounding marching brass band! How creative and clever! Totally unexpected and delightful at the same time!
It's tracks like this that makes me think that Mariah is a comedian or a joker!
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
11. More Than Just Friends
In this song, Mariah drops big brand names like our very own Jimmy Choo! Wow! This is not the first time Mariah mention famous brand names - she did it in the song "Shake It Off", from her Emancipation Of Mimi album, touching on Louis Vuitton.
This song is kind of fun and hilarious to me. Even Mariah pokes fun of herself and does not take herself too seriously when she sings this!
"I wanna be all on your lips like gelato, Permanently paint me in your picture like Piccasso, Love me down till I hit the top of my soprano. "
I like that they rhyme. Haha! This song seems to get better with each listening and now I'm thoroughly enjoying it!
My Ratings : 4.5 stars
12. The Impossible
According to Mariah, this song is dedicated to her husband Nick Cannon. There's a small sample from the R&B group Jodeci's song, "Forever My Lady" used here.
I did not really like this song on my first listen. I thought it sounded boring and monotonous. After some time, I like it more but it is still not a huge favourite of mine. Mariah seems to like this song though. Maybe because it is dedicated to her husband?
However, I like how she ends the song with "I almost given up, the impossible!" Nice touch!
My Ratings : 3 stars
13. The Impossible (The Reprise)
I don't quite like this filler, she should have cut this track out!
My Ratings : 2 stars
14. Angel (The Prelude)
I also don't quite like this prelude as it's mostly Mariah using her whistle voice ending up like some kind of otherworldly (or maybe angelic?) shrill. In my opinion, deleting this and the previous track will make the album shorter and tighter.
My Ratings : 2 stars
15. Angels Cry
This one should immediately appeal to those who like her ballads. But, surprisingly I found it to be just OK. Certainly not as good as her older ballads eg. "Butterfly", "My All", "Lead The Way".
Still, it is not too bad and the lyrics is actually quite meaningful. And I like it when she hold onto the long note at the end!
My Ratings : 3 stars
16. Languishing (The Interlude)
This song reminds me of the song "Looking In" from her Daydream album and "Rainbow Interlude" from her Rainbow album.
A nice and enjoyable song which blends very seamlessly into the next track "I Want To Know What Love Is".
My Ratings : 4 stars
17. I Want To Know What Love Is
Already released as a single but didn't do too well on the charts, this is a remake of the Foreigner's hit of the same name. When I first listened to this, I was not very impressed with it. Maybe wrong choice of song? Ooh, I am talking like one of those judges from American Idol now. Haha!
But after listening a few times, I am beginning to like it more. Especially when the gospel choir joins in and Mariah sings in her signature glass shattering high vocals, which I love!
By the way, if you are a fan, help this song reach No. 1 on Mix FM by voting here. Thanks!
My Ratings : 3.5 stars
Tracks 18 - 21 are remixes of the song "Obsessed", so I shall not review on those.
Overall, this album has a very cohesive structure. The songs are all interconnected through the lyrics as if each song is treated like an entry in a diary. As such, this album will not be able to produce really good hit singles. To me, that's a risk Mariah has to face for now the trend is on single sales and not so much on album sales.
I don't think this album will do that well commercially, but perhaps Mariah has reached the stage in her career where she does not really bother too much about sales or getting her songs to No.1 on the charts anymore!
Mariah also played it low key this time without resorting to over the top vocal acrobatics. But she did it with lots of class and style, elevating the sensual slow jams to an art form here. I really think she deserves a Grammy for this effort!
To fans who like her inspirational ballads, they may be disappointed with this album, but for me, it's a great and exceptional album, one which deserves to be in my collection and which I shall be listening to for many weeks to come.
So here's my ratings for this album and all her previous albums that I have in my collection!
Hi everyone! My laptop is still in the HP Intensive Care Unit. Looks like the H1N1 really did it this time! Luckily, I have saved most of my files earlier so I'm pretty sure I will not be losing any important data.
Since I am using someone else's computer, I will have to keep my post short. Well, a short post is better than no post, right?
I have two things I would like to mention today. First, do you all know about the free unlimited downloading of music at Digi website?
You can download some of the latest chart toppers to your handphone or computer at zero cost! This is valid for first 30 days, after which you need to pay just RM5 per month. You can also stop subscribing at any time by sending an sms to Digi. Is that cool or what?
Sounds too good to be true right, so is there a catch? Of course! You need to sign up with Digi to enjoy this free unlimited downloading of songs!
I just had a great time downloading all my latest favourite songs from Lady Gaga to Eminem to Colbie Caillat to Mariah Carey to Akon to Rihanna to Daughtry to Beyonce to The Script to ... oh, just about every artists you know!
Thank you, Digi! Now did you hear that Digi is named Malaysia's most admired company for innovation by Wall Street Journal Asia for the third year running? I cannot agree more.
So quick! If you are not with Digi, switch over now!!
OK, the second thing is you all know I am a huge fan of Mariah Carey right? Her latest single, "Obsessed" is unfortunately not climbing up the charts. OK, I admit it's not a terribly good song, but if you give it a chance, and listen to it long enough, you might just find yourself liking it. It has a number of good hooks that I like.
By the way, "Obsessed" is her way of getting back at Eminem for dissing her and her husband in his song "Bagpipes From Baghdad" so you may want to listen to the lyrics from both Mariah and Eminem's songs carefully.
So since I'm so depressed with my laptop still in the Intensive Care Unit in HP Hospital, can you help cheer me up? It's very easy to cheer me up, you know.
Here's how. Just go to MixFM and vote for Mariah Carey's latest song "Obsessed". Click on the vote button and you are done! Won't take more than 10 seconds! Easy right?
Now while you are it, please don't start clicking on all the other songs please! I know, I know. You may prefer Colbie Caillat's "Falling For You" which is my favourite song too or Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" which is OK to me, but please don't do that yes?
I want Mariah Carey to end up at the top of the MixFM's chart for one thing, to help her promote the song and another, so that I can listen to it when I switch on my radio while driving! Haha! Thank you all for this favour!
Now you all know how Mariah's songs almost always end up No.1 on the charts! Haha! Just kidding! : )
I know I am a little late in posting about our late King Of Pop, Michael Jackson who passed away a few days ago.
But so many blogs were talking about it, so I did not want to be joining in the bandwagon.
Still, I could not resist sharing a little of my thoughts today.
I learnt about Michael's death on the radio while driving to work on Friday morning. I had switched on the radio and one of Michael's song was on air. Right after the song finished, the DJ spoke. I did not really pay attention to what the DJ was saying until I heard him say "...the late Michael Jackson...". I was like, what?! Did I hear that wrongly?
I was quite sure I heard wrongly, but his next sentence confirmed my worst fears. Michael Jackson had passed away! I could not believe it!
After that, the radio took in calls from listeners and some called in half crying as they spoke. It was pretty emotional and I could not help shedding a tear or two.
Later that morning, as if to add to the sadness I already felt in my heart, the rain fell.
Although I am not a huge fan of Michael Jackson, his popularity was something I could not ignore. I even bought his album "HIStory" many years ago which I really liked. It was the best album for me as it contained most of his previous No.1 hits and new materials. It was called "History : Past, Present and Future, Book 1". I have been waiting for Book 2 ever since but it never come.
As the years passed, Michael seemed to be more famous for his weirdness and molestation cases than his music. It was such a pity, for had he continued to come out with good albums, he would probably still be a force to be reckoned with in the music industry today.
Well, I am not in a position to judge Michael Jackson for what he did in his life. And I don't think anyone should even attempt it. For we are not him and we are not in his shoes. We would never understand the kind of life he went through. Now that he is gone, I just want the very best memories of him to last forever.
I think one of his songs that made the most impact on me was "Heal The World". Michael had written one of the most beautiful and inspiring lyrics to this song. Many people who knew him personally said he was a kind and warm hearted person.
Listening to this song made me believe that he was indeed a caring person who had a mission to heal the world. Did he succeed? I don't know but somehow this song just makes me want to cry.
There's a place in your heart And I know that it is love And this place could be much Brighter than tomorrow. And if you really try You'll find there's no need to cry In this place you'll feel There's no hurt or sorrow. There are ways to get there If you care enough for the living Make a little space, make a better place.
Chorus: Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for You and for me.
If you want to know why There's a love that cannot lie Love is strong It only cares for joyful giving. If we try we shall see In this bliss we cannot feel Fear or dread We stop existing and start living Then it feels that always Love's enough for us growing Make a better world, make a better world.
Chorus: Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me and the entire human race. There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for You and for me.
Bridge: And the dream we would conceived in Will reveal a joyful face And the world we once believed in Will shine again in grace Then why do we keep strangling life Wound this earth, crucify it's soul Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly Be God's glow.
We could fly so high Let our spirits never die In my heart I feel You are all my brothers Create a world with no fear Together we'll cry happy tears See the nations turn Their swords into plowshares We could really get there If you cared enough for the living Make a little space to make a better place.
Chorus: Heal the world Make it a better place For you and for me and the entire human race There are people dying If you care enough for the living Make a better place for You and for me.
Chorus (2x)
There are people dying if you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me. There are people dying if you care enough for the living Make a better place for you and for me.
I read about The 10 Finest Divas by Rob O'Conner recently and this inspired me to come up with my very own Top 5 Divas today.
These are the Top 10 Divas listed by Rob.
1. Diana Ross 2. Celine Dion 3. Mariah Carey 4. Christina Aguilera 5. Cher 6. Whitney Houston 7. Bette Midler 8. Macy Gray 9. Chaka Khan 10. Barbra Streisand
Do you agree with this list?
But before you agree or disagree, we have to agree on the definition of the word 'diva'.
According to wikipedia, diva is a celebrated female singer. But the Italian term is used to describe a woman of rare, outstanding talent in the world of opera and by extension, in theatre and popular music. However, the word diva is also closely related to the term prima donna, which is a title for leading female singer in an opera. Usually, these leading singers are arrogant and egotistical. In other words, diva is also associated with egotistical female singers who have big voices and unreasonable demands.
So your top 10 list would most probably depend on how you define the term 'diva'.
Well, for my post today, let's define divas as talented, female singers with big voices and are able to command the stage. We shall throw out all those egoistic, unreasonable characteristics, shall we?
So back to the list by Rob, I am quite surprised by his inclusion of Macy Gray. What the heck is she doing there? She's definitely no diva to me! And to be more diva-ish than Barbra Streisand and Chaka Khan? That must be a joke!
And where is Aretha Franklin? She is not in the Top 10? Impossible!
If you think Madonna should be in the list, well let me tell you she can't possibly qualify for her lack of musical talent and voice!
So, who are my Top 10 divas? Well, I think I'll just narrow it down to 5. But instead of just naming them, I shall tie them to the songs they sing.
Now, I have always loved good pop ballads with uplifting lyrics. Not just any pop ballads, mind you but those amazingly powerful ballads that makes your spirit soar and which are inspiring to the soul. Ballads that stir the emotion in you and touch you so deeply that it can even make you cry.
Most often than not, these powerful ballads are usually sung by female singers with powerful voices. These female singers are also usually known as divas.
This form of pop ballads were most popular during the 80's and 90's. Nowadays, you seldom get these kind of pop ballads anymore as it is no longer popular as evidenced by the lack of such music on top of the Billboard Chart.
Besides, not many singers are able to sing such songs as they require one to have exceptional vocal ability and power to execute them successfully.
Anyway, here are my top 5 power pop ballads (and coincidentally, also my 5 top divas!) which I like very much and will always love!
Note: As embedding the original YouTube videos of these songs had been disabled, I could not show them here. You can however click onto the links to watch the videos.
This will always be my No.1 most inspiring song of all time. The first time I heard this, I didn't think too much of it, until I listened carefully to its uplifting lyrics. Wow! Mariah not only wrote this from her heart, she sang from her heart too! This is the song that I play whenever I feel down because it really pulls you up.
I always feel inspired when she sings these words...
"So when you feel like hope is gone, Look inside you and be strong, And you'll finally see the truth, That a hero lies in you...."
Mariah is a true diva - very talented in terms of songwriting and singing as most of her self penned songs/singles hit No.1 on the Billboard Chart.
I have to say Whitney Houston is the greatest singer of all time and to date, I don't think anyone has beaten her yet in terms of vocal power. This song stayed on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, a feat that was only surpassed by Mariah and Boyz II Men with their song "One Sweet Day" which stayed at No.1 for 16 weeks. Originally written and sang by Dolly Parton, this song was given the makeover by Whitney's powerful vocals!
Whitney is another true diva - the diva with the biggest voice!
I have heard many singers sang this theme song from the movie "Titanic" but no one could sing it better than Celine Dion. Absolutely no one. You may have a powerful voice but that does not mean you can sing this song well as it requires some form of voice control and technique which only Celine could master. Although I am now pretty bored with this song having heard it endless times, I still rate this as one of the best ballad ever.
Celine is a diva in her own right - but a very "nice" diva that people love!
Christina is exceptionally good in vocal acrobatics and her voice is so powerful she can definitely give Mariah and Celine a run for their money! She sang this song beautifully. I love it!
I also find the lyrics very inspiring and somewhat similar to Mariah's "Hero".
"When there's no one else, look inside yourself, Like your oldest friend just trust the voice within, Then you'll find the strength that will guide your way, You'll learn to begin to trust the voice within...."
This is a powerful song co-written by American Idol judge, Simon Cowell himself! Leona Lewis, a rising star after winning the X-Factor reality show in UK gave her all in this song. I'm really looking forward to her next album and I hope she will have more of such songs!
Although Leona is still new in the industry and cannot qualify as a diva just yet, but I think she is definitely a diva in the making!
How about you? What is your top 5 inspirational power ballads and your top 5 divas?
Note: I am taking a break from my Kinabalu Trip posts. Will resume with A Walk Along Gaya Street next!
