Tuesday Tunes: SO MUCH NEW MUSIC

This is one of those Tuesday's that makes my ears VERY happy, because it's a grand new music release day. Some of my favorite artists gave us treats today. I hope you give some of them a listen and let me know what you think.

Singles

Gavin DeGraw- Best I Ever Had
This man is probably my favorite male artist. I own all his music and know it by heart. He's outstanding. I was excited when he announced a new single. Best I Ever Had is pretty good. The only reason it's not GREAT is because...well...it's not that...original? It sounds very much like Train. But that's alright. I forgive Gavin and still love the song.

John Mayer- Paper Doll
Oh this dude. I have a love/hate relationship with Mr. Mayer. Musically, he's one of my favorites. Personally, I'd like to kick him in the face. His last album, which came out a year ago, flopped. Both with critics and with me. So I was excited for a new song to pull him out of that little blip. The lyrics are amazing...and people are speculating that it's about Taylor Swift with the ''22" reference and the "someone's gonna paint you another sky" (Taylor's song Dear John states "you paint me a blue sky then go back and turn it to grey). If that's the case, it kind of makes me like the song more. I love when artists respond to each other musically.

EP's

Caitlin Crosby,Save That Pillow

I was first introduced to Caitlin when she opened for Jason Castro in concert in 2010. I loved her vibe. Been waiting on new music for her since then, and now here it is. Caitlin's a really cool person. I mean, I think she is. I don't know her on a personal level or anything, but her music is really meaningful, she's got a killer voice and she works really hard. Plus she's involved with The Giving Keys, an awesome charity. Her six track EP is excellent. Favorite song is Save That Pillow.

Albums
Hanson, Anthem

The first time I met my best friend Sam, she announced to myself and our other sorority sisters that she was a mega Hanson fan. We all responded with "Like....MMMBOP?". None of us had any idea that those boys were still making music. And I met Sam in the fall of 2006. Now it's 2013, and they are STILL making music! Sam introduced me to the world of Hanson and I've been addicted ever since. Yes, they are still making music, and it's amazing.

Anthem, the album that came out today, si there ELVENTH album. I realize that may shock people. You really don't hear much about Hanson unless you're in the know. But let me just assure you, each album is unique, and GOOD.

I downloaded the new album last night. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of the tune up on youtube, but I will share these two with you that I found.

Already Home

Tonight

Get The Girl Back

Hanson

Sorry I'm posting this a day late, but I was Up North yesterday morning-this afternoon at Higgins Lake with this year's Mercy Volunteers and two of the Cap volunteers. We had a wonderful time, so thankful they invited me to join on the mini vacay! We have had BEAUTIFUL weather here in Detroit this weekend. 70 degrees and sunny today!

I'm currently babysitting for a family of four. I got here 2pm this afternoon and leaving 9 am Tuesday morning. I've done overnight sitting before, but never for four kids. I was a little nervous, but as of right now, it is 8:15 pm, all the kids are fed, showered, and in bed! Score one for me. Next battle? Getting the two oldest ready for school in the morning. Wish me luck.

Anyways, my H post is...drum roll please...

HANSON.

During the "welcome home" ceremony for sorority recruitment in the fall of my sophomore year, my friend Betsy and I stood together in the bleachers, anxiously watching the potential new members. We were eager to see which girls were going to choose our house as their sorority. We particularly had our eyes on a girl named Sam. Sam was a transfer student, coming to WMU as a junior. We held each others hands tight when it was Sam's turn to "run home". And cheered-loudly- when she came running towards Delta Gamma. Later that night, in the comfort of our little sorority house, we played "get to know you games" and chatted up the new members. I will always remember someone asking Sam her favorite band/music, and Sam, boldly and proudly, answering "Hanson".

"HANSON? Like...MMMBOP?" We all asked. But Sam stood strong. She loved Hanson. I didn't even know they were still making music. I just assumed they disappeared sometime after 1998 and never came back. I was wrong. Sam constantly talked about them, and it peaked my interest. One day I went home and started looking up their music. I was literally amazed by what I found. They were indeed still making music- fantastic music. Genius music. Music with meaning, solid lyrics and beautiful harmonies. I would casually ask Sam questions about them, and she had all the answers.

Eventually, my friendship with Sam grew stronger. We ended up living together the next year and were pretty much inseparable. Our common love for Idol and music, among other things, made us two peas in a pod. She even showed me some documentaries Hanson had done, which were intriguing and impressive. We went to several concerts together that year, including a few Hanson shows. As if I was not already impressed, I became a loyal, dedicated fan after seeing the boys live. The passion that they put into their music and their fans was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Here's the special thing about Hanson. They are not just your typical indie band. They've been tossed around in the music business quite a few times, people trying to stop them from making true music. Their label refused over 80 songs from them before the band went Indie. Aside from their belief in honest songwriting and in themselves, they do an incredible amount of charity work. Their album "The Walk" signifies this. When they did "The Walk Tour", they organized fans, before every show, to walk one mile, barefoot, across the city they were performing. This was to signify the children in Africa and what they go through on a daily basis.

I can't force you to like this music, but I can suggest you listen to it, and give them a chance. I will post my favorite song from each studio album (excluding the Christmas album, even though that is my favorite Christmas album ever). I hope you listen, because this is some good, honest music with significant meaning and brilliant vocals and instruments to back it up.

My favorite song from "Middle of Nowhere" is "I Will Come To You". Here is a live version, from many, many years after MON was actually released. Enjoy.



My favorite song from "This Time Around" is "Can't Stop", because it is so fun to rock out to :)



From "Underneath", my favorite song is "Lost Without Each other"


The Walk is such an intriguing album. The songs are so unique. I'm posting two songs...Great Divide and Watch Over Me (probably my favorite Hanson song, ever).





And finally, Shout It Out. My FAVORITE Hanson album. It's a little tougher to pick a song for this one, but I decided on "Carry You There".



I hope you enjoyed. And Sam, thank you for reintroducing me to this incredibly talented musicians!