A lot of thoughts came to my mind this week with the USA supreme court ruling concerning the magical and often elusive thing that is LOVE. Almost every person has their own definition of what it means to them, and how they behave in loving others and being loved by them. Too many people however allow labels and hatred to get in the way, when it’s really so easy to substitute kindness, peace and happiness in order to move forward.
Two songs also happened to truly resonate with me this week because of this, and while they have significantly different styles, the basis of each song is general enough to be far-reaching.
ARMAND DELUXE featuring SIRPAUL, “One Love”
“One Love” is one beauty of a summer dance anthem by producer/remixer/DJ Armand Deluxe and veteran NYC dance performer SIRPAUL. It really doesn’t say anything new – “one heart, one mind, one love”, asking us to stand up and join hands, and so forth. But these two artists get the message across with a joyful, positive and enthusiastic approach that simply makes you stop what you’re doing to get up and dance and celebrate love. “One Love” is worthy of worldwide attention and I’m hoping the two can create a video for the song. In tandem with this, Armand has started a Facebook page called The Global Love Project, where people can post their own stories. It’s an interesting idea and we’ll see where it goes. “One Love” and The Global Love Project can only do the world some good!!
CASEY STRATTON, “Love Is Love”
Prolific and very reliable Michigan-based singer Casey Stratton recently dropped his latest album Sea Into Sky. And as I was listening to the album this week, before any of the activity in the US started to come to a head, the second song on the album “Love Is Love” struck me perhaps as Casey’s best song in a while. It immediately stays in your head with its quiet and lyrical start which builds to a powerful and emotional crescendo after the three minute mark. Fans of Loreena McKennitt, Kate Bush, Tori Amos and others should flock to this, but for others like me Casey has written simple yet powerful lyrics that have arrived with fortuitous timing. As always, Casey’s elegant voice and musicianship is striking, making “Love Is Love” one complete package you need to hear that will warm your heart, soul and mind. You can buy “Love Is Love” and Sea Into Sky through Casey’s store.
Three splendid cover versions have caught my attention recently by some familiar names you know well from this blog 🙂
NICK, “Get Lucky”
It’s getting closer to that time when a single from Nick Hagelin’s upcoming Streamline/Interscope album is due for release. So with his cover of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, we have a more produced effort but boy does it ever pack a punch. I love the song as is (currently #2 on my chart), but I love this version too!! Nick’s vocals positively rule this song, he changes up the approach with a gentle and sexy vocal that allows his falsetto to seep in. The guys look like they are having a blast, and I hope Nick’s album can show off a lot of these qualities that you often don’t find in major label releases.
ADAM TYLER, “The A Team”
Given all of the You Tube versions of Ed Sheeran’s worldwide hit, you’d think that one more might just get caught in the blur. But it doesn’t. LA-based singer Adam Tyler, currently on my chart with his EDM hit “Fade Into The Light”, strips the song down to basics as he has done before with other covers like “Torn” and ‘Turning Tables”, and sings a brilliantly heartfelt rendition that breaks loose the numbness after hearing the original so many times now. This bodes well for our Adam as he strides forward to create a follow up of originals to his winning 2011 album Shattered Ice.
MATTHEW KOMA, “Clarity”
Now that Zedd & Foxes’ original of “Clarity” looks like it will crack the Pop Top 10, it’s highly appropriate for Zedd’s pal Matthew Koma (who sang on the #1 dance hit of 2012 “Spectrum”) to interpret his friend’s huge hit. This is an acoustic version recorded live at the Cherrytree House where Matthew does not strive to copy Foxes’ vocal range and instead adapts the song beautifully to his lower register.
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