Kris Allen - "Live Like We're Dying"

Kris Allen, the winner of American Idol last season, is set to release his self-titled major label debut on the 17th of November. The album will have Kris Allen's killer cover of "Heartless" as well as the lead single called "Live Like We're Dying". The song was written by members of the Irish band, The Script, and was a bonus track on the Japanese release of their self-titled album and was also a b-side to one of their single.

The song is a great and very deep, but being a huge fan of The Script. I love the lyrics and the tempo of the song, it's a faster paced pop song. I heard The Script's version a while back and it is one of my favorites, but Kris Allen holds his own. He does a great job and hopefully it will be a successful single. While I am a fan of Kris Allen, there are certain parts of the song that I prefer The Script's version, especially the bridge of the song. Danny O'Donoghue's voice is very unique and really suits the material he writes and produces for his band The Script. (I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Script by The Script - it's a great album that fuses pop/rock/rnb/regeaa and hip-hop elements. It's like listening to John Legend, U2,Sting, and maybe some Eminem. It's good!)

Jason Mraz - Plane (Live)

Jason Mraz is another one of my favorite artists. I was intrigued when I heard his first single, "The Remedy" in 2003, and bought his album "Waiting For My Rocket To Come". After my first listen, I knew I was going to be a fan. He has amazing depth as a musician, singer, and songwriter. His music is so diverse that I can't assign a genre, His songs and lyrics range from quirky and dirty, to introspective and insightful. He even does some operatic runs in one of his songs. He has released 3 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 12 EPs, and has countless commercially unreleased tracks, b-sides, covers, and live tracks. The man is a musical genius and super cool. I'm a big fan of his blog and check it out regularly - his blogs are like his music; random, witty, and insightful. 

As I stated, I am a huge fan of Jason Mraz - the singer/songwriter and the man. One of my favorite songs is from his second studio album, Mr. A-Z, and is called "Plane". It's a passionate dark-romantic song and one of my absolute favorites. It gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it and the first time I heard him sing it live. It's a special song, and hope you enjoy all the studio and live versions.

Studio Version:

Live Versions:

Jack Savoretti - "Songs From Different Times"

I don't know much about Jack Savoretti. I know he is 26, half English, half Italian, and a has a great voice. He has released two albums; Between the Minds in 2007, and Harder Than Easy in 2009. His music has been featured on several shows including One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy, which is where I was introduced to Jack Savoretti.

His song "Songs From Different Times" was featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy and I was blown away from the emotion of the song. It helped that the song was playing during an emotional scene, but I actually stopped paying attention to the scene and was more focused on the song. In subsequent listens, the song alone is filled with emotion and power. I love the violin and the rawness and passion of his voice. I don't know much about Jack, but will be picking up his album.

Alexandra Burke - "Silence" Live

As you may have noticed, I think Alexandra Burke is AMAZING. Since appearing on and winning X-Factor last year, I'm constantly impressed by her. I have been listening and enjoying her debut album "Overcome" non-stop. It is one of my favorite albums of the year - it's brilliant from start to end.

Last week I posted a live performance of "They Don't Know" and mentioned that my favorite song on the album is a power ballad called "The Silence". Alexandra performed "The Silence" on a chat show and it was AMAZING! I love the bridge and the chorus. She can really sing and delivers a great performance. The last two minutes gave me goosebumps. Check it out:

And not only is she talented, she is genuine, compassionate and a great human being. Here is a great article about how Simon Cowell and Alexandra Burke came to the aid of a little girl battling cancer.

Alexandra Burke is just brilliant and amazing. I am a super huge fan - get yourself a copy of Overcome.

Rihanna - "Wait Your Turn" Music Video

On the 23rd of November, Rihanna will release her 4th studio album, Rated R. The lead off single is called "Russian Roulette", but has failed to make an impact. A track called "Wait Your Turn" has been leaked, and a music video has been shot, although it is not scheduled to be the second single from the album. (For her last album, Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna shot several videos before the album was released, and it looks like the same was done for this album).

Well, the wait is over - here is the video:

I like the song more than I like the video. The song is super catchy and will be a radio hit for Rihanna, if it is released. It is a typical Rihanna song - it delivers on the vocals and has a rough edge/vibe. I really like most of Rihanna's music. The video is interesting. Rihanna is beautiful, but I'm not digging the eye patch and the hair, but she still manages to pull it off. Rihanna looks good, but the video as a whole is not too exciting or amazing.