Since the end of 2016 I’ve been really excited about some of the new music I’ve been finding. Some of them are just songs that I’ve finally learned the names of but aren’t exactly play on repeat worthy but are good to listen to once in a while. Others have been added to my New Favourites playlist which I’ve been playing for over a month.
Firstly I went to an oldie but a goodie, Jesse McCartney. His old stuff was basically what I grew up on. Just So You Know, She’s No You, Beautiful Soul, and then later with Leavin’, My Baby, and How Do You Sleep, I’ve always loved his music. One thing that missed me completely was that he brought out a new album in 2014, In Technicolor.
On a whole it’s a good album. It’s kept up with the times and the sound is relevant which is always good. It’s easy to listen to and get through and the songs flow nicely from one to the other. His sound reminds me a lot of a young Justin Timberlake in his Justified days. They’re good up tempo dance songs with some good bass with is always a plus for me and then some really soulful ballads. The standouts for me are Punch Drunk Recreation (which sounds a lot like a Justin and Timberland song), All About Us, and Checkmate. Those are the ones I’ve been really loving but the whole album is really strong.
Next was more of a search for new music. I’ve watched Nathan Sykes perform Over and Over Again about a hundred times on the X Factor and then he also did Famous so when his new album Unfinished Business came out I HAD to listen to it.
From the time I heard some of the singles he released I knew other songs on the album would have that old time feel, like from the 70’s or 80’s. The whole album shows off his vocal range which started to get attention from back when he was still with The Wanted. It’s a really good album to introduce to the world what he can do outside of a group. My favourites are of course Over and Over Again (not really the one with Ariana Grande, its good but I prefer the original), Famous, I Can’t Be Mad, There’s Only One of You, and my all time favourite Tears in the Rain. I’ve been searching everywhere online for a video of him performing it live but there’s none :(. I’ve always loved his voice and I feel bad that me with my slow self only really got into The Wanted one album before they broke up so I didn’t even get to appreciate him much in the group.
Last but certainly not least is Bruno Mars and his 24K Magic Album.
I don’t even think I appreciated enough that I was excited for this album just from one song. ONE SONG!! I already knew that this album would be fire from that one single 24K Magic. I really felt like I would like it and it did not disappoint. It has a really cool Motown feel to it which makes all the songs really easy to listen to without getting that itch to skip songs. I actually listened to this album and Unfinished Business in a separate playlist for over a week because I didn’t feel like anything else compared. I am seriously in love with these albums. My standouts for this album (there were more but I narrowed it down a bit) are of course 24K Magic, Versace on the Floor, That’s What I Like, Perm, and Finesse. I think after 24K Magic I really really like Finesse….and Perm. I can’t decide.
One album I’m excited to listen to is the new Ed Sheeran album when that’s released and the Zara Larsson album. Zara Larsson has really put herself in the running to be one of my favourite female performers. Her performances are always high energy and she can really sing live.
A new addition to my New Favourites playlist is the soundtrack to Moana.
Yes I know I’m late to jump on this wagon but it took me a minute to watch the movie but it’s only been a week and I’m hooked. The movie itself was really good and it was s nice change to have a Disney movie where there was no real need for a prince. It dealt with really relevant topics that is great for kids and adults alike to relate to. Aside from that the music from it is awesome. I love both versions of How Far I’ll Go, We Know The Way, An Innocent Warrior, and I love how the culture can really be felt in every song. It’s safe to assume that I’ll be listening to this for a long long time. Aaaand I loved her performance at the Oscars. A part of me feels like they can do no wrong with this.
And that’s it for all the new music I’ve been loving. 🙂
Carla Jones 
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