Phil’s Faves: Videos, April 15, 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Two old favorites (“Lights” and “A Thousand Years”) reappeared on this week’s VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown, so they are happily welcomed back with big open arms! The banjo continues to rule over all other instruments on both faves lists for a second week! Will Carrie Underwood be able to compete with the sex appeal of Rascal Flatt’s “Banjo”?…………………………
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of April 15, 2012

1. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
2. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
3. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
4. Endless Love—Lionel Richie and Shania Twain
5. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
6. A Thousand Years—Christina Perri
7. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
8. Lights—Ellie Goulding
9. Over You—Miranda Lambert
10. You Gonna Fly—Keith Urban

1) “Banjo”—Right now, I watch this video every time it comes on!
2) “Good Girl”—Currently ranked higher than I thought I would ever rank a Carrie Underwood video!
3) “Sweeter”—This Gavin DeGraw video is both hot and good!
4) “Endless Love”—Shania sounds and looks great!
5) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—Waiting for something better to come along and push it down…………
6) “A Thousand Years”—Woohoo! Christina Perri returns to the countdown list after a loooooooooong layoff! I don’t know how long she’ll be able to hang around with this song again, but I am happy to see interest in it again!
7) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Uh, Gotye. I hate to say this, but we might be better off as friends as your stay on this list is starting to wane. I hope you don’t take it personally. Luckily, I didn’t let you borrow any of my records……………..
8) “Lights”—I guess you couldn’t keep this little video down. Welcome back Ellie!
9) “Over You”—I kind of stayed away from this one for a while because I knew about the symbolism of the horse and Miranda’s dead brother. But it is a nice artistic video of a good song!
10) “You Gonna Fly”—I think this one is gonna fly next week……………….. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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“Q” Bombs: April 15, 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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No new entries this week. Just the same old garbage. The only change is a new slop leader…………………………….
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Worst Videos for the week of April 15, 2012

1. Brokenhearted—Karmin
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. Drive By—Train
4. Part of Me—Katy Perry
5. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
6. Fine By Me—Andy Grammer
7. Is There Anybody Out There?—K’naan and Nelly Furtado
8. Drunk on You—Luke Bryan
9. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
10. Alone With You—Jake Owen

1) “Brokenhearted”—Believe it or not, there’s actually a good song buried in here. If you trim the crappy rap that you threw in for “street cred,” you probably would have had a decent song……………………………………….
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—Kudos to CMT for rejecting the obvious and NOT putting the two Luke Bryan tracks together! Both are still videos with gawd-awful acting……………………….
3) “Drive By”—I do like the grape stomping scene, but that’s about it…………….
4) “Part of Me”—Yes, it shot to the top of VH1’s countdown list, but that’s not going to happen here………………
5) “Safe and Sound”—Not a biggie in Taylor Swift land. Hmmm. Let me guess why. Oh, I can think of two reasons: The Civil Wars…………………………….
6) “Fine By Me”—This video will never be fine by me……………………..
7) “Is There Anybody Out There?”—It looks like they put a little bit of effort into the video. Too bad they didn’t spend enough time on the song……………………
8] “Drunk on You”—Such a thrilling story. Ooooo. Will there be a part 3? To be continued……
9) “God Gave Me You”—Blake must have good, strong fingertips because this song is taking way too long to fall…………………
10) “Alone with You”—Another ho-hum week in mediocre land…………………… QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, April 8, 2012

Posted on April 15, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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The banjo reigns supreme on both of my faves lists! For whatever reason, I never once heard Rihanna’s “We Found Love” this last week, so it beat a hasty retreat off the list. The other item of note is the inclusion of several Easter—type songs…………..
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of April 8, 2012

1. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
4. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
5. Pride in the Name of Love—Dierks Bentley with The Punch Brothers & Del McCoury
6. As It Is in Heaven—Michael W. Smith
7. How Great Thou Art—Vince Gill & Amy Grant
8. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
9. Lights—Ellie Goulding
10. Endless Love—Lionel Richie & Shania Twain

1) “Banjo”—This song is still on my upside! I really like it! I can’t believe that Rascal Flatts act like they’re having trouble inserting it into the setlist on their current tour…
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”— What more can I say? A quirky classic!
3) “Dancin’ Away with My Heart”—Lady A knows how to layer on just the right amount of sweetners to make almost anything they do sound just right!
4) “Sweeter”—Speaking of sweeteners, the chorus on this song reminds me of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude!” Think about it the next time you hear it!
5) “Pride in the Name of Love”—The anniversary of the assasination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. recently passed and this version of the U2 song is stuck in my head since I saw them perform it on PBS last year. The bluegrass version of a rock classic is just perfect!
6) “As It Is in Heaven”—This is quite possibly one of the best interpretations of “The Lords’ Prayer” that I’ve ever heard. The song is dense but still flowing—totally full of energy!
7) “How Great Thou Art”—“How Great Thou Art” is one of my favorite church hymns. This serene instrumental version, pulled from a compilation for Taylor guitars, subtly gets the message across. I like the idea of a guitar whiz like Vince Gill a)playing this on an acoustic guitar so we get here some nice picking for a change, and b)playing it with his wife. It’s a very nice interpretation, just right for Easter!
8) “Good Girl”—Just like Rascal Flatt’s “Banjo,” this country song is laid on top of a nice, hard, rock bed! It’s so hard it’s like a bed of nails!
9) “Lights”—I think that the lights will go out on this one next week……
10) “Endless Love”—This song is so perfect that I think a Kermit the Frog & Miss Piggy duet couldn’t ruin it!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, April 8, 2012

Posted on April 15, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Seven country songs on the list this week. That’s an unusual imbalance. It’s a good thing that Gavin DeGraw is around to represent the pop/rock/alternative end or it would have been worse. Surprisingly, there aren’t any live performances, either. Just all video magic for once. Other than that, the top two spots stay locked for a second week. But the Banjo rules supreme on both faves lists!
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of April 8, 2012

1. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
4. You Gonna Fly—Keith Urban
5. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
6. Endless Love—Lionel Richie and Shania Twain
7. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
8. Reality—Kenny Chesney
9. A Woman Like You—Lee Brice
10. Blackbird—Sarah Darling

1) “Banjo”—I wish I went to a college where music is appreciated like the one in the video!
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—For some reason, the song is starting to remind me of Gary Numan’s “Are Friends Electric?” That is a huge compliment!
3) “Good Girl”—The dichotomy between “good” Carrie and “bad’ Carrie is fun to watch for once!
4) “You Gonna Fly”—When Keith does a video for one of his upbeat songs, the video usually matches it!
5) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—I think this video has peaked for me, but I still like it!
6) “Endless Love”—I like anything that has to do with bringing Shania Twain back to music! The fact that this video and song brought back Lionel Richie is a “twofer.” A “threefer” if you count the song!
7) “Sweeter”—This video and song continues to build momentum for me!
8) “Reality”—This Kenny Chesney video, much like the Keith Urban video, has been around for awhile. It’s a good concept and song that’s been kept off this list for too long!
9) “A Woman Like You”—Although Lee Brice doesn’t usually get me excited musically, I like that little guitar run that keeps popping up in this song!
10) “Blackbird”—This is a very nice interpretation of Paul McCartney’s classic and I hope it catches on because the video looks nice, too!
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“Q” Bombs: April 8, 2012

Posted on April 15, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Luke Bryan places two videos on the bad list. I’m sure that’s happened once before, but it’s very unusual. Train stays at the top for a second week………………
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Worst Videos for the week of April 8, 2012

1. Drive By—Train
2. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
3. Brokenhearted—Karmin
4. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
5. Fine By Me—Andy Grammer
6. Part of Me—Katy Perry
7. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
8. Drunk on You—Luke Bryan
9. Is There Anybody Out There?—K’naan and Nelly Furtado
10. Alone With You—Jake Owen

1) “Drive By”—I would say much more preparation went into the making of the video than the song, but the song brings the whole effort down………………..
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—I know this “night” is going to end soon because “part two” has now been released, the only question is how fast. I’m sure that CMT will not miss the opportunity to put both parts back to back if not together……………..
3) “Brokenhearted”—This just doesn’t work. Nothing in the video looks good and the pseudo rap part just ruins whatever the song had going for it…………….
4) “Safe and Sound”—I can’t believe the only reason why I have this song above Andy Grammer is because of The Civil Wars………………………….
5) “Fine By Me”—Just an average piece of fluff done a million times before. Andy Grammer is like a boy band without the other boys………………
6) “Part of Me”—I’m sure this video will continue to move up this list. It’s just that in comparison to the others ahead of it, it doesn’t seem that bad……………………
7) “God Gave Me You”—Blake must have good, strong fingertips because this song is taking way too long to fall…………………
8] “Drunk on You”—Part two from Luke Bryan is the best of the three videos that he’s released from his CD. Believe me, that’s not saying much…………………….
9) “Is There Anybody Out There?”—K’naan sounds like K’naan. Nelly Furtado sounds like Nelly Furtado. The two together sound awful. There was no effort made to blend the two styles……………
10) “Alone with You”—Still, the least irritating of all the bad videos…………………. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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Phil’s Faves: Songs, April 1, 2012

Posted on April 15, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Gotye lands on top for a second time and several silly songs make the list for this year’s April Fools Day……..
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of April 1, 2012

1. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
2. We Found Love—Rihanna
3. Lights—Ellie Goulding
4. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
5. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
6. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
7. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
8. Dare to Be Stupid—“Weird” Al Yankovic
9. It Should Have Been Me—Commander Cody
10. Do the Mouse—Soupy Sales

1) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Gotye claws his way back to the top!
2) “We Found Love”—Believe it or not, I hardly heard this Rihanna song at all this week. What an amazing turnaround from the past few weeks! Did someone flip a switch? I mean, it couldn’t have worn out that fast……………..
3) “Lights”—It keeps sneaking up on me!
4) “Banjo”—There is so much about this song that I like. I particularly like the idea of a place that’s so far off the path that GPS and satellites can’t find it. Ah, but that’s the habitat of …the banjo!
5) “Dancin’ Away with My Heart”—Such a whimsical look at “18.”
6) “Cough Syrup”—This will probably be one of my favorite songs this year!
7) “Sweeter”—This Gavin DeGraw song sounds new and retro at the same time. I appreciate someone who can pull this off. One of the hooks reminds me of the progression in Joe Cocker’s “Woman to Woman.” This one is way better than that!
8) “Dare to Be Stupid”—This is “Weird” Al’s own version of the best song Devo never did! The lyrics are sharp and spot-on!
9) “It Should Have Been Me”—A classic song that makes me laugh everytime I hear it! Taken from an even more classic album—if that’s even possible (“Hot Licks, Cold Steel, & Truckers’ Favorites” by Commander Cody), this is a remake of a classic blues song that gets countrified as only they can do it!
10) “Do the Mouse”—Soupy Sales was a comedian who ocasionally ventured into music recordings. Believe it or not, this was his signature “dance” song. Ironically, it has a pretty good Motown pop feel to it, and this release is mixed incredibly well!
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Phil’s Faves: Videos, April 1, 2012

Posted on April 14, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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“Banjo” polevaults to the top of the list this week! And this must be backwards week because Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Jason Derulo, AND Gavin DeGraw all make my good list and they are NOT favorite artists of mine! But hey! That’s not backwards. That’s what happens when you get it right! Let’s keep ‘em comin’…………………..
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of April 1, 2012

1. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
2. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
3. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
4. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
5. Breathing—Jason Derulo
6. You Gonna Fly—Keith Urban
7. Detroit Rock City—Kiss on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”
8. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
9. Endless Love—Lionel Richie and Shania Twain
10. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw

1) “Banjo”—The back lighting of the see-through banjo in that open door played by that beautiful woman is “sheer” poetry!
2) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—Still a strong video, but it might not be long before it’s time to say goodbye to “somebody that I used to know.”
3) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—This Lady A video isn’t a great one, but the song puts it ahead of most of the others.
4) “Good Girl”—This is a MONSTER song and video! It might be the best thing Carrie Underwood’s ever done!
5) “Breathing”—I think this video is peaking, but I think this is the best video Jason Derulo’s ever done! Nice special effects!
6) “You Gonna Fly”—I know this Keith Urban video has been around for a long time, but it’s a quality video and song and deserves some recognition! Good job, Keith!
7) “Detroit Rock City”—I can’t help this selection. I have always liked this song and I thought Kiss still made it sound fresh on Jimmy Kimmel’s show—even though they’ve been on their final tour for something like ten years!
8) “Cough Syrup”—Well, the cold and flu season is over for most areas of the country, so there isn’t much use for cough syrup anymore—but I will miss it when it’s gone……
9) “Endless Love”—I’ve always felt that “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross is probably the best duet ever made if not one of the best songs ever made. The version of this song will not change my mind, but Lionel must be doing some kind of Dorian Gray thing because he doesn’t look like he’s changed much at all—and it’s thirty years later! (?) And I am absolutely for anything that keeps Shania Twain coming back. The acting is kind of hammy, but Shania gets to reprise some of her classic video shots (including that hat), and she looks like she hasn’t aged a bit either—but the timeframe for her isn’t nowhere near as long. All in all, I like this video and song a lot!
10) “Sweeter”—I know it’s hard to believe but Gavin DeGraw appears on the second of my good lists this week! This video is pretty easy on the eyes and it supports the song perfectly!
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“Q” Bombs: April 1, 2012

Posted on April 10, 2012 by PhilMaq

A “Q” Bomb, like an “H” bomb, will be my term for a music video that I consider to be subpar in music, video, or both. This will be a recurring weekly list that will focus on the worst videos that are currently on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus on solely on current or recent videos.
I hate to be so negative about music, but when an artist takes a “bad” song and then brings more attention to it by creating a “bad” video to support it, it will appear on this list. I honestly hope, and it could happen, that this list will be less than 10 items, but I have serious doubts that that possibility will happen. We are, after all, talking about an industry that uses art for huge profits. The companies can’t help themselves.
However, at this point, I will not do a 10 worst music list. I see absolutely no reason to waste time reemphasizing bad music. Once is enough.

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Train moves into the top spot with a song and video that’s actually more boring than The Civil Wars. How is that possible……………………………….
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Worst Videos for the week of April 1, 2012

1. Drive By—Train
2. Safe and Sound—Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
3. I Don’t Want This Night to End—Luke Bryan
4. Fine By Me—Andy Grammer
5. God Gave Me You—Blake Shelton
6. Better Than I Know Myself—Adam Lambert
7. Part of Me—Katy Perry
8. Brokenhearted–Karmin
9. Alone With You—Jake Owen
10. Set Fire to the Rain—Adele

1) “Drive By”—The song is like a “drive by,” except this time it’s done with notes instead of bullets………………………
2) “Safe and Sound”—Taylor looks pretty in her retro dress but the song is awful…….
3) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—Believe me, it won’t end. Part two is starting to raise its ugly head. Save yourself if you can…………….
4) “Fine By Me”—Is this guy cute or something? That’s the only reason I can think of to explain why this video and song are popular because I don’t see it………………..
5) “God Gave Me You”—It looks like he’s finally ready to take this song back…………..
6) “Better Than I Know Myself”—I honestly don’t know if he truly does know himself…….
7) “Part of Me”—Divorce “tainted” Katy Perry goes all “Private Benjamin” and “G.I. Jane” in her most recent video. It seems like a pretty harsh reaction to spotting her boyfriend making moves on a co-worker to go and join the Marines. She even cuts her own hair! Gosh almighty! Too bad the video still doesn’t create any excitement. Even my teenage daughter finds it boring. However, I’m sure it will do just fine for Miss Perry. She has her own army of fans……………………..
8] “Brokenhearted”—Ah, the new youtube flavor of the week. Karmin supposedly generated so much interest through social media that they earned a record contract. Wow, was that a mistake……………………..
9) “Alone with You”—Boy, those last two videos almost make this one look good. I said, almost……………………
10) “Set Fire to the Rain”—Well, the fire has now sucked all of the oxygen from the room, and I think Adele’s fire is ready to go out—for the moment…………….
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Phil’s Faves:Songs, March 25, 2012

Posted on April 9, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best songs that I listened to the previous week. Most songs will be current, but there are no boundaries. I’ve already stated on this web site that I am obsessed with music. I am constantly hunting it down whether it’s online, on CD, from my personal collection, from a library (Yes, I think the library is a great source of music–especially for music that you aren’t sure about.), TV, or radio. Since most of these sources mostly emphasize new music, the odds are pretty good that most of the songs on this list will be new. But in my search, I don’t use any boundaries for the other sources. I am just looking for good music that I haven’t heard, or happened to forget about. Everyone, including myself, has forgotten way more great music than they can ever remember-even if they are also music fanatics.
Also, there will be no rules concerning songs on this list. A song can show up or drop off a number of times. This will be the most volatile of my lists. It all depends on how much music I am exposed to during the week and what I find interesting. On really obscure stuff, I will try to include the source, if I know it.

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Rihanna vaults to the top spot while six new entries join the list including (?) Gavin DeGraw????? What is happening? I think Mercury is still in retrograde…………………..
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Top Ten Songs for the Week of March 25, 2012

1. We Found Love—Rihanna
2. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
3. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
4. I Heard the Bluebirds Sing—The Browns
5. Lights—Ellie Goulding
6. Candle of Life—The Moody Blues
7. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
8. Personal Growth—Cindi R. Maciolek
9. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
10. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw

1) “We Found Love”—Believe it or not, I heard this Rihanna song even more in the past week! I like it and I can’t wait for that rising synthesizer hook where the song really takes off!
2) “I Heard the Bluebirds Sing”—It is even hard for me to imagine the power of this simbie that was recorded by legendary country group The Browns. I haven’t heard this song in at least twenty years but for some reason my brain has decided to play it over and over for me. I like the song and maybe it has something to do with the arrival of spring. But it’s never happened before. Do you understand what I’m saying??!! This song keeps playing constantly in my mind without me prompting it!
I tried to find a copy of it so I can hear it again. It’s not available as an MP3 file and a CD that it’s on has become “temporarily available” on Amazon. ODWITS!
I guess it could be worse. At least I like this one………………………………
3) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—The instrumental sections of this song reminds me of “Song of The Nairobi Trio.” (Why do I know this stuff????)
4) “Cough Syrup”—I think we’re getting out of cold & flu season, so Young the Giant’s song starts to fall………………………
5) “Lights”—I think I like the video more than the song, but the song is catchy enough………….
6) “Candle of Life”—One of my favorite Moody Blues songs! This very atmospheric simbie has been stuck in my brain many times before! Justin Hayward’s haunting vocal is perfect for a song that refers to someone who’s lonely yet still wants the “candle of life” to burn slowly!
7) “Dancin’ Away with My Heart”—The usual stuff from Lady A that works so well: Great harmonies with a good melody!
8) “Personal Growth”—This isn’t so much a song as it is a spoken meditation over peaceful instrumental music. Cindi R. Maciolek uses the buildup of waves on the ocean as an analogy for personal growth. This is just one of ten on her “Java Jems” CD, available at grandarborpress.com, amazon, or CD Baby. It might be just what you need to get you through the day!
9) “Banjo”—Rascal Flatt’s powerful tribute to the banjo makes another good list!
10) “Sweeter”—My eyes must be deceiving me! How did Gavin DeGraw end up on a good list? Hey I might not be a fan but I do respect good songs. This one is a piano pounder about thinking that some other girl is better than the one you have. Not an original idea, but he does a good job on it.
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Phil’s Faves:Videos, March 25, 2012

Posted on April 8, 2012 by PhilMaq

This will be a personal weekly Top Ten list of what I consider to be the best videos currently available on TV. I don’t, as a rule, go searching for old music videos, so that’s why it will focus mostly on current or recent videos. For this category, I am also going to include any live performances on talk or variety shows that I see during the week.

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Bruce Springsteen’s appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” accounts for the top two performances of the week! Other than that, Rascal Flatts, Jason Derulo, and Carrie Underwood all show up on one of my “faves” lists! What is going on?! Did I slip into an alternate universe………………………….
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Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of March 25, 2012

1. Jack of All Trades—Bruce Springsteen on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”
2. Death to My Hometown—Bruce Springsteen on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”
3. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
4. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
5. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
6. Cough Syrup—Young the Giant
7. Breathing—Jason Derulo
8. Gold on the Ceiling—The Black Keys
9. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
10. The Man I Want to Be—Chris Young

1) “Jack of All Trades”—Bruce Springsteen ended the week long celebration of his new “Wrecking Ball” CD with three amzing live performances on a Friday—two of which I placed on this list! This was my favorite! It’s kind of a folk song that probably could have easily fit on an updated “Nebraska” CD.
2) “Death to My Hometown”—On this one, Bruce picks up the theme that he covered so well on Born in the USA’s “My Hometown.” The lyrics are in absolute contrast to the singalong feel of the music. The live performance this night nailed it perfectly!
3) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I think Gotye’s song may still be gaining steam, but the Springsteen performances were exceptional.
4) “Banjo”—I like this video more everytime I see it! And the song rocks—with attitude!
5) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—The black and white photography gives it a timeless look!
6) “Cough Syrup”—I still get a kick watching the band members hit ballons filled with paint with rackets against a white backdrop!
7) “Breathing”—I think the line “I only miss you when I’m breathing” sums this video up. You can’t get anymore dramatic than that!
8) “Gold on the Ceiling”—I don’t think this video will get much airplay, but I love the scenes where the band is preparing their equipment for the show!
9) “Good Girl”—OK. This selection surprised me, too. I think this is the best song that Carrie Underwood has done since “Jesus, Take the Wheel!” What a contrast!
10) “The Man I Want to Be”—NOTICE TO ALL COUNTRY ARTISTS WHO THINK THEY CAN ACT:WATCH THIS VIDEO! This new video by Chris Young starts out with him talking to an elderly African American about his “problems.” He doesn’t accept any of Chris’ excuses as he keeps telling him he needs to make a phone call. The video wraps up nicely!
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