Phil’s Faves: Videos, April 22, 2012

Posted on May 5, 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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Oh, my heavens! Gavin DeGraw’s piano jumps over Carrie Underwood and unceremoniously flying kicks “Banjo” when it isn’t looking! After spending several months on top of the “Q” Bombs list with his last video, he now moves to the top spot of my “Faves Videos” list! Now that’s redemption, baby!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top 10 Videos and Performances for the week of April 22, 2012

1. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
2. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
3. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
4. Endless Love—Lionel Richie and Shania Twain
5. Over You—Miranda Lambert
6. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
7. Lights—Ellie Goulding
8. Georgia Peaches—Lauren Alaina (Live video from CMT)
9. Never Go Back—Grace Potter & The Nocturnals on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
10. Watching You Watch Him—Eric Hutchinson on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”

1) “Sweeter”—Well, I guess I had to satisfy a “sweet tooth craving” this week! I can’t believe this video knocked out my beloved “Banjo.” I hope I can say this more often: “Good job, Gavin!”
2) “Banjo”—This banjo song has great “legs”—just like the girl playing it in the video!
3) “Good Girl”—I kind of like the “bad girl” parts a little bit better than the “good girl” ones………….
4) “Endless Love” —So much competition for this video to go up against. Let’s see if it can move any higher………………….
5) “Over You”—A good video with a powerful song. That is a potent combination!
6) “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”—Lady A stays in the same spot for another week. That’s good considering all of the other good videos on this list!
7) “Lights”—Ellie seems like she got her second wind and intends to beat those drums in the video for a little bit longer!
8) “Georgia Peaches”—Although Lauren Alaina comes off kind of awkward and stiff so far in her videos, she looks totally relaxed and comfortable in this live performance! I actually like this song now!
9) “Never Go Back”—A welcome return for Grace Potter & The Nocturnals! The band looks like they are ready to achieve takeoff on their new upcoming CD!
10) “Watching You Watch Him”—I watched this live performance several times in a row when I first saw it! The band sounds as tight as they’ve ever been and a good song helps!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Q” Bombs: April 22, 2012

Posted on May 5, 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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Same boring cast of videos for another week. That’s both good and bad. In other words, there isn’t a worse video out there to knock off one of these perpetuals…………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Worst Videos for the week of April 22, 2012

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

1) “Brokenhearted”—I also think that there is a beautiful woman buried in the video, too. It’s too bad she tried to look…I don’t know. I don’t know fashion and the only thing I can think of is “trendy.”
2) “I Don’t Want This Night to End”—Still hanging around on the countdown. Maybe it’ll move up again………….
3) “God Gave Me You”—This song moved up again on the CMT list. Oh, where is the law of diminishing returns when you need it……………………………..
4) “Drive By”—I would rather listen to the sounds of the grapes getting smashed in the video than listen to this song……………………………….
5) “Drunk on You”—This one flew up the CMT list, apparently unimpeded by good taste……………………………………………
6) “Fine By Me”—Maybe I should just go green and recycle some of the comments that I made about the last Andy Grammer song. You know. For Earth Day…………………….
7) “Is There Anybody Out There?”—No. No reasonable person on this end………….
8] “Safe and Sound”—Probably the wimpiest Taylor Swift song she’ll ever make…………..
9) “Part of Me”—Who writes the storyboard for Katy Perry’s videos? The same person who writes the plots for Archie comics?…………………………….
10) “Alone with You”—Hey, Jake Owen. You still here…………….. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Phil’s Faves: Songs, April 15, 2012

Posted on May 4, 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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
“Banjo” stays on top for another week, but there’s plenty of competition ready to ambush it……………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Top Ten Songs for the Week of April 15, 2012

1. Banjo—Rascal Flatts
2. Sweeter—Gavin DeGraw
3. Endless Love—Lionel Richie & Shania Twain
4. Good Girl—Carrie Underwood
5. Cosmic Wheels—Donovan
6. Dancin’ Away With My Heart—Lady Antebellum
7. Somebody That I Used to Know—Gotye with Kimbra
8. Lotta Lovin’—Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps
9. Tin Soldier—Small Faces
10. Suco de Tangerine—The Beastie Boys

1) “Banjo”—This banjo song has great “legs”—just like the girl playing it in the video!
2) “Sweeter”—This song sounds like they took some of the best pieces of songs from the ’70s and made a musical montage. Fortunately, it sounds really good!
3) “Endless Love”—For as many times as I’ve heard this song over the years I have never gotten tired of it!
4) “Good Girl”—A Carrie Underwood song that actually sticks in my brain!
5) “Cosmic Wheels”—A late ’70s attempt by Donovan to sound current and still vital. It didn’t totally succeed but I really like it. The string arrangement is great! And although they tampered with him, you can still hear the Donovan hanging on to his old identity!
6) “Dancin’ Away with My Heart”—This song would have been great in the ’70s. Very melloooooooooooow………….
7) “Somebody That I Used to Know”—I’m afraid that’s what’s in the near future for you old friend. But you’ve had a good run.
8) “Lotta Lovin”—This song is just a rockabilly blast of fun without any of his usual screaming!
9) “Tin Soldier”—There are great dynamics on this lost Small Faces gem! There’s breaks, a raw garage sound, and an incredible vocal by then lead singer Steve Mariott! This is definitely a “crank to 11” song!
10) “Suco de Tangerine”—Very quietly, The Beastie Boys have put out a couple of instrumental CDs. They are filled with funky, spacey little tunes that just sound and make you feel good! This song is one of my favorites from them!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
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”?…………………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
No new entries this week. Just the same old garbage. The only change is a new slop leader…………………………….
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
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…………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Songs, The Beatles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
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!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Paul McCartney, Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
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………………
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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

Posted in "Q"bombs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
Gotye lands on top for a second time and several silly songs make the list for this year’s April Fools Day……..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
“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’…………………..
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

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!
QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ

Posted in Phil's Faves: Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment