On Repeat: Adele--Best New Artist

I’ve been listening to the beautiful Adele nonstop recently. She’s captivated the world and outshined even Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers by winning the “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” awards at the Grammy’s this year. Her debut album, 19, produced by heavy hitters Mark Ronson and Eg White, has received critical acclaim and is extremely solid. According to iTunes, "Adele displays a formidable talent as a vocalist, underplaying her lines with insinuating feints and seductive shadings...what grabs the listener most are her soul queen moves, tossed off with a sultry flair that can be mesmerizing." My favorites include “Hometown Glory,” “Right As Rain,” and Bob Dylan cover “Make You Feel My Love.” Her New York show on May 5th is sold out, but keep checking on Craig’s List!

Breathtakingly beautiful, my dear.

I'm listening to:

Band of Horses, "Cease To Begin"

Eric Hutchinson, "Sounds Like This"

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, self-titled

Radiohead, "In Rainbows"

The Black Crowes, "Shake Your Money Maker"

Cat Power, "Jukebox"

Handsome Furs, "Plauge Park"

The Felice Brothers, self-titled

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Show Your Bones"

Gossip, "Standing in the Way of Control"

bonnaroo

Although I've never been to bonnaroo , I've wanted to go every year and have just never made it down to Tennessee.  The June line-up is just as good as expected!  This year, is it Coachella to hang with the LA hipsters, or Bonnaroo to chill with the new age hippies for me?

Sex On Fire

Caleb Followill had me at "Sex on Fire."

I was lucky enough to get floor seats to the (gasp) sold out Kings of Leon show at Madison Square Garden on Friday night (thanks Joyann). Here we go with those damn sippy cups again. These boys usually belt out the same sexy guitar riffs and similar rock songs that I love. The shows are usually as expected, and the seven or so I've seen haven't been very diverse. But they get me every time.

The boys of KOL have great style, and Caleb looks great with his now short hair tucked behind his ears, his shirt open just so, hipster vest, and tight tight jeans that perhaps were a pair his mom used to sew for everyone in the band. In his latest interview with Rolling Stone, it's hard to imagine that he was deciding who would be the "front man who gets all the ladies" with his brother, and stated "I don't want to, but I will." It would be interesting to know how many ladies he really does get. I have a feeling it's a large number. His voice is the perfect amount of raspy-ness, and drives me crazy with "On Call", "Knocked Up", and of course, "Sex On Fire". You move in ways you've never moved before! Being a part of Caleb's " biggest moment of my life" with graphics floating by of the lights of NYC, a killer light show, and a stadium with hipsters actually dancing, was worth the large venue and even the after party snub. Oh, and congrats on the Grammy boys.

Current obsessions:

Adele 19

Belle and Sebastian BBC Sessions

Stars Set Yourself On Fire

Annuals Be He Me

The Felice Brothers, self titled

Jessica Lea Mayfield With Blasphemy So Heartfelt

Jem Down To Earth

Jessica Lea Mayfield

So I haven't been able to write much lately since I'm pretty much trying to figure out my life and all, but I came across this artist and you need to know about her. Mayfield's voice is insane. She is 19 years old people! I could go on about how great her voice is, but I've posted a video for you to see for yourselves (sorry for the annoying intro). And, in a nutshell, a few writers describe her better than I can; "Sweet and twangy, Mayfield's voice is all smoky, twangy loveliness, and maybe it's because of that sweetness that her songs cut deep, radiating pain like a punch to the solar plexus" (emusic) and "Mayfield's voice is lifting, aching, and magnetic...this young lady sings with an old soul" (The Huffington Post). For those of you that dig Cat Power and Feist, this is right up your alley.  Download her album, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, engineered and produced by the Black Keys' very own Dan Auerbach.

Coachella 2009

The 2009 Coachella line-up has been announced!  I will say it's pretty amazing.  Stand-outs include The Cure, Morrissey, Paul McCartney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Band of Horses, Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Girl Talk, Ghostland Observatory, and Peter, Bjorn, and John, to name a few.  They are even offering a payment plan during these economic times, and I recommend NOT camping because it gets VERY hot. Consider yourself warned!  Get a house with a bunch of friends and leave for the show early everyday.