'Rock of Ages' Sountrack: 4 of 5 Stars 2:25 AM

Never had I imagined that I'll be saying this - Tom Cruise in a movie sountrack, along with Mary J. Blige and Diego Boneta, sounded GLEEfully incredible.

Okay, with an ensemble that included Tom Cruise and Julianne Hough, I admit, the soundtrack is nowhere near the R.E.N.T. soundtrack vocally, but still the Rock of Ages soundtrack is something worth listening to - except if you don't fancy remakes.

[I don't understand people who don't fancy remake anyways. I mean, I love Queen but I always like to hear people remaking their songs, I download them, too. That was wholly unnecessary but, whatever.]

A lot of the songs - especially the mash-offs - sounded a lot like a rip-off from Glee [believe me, I watch the show all the time]. The fact that it sounded a lot like Glee is a positive this time. [I mean, ignore Glee's awful cover of the Bee Gees' How Deep is Your Love or its insufferable remake of James Brown's It's A Man's Man's World... Sorry, Dianna Agron.]

As you listen to the sountrack, note that the Executive Music Producer of this movie is the almost legendary Adam Anders - the man behind the glory days of Glee when they had one of their biggest sales weeks to date with 986,000 downloads of tracks (tracks produced by Anders himself). He's also among the people behind the success of various Disney flicks; see: High School Musical 3, Camp Rock, and Hannah Montana: The Movie (things we don't all need to understand why it succeeded in the first place but that's beside the point; I was just trying to give you a picture).

Adam Anders

Moving on, Rock of Ages is a movie adaptation of a classic Broadway musical - of the same name - whose story revolves around Sherrie Christian (played by Julianne Hough, good pick BTW) and Drew Boley (played by Diego Boneta; it's actually Drew Dilinbeck in the original play). Two characters fall in love during the rock and glam metal era of the 80s. That's why you have Tom Cruise's character Stacey Jaxx who is Drew's music idol.

That's basically it but man, a musical set in the 1980s is a rare occurence now.

The sountrack features 20 songs, all of which are songs that were big in the 1980s [and all of which are songs I surprisingly know; I was born on the first year of the 90s, mind you].

”Paradise City”, Tom Cruise

“Sister Christian” / “Just Like Paradise” / “Nothin’ But A Good Time” - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin

“Juke Box Hero” / “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” - Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Julianne Hough

“Hit Me With Your Best Shot” - Catherine Zeta-Jones

“Waiting For A Girl Like You” - Diego Boneta, Julianne Hough

“More Than Words” / “Heaven" - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta

“Wanted Dead Or Alive" - Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough

“I Want To Know What Love Is” - Tom Cruise, Malin Akerman

“I Wanna Rock” - Diego Boneta

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” - Tom Cruise

“Harden My Heart” - Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige

“Shadows of the Night” / “Harden My Heart” - Mary J. Blige, Julianne Hough

“Here I Go Again” - Diego Boneta, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige, Tom Cruise

“Can’t Fight This Feeling” - Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin

“Any Way You Want It” – Mary J. Blige, Constantine Maroulis, Julianne Hough

“Undercover Love” – Diego Boneta

“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” – Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige

“Rock You Like A Hurricane” – Julianne Hough, Tom Cruise

“We Built This City” / “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – Russell Brand / Catherine Zeta-Jones

“Don’t Stop Believin’” - Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige

Catherine Zeta-Jones' Hit Me With Your Best Shot is actually nice, no major changes in the arrangement but it's pretty decent. Pat Benatar would be proud. Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand's mash-off of We Build This City and We're Not Gonna Take It is also nice, I mean, it practically sounded like a New Directions mash-off (see: Glee) but it's nice nonetheless. It easily found its may to my iPod [yes, I have musical in my iPod].

Cruise's Paradise City is... well, fun - for lack of better word. It's nothing compared to the Guns N' Roses original but I'd listen to it. It's mostly because of the Tom-Cruise-singing-a-Guns-N'-Roses-song factor.

Mary J. Blige, Constantine Maroulis, and Julianne Hough's version of Any Way You Want It is one of my favorites. I mean, Mary J. Blige singing a Journey classic isn't something I'd pass up on.

But Cruise's Pour Some Sugar On Me is just... God, help me but Tom Cruise pulling off a Def Leppard is definitely NOT mission impossible. [I can't stop listening to it, I raped the replay button.]

The other songs are also nice, it's a good album overall but the my personal favorites would be the remake of Whitesnake's Here I Go Again. I mean, I never liked the song before but I appreaciate it now (the power of musicals). And definitely, a new Adam Anders arrangement of Journey's Don't Stop Believing? Definitely a must-hear. I don't know how he managed to not make it sound so much like Glee but it turned out to be okay.

Rating:

　

Okay, so Tom Cruise is no Chris Hardwick of the original Broadway cast (because I've watched clips) or Julianne Hough is especially nowhere near Laura Bell Bundy but the Rock of Ages soundtrack is definitely a go. I approve.

Watch the Rock of Ages Trailer Here:

Rainy Season Mixtape: It's Time For Some "Rain" Songs 3:17 AM

Now that summer's officially over, we're down to jackets and blankets.

We are over the sweaty days and so we now resort to hot drinks when we feel cold at night, or even settle for wearing socks when the air conditioning system got a little too cold for our liking. Our time by the beach is over and it's time for us to stare at our indoor surroundings.

In a tropical country like the Philippines, the rainy season is very much appreciated especially after grueling months of summer heat. Of course, there are those inevitable flood incidents and slippery roads; there are also those tragic accidents - but more or less, the rainy season is a time where most of us reflect about our lives.

Whether you're on the road, looking outside the car or train; or you're at home just gazing outside your already moist window. Or you're just probably feeling a little too sentimental to match the weather -- it's always okay to be equipped with music that matches the weather.

So here's a mixtape I prepared for future references.

Again, forgive my 80s antics. (I can't help it!)

The White Stripes, "In The Cold, Cold Night"
Madonna, "Frozen"
Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Snow"
The Decemberists, "January Hymn"
Queen, "A Winter's Tale"
Bruce Springsteen, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
Mammas & Pappas, "California Dreamin'"
Radiohead, "Morning Bell"
The Rolling Stones, "Winter"
Sarah McLachlan, "Song for a Winter's Night"
Owl City, "The Tip of the Iceberg"
Motion City SoundTrack, "Hold Me Down"

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

My personal favorites are Motion City SoundTrack's "Hold Me Down" and Sarah McLachlan's "Song For A Winter's Night". And of course, The White Stripes' "In A Cold, Cold Night".

Why Jessica Sanchez SHOULD win American Idol 5:46 AM

On Group A: Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood  and Jordin Sparks

On Group B: Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery

I hope you see the huge difference here.

American Idol Season 11 is coming to a close and in just a matter of days, Ryan Seacrest will all grace us with the kind of announcement he'd been doing for a decade now. From 13, we're down to two.

It could be Jessica Sanchez or it could be Phillip Phillips.

The past four seasons of American Idol have flaunted the illusion that white guys who play guitar will most likely be the last man standing at the end of the day.

Yet, the success of the Idol ladies has proven that American Idol can produce legitimate artists - the ones who can last in the industry; the ones who can win ACM Entertainer of the Year twice; the ones who can sell two million digital copies of a song about having no air; and the ones who can beat a record that was once held by The Beatles.

Sure, American Idol has had its taste of ups and downs - and that doesn't include Randy Jackson's "Yo!" at the start of his every sentence - but we all don't need to debate about the fact that Idol's credibility is mostly donned by its female winners.

That makes me put all my taxes on 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez.

Jessica Sanchez, 16

San Diego, California

She got my attention when she performed Whitney Houston's toughest song, I Will Always Love You.

 

But she won me over when she so-creatively repackaged Beyonce's Sweet Dreams.

At 16 years old, the girl sure knows how to sing.

Let's be real here, even Jennifer Lopez - who critiques America's best singers yet sings on auto tune every damn time - wouldn't be able to pull off a clean falsetto the way Sanchez perfectly does, every single time.

Sure, the girl couldn't pull off a Queen performance good enough for the judges or her Tina Turner seemed a bit slutty but despite her flaws, listen to her voice.

Really. Listen. To. It.

 Jessica Sanchez - Everybody Has A Dream

Other singers work their whole lives to get their pitches as perfect as hers or to learn to growl majorly without sounding like a hungry wolf. Yet, Jessica Sanchez is 16 years old and she does that almost effortlessly.

Her skills are beyond her years. Can you imagine how much she had to work hard to get her voice on that shape, at 16 years old?

Where were you when you were 16?

Other artists could only wish they could sing like her and yes, Rebecca Black, I was talking about you.

She reminds me of a younger Charice - the one prior the blonde hair and tattoo. You see her there, smiling like a freaking unicorn and you just have to ask yourself - where on Earth did she get her talents from?

Don't get me started on her vibrato. Some singers die without learning to perfect theirs and Sanchez just nails it whenever she wants to.

I may sound like a total fangirl here but what I really like the most about Sanchez is that she doesn't need to hit big notes to make an impression. Her rendition of Jazmine Sullivan's less popular song "Stuttering" proved that.

Jessica Sanchez - Stuttering

That's the reason Joshua Ledet never worked for me. I mean...

Going back to business.

Lastly, I'd give it to Jessica's versatility. It is something other contestants in this batch didn't have.

Sure, Phillip Phillips took on different artists but he had to redo the song to make it sound like him. While that is admirable, it doesn't present flavor - and that's Jessica Sanchez for you.

Flavorful.

We've heard her take on songs of artists from different generations yet, she always managed to give it justice; like every song is a tribute.

Sure, Joshua Ledet was good. He had moments but let's get real here, imagine his album and we all know we'd hear the same thing - big notes and all. His material is good but it is exhausting.

Again, that's Jessica Sanchez for you.

Variety.

On another note...

I'll take myself back to reality.

There's been an endless debate whether American Idol is a talent show or a popularity contest. I admit, cultural differences are quite a factor here.

Phillip Phillips is a white, good-looking all-American guy who has the ability to make you swoon when he sings and plays the guitar. (I know for sure. I'm on Team Jay all the way but he did make me swoon more than once.)

And Jessica is a half-Filipina, half-Mexican girl who's only qualified as American because she was born in the US.

Votes-wise, we'll have to rally and horde the voting lines to get the girl up there.

Before someone reacts, those are facts. Some will not understand this but this factors matter.

I just hope for once that people will vote because they believe in talent.

I do.

And I am voting for Jessica.

 

American Idol Season 11 Finale: Jessica vs Phillip 9:45 AM

Two different people, two different music styles - one dream.

American Idol Season 11 had seen such great talents. It might as well be dubbed as the most competitive batch ever but as they say it, no matter who have come and gone, the finale boils down to two.

Left: Phillip Phillips; Right: Jessica Sanchez

It's guitar-playing, Savannah, Georgia-native Phillip Phillips versus the 16-year-old, Chula Vista, California-born Jessica Sanchez.

Everyone had seen great performances from both contestants, making them the two most loved finalists of the season.

Who will ever forget Jessica Sanchez' "I Will Always Love You"?

Or Phillip Phillips rendition of "U Got It Bad"?

Many have questioned the show's credibility when Joshua Ledet - the contestant that has the most number of standing O's from the judges - bid goodbye to his American Idol dream to make way for the Jessica-Phillip finale.

For the past four seasons of American Idol, the world has witnessed how guys dominated the show. Lee DeWyze, David Cook, Kris Allen and reigning American Idol Scotty McCreery have proven that white guys who play guitars are most likely to win the critically-acclaimed show.

Given the four-season pattern, it looks like Phillip Phillips is a shoo-in.

 

But it has been a popular knowledge that the girls who won the title seasons ago, are the more successful ones in the business even years after they've dominated the Idol stage. Kelly Clarkson - two-time Grammy Award winner and reknowned performer - and Carrie Underwood - two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year and multi-platinum selling artist - prove just how the Idol ladies come farther in their careers after winning the competition.

This fact makes the spectators wish for a female winner this year.

It could be Phillip, whose charm just might capture hearts or it could be Jessica, whose raw talent might move America.

Both contestants have solid fan bases, which was proven when they came back to their hometowns on the Top 3 round of the competition. Their Twitter accounts have almost the same number of followers, with Sanchez leading by approximately 50,000 followers.

Follow the contestants on Twitter:

When you cast your votes, make sure to vote for the best.

The next big thing in the music industry has their future in your hands.

Jessica Sanchez

Stuttering

Dance With My Father

 

Sweet Dreams

Phillip Phillips

Midnight Hour

Beggin'

Fat Bottomed Girls

ZZ Ward's "Eleven Roses": Why You Must Have It 11:25 PM

Whoever said that contemporary hip-hop can never work with alternative blues, they probably haven't heard ZZ Ward.

I was watching the official trailer of Pretty Little Liars two days ago and then, it featured this song that immediately caught my attention. It's probably the authentic beats of contemporary hip-hop or it could be the voice but I found myself searching the artist behind it.

View the Pretty Little Liars trailer here.

Thank God for YouTube [and Pretty Little Liars] because they introduced me to the music of ZZ Ward.

So, I've learned that the track I've heard on the trailer is called "'Till The Casket Drops" and I swear if you listen to it, you'll get captivated as well. (The comments on trailer itself were talking about the song and not the show itself, as awkward as that is.)

Listen to 'Til The Casket Drops

And upon research, I figured that the Roseburg, Oregon native blues singer just made her Eleven Roses mixtape available for free download.

ZZ Ward's debut mixtape features eight tracks of genius music - the raw yet elegant combination of blues and hip-hop plus the undeniably flawless voice of ZZ Ward plus the brutal and beautiful lyrics of every song; it is an overall win. 

The third track "Overdue" made me think that she's actually the love child of Adele and BoB or the second coming of Fiona Apple. This track is brutally honest and it's arrangement made you feel every single bit of it's honesty.

Watch the official music video of Overdue

"Better Off Dead" and "Got It Bad", the first and second single off the mixtape, just showed why ZZ Ward's music deserves an applause. It's the type you'd listen to after a long day because aside from laughter, good music just makes everything okay.

My personal favorite would be "Morphine". It has that music video vibe that when you listen to it while walking down the street, you'd feel as badass as the song itself.

The entire mixtape is a consistent mix of honest words and raw beats from track one to track eight.

The two acoustic tracks just showed off ZZ Ward's amazing vocals that will make you think she was standing in front of the line when God showered singing talents to humanity.

Raw, elegant, beautiful - three words to describe this record.

Rating:

Learn more about ZZ Ward through the following links:

ZZ Ward | Official Website

Twitter

Facebook

Passion Pit: They're Back 5:36 AM

Even if you're not a fan of the electropop, you can always find something good in Passion Pit.

I did.

Yours truly is not a big fan of the electropop scene but Passion Pit is my just-dance-to-the-music jam.

Since their debut album "Manners", I have long waited for this band to come back because "Sleepyhead" and "Little Secrets" were just too good to be true. And just when I thought I lost them forever (well, that was exaggerated), they come back with "Take A Walk" - a track that brought me to a new high of admiration for the Boston-native band.

Michael Angelakos (lead vocals, keyboards) revealed on an interview that the next album, Gossamer (to be released on July 23), is going to be an absolutely beautiful record. After hearing "Take A Walk", I sure don't doubt it.

 

The tracks below are personal favorites. You'll know why.

Little Secrets

Sleepyhead

Passion Pit | Official Website

Twitter

Facebook

Play On: Sucré 8:33 AM

If you have a thing for non-mainstream, laid-back type of music, Sucré just might be the one you could probably add to your music library.

Amazing vocals and powerful lyrics are probably Sucré's best qualities.

See it for yourself.

"Light Up"

The next one is a personal favorite.

"When We Were Young"

Watch You, Me & Charlie's Exclusive Feature

More from Sucré here:
http://sucreofficial.com/
@sucremusic
http://jeremylarsonmusic.com/
http://sucrediaries.blogspot.com/

Songs for Every Day of the Week 11:22 PM

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

- Berthold Auerbach

What if we had a whole list of songs for each day of the week?

During the last phase of stay at my previous work, my seatmate and I had a fun time counting our last days (because we resigned at the same time) that at some point, our counting down turned into a whole galore of picking songs that had the names of the week in the title.

I remember Wednesday being the toughest one to pick a song for, Friday as the easiest one (blame Rebecca Black for everything, even for the issues in Scarborough Shoal) and Monday was the funniest one, simply because The Carpenters has this song called "Rainy Days and Mondays".

It's not funny because the song is horrible but we found it funny because after singing some parts of it, we can't seem to get the melody out of heads anymore. You know what they say about last song syndrome.

Listen to The Carpenters' "Rainy Days and Mondays"

So yeah, since I have been doing a lot of music streaming lately, I decided to take up a whole blog entry with the list of songs that have week days in it.

Shall we?

M O N D A Y

Most people hate Mondays simply because it means going back to work or school (not me, I have always loved Mondays but not as much as I love the weekend).

"Manic Monday" by The Bangles [a classic song with light hating on Mondays; It's just another manic Monday. I wish it was Sunday.]

"Monday, Monday, Monday" by Tegan & Sara [another classic song I don't quite get but the melody is nice]

"Monday Morning "by Fleetwood Mac [my personal favorite Monday song simply because I love  Fleetwood Mac so much that I feel as if I was born in the wrong decade]

Monday Morning, Fleetwood Mac

T U E S D A Y

Second day of the week, a little toned down; not quite as panic-inducing as Mondays. Better than yesterday but still, we all know tomorrow is better.

"Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones [they have to make this list although the song is so not about Tuesday because they are THE Rolling Stones and this song is written by THE Mick Jagger]

"Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)" by The Moody Blues [this could definitely qualify as a summer song]

"Tuesday Heartbreak" by Stevie Wonder [anything that is by the man himself, Stevie Wonder is pure genius, really]

Tuesday Heartbreak, Stevie Wonder

W E D N E S D A Y

The time of the week where the glass both empty and full. Is it just two days away from the weekend or is it still two days away from the weekend? You be the judge.

"It's Already Wednesday" by Freya [pretty much the song of anyone who always feel as if the week just passes them by]

"Wednesday" by Drive By Truckers [a bittersweet one, though]

"Wednesday Morning" by America [from one of my all-time favorite bands, also from a great album]

Wednesday Morning, America

T H U R S D A Y

This is where we're all excited about Friday because Friday means last work/school day. I feel sad about Thursday sometimes, always looking forward to Friday. How about Mr. Thursday?









"Jersey Thursday" by Donovan [warning you: this is really vintage, but just as timelessly charming]

"Thursday Morning" by Giles Giles and Fripp [another classic but man, it never gets old... as old as it is]

"Thursday's Child" by David Bowie [simply because he is David Bowie]

Thursday's Child, David Bowie

F R I D A Y

This is where we all say, "Cheers to the freakin' weekend!" And no, Rebecca Black won't make this list.

"Good Friday" by The Black Crowes [a song that will always be in my library]

"Last Friday Night" by Katy Perry [contrary to the what you have in my mind, I'm 22 and despite my love for classics, I'll love me some Katy Perry]

"Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure [awesome song, period]

Friday I'm in Love, The Cure

S A T U R D A Y

Now, who's guilty of waking up late on Saturdays? No worries. You're certainly not alone. If I didn't have the pattern of putting songs with the week names in the titles, I would certainly list the whole sountrack of Saturday Night Fever here. I win at life.

"Saturday Nite" by Earth, Wind & Fire [I admit up until this day, I still dance to this song and I was born in the 90s this song was in the 70s]

"Saturday in the Park" by Chicago [everybody loves a Chicago from time to time]

"Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" by Elton John [because he is THE Elton John; one my all-time faves, too]

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, Elton John

 S U N D A Y

The most bittersweet day of the week, it's the weekend, yet tomorrow's Monday and we all know Monday is not sweet. Bring on the whining kids.





"A Sunday Kind of Love" by Etta James [have you heard her voice? like really heard it? it's awesome.]

"Sunday Morning" by The Velvet Underground [this song ties Queen's Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon; I just love Sunday mornings more than afternoons)

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 [I know, I know... of course!]

Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2

So, there goes your entire week! I know by now it's clear to you that my music ranges up back to the 70s, there are a few 60s here (the ones I found on research) but yeah, I was born in the 90s. Don't blame me for the age old songs, though. There aren't many songs like that these days. Thank you! *curtsy*