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CD Review: KT Tunstall's Tiger Suit

September and October have bombarded me with new music from some of my favorite artists and KT Tunstall’s Tiger Suit (released October 5th, 2010) is no exception.  KT has gone a bit more in the dance/pop direction with this one, but she still retains some of her rock guitar-driven style that I’ve come to love.

I’ve been listening to this album pretty much non-stop since I got my hands on it and I have yet to pick out a favorite, although “Fade Like A Shadow” and “Come On, Get In” are the ones that keep getting stuck in my head.  The upbeat songs make me want to dance, while the the slower, heavier songs have me digging into the lyrics booklet for understanding.   Each time I listen I pick up on something I didn’t hear before.

If you haven’t had a chance to hear Tiger Suit yet, you can check out a preview of the album on KT Tunstall’s web site by tweeting or sending a link to facebook.  If you like what you hear, I suggest following KT Tunstall on Twitter or Facebook as well.  She’ll be touring this fall (10/31-12/1) and you don’t want to miss out if she comes near your town!

The not-so-fine print: I received a copy of KT Tunstall’s Tiger Suit in exchange for posting this review and was not compensated in any other way.

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CD Giveaway: Malea McGuinness

Who likes free music? I sure do, and I’m pretty sure most of you do too. That’s a good thing because I have not one, but THREE cd’s from Malea McGuinness to give away!

Malea McGuinness is a passionate pop/rock singer-songwriter who is has been been garnering lots of attention for ‘CLOSE AS AIR’, her inspirational and deeply personal sophomore album. She has spent the summer touring across the US, including a special one-time performance in Augora Hills, CA with Shawn Colvin. Most notably, she joined iconic pop singer Kenny Loggins for a 5-day stint on his 2010 national tour. In additon, Malea played at Milwaukee’s annual Summerfest Music Festival, opening for The Counting Crows, teamed up with The Crash Test Dummies for a special show in Redondo Beach, and participated in The Avon Foundation’s ‘Drink Pink Night’, a breast cancer charity concert.

Melea is also a devoted activist for animal rights, working in direct partnership with humane societies and animal shelters across the nation to raise funds and awareness for rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Most recently, she collaborated with her local animal rescue, The Amanda Foundation, to put on the ‘Paws For Patterns’ Fundraiser, a hugely successful charity event attended by “The Dog Whisperer” himself, world-renowned dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan, and stars including Bill Maher and Pauley Perrette (NCIS), Kaley Cuoco (Big Bang Theory), Kristen Bauer (True Blood) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee). Presently, Malea serves as a guest blogger on PetLvr.com.

(On a side note, aren’t those green boots amazing?  I’d love to have a pair of those!)

So, who wants to get their hands on this hot new CD from Malea McGuinness?  I have THREE of them to give away and would love to share them with people who truly dig discovering new music.

To enter, please fill out the form below completely. Entries will be open until Friday, September 17, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. (Central).  Three winners will be chosen using Random.org.  Contest is open to U.S. and Canada residents.

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CD Review: Butterflyfish

ladybugA few weeks ago I received a copy of Ladybug from Butterflyfish.  When I put it in the cd player on the way to preschool/day care one morning, the kids fussed at me.  It wasn’t their usual Laurie Berkner that they were used to listening to during the morning ride.  Fortunately, it didn’t take long for them to adjust. After just a couple of listens they were singing along!

Matthew Myer Boulton, Elizabeth Myer Boulton, and Zoë Krohne formed Butterflyfish after chatting at a picnic about how to explore the spiritual side of life with their children in new ways. Agreeing that most spiritually themed music made for families were “pretty thin broth, both musically and spiritually,” they set out to create what they had been searching for.  Their first cd, Ladybug,  has gotten great reviews, even being called “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” for kids!

Ladybug is a great collection of folk/bluegrass style songs with a spiritual message.  Mixed in with a collection of Boulton’s originals, are new takes on some of the old classics such as “Jesus Loves Me” and “Deep Down In My Heart.”  The music is light-hearted and fun, while also introducing biblical stories and context. My 4-year-old’s favorite song is “What Jonah Learned Inside the Whale,” and I keep catching him singing it even when the cd isn’t on.  The best part though, is that it has him asking questions and wanting to know more.  After listening to “When the Spirit Sings In Me,” we had a long discussion about what “the Spirit” means and how it relates to our lives.

Don’t think this music is only for kids though.  I’ll admit to playing it (and singing along) even when I’m in the car by myself!  I can’t resist the harmony on “Music.”  Even my husband, who is not at all fond of Folk music, likes it and it’s rare that he’ll admit to liking anything that isn’t hard rock or metal.

For my family, this cd came at a perfect time.  We’ve been trying to re-commit ourselves to going to church and just started attending a brand new church in our area.  I love that the music is helping my son become more interested in God and to be quite honest, it really puts me in the mood to worship on Sunday mornings!

I was actually quite surprised at how much my family loves this cd.  We have all been singing the songs for a couple of weeks now and haven’t tired of it yet. Because we love it so much, I e-mailed Elizabeth and asked if she would be willing to provide another copy of Ladybug for me to give away to my readers.  She graciously said yes!

How to enter:
All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment below.  I’d love it if you would tell me what your favorite song (spiritual or otherwise) was when you were a kid.  Are there memories attached to it or did you just like the song?

Contest will close Tuesday, December 15th, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. CST.  One winner will be chosen from all eligible comments via random.org and notified by e-mail.

To find out more about Butterflyfish, go to www.butterflyfishband.com.  You can sample and purchase Ladybug in the store, or check out some of the other fun stuff, such as the yummy Strawberry Lemonade recipe!

Disclosure: I received a copy of Butterflyfish’s cd, Ladybug, for the purposes of this review.

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CD Review: Five For Fighting

sliceIt’s not likely that you’ve missed hearing “Superman” or “100 Years” playing on the radio, but if you’ve never heard the voice of John Ondrasik, a.k.a Five For Fighting, now is the time to remedy that.  In his soon to be released album, Slice, John’s soothing voice tells a story of American life –  a slice, if you will, of experiences and sentiments.

Other than hearing a few tracks on the radio, I’ve never really listened to Five For Fighting. I do love listening to new music though, so when I was given a chance by One2One Network to review an advance copy of Slice, I jumped on it.

After giving the album a quick listen, I couldn’t believe that I had never paid more attention to Five For Fighting.  Between John’s smooth voice, the amazing melodies, and thoughtful lyrics, I was immediately hooked.  Slice has been on heavy rotation for the last several days and I expect it will be for quite some time.

John will also be hitting the road in October with An Acoustic Evening With Five For Fighting.  He’ll be at the Midland in Kansas City on November 20th (anyone want to buy me tickets?).  Other dates and locations are listed on his site, www.fiveforfighting.com.  In the meantime, you can check out the video for the  single “Chances” on YouTube.

You can pick up Slice on October 12th, or pre-order it now so you don’t forget!  For the latest updates, connect with John on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: An electronic copy of the cd was provided by One2One Network for review purposes.

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CD Review: Ballas Hough Band

Ballas Hough BandIf you’re a fan of Dancing With the Stars then you have no doubt heard of Mark Ballas and Derek Hough.  What you may not know about these two professional ballroom dancers is that they have been playing and making music together for more than a decade.  While dancing their way to stardom, they both dreamed of a career in music and worked tirelessly toward that goal.  Along with drummer Harry Sullivan, pianist Emily Grace, and bassist Sam Marder, they formed the Ballas Hough Band.

On March 10th the Ballas Hough Band released their debut CD, BHB.  The majority of songs on BHB are originals, based on personal life experiences.  The first single, “Do It For You,” was co-written by new American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi.  The album also features collaborations with songwriters Dan Wilson, Kevin Kadish and Marty James.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I popped the CD into my player.  While I’m not generally a fan of pop music, I was impressed with the Ballas Hough Band right away.  The first few seconds of  “Do You Love Me” had me ready to dance in my seat.  As the CD progressed, I found myself bopping along to the catchy hooks and rhythms.  However, for me the real gems are the slower songs such as “Longing For” and “Underwater.”

After listening to BHB, it is obvious that Ballas and Hough are much more than skilled dancers.  They are musicians at heart and I have a feeling they will be around for years to come.

Once the Spring season of Dancing With The Stars wraps up, Ballas Hough Band will be heading out on a summer tour across the U.S.  You can find more information about the tour on their MySpace page.

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