John Legend - Rolling in the Deep

Adele's version is great, but I figure a lot of people have already heard it since it was her second single and everyone's getting Adele fever now, so I'm posting John Legend's great cover of it since I really like his voice too.  Plus, I love that this is a capella!  Both versions are soulful, but his has a different feel to it.

John Legend - Rolling in the Deep:

Jewelry - Superstar

Super-girly K-pop time.  Don't hate!  I actually like this song quite a bit.  Come on, you know it's catchy.  I think I heard this first on a show that played Korean MVs, but I (I think) heard this song again in the very dark Korean film Voice of a Murderer, when one of the characters was watching TV.  The singers of this group seem to be able to sing better than some other significantly more popular girl groups to come out of Korea recently...  *cough*
Note:  I don't know if this happens to everyone, but sometimes with these types of links the embedded songs don't load all the way for no apparent reason, but if you play the song on the site rather than as an embedded file, they work fine.  o_0

Jewelry - Superstar:

Adema - Giving In

I first heard this song on a compilation album of hits from 2002 or whatever year this came out.  (If it is 2002, then this came out the same year as the song from my previous post!)  I actually hadn't heard it on the radio--in fact, I'd never even heard of the band--and only was exposed to it through that album, but I'm glad I was because I find it really addictive.  I'm not even sure why; it just sounds really GOOD.  Angst is fun!

Adema - Giving In:

Faye Wong - 彼岸花

Whoa, look, it's another song by the legendary Faye Wong, the first Chinese artist I listened to! This is also one of the first Chinese songs whose lyrics I memorized. I used to sing this song all the time. This singer makes such pretty music and has such a great voice; it's no wonder she's a major icon in Chinese pop culture. I've been listening to this song & this artist's other music a lot lately, and I find this song even more beautiful and haunting than I remember it being years ago. When she sings "ta lai," it gives me chills!

Faye Wong A.K.A. 王菲 - 彼岸花 [Bi An Hua - Flower of Paradise]:

Adam Lambert - Can't Let You Go

I was listening to this song practically on repeat a couple weeks ago.  This track would probably strike me as astonishingly generic if it weren't for Adam's CRAZY voice going CRAZY during the chorus of this song!!!!  CRAZY, I tell you!  (Especially that third chorus!)  Holy shiznit.
BTW, I have never watched a single episode of any season of American Idol, and when this guy's name kept popping up everywhere I assumed his fame was riding on his unconventional appearance and the “OMGTEHGAY” factor...  However, when I eventually bothered to look up his music on YouTube I was BLOWN AWAY by how powerful his voice is.  (This song is a testament to that.)  Then I saw interviews with him and discovered he seems like a really freakin' cool, down-to-earth dude and now I have mad respect for him.
Note:  I was gonna use a 480p video that only showed the lyrics, but anything less than HD quality makes the guitars in this song pretty intolerable, so I'm going with this instead.  Whatever, everyone knows what he looks like anyway.

Adam Lambert - Can't Let You Go:


This is relevant:

Janelle Monáe - Many Moons

You knew it was coming. ALL HAIL JANELLE MONAAAAAAAEEEE!!!  I heard her first when I saw her music video for "Tightrope" on a NewNowNext music playlist, and it was love at first sight. She is so talented and cool I can hardly stand it. I love how her music often revolves around a theme of being an outcast, being anti-conformity, and breaking social norms. She herself certainly refuses to conform to convention, and her fixation with android storylines amuses me.  I'm using her MV because it's weird & meaningful, plus GIRL CAN DANCE.

Janelle Monáe - Many Moons:

Deep Forest - Night Bird

These French guys use samples of indigenous people in various African countries speaking/singing to make them into songs. Exploitative? Maybe. Exoticizing? Yeah, probably. But it also sounds very good. This is appealing to me because even without knowing the meaning I think human-produced language and the human voice just sound interesting. My mom has had this album for as long as I can remember.

Deep Forest - Night Bird:

Hans Zimmer feat. Ofra Haza & Eden Riegel - Deliver Us

I have always looooooooooved this song from the Dreamworks film The Prince of Egypt.  Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers, and I was in love with this woman's voice from the very beginning.  The singer is the late Israeli pop star Ofra Haza, whose glorious voice I was introduced to through this film's soundtrack when I was little, but by the time I bothered to look her other work up, she had passed away.  R.I.P. Ofra Haza.

Hans Zimmer feat. Ofra Haza A.K.A. עפרה חזה & Eden Riegel - Deliver Us:

Simon Curtis - Beat Drop

I JUST discovered the magic of Simon Curtis through an article of music recommendations on a blog, and I am already well on my way to addiction.  I admit this isn't the kind of music I usually listen to, but something about the production wowed me upon my first listen.  It has an original sound to it, which is refreshing especially now because I've been frustrated with a lot of new music releases lately; they strike me as lackluster, uninspired, and agonizingly generic.  Plus I like his voice; it sounds like if Chester Bennington of Linkin Park sang pop.
Note:  Video available in HD, dawg!  And as a warning to the sensitive, there's a bit of profanity.

Simon Curtis - Beat Drop:

Joey Yung - 赤地雪

It's finally time for some Cantopop! One of my earliest exposures to Chinese music was through this artist's song "My Pride" (the Cantonese version), which is pretty interesting since Cantopop doesn't seem as popular as Mandopop. Nonetheless, she and Faye Wong (who also makes Cantopop) were probably the first 2 Chinese artists whose music I listened to. I think I came across this particular song through an mp3 rotation site.

Joey Yung A.K.A. 容祖儿 - 赤地雪 [Cek Dei Syut - Land of Snow]:

Abel Korzeniowski - Clock Tick

This piece is from the soundtrack of the (excellent) film A Single Man. It was used for the film's trailer, which is where I first heard it and it totally won me over. The music really adds to the cryptic tone of the trailer, but by itself it's great too.

Abel Korzeniowski - Clock Tick:

Brandy & Monica - The Boy is Mine

Both of these singers have such nice voices; my gratitude to whoever thought of having these two sing a duet together. Even though I didn't hear this song for YEARS, the chorus would periodically get stuck in my head, so that says something about its infectiousness. Besides, who doesn't love a musical catfight?

Brandy & Monica - The Boy is Mine:

Renan Luce - La Lettre

Here's an upbeatish little French song I found a few months ago when looking for French pop music on YouTube.  To be honest, I'm not sure why I like this song.  I'm not in love with it, but I figured it was about time I posted something a little happy-sounding.  (I admit my music tastes do not generally lean toward the chipper.)
Note:  I don't know what's up with the pics in the slideshow.  They'd probably make more sense to me if I could understand the lyrics.

Renan Luce - La Lettre [The Letter]:

Park Ki Young feat. Lee Seung Yeol - Mercy

This Korean artist is seriously underrated.  I heard her music first on an American TV show that played Korean music videos and thought her music had a pretty simplicity to it.  It's a shame she doesn't seem that well-known.  She has some really gorgeous songs, including this one.  This kinda reminds me of the kind of song Sarah McLachlan would make.
If you're curious, a translation of the lyrics can be found here:
http://www.lyricsmoon.com/song_229_10876.html?trans=en

Park Ki Young A.K.A. 박기영 feat. Lee Seung Yeol A.K.A. 이승열 - Mercy:

Tom Snow - One of Us

That's right, I'm posting a song from The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. And? I've always thought this song was fantastic--definitely my favorite from the movie. All the individual voices sound great and of course the choir together does as well.  EXILE KOVU!

Tom Snow - One of Us:

Mahalia Jackson - Trouble of the World

I heard this gospel singer performing this song a month or two ago when I watched the Douglas Sirk film Imitation of Life.  At the time I watched the movie, I didn't even know who the singer was, let alone that she was famous, but the scene where she sang this I was blown away by how great her voice was.

Mahalia Jackson - Trouble of the World:


If you're curious, this is the scene of the movie where I heard it first:

A.R. Rahman feat. Mohit Chauhan - खून चला

This is one of my favorite songs from the Indian film Rang de Basanti.  The composer is A.R. Rahman, one of the most talented & prolific composers in Indian cinema, known for his unusual talent of NOT plagiarizing.  The singer does quite a bit of work for soundtracks as well.  The song is a part of the pro-revolution message of the movie, and there's a translation of the lyrics here:  http://venkythinky.blogspot.com/2006/08/khoon-chala-translation.html
Note:  If you're in Germany, sorry; this upload is blocked there.

A.R. Rahman A.K.A. அல்லா ரக்கா ரஹ்மான் feat. Mohit Chauhan A.K.A. मोहित चौहान - खून चला [Khoon Chala - Blood Rages]:

Kerli - Love is Dead

My friend sent me music by this artist a while ago and I didn't really pay attention aside from noting that it sounded European (and lo & behold, it turns out the singer's Estonian).  Around the same time, I heard this song on an episode of The L Word, and again didn't really pay attention.  Later I was rewatching The L Word and finally noticed the song and went, "Hey, that sounds pretty good!"  The end!

Kerli - Love is Dead:

Hyde - Jesus Christ

This very well-known Japanese artist is not my favorite singer, but he makes some really pretty ballads and some really cool-sounding rock songs.  This song is a nice combination of both and one of my favorite songs by him.
I feel I should point out that a lot of people think this is a Christian song... but I'm pretty sure they're missing the point.  Hyde has not exactly been subtle in his criticism of organized religion, especially Christianity (although he seems fascinated by the imagery), soooo I doubt he's promoting it now.  Besides, my interpretation has always been that this song is from the point of view of a mother whose child is dying, and her prayers to save him go unanswered, so if anything, this song is a manifestation of his criticism.

Note:  I know this video totally goes against the no-images-of-the-artist policy, but 1) the song is in HD, 2) the lyrics are provided, which is useful because his accent makes some of them pretty hard to understand, and 3) everyone knows what Hyde looks like anyway.  Well, everyone who listens to J-music, anyway.

Hyde - Jesus Christ:

Ellie Goulding - Lights

This song has been my current addiction.  I heard of this artist through a music recommendation article on a blog a few months ago.  At first I wasn't that impressed by the song I heard (which wasn't this one) but I couldn't get her voice out of my head.  It's so sweet & pretty!  So eventually I looked into her other music and found this.
Note:  Arg, second time I've had to resort to the music video when I didn't want to.  Oh well.

Ellie Goulding - Lights:

Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up

Wow, I keep posting Irish-inspired music lately.  I swear it's not intentional!  Anyway, I have much respect for this American singer.  Despite the lofty, high-brow opera music he performs, he has shown himself to be pretty funny and doesn't take himself too seriously.  (He's played hilarious versions of himself on the absolutely insane Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job as well as on Glee.)  It's probably pathetic that I heard of him first when he guest starred on an episode of Ally McBeal my mom was watching, but whatever.  I don't think this song needs much introduction, as it's pretty famous.

Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up:


I couldn't resist. If you need proof of his good sense of humor, look no further:

Léa Castel - Pressée de Vivre

I found this song/singer when I was searching for French music on YouTube a few months ago.  To be honest, I think this is the only song by this singer I listened to, but I like it.  And hoooooly shiznit.  That whistle register near the end is seriously impressive.

Léa Castel - Pressée de Vivre [Pressed Lifestyle]:

Moon Hee Jun - Aria of the Will

I came across this track on an mp3 rotation site. I love the mixture of rock elements with classical elements. The funny thing I found out later was that this singer used to be in the boy band H.O.T. so I guess he had trouble being taken seriously in rock music because of his shameful pop music past. XD

문희준 A.K.A. Moon Hee Jun - Aria of the Will:

Within Temptation - Pale

This Dutch band has a lead singer with one of the clearest, purest, prettiest voices I've ever heard.  This band has tons of really beautiful songs, but I went with this one because it was the first track by them that I heard, which was through a fanvideo.  Plus, I like the Celtic vibe it's got going on.
...Ohhh wow, I never really listened to the lyrics before, but now I am and am noticing it's basically an anti-suicide song.  *shrug*  Aiight, even better!

Within Temptation - Pale:

Chris Colfer & Darren Criss - Baby, It's Cold Outside

I realize I posted another Glee cover by one of these singers not long ago, but I wanted to post this duet now to celebrate the events of the most recent episode, which I figure by now everyone who follows the show should have already seen or had spoiled for them (as it went to the Internet exactly 3 weeks ago and people went nuts).
The first 20 million times I listened to this cover I just couldn't get over how stunningly similar to a female singer from 1950s America Chris's voice sounds.  His voice is so perfect for this song!

Chris Colfer & Darren Criss - Baby, It's Cold Outside:


I'm including the clip from the episode it aired in, even though it's an abridged version of the song, because it's painfully adorable (and in SUPER HD):

TLC - Unpretty

Back when the music on the radio was catchy AND had meaning!  Girls kinda get screwed over in the self-esteem department in the U.S., but I like to think this song may have done just a little something to help.  R.I.P. Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez.  (Wow, this song is from the same year as my previous post!)

TLC - Unpretty:

And the music video, because it goes directly against the message of pretty much every other music video:

Eiffel 65 - Too Much of Heaven

Speaking of heaven...  AGHHHHHHHHH TRIP BACK IN TIME!!  It is now amazing to me that this group's debut album is one of the first albums I owned, 'cause this is totally not my typical kind of music.  This Italian group became famous in the U.S. for the song "Blue (Da Ba Dee)," but I personally liked this song more.  And kinda replayed it over and over and over and over.

Eiffel 65 - Too Much of Heaven:

Kokia - Siúil a Rúin

Kokia's voice + Irish music = Heaven.  I've posted music by this Japanese singer before (actually, it was my first music post on this blog!), but this time she's singing a traditional IRISH song!  IN IRISH!  (And English.)  And she does a fantastic job.  I was so excited when I found out one of my favorite singers ever released an ENTIRE ALBUM of Irish music, and this is one of my favorite songs from the album.

Kokia - Siúil a Rúin [Go, My Dear]:

Savage Garden - Two Beds and a Coffee Machine

I used to dislike Savage Garden when their singles were constantly playing on the radio, because all that got popular in the U.S. were their sappy love songs.  Thank God I gave them another chance after I got into Darren Hayes's solo music (which I've posted on this blog before).  A large part of what appealed to me about Darren's solo work that I felt Savage Garden lacked was sincerity, but this song is a break from that pattern, since it actually is about Darren Hayes's childhood.

Savage Garden - Two Beds and a Coffee Machine:

Gigi - Guramayle

I heard this Ethiopian song in the ending credits of the documentary God Grew Tired of Us, which I watched last weekend.  Unfortunately, this is the only copy of this song I could find on the Internet, but fortunately it's in good quality.  For a description of what the lyrics mean, I suggest reading the YouTube comment on this video that attempts to summarize the meaning.

Gigi - Guramayle [Caramel-Skinned]: