Sam Smith - I’ve Told You Now

I find this artist’s voice interesting. It sounds like John Legend in the low notes, and someone else entirely on high notes. I just saw him live in concert and, needless to say, he was great. This artist has blown up massively in the U.S. over the past couple months, and with good reason, so the concert was “the event” of the year and sold out in less than 10 minutes. And I got in FOR FREE, BOOYAH! This song took some time to grow on me, but the richness of his tone eventually got to me. It starts out so unassuming and graduates into a soaring piece.
Note: Finally found this version of the song, and in HD!

Sam Smith - I’ve Told You Now:

Yolka - Около тебя

This is a nice, chill song. It doesn’t sound like it’s overextending itself, although you get the feeling that maybe it could go for a more grandiose sound if it wanted to. I found it through roaming the Russian-language annals of YouTube. I don't know why all the artists I come across with Russian-language music are in fact Ukrainian.
Note: It’s uploaded in HD!

Yolka A.K.A. Ёлка - Около тебя [About You]:

Pentatonix - See Through

This artist primarily does covers of other artists’ songs, so when I heard this and didn’t recognize it I figured it was just a song I hadn’t heard the original version of. Turns out this IS the original version, written for the group by Estonian pop star Kerli! This song sounds like the kind of music I’d normally find uninteresting, but with Mitch’s voice at the helm I’m a captive audience. Every member of this a cappella group is freakishly talented (Seriously, Kevin’s a cellist AND a beatboxer!? That just ain’t right.), but there’s an uncommon quality to Mitch’s voice that makes the songs he sings lead on more beautiful. Now I can’t stop playing this song.
Note: HD listening is available!

Pentatonix - See Through:

Stefanie Sun - 渴

This artist was part of my recent push to catch up on Chinese-language artists’ most recent album releases after a gap of years from the previous album of theirs I listened to. I’m happy to say: she’s still got it! There’s something distinctive about this artist’s style, and she has that “singer/songwriter” vibe to her (which is an accurate vibe).
Note: Someone was kind enough to upload the song in HD, with accompanying lyrics!

Stefanie Sun A.K.A. 孫燕姿 - 渴 [Ke - Thirsty]:

Nicky Romero - Toulouse

This song’s music video is entertaining, if not a little unsettling. That’s actually why I’m posting it, as the song itself isn’t all that captivating to me. Typical club dance music. But it’s also been too long since I posted Dutch music.
Note: Naturally, the video has HD.

Nicky Romero - Toulouse:

Tracy Chapman - Broken

I found this song when I was cruisin’ YouTube for music by this artist. Since my sister is her fan, I’d heard her music quite a bit, but didn’t know specific songs by her. I knew I liked her voice, though, so she was a safe bet!
Note: You can listen to this tune in HD!

Tracy Chapman - Broken:

Merry - 六本木ジャジー喫茶

As much as I love the lead singer’s vocals, this instrumental track is one of my favorites by this Japanese artist. It’s quite sassy, for a song with no lyrics.

Merry A.K.A. メリー - 六本木ジャジー喫茶 [Roppongi Jazzy Kissa]:

Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts

This song, a single of this artist’s, was written by Sia (whose solo music I’ve posted a number of times already) and Queen Bey. I heard this song was supposed to go to Rihanna first, but she missed out. Anyway, the melody doesn’t do much for me but there’s a nice meaning about the absurd beauty standards women are held to obsessively, and I just watched a clip lampooning the Miss America pageant so it seemed well-timed.

Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts:


Here’s the official music video:

Romeo Santos - Eres Mía

Holy shiznit. When I listened to this song I found by YouTube surfing, I wasn’t watching the video and wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics, and I swear I thought the singer was female. Sooooo interesting voice! This artist is American, but he’s of Dominican heritage.
Note: HD listening, yo!

Romeo Santos - Eres Mía [You’re Mine]:

F.I.R. - 花疯

I had doubts about this artist’s most recent album, released earlier this year. I mean, after so many albums how could they keep up the quality? To my relief, I found that, on the contrary, the album overall was more to my liking than some of their earlier work. When I listened to the album all the way through, very shortly after this song started I could tell it would be my favorite from the album. And then it just got better. I’ve tried to pinpoint what it is about this song that sets it apart for me (aside from the obviously pretty melody), and I think I’ve determined that it’s the combination of instruments, particularly the bass, and the sound in Faye’s voice that’s slightly more indieish than her usual style.

F.I.R. - 花疯 [Hua Feng - Flower Crazy]:

Jim Cummings, David Ogden Stiers, and Judy Kuhn - Savages (Part 2)

This song is from the Disney movie Pocahontas. I didn’t really appreciate this song that much when I was young. Of course, I understood its message of dehumanizing the “other” and the danger that entails, but for some reason the artistry of the imagery as well as the song’s construction are more appealing to me now. My favorite part even as a child, though, is the part where Pocahontas sings, “How loud are the drums of war?” Just that one line, which deviates from the rest of the melody. One of the voice actors/singers is the same as in the last Disney song I posted (I somehow never noticed the archdeacon from The Hunchback of Notre Dame has the same voice as Governor Ratcliffe in Pocahontas!).
Note: This has HD quality!

Jim Cummings, David Ogden Stiers, and Judy Kuhn - Savages (Part 2):


And here’s the part from the movie that includes both parts 1 & 2 of the song:

Hannah Schneider - Fences

I like the instrumental aspect of this song. Its arrangement is pretty interesting, and I like how the instruments are constantly changing, with some phasing out while others phase in. By the end, it reminds me of some kind of nighttime fairy waltz, although that has nothing to do with the song’s meaning, I’m fairly certain.

Hannah Schneider - Fences:

Bastille feat. Maiday - Adagio for Strings

Despite the title, there are no strings to be found here. This song is a cover of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Haddaway’s hit “What is Love” mixed with Rihanna’s “We Found Love”. I found this British artist’s cover mashups interesting, and the particular mix of artists who were covered across the cover album is interesting too, running the gamut from 90s Eurodance to 2000s rap to 2010s pop hits. Although this band is all over American airwaves with their original singles these days, the first songs I heard by them were these covers. A dreamy style blended with moody pop makes for a weird but pleasant mix of covers that had me thinking, “Is this really the theme music from Requiem for a Dream combined with a Lana Del Ray pop hit? Did they seriously set Kerli’s lyrics to an Outkast beat?” But it works.
Note: This HD video helpfully provides indicates of what’s being sampled.

Bastille feat. Maiday - Adagio for Strings:

12 Girls Band - My Heart Will Go On

This instrumental artist took the massively famous song from the movie Titanic and turned it into something else—something perhaps more palatable to the many who despise the hit track? I’m not sure if it’s people’s hatred of the original artist, Celine Dion, or just their disdain for the theatricality of the song, but somehow it has gone from being the most popular song (when I was in elementary school) to the target of scorn. Maybe playing it with traditional Chinese instruments will reduce its rage-inducing effects!

12 Girls Band A.K.A. 女子十二乐坊 - My Heart Will Go On:

Kaoru Wada - 時代を超える想い II

This piece is from the soundtrack of the movie for the anime InuYasha, which shares a name with the song except for the “II” part. I never watched the movie, but I somehow came across this theme years ago and loved it. For some reason, part 1 of this song (which features harp and oboe or something) is much easier to find, but I think this one is more beautiful so I was determined to post it instead. Always go with the strings!

Kaoru Wada A.K.A. 和田 薫 - 時代を超える想い II [Toki wo Koeru Omoi II - Affections Touching Across Time]:

Elaine Paige and Helen Massie - Memory

It’s that song that everyone has to learn when they take voice lessons! This song is from the musical Cats. I watched the video version of it quite a few times when I was little, and recently was reminded of it because my family dug up the long-lost VHS of it. This song is easily the saddest of the show, sung by an aging character called Grizabella who is shunned and lonely. (Fun fact: in the Philippines performance of Cats, the famous Lea Salonga played this role.)
Note: HD quality for an oldish recording!

Elaine Paige and Helen Massie - Memory:


Here’s the part from the stage performance:

Gang Starr - The Dark Revolution

That is a niiiiiice beat. To be honest, the primary ear-catching thing about this song to me is the dreamy instrumental that takes you in, but I also have to note my appreciation for the number of times the emcee correctly uses the phrase “too few” in world dominated by incorrect uses of “too little”. R.I.P. Guru.
Note: Another one you can listen to in HD!

Gang Starr - The Dark Revolution:

Seven Lions feat. Kerli - Worlds Apart

My friend sent me the music video for this song because he’s a fan of the featured artist. The song’s not my favorite genre but it reminds me of music by Loreen or Ellie Goulding because it’s electronica with enough of the “pretty” elements to make it enjoyable to me. On top of that, the video has some nice fantasy imagery.
Note: This official music video has HD!

Seven Lions feat. Kerli - Worlds Apart:

Chasing Grace - Free

I think I heard this song in the background of an episode of the British show Hollyoaks. There’s been some confusion regarding the artist, whom I didn’t know of before. At first I looked them up and saw a result saying they are a Christian band from Virginia. Fair enough, although strange for them to be featured on a British show. But I looked them up again later and still couldn’t find a Wiki page, only pages regarding their collaborative work with British artists, many of them my favorites (Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, John Newman, Naughty Boy). This suggests there are two artists called Chasing Grace, and this one’s British.
Note: 2 days ago I posted a song from an Indian movie. Today I post a music video shot in India. In HD! (Also: The Kite Runner much?)

Chasing Grace - Free:

Despina Vandi - Να τη χαίρεσαι

I came across this Greek artist by YouTube surfing. I haven’t had much exposure to Greek music. I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising how similar it sounds to Turkish pop music. On a purely linguistic (non-musical) note, I was pretty excited listening to this song’s lyrics because of how many words I recognized from Russian cognates.
Note: You can listen in HD!

Despina Vandi A.K.A. Δέσποινα Βανδή - Να τη χαίρεσαι [Na ti Xairesai - Enjoy Her]:

Atif Aslam - आ भी जा मेरे मेहेर्मान

I listened to a “best of” collection of this Pakistani artist’s songs and came across this lovely song. The singer is prolific in soundtracks for Bollywood movies, and this track is from the movie Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story (which I haven’t seen, but looked up and learned is a remake of a Korean film). I always love this singer’s voice, but in this song the little nuances of the instrumental part stood out to me as well.
Note: HD listening is available!

Atif Aslam A.K.A. عاطف اسلم - आ भी जा मेरे मेहेर्मान [Aa Bhi Ja Mere Mehermaan - Come to Me My Beloved]:

Big Mama - 날아오르다

When I was looking for music by this Korean artist, I ran into some trouble. I already knew I liked the voices of the women who comprised the group, but all the songs I could find by them were lackluster ballads or more upbeat tracks that were too disco-sounding for my liking. Then I stumbled across THIS song, which is quite different from their others. Although it’s a ballad like many of their other songs, it has a distinct traditional flare to it that makes it more interesting, and it sounds like it could be the theme song to some movie.

Big Mama - 날아오르다 [Naraoreuda - Fly Up]:

James Vincent McMorrow - We Don’t Eat

I probably heard this song in a TV show, but I don’t remember. I’m not familiar with this Irish artist outside of this song, and I’m not crazy about his voice, but the song overall is quite nice. (It totally sounds like the type of song that would be in the background of some TV show, though, doesn't it?)

James Vincent McMorrow - We Don’t Eat:

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass

This song is SO not what I expected when I saw the title. I was expecting an electronica-bordering-on-dubstep club hit about how much the narrator loves dancing. Then I saw the music video thumbnail all pink and girly-looking, and I thought, “Bubbly pop song?” It turned out to be neither of these. Instead it was an acoustic track with a retro feel and mature vocals and sassy lyrics. It goes for the same sort of cheeky juxtaposition as Lilly Allen’s work, setting a message with attitude against a backdrop of cutesy imagery. Although there’s a message of “you look fine the way you are” I wouldn’t necessarily blast it for little girls because there’s profanity.
Note: The official music video (with HD) should be watched for full effect.

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass:

Gackt - Story

In light of my recent coming across a sizable stockpile of sheet music I gathered some years ago, I am posting an instrumental track for which I have the sheet music. I adore this piece. After creating this gorgeous work near the beginning of his solo career, this Japanese pop/rock star made a new version of the song that included vocals. The vocal version is nice, but it lacks the emotionality of this one, which is largely due to that violin. In fact, it packs enough of an emotional punch to have grabbed the attention and admiration of my former boss, a professional violinist.

Gackt - Story:

Portishead - Roads

The album this song is from, Dummy, reminds me of Madonna’s album Ray of Light (which I heard first although it came out later). I read other people’s assessment that it holds up well against time, and I would say the same. I didn’t even identify the music as being from the 1990s. I heard that Ray of Light helped popularize trip hop, but I read the same thing about Dummy, and that album came first.

Portishead - Roads:

PackFM - Click, Clack, & Spray

There need to be way more songs by this hip hop artist on this blog! This is the song I know of that’s about tagging. As you can probably tell, this emcee also has a history as a graffiti artist. And guess what? My first hip hop concert for this guy’s record label, and when he was performing he got off the stage and waded into the crowd until he was standing right in front of me and continued performing from there. Unexpected front row seats!

PackFM - Click, Clack, & Spray:

Mýa, P!NK, Lil’ Kim, and Christina Aguilera - Lady Marmalade

I can’t help it; this was one of my all-time favorite songs from when I was a youngun’. It was not exactly age-appropriate, but I adored the overall sound and these individual ladies’ voices were already among my favorites at the time. This is a cover of Patti LaBelle’s famous song, but this was the first rendition I encountered. I think it was for the release of the movie Moulin Rouge.

Mýa, P!NK, Lil’ Kim, and Christina Aguilera - Lady Marmalade:

Gripin - Vazgeçtim Ben Bugün

I think I’m going to have to listen to a lot more music by this artist. I came across this band by YouTube surfing for Turkish music. The first song I heard I liked enough to take note of, and was driven to seek out more later. That led me to this song’s music video, which I think is interesting enough to include here. At first glance (listen), it doesn’t stand out to me much, but as I keep listening something about it strikes me as beautiful. That in itself is intriguing…
Note: This is the official music video, with HD.

Gripin - Vazgeçtim Ben Bugün [I Gave Up Today]:

Gabrielle Aplin - The Power of Love

What a heavenly voice! This was one of a couple songs by this British artist I heard on the show Hollyoaks, but, having already posted the first one, I thought, “No, I’m going to be more original and post a song from her album that I didn’t hear through the same avenue.” But upon listening to her album, I concluded that this was the next best song to post after all.
Note: HD with some nice imagery!

Gabrielle Aplin - The Power of Love: