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  • Friday Throwback – The Power Of Love

    There haven’t been many better soundtrack songs than this one. And actually, you can probably say that this song helped sell Back To The Future. Who doesn’t remember this song and relate it to THAT movie? Great marketing, the perfect pairing between artist and film, and Huey Lewis & The News at their peak. Can you feel it? That’s the power of love.

    • Huey has some bushy eyebrows.
    • Nope that wasn’t a stereo. It’s what it is.
    • Love can make one man weep and another man sing.
    • Remember that you don’t need no credit card to ride on this train.
    • Was Michael J. Fox too big time to be in this video?

    I’m almost certain that when I saw the group in concert a couple years ago, Huey was doing the same double fist pumps. Just remember the words because they are to live by. It’s strong and it’s sudden, and it’s cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life.

  • All Hail The King

    It’s a country music week on Billboard’s album chart, due to the broadcast of the CMA Awards last week. Just about every album that takes a jump on this week’s chart comes from that genre, with the key beneficiary being new artist Taylor Swift, , who jumps from 26-8 with her self-titled debut. Taylor won the evening’s Horizon award, given to promising young entertainers in the biz.
    The other big chart news comes from the top, where Jay-Z enters with “American Gangster”. This marks Jay’s tenth Number One album, which ties him with Elvis Presley for second place on the list of artists with the most trips to the top of this particular chart. Quite an amazing feat!
    On the singles chart, it’s all T-Pain, all the time. The Florida vocalist (I’m loath to call him an actual singer), earns yet another Top 10 single this week as his protege Flo-Rida jumps to the #6 position with “Low”. That gives T-Pain a “featured credit” on teh #1, 6, 7 and 8 songs this week. Maybe some day I’ll get the appeal.
    Early reports suggest that Alicia Keys will join Britney Spears and DMX next week as the only artists to top the charts with their first four releases.
    And isn’t it weird to see Finger Eleven in the Top 10 (and Good Charlotte a little further down in the Top 40) with the knowledge that their albums flopped hard?
    This Week’s Top 10 Charts (courtesy Billboard communications and Nielsen Soundscan)
    Top 10 Albums:
    1)American Gangster-Jay-Z
    2) Long Road Out of Eden-The Eagles
    3)The Ultimate Hits-Garth Brooks
    4) Exclusive-Chris Brown
    5) Carnival Ride-Carrie Underwood
    6)Noel-Josh Groban
    7)Blackout-Britney Spears
    8)Taylor Swift-Taylor Swift
    9)I-Empire-Angels & Airwaves
    10) B.A.R.S. (The Barry Adrian Reese Story)-Cassidy
    Top 10 Singles:
    1) Kiss Kiss-Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
    2) No One-Alicia Keys
    3) Apologize-Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
    4) Crank That-Souja Boy Tellem
    5) Bubbly-Colbie Caillait
    6) Low-Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
    7) Good Life-Kanye West feat. T-Pain
    8) Cyclone-Baby Bash feat. T-Pain
    9) Stronger-Kanye West
    10) Paralyzer-Finger Eleven

  • New Releases 11/13/07

    Welcome, folks, to the biggest New Release Tuesday of 2007, where big-name artists in several genres enter a steel cage match for chart supremacy. Well, no, it’s not that serious, but there is a lot of music coming out today. Here’s what you should (or should not, depending) be looking for.
    It’s a good day to be a diva. Alicia Keys unleashes her third studio album, As I Am today. Preceded by the Top 5 hit “No One” and containing collaborations with John Mayer and 4 Non Blonde Linda Perry, this album has more of a pronounced singer/songwriter feel to it than her previous albums. Also in diva-dom, Celine Dion returns from a longer-than-normal absence with her new album, Taking Chances. Once the biggest-selling artist in the world, this album represents a comeback try after laying dormant (or just performing in Vegas) for the past four years. Now for a diva that likely influenced both the aforementioned artists: Aretha Franklin. Big Ree is releasing a highly publicized duets album called Jewels In The Crown. This set contains previously released hits like the #1 “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with George Michael, and also contains new songs with the likes of Fantasia, Mary J. Blige and John Legend.
    Speaking of returning veterans, it’s hard to believe, but Duran Duran is closing in on their 30th Anniversary. Red Carpet Massacre is the name of their new album, and it contains boldface collaborations with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. While we’re on the topic of funky Brits, you might wanna check out System, the fifth album from Seal. While his last couple of albums found him perfecting the ethereal ballad thing, this album teams him with producer Stuart Price and returns him directly to the dance floor. On the country side, Trisha Yearwood follows her hubby by a week, releasing a new album entitled Heaven, Heartache & The Power of Love.
    Greatest hits albums more your thing? Check out the two-CD best of Led Zeppelin called Mothership. David Gray’s Greatest Hits also arrives today, featuring all the hits from his ATO/RCA tenure, including “Babylon”, “Please Forgive Me” and “The One I Love”. There’s also a compilation summing up the past decade or so in the land of The Goo Goo Dolls. This album contains the massive hits “Iris”, “Name” and “Slide”. Stretching the definition of “hits compilations”, there’s also a live CD/DVD set from James Taylor called One Man Band, and the 26th edition of the venerable Now That’s What I Call Music! series.
    Finally, if you have a jones to relive the Nineties, two albums might interest you. First off, there’s the return of Boyz II Men with an album of Motown covers. Might this be enough to restore interest in the biggest-selling R&B group of all time? Well, it debuted in the Top 10 overseas, so this just might do the trick. If not, you can always pick up the new album by Shaggy, called Intoxication. As with every R&B, reggae or hip-hop album released in 2007, it contains an obligatory Akon cameo.
    Get a complete list of new releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm