Here’s Kris Allen’s first single after winning American Idol, “Live Like You Were Dying”. I like it, it’s not anything revolutionary, but it’s a fun song that I can see myself listening to while driving home from work. I’ll probably even sing along. Listen to the song below:
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Thanks for reading!
Rick
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Here’s a great new song by Daughtry. So great, in fact, that it’s our song of the day!
What do you think of “No Surprise”? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
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Thanks for reading!
Rick
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American Idol and Ellen Degeneres shocked pretty much everyone when they announced that she’d be filling in for Paula Abdul on the next season of American Idol. I know I’m shocked, but very excited.
Many have been saying that giving Ellen the job “degrades the character of the show as she has no musical experience”. Guys… It’s a karaoke contest, not an official showcase of fine talent. I personally think that was a brilliant move by American Idol because Ellen will provide much needed humor to the show. There’s no denying that American Idol, as much as I love it, is faltering in the ratings. They needed something big to turn things around and if Ellen goes on the show and doesn’t try to act like she knows what she’s talking this could be just what they needed. I think she’s going to provide for more laughs than any other previous Idol seasons have been able to muster.
With Paula gone, there’s no loving character to nurture contestants. Ellen can fill that void while being competent at the same time, something Paula always struggled with. And so what if she has no experience in the music business? Paula, even with her years in the industry, never made any sense at all.
What do you think about Ellen filling in for Paula permanently on American Idol? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
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I love the interweb. Without it, Carrie Underwood’s latest single, “Cowboy Casanova”, from her upcoming album Play On (in stores November 3!) wouldn’t be out until the 8th. I discovered it late last night and listened to it a few times and then woke up and listened to it some more. She’s truly got an amazing voice. Anyway, on to the song….
To the top of the charts, and beyond!
When I first listened to “Cowboy Casanova”, I must admit I wasn’t sold. However, upon third listen, I was hooked. Fans of Carrie will no doubt find it impossible to tear themselves away from the beat and incredible vocals, and new fans will be drawn in by the brilliant hook. I see “Cowboy Casanova” rivaling, if not passing, “Before He Cheats” in the success department, but not necessarily because I think it’s a better song. We all know there will always only be one “Before He Cheats” and it is epic. However, “Cowboy Casanova” is nearly as strong a song PLUS it’s a first single, and those tend to perform exceptionally well on the charts. The excitement from the release of Play On in November and all of the promotion will probably give Carrie her best shot at #1 on the Hot 100 with this song, unless of course she has some KILLER songs on the album, which I don’t doubt.
Rocking Carrie > Everything
As for the actual song, “Cowboy Casanova” breaks Carrie’s pattern of more sentimental lead-off singles in a big way. It starts off with a bumpin’ beat and some intense strings and then Carrie tears into the vocals. People that are more technically educated in singing can correct me if I’m wrong, but these vocals might be some of Carrie’s most soaring yet. The song also incorporates the more rock vibe Carrie has been known to infuse in concert performances and, of course, my favorite performance she’s ever done: “Last Name” from the Grammys last year.
If “Cowboy Casanova” is any indication of the style of songs we’ll find on Play On, more country/pop/rock, I expect it to be closer in succes to Some Hearts than Carnival Ride. Carrie’s got a monster hit on her hands and if her promotion team can get it together (They’ve never impressed me), she could ride this one all the way to the top of The Hot 100.
The Verdict
Carrie is awesome and “Cowboy Casanova” is rocking. Of course it makes the TCJ Playlist!
The Rating
9 out of 10 Elephants
Read Carrie’s induction into The Conservative Journal Hall of Fame by clicking here.
What do you think?
What do you think of “Cowboy Casanova” Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
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After much anticipation for the release of the lead-off single to her new album, Carrie sneaks up and surprises everyone by releasing it late last night. So without further ado, the lead single off Play On, in stores November 3!
It took a couple of listens, but this song is growing on me. Carrie has some crazy pipes and I could see this having mass radio success. Look for a full review of the song later today.
What do you think about “Cowboy Casanova”? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
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Here’s an amazing clip of Carly Smithson singing “Bury Me Alive” by her band We Are The Fallen. Marty (one of the band members) had mentioned uploading the whole clip, and if he does that would be wonderful. From the sound of the clip he gave us, I’m sure the full performance was outstanding! I can’t wait to hear more from We Are The Fallen and Carly!
Sorry, I tried and failed to embed the link. It’s a TwitVid, so WordPress probably hasn’t worked out the kinks with that. Here’s the link:
What do you think of the acoustic version of this song? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
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Reality shows across the pond have been churning out some major stars in their last few seasons, of the most recent who do you prefer? Vote below in today’s poll!
To watch video of Danyl Johnson’s performance, click here.
To watch video of Susan Boyle’s performance, click here.
Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
Also, be sure and use the new rating feature, found at the bottom of comments and posts!
Vote in the “Danyl Johnson v. Susan Boyle” Poll by clicking here.
Being the reality tv buff that I am, I couldn’t help but to post this video. This is the much hyped Danyl Johnson from Britain’s “X-Factor”. Simon’s calling his audition the best first audition he’s ever seen. Could this be a more stable version of Susan Boyle?
Does Danyl’s performance live up to its hype? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
Also, be sure and use the new rating feature, found at the bottom of comments and posts!
WOOO! I am pleased to report that Allison Iraheta from Season 8 of American Idol has officially been signed with Jive! I think this label will do a great job promoting her and getting her singles to radio and sales for the album.
Through out the season I had my doubts she’d get picked up by a 19 Entertainment label with the judges always seeming to downplay her talents, but I’m so happy I was wrong! I imagine we can see the debut CD out sometime this fall. I can’t wait, I’m sure it’ll be awesome! Let’s just hope they let her be who she wants to be as an artist.
What do you think about this news? What kind of CD do you want from Allison? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Continuing my American Idol Season 8 wrap-up nonsense, I decided I would also review Adam Lambert’s “Favorite Performances Collection”. This song set is extremely popular on iTunes; it’s still #5 on top albums over one week from being released. Here’s the review:
(The songs are in the order they appear on the track listing, and will be rating on a scale of 0 to 10 elephants)
“Black or White“- 8 Elephants- The live version of this “Black or White” was energetic and exciting, and I don’t think that translated very well to the studio version. It seems much more relaxed. Analogy: The live version is to bold, black coffee as the studio version is to a mocha frappe latte.
“Born to be Wild“- 8.5 Elephants- Once again, like “Black or White”, I don’t think these high-energy songs from Adam translate very well into studio recordings. But of course it’s much harder to deliver the energy and excitement on a recording, especially an American Idol recording. I can’t get it out of my head that this sounds like a “Born to be Wild” dance remix.
“Cryin“- 9 Elephants- This was one of my favorite songs from Adam throughout Season 8 because the screech/wail that he does worked so well. It wasn’t overdone or obnoxious, it just worked. The studio recording is similar in that it’s a great vocal and it all just works.
“Feeling Good“- 9.5 Elephants- I think this is one of the few songs that I enjoyed the studio recording and not really the live performance. The studio recording is great! Definitely one of my favorite studios from Adam. He breathed new life to this old classic and it really worked.
“If I Can’t Have You“- 8.5 Elephants- The vocals in this song are great, but when I listen to it the music gives me the feeling that this an 80s pop song. I don’t know what the people that add the backing track in are thinking sometimes. Other than that, it’s good!
“Mad World“- 9.5 Elephants- I’ve got three words for you: haunting. Take it in folks, I will never use the word “haunting” to describe a song again because it makes me feel like Kara. Seriously though, this song is great and Adam does a great job with it every time. It may be teetering on the edge of “performance overkill” since it’s been on every morning talk show in the U.S., but it’s still great and the definitive Adam song.
“One“- 9 Elephants- I expressed my complete disdain for Adam screwing up one of my favorite songs, but he fixed it all with the recording. The little changes he made in the melody are gone and it’s back to it’s original form. I know that I’m the number 1 proponent for changing songs up, but that’s only if it works. If you go for it and it fails, tough stuff for you. But like I said, he fixed it for the studio and it sounds great.
“Play That Funky Music“- 7 Elephants- I hate this song, and I like it no more when Adam does it. The vocals are good, but the song is complete garbage. That’s all I’ve gotta say about this one.
“Ring of Fire“- 0 Elephants- Just as frightening as the first time, I can’t even finish it. I’m not trying to pull a Clay Aiken and say that I’m going to have nightmares and it was horrible in the vocals because that’s just not true. The vocals are fine, the whole arrangement is just scary. I don’t like this song really in any form though. Oh and I don’t really give it 0, more like 7.
“The Tracks of My Tears“- 8.5 Elephants- I definitely liked the live version better without all the background nonsense going on, but it’s still a good song even in studio. I wish American Idol would just leave the performances acoustic or whatever in studio because that’s the reason why American loves those performances! Ahh, it’s so aggravating.
“Whole Lotta Love“- 9 Elephants- Once again like “Cryin” the screech works here. If Adam is going to want to do the screech, then songs like these are definitely going to suit him well. And to give the screech credit, it’s one heck of an on-pitch screech.
“A Change is Gonna Come“- 9 Elephants- It’s probably the most soulful track on the favorites compilation, and it definitely sounds good. Not too much was added to the studio version (thankfully) so it keeps a lot of what was in the live version.
The Verdict
After much debate, I’ve decided that the following songs wil make the TCJ Playlist:
“Cryin”
“Feeling Good”
“Mad World”
“One”
“The Tracks of My Tears”
“Whole Lotta Love”
“A Change is Gonna Come”
What do you think of Adam’s “Season 8 Favorite Peformances” from iTunes? If you disagree with my review, let us know!n Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
For the third year in a row, iTunes is offering an end of the season collection of each contestant’s best performances of the year. This year, I’m pretty sure the collection includes every performance of the year. To continue the theme of celebrating Kris Allen’s victory, here is a review of his “Season 8 Favorite Performances Collection” via iTunes:
(The songs are in the order they appear on the track listing, and will be rating on a scale of 0 to 10 elephants)
“Ain’t No Sunshine“- 9 Elephants- Probably my 3rd favorite song by Kris of the season. This one really pushes Kris’, and he think he pulls out if very well. “Ain’t No Sunshine” is some of the best evidence that Kris can make anything current.
“All She Wants To Do Is Dance“- 8.5 Elephants- Though this performance received some of his less enthusiastic critiques, the studio recording is fun and, as usual, has a current sounding vocal. The backing music is the main detractor from this song, but overall it’s a good one.
“Apologize“- 8 Elephants- The vocals are great, but it sounds almost identical to the original. This is one of the less inventive Kris Allen tunes. A must have for fans, but those with the original can probably save the 99 cents.
“Come Together“- 9 Elephants- Well first of all, I love this song. And though Kris’ rendition doesn’t quite live up to Carly Smithson’s from last year, it’s entertaining. Kris takes a more fun, upbeat route with “Come Together”, and I think it worked better on the recording than on the show. But I enjoyed both.
“Falling Slowly“- 9.5 Elephants- Ahh, “Falling Slowly”. The live performance, it’s worth noting, was brilliant. It was performed the night that only two judges gave critiques and Randy, in his ignorance, gave it a very poor review. Simon fixed by calling it “brilliant” the next night, and thankfully it was too late as Kris was sent to safety. My favorite vocal from Kris, but second favorite only to..
“Heartless“- 9 Elephants- So convenient how I could transition seemlessly like that. Anyway, many of you that followed my season of American Idol commentary know that this is the only song I gave an “A+” rating on my recap. Well, the recording only gets a 9 because the acoustic element is not there. In American Idol fashion, they have to throw in the full orchestra even for great acoustic performances. Still a great song to have.
“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)“- 7.5 Elephants- This is one of the few songs that I just cannot remember the live performance for. I’m debating over whether I was gone for that episode or something. Anyway, this is one of the least memorable of the “Kris Allen Collection”, and the back-up singing is a annoying and too loud.
“Remember the Time“- 7.5 Elephants- “Remember the Time” is very much like the above song, though I do remember this one vaguely. It’s a more upbeat and fun song, though I don’t think I’ll find myself putting it in the “Top 25” rotation on my iPod.
“She Works Hard For the Money“- 8.5 Elephants- This when I really started to consider Kris as a potential contender. He took this Donna Summer song and completely changed it up in a way that made it current and entertaining. The live version was definitely better, but I think he more than likely didn’t choose the extra orchestra accompaniment.
“The Way You Look Tonight“- 7.5 Elephants- The recording of “The Way You Look Tonight” is one of Kris’ more traditional songs. It doesn’t stray far from the original, and is a more subdued performance by Kris.
“To Make You Feel My Love“- 9 Elephants- I sure am glad that I decided to review this because I had forgotten all about this performance. This performances came around when no one really knew anything about Kris and mostly just considered him the purest form of canon fodder. However, “To Make You Feel My Love” is truly a great performance, and it deserves a little more praise than it has gotten.
“What’s Going On“- 9 Elephants- The finale of Season 8 was full of great performances by both contenders, and this was definitely one of them. I prefer the live version of this one slightly, but as you can tell I usually do when it comes to American Idol produced songs. Definitely an under-appreciate song from the “Kris Allen Collection”.
The Verdict
I definitely enjoyed listening back over Kris’ performances of the season to see just how far he progressed as a competitor and an artist. As for the playlist, the following make the cut:
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“All She Wants To Do Is Dance”
“Come Together”
“Falling Slowly”
“Heartless”
“She Works Hard for the Money”
“To Make You Feel My Love”
“What’s Going On”
What do you think of the “Season 8 Favorite Peformances” from iTunes? If you disagree with my review, let us know!n Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
In honor of the close of the 8th season of American Idol, I have decided to make Kris Allen’s “No Boundaries” the first song that I review in consideration for the “TCJ Playlist”.
In a shocker to most (me), Kris Allen pulled out a victory against front-runner Adam Lambert for the American Idol win. With the big win Kris was rewarded fame, a car, countless interviews and media attention, and this heap of trash known as “No Boundaries”. I’ve been a fan of Kris Allen to some degree since around the time dear Megan Joy was eliminted. As the competition progressed, I began to realize just how popular Kris Allen had the potential to be. However, everything Kris had made himself as an artist was the polar opposite of the bombastic, borderline obnoxious, “No Boundaries” trash pile. Kris is a subtle artist. He does not sing about weathering hurricans and going deeper and higher. Having said that, he didn’t pick the song or have any part in the arrangement. His performance on Ellen was acoustic, and he seemed much more comfortable. The studio version is also better than the Finale performance as far as fitting his voice, but it’s still a crappy song.
The Verdict
The song is trash. However, given that Kris didn’t write it or choose it, I give him a pass there. The vocals are good on the recording and it does have potential to do well considering most people don’t listen to words of songs. So yes, I will reluctantly approve “No Boundaries” for the TCJ Playlist. Just don’t look for it on my iPod.
Scorecard
“No Boundaries” the song- 2 Elephants (Sorry, don’t have the graphics working now)
“No Boundaries” by Kris Allen- 4 Elephants
What do you think of this tune? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
I haven’t seen quite the outrage I was expecting upon Adam Lambert taking the runner-up spot, but maybe people have just realized that second place can easily be as successful as the winner. It’s all about singing and entertaining when it comes down to selling CDs. Vote below in today’s poll of the day:
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From the American Idol Finale last night. Definitely one of my favorite moments from the show. Allison sounds great and Cyndi is classic Cyndi! Watch the video below:
What do you think of the duet? Leave your comments below or send an e-mail to theconservativejournal@gmail.com. Don’t forget to bookmark The Conservative Journal and sign up for the RSS Feed and the daily e-mail newsletter.
Rick @ The Conservative Journal
The Conservative Journal 