Several months ago, I blogged about my opinions on the singers, from previous and current seasons, as well as the show itself. If you're an alternative rock fan like me, there really wasn't too much to get excited for. But, if you're a music fan in general, there is everything to get excited about. And yes, this past Saturday was a very good time, where eleven aspiring singers, trying to just get discovered a year earlier, performed on stage, some of them acting like they've done it forever.
We ordered our tickets for the show at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall when they came out back in May. Barb and I have watched the show since season 5 (when we also saw the live show at the Meadowlands), and frankly the last couple of seasons before this one had been rather sluggish. This season, the show's tenth, seemed to signal a resurgance in both the ambience (new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez) and especially the talent. Each of us had our favorites, thus wanted to check the tour out and get our tickets before the inevitable sellout.
It was a bit of a trip for us to head down there, taking three hours to make it down to Casino town (enduring the usual "Benny Brigade" that lines the Garden State Parkway on a summer weekend), but we did arrive there about four o'clock in the afternoon. Neither Barb nor myself are gamblers (I did go down on a bus trip in 1988 and promptly lost about $40, not counting the roll of quarters they gave us on the way down), but we did find ourselves, in search of an early pre-show dinner, stumbling onto the blackjack tables at Trump Plaza, thinking it was a restaurant! We did find a great seafood place in Harry's, and enjoyed it under a warm and hazy sky (although a dark cloud, with a couple drops of rain did linger overhead). Blaring music was coming at us from both the restaurant and the beach.
Around 6:30, we made it into the Hall for the show, which started less than an hour later. Unlike the Season 5 edition, there was no set order from which the singers came on...much like the show, there were many combinations of performers doing current and past hits (many of them performed on the show)...9 of the 11 finalists were out there solo or in groups, save the top two, which would come out for the second half.
This season was quite the diverse group. From the pop ballad stylings of Stefano Langone, to the dancing of Naima Adedapo (a great routine to J-Lo's "On the Floor"). Pia Toscano, who shocked everyone with her early elimination, did deliver the goods as the first one to take the stage. Then of course, my girl, Haley Reinhart, who, as she did on the show, did a great rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" (see below). The soulfulness of Jacob Lusk came out with his rendition of his idol Luther Vandross' song "Never Too Much".
Casey Abrams, who at one time during the season was my favorite before his screaching got the better of me, did more of the same tonight, and he did a duet with Haley, with whom he was rumored to have a thing going on. The only one who I absolutely didn't get into was Paul McDonald, who did "Maggie May", but his voice was just plain irritating.
Part 2 belonged to the winner and runner-up, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, who I both liked, especially with my growing interest in country (thank you, Rachel Allyn!). Each of them performed several classics, along with their hit coronation singles, "I Love You This Big" (which I've listed on my hit parade for several weeks now), and "Like My Mother Does", respectively, the latter which I also added but just misses the top 100. McCreery still amazes me. The kid is just seventeen, and performing on the show is one thing, but to a huge concert hall with screaming fans is another. Right down to his words to the audience as well as his overall showmanship, you swore this was a 35 year old veteran. His song has been getting steady country play and perhaps it's time to take him seriously.
Things ended about 9:30 PM when we made our early escape out of town, and headed home (the last hour or so in the rain). It was a great time regardless of what genre is your favorite.
SOUNDRAVES 100: The Idols Live show, enables Scotty to move up 11 notices to #41 after hanging around the middle of the chart for weeks. I added Haley's "House...." at #81, and Lauren's song just missed the chart, expect her to enter next week. Aside from that the top 4 songs this week all involve some kinds of milestones, either for the song or the artist:
My new #1 song is "I Might" by Wilco. By jumping from #6 to the top spot, it becomes the biggest leap to the pole position since I started this almost a year ago. "MoneyGrabber" went from 5 to 1 on December 20 of last year. Both of these songs, as well as Adele's "Someone Like You", reached the zenith in just four weeks. The posting of the song on Facebook has gotten mixed reviews, a few love the song or at least the band, but a couple others could take it or leave it. Needless to say, I agree with the first group!
Dropping down to #2 after a single week at the top is "Love Goes Down" by Plan B. Last week, he became the first male singer to have multiple #1's on the chart. "Stay Too Long" hit number one on February 14. Adele and Rachel Allyn both have had three chart toppers on SoundRaves.
Katy Perry slips to #3 with "Last Friday Night", but nationally she becomes only the second artist, and first woman, to land five #1 singles from a single album on the Hot 100. This equals Michael Jackson's feat from Bad, in the late 1980s. For me, these five singles from Teenage Dream ranged from fantastic to horrible, and their peak positions on my chart are all over the place: The first two, California Gurls and the title track, were for me at best mediocre, and reached #49 and #34 respectively. However, "Firework" lit the chart up with a #3 peak (held back from the top by "MoneyGrabber" and "Rolling in the Deep"). Then there was the dreaded "E.T.", which peaked at #71 after giving it two chances....it's a very heartless song, it's almost as Katy was selling out to the plastic hip pop that is out there now. However, with "Last Friday Night", she's made up for it, with her #2 peak; strong competition again keeping her out of the top.
Then at #4 there's Rachel, who again, makes news. This time, she won the shore radio station Thunder 106's "House Band" contest, and as a result she will open for country duo Thompson Square this Tuesday, August 23.
Otherwise, Fitz & the Tantrums newest single "Don't Gotta Work it Out", moves to #14, becoming their three simulaneous entry into my top 20...the only other one to do that? Adele. At this stage of the game, buying their album Picking Up the Pieces is a must (the title track moves to #7, by the way).
Aside from Haley, the theme of the debuts this week came from friends (and spouse) recommendations. John Piacentini, posted on my wall last week, after reading my blog, a song by newcomer Anna Calvi, my Pick of the Week, entering at #77. Hailing from Britain (although not in the soulful genre like many of her contemporaries), she is more in the indie and alternative rock and dream pop mode. There have been comparisons to Patti Smith, and her voice is eeriely like Chrissie Hynde. Further listens to it will make you like her even more. It's from her self-titled debut, released earlier this year. Unfortunately we just missed her in this area (New York on July 30), she'll be touring Europe in the fall.
Next up is a band called The Big Troubles, with "Bite Yr Tongue". This was posted by Craig Young, who is also a big fan of alt-rock music. The band is right from our backyard, Ridgewood, NJ, and the video of the song shows some familiar images if you're from North Jersey. The music, is awesome, nice, raw indie-rock with a freshness to it. Again, it grows on your with repeated listens. They will be playing in Brooklyn on September 22; it would be wise to catch them before they catch on.
My wife usually gets into new music after I already have, but not in the case with Macy Gray, and her song "Kissed It". We've heard from her before, of course ("I Try" hit #5 on the Hot 100 in 1999), and her latest set, dropped last summer. It had a short chart life, but the first single "Beauty of the World", made the adult charts late spring of 2010. This song was the second single, released last summer, and featured members of rockers Velvet Revolver. Since I've never heard the song before, and haven't associated it with anything, it's new to me and thus comes in at #88. It's chugging beat is remincent of Polly Brown's 1975 hit "Up in a Puff of Smoke". Thank you Barb, for the tip.
And of course, we can't forget Brian Sniatkowski, who made "Mister Heavenly" by Mister Heavenly one of his Songs of the Week last week. Another on the prestigious Sub Pop label, this is a "supergroup" of sorts, being a side project of Modest Mouse's Joe Plummer.
SOUNDRAVES 100 for week of August 15, 2011:
This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
1 | 6 |  WILCO "I Might" Album: The Whole Love | 4 |
2 | 1 | Plan B- Love Goes Down | 8 |
3 | 2 | Katy Perry - Last Friday Night | 10 |
4 | 3 | Rachel Allyn - Say Hello To Goodbye | 12 |
5 | 4 | Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean | 14 |
6 | 9 | Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie | 5 |
7 | 13 | MOVER OF THE WEEK:  FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS "Pickin' Up the Pieces of Love" Album: Pickin' Up the Pieces | 3 |
8 | 5 | Avi Buffalo - How Come | 8 |
9 | 7 | Best Coast - Something In The Way | 9 |
10 | 11 | Brilliant Colors - How Much Younger | 6 |
11 | 14 | Los Lonely Boys - 16 Monkeys | 5 |
12 | 22 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK  LYKKE LI "Rich Kids Blues" Album: Wounded Rhymes | 4 |
13 | 12 | Adele - Set Fire To the Rain | 7 |
14 | 21 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Don't Gotta Work It Out | 4 |
15 | 8 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Dear Mr. President | 10 |
16 | 10 | Florence + the Machine - You Got the Love | 14 |
17 | 24 | The Kooks - Junk of the Heart | 6 |
18 | 18 | Maroon 5 f. Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger | 5 |
19 | 16 | Foster the People - Helena Beat | 6 |
20 | 27 | We Are Augustines - Chapel Song | 9 |
21 | 29 | Wild Flag - Romance | 8 |
22 | 15 | Portugal the Man - Got It All | 10 |
23 | 20 | My Morning Jacket - Holdin' On to Black Metal | 13 |
24 | 17 | The Black Keys - Everlasting Light | 10 |
25 | 19 | Train - Save Me San Francisco | 15 |
26 | 26 | Adele - Rolling In the Deep | 36 |
27 | 32 | Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights, Bigger City | 7 |
28 | 23 | Foo Fighters - Walk | 10 |
29 | 25 | Neon Trees - Your Surrender | 17 |
30 | 36 | Zac Brown Band f Jimmy Buffet - Knee Deep | 15 |
31 | 42 | SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker | 4 |
32 | 28 | Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall | 11 |
33 | 35 | Generationals - Ten Twenty Ten | 7 |
34 | 30 | Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory | 10 |
35 | 57 | The Jayhawks - She Walks In So Many Ways | 3 |
36 | 55 | The Antlers - Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out | 3 |
37 | 33 | Adele - Rumour Has It | 17 |
38 | 37 | Arcade Fire - Month of May | 14 |
39 | 58 | Michelle Branch - Loud Music | 6 |
40 | 39 | Sleeper Agent - Get It Daddy | 8 |
41 | 52 | Scotty McCreery - I Love You This Big | 12 |
42 | 31 | The Strokes - Taken For A Fool | 14 |
43 | 38 | Gomez - Options | 12 |
44 | 41 | KT Tunstall - Glamour Puss | 8 |
45 | 47 | Yacht - Dystopia | 8 |
46 | 50 | PJ Harvey - Let England Shake | 5 |
47 | 34 | Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi-Two Against One | 19 |
48 | 46 | Kenny Chesney f. Grace Potter - You & Tequila | 11 |
49 | 53 | Lenny Kravitz - Stand | 6 |
50 | 40 | Beastie Boys - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win | 6 |
51 | 62 | Trevor Hall - Brand New Day | 4 |
52 | 71 | Bush - The Sound of Winter | 2 |
53 | 43 | The Lonely Forest - We Sing In Time | 9 |
54 | 48 | Adele - Someone Like You | 17 |
55 | 54 | Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I Moved Your Chair | 12 |
56 | 44 | Kate Voegele - Heart In Chains | 14 |
57 | 64 | Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem | 3 |
58 | 60 | Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks | 30 |
59 | 69 | Holy Ghost! - Do It Again | 3 |
60 | 49 | Lykke Li - Get Some | 14 |
61 | 51 | Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs - Repo Man | 13 |
62 | 83 | Death Cab For Cutie - Stay Young Go Dancing | 2 |
63 | 59 | Brett Dennon - Comeback Kid | 10 |
64 | 68 | Goo Goo Dolls - All That You Are | 6 |
65 | 76 | Incubus - Promises, Promises | 5 |
66 | 45 | The Raveonettes - Apparitions | 12 |
67 | 80 | The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted | 2 |
68 | 78 | The Band Perry - If I Die Young | 7 |
69 | 56 | Young the Giant - Cough Syrup | 7 |
70 | 70 | Colbie Calliat - Brighter Than the Sun | 6 |
71 | 61 | Paramore - Monster | 11 |
72 | 75 | The Decemberists - Calamity Song | 4 |
73 | 81 | Grouplove - Colours | 4 |
74 | 66 | Rachel Allyn - Gettin' By | 31 |
75 | 67 | Linkin Park - Iridescent | 9 |
76 | 86 | Mutemath - Blood Pressure | 2 |
77 | ---- |  ANNA CALVI "Blackout" Album: Anna Calvi | 1 |
78 | 95 | The Rosebuds - Second Bird of Paradise | 2 |
79 | 65 | Shontelle - Say Hello to Goodbye | 12 |
80 | 74 | The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind | 8 |
81 | ---- | Haley Reinhart - House of the Rising Sun | 1 |
82 | 73 | Kings of Leon - Back Down South | 10 |
83 | 72 | Drive-By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love | 16 |
84 | ---- | The Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue | 1 |
85 | 79 | Cold War Kids - Skip the Charades | 14 |
86 | 89 | O.A.R.- Heaven | 3 |
87 | 98 | Surfer Blood- Swim | 2 |
88 | ---- | Macy Gray - Kissed It | 1 |
89 | 63 | Fleet Foxes - Battery Kinzie | 14 |
90 | 97 | The Mountain Goats - Estate Sale Sign | 2 |
91 | ---- | Lady Antebellum - Just A Kiss | 1 |
92 | 99 | Alter Bridge - Ghost of Days Gone By | 2 |
93 | 77 | The Wombats - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves) | 18 |
94 | 94 | Gym Class Heroes f. Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts | 2 |
95 | ---- | Jane's Addiction - Irresistable Force | 1 |
96 | ---- | Mister Heavenly - Mister Heavenly | 1 |
97 | 82 | Cage the Elephant - Around My Head | 16 |
98 | 84 | Christina Perri - Arms | 13 |
99 | 96 | Kopecky Family Band - Howlin' At the Moon | 2 |
100 | RE-ENTRY | Boxer Rebellion - The Runner | 10 |
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