Twostepcublog

Hey folks, happy holidays to everyone celebrating. I of course am way late here, due to getting ready for the holidays. I'll have this weeks by the end of the week, but here's last weeks tunes (I'll be posting links shortly). This week Evanescence returns to the top spot for a third week, while Kenny Chesney (above) stays in the top five for a second. Big moves are made by Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Pink, and songs by Jack Ingram, Luther Vandross, Beyonce, and Nelly Furtado leave the chart. Cheers! This Week Song/Artist (Last Week's Position In Parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence (2) 2. Here It Goes Again - OK Go (4) 3. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters (1) 4. You Save Me - Kenny Chesney (5) 5. Welcome To The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance (8) 6. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (3) 7. Jump - Madonn...

I really admire the (Product) Red campaign , which pairs major brands with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Proceeds from stuff you buy goes to this charity, and its one of the great things I like about Bono (he's the chairperson). Here's a video commercial that's just fab for it, and by all means go over to I-Tunes and pick up the album/song by MIKA, "Love Today".

Ahh, what's next, the Dido Christmas spectacular? Actually, Sarah McLachlan 's Wintersong isn't as much a stretch as you'd might believe. Sarah's voice works perfectly with some of the classic songs on here, like " Silent Night ", " In The Bleak Midwinter ", and " O Little Town Of Bethlehem ". And its refreshing to hear takes on more non-Xmas winter fare from fellow Canadians like Joni Mitchell's " River " and Gordon Lightfoot's " Song For A Winter Night " which she does an excellent job with. Sure, there are really out-of-place points, usually happening when McLachlan tackles a pop-standard Christmas song like " I'll Be Home For Christmas " or " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas " which both seem tacked on for popular consumption. Also, the beauty of her vocal performance on " The First Noel " is disjointed somewhat by adding a bit of " Mary Mary " which wa...

Hey guys, it's time for my tunes of the week. As per the drill, you can click on the highlighted name of the artist to bring up their webpage (it's better to rightclick to bring it up in a new window). This week the Scissor Sisters spend a fourth week in the number one spot, while OK Go (above) sees their hit make the top five. Big moves are made by Pepper Mashay, Beyonce, and Georgie Porgie, and former #1 songs by Panic In The Disco, Corinne Bailey Rae, Christina Aguilera, and Gnarls Barkley all leave the chart. And Beyonce now has three songs on here. Cheers! This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters (1) 2. Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence (2) 3. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (3) 4. Here It Goes Again - OK Go (7) 5. You Save Me - Kenny Chesney (6) 6. Chasing Cars - Snow P...

I know I'm slow for all of this, but this is hysterical...

Now that I am working a morning schedule, I miss Colbert most nights. However this clip on Mary Cheney takes the cake.

Ok, cub that I am, this would make me go right out and buy this. Kudos to Norelco.

I had just seen Little Big Town on CMT this week with Lindsey Buckingham on the show Crossroads , where country artists pair up with rock artists to perform each others' songs. This show is great, and this pairing was no exception. The group is a cleaned up version of Fleetwood Mac for sure, and The Road To Here brings out the harmonies of Mac's "The Chain" to a whole albums' worth. Little Big Town 's first self-titled album came out in 2002, with minor success (one top-40 country hit in "Don't Waste My Time"). Waiting three years to release The Road From Here is really worth the wait. With the help of better songwriting (courtesy of help from "Wrapped Up In You" and "Change The World"'s writer Wayne Kirkpatrick) and class-A vocal performances, this album snuck up to be one of the best country albums of this year. Kicking off with the kiss-off wall of harmony on " Good As Gone ", the groups' secret weapon...

Hey boys and girls, it's time for my tunes of the week. (sorry for being a little late in posting, it's been a busy week at work). As always, you can click on the highlighted name of the artist to bring up their webpage (it's better to right-click and then bring up in a new window or tab). This week the Scissor Sisters remain on top for a third week, with Carrie Underwood (above) hitting the top three with the fifth single from her debut album. Leaving the chart are songs by Five For Fighting, Janet Jackson, and George Strait, while big moves are made by Ultra Nate, Nelly Furtado, and The Wreckers. Be well! This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters (1) 2. Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence (2) 3. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (4) 4. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (3) 5. Far Away - Nickelback (6...

Karma's a bitch, isn't it? You know, I just couldn't write a more delicious piece of turnaround if I tried. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the short of it. Sara Evans is a country singer, a really good country singer, that I had such the swoon for. However she fell into the "soccer mom" Republican Stepford Wife syndrome Martina McBride apparently succumbed to after her lobotomy (jk). Performing in all her wholesome white-girl glory at the 2004 Republican National Convention, she's one step farther and married a right-wing hack by the name of Craig Schelske, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Oregon. Here's their "warm and fuzzy" photo with the preznit. And here's the total Stepford wife collection (the caption reads "There's nothing more beautiful than a Republican woman!") Looks like a big night out at the drag queen show. (And Reba, cut a little back on the face peel between lifts...) ...

Ok, first off, do NOT go by the horrible air-brushed-to-the-point-of-drag-queen-ishness cover. Beneath that lies one of the greatest female artists in country today, Wynonna Judd , with an album that was so unfairly overlooked in the male-dominated country atmosphere of 2003. With only Oprah to save sales of the record, anyone only listening to radio would miss the appearance of What The World Needs Now Is Love , with only one mid-hit single, the title song. But this album is one of the best, if not the best, country record of that year. The first sign of that is that the title song , good as it is, even pales besides a boatload of songs that are mixed throughout the album. The song fits into Wynonna's all-inclusive spirituality based on love, not fear of god. That is followed by " Heaven Help Me ", a classic ballad yearning for her love not to leave. " It All Comes Down To Love " fits the theme of the title song, with a Bonnie Raitt-like groove behind it. Mom...

Happy Thanksgiving to all in the US. Here's my tunes for the week, and as always you can click on the highlighted name of the artist to bring up their webpage (you can rightclick to bring it up in a new window). This week the Scissor Sisters stay on top for a second week, with the Fray (above) staying a second week in the top five while having another song linger on the chart. Saying goodbye are songs by the Pet Shop Boys, KT Tunstall, and Rodney Atkins, while big moves are made by George Strait, Christina Aguilera, and Pink. Gobble Gobble! This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters (1) 2. Call Me When You're Sober - Evanescence (2) 3. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (3) 4. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (4) 5. How To Save A Life - The Fray (5) 6. Far Away - Nickelback (8) 7. When You Were Young - The Killers (7) 8. ...

from the inimitable Get Your War On ' s David Rees.

Well to make things short, this was the best country album released in 2005. Yeah, I know it's kinda late but I felt it best to start with that.In fact, If your a newbie to country music, and want to listen to something to start, you can't go wrong here. Brad Paisley has carved a career of being simply the best male country singer/guitarist around now (sorry, Vince), and Time Well Wasted has continued his string of near-perfect albums of down-home goodness. He does usually have a pattern with his albums, but puts a winner in each of them. Time Well Wasted starts out with the #1 song " The World ", which is a cute little love ditty he's so good with, with lines like "to the waiter at the restaurant, you're just another tip....but to me you are the world...", and with charm celebrates the joy of the plain and simple without resorting on dumping on the urbane (the way a lot of other country artists fall back on). Next is his requisite drinking song, ...

Ruth Brown, a pioneer in early rock and soul, died at 78 .... A great influence on many artists, she'll be missed...

Hey folks, it's that time again, for my tunes of the week. As per the drill you can click on the highlighted name of the artist to bring up their webpage (you can rightclick to bring up a new window). This week the Scissor Sisters claim the top spot, with big moves by Madonna, Rob Thomas, and Cerrone. Leaving the chart are songs by Tim McGraw (for the second time), Brooks & Dunn, and Rihanna. And the Dixie Chicks' reenter for a third run. Woohoo! This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters (2) 2. Call Me When You're Sober - Evansescence (1) 3. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (4) 4. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (9) 5. How To Save A Life - The Fray (6) 6. Every Mile A Memory - Dierks Bentley (3) 7. When You Were Young - The Killers (5) 8. Far Away - Nickelback (8) 9. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt (10) 10. Su...