Song of the Day – March 5, 2012

Song: “Pole Pole”

Artist: Kaz

Country of Origin: Kenya

I love television and I have started a new TV show last month. The show is called Shuga: Love, Sex and Money and it is produced by MTV. The show depicts the lives of the various 20-somethings in Nairobi, Kenya as they try to conquer their careers and be sexually intelligent about their actions with others. It is a moving television show and I have been hooked. They don’t sugarcoat anything, which I truly appreciate it. One thing about the show I truly enjoy is the music. Most, if not all, of the music comes from Kenya and I truly enjoy it. It reminds of Ghanaian hiplife music, but there are definite differences such as the dialect they sing and rap. Particularly, this song caught my attention while watching a recent episode of Shuga. The artist, Kaz, is unbelievable. She sings with beautiful sensuality and a specific simplicity, which won me over immediately. “Pole, Pole” (po-LAY, po-LAY) is a romantic song that you should play on dates with your significant other and it is perfect song to enhance your alone time with that person. It is an unique song because Kaz sings part of the song in her native tongue and then the rest in English. It gives it an interesting blend and the song is breathtaking.

Kaz reminds me of a mixture of  India Arie, Erykah Badu and a little bit of Jill Scott. I appreciate her unique music and I can’t wait for her to make her music available on iTunes so I can buy it! For now, we will have to listen to the song on BandPage, and if you want, you can buy it from there. It is you choice…

Enjoy the Song of the Day!

Song of the Day – March 4, 2012

Song: “Mr. Right”

Artist: Khary featuring Bambino Haze

Country of Origin: USA

To continue introducing new unknown artists to all of you, you must listen to this new artist. His name is Khary and I met through a summer high school program into 2010. He was one of the students and I was one of the Program Assistants in charge of the students. He was quiet, but a very nice and talented young man. He was another student who wanted to learn about theatre and have a great summer. Now he is a recorded music student at our school, and he released “Mr. Right” as his first single. When I listened to the song, I thought it was cute, but I can tell there was something more to it. I really liked the melody and the premise of the song. Also it is one of those songs that become easily stuck in your head. If you realized by looking at my choices for Song of the Day, if a song becomes stuck in my head, then you know it is a very good song (and a surefire hit), but that is strictly my opinion. Nonetheless, the lyrics are catchy and the song is awesome. I really appreciated Bambino Haze’s rap in the song because it added a different flavor and made the song more colorful.

Now Khary has me hooked onto this song. I wonder what other tricks he is going pull out for the future. I hope you enjoy the song and it gets stuck in your head too! Also I plan to introduce more unknown and underground artists, as well as throwback songs to get us back to our musical roots. I can’t wait to share music with all of you!

Enjoy the Song of the Day!

Song of the Day – March 3, 2012

Song: “Phoenix”

Artist: Miguel Figueiras

Country of Origin: USA

Today, I thought it would be best to introduce some unknown artists that have fabulous talent. Since I went to an arts-based college in New York City, I was constantly surrounded by talent of all kinds. Then one fabulous summer, I came across this artist, who I happened to work with through our school. His name is Miguel Figueiras and we instantly clicked. He is a recorded music student at our school and he is originally from Miami, Florida. After a few months of getting to know each other, he finally played his music for me and I loved it. This particular song, “Phoenix,” I fell in love with and I wanted to play it for all of you. The song is so humble, earthy and just real. With his honest lyrics and his soulful voice, the song is truthful and hits you on such a deep level. He has immense talent and he is only getting started. I feel very lucky to know him and be able to listen to his breathtaking music.

If you are interested in hearing more of Miguel Figueiras’ music, then you can listen to it on his Tumblr blog and on his Facebook fan page. Click on the links to listen.

Enjoy the Song of the Day!

http://soundcloud.com/michael_88/phoenix-demo

Song of the Day – March 2, 2012

Song: “So In Love”

Artist: Jill Scott featuring Anthony Hamilton

Country of Origin: USA

I have been listening to Jill Scott for a very long time. The first song of hers that I heard was “Golden” from her sophomore studio album Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2, and from there, I fell in love with her music. I am always excited when Scott comes out with new material, so you can just imagine when I heard this song, I fell in love again! I was listening to it with my mom and she predicted it would be a lot of couples’ wedding songs, which is probably true. But that is not the point. The point is the song is so good in its earthiness and strong R&B flavor. Scott is one of the biggest artists of the Neo-Soul music movement and this song continues her reign. The song is filled with such happiness that you cannot help but be overcome with it. In addition, she adds Anthony Hamilton to sing half of the verses, and they have a great chemistry in the song. With Scott and Hamilton singing, it adds a yin and yang element to the single. This particular aspect is great for a song about love and waking up in the morning to your significant other. I’m just falling in love with this song all over again!

I recommend listening to more of Jill Scott’s music. She is a great artist and she always have something to say that is meaningful and heartfelt. Look out for more of her music!

Enjoy of the Song of the Day!

Song of the Day – February 29, 2012

Song: “Ishq Kamina”

Artist: Alka Yagnik & Sonu Nigam

Country of Origin: India

To continue my obsession with Bollywood films and music, I found this song while perusing other songs on YouTube. I liked it because it was different from “Dhoom Again,” which is a more modern take on traditional Indian music. On the other hand, today’s choice is more traditional because they are singing in Hindi and it matches other popular Indian songs. The song is from the film Shakti: The Power It features  Shahrukh Khan, A.K.A. “The King of Bollywood”, and I may not know a lot of the film, I do know the film does not lack for lavish musical numbers such as this one. Alka Yagnik and Sonu Nigam sing the vocals while Khan and Aishwarya Rai lip-synch. It seems to me that you must be a multitalented performer to be considered a successful Bollywood commodity. Indian audiences appreciate the “triple-threat” performers, and that is very obvious in this film. Otherwise, the song is full of fun and it gives the listener a joyous feeling.

I think all of you should look into Bollywood music because the actors and dancers in the films seem like they are having a fabulous time!

Enjoy the Song of the Day!