Mamma Mia! October 1, 2009
Posted by clintcarter in Movies, Music.add a comment
We watched “Mamma Mia!” last night for the first and only time. It was the film version of the musical that debuted in 1999 based on the music of ABBA.
I was sheltered as a child and therefore not at all familiar with ABBA – judge for yourself whether that is a blessing or a curse:) As far as musicals go it was good. They did a good job re-mixing the music and making it modern. Not quite on par with the remakes of the Beatle’s songs in the movie “Across the Universe”, but decent.
The reason I will never be watching this movie again can be summed up in two words “Pierce Brosnan”. The man is a good actor – no argument there. However he should never be allowed to sing solos in public. It was horrible and terrifying each time he opened his mouth to sing. They should have dubbed over his singing parts with a better voice.
I figured since I’d never listened to the real ABBA that I should check them out on Youtube.
Music for the soul September 23, 2009
Posted by clintcarter in Music.1 comment so far
I came across this today. If you’re looking for some music to feed your soul, this should do it.
Fireflight August 26, 2009
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I came across a CD that’s been sitting on my shelf for a year that I’d never opened. I was going on a road trip and needed something new to listen to. It’s now been in my car for a week straight and I’m loving it. The CD is “Unbreakable” by Fireflight. I’m really enjoying the guitars and Dawn Michele’s raw, emotion packed voice. The best comparison I can think of is that Fireflight is a female version of Kutless. Here’s my favorite song on the album.
Puppet Shows February 25, 2009
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Some say that puppet shows are a thing of the past. Coldplay says otherwise.
That’s Better December 19, 2008
Posted by clintcarter in Leadership, Music.1 comment so far
In light of my last post, I thought I’d present some people who are putting cheer back in Christmas. These guys are enjoying themselves and they’re good.
Moral of the story – content is vital but presentation is nearly as important. Case in point:
- Previous post - a song with a life-changing message, however the way the ladies present it makes it difficult to stay tuned in.
- This post – song with no life changing message, but you want to watch it anyway because of the presentation.
Presentation. Think about it the next time you need to share something important.
Trans-Siberian in OKC December 2, 2008
Posted by clintcarter in Life, Music.2 comments
My honey surprised me with tickets to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. I’ve been wanting to see them for a couple of years but it never worked out – I thought I’d missed my chance this year in KC since we moved to Duncan, OK last week.
The concert was absolutely amazing. Great music, incredible showmanship. Here’s some video from Sunday night – not taken by me, I was up in the nosebleeds.
My favorite moments were Carol of the Bells (as seen above), the dueling pianists, and their version of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (one of my all time favorites). I love the mixture of Classical music with modern rock. The institutional church could take some notes from Trans-Siberian. They are masters at taking something of substance from the past and making it accessible to this generation.
Mr. Low Voice August 28, 2008
Posted by clintcarter in Music.3 comments
I’m running sound for a funeral at church right now. The guy who is singing and playing the guitar is quite something. His high note was the “d” below middle “c”. Low “d”s are a regular part of his repetoire. Just never seen someone hang out in the low register for entire songs. It’s almost like a constant growl.
Hats off to you sir.
Capital Lights “This is Outrage” August 25, 2008
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I put Capital Lights “This is Outrage” CD in my car and haven’t been able to take it out. I’ve really been enjoying the music – shout out to Jason Lee for the tip.
The sound makes me think of Green Day on helium. But that turns out to be a really good thing. They mix in some old school 80’s synth sounds with the punk rock which works well. The lead singer has a very unique and listenable voice. Check out the samples below.
Coldplay “Viva La Vida” July 25, 2008
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This was my first Coldplay exposure. It gives me a different perspective when considering this album from other reviews I’ve seen. I don’t have previous albums to compare it to, so it has to stand on it’s own merit.
I really didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect what I got.
I enjoyed the title track. The opening rhythmic figure with strings keeps you interested. Lyrically it’s a song that really works – great choice to go first person with a historical figure. The other song that I kept finding myself drawn to was “42″. I’m a sucker for a “i v V7″ progression – especially since the V7 was a 1st inversion. And anytime you can go “flatVI to V7″ it’s money.
Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot about the album that made me want to listen to it again. They were eclectic in their instrumental approach – which is normally good. Perhaps this album was seen as growth and maturity from the band’s normal offerings. If that’s the case, bravo Coldplay, for branching out and trying something new. However, for one who wasn’t a fan to start, I didn’t really here much that captivated me.
Superchick “Rock What You Got” July 15, 2008
Posted by clintcarter in Music.1 comment so far
I have a ton of new CD’s to tell you about. I’ll try to start getting them in here more regularly.
Superchick – first of all, I am a fan. Their first two albums were nothing short of genius. If you’re wanting to hear some great music pick up either one – Karaoke Superstar or Last One Picked. They combine some great guitar licks with tight vocals, sampling, scratching and a schizophrenic drummer (I love the way he mixes things up). Their third offering “Beauty From Pain”, not so good. It didn’t have the same creativity and mixing. That’s one reason I was looking forward to “Rock What You Got”. I wanted to see if they could recapture the magic.
Most of their lyrics revolve around being confident in the unique person that God created you to be and “Rock What You Got” is no different. While that is an important message – 4 albums dealing with the same theme seems to be overkill.
On to the music. My first listen through I wasn’t that impressed, maybe even a little disappointed. I did find myself later on singing the title track so I went back and listened again. The title track has some really fun guitar lines and it has a way of sticking with you. There were two decent ballads – “Breathe” and “Crawl”. I enjoyed their treatment of them.
Overall, it’s good background music for exercising. Most of it’s upbeat and makes me think of a sports movie where someone’s pushing themselves to keep going. You might find yourself singing along. But there probably won’t be any songs where you’ll reach over to turn up the volume.
