As promised: The state of my “2009 awesomeness” playlist, in which I collect the songs that catch my ear as the year progresses in order to not make my best-of list a last-minute-of-December clusterfuck sort of thing. (It inevitably winds up being like that, but you know, I have noble intentions.) It’s after the jump, and has some contextual links added in. Feel free to make your own and share it here! More »
One of my favorite tracks off Chrisette Michele’s Epiphany—and an early contender for my “2009 awesomeness” iTunes playlist, in which I collect the songs that got stuck in my head over the course of the year—is “What You Do,” a swingy, rueful kiss-off to a boyfriend who just hasn’t been treating Chrisette the way she deserves. The track, which the Long Island-born singer co-wrote with Ne-Yo, is apparently getting the single push, and not a moment too soon; it deserves a place on my local R & B station’s playlist, for sure. Its attendant video pretty plainly spells out the song’s message, as the singer realizes that she’s had it up to here with a man who seems to be interested in anything and anyone that isn’t her. Clip after the jump. More »
The people behind the one-day indie-music-retail blowout Record Store Day are hoping so; they’ve declared the third Saturday of every month Vinyl Saturday, on which limited-edition vinyl releases will be available at participating indie shops. The first installment is Saturday, June 20, and there will be four special releases on shelves that day: More »
R & B singer Chrisette Michele tackles No Doubt’s power ballad “Don’t Speak” in the above clip, and accompanied by only a piano, she does quite a bangup job on what she claims is one of her favorite songs ever. (I wonder if the Long Island native had a preset on her stereo locked in to WDRE back in the day?) Two minor complaints: one, maybe she should have avoided the key change in the bridge; and two, using the backdrops behind her to sync the original video to her singing is kinda silly, and it only serves to distract from her otherwise lovely effort. [Yahoo! Music via Backstage Pass] More »
Chrisette Michele’s second album, Epiphany, comes out today, and while browsing around Amazon MP3 this morning I noticed that it’s been marked down to $2.99 for the time being–a more-than-worthy investment for a fine collection of songs that’s led by Michele’s confident voice and anchored by the songwriting assists of Idolator fave Ne-Yo. When I interviewed Michele a few months back, she talked about how writing with Ne-Yo allowed Epiphany to be a more vulnerable and ultimately more honest album; she wasn’t kidding. After the jump, you can get a taste of Epiphany with the video for the title track and a stream of the wrenching “Blame It On Me.” More »
This summer’s roster of shows at Central Park SummerStage has been announced, and in addition to an impressive roster of benefits–TV On The Radio/Dirty Projectors, Explosions In The Sky/Constantines, Indigo Girls–there’s going to be a free show with Chrisette Michele (pictured) and Jazmine Sullivan. Should we have a meetup? (Alternately, we could always get together at the Ginuwine show…) [SummerStage] More »
“What You Do” is the second single from Chrisette… More »
Long Island-spawned Chrisette Michele’s second album, Epiphany, comes out in May, and thanks to the strength of the Ne-Yo-co-written title track–a not-quite-lament about a relationship gone wrong–I’m very optimistic. After the jump, the Ray Kay-directed “Epiphany” clip, accompanied by a chat that Michele and I had shortly after she shot it; we talk about how she got in the mood for the video, the album’s overall concept of breaking free from bad situations, and adjusting to working with other songwriters after penning her first album, 2007’s I Am, on her own. More »
