Video Spotlight: Melissa Pierre-Louis - "Earthquake Song" (for Haiti)

This post will be a little different than my normal posts, in that there is currently no freely downloadable version of the song that it focuses on, but I think it's understandable given the circumstances.  I'm certain that you are aware of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti last week, and also of the numerous relief efforts that are currently underway.  Haitian-American artist Melissa Pierre-Louis has rewritten the words to "Touch Someone", an original Christmas song that she released last month (and which I actually posted about on my Free Christmas Music blog - please see that post if you would like to download that version of the song).  The new version, called "Earthquake Song", can be viewed on the Operation Touch YouTube channel.  It is hoped that this song and video will help people to reach out to the people of Haiti.  I am sure that anything you can do, whether it be making a donation or just sharing this video with others to help increase their awareness of the situation, would be greatly appreciated by those who need it.  Please do whatever you can to help!

Song Spotlight: Smashing Pumpkins - "Widow Wake My Mind"

Hmm, nice.  Looks like the widget that the Smashing Pumpkins have created for Teargarden by Kaleidyscope (which I added to my post about "Song for a Son" last month) automatically updates when new songs become available. Which is kind of a roundabout way of saying that the album's second song, "Widow Wake My Mind", was released on Monday and can be downloaded directly from the band's official website.  I really like the odd-time guitar riff that opens the song, as well as the different keyboard textures that underscore much of the song.

At the current rate of one song every 41 days, the entire 44 track album should be complete by sometime in October, 2014.  I'm sure that will change as more songs become available, but it's still fun to think about what a huge undertaking this album is.  Happy listening!

URL:

 http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/

Song Spotlight: Grayson Matthews - "All You Need is Love" (Blackberry commercial song)

I was planning to start the year off by writing about some great video game music that I'd found lately.  Last week's post about the Machinarium Bonus EP was the first step in that direction, and I had another excellent album that I wanted to write about this week.  However, when I went back to the site I downloaded it from, I noticed that that album was only the tip of a very large iceberg, so I'm going to take some time to listen to at least some of the new music I've found there and give it a more comprehensive writeup.

 

For now, I'd like to post about Grayson Matthews' cover of The Beatles' "All You Need is Love".  This song is currently being featured in an ad campaign by Blackberry, and the full version can be downloaded from the Blackberry website.  I like this version of the song, even though there seems to be a great amount of negativity about it.  It doesn't feel anything like the original version, but I think that's mainly where its charm lies - the original version will always be there for anyone who wants to hear it, but it's nice to hear an artist try something completely different every once in a while.

 

Whether you're a Beatles fan, a Blackberry fan, or you just like cover versions in general, I think this song is definitely worth a download.  Either way (or even if you don't like it), I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.  Do you think songs like this should be used in advertising, or should they be left alone?  Would the ad have worked better with the original version of the song in it?  Happy listening!

 

URL:

http://na.blackberry.com/eng/ads/lovesong.jsp