Tag: pop music

Music - What I'm Listening To

Friday Jam Session: Favorite Albums in 2017

Amanda

I am SO EXCITED to bring back this series. Blogging is such a fun hobby for me and a way to both journal my life and exercise my writing skills outside of work, so in 2018 one of my goals is to blog more regularly. Friday Jam Sessions used to be some of my regular posts, but how I was doing them at the time — choosing one song to highlight for a bunch of different categories and writing a review for each — were just so time consuming so I eventually got out of the habit of doing them. But music and discovering new artists and tunes is still one of my favorite things and I missed sharing these posts. So now that I’ve become loyal to Spotify a few years ago, I am going to switch things up and share playlists I build on there around different themes. This is much easier for me to do because I listen to Spotify almost all day, everyday, regardless if I am at work, in the car or at home. And I’ve always had the habit of sorting songs into playlists based on moods or themes as I go. So right now I am aiming to get one of these posts up about every other week or so. Let me know if there is any particular theme you want me to feature!

See past Friday Jam Session posts HERE.

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To start us out, I decided to look back at 2017 and feature my favorite 10 full albums that were released that year. My music tastes stretch far and wide, but not surprisingly, artists that came out with full albums that I listened to over and over to, were almost all artists that I consider some of my all-time favorites. I decided to put three songs from every album on the playlist, which was NOT EASY. I should also note that Chris Stapleton technically came out with TWO new albums this year (because he’s amazing) but I counted them as one in this list…and still included three songs from each.

  • Ed Sheeran // Divide
  • Maren Morris // HERO
  • Chris Stapleton // From a Room Vol. 1 and 2
  • Logan Mize // Come Back Road
  • Harry Styles // Harry Styles
  • The Greatest Showman Soundtrack
  • Aaron Watson // Vaquero
  • Taylor Swift // reputation
  • Turnpike Troubadours // A Long Way From Your Heart
  • Halsey // hopeless fountain kingdom

A few playlist notes…

Halsey was a bit of a surprise to me because I don’t recall really liking much from her first album, but I really liked her sophomore album this year. Harry Styles’ freshman solo album solidified that his talents stretch far beyond his work with One Direction and I spent most of 2017 demanding that my friends listen to it. I was over the moon that Logan Mize finally gave us a new full album and proceeded to reminisce about all of his concerts I went to in college. My obsession with Ed Sheeran continues to know no limits and after discovering Maren Morris when her original EP came out a few years ago I have to remind myself that she’s still considered a new artist. After listening to him a bit in college, Aaron Watson shot up my list when I finally caught one of his concerts back in September and was kicking myself for having missed out on more of his music for so long. Maybe its because we’re the same age and I feel like I’ve grown up with her, but I’m still a shameless fan of Taylor, and after being a little concerned about LWYMMD as the first single off the new album, the rest of it was everything that it should be. Turnpike Troubadours has such a distinct sound, and I finally made it to one of their concerts for the first time, which only solidified my love for their music. Chris Stapleton’s sound continues to memorize me and I will never be able to wrap my mind around the fact that he spent so many years writing for other people before making it on his own. I FINALLY saw him live in concert this past year, and he is even so much better live — if that is possible. Finally, I couldn’t not mention the album that seems like everyone can’t stop talking about, and that is The Greatest Showman soundtrack. The movie was SO GOOD and the soundtrack has been on loop in my car for weeks. I think I know every word to every song by now.

I am sure that I forgot or overlooked a few albums,  but I did have these others on my list when I was planning this post, so I suppose they deserve honorable mention.

  • Little Big Town // The Breaker
  • Thomas Rhett // Life Changes
  • Old Dominion // Happy Endings
  • Grace VanderWaal // Just The Beginning
  • Demi Lovato // Tell Me You Love Me

And these are artists with albums coming in 2018 that are on my radar so far that I am looking forward to.

  • Dierks Bentley
  • Vance Joy
  • Justin Timberlake
  • Kacey Musgraves
  • Twenty One Pilots
  • Brothers Osborne

What are you listening to lately?

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Music - What I'm Listening To

Friday Jam Session: Sweet Summertime

Amanda

I love summer. I posted a few weeks ago, a ‘good stuff’ list about 50 things I love about summer.

One of those was that I love the “fascination that country music has with singing about summer.”

It’s romantic, care free and fun. There’s a reason that authors and song writers alike, can pull so much from those themes. Every summer I make a playlist that is a mix of my favorite new hits from that season and old ones that are always a staple in my summer adventures. There are honestly a million different ways that I could categorize a summertime music playlist. But this time around I am making it simple. Today’s Friday Jam Session features a few favorites that are specifically about summer and a few others that I consider staples on my summertime playlists. For me, that means most of them are country songs because that’s what best describes my perfect summer. But hey that’s just me. What songs describe your summer?

Oh and because work came first last Friday, today’s list is a double-feature.

Enjoy!

Summertime by Kenny Chesney
The King of Summertime has built his entire career around his own theme of beach bum country jams. This song never gets old.

Drunk On You by Luke Bryan
As reigning Entertainer of the Year, Luke is the biggest thing in pop country music right now and has given summer tunes his own flair. I think a pretty strong argument could be made for this being one of the biggest songs on the radio in summer 2012.

Runnin’ Out of Moonlight by Randy Houser
Summer nights. Enough said.

Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard
No this is not country and no, it is not about summer at all. But let’s go back to the summer when my best friends and I were 16, and our driver licenses’ were hardly broken in. THIS was our favorite song to belt out at the top of our lungs with the windows rolled down going down good ol’ 395 HWY. And years later it still remains on my summer playlist.

Barefoot Blue Jean Night by Jake Owen
Besides being a great summer song, for some reason that we’ve never actually been able to determine, this was the song that my AFA team labeled as ours. Regardless of the reason, because of them it will never be skipped and always have a special place in my heart.

That Summer by Garth Brooks
I spent a long time  when I was younger liking this song before I actually realized what it was about. Whoops. Oh well, now that I do, I still love it.

Road Trippin’ by Josh Abbott Band
What’s summer without a road trip, long weekends or Boone’s Farm?

Night Train by Jason Aldean
I’m a very critical, and conditional Aldean fan. But I do really like this one off his most recent album.

Brighter Than The Sun by Colbie Caillat
Another non-country, favorite from Summer 2012. Normally not a huge Colbie Caillat fan, but this one is fun, catchy and meets the shades on, car windows down criteria.

Fishin’ in the Dark by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Hearing the first few chords to this, is the only introduction it really needs. Let’s put it this way. There are two things that I am sure of… 1.) Without this song, I’d bet that country music and summertime just wouldn’t be the same 2.) We can’t be friends if you don’t like it.

 

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Music - What I'm Listening To

Friday Jam Session: Spring Break

Amanda

You know you are growing up when….

Your last spring break in college is certified: LAME, and you are totally ok with that.

Don’t get me wrong, I love vacations and getting out of town, and I did throw around a few ideas for a while, but when it came down to it I was destined for a “stay-cation.” But you know, it really wasn’t that bad. I am 100 percent caught up on sleep, I put in a few more hours at work (always good for the wallet) and my epic to-do list of things that I have been putting off is now down to a manageable size.

However, just because I didn’t do anything for spring break, does not mean that my ears didn’t spend the entire week demanding to only listen upbeat spring break-esque jams. This week’s list might be a tad bit random. I’m going to go ahead and blame that on enjoying the week vicariously through other’s tweets and statuses. Hope everyone had, or is looking forward to a great week. Enjoy!

Little Bit Later On by Luke Bryan
If there was a king of spring break, Luke Bryan would be our guy. Now a Luke Bryan spring break concert would definitely go on my bucket list…but I’ve already seen him in concert three times, soooooooo I think I should probably just check that box and move on. He finally released an album for his SB party tunes (Spring Break…Here to Party) and this one is my favorite off of it.

I’ll Drink to That by Outasight
In my opinion, if there was a “Top Spring Break Songs Countdown” like you see on MTV or CMT this song would have a permanent spot. Now after watching the video you might raise your eyebrows at what I just said, and if you disagree, that is ok. For me, part of the concept of spring break is taking the time to relax and give yourself a break from the daily grind that we can all relate to, and to me, this video portrays that.

No Sleep Tonight by The Faders
After looking up when this song was released, I immediately went into a state of shock that is becoming a little too familiar…2005!?!? Am I allowed to say I feel old? This song is one of my all-time favorites to jam out to in the car, no matter week of the year it is and the fact that I’ve been doing that for 8 years now is a hard pill to swallow…

Get Your Shine On by Florida Georgia Line
After seeing these guys in concert on Luke Bryan’s Dirt Road Diaries Tour, it is pretty safe to say that if they had their way, every week would be spring break. This one is my music junkie roommate’s current favorite and definitely makes my list this week.

22 by Taylor Swift
Since the video was released a week ago, I may or may not win for the most views. So, I tried to come up with a legitimate reason to include it this week. But I gave up and instead came up with these reasons: 1. I LOVE this video 2. It accurately describes how I feel as a 22-year-old 3. I enjoy antagonizing T-Swift haters 4. It’s my blog post, therefore I can do what I want…

What did you listen to this week? Enjoy!

Music - What I'm Listening To

Friday Jam Session: Confessions of a Music Junkie

Amanda

I was destined to be a music junkie. I born in the early 90’s, the start of a new generation when music was continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. Growing up I listened to my dad’s outlaw country driving around in the truck and caught bits and pieces of the remnants of my parent’s 80’s teenage years. Time with my kid uncle meant christian rock and alternative, and the fact that I was also a dancer opens up a whole other list. THEN, I came to the Midwest, fell in love with red dirt country and met my best friend with a completely different iTunes and who’s love for music matches mine.

One might think that I might be musically confused, or have some sort of complex, but no, I just embraced it all. And ‘all’ translates into a music library of 7,500 songs and growing.

So now we are here at I’ve decided to call my ‘Friday Jam Session.’ Discovering new music  and sharing it with other has become almost like a game to me, and hardly a day goes by on my Facebook or Twitter without a new link being shared. I’m warning you though…my taste in music is all over the board and I’ll listen to songs that came out 30 years ago just as often those that debuted last week. It depends the mood, what’s happening in my life or just what’s stuck in my head. Enjoy!

Say Goodnight by Eli Young Band
EYB is a go-to band when it comes to great lyrics. The vocals in their most recent single just about makes you melt. There is an official music video, but I prefer this studio session version.

Pretty Little Lie by Blackberry Smoke Band
I just discovered this band literally two days ago, but just after one listen I was reminded why I fell in love with red dirt. Talented musicians, ‘rough around the edges’ vocals, honest lyrics and that sound that makes you feel at home. They also kind of remind me of Whiskey Meyers.

Can’t Go Wrong by Phillip Phillips
Phillip squared is one of my newest obsessions. I stalked the Olympics last summer waiting to hear the tv spot that featured his first single “Home,” just so I could try to figure who this voice belonged to. And THIS song is soulful, warm fuzzy music gold.

Feel Again by OneRepublic
Speaking of soulful, warm fuzzy music gold…this one is from one of my permanent obsessions. Lead singer Ryan Tedder goes on my list of people whose voices I could listen to endlessly. Plus it gives me an excuse to throw a few hallelujahs’ in there.

Sure Be Cool If You Did by Blake Shelton
It’s impossible not to love Blake. Seriously though, country music’s resident party boy one minute and then croons this simple one that makes you melt. Come on.

I always welcome suggestions and recommendations. What are you listening to right now?
Amanda