"Two For Tuesday" is a tradition that is recognized by radio stations throughout the country. Every Tuesday, certain stations play two songs by the same artist, back to back. It's a fun tradition that is loved by many. We wanted to become a part of this tradition. From now on, we will no longer have a song of the day on Tuesday's. Every Tuesday we will upload a playlist via Spotify, that will take on the idea of Two For Tuesday.
Each week, we will feature a different genre. From that, we will choose 5 artists from that genre. We are going to treat this like those old 45's from the good ole days. When you would buy a 45, there would be one song that you knew and wanted to hear, while the other side had a much lesser known song. This is what we are planning to do with our "Two For Tuesday" playlists. We feel that this will help you all get to know each artist a little better, and learn a little more about each artist.
We are going to start this new feature TODAY. Check back in the next hour for the first ever "Two For Tuesday" playlist!
I'm sure that many of you have been wondering why we have not been posting as often as we say we are. Well, even in this drought, we have been working hard to improve your viewing experience. In fact, it feels like we've been working harder than ever these past two weeks. Let me start my explanation back on January 9th.
This is one day ofter we published our review of Chris Tomlin's Burning Lights. We had contacted the advertising company, Commission Junction. What they did, is allow us to contact advertisers in order to run ads on this website. Each advertiser reviews the application and decides if they want to advertise on the website. As you may have noticed, we have contacted many businesses and many of our applications have been accepted. To name a few, we've been accepted by Best Buy, Lowe's, GoDaddy, Guitar Center, and TicketLiquidator. It's the last one that led to the next week's endeavors. Needless to say, that week we were very busy filling out applications.
This week has been the most exciting in the history of Taking Notes Music Reviews. This is more exciting than becoming a .org domain. This is more exciting than beginning to earn profits through advertising. Are you ready?
We are now official members of the United States Press Association. This means that you can expect to find a lot of new and exclusive material on the Taking Notes website. We have already been contacting a number of venues throughout North Carolina about covering concerts from Eric Clapton to Lady Gaga. This has been a long and grueling process that has taken up much of our time. Luckily, everything is just about finished and we are ready to continue providing you all with the best music reviews on the internet. We are so thankful that you haven't all forgotten about us in the few weeks that we have been inactive.
Today has been very interesting. I spent all day thinking about what to review today because there was not any new music released yesterday that caught my attention.
Now don't we all just love surprises! After a leak by a mysterious twitter/youtube user that goes by the name of 3rdEyeGirl, Prince has published a lyric video on his website for his new song, Screwdriver. I decided to take this opportunity to be one of the first people to publish a review of the latest from Prince. What's so mesmerizing, is that nobody really knows anything about this track. Prince hasn't dropped any hints about a new album or anything of that nature. Because this is so new, we can't post the sources we usually do for new music or song of the day. This song isn't available through Spotify, iTunes, or any other music source at this point. The only place to hear the song is on Prince's new website, http://20pr1nc3.com and on YouTube.
The song itself was a bit of a surprise to me. I would describe it as Prince mixed with Mick Jagger and a hint of Punk music. My first impression of this song was that it was completely over produced. When a 55 year old man abbreviates common words into spellings like "2" or "UR", it's a bit unsettling. However, after I listened to it a few times, I started to enjoy it. It actually sounds like something from his Dirty Mind era. If Prince releases a new album with songs like this one, I would be very intrigued. We included the written lyrics and the lyric video below so you can hear the song. I hope you don't mind this article instead of our regular full album review.
Today's song of the day, is going to have to be a little shorter than usual. We are not permitted to share anything with you all at this point, but we have been working very hard this past week, even though there were not any album reviews. Stay tuned and you will hear all of the exciting news very soon.
I am not the first person you should come talk to when it comes to country music. I am just not a big fan of that country twang. However, there are some songs that I absolutely love. Somewhere With You by Kenny Chesney is one of those songs, and it is today's song of the day. This song is off of Chesney's 2010 album Hemingway's Whiskey. This is not your typical Kenny Chesney song, (no mention of beer, trucks, or horses). This is a really beautiful love song, that I think could have been produced as a hit in any genre. I am going to stress the fact that this isn't really a country song, only because our fan base hasn't ever shown an interest in country music. I've been listening to this a lot lately, and I hope you all enjoy it as well. Don't forget to check back this week for some exciting updates!
Lyrics:
If you're going out with someone new
I'm going out with someone too
I won't feel sorry for me, I'm getting drunk
But I'd much rather be somewhere with you
Laughing loud on a carnival ride
Driving around on a Saturday night
You made fun of me for singing my song
Got a hotel room just to turn you on
You said pick me up at three a.m.
You're fighting with your Mom again
And I'd go, I'd go, I'd go somewhere with you, yeah
He's Back!! On January 10th, Justin Timberlake announced that he was ready to re-enter the music scene via YouTube (embedded below). This video had everyone very excited about Timberlake's future in music. He helped add to our conversations by releasing more information on his new music. What we know now is that he is planning on releasing a new album in 2013. It will be his first new album since 2006. He also revealed the title of the new album, The 20/20 Experience. In addition to all of this exciting news, he released his first new single, called Suit and Tie (feat. Jay-Z). With the recent release of all of this news, we had to make it the Song of the Day. It is currently number one on the iTunes chart, which goes to show you how highly anticipated JT's new music is. We are certainly intrigued by his first single, and we look forward to reviewing his new album, as soon as it is released.
Lyrics:
I be on my suit and tie s***, tie s***, tie
I be on my suit and tie s***, tie s***
Can I show you a few things?
A few things, a few things, little baby, cause
I be on my suit and tie s***, tie s***
I be on my suit and tie s***, tie s***
Let me show you a few things
Let me show you a few things
You ready, JT?
[Verse 1]
I can't wait til I get you on the floor, good-looking
Going out so hot, just like an oven
And I'll burn myself but just had to to touch it
It's so fly and it's all mine
Hey baby, we don't mind all the watching
Cause if they study close, real close they might learn something
She ain't nothing but a little doozy when she does it
She's so fly, tonight
[Hook]
And as long as I've got my suit and tie
I'ma leave it all on the floor tonight
And you got fixed up too tonight
Let me show you a few things, show you a few things
All dressed up in black and white
And you're dressed in that dress I like
Love is swinging in the air tonight
Let me show you a few things, show you a few things
Let me show you a few things,
Show you a few things about love
Not that we're in the swing of love
Let me show you a few things, show you a few things
About love
[Verse 2]
Stop, let me get a good look at it
So thick now I know why they call it a fatty
S*** so sick hit and picked up a habit
That's alright, cause you're all mine
Go on and show 'em who you call daddy
I guess they're just mad cause girl, they wish they had it
My killer, my filler, yeah you're a classic
You're all mine, tonight
[Hook]
Get out ya seat Hov
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
All black at the white shows
White shoes at the black shows
Green card for the Cuban links
Ya'll sit back and enjoy the light show
Nothing exceeds like success
Style got from having the best of the best
Is this what it all about?
I met the rest...the rant
Disturbing the guests
Years of distress, tears on the dress
Try to hide her face with some makeup sex, ugh
This is trouble season, time for tuxedos for no reason
Today's song of the day is Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran. Ed Sheeran's debut album, + (pronounced "Plus"), was released in September of 2011. He has been critically acclaimed as a songwriter and as a musician. He is most commonly recognized as the singer of the hit song, "The A Team". This song has peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has recently received a Grammy Nomination for Song of the Year. "Give Me Love" was released as the sixth and final single from + and charted as high as 18 on the UK Singles Chart ( It did not chart in the US). On the album, the song is 8 minutes and 46 seconds, which is the longest on the album. The main reason for this is that there is a "hidden track" at the end of the song. A "hidden track" is when an artist combines two separate songs into one song title. They are usually placed at the end of an album and are broken up by a long pause, which makes the listener think that the song/album has ended. Another example of this can be found on Coldplay's debut album. The last song, "Everything's Not Lost", includes a hidden track titled "Life is for Living". The hidden track on "Give Me Love", is called "The Parting Glass". "Give Me Love" shows off Sheeran's unique songwriting style that has been admired by many.
Cover art for when "Give Me Love" was released as a single
Burning Lights is the seventh studio album released by Chris Tomlin. This is our first new album review of the new year! This album was released on January 8, 2013. This album contains many studio versions of songs released on the live album, Passion: White Flag. It seems like Tomlin is taking a different path with the sound of this album. It's not a huge change from what he has done in the past, but I am excited about where he is heading. It's amazing that after all this time, he is still able to bring new things to the table. This is not something that is commonly found in contemporary Christian music. This album features many wonderful collaborations, and is one of his best studio albums in years.
1) Burning Lights
The opening track to Burning Lights is just a one minute intro to the album. It shouldn't really be considered its own separate track because it blends so well with the next song. It is a guitar driven intro that sets the stage for his latest album.
2) Awake My Soul (feat. Lecrae) [9/10]
I thought this was one of the stand out songs on this album. As always, Tomlin's songwriting is amazing. This is an extremely inspirational song that I can definitely see getting airtime on Christian radio stations very soon. This collaboration was the one I was the most skeptical of. Lecrae is a Christian rapper. He is one of the best at what he does, but I did not think it would blend with Chris Tomlin's style very well. I was definitely wrong, as Lecrae's verses are what affected me the most.
3) Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) [8/10]
Whom Shall I Fear is the lead single off of Burning Lights. This song was released way back in November and continues to be a top hit on Christian radio. This track is one that you will feel in your gut. As it is in most Christian music, the songwriting is near-perfect. Chris Tomlin has obviously put a lot of effort in this song, as it is still a staple on Christian music stations. Also, this track has already become a popular recording that is sung in churches across the country.
4) Lay Me Down (8/10)
This song begins to show off the changes in Chris Tomlin's sound. His voice is very unique and cannot be compared to any other artist today. But the real change is in the band surrounding him. This song does not sound like a typical Christian/worship song. It resembles bands like U2 and Mumford and Sons more than popular Christian artists. I am very excited about this because recently, Christian music has become boring because there are many songs that sound alike. I really hope this starts getting played on the radio as well.
5) God's Great Dance Floor (7/10)
This song shows off the other side of Chris Tomlin's slight change in style. With this track, he uses an electronic house beat as the backbone to this song. In the past, Tomlin has been known for his traditional use of guitars and a string section in his music. This is the complete opposite of his hit songs like "Our God" and "I Will Follow". This song could be a shot at TobyMac due to its modern, pop sound. This dance-filled worship song continues to display Tomlin's fantastic lyrical abilities. It's really great to see him experiment outside of his comfort zone.
6) White Flag (8/10)
On the Passion band's album, Passion: White Flag, this was the hit. However, Passion was a live album, and this is the first time "White Flag" has been available as a studio recording. The inspiration in this song is extremely effective. I was looking forward to hearing the recorded version, as the live version was my favorite off of the WhiteFlag album. The first half of the album has soared way beyond my expectations. I just hope he can stay at this level as the album continues into its second half.
7) Crown Him (Majesty) [feat. Kari Jobe] {7/10}
Emotion is the focus of this song. Chris Tomlin's songwriting abilities allow for some songs to affect some people so deeply. This song is a great example of that. He is able to transmit his love of God through his music and into the listener. With this song specifically, you can really hear the passion in his voice. While this was great, I don't think it is as good of a song as some songs on the first half of the record.
8) Jesus, Son of God (feat. Christy Nockels) [6/10)
This is the first song on this album, that I found to be forgettable. Each previous song had its own special qualities that would make you want to go back and listen to them again. "Jesus, Son of God" just didn't have that same affect. It sounds so similar to songs on all of his other albums, it just doesn't really fit in with this collection of songs. However, for a duet, Christy Nockels does a great job harmonizing with Tomlin. Her sections add a little contrast to the rest of the song.
9) Sovereign (7/10)
We have definitely gone back to the Chris Tomlin who writes beautiful lyrics but is afraid to be innovative as a musician. This song is so typical for him, I seriously think this song has been on every past Tomlin album. All joking aside, I think I even recognized some lyrics from some of his other songs. What we can't forget is that it is hard for Chris Tomlin to write a bad song. His lyrics are always great, so where he falls short is usually in the way he executes the performance of the song. I really hope he goes back to what he did in the first half, trying out new sounds.
10) Countless Wonders (8/10)
Countless Wonders is another stereotypical Chris Tomlin song. It is a little more bearable in this song but I was still hoping for something different. After the first six songs I was really looking forward to the new sounds I would be hearing in the rest of the album. I didn't get those new sounds, but I did get a great, regular song. Nothing different, but another song with great lyrics and an average musical approach.
11) Thank You God for Saving Me (feat. Phil Wickham) [7/10]
I actually think this song's weaknesses come from the inclusion of Phil Wickham. This is not because Wickham wasn't good enough, it was actually the opposite. I feel that his musical personality is so great, it took away from Chris Tomlin. This could easily be a great Phil Wickham song, but it isn't. It's a Chris Tomlin song. If it was just one of the two singers, it might be the best on the record. However, the duet lowers its potential. I love each artist individually, but together on this song just didn't do it for me.
12) Shepard Boy (8/10)
The closing song is a piano driven ballad about himself. He sings passionately about how he isn't the one everyone should be excited about. Everything he sings comes from God and that is who he sings for. The story he shares is really touching. He sings for God and is just a "Shepard Boy" in comparison to him. I really loved how Tomlin showed that he can tell a story so well through his lyrics. I rarely see this type of music in Chris' work. For me, this was the most beautiful song to listen to. Every song can touch people in different ways, but on this album, this song touched me the most.
This album started off better than most of Chris Tomlin's previous albums. The first half was absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, as it is with most of Tomlin's albums, the second half was very forgettable and did not stack up to the creativity shown off in the beginning. Regardless, this album provides many songs that are bound to be heard on Christian radio in the near future. Burning Lights is my favorite Chris Tomlin album to date. The magnitude of the great songs overpowers the forgetfulness of the basic songs. Even if you aren't Christian or if you don't like Christian music, this is a great album to listen to. Just think of the lyrics as epic love songs. If you are a fan of Christian music, you will definitely be pleased. This is the best studio album by Chris Tomlin I've heard in a long time. Burning Lights is not one to be forgotten.
Today's song of the day was suggested by one of our readers. On our Facebook page, Ian Ruppenthal asked that the song of the day should be Storms by Fleetwood Mac.Storms can be found on the 1979 album, Tusk. At the time of its release, it was one of the most expensive albums ever made. Not in the cost to buy it, but rather in the cost to record and produce it. This album cost over 1 million dollars to record! Now, the song Storms is one of the most beautiful songs on this album. It is the perfect example of the way singer, Stevie Nicks can evoke feelings in her listeners. I consider this song a classic, solely because of the amount of emotion in it. There is so much beauty in the way Nicks writes. While Fleetwood Mac is a band filled with many different types of artists, Stevie Nicks is my personal favorite. When you read through the lyrics, you will see what I mean by all of this. I sincerely hope that you enjoy today's song of the day.
Lyrics:
Every night that goes between
I feel a little less
As you slowly go away from me
This is only another test
Every night you do not come
Your softness fades away
Did I ever really care that much
Is there anything left to say
Every hour of fear I spend
My body tries to cry
Living through each empty night
A deadly calm inside
I haven't felt this way I feel
Since many a year ago
But in those years and the lifetimes past
I did not deal with the road
And I did not deal with you I know
Tho the love has always been
So I search to find an answer there
So I can truly win
Every hour of fear I spend
My body tries to cry
Living through each empty night
A deadly calm inside
So I try to say
Goodbye my friend
I'd like to leave you with something warm
But never have I been a blue calm sea
I have always been a storm
Always been a storm
Ooh always been a storm
I have always been a storm
We were frail
She said,
"Every night he will break your heart"
I should have known from the first
I'd rather be the broken-hearted
I loved you from the start
Save us
And not all the prayers in the world could save us
The song of the day for January 7th is Stand By Me by Ben E. King. This song has been covered numerous times by over 400 artists. One of the most famous cover versions was by the great John Lennon. When Ben E. King wrote the song, he had absolutely no intentions of recording it himself. He planned on writing it only for the use of The Drifters, who passed on the opportunity to record the song. The original release by Ben E. King was released on the 1962 album, Don't Play That Song. Stand By Me has been honored many times for its spectacular success. Most recently, in 2012, King was recognized with the Towering Performance Award for his creation of the song.
Lyrics: When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we will see No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand, stand by me So darlin', darlin' stand by me Oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Whoa stand now, stand by me, stand by me
*Solo*
And darlin', darlin' stand by me
Oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
Today's song of the day is Stubborn Love by The Lumineers. The Lumineers are a band that have recently found success in their single Ho Hey. Their self-titled debut album was released in April 2012. In America, it has peaked at number 9 on the charts. Their first single, Ho Hey, peaked at number 3, while reaching the top position on the US Rock charts. It has recently gone platinum, meaning it has reached over 1,000,000 sales.
Stubborn Love was the second official single from the album, and it has not seen much success. So far, it has peaked at 81 on the charts. However, this does not mean it is a bad song. The album was one of the best of 2012, and for me, this song was a standout. We would love to hear your opinions in the comment section below.
Lyrics:
She'll lie and steal and cheat, and beg you from her knees
Make you thinks she means it this time
She'll tear a hole in you, the one you can't repair
But I still love her, I don't really care
When we were young, oh oh, we did enough
When it got cold, ooh ooh, we bundled up
I can't be told, ah ah it can't be done
It's better to feel pain, than nothing at all
The opposite of love's indifference
Pay attention now, I'm standing on your porch screaming out
And I wont leave until you come downstairs
So keep your head up, keep your love
Keep your head up, my love[x2]
Keep your head up, keep your love
I don't blame ya dear for running like you did, all these years
I would do the same, you best believe
The highway signs say we're close, but I don't read those things anymore
Taking Notes Music is home to the world-renowned musical mastermind, David Williams. This is a unique website where you can find all kinds of music related content. He reviews albums each Wednesday and Thursday with additional content published throughout the week. Stay tuned for more exciting new material!
