I am still on a huge Joss Stone kick. I’ve been listening to her albums, and man, they are good! I’m really feeling Colour Me Free -- the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. And Introducing Joss Stone is brilliant. It is great from beginning to end. I think it is her best album, not one song is bad or feels out of place.
Here is the performance of “Stalemate” from Monday night’s episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I was really impressed by the performance, much more than the CBS Early Show performance.
On Thursday I’m going to see Justin Nozuka play a set at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. I was introduced to Justin’s music by watching his televised SXSWset last year [Check out the awesome performance of "Save Him" from that show below]. I unfortunately was not at SXSW, but watched it on tv and was still captivated. It is difficult for me to watch an unfamiliar band’s whole set -- after a few songs, most the songs start to sound the same. I like to familiarize myself with a band’s music before I see them. But that was not the case with Justin’s first set. I had heard great reviews and buzz about him, but hadn’t heard his music, and was very captivated by his performance. He has a lot of soul for his age, and it is genuine. Justin’s lyrics are honest and beautifully describe delicate and serious subject matters.
His debut album, Holly, was released in 2007. The album was named after Justin’s mother, who supported his musical aspirations. The album has 12 songs, all of which were written by Justin. One of the tracks, “After Tonight” got some airtime on music channels and radio stations. There are some standout tracks on the album including, “After Tonight”, “Don’t Listen to a Word”, “Criminal”, “Save Him”,“Supposed To Grow Old”, “Golden Train” and “Mr. Therapy Man”. And I’m stopping the list there, but really, all the songs are great. They are all different and have different subjects, which makes them stand out and distinguishable.
His sophomore album is called, You I Wind Land And Sea and is set to be released on the 12th of April. The lead single from the album is a song called “My Heart Is Yours”. I enjoy “My Heart Is Yours” and hope the rest of the new album sounds like it and Holly.
I sure don’t. But 3 year old Cody does… and she’s got it baaaad.
And here is what happened when Cody met Justin Bieber.
That is one of the funniest videos I’ve seen in a really long time. It’s so funny, and sad, that a little three year old thinks she is in love, and in love with Justin Bieber. I’m glad that her mom has a sense of how crazy it is and is trying to explain it to the three year old, but that Justin Bieber fever is intense. The part about the phone call cracked me up -- she is so insane and crazy, but at least her excuse is that she is 3 years old… how many adult women do you know that have done the same thing… I’m just saying.
Amazing things happens when you combine two talented UK songwriters and vocalists. Case in point: Joss Stone + Jamie Hartman of Ben’s Brother = “Stalemate”.
Joss Stone and Jamie Hartman have several things in common:
Joss and Jamie have amazing voices, very soulful and powerful
Joss and Jamie have worked with many artists. Joss has worked with: Lauryn Hill, Common, Robbie Williams, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Blondie, Patti LaBelle, LiAnne Rimes, and Ringo Starr. Jamie has worked with: Jason Mraz, Jack MacManus (it’s a start).
Both Joss and Jamie have had issues with their record companies.
Joss Stone is phenomenal. She is one of the best female vocalists, and a genuine artists. And she is only 22! She has sold over 10 million copies of her albums, including my favorite, the amazing Introducing Joss Stone which had stunningly beautiful duets with Lauryn Hill and Common. Her latest album, Colour Me Free, was released in October of 2009 after many delays and resistance from her record label. The album was recorded in a span of time, and it is evident in the album, most of the songs are raw and have little production, which works on some songs, but not on others. Overall, it’s a great album, but I absolutely love all the track on Introducing Joss Stone.
Ben’s Brother is a great indie rock band from the UK, and Jamie Hartman is the founder and lead singer. The band has released two albums, Battling Giants, was their sophomore release last year.
The amazing song “Stalemate” appears on both Colour Me Free and Battling Giants. Unfortunately, Joss’ record label is not allowing her vocals to be released as a single, and she was replaced with Anastacia in the official single cut of the song… boooo!
Fortunately for us, Joss and Jamie have been performing the duet on several live television programs. I was just blown away by their performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And here is a clip of the two doing the song on CBS Early Show which is equally intense and amazing.
Their voices are so amazing and blend beautifully. I appreciate Jamie Hartman and Ben’s Brother, but I’m a HUGE fan of Joss Stone. As evident in this performance, Joss is naturally talented and really feels the music. I have seen many of her performances (sadly, never live), and have never seen her just go through the motions -- she always pours her heart and feelings into each note, and it is amazing to watch and listen to. I love the harmonies. It is always magical when you have two talented singer-songwriters feeling a song together, getting lost in the moment.
I enjoyed the song before this performance, but now I’m madly in love with it, and more importantly, for the umpteenth time, I’m madly in love with Joss Stone.
“And I look at you, and I see me,
Making noise so restlessly,
But now it’s quiet and I can hear you saying,
‘My little fish don’t cry, my little fish don’t cry.’
Autumn leaves how faded now,
that smile that I’ve lost, well I’ve found some how,
Because you still live on in my fathers eyes,
These autumn leaves, oh these autumn leaves, oh these autumn leaves are yours tonight.”
Last Friday, I was introduced to Sarah Phillip’s and the story of Debbie Phillips. And it deeply touched my heart and soul.
16 year old Sarah Phillips lost her mother, Debbie Phillips to Cervical Cancer.
“Debbie battled on with extraordinary grace and courage for another 14 months and two further courses of chemotherapy. She refused to give in but, on 11th February 2010, following her long and brave battle with cervical cancer, Debbie died.” -- Debbie Phillips Cervical Cancer Research Fund
A mere four hours before Debbie passed, Sarah went to her room to gather her thoughts. Throughout the last few years, Sarah found comfort and strength listening to “Autumn”by Paolo Nutini. At that moment, in her room, Sarah took out her cell phone and sang. She recorded a chilling pitch-perfect version of “Autumn”, which was played at Debbie’s funeral as a tribute.
Backing music was later added to the vocals, and a tribute video was made and posted on YouTube. The video has gone viral, gaining media attention. After a campaign by supporters, the mp3 audio is now available through iTunes, with all proceeds going to the Debbie Phillips Cervical Cancer Research Fund.
Take a listen to the song below, and if you enjoy it and are moved by it, you can purchase it for .99 cents on iTunes. I’ve already purchased myself a copy and have heard it more than 200 times already! There is a campaign to get the song to the #1 spot in the UK, giving the charity a large donation, and also putting Sarah on the UK Singles Chart.
Paolo Nutini wrote “Autumn” as a tribute to his grandfather who passed away. The song is brilliant as it captures the difficult emotions and sentiment of losing a loved one. I listened to Sarah’s version twice before buying it, and have listened to it at least 200 times the last three days. I am captivated and haunted by her emotions and composure. At around the 1:45 mark, Sarah loses her composure a bit, as one would expect. I’m not sure how she was able to get through the song, as I’ve had a tough time keeping my composure listening to it. The line “but now it’s quiet and I can hear you saying, ‘my little fish don’t cry, my little fish don’t cry’” always gets me.
Sarah -- You are an amazing girl, with great strength and compassion. Thousands of people have been touched by your story and your song, and I am one of the many. I hope the single sells well, taking you to the number 1 spot, and more importantly, raising money and awareness for research and finding a cure. Thank you for sharing your story and beautiful song.
“The response to the video has been amazing. I sang the song as a tribute to my mother. I hope that people buy the song and that we raise lots of money to help other women who suffer from cervical cancer.” -- Sarah Phillips
“My wife Debbie fought cancer with grace and dignity for four years. We’ve set up the Debbie Phillips Cervical Cancer Research Fund together with the University College London Cancer Research Trust to help finance research into cervical cancer. I’m incredibly proud of my daughter and of this beautiful song. The love of Sarah for her mother is so evident in this song, and it’s captured the imagination of listeners worldwide.” -- Mark Phillips
Thanks for taking time to read this post and for visiting Coffee City Music Lounge. Please pass this post to others and help spread Sarah’s tribute and raise money for The Debbie Phillips Cervical Cancer Research Fund.
