If Florence Welch and Shakira had a baby....

Zola Jesus courtesy of loudandquiet.com

Her name would be Zola Jesus. I recently discovered her music while watching my favorite show Skins and was instantly hooked on her unique voice. At first, you'd think it was Florence and the Machine but the longer you listen to her the more she starts to sound similar to Shakira...on operatic steroids...but in a good way!

Zola, whose real name is Nika Roza Danilova, hails from Wisconsin and at the ripe age of 22 already has three albums under her belt. Her style of music and her voice is delightfully haunting and some critics describe her as the "darling" of an indie goth-pop genre.

She sounds even better live which is a hard thing to do considering some singers who sing live sound terrible. When she came down to Tampa for a performance (which I unfortunately missed!) my alma mater reviewed her and said: 

With Jesus' operatic vocal style, the album has a mystical quality to it that translates well into her live show.....it's rare to find an artist whose live act surpasses their studio-made sound. Even the best known artists are known to sound a little rougher for the wear on stage but Jesus' music is all the more powerful when it's live and in the moment. Her voice pierces through the speakers, making everything in the room vibrate and enrapturing the audience in a veiled intimacy.

Needless to say, she's already one of my favorite singers and I can't wait to see what she puts out next! Take a listen below!

Bad Girls

Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well.

Let it be known that I am a huge M.I.A fan. I have liked her for a while now and appreciate that she's quirky, fresh and makes music (and videos for that matter) with a message.Color me surprised when I discovered that she did a song with Madonna and Nicki Minaj (more so with Nicki Minaj) but nevertheless the re-release of her song "Bad Girls" off her mixtape "Vicki Leakx" more than makes up for it.

The femininity, the political message and the crazy stunts that these people do with cars lets me breathe a little easier knowing there are female artists out there who don't have to use their body parts to ooze sexuality.

Enjoy!

Break of Dawn Review

Today, Goapele released her third album, Break of Dawn after a five year hiatus. I've been a fan of her since Closer and always support her music because I think she is disgustingly underrated. However, maybe it's not so bad, so that she remains a sweet secret to her loyal fans and continues to make music.

I haven't been able to buy the album yet since I've been at work all day, but thanks to AOL music, I was able to listen to the entire CD. Trust me, it made the work day go a lot smoother.

courtesy of goapele.com

*Play- Right off the bat, the listener is introduced to a sultry sexy song about "playing around." The third single off Break of Dawn introduces a more mature Goapele who sings about what she wants to do when it comes to intimate moments in a subtle way.

Tears on my Pillow- A soulful song that sounds like it could be from the 1990's about a failed relationship. This has been a huge fan favorite so far.

*Undertow- This is one of my favorites. It's a very "chill" song in my opinion. It's not too heavy, not too light. Personally, I feel like I can close my eyes while listening to this song and be taken to another world.

Break of Dawn- Wonderful song about staying strong, finding your independence and moving on from all of the negative situations in your life.

Hush- A sweet song to her daughter about how everything she is doing is for her. It has a light lullaby melody to it and is no doubt a song that she probably sings around the house to her little girl. I'm sure when she is older, she'll appreciate the message her mother sent to her through this song.

Money- Another soulful song with an electronic spin on it. Goapele has always had songs with

deep meanings and this is one of them. It has the message of “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” by Jennifer Lopez. Sure, money is great, but it doesn’t replace intimacy and she definitely gets that across through this song.

*Pieces- Another favorite! It’s a lighter song about “falling into pieces” in love and how consumed we can be in love that we get lost in its galaxy. Her voice sounds extremely angelic in this song.

Right Here- An upbeat track about her undying love to her man. She doesn’t want to be anywhere that’s not with her man. In other words, she’s a ride or die chick.

*Milk and Honey- Her first single off of her album. It was released back in the summer of 2009 and it always had a hold on me. This was the first song that I knew my dear Goapele was growing up in front of my very eyes and talking about what she wants as a woman. She’s definitely on her grown status now!

Unfortunately, AOL music didn't have Cupcake on its site so I can't offer a review for it! However, I will say this: THIS IS HOW YOU TRANSITION INTO A MORE ADULT THEMED ALBUM.

After five years, Goapele has experienced a number of different life changing events, and while her first two albums were wonderful and filled with songs about love and socioeconomic problems, this album puts her in a completely different light.

She's showing her growth on this album and I like how she did it. She didn't go from innocent singer to raunchy singer in the course of one album and I think her fans will definitely appreciate it. I know I do!

October

For as long as I can remember, October has always been my favorite month.

I guess it's mainly because I feel that it's the official start of autumn. I am quite aware that autumn officially started in September, but doesn't it feel more fitting to begin in October?

In elementary school every time the teacher flipped to the month of October its decorations were filled with pumpkins, rust colored leaves and naked trees. Back in Kansas, the wind got nippier and the turtlenecks and boots were brought out from storage and a slew of kids messed up their parents perfectly raked leaf piles.

Oh how I miss October in Kansas!

Kansas in October. Lovely isn't it?

Living in Florida, you really don't get the full affect of autumn except for the weather changing from deathly humidly hot to a cooler humidly hot.

However, while I may be missing the true season of autumn that so many other people get to enjoy, my favorite month is giving me plenty of perks while I sweat to death down here.

1. New Nicholas Sparks book! The Best of Me came out yesterday and I can't wait to go get my copy! 
2. New Goapele album Break of Dawn hits stores at the end of the month.
3. I move into my new apartment on Friday. 
4. Pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING. Coffee, pie, beer, cake. Heaven.

Roll all four of those things together and what do you get?

An extremely fat, well-read, satisfied and more importantly happy Naomi in her cozy decorate apartment. Doesn't sound to bad if you ask me!

Body and Soul

Just thought I'd share this wonderful duet from Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse.

It was the last published song to feature Winehouse's timeless voice. I think she sounds divine in it, especially considering the fact that the public really hadn't heard anything from her since Back to Black.

Enjoy!

Does Soulja Boy Need Attention?

Rapper Soulja Boy courtesy of musicrooms.net

Over the weekend, rapper Soulja Boy caught major of heat from both the media and the public  for his song Lets Be Real. It includes the following verse:

“F**k the FBI and f**k all the army troops… fighting for what? B**h be your own man… I’ll be flying through the clouds with green like I’m Peter Pan.”

Yes, a song dissing the military only a week before the 10 year anniversary of September 11.

As expected, military veterans, families and the general public alike all came out in protest to this song saying that it was offensive to the troops who protect our country.

Soulja Boy quickly issued an apology letter on GlobalGrind.com, stating that he didn't mean for his words to come out as they sounded and that he was merely frustrated:

Play.

This is why I continue to love and support my favorite singer Goapele.

Her voice is unique and smooth like butter. When she sings, she sings about things that matter go listen to Change it All, If We Knew, It Takes More, Red White and Blues!

But when she does a "mature" song....oh she knows how to do it! Milk and Honey was on CONSTANT repeat the entire summer in 2009. Now Goapele has released Play. It's a sexy and subtle song about...well...listen for yourself and find out.



Oh how I miss the days where musicians sang about "doing stuff" without being explicit and only using witty undertones alluding to their feelings.

Travel Challenge: Day 9--A Song You Like from Another Country/Language

Anyone who knows me, knows that my taste in music is very eclectic. I don't discriminate against any type of genre of music! I feel like a broken record saying this, but obviously I couldn't just choose ONE song that is my favorite. However, the most recent song that I am LOVING from in another language and from another country is: Cuatro Elementos by La Musicalite. 

This song is on constant repeat! Take a listen below.



Other runner ups for this category: Jai Ho by A R Rahman, Aaj Ki Raat by Don and the ENTIRE Mi Plan album by Nelly Furtado!

John Freaking Mayer

In a recent interview with Playboy magazine, singer John Mayer had some interesting things to say about having a "hood pass" and his views on interracial dating.

So many blog sites and celebrities took this the wrong and ultimately SLAMMED him saying that he was a racist. It hurts my heart when people don't thoroughly read between the lines. It's obvious that Mayer was trying to come off as witty and clever but ultimately failed, but nonetheless he made valid points. Here are a few excerpts:

MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?” And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, “I can’t really have a hood pass. I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, ‘We’re full.’"



PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.

Will 2010 Bring Quality Music?

With Sade's album Soldier of Love coming out tomorrow and so many rappers getting incarcerated, I have to ask, will this year bring quality music to the forefront after being ignored for so long?

Sade's music is timeless. Now I've never been a die hard fan, but her songs are beyond the R&B crap that we have today. And the quality music I'm talking about doesn't just apply to R&B or hip-hop.



Now I may be biased because I LOVE Norah Jones, but that's because she makes REAL music. None of this Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears music we have out today. R&B crooner Maxwell has returned, Alicia Keys just released an album in December (but she's treading a thin line...) Norah Jones released her album in November and my two other favorite singers Duffy and Goapele are said to be releasing their new albums later on this year! :)

I want music that actually TALKS about something. I am REALLY tired of hearing the degrading albeit catchy tunes about sex and money and cars and everything else superficial in between. There's so much going on in life and going on in the world that singers can choose to speak about besides how much money you have and the Bentley with Louis Vutton interiors.



Maybe it's a blessing in disguise that so many rappers like Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Boosie and others are now in prison. Maybe it's a good thing that Beyonce is taking a "break." No shade to her, but lets let some other musicians come out and show the world what real music is.

Why do all the GOOD singers have to be underground? Why can't they get the same attention as Lady Gaga? Half the singers out in our faces today aren't even that good!

My recommendation for singers (also because they're my favorite) are: Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Goapele, Nelly Furtado, Duffy, The Noisettes, Coldplay, Musiq and if you're into rap (these two are the ONLY ones I can tolerate): Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West.



If it were up to me, these would be the ONLY musicians allowed on the radio and TV. But, alas, it's not up to me. So for now I'll just continue to support them.