Photo Source: Urban Islandz





This is the latest video from Beyonce's "4" and it's one of my favorite songs on the record. It's such a beautiful and tender love song, and I think it would make an awesome club remix...











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I'm kind of excited this morning. You see, the other day I started a "Beyonce Spotlight," hoping to feature some of the songs off of her absolutely awesome new album, "4" (I'm loving it more and more with every listen!). The other day I featured a great ballad, "I Care," and today I'm featuring a song that's a little more up tempo. I was listening to it in the car last night and upon hearing this song, "End of Time," I knew I would use it for today's "Song of the Day."

"End of Time" is an fast and rhythmic song that's very pleasant and I think it has the potential to be a big hit (You can say you heard it here first!). It's got a great, "Say you'll never let me go" hook and the drumbeats give it an irresistably festive sound.

Anyway, since it's so new I didn't think I'd find any kind of video for it, maybe just an audio track with a picture of her like the other day, but when I did a YouTube search I came across this. It's a video made by a group of people under the name of TheshayWest on the website and it's just as good as having a real Beyonce video...lots of fun!

So check out and enjoy the happy and fun "End of Time" ...and pick up "4"!!!!!




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Earlier this week Miss Bey put out her latest effort, her fourth full-length studio album, appropriately entitled "4." The album is much different from what Beyonce's fans are used to, and it's awesome! One of my early favorites is a song called "I Care." The tune is powerful and melodic and in a small way I can identify with its meaning. Of course there's no video for the song, but this dude named Myke Rosas on Twitvid put this piece together. Thanks to him you can take a listen and enjoy!






I Care

I told you how your hurt me, baby
But you don't care
Now I'm crying and deserted, baby
But you don't care
Ain't nobody tell this is love
But you're inmune to all my pain
I need you to tell me this is love
You don't care if that's okay

Well, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la
Oh, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la

Ever since you knew your power
You made my cry
And now everytime our love goes sour
You won't sympathize
You see these tears falling down to my ears
I swear you like when I'm in pain
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/beyonce-lyrics/i-care-lyrics.html ]

I try to tell you all my fears
You still don't care? That's okay

Well, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la
Oh, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la

Boy, maybe if you care enough
I wouldn't have to care so much
What happened to our trust?
Now you just given up
You used to be so in love
Now you don't care no more

Well, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la
Oh, I care
I know you don't care too much
But I still care, la la la la
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Happy Friday! Today is July 1st and I'm back after a short trip down to Atlantic City. Though I had planned to at least keep up with the "Song of the Day" while I was gone, I now realize why many of my fellow bloggers announce breaks in blogging when they go away because when you are away from home it's just hard to get down to business. So, now's time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Beyonce

The musical artist for the day is Beyonce. She and I have had a rocky relationship in the past, but that's all over with now. Way back when she was in Destiny's Child, I never really thought too much of her personally. I liked, not loved, their music, but when she bolted for a solo career after only a couple of albums I thought she was just full of herself. I know a lot of people hated Diana Ross when she left the Supremes, but at least that was after six or seven years and many albums together. I resisted her and her solo career for a few years because I didn't like what she had done, but that's all changed now.

Beyonce is definitely a talent. With a string of both hot dance numbers and nice ballads, she's amassed a catalog that I've come to love. From hot, funky stuff like 'Get Me Bodied,' 'Check On It,' and 'Put a Ring On It' to tender ballads like 'If I Were a Boy' and 'Irreplaceable,' Beyonce's stuff is a little bit of everything.

On Tuesday I downloaded her latest CD, her fourth studio album appropriately titled "4," and listening to it was a bit of a surprise. The first single, which I had already had in my iPod, 'Run the World (Girls),' is not exactly one of her best dance songs and I had originally hoped for more good possibilities from it. On first listen, I saw that the bulk of the album is down tempo, something that I would normally avoid, but almost every song on the album is fantastic.

I enjoyed "4" so much that I penned a review of it, which you can read here. It's the quickest I've ever reviewed an album after its release, so that's really saying something for how I feel about it.

I love it when a producer remixes a good ballad into nice dance song. These types of club songs are amongst my favorites, like MJB's 'Be Without You' and 'No More Drama' or Whitney Houston's 'My Love Is Your Love.' This remix of Beyonce's 'Halo' is a recent favorite, and I'm including that version here after the original. 'Halo' is from Bey's last CD "I Am...Sasha Fierce," and it's such a beautiful song, both musically and lyrically. I hope you enjoy both equally great versions:

Remember those walls I built
Well baby they're tumbling down
They didn't even put up a fight
They didn;t even make a sound...





And here's the remix by David Aude:



P.S. There are some great possibilities on "4" for some nice remixes, like '1+1,' 'I Care,' and 'I Was Here.' Deejays, are you listening?

Here are links to purchase "4":



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Anyone who’s ever known me knows that I love to dance. Ever since I was about 19 years old and discovered Diana Ross, dancing has been a part of my life. When I dance I feel free, like there’s nothing else in the world but me and the music (except maybe sometimes my dancing partner, lol). I credit dancing with the shape I’m in, for I always include some dancing in my daily workout. It’s way more fun than straight up aerobics! In short, there are two things about life that I could never do without, and that’s music and dancing!

D is for Dance!

Dance, it’s all I wanna do so won’t you dance…

Yes, sometimes when I’m stressed or something’s bothering me, I only wish that I could dance. I remember one time, about a year after Joe and I broke up, we were both invited to the same party. It was Labor Day Weekend, 2008. It was the first time we’d seen each other since he’d moved out and things were very awkward between us. I can’t explain the feelings I was going through, but around 10:30 he and I left, coincidentally at the same time. We chatted for a minute by the front door and then he jumped into his car and took off really quickly. Suddenly I had the overwhelming urge to cry.

As I watched his car turn the corner from my rear view window, I reached for my cell phone, the tears streaming down my cheeks like a river. I called my friend Rich, who offered to come over. I made my way home to wait for him. By that time it was already almost 11:30 and I knew Rich had been in his pj’s when I called and he was going to stop for coffee, so I had some time before he would get there. I put my iPod into its dock.

Before you knew it I was feeling better. I’d just downloaded some Beyonce and her “If I Were a Boy” immediately began to soothe my sorrows. When the song ended, “Get Me Bodied” came on. Now “Get Me Bodied” is a fierce dance song sung in classic diva style and I had just learned it recently. I got up from my chair and I started to move. Before you knew it, I was dancing all over the place, doing my best diva impersonation, something no one should ever witness!

Little did I know that right when I was getting into my best dancing mode, my back screen door opened. It was Rich, who knew I wouldn’t hear the front door and came around back, right when I was in a… um…compromising dance position. I screamed like a black lady in church as he walked in and I think he laughed about it for almost an hour afterwards.

Of course once the laughing stopped, I was able to get myself together and talk as Rich listened. He helped me a great deal that night, but it was Beyonce who gave me the little shove I needed to get myself back on the road to feeling better. Dancing does that!

So if you’re ever feeling down (and you’re alone in your house!), pop in your iPod or a CD and dance. I guarantee you’ll feel better in no time.

Of course, here’s the diva herself…

9…4…8…1…B-Day!




"Do the scissor leg, touch your heels, touch your toes"

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I’ve been trying all day to think of “B” words for my second entry into the A-Z Blogging Challenge, and I’ve come up with quite a few. Rather than choose just one, I’m going to use several and spin them in my own unique way. I’m already way behind and I may never get caught up with this thing, so here goes nothing…

B is for Britney…

Britney Spears, that is. I want to say upfront here that I am not the world’s biggest Britney fan. I dated that guy a couple of years ago and he only worked to scar my image of her anyway. I admittedly like a lot of her music, though, especially her new “Femme Fatale” CD. In my Pop Music Weekly Edition from March 29 (see it here), I mentioned the rave reviews it got upon its release and I have to say that I agree. The album is probably one of the best she’s ever done, despite obvious flaws. I’m contemplating a review of the album, as I’ve got a lot of things to say about it. Stay tuned.




B is for Blogging

I originally started this blog as a way to promote my work on what was then called Associated Content. All I had ever done on it before was place links to my pieces there in the hopes that they would get more hits, and my posts were irregular at best. Then, at the beginning of the year I was going through a personal crisis and the true blogging had begun. For the first few weeks of the year and even now once and again I pour my soul into this blog and in the meantime it has morphed into something I had hoped for when I first created it. Where AC/Y!CN had once been the place for me to write my personal stuff, this has become the new place for that and a whole lot more. I love writing this blog and I hope you enjoy reading it. Keep watching as it moves along and grows…



B is for the Billboard Magazine Music Award Nominations

In this week’s edition of Pop Music News, I reported on the upcoming Billboard Music Awards (read it here). The show is being telecast on May 22nd and its already got a lot of hot performers booked. This morning, the magazine announced its nominees for the show and a whole slew of hot favorites are in the running, including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Eminem and a whole lot more. To see the entire list of nominees, click here.



B is for Barbra Streisand Duck Sauce

Yesterday’s “Song of the Day” was a recent club/dance hit named after the famous singer/actress/diva/all-around entertainer who just happens to be THE diva of my good friend Rich. Ever since posting the song, I’ve played it a lot and it’s infectious, crazy beats, coupled with the intermittent spoken words “Barbra Streisand” are simply stuck in my head for the foreseeable future. Oh well, there could be worse things in life. Check out the post here.




B is for the Beatles, Barry White, Bob Marley, Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Blondie, Bette Midler, the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and all of the other “B” named artists in my iTunes library

Just a quick look at the artists listed here tells you the wide variety of music that I’ve had the privilege to enjoy in my life, from the time I was a little boy right up until today. There’s a little bit of reggae, some disco, the British Invasion, new wave, pop and of course dance music thrown into the mix. These are but a few of the many artists with “B” names that I still take a listen to every now and then to relive fond memories or just to enjoy again and again.



Of course, I’ll end this one as I normally do, only this time with a theme. B is for the Black Eyed Peas ‘Boom, Boom, Pow.’ Take a listen:




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Since I was going to use a Beyonce song yesterday and never did, I figured I'd give her the honor today. It's Friday and time to rejoice with some upbeat dance music. This one reminds me of my favorite scene in the movie "White Chicks" where the two sets of twins have a dance off in the club. I love that scene! Although I was never really a Beyonce fan, I do love a lot of her stuff, including this one! Enjoy!




...and from White Chicks...


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