Scouting For Girls have released three albums and in my book they are showing what pop music is all about. Their songs are upbeat, have great lyrics, a wonderful musical structure and the vocal works are fitting right in. It's been a long time that a band of this quality has been able to come in the spotlight and Scouting For Girls deserve every minute of it. As a matter of fact I dare say so much as they don't get enough airplay and their foreign promotion/exposure could be better as well. It's rare, very rare to hear music with such a positive attitude nowadays. Enjoy their albums...

Portishead makes music that is relaxing, calming and uses a very wide range of sounds and song structures. As soon as you hear Portishead, you know that it can not be any other group. There is only one Portishead. Their music may be gloomy at times, perhaps you can even say Gothic but their music is also creative, original and Art with a capital A. There is a great element of dreamy, spacing, tripping to find in their songs that is not unfamiliar with the works of Pink Floyd. Certain influences of My Bloody Valentine come to mind as well, though for certain this is less noisy and has a more intimate character. One of the first things required in order to appreciate Portishead is to have an open mind. If you are a musician, you have to listen to this even if it's just once, to get a creativity boost. You can hear all their albums plus on request of a dear friend of mine, a live album. Enjoy their music...

                              Dummy

They make folk music says Wikipedia but I feel that they also touch a bit of blues, rock and pop music. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young have this great harmony in their songs and that makes them outstanding. You can't compare their songs with any kind of other music and their work is very rich in melodic arrangements. Before playing together they were already accomplished musicians with albums on their names with their previous groups. The latest album recorded was a live album created from concerts played during 2012. Neil Young does not play on this album, however. Besides of playing as Crosby,  Stills, Nash and Young they have also done side projects that are well worth listening to. Enjoy a compilation of their work...

It's pop/rock music and they have mastered the art of doing so almost perfectly. Personally it's a bit too gentle and friendly for me but the fact that the musicians of Journey have reached a level of creativity that made them sell about 80 million albums is proof that there are songs for everybody to like. I've put up three playlists. The first one is a collection of songs where Steve Perry is doing the vocals. He is a great vocalist and without him Journey would never have had the same level of success. Today the vocalist is Mr Arnel Pineda and the second playlist is a combination of his debut album with Journey and a collection of songs originally done with Steve Perry so that you get an idea of his voice and vocal capabilities. (I personally think that technically, Pineda is a better singer than Perry and has a larger lung capacity which enables him to sing with more power but judge for yourself). The third playlist is the latest album from Journey. Less pop and more rock. Pineda pulls it of easily and this is getting more to my liking but that is just a matter of personal taste. Enjoy their music...

The music of this woman is known by about 90% of everybody who can read this. Not all the music but you will eventually stumble upon a song that you know. Dolly Parton is the person who has made country music bigger than very large. She has done it all, TV shows, movies, she is a multi-instrumentalist, has her own funfair and is a very successful business woman. On top of that she is one of those artists who has sold over more than 100 million albums. She started performing in 1955 and is still performing today. Here is a collection of her songs, enjoy...

I love a good tune played on a harmonica. The sound, if well played, will send shivers down my spine. I know that there are a lot of blues harmonica players but that's not exactly the harmonica I'm talking about. I don't want a rhythm harmonica, I want a harmonica that tells me a story, a harmonica that is there to help me through some melancholic moments. Blues players can't do that. Toots Thielemans can. He is one of those rare harmonica players that is able to enhance the original songs with more feeling by playing the harmonica in his own unique way. To listen to his music can only be done at particular times. For me the ideal situation to listen to this would be on a Sunday afternoon. I'm still wearing my PJ's (no clue why and I'm not counting on changing that really). I have a glass of Corbières and through the window I can see fields and forest and (most important of all to get that melancholy feeling right) it's raining. And than I can listen to these wonderful sounds of : What are you doing the rest of your life, Imagine or Dat mistige rooie beest. To you all, Cheers and enjoy...

Now this is something else. The music style is called bluegrass country and she plays the violin and also sings. And that singing is done with an incredible voice. (I secretly wondered if a few centuries back she and Kate Bush could not have had the same ancestors? Kate Bush is way more expressive with her voice, true but listen and you'll... well obviously won't see but you'll hear what I'm getting at) I think this is a wonderful, voice. She sounds... fragile is perhaps the word, I don't know but I'm not the only one who likes her voice. She did an album with Robert Plant (you may have heard of him and if not, go and google) and that album went platinum, so well... can't be that bad, innit? I've put up a little collection and you may even recognise a song or two. Enjoy...

Yes, well, what do I have to say about Foreigner? Personally I find them not rock enough. It's a bit too smooth and crowd pleasing for my liking. They are a "rock" band but for me they are on the lighter side of rock. A sort of Bon Jovi with balls so to speak.  That does not change the fact that Foreigner has an impressive list of hits, nice enough to listen to. I find Foreigner a lovely band to hear when I'm driving or when I'm doing some house hold chores. I would have respected them more if from time to time they would have tried something different. Not that I expected them to change to a disco-sound or do something R&B-ish all of a sudden  but over all, their songs stay in the same formula and in the same musical settings. A bit like AC/DC. Feel free to accept that as a compliment or not. Here is a collection of their work, enjoy...

 Emeli Sandé has  brought out her debut album this year and I think we all can be grateful for that. It is called: Our Version Of Events and it is a beautiful collection of songs put together. Slightly somber, a little dark but not gloomy or pessimistic. You are stimulated to pay attention to her voice and the music. There are few artists these days who are able to do that and Emeli excels in it. Great use of the piano and orchestral settings. Even the faster tracks are not drowned with sounds or unnecessary noises but have just the right amount of instrumental presence. Her voice on top of that enables you to dream away and gives you this feeling that there is always hope. I discovered  Emeli Sandé because of a friend/ distant family member. Thank you for that. I hope you all will enjoy this...

When I heard them for the first time somebody had to explain to me that art was first and above all acceptance of unusual and irregular ways of expressing oneself. Once that established, I had a less difficult time to accept the music from Art Of Noise. This is music that is not exactly your normal standard kind of instrument + vocals is a song. This is much  more than that. This is the creation of atmospheres and sensations with the help of  sounds that are woven together. This is very creative but I warn you, some tracks may be easier on the ears than others. Enjoy this compilation.