When One2One Network asked if I wanted to review Five For Fighting’s new album, Slice, I agreed with a nostalgic smile. Five for Fighting had a hit single in 2000 with “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” which, of course, was right in the middle of my college career. As such, the music is so entwined in those memories, both good and bad. I have a soft spot for John Ondrasik’s (the man behind Five For Fighting) music.

I had high hopes for the new album. I was not disappointed. Song after song rolled by on my first and second and third listens and, while it took a listen or two for a few songs, they began to entangle themselves in my present day memory making. It’s not surprising, of course, as I love when piano is evident in music of any genre. The special thing about Five For Fighting, however, is that while the musical part is above and beyond anything else on the Top 40 lists right now, the lyrics are those that hit you in your deepest of places.

I wasn’t expecting the song, “To The Unknown Soldier.” As a wife of an Army Veteran, this one hit me. Hard. It ends with the line, “My kids will know your name.” I can’t listen to the song without crying. I’m a sap for anyone who audibly respects our soldiers, especially to such a beautiful tune.

Of course, the big song on the album is “Chances.” It’s catchy with another beautiful tune. It’s easily singable and sticks in your head for hours and hours. And hours. Of course, the line that hits me is rather sappy:

No act of God could pull me away from you.

Aww.

The album is full of little gems like that one which is why it catapulted itself to one of the most played positions on my playlist. The other songs are just wonderful. Here’s the full tracklist:

1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can’t Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

(Also, I love “Slice.” The song.)

John is also on twitter if you are interested in following him: @John Ondrasik. And, of course, Facebook as well.

Not enough? How about an autographed copy of the CD? Swanky, right? Here’s how you can enter:

1. Comment on this post with your favorite Five For Fighting song. If you’re not familiar with John’s work, guess which one you think you’ll like on the new CD.

2. Tweet about this giveaway by copy/pasting this into your twitter stream: Win an autorgraphed copy of Five For Fighting’s new album, Slice, from @FireMom: http://bit.ly/1Z1OhE . You may do this as many times as you so desire. Be sure to leave the link to the individual tweet each time.

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog with a link to this post. Be sure to come back and leave the link.

This giveaway will be live through Saturday, November 14th at noon. I need to have your information by the following day or you can’t get your copy! So be checking your email on Saturday the 14th! CD will be shipped from my contact, not me.

Seriously though, hit up the website and investigate the new songs. I know many of you will love them and relate in different ways.

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[Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of the album in exchange for my honest review.]

When One2One Network asked if I wanted to review Joshua Bell’s new album, At Home with Friends, I said yes but only because the playlist included Kristin Chenoweth. I’m in awe of her many talents and thought, “Well, if she’s on here, certainly the rest of the album will be somewhat decent.”

Somewhat decent doesn’t even begin to describe the rest of the album.

If you’re unfamiliar with Joshua Bell, he is a violinist. Perhaps when you think of the violin, you think of classical music. Perhaps you think, “That’s not my style.” While I personally love classical music as I was raised on it and sang it through college, I want you to know that this album is not just one classical song after another. There’s a great mix of genres and styles, all with Bell playing his finest. The title of the album and my previous mention of Chenoweth should let you know that he also invites some vocalists and other musicians to join him for some very unique collaborations. I was blown away by quite a few of these amazing pieces.

The track list looks like this:

I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I’ll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano
Left Hand featuring Regina Spektor, vocals

I have to say that I did love Chenoweth’s rendition of “My Funny Valentine.” Her range is outstanding. Furthermore, my other favorite on the album was the beautiful version of “Elanor Rigby.” In fact, the boys also love this song. Which brings me to my next point: TheBrothers like this CD. I’ll be honest when I say that they have very eclectic music tastes (everything from jazz to the 80’s to apparently now a random mix of classical) because we are constantly playing random styles of music in this house, day in and day out. I love that they now ask for “that violin guy” on occasion in the car. I happily play it for them. Have you ever heard an almost four year old pretend to be a violin? It is love.

If you’re interested in this album, you can check out Joshua Bell’s official website or become a fan on Facebook. Or you could win a copy here on Stop, Drop & Review. How do you enter?

1. Leave a comment as to which song you think would be your favorite on the album. You may do this once.

2. Tweet this giveaway by copy/pasting this into your twitter stream: Win the new Joshua Bell album, At Home with Friends: http://bit.ly/26vfrv (via @FireMom) – You may do this as many times as your twitter followers will allow without becoming disgruntled.

3. Post about this giveaway on your public blog, linking to this post. Come back and leave me the URL to your post so that I’m sure to catch it. You may do this once.

The give away will be live through Monday, November 2, 2009 at noon. I will contact the winner via email. If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, I will pull a new winner. Album will be shipped from contact, not me.

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[I received a complimentary copy of this album in exchange for my honest review.]

If I didn’t already love Harry Connick, Jr. from his stint on Will and Grace, I would be able to admit that I am fully in love with this talented (and handsome) man. His new album, entitled Your Songs, is a beautiful tribute to various well-loved songs over the years. Two of my favorite artists are honored with songs on this particular compilation (Elton John and Billy Joel). To make it even better, I would have to admit that this is the best I have ever heard Harry Connick Jr. sound. That’s not an insult. It’s a compliment of the highest degree.

I’ve never been a die-hard Harry Connick Jr. fan. I wasn’t a non-fan either. I enjoyed some of his songs on some of his albums. This, however, has pushed me over the edge to a legitimate fan. I must admit I’m surprised at this as I don’t usually enjoy current artists’ covers of other artists’ past songs. It usually rubs me the wrong way. This particular album, however, touched something in my music-loving soul and I won’t be turning back. Count me in as a fan. At this point, I’d buy tickets to a concert. (Not front row. I’m still too cheap to do that for any musician. But I’d get decent seats as long as he promised to sing “Your Song” by Elton John. Swoon.)

The full song list reads like a who’s who and what’s what of music.

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho
The Way You Look Tonight
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)

Whew. That’s a pretty big setlist to step up to. I wonder of Harry Connick Jr. felt overwhelmed by the song choices as they began to materialize and finalize. I would have been; those are all some beautiful songs and some pretty big shoes to fill. The good news is that he fills those shoes and he does it well. For me to love an album of covers as much as I am right now, it has to be good. Trust me.

Which is why we’re excited to be giving away a copy of this lovely album! You can enter a few ways.

1. Leave a comment here with what you assume will be your favorite song on this album and/or your favorite all-time Harry Connick, Jr. song. You may do this once.

2. Copy/paste the following into your twitter stream, coming back to leave me the link to your tweet: Win a beautiful album by Harry Connick Jr at Stop, Drop & Review: http://bit.ly/2vx0kS (via @FireMom)

3. Post about this giveaway on your public blog with a link to this post. Come back to leave me your link so I’m sure to catch it!

This giveaway will be open until Monday, October 26 at 12:00pm (noon). I will pull a winner via random.org and contact said winner by email. You have 24 hours to reply before I pull another random winner. Album will be shipped from One2One, not me.

In the end, if you don’t win this giveaway and you even remotely like or have heard of either Harry Connick, Jr or the songs on the album, I encourage you to pick it up. The album is currently $9.99 on Amazon (10.12.09). As a side note, he’s also on Facebook!

(Mandy is our winner!)
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[I received a complimentary copy of this album from One2One Network in exchange for my honest review.]

Our boys have always listened to music as they drifted off to sleep. They both started out listening to one of my favorite classical piano mixes. As BigBrother grew and learned how to maneuver his CD player, he started listening to 80’s music at night. What can I say? He’s a cool dude. Whatever they’re listening to, the fact is that they love music. So do I. So does FireDad.

And now we’re all fans of Rockabye Baby.

I had heard of the company from another friend with children approximately the same age as mine. She had been given one of their CDs at the baby shower thrown in her honor. She loved it and eventually her children did as well. What is Rockabye Baby?

You take the music of some of your favorite rock artists, turn it into instrumental lullaby music with bells vibraphones and the like and put it on compilation CDs for you and your child to enjoy. Sounds… interesting? It is. From their About page, they say, “Believe me, making an album that’s gentle enough for sleeping babies but won’t bore Mom and Dad is trickier than it sounds.” Having listened their offerings from U2, Aerosmith and Smashing Pumpkins, I can tell you that I’m sure it was tricky. But the result is lovely. As they hoped, it’s quiet enough for the boys to fall asleep to and it’s not annoying to listen to as an adult. (In fact, I have a few of my favorite selections from each now on my laptop because it’s nice to have quiet music after a very hectic day.) What are my favorite songs on each of the three CDs we received? “With or Without You” by U2, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith and “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins. They’re just nice songs.

In addition to the CDs we received, Rockabye Baby also offers AC/DC, The Beach Boys, The Beatles (two different compilations), Bjork, Bob Marley, Christmas Rock Classics, Coldplay, The Cure, The Eagles, Green Day, Led Zepplin, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, No Doubt, Pink Floyd, The Pixies, Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, the Ramones, The Rolling Stones, and Tool. A little something for everyone who can’t stand normal lullabies. As a note, in case you were wondering or worried or missed the word instrumental above, there are no lyrics on these CDs. It’s all instrumental. As such, no choice words will be heard by your baby’s little ears. You may be thinking them as you’re rocking her to sleep but they’re not audible on the CD. Now, if you go ahead and sing them out loud and your child’s first word is of the four-letter variety, that’s not my fault or the fault of Rockabye Baby. Try humming along instead of singing.

Don’t believe just me. Rockabye Baby Music has celebrity fans (Kate Hudson, Tori Spelling, Denise Richards) and various awards. Cool. Or hip. Or whatever you’re supposed to say now.

Interested in checking out one of these great sleepytime soundtracks? Good! We’re giving one away! One winner will be able to choose which Rockabye Baby CD they want for their little sleepytime rockers. It will be mailed directly to the winner from the company.

Here’s how to enter.

1. Visit the site and look at the offerings. Come back and leave a comment on this post telling me which CD you would want if you won the giveaway. You may do this once.

2. Tweet the following: Win a rockin lullabye CD with Rockabye Baby & @FireMom: http://bit.ly/p8iFG …You may do this as many times as you so desire.

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog. Please come back and leave a link so I can make sure to catch it!

4. Post about this on your Facebook or submit it to Stumble Upon, Digg, del.icio.us or another such engine. Please let me know any pertinent information to find it (or if your Facebook is protected, just don’t lie).

This giveaway will be live until October 19th at noon. I will pull a winner via random.org at some point in time after the giveaway closes that day and contact the winner by email. The winner has 24 hours to respond before I pass it on to the next random winner.

I hope the winner enjoys this music as much as we did/do. I encourage you to pick one up (or download it!) if you don’t win as well. Good tunes for good sleeps!

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This post is part of a week long Media Review and Giveaway Extravaganza here on the blog. Please tune in every day this (work) week for another music or DVD review and to see if we’re giving away another fabulous offering! Tell your friends!

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[Disclosure: We received three complimentary copies to listen to and review. We received no addition compensation in exchange for our review.]

When One 2 One Network asked if I’d like to review the soundtrack of a new musical, Rock of Ages, I gave a very dramatic yes. I love musicals. I love singing. And I love to learn about new musicals. As Rock of Ages was billed to us in the initial contact as a musical “perfect for all of you ladies who are stirred by American Idol, a good 80’s mix tape, the nostalgia of Aqua-Net, and the adrenaline of Broadway musicals.” That’s me in a sentence.

When the soundtrack arrived, I hadn’t yet researched the musical. Turning the case over to look at the song list, I began to dance in my seat. Some of these songs remain on my all time rockin-out-tunes list. Have a look:

Just Like Paradise / Nothin’ But A Good Time
Sister Christian
We Built This City / Too Much Time On My Hands
I Wanna Rock
We’re Not Gonna Take It
Heaven/More Than Words / To Be With You
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Wanted Dead Or Alive
I Want To Know What Love Is
Cum On Feel The Noize / We’re Not Gonna Take It (Reprise)
Harden My Heart / Shadows Of The Night
Here I Go Again
The Final Countdown
Any Way You Want It / I Wanna Rock (Reprise)
High Enough
I Hate Myself For Loving You / Heat Of The Moment
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Can’t Fight This Feeling
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Oh Sherrie
The Search Is Over
Don’t Stop Believin

I popped in the soundtrack while I hit up the website to learn a little more information. Basically, the synopsis from the site reads: small town girl meets big-city rocker and they fall in love to awesome 80’s music. I didn’t have to read any more though. I became an instant fan as I listened to the soundtrack. Why?

Not only did I already know the words to the songs but they were written for me! Female parts where I always thought there should be female parts. I mean, don’t you think the song “More Than Words” was actually meant to be sung by a female? Someone finally gets it! Someone finally gets me!

In the end, my favorite song on the soundtrack (which is also my favorite 80’s power ballad) was “High Enough.” While beautiful in its original form, the male-female duet on the soundtrack took me… well, high enough. I may have injured a vocal chord while belting it out one day to pick up the boys from visiting my parents.

Which brings me to the only downfall of this soundtrack: it’s not kid-friendly. I can’t/don’t listen to this music when my sons are awake or when we’re all in the vehicle together. Why? While the songs themselves have some sexual undertones, the dialogue that is interspersed between and in the middle of various songs isn’t always appropriate for little ears. I really have no desire for BigBrother to repeat some of those words or ask me what herpes is. That said, I laughed at the humor, even if I won’t repeat some of the words myself. I like a musical with edge. It’s just not for my kids. Big deal. It’s for me!

If you’re interested in learning more about the musical or the soundtrack, you could watch the video on the making of the soundtrack. If you’re already sold by the idea of four part harmony and stellar duets on your favorite 80’s tunes, you could just buy one now. Or…

You could win a copy here!

To win a free copy, leave a comment here telling me your favorite song on the track listing. If you don’t know any of those songs, you may be too young to participate. Just sayin’. One winner will be chosen at random on August 18, 2009 sometime after the noon hour. The winner will receive an email from me asking for shipping information. Winner has two days to respond or another random number will be chosen.

I’m hoping to someday catch this musical. Live. I even think FireDad would enjoy this particular show. It appeals to the rocker in all of us. And, come on, don’t you want to just belt out some of these songs upon reading their names? Sing with me.

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[I received a complimentary copy of the soundtrack in return for my honest review.]

The boys have always slept with music on in their rooms. They each have their own CD players. For two and a half years, BigBrother listened to classical music each night before I bought him the Cars soundtrack. Recently, however, I’ve been putting on Faith, Hope and Lullabies for both of TheBrothers.

(And then listening to it myself as it wafts down the hallway.)

Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Songs of Worship is a beautiful, calming way to introduce your children to good music. I rarely get to sit with my boys at night nowadays. They’ve always been quick to put down, quick to find sleep on their own. However, LittleBrother was having a rough night last night. As I sat on the floor by his toddler bed, rubbing his back, listening to the music, I couldn’t help but sing along with the instrumental music. As I sang along with How Great is Our God, my youngest child’s eyes watched me, peacefully. I won’t lie. He didn’t fall asleep as I sang to him (because even when I try to be quiet, I’m not really; it’s me!). But it was a lovely moment, one I don’t want to forget.

I love that I can expose my children to such beautiful music at such a young age. Music with meaning, even if it is just the instrumental pieces. I prefer this to the junk that I hear on the radio, the stuff that we’ll have to argue over in the future. I can only hope that exposing them to worship music now, in small little ways, will make the fights few and far between.

So, give a listen and then head over to Faith, Hope & Lullabies.

These CDs would really make a beautiful gift for an expectant mother, a new family or any child who likes to snooze to some good music. (Or, really, for an adult who loves to sleep to music and loves worship music. I can’t wait to snooze to it myself when we’re sharing a bedroom at camp this year! WOO!)

Diane Birch’s debut CD Bible Belt is a new and welcome addition to my music library. And not just a song here or there, but the whole darn album! I loved it through and through, from song to song. That rarely happens for me as I tend to be rather picky about songs, music and what I listen to (and/or belt out while driving along in my car). While Diane’s voice is a bit lower than mine (I’d classify her as an alto whereas I’m a Soprano I), I can still get some singing and grooving going on as I drive down these winding roads. I mean, sure, she’s got more soul than I do but it makes for a good time.

Favorite songs of mine included:

• Fire Escape (duh)
• Nothing But a Miracle
• Ariel

But, again, I should point out that I didn’t dislike any of the songs. So, I really should just list all of the songs. But I won’t. Those three could be called my favorites if I have to pick!

If I had to explain Diane’s style in one word, I couldn’t. It’s ecclectic and vibey. It’s unique and necessary. It’s jazzy and groovy and funky and beautiful and full of everything that I love (piano included). (See? Not just one word!) She’s soulful, which is what probably appeals to me most as my classical training didn’t leave much room for some jazzy soul at the piano side. As such, I find myself gravitating toward such music when I want to relax and/or play with new music. Diane gives me that which I don’t get in my own vocal life and, for that, I am happy and grateful to be grooving along with her at the present time.

(Plus, and I don’t mean this in a shallow way, but have you seen her eyes? Totally jealous of their big, beautiful size! Beautiful and talented? This woman has it going on!)

You can check out some of the songs on Diane Birch’s Myspace page. Be sure to listen to Fire Escape which is an official FireFamily approved song. Of course. (Which, by the way, you can download for free via this link.)

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[Once again, thanks to the One2One Network for exposing me to more amazing music!]

I reviewed the Yanni Voices DVD a few months ago here on the blog. When I was contacted again by the One2One Network to ask if I wanted tickets to the concert and the Meet & Greet afterward, I about fell out of my chair. I had not been expecting such a thing. I excitedly replied that, yes, I would love to go. I was told that two tickets would be waiting for me at Will Call along with the information for the Meet & Greet.

Fast forward to last night: I was blown away by the music. I grew up knowing of Yanni and listening to various pieces. And I fell in love with this new project of his upon first listen. But there is simply nothing like a live Yanni performance. I don’t think I’ll ever miss another concert that comes near me. The caliber of the musicians on that stage was like that I have never seen before in all my days of music appreciation. That’s not to say that I haven’t seen some amazing musicians. I have! I’ve been to many a symphony, orchestra performance and various musicals, concerts of varying type and small, local jazz fests. I simply love music. It is and, I believe, always will remain a vital part of who I am and how I express myself. But those instrumental musicians? I was wowed. I was awed. I was stunned. I was overjoyed to be in the same room with such a talented group.

Of course, the vocalists (which is my side of music making) were phenomenal. First and foremost, as I love a man who can sing, I would have run away with Nathan Pacheco in a heartbeat. Every time he came on stage, he captivated me with his Italian. (I sang in Italian through high school vocal training and in college as one of my two majors was vocal performance.) The sound that came from his mouth each time he opened it was simply the epitome of what any vocalist should strive to be: full, open and pleasing to listen to even if you didn’t know a word of Italian. (Though I picked up the gist of each song thanks to my years of training.) Ender Thomas, on the other hand, made my heart flutter in a different way. His voice, of course, was just a fabulous but his energy and stage presence were outstanding. I don’t think I have that much energy! Some of his notes were amazing! Leslie Mills, though I think I could have fit her in my pocket, was also another powerhouse type of voice. Watching her sing was a beautiful moment. And, of course, Chloe, who I claimed as my favorite back when I initially reviewed the DVD… having watched her perform on stage, I keep that opinion. I was humbled to even be in the audience as she sang. Her voice filled the entire stadium. Her dancing was beautiful. And her smile could win world peace for all. A few of her notes gave me chills. She remains an inspiration for me.

And what can I say about Yanni himself? I don’t think he ever stopped smiling. And it’s such a warm and inviting smile! I felt like he really cared about how we received the music, that he wanted us to enjoy our time in the audience. (And we did!) He was a force to be reckoned with as well. I was in awe of his sheer talent.

Of course, Yanni made me get teary-eyed at one point. That’s not particularly hard as I am known for such thing but he spoke directly to my heart and the hearts of everyone else at one point. Before he launched into an amazing live version of “Marching Season” which featured his talented and humorous drummer, he talked for a bit. And he gave us this little bit of advice.

“Don’t forget to dream.”

Well, excuse me while I snot all over myself, Yanni. But sometimes I need to be reminded of such things. Thank you.

The Meet and Greet afterward was equally lovely. We got some special attention as we were there courtesy of One-to-One. We enjoyed that little bonus time. I learned little things about each of the three singers we met. I also got to meet the amazing violinist (and learned that she has not washed her (stunning) dress since Aculpulco because she’s afraid of the beading falling off. She was just as beautiful as she was talented.). I loved the warmth that each of them gave off. And, of course, I took pictures.

Us with Ender Thomas.

Us with Nathan Pacheco.

Us with Leslie Mills.

(See the sunburn? Wear sunscreen.)

Speaking on a fully personal level, let me tell you what this experience caused in my life. This experience allowed me to get to better know someone I met on a musical performance level and has now become a friend. This experience allowed me to catch up with an old friend as we discussed what PR reps and companies are doing right (like One2One) and how they’re really harming their own reputations with bloggers as of late (not One2One). It allowed me to have a night of beautiful music, something my soul needs every so often. It allowed me to remember the beauty of a live performance. It allowed me to believe that dreams really do come true.

I may never be on a stage that big. I may never release a CD. Or write the book everyone is pushing me to write. Or be featured on the front page of our local newspaper like my hot husband. But, perhaps, I will still dare to dream that beautiful (and musical) things will continue to happen in my life. That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing at all.

In short, if the Yanni Voices tour is coming to a venue near you (through the end of June), see them. You won’t regret it. (Even if you don’t know what Yanni is all about.) If you simply love a good show and appreciate musicians and vocalists who own what they do, you will not be disappointed by attending. Remaining dates as follows:

6/9/09 Kansas City, MO
6/10/09 Wichita, KS
6/12/09 Austin, TX
6/13/09 Houston, TX
6/14/09 Dallas, TX
6/16/09 Denver, CO
6/17/09 Salt Lake City, UT
6/19/09 Sacramento, CA
6/20/09 San Diego, CA
6/21/09 Anaheim, CA
6/23/09 Los Angeles, CA
6/25/09 Oakland, CA

As a side note, it was just announced that for the remaining stops of the tour, a limited number of tickets will be on sale for ten dollars. (Read more.) I’m sure the seats won’t be as great as ours but just being in the building will be enough to awe you. Trust me.

[Once again, many thanks to One2One for making this possible for myself and my friend Barb who was in attendance with me. We had a delightful time and I'm sure we will remember it for a lifetime. We are quite grateful.]

When the One2One Network asked if I wanted to review the He’s Just Not That Into You soundtrack, I jumped up and down in my seat! I saw the preview trailer for the movie while out on a rare Girl’s Night Out and have wanted to see the movie ever since. To boot, as you may remember from my recent Yanni Voices review, I’m a music lover. I love soundtracks the most because they have all kinds of different music on one CD. It’s like a mix tape that I didn’t have to think about!

I listened to the entire CD the other night while doing some work. It’s just a great listen. It starts with a favorite of mine, Corine Bailey Rae and has everything from the 80’s (omg! The Human League!) to present day (omg! Maroon 5!). I enjoyed the randomness of decade jumping as that’s really how I happen to listen to my music as well. (Seriously? If this soundtrack had thrown a song from a musical on it, it would have been as if I really did make this CD. Seriously.)

My favorite songs included REM’s “Supernatural Superserious,” Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” and The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love.” And those are just the top three that made me dance in my seat with happiness. There wasn’t a song on the CD that I didn’t like. I was quite shocked by the final song, sung by Scarlett Johansson, one of the actresses in the movie. I didn’t know that she was a singer and so when I looked to see who was crooning at me, I was happily surprised. Not my favorite song on the CD (see above) but not my least favorite either! What a talented lady!

The soundtrack CD actually is an enhanced CD so you can watch a piece of the film (which has only made me want to go see it more). To boot, the website for the soundtrack lets you have a listen to a bit of a few songs. (I love being able to listen before I buy, don’t you?)

Review aside, I’ve got a chance for you to win this soundtrack! That’s right! You can win! Thanks to the One2One Network, we’re giving away a copy of this stellar mix of music AND a swanky hoodie sweatshirt. No, really, it’s swanky. See?

Hoodie

I know you want to enter! So how do you do it? Two ways!

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite movie soundtrack. Don’t have one? Look at the song list on the soundtrack part of the movie website and tell me what you think your favorite song might be. You may leave one comment of this nature. Note: all first time comments are held for moderation. I will get to you and approve you, I promsie.

2. Tweet this giveaway in your twitterstream. Just copy and paste the sentence below and bring back the URL to the singular tweet and leave it in a separate comment. (To grab the singular URL, click on the time stamp (5 minutes ago, as an example) and copy/paste the URL here.)

FireMom of Stop, Drop & Blog is giving away a copy of the He’s Just Not That Into You prize pack. Go enter! http://tinyurl.com/hoodiesntk

You may do one or both to enter but you do not have to do both to win!

Giveaway will be open to new entries until noon on February 10, 2009. At that time, comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen via random.org. Winner’s information will be shared with One2One Network solely for the purpose of shipping the winner’s soundtrack and hoodie. Winnings will ship direct to winner!

And if you can’t wait to see if you win, go ahead and grab the soundtrack which came out TODAY! Even better? It’s available on iTunes which is the quickest (and, if you live where I am, warmest) way to go about jamming out to some new tunes.

Best of luck to all!

If you know me outside of blog land, you might know that in addition to being a freelance writer and a pseudo-photographer, I am a singer. I was a double major in college (broadcast communications with music). Music has always been a huge part of my life. After college, I wasn’t involved in singing again until I joined our church’s choir two years ago. I have since taken a leave of absence from choir as I’ve taken over the nursery care in our church. In doing so, FireDad encouraged me to audition for a local chorale. And I must tell you, it has been great to be back on stage, actively practicing and performing music once again.

And that’s why I jumped at the chance to review Yanni Voices when One2One Network contacted me. I love music of all kinds. I really, really love experiencing new and phenomenal music as well. And, let me tell you, this? Is phenomenal.

Basically, Yanni took two years to produce this collaboration. The four vocalists featured on Voices are outstanding. (My personal favorite is Chloe. I’m shocked that she’s only 20! Such maturity to her tone!) On Voices, Yanni has “reinterpreted” his classical composition and is debuting new music as well. Really, it’s just a treat for your ears.

My favorites? Change (Chloe) and Kill Me With Your Love (Chloe) are just amazing. Change probably takes the cake for favorite of all favorites. Nathan Pacheco’s Enchantment made me long for my old classical music college days. (In fact, I think I might break out my Italian aria CDs in the very near future!) And Leslie Mills in Before the Night Ends was just simply beautiful. We have now listened to the music for a good month. I have not yet tired and, in fact, I am now singing along with a handful of the songs (my favorites, mainly!).

Being as dorky as I am, I must say that I love that the Yanni Voices project has teamed up with PBS. I’ve watched the DVD myself (you can watch a blurb about it here) and can tell you that it’s just a beautiful addition to the music itself. There’s a schedule where you can see when Yanni Voices is airing on your local PBS station.

Even more awesome? These amazing Voices are ON TOUR! I’m very tempted to buy tickets to the June 7th stop in Columbus, Ohio. If I go, I will definitely blog about it over on the main blog! Honestly, I’d love to meet with the female singers specifically and ask them more about their training and how they feel working with Yanni! I can’t even imagine. It must be such a rush. When you consider that so much music in today’s culture really shies away from anything like this, I bet it must be amazing to be recognized for their ability in such a grand-scale way. But my guess is that even if I had enough cash to buy a VIP Package, I wouldn’t likely meet the singers! Such is life.

Anyway, I’m rambling. I do that when it comes to music. Whoops.

I encourage you to check out the website (you can listen to a few of the songs right there), watch the PBS special and, if you like all of that, you simply must grab the CD. You won’t regret it.