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!

When Parent Blogger Network asked if I wanted to review Boogie Superstar (with Microphone) for Wii, my Husband laughed. “As if you need to ask,” was close to what he said. In my day, I was a karaoke junkie. Then I had kids and didn’t have as much time to devote to bar life. And so karaoke in my home sounded fabulous!

To review this product, I first tried it out myself. Okay, so, maybe FireDad was also in the room being amused. But mostly it was by myself. Some things that I loved:

1. I had a BLAST making my character. I was initially disappointed that some of the clothing choices were “locked” but enjoyed taking the time to unlock them later on. Making my character made me feel young and hip again. Especially considering how I have no fashion sense, especially not a hip, urban and young fashion sense. Win.

2. It was pretty easy to sing along to the songs I knew. However it was also shockingly easy to sing along to the songs I didn’t know. Of course, I’ll be honest, one of my majors in college was vocal performance and I’m in a local chorale now. Sight-reading is kind of my “thing” but even my non-musically-inclined Husband mentioned that being able to see how long the note was supposed to go was pretty darn handy.

3. I had to practice the dance moves a few times and then change the batteries in my Wii-mote in order to get a good hand on them. While this sounds like a bad thing, I’m telling you simply because at first I was upset! I danced for eons growing up and into college! Certainly I could master some simple arm motions! After I changed the battery in my Wii-mote, the sensor bar better picked up what I was doing and the game stopped telling me that I was failing. It also worked best when LittleBrother wasn’t standing directly in front of the sensor. You know, details.

Things I didn’t like? In one song, just as an example right off the top of my head, “Makes Me Wonder” (originally performed by Maroon 5 and, as such, one I knew), has a cuss word. It starts with a d and ends with an amn. When it got to that point, which registered in my brain that it was coming up since I knew the words, it just had a blank spot. My Husband noted that I got it marked wrong for not singing there… twice… so I don’t know what that issue was. Maybe I was just really shocked that they didn’t put in a non-cuss word, even if it didn’t rhyme, into a game that was geared for ten year old children (and above). Who knows. I didn’t choose this song for my 10 year old reviewer to play later.

I also initially had trouble with trying to actually play. On the screen where you select how you’re going to play, I kept hitting wrong buttons and got sent back three times. Of note: my ten year old reviewer did not have this issue. Apparently I fail.

As I said, I brought over, with her mother’s permission, a ten year old girl to try out this game. She loved similar things: clothing changes (especially hair), the singing, the dancing and basically the entire game. She, being young and much more hip than I am, knew a majority of the pre-unlocked songs. I didn’t notice any missing cuss words in those songs but I will also admit to not knowing their lyrics ahead of time to know the difference. Her Mom didn’t like a few of the options because of the content of said lyrics. I will just simply say “Toxic” and Britney Spears and the majority of you will nod your head in agreement. I’m just not sure how that is ever appropriate for anyone under… 35. Including Britney.

All the same, we had a blast playing this game together. And I think that is a great point. While your children (ages ten and up PLEASE) are bound to love this game, my guess is that you could have some really good bonding moments while boogieing around your living room with this game. I know that I had a blast with my friend and her daughter and even with just my Husband while we tested it out first by ourselves. Heck, even LittleBrother had fun dancing to the music while I sang. (BigBrother was at school each time we busted the game out. We’re not stupid. We never would have gotten the microphone back!)

And so, if you’re looking for a Christmas gift for your Wii-loving, karaoke-singing household, this might just be one you should pick up!