A Smooth Soul Hip Hop holiday tune from Japan? Free? In Japanese? Oh, yeah, it don't get no better than that. Take a listen to Louvre's "New Year's Eve (With You)" and get the song free from Soundcloud. (Come on, you know you love it.) |
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I'm truly happy to see Nigerian music breaking through in this country. It's kind of neat. Of course, I've always enjoyed listening to Christmas music from far away places. It's something I used to long for as a kid. I'd be reading Billboard magazine, looking at the international charts at Christmas, and wondering why I couldn't listen to those songs.
Anyway, pardon the momentary reverie. Izzy Olaore was born in Nigeria, but was raised in the U.S. Then he moved back to Nigeria for a bit. And, for the moment, he seems to have settled in Nashville. How cool would it be to hear Nigerian Country music? Well, that's not what Izzy does. If anything, he brings in more of a Gospel flavor, though there's also a clear R&B/Hip Hop influence to "Noel". Izzy has a three song "Holiday Collection"--all three tunes free--up on Soundcloud. There's the regular mix of "Noel" and a third song, "Let's Go", which is more of a Club thing and doesn't strike me as all that holiday oriented. But the acoustic mix of "Noel" is the thing I liked here. Maybe I'm just getting too old (ain't no maybe about it, dude), but the other tracks are just too busy and loud for my head. The acoustic version of "Noel" appeals to me as a much more heartfelt and personal expression of the season. I ain't nobody special, but I'd be interested in hearing more from that guy. The bombastic, loud, Electro Funk Izzy...not so much. Just sayin'. ![]() A young Hip Hop Pop artist from Boston, Ben Mader followed the Justin Bieber path to success, building a strong following through YouTube before signing a label deal. With the video of "Listen To Your Heart", he gained over 1000 followers within a week. But Ben also performed whenever the opportunity arose, up and down the east coast, building an even greater following. He did all this while still in school as he's, what, 17 or 18 right now. Ben's debut EP, "Lost In The Moment", was released in May of this year and the lead single "Don't Know How To Dance" has done very well. "Christmas Time" is a fun Rap/Hip Hop Pop tune--not just free of expletives, but free of attitude. Ben's got no problem poking a little fun at himself. He won me over when Santa got his name wrong. "Ho Ho Ho! Is That Ben Matter?" Ben corrects Santa with "No, Santa. Its May-der but it don't matter." As I said, fun. And free via Soundcloud. And that's a great combination. ![]()
This is one of those times when I ask myself, "Why does no one ever google their artist name before they take it on?"
J. Rashad is a Soul/R&B/Hip-Hop artist. OK, we're safe there.....because ALL the J. Rashads are. Performer, writer, producer. Still safe. But I've got one J. Rashad from Ohio, one from Michigan, one from L.A. (although that could be the same one as from Michigan), and this J. Rashad from Oklahoma. Now they could all be the same J. Rashad. Or maybe he's discovered the joys of cloning. But my head is spinning trying to figure out who is who, so I give up. This is the Oklahoma J. Rashad (as in Jamar Rashad Davis) and, from the other songs on his Soundcloud page, it sounds like he's still experimenting with different sounds (which is cool, you know). A recent grad of SWOSU, this is this J. Rashad's first original Christmas song and its a free download (which is also cool). Maybe it was growing up while Motown was king, but I'm a sucker for smooth Soul and R&B. And, as I was digging through the crap on Soundcloud (looking for the ponies), I came across "What I Want For Christmas", my headache went away and I found myself breathing deep and saying, "Ah, that's nice." The cover art he went with is better than most, too. So here's to you J. Rashad...whichever one you are. ![]()
It's December first and that's when the Advent calendars begin (speaking in terms of music, here). And one of our very favorite Advent Calendars is the Alternativ Julekalender. Once upon a time, I knew who did this, but I've forgotten. It's easy to forget, though, because the music comes straight to my online mailbox. No muss, no fuss. A song a day through Christmas--all free for the download. Ain't that cool? I don't know how you sign up for the emailbox delivery anymore. But you really don't have to because the songs are posted to Soundcloud (you just have to remember to keep checking).
Day one features....that band in the title performing......that song in the title. Hey, do I look like I speak Norwegian? Translated, the song title is "Now It's Christmas Again!" and its an Indie Alt Hip Hop song, with the three trading beats and bustin' rhymes as Christmas characters. Fiko is the Spirit of Christmas, Rex is Rudolph, and Heemugen is playing Santa Claus. I do not understand a syllable of what they're laying down, but the beat's pretty cool. And, really, I just wanted to post the cover art. |
The FREE ListHere we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations. Archives2010 FREE List Categories
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