We were doing Blues on the front page today, so I stumbled across "New Years Blues" by Brooke D, a native of the California coast currently based in Portland, Oregon (I think). Oddly enough, this tune isn't (strictly speaking) Blues. It's a cappella Folk Jazz. What it is is interesting and different. And you know that "different" is one of my favorite words. "New Years Blues" is from Brooke's 2011 EP "A Kinder Winter" and you can download all three tunes free from Bandcamp. Dig around and you'll find a live version that's also free. Brooke is currently working on a real honest to goodness album which hopefully sees the light of day in 2016.
We were doing Blues on the front page today, so I stumbled across "New Years Blues" by Brooke D, a native of the California coast currently based in Portland, Oregon (I think). Oddly enough, this tune isn't (strictly speaking) Blues. It's a cappella Folk Jazz. What it is is interesting and different. And you know that "different" is one of my favorite words. "New Years Blues" is from Brooke's 2011 EP "A Kinder Winter" and you can download all three tunes free from Bandcamp. Dig around and you'll find a live version that's also free. Brooke is currently working on a real honest to goodness album which hopefully sees the light of day in 2016.
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If I'd found this a few days ago, it probably would have made the Stubby's House Christmas collection. I legitimately love this groove. C-Noch is an Indie R&B artist from just outside Detroit, Michigan. He grew up singing Gospel and, living just 10 miles from Hitsville, USA, he also has that Motown influence. But C-Noch's sound is more contemporary and he blends the Gospel and Motown with Hip Hop. The concept for "To Have A Merry Christmas" is brilliant. C-Noch starts with "My Favorite Things". "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, la la la la la la la..." What do you suppose a song like that means to a kid growing up near Detroit, Michigan? How could any city kid identify with any of that? Those aren't the images of Christmas they experience. No. Christmas to them looks like much of the rest of the year--broken glass, snow that's gone black from soot, bills in the mail that they can't afford to pay, a little girl gone missing on Christmas Eve, and far too many guns resulting in "blood in the streets". "What does it mean to have a Merry Christmas?" he asks. In the end, I believe he's rejecting both visions--the la-de-da fairytale holiday in the songs and commercials and the harsh reality he sees around him--as distractions from the real meaning of Christmas. Anyway, that's what I'm getting from the tune, which is as musically well done as it is thought provoking. "To Have A Merry Christmas" by C-Noch works for me on every level. Might not be what you want on your Christmas mixtape, but I'd want it on mine. Grab the free download on Soundcloud and drop C-Noch a "like" on Facebook. He deserves at least that much for this great Christmas track.
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. |
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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