Musical Confessions of Music Junky

I like music. Really, I love music. I'm shocked that God didn't bless me with some sort of ability... I think that was clearly a joke he played on me: "This will be great... this guy is going to love music, but embarrass himself when he tries to sing in public, or play the drums on Rockband".

All of that said, I have some musical confessions I'd like to make. You see, I pride myself on being a fan of "Good Music" (I know... novel idea). So, admitting that I am a fan of anything that is too "poppy" is kind of pain-staking for me.

However, I have come across a couple of songs/artists that I am really enjoying, and they definitely fall into the "pop" category.

1.) Dreaming Out Loud: OneRepublic - These guys came out of nowhere with their mega-hit "Apologize". Don't be fooled, this would not have happened if they did not have the one and only Timbaland on board with the remix of that track. I've liked that song since the day I heard it on the radio... to say it is not infectious is to speak a lie. However, today I was doing a little musical recon and decided to pull down their entire album. I listened all the way through, and while there are couple boredom tracks that are over produced, I really enjoyed it for the most part. The song titled: "Mercy" is awesome... we'll be doing that at Journey Church in the near future I'm sure.

2.) As I Am: Alicia Keys - Now this is borderline pop. You see, she is actually an incredibly talented artist who writes, plays and sings her own music. I have a hard time calling her pop... although she would typically be defined as such. With her, it's not so much the whole album as it is the song: "No One". I'm addicted to it! I turn it up loud, and pump my fist... it's an anthem! There are some other solid songs on the album too, including: "The Thing About Love", "Wreckless Love", and "Lessons Learned" (featuring John Mayer). If you don't believe me, just read what John Mayer had to say about her (and the album) on a recent blog post:

I've been busy in the studio, both with my own music and working with Alicia. We wrote a song called "Lesson Learned" and it was one of the best creative experiences I've ever had. Oh, and her lead-off single "No One" is the track of the year. That's all there is to it. It'll blow you away when you hear it. She's evolved so much as an artist, it's crazy. She's made one beautiful and BRAVE album. Okay! Okay. That's enough slobbering over Alicia. She really is that good tho-OKAY