Meet Emily David, aka Queen Emily. She’s a 40-year-old single mom, a snappy dresser, and the only talented person on Tuesday night’s episode of America’s Got Talent.

I haven’t heard such a great rendition of Chain of Fools since Turkey Sub from School of Rock. It was proud, soulful, sassy, and confident. It was the voice of a woman who’d worked hard, walked through hell and lived to tell about it.

In her interview, Emily said, “So many times I think it will never happen for me…but then I go and look in the mirror and say ‘Why not me?’”

Why not you Emily? Why shouldn’t you take this show (and this country) by the shoulders and shake us out of a crappy music slump?

We’ve put up with pop starlets too long. Even those with good voices haven’t had the life experience to make their songs really sing. We’ve confused drunk driving, pantie dropping and stage parents with celebrity and even worse…with talent. And what do we have to show for it? Why should we wait for Disney to tell us who the next pop idol/future pariah is when hard-working, truly gifted people people like Emily are right in front of us? Read More »

Part of the brilliant thing about music is its ability to transport you anywhere; the past, future, your ex-boyfriend’s bed, graduation, drunken evenings in Cabo… Whatever. Just like scents, when certain songs climb into your ears they take you on a journey.

I’d like to make that journey a little more literal and give you some of my favorite city-specific tunes. Start packing the suitcase, this gypsy’s taking you with her!

1. Is It Safe- Matt Pond PA [let’s go swimming in Philly]

2. Pachuca Sunrise- Minus the Bear

3. This Place is a Prison- The Postal Service [watch water “cascade down Puget Sound”]

4. Lubbock or Leave It- Dixie Chicks [take a trip back to Texas]

5. Lights- Journey [see the lights shine in San Fran]

6. Boston- Augustana

7. 8 Mile- Eminem [takes you to his hometown of Detroit]

8. La Cienega Just Smiled- Ryan Adams [takes you on a drive in Los Angeles] Read More »

Despite what you might hearing the media, there are big things happening in music other than Aretha Franklin’s boobs (but seriously, how ginormous are they?!). I thought I’d share the rundown with all of you so you can stay on top of what’s happening in the biz.

First thing, I think they stopped saying “biz” several years ago. Remove it from your lexicon.

- The bloggers over at BestWeekEver exposed me to a little website called Muxtape.com today. You can upload your own music and turn it into a playlist that’s accessible to everyone on the site. It’s a great way to access new music (I got to fall in love with Cat Power all over again this morning) or just share your impeccable music tastes with everybody.

The uploading is a little slow, possibly due to an unusual amount of traffic, but invest some time in it if you have a few minutes. Read More »

There’s something about listening to a woman tear her heart open onstage…husky voice dripping in longing, captivating eyes staring out at the audience, that is truly beautiful.

Women with soul speak for all of us who have gone through heartbreak, fallen in love, cried on the bathroom floor when our hearts fell into the pit of our stomachs after seeing our ex with his new girl… We’ve all been there, and the women who sing about it have been there too, putting everything we’ve cried and screamed about into words.

Though there are always the classics; Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald among countless others, there are women breaking new ground with the same grit, the same heart-wrenching confessions at the mic, and the same beautiful voices gliding over bossa nova grooves, brass, and funky drum beats.

These women have it all. So light some candles, pour yourself a glass of wine and feel empowered, cry, remember, whatever…they’ll take you somewhere and I promise they’ll hold your heart in the palm of their hands the entire time.

*Duffy: when I say she’s going to give Amy Winehouse a run for her money, I mean it.
Download: Rockferry and Mercy Read More »