MUSIC MONDAY 184 :: Lukas Graham "7 Years"

Music Monday 184 :: Lukas Graham "7 Years"

I saw this song performed live on the Billboard Music Awards yesterday. Love the lyrics and the way he sings the song. The arrangement is strong creating moments of crescendos and decrescendos that are quite natural.

Music Monday 81 :: Egypt Protest Songs on YouTube

Music Monday 81 :: Egypt Protest Songs on YouTube

Many of you know that I live and work in Cairo, Egypt. I've lived here for a year and a half or for three semesters to put it in academic terms. I teach at a university so that's more accurate.

There's been a lot of talk about what's been going on here. It's unfortunate that what you see on CNN and the BBC is not a full picture of what is going on here. What is going on here is the reason why I'm still here and did not hop on any of the charted U.S. embassy flights out of Egypt. There's no reason for me to leave; I live here and the fear that is being instilled in many people is inflated.

That said ... I'm here and enjoying all the fruits of the revolution: optimism and camaraderie.

I wrote a blog post on Indy Hip Hop World about Egypt's #Jan25 Movement & Hip Hop :: Arabian Knights and Lauryn Hill's "Rebel".

But for this Music Monday post, it's about:

Egypt protest music on YouTube

My Christmas Music Playlist on MySpace

I recently noticed that an old blog post about Christmas music is not functioning properly. I used to enjoy the old music site, Imeem. But since MySpace bought it out and shut it down, my life has not been the same.

MySpace is not a substitute for Imeem. MySpace is too cumbersome; they also don't offer an embed code for your blog or website. There might be a good reason for that or it might be that they just want to trap you at their website and feed you a steady stream of crappy music and ads.

Well, before I totally get out of the Christmas spirit, I'll take a minute to stop bashing MySpace. I took some time, and I do mean some time over on their slow website and I created a Christmas mix of music.

The playlist is full of some of my favs. I was annoyed to find that Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" is not available (somebody should really do something about that). But, again, I should stop bashing.

Well, you already know that I can't embed the playlist here, so here's the link:

• Christmas Mix on MySpace

Happy Holidays.

Music Monday 42 :: The Top 5 Kanye West Workout Songs

I know that it's the season to kick Kanye West, but I'm going in the other direction. I will (try to) ignore his personal life and appreciate his contribution to the music spectrum.

My recent workout calls for some uptempo tunes. Much to my surprise, I've found that my increased heart rate goes up when Kanye's songs are playing. Humm ... it's hard for me to ignore this fact. This woman here needs a good workout and a good song or two and Kanye fits the bill.

So without further ado ... here are the
Top 5 Kanye West Workout Songs

5. "All Falls Down"

4. "Stronger"

3. "Gold Digger"

2. "Good Life"

1. "Touch the Sky"

Now, go ahead and load up the playlist and let the pounds drop.

Music Monday 16 :: Stephanie Mills "Home"

I was listening to the radio today and "Home" by Stephanie Mills came on just as I was about to get out of the car. It was one of the few times when I took a pause - and enjoyed the moment. I sat and listened and sang along for the entire length of the song. Every time I hear it, I am so inspired.

Additionally, there is so much more to like about this song:

• arrangement
• vocals
• lyrics

This was from the soundtrack to "The Wiz." Mills played Dorothy in the Broadway production of "The Wiz" (there is also a movie version where Dorothy is played by Diana Ross).

The song was a #1 R&B hit in the late 80s. Listen to it an enjoy.

Home - Stephanie Mills

Music Monday 9 :: Ben Lee "Catch My Disease"

This song has been on the tip of my tongue for weeks, but I could not remember much about it. I knew and know that I like it. I love the uptempo beat and it sounds so fun. It's a spirit lifter for me. Brings me joy and excitement. Makes me smile. Maybe that's the disease that he alludes to. Oh and the lyrics are cool.

Anyway, I recalled that the artist was named 'Ben' and I sort of had the melody in my head. I had tried searching 'Ben' and 'singer' but I got Ben Folds and Ben Harper; great guys and musicians, but not who I was seeking at the time.

Then one day the word 'catch' came to mind as I was thinking of the song and then that was my Google search: singer named ben 'catch'. Love that Google.

So let me pull it all together here. The artist is Ben Lee. The song is "Catch My Disease".

Other Ben Lee and "Catch My Disease" Resources:

• "Catch My Disease" video on YouTube
• Info about "Catch My Disease" on Wikipedia
  

I hope that you enjoy this song as much as I do. I like the syncopation and the bells; I think it sounds like a xylophone. When is the last time you heard a xylophone on a record? Good stuff.