Free Fallin...done right!

Does anyone listen to these songs I'm posting? Just checking...

"Free Falling" is an excellent song written by rock legend Tom Petty. It's safe to say that Free Falling is a rock classic, and rock classics are difficult to touch, that's why their classics! However, every once in a while, a talented artist will come along and cover an already great song and give it a brand new, refreshing, and modern sound. That's exactly what we have on our hands with John Mayer's cover of this vintage Tom Petty classic!

Performed during Mayer's 2007 LA concert called, Where The Light Is, the virtuoso Mayer is accompanied by two band members, Robbie McIntosh and David Ryan Harris. By giving the song a slowed down pure acoustic feeling, Mayer truly makes this song his own. The song is even better when you experience the video of the performance.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNW8q-Ucz18

A little bit of Kanye West...

How is everybody doing?! I'm doing fantastically well, especially since it's time for me to post another tight song (I hope you think it is too)!

This week's song comes from Mr. "Louis Vitton Don" himself, Kanye West. To be honest, I don't listen to TONS of Kanye, but some of his songs are, in my opinion, phenomenal. Musically each of his albums is unique and reflects his progression as an artist and a as a person. Lyrically, he throws down some creativity beyond the grasp of most artists in the hip-hip/rap world.

At any rate...this song, Heartless, was performed by Mr. West during his Vh1 Storytellers concert which aired a few months ago. If the original version of this song is enough to get you shaking and singin' then this live version, backed by a full-symphony and featuring numerous "on the fly" flows and monlogues, will definitely get you out of your seat! He's backed by a full strings section, bassist, multiple drummers, back up singers and a slick fingered guitarist who busts out a pretty impressive riff mid-song.

Needless to say, this song is dope, that's right, DOPE!

Enjoy and let me know what you think...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz89AELIocE

PS: for anyone out there who really digs Kanye's stuff, you'll appreciate the other Storytellers videos featured on Youtube

Sweet version of a sweet song!

It's Tuesday! Well...technically it's 12 a.m. on Wednesday morning but who's keeping track really?
Man am I a huge slacker, I committed to posting a new song every week and here I am posting my second song three months later. I'll be better...

Hopefully you guys are digging the songs. Write me a note and let me know what you think each week.

This week's song came across my ears completely by happenstance...
So there I was, scrolling through the DVR at my buddy Seth's house when I came across a program from Palladia (a sweet HD concerts channel) called "Peace One Day Concert." Intrigued, I started the program and this was the first song, "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. The arrangement is so simple yet musically powerful.

Sweet song, sweet arrangement, killer sound, and an impressive vocal variation by Mr. Adams.

Here's the link to the song on youtube. Please check it out and let me know if you like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9oj7wAWs40

PS: For a good laugh, check out the violinist's facial expressions at the end of his solo, you'll laugh, trust me!

"Swim" by Jack's Mannequin

I'm a sucker for inspirational lyrics put to catchy music. The background to this song is inspiring. Jack's Mannequin's principle member, singer, songwriter, etc... is a guy named Andrew McMahon.

Three months before the release of the band's first album, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and was consequently forced to cancel an upcoming summer tour to fight the illness. Three months later, he received a bone marrow transplant from his sister which lead to a full recovery.

This week's song, Swim, is the track on JM's newest album, The Glass Passenger. The song's lyrics depict his struggle with Leukemia and how he found the strength to overcome the illness and push forward in spite of it. Pretty amazing stuff!

Check out the lyrics here, http://www.lyricsyoulove.com/j/jacks_mannequin/swim/

And listen to the song on youtube or be a spender and download it from iTunes. It's well worth your time and 99 cents!

Let me know if you like it!

New Track Tuesday

In an attempt to share some music with my friends and family who take time to read my blog, Taylor Howe is giving back!

Those who know me know that I have a passion for music. One of the most powerful lessons I learned as a missionary in Brazil is the power (both positive and negative) music has on us as individuals, particularly through lyrics.

Now I dig on music from various genres and I'm always looking for new music to get into. With that being said, I want to share a little music with you. Each Tuesday I will write about a new song that I'm into and include the lyrics. I need to find some type of widget to post an MP3 of the songs (anyone know of anything?) but until then if you want to hear the song of any given week, try youtube.com and you'll likely find it there

I hope you like the songs!

Jacksonville is my new home!

Quick entry tonight! I moved back to Jacksonville, where I worked for two months at the beginning of the summer. Alicia told me on the phone tonight that it snowed in Utah? Yeah, I went to the beach yesterday...it was pretty sweet, oh, and SUNNY! Anyway, the main reason I wanted to blog is to post a few pics of my new girlfriend Amanda Anderson. She's an amazing girl...and the reason I moved back to Jacksonville.

That's all I have for tonight. Love you all!

It's been a while...

It's been a little while since my last post and since I know all of you have been anxiously awaiting news from me I decided to throw down a little something something! Life has been extremely good to me as of late. I've been living in Tampa, FL still working for the same company, Pinnacle Security, going to the beach, Busch Gardens theme park, Tampa Rays games and all sorts of fun stuff (a little work too.)

Last Saturday I had the incredible privilege of seeing Mr John Mayer in concert at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa. The man is so beyond talented it's unreal. I loved every second of the show. Unfortunately, me being well...me, I forgot to charge my camera battery before the show and was left without the ability to record the night on film. OneRepublic, another band I'm really into right now, opened the show with a pretty strong set. It was an excellent night for the music lover in me! Check out OneRepublic's album, "Dreaming Out Loud" and John Mayer's latest release, "Where The Light Is" for some excellent tunes for jamming out!

The next day, Sunday, I drove down to Port Canaveral and boarded the Carnival Sensation for an amazing end-of-the-summer cruise to the Bahamas. The best part about it was...it was all paid for by Pinnacle Security! We went to the islands of Freeport and Nassau and also had a day at sea aboard the boat. Stay tuned for pictures and video featuring my highly touted Karaoke skills!

That's all I have for now. My next post will be from Pittsburgh, PA where I'll be working for another month before, hopefully, coming back to the Beehive State that I love!