SOTD, I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton

“But this song is by Whitney Houston?”, I hear you all cry. No. Contrary to popular belief, Dolly Parton wrote and originally performed this song as Miss Mona for the 1982 comedy musical film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and if I may be so bold, sang the best version. It shows that you don’t have to be loud to prove a point. Carrie Underwood did an arrangement of this song during the Country to Country concert I was fortunate enough to attend at the London O2 arena back in March; Carrie’s version was almost a mix of Whitney diva and Dolly passion, perfect for Carrie’s personality. I’m singing this song – not the Dolly version, not the Whitney version, not the Carrie version, but my version – at a gig in Cambridge on Friday, so I thought I would share with you all the wonder that is Miss Dolly.

Go and watch the film, it’s incredible.

“You know, it’s always a business doing pleasure with you, Charlie” – Miss Mona

Let’s Meet The Sons

On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of travelling with my boyfriend to Bury St Edmunds (when I say pleasure, I mean spending an two-hour round trip listening to 60s music and eating mini doughnuts/KFC chicken) to watch The Sons of Pitches live in concert. For those of you who don’t know, they are an incredible a cappella group who rose to fame following Gareth Malone’sTV show The Naked Choir.

Upon arrival at the Apex, it was evident that we were two of around 15 audience members under the age of 30… But the show itself was absolutely sensational. Nina Schofield offered a relaxing yet entertaining support act, preparing the audience for the main event. From the moment they came on stage, The Sons were slick, smooth, perfectly in tune and belly-laughingly funny; it wasn’t just a musical concert, it was a comedy performance too. They sang all of the songs that made us fall in love with them from The Naked Choir, threw in some new ones, and even did two live-participation improvisations to show the audience how unbelievably talented they actually are.

The best part? Meeting them afterwards. They are genuinely the nicest guys, who actually want to speak to you and know about your life. Lesson One of Musicianship: get to know your audience – it really makes them love you as an act. I told the Sons that their version of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights had inspired one of my university essays, so I hope they realise how influential they are to their fans. They’ve come a long way since they first met Gareth Malone, and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I thank them for letting me be a part of their journey.

Lesson One of Musicianship: get to know your audience – it really makes them love you as an act.

SOTD, Drink You Away/Tennessee Whiskey

So my first Song of the Day in almost 3 years is Best New Artist winner Chris Stapleton feat. Justin Timberlake, and is a live performance of their combined songs Tennessee Whiskey and Drink You Away from the Country Music Awards 2015. This duo is everything that the country/rock music scene needs in the 21st Century; an up and coming artist, with a multi-award winning artist; country/rock with jazz/funk; a love for music with the talent for music. If you have 9 minutes of your Saturday night to spare, give them a listen – you will not regret it.

Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does – Johnny Cash

Hello from the other side…

It’s been almost 3 years since I last visited this site, and what a crazy 3 years it’s been. My last few posts were about going off to university, and as of next week… I will have finished my degree. I am using this blog to talk about the thing I love the most, and the thing that I spent the last 3 years learning about – music! Feel free to contact me to suggest topics of discussion, but I will endeavour to provide a wide range of posts, including the original ‘Song of the Day’ posts! Welcome back to my blog. I can’t wait to start the journey again.

SOTD, Hello Goodbye – The Beatles

The most influential band in musical history; and if anyone tries to tell me otherwise, I’ll probably get so frustrated that I start crying. This song was in my head so I needed to post it. My favourite bit is from 2:52 – love it.

SOTD, Superstar – Jamelia

THIS SONG WAS MY JAM. I was reintroduced to it this afternoon and I must say… I am loving it.

Tu es belle dans tous les sens!

“Rumour has it that Vaseline is bad and [petroleum jelly] is basically a byproduct of the oil industry”

 

Rumour also has it that Walt Disney’s body was frozen underneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Anaheim Disneyland Park, until the day a cure for lung cancer was found – that, too, was hear-say. Petroleum jelly may be a result of crude oil refinery, but there is no recent evidence to suggest that it is harmful to one’s skin.

For starters… I use it every day.

My morning routine includes washing my face, putting on my make up, and applying a generous amount of Vaseline to my lips. IT MAKES THEM KISSABLY SOFT.
And… Every Sunday night, I smother a good palmful of petroleum jelly on the whole of my face; I do this to make it smooth and radiant. People frown upon this, however – some say that the greasiness of the jelly clogs pores and speeds up the development of acne. But right here is a real life case study; I do this every week, and in no way does it hinder my chances of looking amazing.

More great ideas for Vaseline:
– Apply it to your eyelashes every evening and leave it to mellow overnight; it supposedly helps them to grow.
– Rub it into the inside of a nail varnish lid to prevent it from sticking.
– Use a thin coating of jelly underneath eyeshadow to give it some extra hold.
– Apply to the neck and wrists before spraying perfume to maintain the scent for longer.
– It makes a wonderful make-up remover!
– Helps to protect new tattoos (ink or henna).
– Scrunch into flat hair for a sexy, rough look.
– Apply to eyebrows to fix that one unruly hair.
– Smother the petroleum jelly on any patch of dry skin to wake up feeling smooth!

All this being said, the one thing to remember is that beauty doesn’t come from strict regimes or natural genes. Beauty is something that comes from the heart. If you truly believe you are beautiful, other people will too. 

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Return of the Bed-i.

After a restless night and a lot of medication, I’ve woken up this morning feeling like death itself, and having suffered with a terrible cold 2 weeks ago, I reckoned I was safe from most illnesses. Evidently, I was wrong.

Nausea, headache, dizziness and a general lacking of a certain je ne sais quoi. Forget the empire; Freshers Flu strikes back.

SOTD, Creeque Alley – The Mamas and the Papas

One of my all time favourite songs from an amazing band of the 60’s/70’s. This Song of the Day is an good’un – the story of the Mamas and the Papas and how they got together. Enjoy.

SOTD, The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel

Apologies for not posting in a long time – uni has got in the way. This song still gives me goosebumps, 15 years to the day since I first heard it; I don’t know whether it’s the haunting harmonies, the inspirational lyrics or the events happening in my life at that time that make me cry whenever I listen to it. I chose a live version because it shows off their natural vocal ability, even at that age; ignore the occasional cheers from the audience. A stunning song from a truly stunning duo. Please enjoy – this song means too much.