Wednesday, October 17, 2007

What is a Guilty Pleasure? I have the answer...

I've mentioned before that I used to be a big pop music fan. I've drifted away from it as I've gotten older, especially over the last two years, nothing was coming out that I even found remotely exciting. But with the release of the new Backstreet Boy record and the new Britney, I've really found that my 14 year old self is trying to make comeback. However, I'm not excited for the Britney release, the tracks that have been leaked don't speak to me at all. I'm trying to get excited about the BSB album, but I haven't heard a song that I love either, I'm hoping that will change when I hear the full releases and not just the 30 second clips.

So instead, I've somehow gotten sucked into the cheesy world that is the High School Musical cast. I've been listening to Vanessa, Ashley, and the HSM soundtrack pretty much non-stop. Make fun of me if you will, but it actually reminds me of the day when pop music was GOOD. When I could dance around and giggle at the simple lyrics about love and loss, sung by people who have hardly reached the age to know what its like. I don't feel bad for liking this music, but I'm starting to understand, at the age of 22, exactly what a guilty pleasure is. I don't want to admit to it, but I love it.

The 14 year old inside of me is rocking out. Especially to this song.



Laugh if you must, but I'm pretty sure I enjoy life a lot more than you do.

The Nobody.

Monday, October 15, 2007

County Music and American Idol = Carrie Underwood

It's been a long time. I was in the process of a gigantic move across the country, hence the lack of pop culture related posts from The Nobody. Well, she's also no longer creeping around L.A. trying to find out what Britney Spears' drug of choice is. She's moved to Nashville.

And I'll stop talking about myself like that now. I have bigger and better things to update about.

I was never a fan of American Idol. I avoided it from the moment it started. But, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a huge fan of country music. And when my best friend told me there was an great singer making her way through the ranks that sang COUNTRY, I got involved. Carrie Underwood (and country music in general) may not be everyones cup of tea. But the girl has a powerhouse voice, that can't be denied.

Upon my move to Music City (which it most definitely is, more musical than any other cities I've ever been in, and I've been in A LOT of cities... trust me) I took my first trip to the Grand Ole Opry. If you ever make the trek to Nashville I suggest you visit. There are performers there that have been performing for over 60 years. Not to mention some of the best musicians working their fingers in ways you never even dreamed possible. It's a real treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of true musicianship.

On this particular night Ricky Scaggs was there, as was little Jimmy Dickens, among many many other greats. I felt blessed to be in the same room as them, as if it wasn't enough to see them live. But Carrie Underwood was the closer. I saw her once before at the CMA Festival in June of this year. And she was good, I was impressed, but seeing her in a setting like this only solidified her right to be as famous as she is.

She sang a stunning version of How Great Thou Art, a gospel song that you'd normally only want to hear sung by the best of gospel vocalists. She sang the single off her new album, Carnival Ride, as well as that ass kicking song Before He Cheats, and overall it was a great performance. She's grown a lot since her stint on American Idol, both vocally and performance wise. She was also the type that didn't show a ton of emotion when she sang, but she's starting to get the hang of it. As a young performer myself, I understand how hard it can be to connect to a piece of music, but she's really starting to shine in that department.

Anyway, I swear to get back in the swing of things. It probably won't truly happen until this Nobody finds a job. But you've gone on without me this long. I can imagine you'll last a little longer.

Here's a picture for your time.