Tuesday Tunes: Haley Reinhart

Old American Idol music ftw. ^_^ Love this song, and love her voice - even though its not normally my type of music.

Tuesday Tunes: Chasing the Sun

Tuesday Tunes: ThePianoGuys

Tuesday Tunes: OneRepublic medley

I've always liked OneRepublic, and this medley is pretty darn awesome. (Note: his voice is a million times better in HD. =P) Enjoy!

Tuesday Tunes: Lindsey Stirling

Hannah posted about Lindsey Stirling the other day, and I think it deserves a repost.

Seriously, this girl is amazing. =D I love her expression as she plays, and her cute little dancing. As Hannah linked, the Lord of the Rings Medley and Transcendence are both awesome. Be sure to listen to the LoTR song. (Also, listen to the HD, people, it's so much better.)

Two other songs I want to add here...

Spontaneous Me

I feel like you can hear a lot of her other work in this song, but I like it anyway. Her musical style is so unique - even though I don't tend to like instrumental-only music, I actually like this.

Electric Daisy Violin

This sounds a bit like her other songs - but she's just so adorable. ^_^ The title really summarizes her style to me. =P

Tuesday Tunes: Pictures of You

At first I couldn't decide whether I hated or loved this song - the intro style/voices seemed a little weird. After listening to it a couple times, I got used to it, and I really liked this song now.

Pictures of You - The Last Goodnight

Pictures of you, pictures of me 

Hung upon your wall for the world to see 

Pictures of you, pictures of me 

Remind us all of what we used to be 

Tuesday Tunes: The Fray

The Fray is cool.

I hate to admit it, but I originally heard them on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. >.< (Note, if you don't know what that is, don't look it up. Tis a messed TV show. =P) My cousins watched it, and bought the music, which they then loaned to my mom. Little me saw it on the shelf, and started listening to it. Some of the songs made me "O.o", but I like others, even now - like the Fray. ^_^

Scars & Stories is their newest album, which came out at the end of summer. The two videos I'm embedding are from it - and I think I like this album best overall. However, some of their other stuff is still good. "You Found Me", in particular, is thought-provoking and awesome music.

Heartbeat

Oh you got a fire and it's burning in the rain

Thought that it went out, but it's burning just the same

And you don't look back, not for anything

'Cause if you love someone, you love them all the same

Run For Your Life

Run and you don't give up

All that you are / All that you want

Run for your life right now

I also like "48 to Go" (the lyrics are fun - tis interesting) and the music in "Turn Me On" is cool.

Tuesday Tunes: Daughtry

September - Daughtry

Love the music in this song. My friends and I heard this song at a random restaurant in San Jose. I couldn't hear the lyrics, but  it sounded pretty. Now I love the rest of their songs too. =P

On The Inside - Daughtry

I like this message in this song. And the guitar is cool. And his voice -- aaaa so pretty! =P I was listening to this at my computer, but when mom walked by, she insisted that I turn the volume way up, because, "it's not the kind of song you can listen to quietly." ^_^

You can move to  another town

Hide where you're  sure you won't be found
But it's still just you on the inside
You can pretend it will be alright
No matter how you sell it
When you tell it it's a lie
Cause it's still just you on the inside

...

Still love you on the inside.

Tuesday Tunes: Max Schneider

This guy is kinda awesome. I adore his voice. He hasn't done that many covers on YouTube, but the ones that he has blew me away. Surprisingly, he has a really high voice as well as his unbelievable normal voice. These videos aren't really in any particular order - they were going to be in order of preference, but then I couldn't decide which one I liked best!

Breakeven - The Script

This isn't my favorite song, but his voice goes with it really nicely. Don't get bored with the first part. =P Awesome showcase of his talent.

It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

This was the first song I heard Max in. Love the intro/his first verse. I'm not as into the girl's parts though.

Without You - David Guetta & Usher

This song probably has the least contrast in it (between his passionate voice and his high delicate voice =P), but there's definitely still some, and it's really good. Plus, I like the song itself.

Tuesday Tunes: Act of Valor

I haven't seen the new movie Act of Valor yet (note: R for violence/intensity), but it looks really good. It stars active-duty Navy SEALS, and is shot as realistically as possible (live ammo, etc). Tis pretty intense looking , but also emotionally powerful. The soundtrack is mostly by country artists, but it doesn't have too country of a sound. Anyway, I love the music, and I'm excited to watch the movie, so I thought I'd share a couple songs. (Don't forget HD for better quality audio and video.)

For You - Keith Urban

And I wonder, would I give my life? / Could I make that sacrifice?

If it came down to it, could I take the bullet, I would.

Yes I would for you.

I Was Here - Lady Antebellum

I wanna do something that matters / Say something different

Something that sets the whole world on its ear

Wanna do something better / With the time I’ve been given

I wanna try / To touch a few hearts in this life

And leave nothing less than something that says

I was here

Post-Tourney Tunes & GoogleMusic

Yeah, I know: I'm late.

But I have a good excuse - I was in California.

Amazing, sunny, beautiful, warm California.

And I was doing speech and debate. Which makes it even more awesome.

I'll post pictures later in the week, so you can see the awesomeness.

But it was snowing when I came home. =/

Oh well.

Unstoppable - Rascal Flatts

I absolutely adore the original song (I think the lyrics are better ^_^) but the Olympics mix sounds more like pop music, for those of you who don't like the twangy-country Rascal Flatts style as much. 

When the cold hard rain just won't quit / And you can't see your way out of it
You find your faith has been lost and shaken / You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep / You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in / It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does / Love is unstoppable

Love, it can weather any storm, / Bring you back to being born, again
It's a helping hand when you need it most / A lighthouse shining on the coast
That never goes dim. (Original Lyrics)

~*~*~ Public Service Announcement ~*~*~

I don't know if you've noticed, but iTunes music is expensive. I'm predicting GoogleMusic to get a pretty substantial following. One of their last promotions was $5 albums, and $0.50 songs. At the moment, they have a couple $0.25 albums. Yeah. Twenty-five-cents. No lie. Check it out. Their prices change a lot, but if you just keep an eye on their promotions, you can often catch the music you've been waiting for on sale. Amazon's music department is also putting things on sale - which makes me happy.

This is compilation of 20 random popular songs. Honestly, I'll probably buy it just for the Adele song - it's cheaper than buying it as a normal single. =P (EDIT: Don't forget to double-check the pricing if you buy it - sometimes it changes from the display page to the checkout page.) Also, here's Tha Carter IV, again for $0.25. I'm not a Lil' Wayne fan, but in case you are, tis really really really cheap... They also have a couple genres where a selection of the albums are $4 (1) (2).

Tuesday Tunes: "iamstressedout" Edition

As I go into two back to back tournaments, my "stressed" playlist is being listened to a lot. =P These are three of my favorite songs... (Also, sorry for the late post - tis a result of the tournament busy-ness.)

Your Hands

God of My Everything

Carry Me

Tuesday Tunes: Lady Antebellum

I'm not a Valentines Day person. I don't plan a frilly pink outfit. I don't give out cards or chocolate. (I did when I was little, but even then they were blue and white, not pink. =P)

The materialism and sugar-orientation of Valentine Day celebration doesn't make me happy. I don't need stuff to know I'm loved, and if I have too much sugar I will spin out of control.

All that to say, when I realized Valentines Day was on a Tuesday, I wasn't sure what song to post. I realized that "This = Love" by the Script could work, but I had already shared it.

Recently I discovered "Just a Kiss" by Lady Antebellum, plus it's tangentially related to Valentines Day. ^_^ I've never been a Lady Antebellum fan ("Need You Now" seemed clingy and lame), even though I love country, but this song is nice and their new album is really pretty.

Tuesday Tunes: Dreamer

This is different from the kind of music I normally listen to, but I think I like it. It was on iTunes as a free single a while back. The video is kinda weird. But whatevs. Elizaveta was trained as an opera singer, or something, but then decided to make pop music. Dreamer is a pretty, upbeat, random and happy song. ^_^

Leave  your fear of love behind

Let your dreaming be your guide

If you seek then you shall find

I believe in fairy tales and serendipitous encounters

Tuesday Tunes: The Script

Some of you already know how cool The Script is, and props to you. But for those of you unfamiliar with their awesomeness, here are a few of my favorite songs. :) I try to link to HD videos, so if you click on the YouTube quality button (the gear logo) you can get nice quality audio.

This = Love

Maybe I'm just a sucker for pop music, but I like the lyrics to this song...

It's in the eyes of the children / As they leave for the very first time

And it's in the heart of a soldier / As he takes a bullet on the frontline

It's in the face of a mother / As she takes the force of a blow

And its in the hands of the father yeah / As he works his fingers to the bone ...

It's in the soul of a city / What it does after it crumbles and burns

And it's in the blood of a hero / To know where he goes he may never return ...

Love is why we do it / Love is worth the pain

Love is why we fall down / And get back up again

Love is where the heart lies / Love is from above

Love is this, this is love

We Cry

We Cry is one of The Script's older songs (from their first album, versus This = Love and Walk Away, which are from their 2011 album, "Science and Faith".) The music is different, with a folksy-ish rock tinged pop-y-ness. =P It takes a bit to get used to, but I really enjoy it. (Also, fyi, there's one swear word about a minute in. It's not very clear in the audio, but you know it's there, and the lyrics have it.)

Walk Away

The remix with B.o.B. makes a pretty song so much cooler. Again, I just like the uniqueness of this music. It's kinda catchy. =P (Oh, and there's a mild swear word repeated throughout.)

Tuesday Tunes: Carrie Underwood & Steven Tyler

Tuesday Tunes: Dirty Dishes

Dirty Dishes - Scotty McCreery

Mama hollers "Supper time,

And don't make me tell you twice

Wash your hands and wipe your face.

The table's no place for your toys,

And try to use your inside voice,

Don't dig in 'til we say Grace."

So we put down our forks and bowed our heads

And then she prayed the strangest prayer ever said:

"I wanna thank You Lord,

For noisy children and slamming doors,

And clothes scattered all over the floor,

My husband workin' all the time,

Draggin' in dead tired at night,

My never ending messy kitchen

And dirty dishes."

We all got real still and quiet,

And daddy asked "Honey, you alright?"

She said, "Dear, ain't nothing wrong,

Noisy kids are happy kids,

And slamming doors just means we live,

In a warm and loving home,

Your long hours and those dishes in the sink,

Means a job and enough to eat.

So I'm gonna thank You Lord,

For noisy children and slamming doors,

And clothes scattered all over the floor,

My husband workin' all the time,

Draggin' in dead tired at night,

My never ending messy kitchen

For my little busy bees

Beggin' mama, mama can you please?

Always wantin' me to call their name

Loads of laundry pilin' up

Crayons crushed into the floor

And those little sticky kisses

And dirty dishes,

And dirty dishes...

Gratitude truly is a choice. Gratitude will sometimes seem like the "strangest" thing that you "ever said". Yet, gratitude is fundamental. It changes absolutely everything. 

“Something I learned early in college is to not worry about what I can’t control…But what I can control is my attitude, my effort, my focus every single day and that’s what I’m trying to worry about.” – Tim Tebow

Tuesday Tunes: Catch All the Fish

I was going to write a nice long contemplative post, and then give you a thoughtful song to go along with it. However, in my excitement over this last weekend, I decided not to. Instead, I give you my and my partner's "theme song" from the recent tournament, which apparently propelled us to victory. ^_^ I love country music.

"We drank all the fish/we caught all the beer..."

("X all the Y" credit to hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com, "This is why I'll never be an adult" -- content warning.)

Tuesday Tunes: Without You

I'm in a hurry today, so you get a song that doesn't require any explanation or thought. This song is just so pretty. The music video is funny, and Usher's voice is awesome.

Without You - David Guetta & Usher

Tuesday Tunes: Cimorelli

I really like this group. Cimorelli is comprised of six homeschooled sisters from California, age 11-21, who sing covers of popular songs, and sometimes their own work. They released their second EP in December. It took me a long time to decide which of their songs to post, because they're all pretty, but I picked "Skyscraper" for the amaaazing harmonies. (I really like their mashup of It Will Rain by Bruno Mars and Chasing Pavement by Adele, as well. Check it out -- music starts around 1:45.) Enjoy! (Oh, and don't bother watching the bloopers at the end, they're kind of pointless. =P)