The Truth About Music

"What's hot, what's not, and whats next in pop music"

Outlook to the Academy Awards: Best Picture Nominee “Precious”

By Harris posted February 28, 2010 at 09:00

Over the next week, The Truth About Music will be breaking down some of the hottest races in the race for the Oscars. There are a number of great races to break down and I thought that a great place to start would be with some of the nominees for Best Picture. “Precious” tells the story of an obese, abused, raped and illiterate 16-year-old girl growing up in New York City. Despite having an extremely depressing story line, the parts are extremely well acted by the stellar cast. This movie is nominated in a number of categories including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Director Lee Daniels is also up for Best Director and Geoffrey S. Fletcher for Best Adapted Screen Play. Despite being up for a number of awards, I think that the movie will play the role of dark horse in a number of the categories. Despite putting [...] Continue...
Countdown to Summer: Your Guide to Summer Festivals

By Melissa posted February 27, 2010 at 09:00

All of this damn snow has me trapped in my house dreaming of the warm summer months to come. The best part of summer? The music festivals (and Yankees baseball, of course.) South by Southwest kicks off the festival season in just a few short weeks, and from then on, your spring and summer is covered with great live music. Here is what you have to look forward to in the coming months. Now you can put being snowed in to good use, and start making your plans for checking out as many of these awesome festivals as you possibly can. Continue...
How American Idol Is Reshaping Pop Music, Again

By Harris posted February 26, 2010 at 09:00

Back when pop music was first becoming relevant, artists could become famous overnight. Television appearances such as The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” or Elvis Presley on CBS’s “Stage Show” would take musicians and instantly make them celebrities. Although many groups today experience success on this level and at this speed, often, their careers last as long as their rise to stardom. Continue...
Harris’ Song of the Week: “One Day” by Matisyahu (feat. Akon)

By Harris posted February 25, 2010 at 09:00

The ultimate in feel good music. Matisyahu teamed up with Akon a few months ago to create a perfect jam of slow, melodic song. More than anything else, this song reminds me of a b-side from any of Wyclef Jean’s albums. His singles aside, Jean often puts out songs in this style and this fits the mold perfectly. The addition of Akon to this song ads to it’s value. Respected as one of the best compilation hip hop artists out there, Akon has shown time after time that he can make songs that are good, great. This is an interesting pairing that seemed to come off perfectly at the end. If your in the mood to be cheered up, this is a great anthem that has finally begun to get some serious radio airplay. Look for this to be one of the big hits of the spring. Continue...
American Idol Mini-Recap

By Harris posted February 25, 2010 at 00:57

There is a full recap coming tomorrow but for now, here’s what you need to know tonight. Below is a complete list of the performances, my rating and a two word description of their performance: Todrick Hall, “Since You Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson, 6/10, bad arrangement Aaron Kelly, “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts, 7/10, natural voice Jermaine Sellers, “Get Here” by Oleta Adams, 4/10, pitch issues Tim Urban, “Apologize” by One Republic, 6/10, nothing exciting Joe Munoz, “You And I Both” by Jason Mraz, 8/10, great voice (eliminated) Tyler Grady, “American Woman” by The Guess Who, 7/10, stage presence (eliminated) Lee Dewyze, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, 8/10, great start John Park, “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday, 6/10, terrible song Michael Lynche, “This Love” by Maroon 5, 8/10, great personality Alex Lambert, “Wonderful World” by James Morrison, 6/10, unique voice Casey James, “Heaven” by DJ Sammy, [...] Continue...
Power Chords Galore, Alkaline Trio Release Boring Seventh Album

By Harris posted February 24, 2010 at 17:00

Is it possible for the mix of straight drum beats and power chords to get old? I think I’ve found the answer and it does not bode well for Illinois rockers Alkaline Trio. Right from the get go you get the idea that they are harkening back to their roots, releasing an album that would of fit perfectly into a ‘90s Napster download list. Unfortunately, in 2010 this sound has become dated. With many of the songs sounding exactly the same, there is a skip mentality throughout a lot of the album. You hear one song and then when the next one sounds the same you are ready for the next track. The first two songs (“This Addiction” and “Dead on the Floor”) on the record are a perfect example of this. The third song “Lead Poisoning” brings something new but ends up sounding like an homage to mid ‘90s [...] Continue...
American Idol Recap: Top 12 Girls Broken Down

By Harris posted February 24, 2010 at 09:00

Tonight started much like every episode of “American Idol” does. Ryan Seacrest introduced America to the top twelve female contestants left after the audition process and then each of the judges as the show went live in Hollywood. I was excited to see these contestants knowing that in a few short months, one of them could be America’s next huge pop stars, following in the footsteps of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks. I have found that breaking down each performance is not only annoying but time consuming. Here are some of my highlights. My favorite performance of the night came from Lilly Scott who sang “Fixing A Hole” by The Beatles. What made this performance stand out was that she took a risk, going with a lesser known song and pulling it off in her own style really well. Her performance was also helped by the three girls [...] Continue...
American Idol Mini-Recap

By Harris posted February 24, 2010 at 00:55

There is a full recap coming tomorrow but for now, here’s what you need to know tonight. Below is a complete list of the performances, my rating and a two word description of their performance: Paige Miles, “All Right Now” by Free, 7/10, wrong song Ashley Rodriguez, “Happy” by Leona Lewis, 4/10, off key (eliminated) Janell Wheeler, “What About Love” by Heart, 6/10, wrong song (eliminated) Lilly Scott, “Fixing a Hole” by The Beatles, 9/10, great fit Katelyn Epperly, “Oh Darlin” by The Beatles, 8.5/10, great voice Haeley Vaughn, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, 6.5/10, pitch issues Lacey Brown, “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, 4/10, very boring Michelle Delamor, “Fallin” by Alicia Keys, 8.5/10, safe song Didi Benami, “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson, 9/10, great control Siobhan Magnus, “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak, 7/10, unique voice Crystal Bowersox, “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette, 8/10, totally [...] Continue...
Are you as “LOST” as I am? Episode 5

By Jon posted February 23, 2010 at 22:59

This week, five episodes into the final season of the greatest TV show/mind-f**k that is “LOST,” I will begin my from henceforth weekly column about what confused me most about the show. SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen the latest episode don’t read this, and if your not an avid fan also don’t bother because you wont understand. So lets get right to it. Why did Jin at first hesitate to tell Claire that Kate has been raising Aaron, and then tell her, and then again deny it? This will only cause problems for both Jin and Kate down the line especially because Claire said, “It’s a good thing you where lying, because if kate was raising Aaron, I would kill her.” Why does Jack have a son named David, and is his mother Sarah (the woman Jack performs spinal surgery on and then marries)? Jacob sends Hurley and Jack [...] Continue...
iTunes Free Single of the Week Review: Dommin

By Harris posted February 23, 2010 at 09:00

Picture a dark Adam Lambert leading Shinedown into battle: Classified as rock and sporting a lead singer that looks like he belongs in a gothic remake of “Phantom of the Opera” Dommin hails from Los Angeles, CA and is this weeks free single of the week. Giving a sound that mixes the musical qualities of Shinedown and the vocal performance of Chris Cornell, Dommin lives up to the image they portray. The song itself is an epic gothic rock anthem called “My Heart, Your Hands.” With everything from chimes to synth, this songs production is drummed up to the max. With the right backing, this song could see some movement on charts although the bands image will surely hinder the cause. Bands like this have become a dime a dozen over the past few years as Shinedown, Flyleaf, Theory of a Deadman and even Nickelback have emerged as mainstays on [...] Continue...