Sarah McLachlan

I could not be happier! Sarah McLachlan, one of my favorite artists, has just released her new album. LAWS OF ILLUSION released on June 15th, and you may have heard a sneak peek of the album’s first single is “Loving You Is Easy” during Sarah’s performance on Dancing With The Stars. It’s Sarah’s first studio album of brand new material in 7 years, which I for one think has been far too long!

In addition to the new album, this summer marks the return of the all-female Lilith Fair festival! From 1997 through 1999, Lilith Fair was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world, with over 2 million fans in attendance and raising over $10 million dollars for national and local women’s charities. If you know of a wonderful woman who loves animals and would love tickets to Lilith Fair, be sure to visit the ASPCA Lilith Fair contest page and nominate her!

I remember the first time I heard Sarah’s music, it was in 1994 and we attended a small intimate concert in the mountains. She did such a great performance, even in the rain. She fast became a favorite listen in our apartment of girls, and even the guys we hung out with just loved her music. This album is already a favorite in our household, after all these years of listening to her, she still remains one of my favorite artists. Her voice and music haven’t changed, but still sound fresh. I love that about this new album, it is new, but still sounds like the Sarah we fell in love with all those years ago.

You can become a fan of Sarah on Facebook, and the album is available for purchase at Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble.

There are new songs by Dido (another favorite of mine), Erykah Badu, Liza Minnelli (doing Single Ladies), and a brand-new duet “Love is Your Color” by Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis. Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the cast gets in on the action and sing “I Am Woman”!

Also, for you die hard Sex and The City fans, you can win a phone call from Sarh Jessica Parker. Click here for details.

Thanks to the One2One Network for providing the soundtrack for review. You can purchase a copy here. I for one can’t stop listening to Dido, “Everything to Lose”!

One eskimO CD

I recently got the chance to listen to a new band, One eskimO! I hadn’t heard of them before, but I really enjoyed the music. One eskimO opened for Tori Amos’ last year and played at Coachella this year. They are on tour right now, and one of their songs, Kandi, is #1 in the adult alternative genre. It’s music that is a bit hard to describe, a little ambient, a little folk! Luckily for one reader, you will get a chance to hear them for yourself!

One eskimO is a critically-acclaimed English band fronted by singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou and includes musicians Pete Rinaldi (guitar), Jamie Sefton (bass, horns) and Adam Falkner (drums).

Take a minute to check out the video for ‘Kandi’ HERE and you can visit their Facebook page to learn more about them. You can even download the song “astronauts” free via Twitter.

Would you like a chance to win a One eskimO CD and tee shirt? Leave a comment on this post before midnight on May 30th. The giveaway is for those in the USA only. Here is what the shirt will look like, isn’t it a fun one? I love it.

Tour Dates:
May 24 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
May 25 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
Jun 01 Toronto, ON The Guvernment
Jun 04 Boston, MA House of Blues
Jun 05 Essex Junction, VT Camplain Valley Expo
Jun 06 Hunter, NY Mountain Jam Festival
Jun 08 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Thtr
Jun 09 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Jun 12 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall
Jun 13 Kansas City, MO Crossroads
Aug 14 Denver, CO Mile High Festival

Thanks to One2One Network who provided the item for review and for the giveaway.

*this giveaway is now closed*

On November 16, 1959, The Sound of Music – the last musical collaboration of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II – made history when it opened at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theater. Masterworks Broadway celebrates that milestone with a special 50th anniversary edition of the musical’s beloved original cast recording, starring Broadway legend Mary Martin. The 50th anniversary edition of the original cast recording of The Sound of Music will be released on November 3, 2009.

While a larger audience came to know The Sound of Music six years later, when the Oscar-winning film version starring Julie Andrews was released, the musical became a major hit of the 1959-60 season, sharing (with Fiorello!) that spring the Tony Award for Best Musical. It ran 1,443 performances on Broadway, toured the U.S. for several seasons and became an even longer-running hit in London when the first British production (1961) ran twice as long as its Broadway counterpart. It continues to be one of the most popular and enduring musicals of all time.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Broadway premiere of The Sound of Music, Masterworks Broadway has restored the original cast recording in a new edition that features three unusual bonus tracks, extensive liner notes about the show’s history by Bert Fink of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, and rarely seen photos of the recording sessions, held November 22, 1959, in Columbia Records’ celebrated 30th Street Studios.

In addition to the original cast recording, the three bonus tracks on the 50th anniversary edition are:
“From Switzerland: The Pratt Family,” a spoof of The Sound of Music created for and performed by Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett in 1962 on their TV special Julie and Carol Live at Carnegie Hall; A live recording of “Edelweiss,” sung in German, from the historic first production (2005) of The Sound of Music in Vienna; A soaring cover version of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” sung in Swedish (as “Sök dig till bergen”) by Tommy Körberg, best known to American audiences for his vocals on the concept album of Chess.

The release of the recording comes just as Simon & Schuster adds to The Sound of Music phenomenon with a collectible pop-up book for every family’s library. The heartwarming, classic adventure – adapted by Bert Fink from the story of the stage musical – comes alive with paper engineering as unforgettable as each timeless melody. It is available now wherever books are sold.

RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical, deutsche harmonia mundi, Masterworks Broadway and Masterworks Jazz are labels of Sony Masterworks. For email updates and information regarding RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical, deutsche harmonia mundi, Masterworks Broadway and Masterworks Jazz artists, promotions, tours and repertoire, please visit www.sonymasterworks.com.

We have been singing along with the songs ever since we got our copy. It’s so much fun to sing our favorites. It’s even more fun to look at the pop-up book that they came out with for the anniversary too. You can find The Sound of Music: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up on Amazon. Believe me, you are going to want this book, especially if you love The Sound of Music story. We love pop up books too, and this one did not disappoint!

This Cast Recording and Pop up Book are a great way for you to spend quality time with your child while encouraging their reading skills along the way.  According to the Child Literacy Center reading to your child is the single most valuable thing you can do. Many educational intuitions suggest reading predictable books that children can “read” back to you and sharing music with strong rhythms and songs with rhyming lines. What better way to teach your child to read, than with a story and music that you grew up with and love.  You can use this Sing-Along guide along with the book to encourage your child to follow the story with you.

Want a chance to win one of the CDs?

Just leave a comment on this post before midnight on Friday December 4th. Tell us your favorite song from The Sound of Music! The winners will be chosen at random and contacted by email shortly after the giveaway ends.

*this giveaway is now closed. Congrats to Sherrie, and Vader’s Mom.*

Album Tracklisting:
Looking Out
Dying Day
Pride And Joy
Dreams
That Year
Caroline
Before It Breaks
I Will
If There Was No You
Touching The Ground
Oh Dear

Apparently, those of you who are Grey’s Anatomy fans are already pretty familiar with Brandi, as some of her songs have been on the show. A fun tidbit about her is that she was inspired to pick up the guitar and learned to play after seeing the Indigo Girls in concert at Lilith Fair. She’s come a long way since then! If you enjoy folk rock music, you will probably enjoy this album a lot! You can buy Give Up the Ghost online, or download it on iTunes. You can find out more about her and hear samples of her music on her website, BrandiCarlile.com. She even has a Facebook Fan page if you want to be a fan there.