To say Matt’s rising up the star-rank quickly would be a drastic understatement. He recently stopped by MTV to perform two songs off the new album: “Un-American” and “Love.” I was pretty stoked to see this performance unplugged as “Un-American” is currently one of my favorite songs from the album. Watch both performances after the cut.
Matt Morrisis the latest Mickey Mouse Club alum to hit the mainstream circuit, thanks in part to his childhood friend and MMC co-star, Justin Timberlake, who signed Morris to his label Tennman Records. Recently, Morris released his debut album When Everything Breaks Open and is quickly gaining attention as he performed on The Ellen Degeneres Show and during last night’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon.
While it clearly helps to have Justin Timberlake in your corner, singer-songwriter Matt Morris’ talent is not to be taken lightly. Although you may not have realized it, you’re (probably) pretty familiar with the singer’s work already as he’s penned songs for Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, country legend Reba McEntire, and of course, Timberlake.
I haven’t finished giving When Everything Breaks Open a proper listen to post thoughts (yet), so in the meantime, enjoy him performing “Bloodline” live with Timberlake after the cut.
There are moments in life where you remember exactly where you are, what you were doing, and how you felt when something tragic happens. For me, one of those days occurred on August 25, 2001. I had just moved into my dorm room during my junior year of college. After unpacking all day, I finally got my internet up and running when I saw the news on the homepage of AOL. It said singer Aaliyah had died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Shock set in.
The young singer who had redefined R&B/Hip-Hop in the late 90’s with her sultry tomboy style was taken from this earth at the tender age of 22. When I see ladies like Beyonce or Alicia Keys, young singers turned actresses, I can’t help but reminded of Aaliyah, a true triple threat whose potential was cut short way too soon.
I often wonder, if Aaliyah were still with us, would Timbaland have segued into mainstream saturation? Would he have teamed up with Justin Timberlake or even Nelly Furtado? After all, Aaliyah was his muse. She made his songs come alive with every unorthodox baby giggle or cry, every beatbox, every rap without trying to blow away her audience with vocal acrobatics. Aaliyah was a “pocket” singer – she’d find her sweet spot and maneuver within it with smooth confidence. She truly understood the power of a whisper.
Our favorite Material Girl, Madonna, will unleash her recent “Sticky & Sweet” tour on DVD to the masses on March 30th. Yup, that means Madge will rake in even more cash for the already highly successful tour, which reportedly was on of the biggest outings ever mounted by a solo act.
It will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and CD and will include many of the singer’s hits spanning the course of her 20+ year career including “4 Minutes,” “Like a Prayer,” “Hung Up” and “Ray of Light”. The DVD footage was filmed in Buenos Aires, over four days to a crowd exceeding 256,000 fans, the concert also includes a show stopping moment when Madonna performs a historic “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” to a thunderous audience response from her Argentine fans. The DVD also includes 30 minutes of exclusive footage filmed behind the scenes during the course of the tour. Yippee.
Still want more? Reportedly, VH1 plans to premiere the concert in early February. You’ll want to stay tuned for more details.
When I think of music mashups, I think of Girl Talk – or I did. However, Gregg Gillis isn’t the only mash artist on the block.
Enter: DJ Earworm, who has created this year’s hottest mashup track, using Billboard’s top 25 songs of the year. Not only is this track hot as hell, I would go so far as to say it’s better than most of the songs that make it up. (Except, of course, Kelly Clarkson, since we adore her)
Regardless, these tracks have found able hands on the part of DJ Earworm, who – literally – wrote the book on music mashups.
British jazz-pop maestro Jamie Cullum has returned to reclaim his right to mainstream pop stardom. While the talented singer-songwriter found mainstream success with his album Twenty-Something, it was his improve skills and the ability to cover top 40 hits rooted in jazz from Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” to White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” that helped him gain notoriety.
This past November, Cullum (quietly) released his fifth studio album, The Pursuit, after taking time off. Previously, he had spent two years on the road in support of his 2005 album Catching Tales.
Cullum has stated in the past that he loves all music from jazz to pop to dance. His current single, a cover of Rihanna’s smash “Don’t Stop The Music,” showcases this love of music as well as his innate ability to re-arrange a pop song into a jazz focused standard. So, don’t pigeon-hole this guy — he’s the real deal.
As a perpetual touring artist, Tony Lucca is no stranger to the noisy dive bar scene – regardless of which city he finds himself in. While there are always going to be loud, disrespectful people who (drunkenly) chat their way through his set, that doesn’t mean that he isn’t keenly aware to the fact that his fans paid their hard-earned cash to experience his show. With that in mind, Mr. Lucca faced the disruption head on, suppressed his frustration after addressing the situation briefly and went on to deliver a stellar performance.
He switched it up from his typical acoustic setting and was accompanied by a keyboardist and percussionist. As always Mr. Lucca mixed crowd favorites like “So Long,” “Death of Me,” and “Melancholy Collar” with newer songs in “Undertow,” “Foxy Jane,” and “Stay With Me.” (aka the Britney/JT song). He even shared a poignant moment as he unveiled his newest song written for his now 8-week-old daughter. Thankfully even the loud talkers in the back of the venue managed to listen albeit ever so briefly.
Looking for a way to keep warm on a cold December night? Well, we have the perfect remedy. The incomparable Tony Lucca hits NYC for one night only, Friday, December 11th, at Sullivan Hall.
Mr. Lucca will be joined by fellow singer-songwriters Matt Lowell and Josh Hoge. Doors are at 7:00p and the show starts at 7:30p (sharp). If you like acoustic bluesy-rock mixed with pop and folk influences, you won’t want to miss this show. Over the last seven years I’ve brought many friends (some not even music fans) to Tony Lucca shows around the U.S. and each one has left his show a fan. He’s that good.
Ok, we’ve been giving Timbo a hard time as of late here at The Round Table as we were tired of hearing his played FSLS B-Sides that Justin Timberlake (most likely) turned down, but perhaps our tune is changing. Last week we brought you a cut from Shock Value II where the Timbaland coupled up with tween-sensation Miley Cyrus for “We Belong to Music,” a fun, danceable track that doesn’t feature any beatboxing (imagine that!).
Now, we bring you the latest video from Timbaland “Say Something” featuring rap phenom Drake, who has just about everyone on his jock as of late. I digress. There’s nothing magnificent about the video, and while the beat seems a ta recycled, it’s the overall theme of “Say Something” that grabbed our attention. The new single takes a look at love lost while obtaining success – “Its funny how someone else’s success brings pain, When ya no longer involved that person has it all…And you just stuck standing there.” We feel you on that one.
Timbaland calls on Miley Cyrus for the latest leaked track “We Belong to Music” which will appear on his upcoming album Shock Value 2. Unlike many of the previously leaked tracks, “We Belong to Music” actually sounds fresh or more accurately, at least it doesn’t sound like a poor-man’s B-side from Justin Timberlake’sFuture Sex Love Sounds.
Thankfully, Timbo takes a backseat on this song, letting Cyrus own it. After all, it makes more sense to have the teenager sing about getting primped to hit the town of a night of dancing and such. Nothing earth-shattering here, but it’s a fun, mindlessly danceable track.
Give it a listen below. Shock Value 2 hits stores on December 2nd.
We started as a three friends having conversations about music during lunches together at the office. Since then we have expanded to seven members, including a Chi-town native, and the conversations have gotten bigger and better. The Round Table has grown into a casual setting where music aficionados can gather to discuss all things music. Topics include (but not limited to) artists and bands, new music releases, concerts, recording industry news and concerns, and the occasional nugget of entertainment gossip. We have tastes that cover the entire music spectrum and love to share them (and our opinions) with each other. We are The Round Table! Come join the conversation!
We gave Matt Morris some love last week when we posted a live performance of “Bloodline,” which appears on his recently released debut album When Everything Breaks Open. Last week, you may have also caught Matt on the “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon, where he and Justin Timberlake wowed crowds with their rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
