What do we say about Ashley Arrison that we haven’t already said in the last 12 months? All the talk, all the promise, all the hype we’ve fed you has led to this moment – the release of her debut full-length album Hearts on Parade. And she delivers, captivating her audience from the album opener, “Trying To Help You Out,” featuring Kelly Clarkson on background vocals, to its lullaby-esque closer, “Breathing.”
Hearts on Parade plays like a musical journal thanks to mixture of autobiographical elements and imaginative lyrics in each song that are representative of the ups and downs Ms. Arrison has faced in life, making the album truly authentic and easy to relate to on multiple levels.
Neither hell nor high water…nay…a crashed MacBook, could keep us from writing about Ashley Arrison’s first official music video for “Trying To Help You Out” the lead single from her forthcoming debut album Hearts on Parade. (July 1).
The video was directed by Chris Callister (“Happy Birthday, Guadalupe” The Killers) and features Ms. Arrison prepping for a night out on the town with her love interest played by the gorgeous Andrew Lander. As the video unfolds, you get the sense that something just isn’t quite right between the two as flashes of the couple in happier times frolicking on the beach are interspersed with sequences of Ms. Arrison re-enacting those tender moments by her lonesome.
Impressive first video for the singer who is quite convincing as both the lovable girl-next-door and heart-breaker. While the song features superstar Kelly Clarkson on background vocals, she does not make a guest appearance in the video. Give it a watch below. And remember when Ms. Arrison blows up, keep in mind who put you on to her, that would your friends at TRT.
Back with this week’s Millah Mix –this time it’s a sampling of some sweet cover songs I’ve been rocking out to recently. Covers like Robyn‘s excellent live version of Alicia Keys‘ “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart” that emerged last week, a great folksy rendition of MGMT‘s “Kids” that’s made the rounds on the interwebz, The Morning Benders‘ solid take on the indestructible pop gem that is Fleetwood Mac‘s “Dreams”, plus a recent addition to the increasingly intriguing Beck’s Record Club (this time featuring St. Vincent, Liars and, my favorite psychedelic pop group, Os Mutantes).
And if those don’t peak yr interest, there’s also Miley Cyrusbutchering taking on one of the greatest most popular songs in music history: Poison‘s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. Yes, that one.
“Trying to Help You Out” is full of heartbreaking pop goodness — a cautionary tale to a loved one that pursuit will result in imminent heartbreak. Ms. Arrison enlists good friend Kelly Clarkson for the song, who has co-writer credits and lends background vocals to the song. There’s beauty in restraint as Ms. Clarkson harnesses her trademark vocals creating more of a haunting effect, allowing Ms. Arrison to stand out (rightly so).
The song also features world-renowned drummer, Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Pearl Jam, Fiona Apple) and the uber-talented producer, songwriter and musician Aben Eubanks (Kelly Clarkson, Matt Nathanson), who was instrumental to the entire album process by performing on all of the tracks. Not too shabby for an unsigned artist huh?
Faithful readers of TRT know we’re pretty stoked about Ms. Arrison’s potential and only see tremendous success coming her way in the very near future. And it’s safe to say, music fans do too, given how many votes she was able to rack up during our March Music Madness competition to take the inaugural title.
Now, we’ve just finished listening to the full album and can tell you this, Ms. Arrison delivers all around. It was her heartfelt, honest lyrics that initially drew us to her music and Hearts On Parade stays true to that formula with its brilliant blend of well-crafted country lyrics and pop melodies. We’re already addicted.
Check out the full album track-list after the cut. Hearts on Parade is available for purchase starting July 1st on iTunes. Stay tuned, we’ll have more from Ms. Arrison soon — including her first music video for “Trying to Help You Out.”
Last night, Kelly Clarkson joined fellow American Idol alum Chris Daughtry on stage during a duet of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” in Nashville, Tennessee.
The guest appearance was no surprise to Clarkson fans as she announced being part of Daughtry’s concert-turned Nashville flood relief benefit via Twitter a few days back. Other performers included Three Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold and Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade.
Check out Ms. Clarkson’s and Mr. Daughtry’s take on a classic, which also happens to be one of my favorite songs ever written. Credit: RestlessChick15 for the video
Last night Lee DeWyze was crowned winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Though if you tuned into the show, you already know that Mr. DeWyze and his opponent Crystal Bowersox were nothing more than a subplot to the star-studded salute to Simon Cowell. Over the course of two hours, just about every performer you could think of from Christina Aguilera to Alanis Morrissette to Joe Crocker, Chicago, Alice Cooper, and of course past Idol winners Kelly Clarksonand Carrie Underwood graced the stage. However it was Janet Jackson who stole the show with just over 8 minutes of airtime.
Earlier that evening, at around 5:30 pm (est), producer Jermaine Dupri leaked word via Twitter that Ms. Jackson was set to perform “Nothing” from the motion picture “Why Did I Get Married, Too?” during the finale. News spread like wildfire and Janet fans, including myself, tuned in to get a mere glimpse of our girl. We got more than expected at around 9:40p (est) as the rest of the season’s competitors flocked to the stage one last time to sing “Again,” the 1993 single from Janet Jackson’s fifth studio album, Janet.
The camera panned right and Ms. Jackson emerged from backstage to deliver the final verse of “Again” then took center stage for a moving rendition of “Nothing.” The song’s poignant and fitting lyrics were drilled home by Ms. Jackson as she sang: “And the truth is that I realize/ Love is fading from your eyes/ Don’t know how it came to this/ But we can get it fixed tonight.”
She stayed true to form upon finishing “Nothing,” as she momentarily left the stage and was replaced by a host of male dancers wearing white shirts and black slacks. Ms. Jackson re-emerged wearing a skintight black bodysuit and transitioned to “Nasty.” She strutted around the stage, broke out some trademark dance moves, and energized the crowd. It was a touching moment for all Janet Jackson fans as the singer finally received recognition for her work on American Idol. Ms. Jackson soaked up the applause for just a moment, waved to the judges and fans, before briskly exiting the stage.
Note to all young performers out there – Janet Jackson officially served you notice. At 44-years old, she still knows how to entertain a crowd and shows no sign of stopping. Check the video below before they pull it.
Kelly Clarkson kicked off the final leg of her All I Ever Wanted tour in Auckland, New Zealand last night by paying homage to hometown boy Keith Urban, one of NZ’s biggest selling recording artists by covering his hit “Tonight I Wanna Cry.” Ms. Clarksonhas been known to bust out pretty fantastic cover songs throughout her tours, but there’s something so beautifully haunting about this cover in particular especially as she delivers the lines “I’m just drunk enough to let go of my pain/To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain/From my eyes/Tonight I wanna cry.”
Backed by only a piano and her acoustic guitarists, Ms. Clarkson absolutely stuns the crowd with her vocals. Minus the one random “woo-er” the audience sits in complete silence for just over 3 minutes. Pretty impressive stuff. Check out the video below – as well as the original by Mr. Urban.
In the last six months, singer-songwriter Ashley Arrison has become one of the most talked about indie artists at The Round Table, culminating in being crowned our first-ever March Music Madness Champion. Based on the sheer number of votes submitted, it’s apparent Ms. Arrison has made a lasting impression on music fans, not to mention she has won the hearts of some of the site’s toughest critics. All impressive accomplishments for an artist who has yet to release her first full-length album, which is slated for July 1st.
Ms. Arrison took time out from her busy recording schedule to chat with TRT. She was kind enough to give us some insight as to her musical influences, what fans can expect from her upcoming album, and her reaction to taking the March Music Madness title. And while Ms. Arrison takes her music very seriously, wasn’t afraid to let her guard down and let her personality shine through. She even indulged our desire to name-drop some of the industry’s greatest whom she calls her friends. Read our interview with Ashley Arrison below.
TRT: As the reigning champion of TRT’s first ever March Music Madness tournament voted on by the fans, can you tell us what it meant to you to have tremendous fan support pushing you through each round? Were you surprised at all?
AA: Are you kidding? So surprised. First, I thought it was cruel to pit me against Rhianna in the first round! After I won that round, I knew this was a battle of indies, so I was sure I didn’t have a chance against Tony Lucca, who I love! And then Matthew Mayfield started talking smack and the heat was turned up! But seriously, every single one of these artists have bigger fan bases than I do at this point, so it is a true testament to my fans that they rallied like they did. The re-tweets and mass emails were in effect!
The name Kimberly Caldwellmight ring a bell, that is, if you got sucked into American Idol when it was still considered a novel idea rather than what it’s become today. Even though Caldwell made it into the Top 10 finalists during season 2 of American Idol, her path to music stardom hasn’t followed the prototypical AI formula (read: rush an album to distribution to capitalize on ratings). Rather, it’s been a slow build for Caldwell, who is finally set to release her debut album Without Regret (April 6th).
Check out the music video of her lead single “Mess of You” after the jump. Honestly, I forgot how much I enjoyed her powerful, raspy vocals – which sound like a mix between Kelly Clarkson (strained) and Melissa Etheridge. If you like what you hear, you should definitely check out Caldwell’s official site for a free download of “Say Love” off the upcoming album. (more…)
Kelly Clarkson is at it again. This time, she joined her backup singers/ BF4eva Jill and Katefor their latest song on the 17th video. This month’s video is a mashup of Jill and Kate’s song “Illusion of You” with Jann Arden’s “Insensitive.” As always, the girls do their thing so there’s not much for me to hate on vocally, so we’re gonna go shallow on this one and pick on KC’s hair color. I mean really KC, really? Weak-sauce on our part, we know, but really got nothing bad to say about this video – check it out below.
Note to all indie singer-songwriters – buddy up to Kelly Clarkson, she will most definitely put you on… if you’re talented! Jill (with guitar) has a sick voice.
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!
What do we say about Ashley Arrison that we haven’t already said in the last 12 months? All the talk, all the promise, all the hype we’ve fed you has led to this moment – the release of her debut full-length album Hearts on Parade. And she delivers, captivating her audience from the album opener, “Trying To Help You Out,” featuring Kelly Clarkson on background vocals, to its lullaby-esque closer, “Breathing.”
