Secrets of the Heart

John Cronin Single: Ride Out Ride Out is a wicked song. I like the beat, the lyrics, and the rhythm. It's like "Yes! He got it!" It's a good ol' country song that you can groove to in a bar, in your car, at home, or where ever you may roam. (I'm sorry I couldn't help myself. I started it and it just...moving on...) I have to admit that I listened to this single a good 4-5 times before it grew on me and here's why. I'm going to start with the good news first. John has an exceptional voice. The deep tone he has reminds me of the great Trace Adkins especially when he sings "We hold on tight, we ride tonight." The chorus is very much Trace Adkins as well which means yes, John has great talent. Here is where I start to get iffy for a lack of a better word. In the opening verse where he says "All alone with nobody" and "life's a party," the hook which is the end of the line seems to cut right off instead of trail o

Ryan Robinette Album-Progression Ryan Robinette, remember this name because he is country's rising stars. Ryan's sound is similar to the likes of Clay Walker. His tracks are fun, charming, and pure country. Country music has always been the type of music that tells a story with that wonderful southern charm. Ryan captures this charm whole heartedly. He's not trying to fit in modern country. He embraces the great story telling characteristic as those classic country songs before his time. You feel like he's singing just to you. Hay Girl is sweet and has a hint of seductiveness as only a man can seduce. I feel like this is the theme of the album as a whole. He's romancing us ladies and doesn't it feel great! His music has a way of creating this atmosphere of making each listener feel special and it's all about her. My favorite track is Something Bad . I don't think the thought of doing something bad ever sounded so good. It's a rich sound that

Britney Spears Album: Glory Ms. Spears is back with a very different compilation of music. With her albums "Femme Fatale" and "Britney Jean," we heard a lot of techno dance songs. Though some of the songs have the same feel, the sound is very different from her two previous albums. Clumsy is my favorite track on the album. It's very catchy and upbeat, a similar style to Will Smith's Switch . What I love about Britney is she tends to recreate herself with each album. If you were to listen to each album starting with "Baby One More Time" up to "Glory" you can hear the transformation. Even looking at her album covers, you can see how the Princess of Pop recreates herself. She truly is the Princess of Pop. I like how Britney gives us all of her in her work. She is amazing. "Glory" is a refreshing, light, truly entertaining album. With tracks like Do You Wanna Come Over , Clumsy , and Just Like Me you will not stop tapping you

John Tracy Single: Fairytales Come True "Real Music for People Living Real Life" That is the slogan on John Tracy's website. His music is humble, relaxing, and natural. Fairytales Come True reminds me of the country music I grew up with. It brings the magic of what I've always believed in, the fairytales. I still do. As an adult, in a world full of such hatred, I still believe in the fairytales I've watched as a child. I feel this song illustrates the magic we create in our own lives. I feel John's message is that dreams do come true. His song gives a light of hope and gives us a great surge of good feelings on the inside. I like the video especially because I love the contrast between the young prince and princess and the adult prince and princess. It's so sweet to see the little boy fighting off the "evil" boys to protect his princess. To see the progression from the young boy to the adult man in the same predicament is breathtaking. Chiv

See that weird guy in the middle? You know, peeking out in awe between those two taller fellas? Yeah that's Dennis Curlett. Remember that name because it'll appear a lot more in coming years. I knew Dennis from junior high to high school. He graduated with my older sister from Chichester. I saw him in plenty of the musicals at school. I must say that when I saw him in our high school's production of Oliver as the artful Dodger, I knew he would be going places after high school so it was no surprise to me when I learned he had moved to L.A. I've been following his journey a bit through Facebook and YouTube. I am proud to say that he is working on a film which he wrote, is directing, producing and acting in. What makes Dennis so successful and cut out for this business is his personality. Dennis is a charming and hilarious individual who is liked by everybody. (No really, I didn't know one person in high school that didn't know or like Dennis) He is also a go-

Fire Tiger Single: Energy The '80s were a pivotal period in music. The experimental sounds and looks that electrified a generation. Fire Tiger brings that electrifying sound back to the airwaves. Energy brings the sound of the '80s to modern day times. Their sound reminds me of the rock styles of Jem and the Holograms. Now I know what you're thinking, Jem and the Holograms was not a real band but their music was unforgettable. All of us who grew up watching the '80s cartoon still remember the songs like they were still being played today. With Energy I feel like putting on my neon leg warmers, pull my hair into a side ponytail with a huge scrunchie, and put on a series of random bracelets while dancing around my apartment without a care in the world. Energy 's beat is very similar to that of She's Got the Power from Jem and the Holograms. It's a fun track that not only takes us back to what makes music great but it takes us beyond the basics. This s

Aaron Carter Single: Fool's Gold Ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Carter has arrived! I'm going to take this back just a bit to give some background on my familiarity of Mr. Aaron Carter. My younger sister, as many girls did, loved Aaron when he first emerged as this adorable little boy winning the hearts of young girls everywhere. His career was tightly knitted to his big brother Nick. I watched snippets of The Carter Family reality show but wasn't too sure about the direction of Aaron's musical career. He went through different changes in his musical direction since he emerged onto the scene. Aaron went from this adorable little boy with a young Joey McIntyre type appeal to a mix between singing and rapping to laying low, primarily out of the spotlight. However I feel he has finally caught his niche. Aaron Carter has grown up and in a big way. With Fool's Gold he has dug his heels deep into the music industry. I love this track and am so proud of him. It is so i

Linadrena Single-The Rust This type of music is the opposite of what I generally listen to but for a dark piece, it is hypnotic. The vocals are haunting, piercing into the core of soul and ripping the fibers of survival from you. This is the poetry Linadrena portrays in this piece. My boyfriend, Jeff, commented that it sounds very much like the soundtrack from the film Queen of the Damned , so much so that he thought that was what I was listening to. The Rust reaches into the darkest spaces most dare not go but he does. For instance, take the following lyrics: "You won't shine, you're just one side of what I was, broken inside." I feel almost a sense of revelation. The individual or entity he refers to as being broken could be him saying goodbye to that part of him or being confrontational with a figure who masks themselves in what I refer to as fake glory. Whatever has happened to him within the context of this song, it's as if an event has taken place whi

There is no throwback like a huge party with your favorite artists. This was my first Mixtape Festival which I had the privilege of attending thanks to my great, kind friend Tiffany. The Festival marks my 2nd time seeing NKOTB and O-Town but my first time for everyone else. The line up was unbelievable. The rundown went like this: Ryan Cabrera, Dream, O-Town, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men, Paula Abdul, and NKOTB. I think Ryan had the most difficult task of being the first act mainly because people were just arriving and getting settled in. I was very excited to see Ryan LIVE because 1) I've only ever heard him on the radio and his albums and 2) he follows me on twitter and I felt like I came to see a friend perform (yes I know I don't know him personally but it just felt that way, go with me here). He was great. He even did an acoustic version of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" which was a nice attempt but I must say that I prefer the original version. Overall, I'd like to se

First Friday, for those that don't know, is an amazing day to see great art by wonderful artists while enjoying light snacks and sometimes even music. I met the very talented Lvon Yoder at the Lancaster Dental Arts First Friday event. I love going to their event because in my opinion, it's the best around but that's for another blog. Lvon is a very talented artist from Delaware. He is friendly and very open about his work. As you can see he gave me permission to take pictures of his artwork. His art is exquisite. I will be the first to admit that if I looked at this when I was in high school I would not get it but as an adult yes I think these are exquisite. To those that don't appreciate art would see nothing but splatters on a canvas, thinking "my kid could do that," but the truth is, yes anyone can put splatters on a page or canvas but it takes a real artist to make you feel something. Why do you think only certain colors appeal to you? Yes you have war