The Music In Me
I’ve been overwhelmed with many new tunes that’s worth mentioning of late. First up, there’s the wonderful new group Alter Bridge. To those unfamiliar with the band, it’s formed by three band members of the now defunct rock bank Creed. (Weren’t they supposed to come to KL last year?)
Mark Tremonti (guitar and vocals), Brian Marshall (Bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) are now without Scott Stapp, their ex-lead vocalist. The group first had controversy when Brian Marshall mysteriously left Creed after his remarks over “Eddie Vader (of Pearl Jam) wishing that he can sound like Scott Stapp”. Less than a year after his departure, the entire group disbanded, only to band again together to form the new group, Alter Bridge, without Stapp (who will be launching his own solo project soon). I can’t say that I’m all that surprised to see Stapp going his own way.. Now we know what Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating and Scott Stapp have in common. I call it the lead singer syndrome. LOL
Anyway, Alter Bridge now has a new vocalist. A certain Myles Kennedy, who once opened a few jigs for Creed. Though comparisons between him and Stapp will be made by fans and listeners alike, Kennedy brings his own rock edginess to Alter Bridge. And as for the new single, “Open Your Eyes”. This could possibly be my new favourite track of the year.For a smaple clip of the song “Open Your Eyes” and more information on Alter Bridge, visit their website at The Official Alter Bridge Website (the website’s concept reminds me of the 3d image renderings of Gabriel Knight 3 : Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned)
Next on the line, something from our local scene. Ever heard of the band Nitrus? Well, some of you may remember them from two years back. The local band won the title of Most Promising New Artiste at the 2002 AIM Awards. Yep, bukan calang-calang band la brader. Though the group had quite a revamp, they are finally back with some new material.
I’ve had the privilege to listen to a few unfinished materials from their forthcoming album, and I was quite blown away by some of the tracks. The album consist of both Malay and English songs, and don’t expect to hear lovey dovey jiwang karat kinda song from these guys. Each of their tracks is a poem that has a certain theme or message for the listeners. It’s just an added bonus that they are presented in the form of songs that are pleasant to the ears. Hopefully, I’ll be able to grab a hold of these guys for an interview for our sister publication. Check out two of their tracks at MusicCanteen.com
And finally, I Believe. American Idol fanatics will know, that is a line from Fantasia Barrino’s debut single which debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard chart several weeks ago. I’m glad the track finally made it’s way to our local shores, but they sure took their time, didn’t they?
I’ve had the MP3 more than two weeks ago, so I’ve already had the lyrics memorized in my head. The song is so and so at first listen, but I am completely impressed by Diana DeGarmo’s rendition of that song. For a comparison between the two, take a listen here (You can hear Diana singing the track on the right speaker, and Fantasia on the left). Interestingly enough, Fantasia and Diana were both picked from the first batch in the Final 32 selection. Diana singing the first song and Fantasia singing the last.
Maybe I’m biased but I really loved Diana’s rendition. She’s only 16 years old and things can only get better for this young girl. I’ve also had the privilege to listen to her other two studio recorded tracks, “Dreams” and her cover of Melissa Manchester’s “Don’t Cry Out Loud”. Diana’s live performance of “Don’t Cry Out Loud” (during the Final Three show) was perhaps the best performance of the entire season, and some of the magic was gone in the studio version.
I was listening to Mix FM at noon today and I heard them play Fantasia’s I Believe. I called them up (and miraculously got through on my first try) and asked if they had Diana’s version. Unfortunately, they don’t. Perhaps I should just mail them the MP3s. Oh well. I’m gonna wait for her album anyway, cause she obviously wasn’t kidding when she sang “I Got The Music In Me” in the Final 32 selection. You sure do, Diana. You sure do.
