LIST: Music Makes For Great Gifts...

With the holidays here and Christmas fast approaching, I thought I'd help out and suggest some albums that would make for great gifts. These are albums (new and old) that I really enjoy. There's music from different genres, so hopefully there's a little something for everyone. Hope you agree...

(BTW... these are in no particular order, and like everything in this blog, is my own complete endorsement.)

1. Smashing Pumpkins - Any of their albums, I think would be a winner. I just LOVE this band. The end.
   
   
2. Radiohead - Anything by these guys. They are brilliant.
   
   
3. AA Bondy - American Hearts
   
   
4. Antje Duvekot - Snapshots
   
   
5. Augustana - Can't Love, Can't Hurt
   
   
6. The Brilliant Mistakes - Distant Drumming
   
   
7. Five A.M. - Raise The Sun
   
   
8. Val Emmich - Little Daggers
   
   
9. Matt Nathanson - Some Mad Hope
   
   
10. O.A.R. - All Sides
    
    
11. Emerson Hart - Cigarettes & Gasoline
    
    
12. Adele - 19
    
    
13. Kira Fontana - Inner Revolution
    
    
14. The Interiors - The Interiors
    
    
15. Mass Solo Revolt - Easy Mark
    
    
16. Aleksis Bilmanis - World Around
    
    
17. The Fray - How To Save A Life
    
    
18. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
    
    
19. Leona Lewis - Spirit
    
    
20. Travis - Singles
    
    
21. The Kooks - Konk
    
    
22. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
    
    
23. Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
    
    
24. Christian Brown - When It's Perfect
    
    
25. Deftones - White Pony

And just because it's the holidays... My favorite Christmas album to suggest would be:

Any of the Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas albums.

Happy Holidays!

LISTEN: Kira Fontana - The Inner Revolution

Click to get Kira Fontana on iTunes

Kira Fontana - The Inner Revolution

I've been listening to this album for awhile now, and have to admit there are times, when it is a bit difficult for me to do so. Not because it isn't any good. On the contrary, it's rather good. Very good really.

What makes it difficult, is what I sometimes feel when I'm listening. The Inner Revolution is an appropriate name for this album. For when it's playing, I am placed in a mindset of self reflection and inner discovery.

As a great lover of music, it's not uncommon for particular songs to do this to me. What's not so common is finding all those songs collectively on the same album.

Here, there are tracks that are painful for me to listen to, because they draw out feelings I would rather be put away.

Clouds shift
and day breaks my heart anew
over and over I pray you'll find your way to me
'cause there are times I still feel
your head right here next to me... - Still

However, there are other songs, that I find encouraging and give me a sense of inner strength.

Don't let the weight of the world knock you down again... - Home

Midnight's here and I'm on my own still it feels so new 'cause I left the life I've always known to be here now tonight with you - Love

Kira has an amazing gift in her sweet voice, and original music. She wrote and arranged all of the songs on this album. That personalization is there. Though I've never met Kira, I find it safe to say she's sharing a very real and honest part of herself in this album. She isn't writing lyrics that just 'sound good' and has pretty music with 'mass appeal'. She is more than sharing her own discoveries with the listener... thus encouraging the listener to discover as well.

The beauty of this album is that Kira's inner revolution may start one in you too. It did for me anyways...

www.kirafontana.com