Tim Be Told Shines In Humanity

Tim Be Told is a contemporary Christian-based group that incorporates a variety of pop, rock, and gospel. They are still relatively unknown, but they are gaining popularity as they tour at college campuses and churches around the country. The group is made up of Tim Ouyang, Andrew Chae, and Caleb Wu, and they aim for honesty in their songs. Humanity, which is their new album, is now available on their website. The songs featured on this album are inspiring and give faith to listeners. Some notable songs include "The Symphony (Compose Me)," "Humanity," and "Reach for the Light." Tim Be Told's vocals are strong and emotional, and their lyrics are powerful. Because most of their concerts are free, I think that Tim Be Told will be able to gain popularity quickly, and they will be able to publicize themselves more easily. For a preview of Humanity and a list of their tour dates, check out Tim Be Told's website. 

To buy Humanity, go to Tim Be Told's store website.

Owl City's Breanne Duren Goes Solo

For several years now, Breanne Duren has been working with Adam Young in Owl City. She is featured in a few songs including "Honey and the Bee" and "The Saltwater Room." Currently, she is playing keyboards for Owl City in their "All Things Bright and Beautiful Tour," and she is opening their shows with music from her new EP Sparks. She began working on Sparks while on tour, and she plans to pursue a solo career. Her voice sounds like a girl version of Adam Young's voice, as there is evident influences of electronic sounds in her newly released "No One Else." Owl City fans will most likely be drawn to Duren's voice and style because of its similarity to Young. You can purchase her EP now on iTunes, and for more information, go to Duren's website.

The Fray Is Back

Making new music is inevitably difficult, as artists and bands seem to "disappear" from the music scene for some time. The Fray gained popularity with their How To Save a Life album but have otherwise lost touch with the public. However, they recently came out with a new single called "Heartbeat," which is part of their new album Scars & Stories. Their album is scheduled to be released by Epic Records on February 7, 2012. The group will begin a series of television appearances on October 27 in order to publicize their new album.

Lead singer, Isaac Slade says that the inspiration for "Heartbeat" came from his travels to South Africa and Rwanda. He wanted to stay open to anything that came his way, and he was especially inspired by an expatriate woman there. As a result of his experiences in Africa, Slade was able to come up with the lyrics and melodies of songs on Scars & Stories. The Fray did not hold back on their third album, and I am excited to hear new music from this popular group.

Check out The Fray's website here for more news.

Looking Forward with Future Focused

Oftentimes, people begin their music careers as members of a larger group and then decide to go solo. Former Cute Is What We Aim For guitar/bass player, Dave Melillo, is just one example of an artist that is planning on releasing an album later this month. His EP called Future Focused is a preview of his 13-song mixtape that he began writing seven years ago. Recording for this album began at the beginning of this year because Melillo was going through difficult times. He comments that every song on the upcoming album is based on his personal experiences, and that the album is a way for him to look forward to the future by learning from the past. For a link to the EP, go to Dave Melillo's website.

Parachute & Kate Voegele #PARAKATE

Have you heard of Parakate? If you're a fan of Parachute or Kate Voegele, then you would know that the name was made for their joint tour (Parachute + Kate = Parakate). Rock/pop group Parachute is playing their new music from their album, The Way It Was, as well as some old favorites. One of my favorite songs off The Way It Was, is Kiss Me Slowly. The song was co-written by Parachute's Will Anderson along with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood from Lady Antebellum. Other notable songs on the album are Something to Believe In, Forever and Always, What I Know, and American Secrets. Kate Voegele also released new music this year with her album, Gravity Happens. Notable songs include Say You're Mine, Hundred Million Dollar Soul, Enough for Always, and Impatient Girl.

An interesting offer on the tour is a chance for fans to meet Parachute and Kate Voegele for an exclusive soundcheck before the shows. The VIP tour package includes a soundcheck party, meet & greet, exclusive music, and autographed merch. Since music isn't bringing in as much revenue as it used to, many artists are relying on special bundle packages such as this or merchandise sales to boost tour revenue. It's also a great way for artists to form a stronger relationship with fans.

Parachute: www.weareparachute.com

Kate Voegele: http://katevoegele.com/

Kiss Me Slowly Music Video:

Mat Kearney's Young Love

Back in August, Mat Kearney released his third full-length album, Young Love. The first song I heard from him was his single, Closer To Love, from his previous album, City of Black & White. I love the emotions he portrayed in that song and the lyrics. On his current album, his first song and first single, Hey Mama, is upbeat and brighter than songs from his previous albums. The music video for Hey Mama shows the vibrant personality of New Orleans and was filmed in black and white. Some other songs that I like on the album include: Ships In The Night, Sooner or Later, Down, and Count On Me (which features children singing in it).

Mat Kearney's Official Website: http://www.matkearney.com/

Check out the Hey Mama Music Video:

Tim Halperin - rising singer/songwriter

I first heard of Tim Halperin when his song, She Runs, was featured on Heineken's Ultimate Playlist. Heineken had a contest on Reverbnation where the winner (artist with the most downloads) would be featured on the page and received a cash prize. Many know of Tim Halperin from American Idol, but he had already established himself as an up-and-coming artist before the reality show. After American Idol, Tim got a boost from influential radio personality, Kidd Kraddick, on 106.1 in Dallas, TX when Kraddick created a segment called "Idol Got It Wrong". Kraddick wanted to prove that Tim should have won American Idol. With help from Kraddick, Tim's career built up momentum. The day after his contract was up with American Idol, he released his debut album, Rise and Fall. The first single off his album is called The Last Song and his album debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. The album also hit #1 on the singer/songwriter chart on iTunes when it was released in September.

It's clear that Tim Halperin is a rising singer/songwriter. He recently opened for Lee Ann Womack and The Fray and has made numerous national appearances. See below for The Last Song music video:

15 year old, Ella Mae Bowen, signs with Big Machine

Big Machine Records recently announced the signing of fifteen year old, singer/songwriter, Ella Mae Bowen who is from South Carolina. I wrote about another group from South Carolina in my last post - Needtobreathe. It turns out that she is also friends with Seth Bolt from Needtobreathe. He has produced and co-written music with Ella Mae Bowen. She has been recently seen at the Footloose premieres because she sings a cover of Holdin' Out for A Hero for the soundtrack.

She has an interesting background because she was born prematurely with lungs that weren't developed and yet, she has become a singer. She has been surrounded and fascinated by music her whole life. Her dad made music on the side and she sites her grandad as a huge influence in her life and on her music. Her beginnings remind me of how Taylor Swift first started and it will be interesting to see how Ella progresses throughout her career.

The Footloose soundtrack has already been released and the remake of the movie is coming to theaters this Friday. Her cover on the soundtrack will accompany other songs by big name country artists such as Blake Shelton, Zac Brown, and Big & Rich.

Click here to listen to a 30 sec clip of Holdin' Out for A Hero:
http://listn.to/EllaMaeBowen

Needtobreathe Hits "The Reckoning" on a High Note

Many great bands begin their careers and get noticed after some time, but it takes a while to reach the masses or for the music to reach a different audience. Needtobreathe, an established Christian rock band, is one example. The band has been touring with Taylor Swift on the Speak Now tour and is one of the opening acts. With this opportunity, the band is able to reach a larger audience that may not have discovered their music until now. They recently came out with their fourth album on September 19, 2011, and it has already reached #1 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian chart. Some singles that caught my interest are "Drive All Night," "Slumber," and "The Reckoning," which is also the album's name. There is an evident Christian influence found throughout the songs that makes the album upbeat yet reflective. The band also has bluegrass and folk influences and combines them with a classic rock sound. The songs are perfect "any day songs" that can be listened to for whatever mood you may be in. Their lyrics are heartfelt and provide real messages to listeners. I think that by opening for Swift, Needtobreathe is establishing themselves as a qualified band that deserves more recognition. All in all, if you haven't listened to their songs, you should visit the Needtobreathe Website to hear and find out more about them. The band is also playing 'secret shows' that are announced via Twitter at various cities along the Speak Now tour.

Gavin DeGraw Makes a Sweet Return

Without a doubt, Gavin DeGraw is back with his new album, Sweeter, which was released on September 6, 2011. The album features the popular single "Not Over You" and brings back classic DeGraw sound. "Not Over You" is a mix of pop and rock sounds with the serenading voice of DeGraw. The lyrics are simple yet sincere and the music video conveys a guy being vulnerable, but at the same time, being too proud to admit that he's not over her.

It is evident that Sweeter will continue being successful, as it has already hit the Billboard Top 200 Chart at #8 and the Digital Albums Chart at #5. Other songs that I enjoyed on his new album include "Soldier," "Sweeter," and "You Know Where I'm At." To hear more from Sweeter, go to the Gavin DeGraw website.