A Plethora of Freebies

So, this week on iTunes, we are treated to a lot of free stuff. I'm a fan of free stuff, especially when it's good. How did we do this week?

The first free offering is "Satisfied" by Ashley Monroe. I thought I was mistaken at first because the picture looks a lot like Ashlee Simpson and if this was her, I was going to have to skip it. It wasn't. This is definitely not A.S. The song is country, and the singer actually has talent. While country is not my favorite genre at all, I decided to give this a listen with an open mind. The song is a pretty straight-forward Country-pop type song. Ashley sounds good and it's pretty easy to listen to except, my head keeps telling me that I'm listening to country which throws me. But this effect dwindled the more times I listened. By the latest, I was able to appreciate the song and give it a solid 3 of 5. Nothing spectacular, but a good offering. (Any country fans who want to weigh in on this, let me know)

Next is the discovery download of the week, which is Yo Solo Se Que Solo No Se Nada by Jeremias. The first thing I thought when I saw this was that's a really long title... The song is obviously Spanish and as I really have no experience in that genre, I again decided to listen with an open mind. To be honest, it sounded to me like something I'd hear on an elevator. Sorry Jeremias. Just didn't dig it. 2 of 5 (I reserve 1's for really bad songs).

Next is a Making of scene from Prison Break. I like this show a lot, so I was excited to see this. Turns out it explains how they shoot in an actual prison that has been closed only a little while. It's going through a scene when Scofield meets his new cell-mate "Haywire" It was pretty cool, and also interesting to see how some people sound nothing like their character (Haywire), and others sound exactly like it (Scofield). Pretty cool thing. 4 of 5.

Another free video offering is a Casting session from the show Black. White. If you haven't heard about it, it involves two families, one black and one white who trade races via makeup. It is pretty interesting to see how each side feels when the tables are turned. I watched a few of these shows and I felt that the white family (the parents, not the daughter) did not represent the typical white family. They seemed very hippie-ish... Anyway... The documentary was pretty good. But, didn't offer anything extraordinary, so I'll just give it a 3 of 5.

Finally is the video for the Theme to Black.White. It's called Race.Card. It's performed by Ice Cube and there were a few funny things in there. Basically, the point of the song is that you can't judge a book by its cover or a man by the color of his skin. A little cliche, but then again, we still have to deal with this issue today. One funny line "I've been to jail just like Martha Stewart, and we both told the judge that we didn't do it.." It's an interesting take but probably not something I'd watch too many more times if at all. 3 of 5.

That's it for this week. Later.

PJ

A little bummed out and free stuff

So, I'm still a little shocked and bummer about the Stars' early departure from the NHL playoffs. I guess I'll be cheering for Ottawa now. I don't think I can talk about it anymore...

Well, in an effort to cheer myself up, I'll talk about some free stuff from iTunes. First is the free single of the week. The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (Acoustic Version). I'm not really familiar with this band, but it does include Jack White from the White Stripes. I'm not sure if this is his new venture or a side venture, but this song is very cool to listen to. It's got a nice groove, and it sounds like they were having a lot of fun in recording it (As evidenced by the laughing on the last verse). It also sounds very stripped down and something out of the past when you didn't need over-producing to create a good song. I'm not sure what the "regular" version will sound like, but hopefully it won't stray too far from this. Definitely going on my iPod. 5 out of 5. I really enjoyed it.

Next, is the Discovery Download of the week. Ciaccona by Rolf Lislevand. It is a classical piece that is guitar-centered but has some great string work in the middle and overall, it is a really nice piece to listen to. It flows well from beginning to end and sounds like something that is familiar, but new if that makes any sense at all. I really enjoyed this piece. I'll probably put it on my iPod. 4 of 5.

A great week from iTunes (for me any way). It's almost enough to get me out of my NHL funk...

Until next time,
PJ