Holiday Wishes by Idina Menzel | Album Review

I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network.  I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.

I'm a sucker for some good Christmas music.  In fact, I get frustrated when people complain about Christmas music being played before Thanksgiving...and decorating before Thanksgiving...I enjoy Thanksgiving just like the next person, however, I also want to be able to celebrate Christmas as long as I can, since it's such a special holiday!  And...I'm THAT person who listens to Christmas music ALL YEAR LONG!

All this to say - I was super excited to get the chance to review Idina Menzel's new album Holiday Wishes.  I first heard of Idina, who is a Tony Award Winning singer/actress, when she played Rachel Berry's mother in Glee, and of course, now she is the voice of the movie Frozen, by singing Let it Go.  However, she's been around long before that as a star on Broadway.  She's now back on Broadway, but took the time to put this album together, which is her fifth studio album.

The first thing that I noticed while listening to the album, was just how powerful her voice is.  This girl can sing!  I'm absolutely loving every single track on the album!  As much as I love traditional Christmas music, I also LOVE when new Christmas songs are written!  One of my absolute favorites on the album, which is also one of Menzel's favorites, is Joni Mitchell's song River.  This song is beautifully written and sung on Menzel's album.  Rather than being your traditional Christmas themed song, this song refers to a broken romantic relationship, which takes place during the holidays.  Just a beautiful song!

Of course, she also has traditional Christmas songs included on her album, like Do You Hear What I Hear, The Christmas Song, Baby It's Cold Outside (duet with Michael Buble), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and many others.  

You can view the album trailer below, and then make sure to head to Amazon or iTunes to check it out!

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The London Sessions by Mary J. Blige | Album Review

**I participated in the Mary J. Blige "The London Sessions" album review program as a member of One2One Network.  I was provided a free album to review, but all opinions are my own.**

Mary J. Blige's newest album, The London Sessions, doesn't release in the United States until December 2, 2014, so I was honored to receive a chance to do an early release review of her songs.  I, honestly, don't typically listen to her music and I can't say that I've ever been a 'fan' of hers.  However, I wanted to give this album the same chance that I give to all the music I listen to.  And I'm so glad that I did!  I was loving listening to her music.  Strong lyrics and catchy tunes were all throughout the album!



This is Blige's thirteenth studio album.  That in itself proves that she is a superstar!  This is an interesting album, as Blige traveled across the Atlantic to work with some of the UK's top musical talent, including Disclosure, Eg White, Emile Sande, Jimmy Naples, Naughty Boy, Sam Romans and Sam Smith.  Mary J. Blige said about her album, "The songs are fun, therapeutic, and soulful.  This is a beautiful change for me and I'm proud of what we have done here."  The track listing is as follows: 1. Therapy 2. Doubt 3. Not Loving You 4. When You're Gone 5. Right Now 6. My Loving  7. Long Hard Look 8. Whole Damn Year 9. Nobody But You 10. Pick Me Up 11. Follow 12. Worth My Time
One of my early favorites on the album was the track called Doubt.  I love her lyrics and message in this song.   "You said I'd never be a leader.   You said I'd never wear a crown.   If I wanted to be someone,  I should learn to settle down.  
I tell myself  I warn myself.   Don't know me that well.  
I made it to the end. I nearly paid the cost. I lost a lot of friends. I've sacrificed a lot. I'd do it all again, 'Cause I made it to the top But I can't keep doubting myself anymore."
These lyrics are so powerful and strong.  I just keep singing them over and over in my head, even after the song changes!  Just listen to it yourself on December 2, and you'll see what I'm talking about! Another favorite is Right Now.  There is such a fun beat to this song, I thought it would make perfect workout music.  And since I've been slacking in that department lately, I think new music would make me want to work out again.  This would be the perfect song for that!  Check out the video for Right Now below!

Basically, I loved all of the songs on her newest album, The London Sessions.  On December 2, make sure you check it out - you won't be sorry and it definitely won't be a waste of your time!  It's fabulous! You can find The London Sessions on iTunes and Amazon by clicking on the respective links.

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Mary Lambert - Heart On My Sleeve

I participated in the Mary Lambert Heart On My Sleeve album review program as a member of One2One Network.  I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.

Mary Lambert is a girl who knows who she is.  And she's ready to introduce herself to the world.  It's obvious by the album title, that she's putting her 'heart on her sleeve' and pouring out her soul in these songs.  You may have heard her on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' hit "Same Love."  As a former waitress and bartender who struggled both financially and personally, Mary Lambert is finally getting a chance to open up and share her thoughts, struggles and quirky personality with the world.

"Having an actual platform made me think about my motivations and what I want to put out into the world," Lambert says about creating the songs that appear on her debut full-length album, Heart On My Sleeve.  "So I made a list of goals."  These goals were to: 1. Have fun.  2. Create something catchy.  3. Create something that positively impacts the world.  4. Stay true to yourself.  5. Make money.  "I wanted to write a pop album that had profound emotional depth and interesting language, while being accessible and catchy," she explains.  "I wanted the songs to be poignant and raw, but I want to hear them on the radio.  I like to describe Heart On My Sleeve as a pop album with a conscience."

As Mary herself stated, these songs are all about "self-empowerment and challenging beauty standards."  Even though not everyone will agree with her choices, or understand what she is going through, you've got to give her props for putting her "heart on her sleeve" and sharing her true self with the world.  I love that she wrote these songs from her experiences and they are real life stories. 

While all of the songs on the album are fun and powerful, I especially enjoyed listening to Secrets, Chasing the Moon, and Heart on my Sleeve.  With powerful lyrics, catchy tunes, and a unique voice, Mary Lambert is one artist that you don't want to miss!  

To learn more about Mary Lambert and her new album, click on the following links:

Mary Lambert's Website

Mary Lambert's Twitter Page

"Secrets" YouTube Video

Mary Lambert's Facebook Page

If you are interested in hearing more, you can download the album today on iTunes or Amazon.

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