Idina Menzel's Holiday Wishes {an 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.

Today while the kids played and I made my grocery list for the things I needed for Thanksgiving dinner {Procrastinate is my middle name}, I listened to Idina Menzel's newest album, Holiday Wishes. You know her. She's the uber talented gal that sang Let It Go for a small film named Frozen. Maybe you've heard of it? I kid...of course, you've heard of it. It's only the highest grossing animated film of all time! Of. All. Time.

One could say that Idina is Queen Elsa in the flesh. I'll totally be selling this album to my daughter as "Elsa's Christmas Music!" She's going to love the upbeat songs and she'll even recognize When You WIsh Upon A Star. This album is one you can keep on repeat throughout the Holidays!

One of my favorites from Idina Menzel's Holiday Wishes is Baby It's Cold Outside. She and Michael Buble sing a duet. The best part about the video is that it's lip synced by two talented, dancing kids and Idina and Michael sing the song. Watch it and see for yourself.

Have you started listening to Christmas music yet? You can get your own copy of Idina Menzel's Holiday Wishes at Amazon or iTunes today!
About Idina Menzel and Holiday Wishes
Holiday Wishes, a Christmas album recorded by Tony Award-winning singer/actor Idina Menzel, is out now on Warner Bros. Records.
 
The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” as well as Joni Mitchell’s Christmas-themed “River,” one of Menzel’s favorites.
 
Another highlight is a duet with international superstar Michael Bublé on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” An exclusive Target edition ofHoliday Wishes features two bonus tracks, including “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”.
 
Idina’s career has traversed stage, film, television, and music. She was most recently heard as Elsa in Disney’s global box-office smash Frozen, in which she sings the film’s Oscar-winning song “Let It Go.” After her performance of the multi-platinum song at the 86th annual Academy Awards, she made history as the first person with both a Billboard Top 10 hit and a Tony Award for acting.

Idina currently stars as Elizabeth in the original Broadway production of If/Then.
I can't wait to hear what YOU think of Idina's newest album!

Kylie Minogue {an album reiew}

did you grow up in the 80's?
oh, come on.
don't be ashamed...it was GREAT being a child of the 80's!!!

debbie gibson, tiffany, poison, guns and roses, b-52's, phil collins, paula abdul, madonna...i listened to it all.
and probably had posters of each artist or band freshly torn from teen beat magazine.

i still have pretty vivid memories of going to school at hyde grove elementary and being in chorus.
one performance in particular sticks out to me.
we did a song and dance to the song "locomotion" by kylie minogue.

remember her?
remember that song?

refresh your memory with this wildly 80's video!!



well, kylie minogue has just released a new album, the abbey road sessions.

On The Abbey Road Sessions, Kylie slows things down and allows us to reflect on what makes her great. One thing becomes very clear—stripped of her high-end pop production, the emotional resonance of Kylie’s songs has never been clearer, and her voice has never sounded better.

The Abbey Road Sessions features sixteen tracks, all radically reworked, spanning Kylie’s incredible twenty-five-year career. It was recorded in London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios with Kylie’s band and a full orchestra. The album features many of Kylie’s best-known hits and previously unreleased tracks. Over all sixteen tracks, one thing becomes very clear—stripped of her high-end pop production, the emotional resonance of Kylie’s songs has never been clearer, and her voice has never sounded better.

as i type this post i'm listening to kylie's new album.
it's a great mix of slow and thoughtful to upbeat and fun.
{and locomotion is on it!}

i think my favorite on this album is "can't get you outta my head."
it's a well-known kylie minogue song reworked with an orchestral arrangement.
as a matter of fact, the entire album has an orchestral arrangement. 

kylie is a breast cancer survivor and donates time to the american cancer society.
one track on the album, titled flower, was written several years ago after her cancer battle, for a child she hopes to one day still have.



you can find the abbey road sessions by kylie minogue on itunes and amazon.



i participated in this campaign for one2one network. i received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. by posting, i am eligible for incentives. all opinions stated are my own.
amazon affiliate links are used, also.

that one time when i met chris mann... {an album review}

{me with chris mann at blissdom 2012}

in february of this year i was blessed with the opportunity to go be a photographer at blissdom.

i honestly didn't realize the magnitude of that experience in the moment.
casey, mooshinindy, told me more than once that i was really very lucky to be experiencing all that i was experiencing in my first year at blissdom.
maybe i was able to do as much as i did because i wasn't all star struck. ya know?
i took my photog gig very seriously.
and followed casey around absorbing as much photog knowledge as i could from her.
now i'm looking back, or i have been looking back over the last few months, thinking "wow! i was a part of that!" or, "hey, i met him!"

i have a lot of "if i knew then" moments.

fast forward to today.

recently i was asked to review chris mann's new cd roads.
to be completely honest, before blissdom i had no idea who he was.
i don't watch much tv so i may have never even watched the voice had chris not been there.
he wasn't there to promote the show.
he was simply there to sing a few songs for his friends.

one of the songs he sang was the title track to his new album, roads.


{casey, danielle, and rachel enjoying the voice of the uber talented chris mann. photo taken by moi.}


{chris has a voice that is full of emotion and sincerity...one can get lost in the lyrics and sound. simply beautiful.}




here's a little info about chris mann for you...

As a finalist on the hit NBC television series “The Voice,” Chris Mann captured the hearts of millions while drawing the respect of multi-platinum talents such as Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo. Following one of his many dynamic live performances on the show, Aguilera told him, “I feel the heavens open up when you sing.” America agreed, and when the series ended, Chris had not one, but two songs on the iTunes Top 10 Pop Singles Chart.
Influenced by Pavarotti, Robbie Williams and vintage Sinatra, Chris’ blend of classically-trained tenor and contemporary pop vocals is a sound that’s rare in music today. Said Cee Lo, “He is by far one of the most incomparable vocalists I have ever heard.”
This classical crossover artist is set to release his Christmas EP on October 9 and his full-length major label debut album on October 30.


chris' new album is one that i will pop in whenever i need a relaxing vibe.
the album is perfect for your next dinner party background music or ladies night.

you can purchase your very own copy of chris mann's new album, roads, at itunes or amazon now.



this is a review post from one2one network. i was provided with a copy of the album and i am eligible for a prize drawing. all opinions stated are my own.