Mix CD for you.

Some of the very best gifts I have ever been given are mix CD's.  I still have mix CD's from like 7th grade.  That's how great they are.  They become super relevant because they remind you of a certain person and a specific time and they're a perfect representation of that person.

I've also loved giving mix CD's for these very same reasons.  I love music so sooo much, and I love YOU so much that I have to take the time to pick out which specific songs/artists you HAVE to hear, and arrange them all neat and nice in the right order on your mix CD.

Well dearest friends and family, I loooove you guys.  And I've decided I need to make you a mix CD.  But since this is a blog, I can also make you a mix... music video... uh... something comprable to a CD in visual form... hahaha  But seriously, I just love you.  So here it is.  And it's a long blog--I'll be out of blogging commission for the next week or so, so I thought I'd just inundate you with Amanda-blog-ness for today.

Mix CD of my FAVE lady singers and some of their very best songs.  Complete with explanation.
(count down to #1...)

(11. ZEE AVI: See previous post.  I love ukuleles.)


10. FLORENCE WELCH: Newest fave.  Gorgeous and Awesome.  Fresh and Modern.  Talented and Artistic.

9. CARRIE UNDERWOOD: I know what you're thinking.  Really Amanda?  American Idol?  Cowboy Casanova? Before he Cheats?  Really??  Well, first of all, yes American Idol--have you heard of Kelly Clarkson?  She changed my life.  And no, I'm not a fan at all of Cowboy Casanova or Undo It orrr definitely not the stupid "Last Name" one.  Nope.  But lets be honest--this girl can sing.

                    Goosebumps.  Every time.  That ending... GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!



8. ZOOEY DESCHANEL: Not liking Zooey Deschanel is like saying you don't like puppies.  You have no soul.  She is the cutest thing I've ever seen.  And I love this video because she's playing the UKULELE. Rad.

7. BRANDI CARLILE: So I've seen Brandi live, and let me tell YOU, it really changed my life.  It was in the coolest little old Texas town called Greene in the well-known "Greene Hall" where like Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash have all preformed at some point.  That's fine.  And Miss Brandi, well she just sang some Patsy Cline and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  I LOVE the grit of her voice.  That's right, I said grit.  She's a cross between Janis Joplin and Tammy Wynette (remember "stand by your man"?).  Just take a little listen.

6. BARBARA STREISAND: Babs.  My mom hates her.  I thought she was a weirdo.  Then I saw Funny Girl.  I was BAWLING when I saw this movie the first time.  Maybe the second and third time too.  Now I love her. That movie is filled with the best of Babs, but this song is what solidified her as one of my faves.

5. EDITH PIAF: One of the most famous singers of France.  I think her voice is so clean and powerful.  I love to listen to her because I have no idea what she's singing about, but I can feel her passion!  Incroyable!!

4. CHARLLOTE CHURCH: Uh voice of an angel duh.  I have almost every CD she's ever made.  I'm still amazed by that classical voice that came out of her little bitty self.  But did you know she's all grown up now?  She has two kids, and now she sings these pretty little songs.  Her last CD was just beautifulllll.

3. WHITNEY HOUSTON: "The voice".  When I watched Cinderella with Brandi and Whitney Houston in it, I was mesmerized.  I did not know that voices could sound like that.  I used to listen to "Impossible" and try to make my voice sound like Whitney--it was a saaaad day though when I realized I didn't have soul.

2. ADELE:
TICKETS... TO... ADELE... IN... 3... WEEKS!!!!
My initial reaction to the vintage-y vocals of this English lady was "I have been waiting for this my whole life".  I still feel daily that my life would be incomplete without her.
This video is so cool too--it's in her home... keep an eye out for her grammy.  She's 21.  No big deal.

1. BILLIE HOLIDAY: "Lady Day".  "Changed the art of American vocals forever."  Brilliant.  Emotional.  Moving.  Beautiful.  Poignant.  My all time fave.

I hope you enjoyed it.  Thanks for taking the time to listen to/watch the whole thing.  You're the best.

Grateful for: A ticket to Paris that leaves TOMORROW.

Quote of the day: "In their anxiousness, people began to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket" --President Uchtdorf