The Best Songs of 2009 no this is not a misprint but at least I'm not writing about American Idol tonight!!!

OKAY!!!! I already know that this is way late but istead of putting the best songs of 2009. I would put the songs I "heard" in 2009 and also I thought A.) I was giving everyone something other then American Idol (with other non Idol things to come featuring, pop culture, movies, theater, divas, oh my!!), B) I work in a company that we're still restoring things back to 01/01/2010 and everything that I have learned from watching my partner George's Star Trek episodes and any comedy that brings the space time consortium back to fill episodes. I figured you can always go back and correct the past. This does not work though when you had planned to order a chicken salad and accidentally told them tuna salad which is just disgusting and you take the tuna because you had already bitten into it. I had posted this at a good friends site that's also linked to his site. If you haven't please check it our you'll love it. Who am I kidding he get more hits then me the only reason your probably even at my site is because you clicked on my link though his site. Come on my own Mother told me she doesn't read my blog. I said it was a blog about me and my interests and she said that she really wasn't interested in that stuff. My partner George keeps forgetting to read the site but he will remember down to the exact minute I told him I'd be home for dinner. So In no particular order of songs. First I do have to say I HATE putting lists in order. I'm sure that could be psyched out to the 9th degree. I just don't want to have a "Sophie's Choice" about ranking something like "Muriels Wedding" which is worshiped over something like "The Hours" which I also worship and watch a lot to cheer myself up. However I do love to talk so expect lists from me of my top ten everything's.



So as I'm not too late but like I said I'm just retro this list so it fits. here goes: If I had to pick the best song of 2009. The best single of 2009 for me would have to be "Already Gone" from Kelly Clarkson. If you just going with the CD version it has an amazing sound which Beyonce obviously did "borrow" and released first for her ultra addictive but not as good as AG song "Halo." It's not like we don't know that Beyonce would do anything for her career and a hit song but I'm sorry Gone is a better song with a lot more emotion in it then "Halo" which is another great song too.



That's why she's the level that she is and people either hate her or love her. I think it's an original take on the typical love song where everyone always sings about how your going to miss me, I'm still hung up on you, an I remember her name in the morning. will I be able to give their name out to the doctor when I'm trying to cure that rash. Don't worry just a little joke. :) However Kelly sings the song with mostly a detached emotion that your not used to hearing in love songs till the point when she tells them she's gone and her voice starts belting. It's like she found a new life as soon as he was gone. Everyone knows I'm obsessed with Ms. Clarkson (not to the point that I need a restraining order placed on me....again :) but "Already Gone" places in the top list of the greatest Kelly Clarkson songs. I did though restrict myself to one Kelly song this year as I figured there were a few that could have made the list. I did want to spread the wealth.

"Scars" - Allison Iraheta - I know that I said that this wasn't an American Idol list but come on people I write an American Idol blog. I do listen to everything. A lot more then in high school when all it was, was Musical Theater, Broadway Divas, and Opera but I still have to have my priorities. Allison should have gotten the credit on Idol that she truly deserved. A voice like hers does not come around often. This girl is only sixteen years (now 17) old and she has one of the thickest, soulful voices in music that can belt with no problem ands a wallop of emotion in everything. Hopefully when people hear her excellent CD she'll finally be a star because she is what people like Taylor Swift, Miley, Demi, and Selena should pray to be. This song hits at the emotional center but also is entirely relate able. It's about holding on to pain and suffering of the past but don't in a way that gives the chance for Allison to sink her teeth in and show how that she really is a star.

"Poker Face"" - by Lady Gaga - Even though most of the songs seems to be from female artists that usually I tend to listen to that. I do listen to male singers but always seem to gravitate towards the ladies. It's odd posting about Gaga late in the game when she's been talked, and talked, and talked about so much. We know she's incredible, she's the future of pop, I saw her live and she puts on a HELL of a show!!! I actually think "Just Dance." is better there's something so epic bout "Poker Face" and the fact that she comes up with lyrics that normally would have you laughing but within the song it works and people LOVE to sing them. You can always tell a popular song because of how many covers you see popping up everywhere. This song the covers seemed to pop up right after the song was released and they were taking it to a new direction. I've heard this song in the original version, a strictly acoustic version, just a piano version, a polka version and heck even Broadway Diva Lea Salonga sang a version at one of her concerts. That's the mark of a great song.

"Parachute" - Cheryl Cole - The title is silly and the lyrics are okay but the music in this is the hook. Also this was a song that grew on me. If your not aware of who Cheryl Cole is get aware quickly. She is started her career in London on a reality show to find the next girl group. The group they came up with was a British group called "Girls Aloud" and they are HUGE over thee. Cheryl recorded a solo album with Will.I.Am who is featured on many of her tracks and Simon Cowell wants her desperately to come over to America to be a judge on X-Factor as she already is one in the London version. This is a great song with a hook that sticks with you and the video is stunning.

"Stop Sign"- Beyonce - I tried to make my list about songs that I figured people might not have heard as opposed to the big ones. There were a few that no matter how big need to be in my list. With all the hits that Ms. Fierce released in 2009-2010 I picked a song that she didn't even release. I loved this song because I thought it was such an amazing departure from Mrs. B. I love the acoustic feel she gives this song and switches to head voice with no issue. I usually think o her as all wonderful production but little depth. This is where I think she flipped everything around and turned in an amazing song and an amazing vocal. Interesting that both Beyonce and Oprah are talking time off from their careers soon. I wonder if Wendy Williams and Keri Hilson are counting down the seconds so that they can finally be noticed?

The other song is

"Sober" - Pink - This song put Pink in a completely different perspective to me. I know she had talent and depth from her earlier stuff this song proved she could pull out the drama and the emotions without sacrificing her most powerful vocals and still be daring and original. I included this version done at Much Music because she throws some really powerful gospel notes into the song that brings a different level to it. I have grown to LOVE Pink because of the songs she does and that she can easily switch from foot in your face tough party girl to a full throttle power belter and in this song she's able to do that and strike an emotional message.

I will post this later but this takes forever to come out.,


"We Are Golden" - Mika - When of the few men on my list and of course it would have to be Mika. This is a GREAT teenage anthem that just starts like most soft and then starts building to a point where you can't help but sing/scream along. It reminds me in a way of the music of the Who. In music like "Teenage Wasteland" and "Tommy" they were talking about the issues of a group of people and Mika does this beautifully but for current audience. It's a great song that is VERY hard to get out of your head!!!

"The Fear" - Lily Allen- This was a hard one because I think her other song "22" is just as good and could have easily been here instead but this song grabs you and won't let you go. I feel like it can speak to several generations and builds with a gorgeous rhythm to it that she lays soft but emotional lyrics on top of. I've seen all the crud about her on the gossip sites but block that out when I'm hearing her sing because I believe this song speaks more to people today then any Taylor Swift song could. She's the tough talking, trashy Taylor Swift with talent.

"Sexy Chick" also known as "Sexy Bitch" - Paloma Faith - Okay I hate and love the original song. I think there are parts you can't get out of your head and there are parts that make you cringe (some of the lyrics, Akron, etc. ) What this unique woman who I had never heard of was able to do was turn this song into a GREAT SONG. I don't quite know how to describe this but she adds a Billie Holliday sound, with a Janis Joplin performance and turns it into a Woman Power Song!!! Ifyou have not heard this PLEASE listen to it and let me know what you think?

"Dead Flowers" - Miranda Lambert - It was done to the wire between this song and "Use Sombody" from The Kings of Leon. I went with this song it builds and builds to such a powerful climax that your not sure where they're going to go at the end of the song but the song moves you. It's got an amazing vocal form Miranda Lambert that really should have been awarded this season however it does remind me of another great Faith Hill song called "Stealing Kisses". I love the Kings of Leon and if I had been doing these lists in the past would have put Sex on Fire on my list in a second. I think Use Somebody is a great song I just think it runs into a mess during the chorus. It's still a great vocal.

There are some honorable mention songs that didn't make the list (and actually have some men listed) these are songs that I listened to a lot this past year and would have loved put them on the list. They are: James Morrison & Nelly Fortado "Broken Strings," Brandi Carlile "The Story," Leann Rimes "What I Can't Change," Miley Cyrus (Yea I said it) "The Climb," Regina Spektor "Laughing With," The Black Eye Peas "Missing You," "Boom, Boom, Pow,!" Chris Cornell "Scream," Green Day "21 Guns," La Roux "Tigerlily," Jennifer Hudson "Jesus Promises Me a Home Over There," Adam Lambert "Mad World," Katy Perry "Hot & Cold," Adele "Chasing Pavements," and Will Young "Leave Right Now." I did excluded other types of music like Musical theater songs, jazz, songs only because there's no way I could come up with a list like that. It took long enough for me to get this out. I'm hoping I'll have my best of 2011 by January 1st, 2011 instead of say March.

So long...farewell...auf weidersehen goodbye...
StrevenT.Dein (STD)

American Idol The Top 8 Girls otherwise known as another Kelly Clarkson song

It's the top 8 on American Idol. Actually, it's the top 8 girls but since any one of these girls are miles ahead of any of the boys this is the only night to watch Idol this week. It's the last performance show before the each group is narrowed down to the top 12 and get to perform on the theme shows until one of them is crowned the new American Idol. Which may or may not be a good season depending on the theme nights that could go wrong so very wrong. I can just imagine the train wrecks for some of the better contestants when we come up to Disco night or Showtunes. I'm actually hoping since we have so many talented girls this year we might get a Fleetwood Mac night or even a Madonna night. Okay, as I'm getting ahead of myself instead of thinking of the future let's think about the present, and get right to who doesn't have a future in music. As you know this will be another long winded review of the show but after a while they will get smaller (saddest thing I've had to type as a man). At the end of the review I will also list my picks for the song they should have done on this important night instead of the one that they did sing.

Katie Stevens – “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson Has Katie NOT learned anything from any of the other contestants who have attempted the greatest American Idol winner ever??? Everyone always thinks that singing a Clarkson song is so easy but really they're monsters. She sifts keys so often and powerbelts that her songs are tricky eve for an accomplished. They only work when your drunk and in a bar and no one will remember you. As Katie proves tonight she's no exception to this rule. Our little Katebot is able to start off the song both in a flat voice and also flat in personality too. She gets mildly better at the middle of the song with far less voice then Kelly has and then Katie just ends the song. There's nothing much else after that and really nothing much during it either. Katebot sounded old and bored and is talented but not Kelly talented and sounded like something you would see in a pageant. I think Katebot could be in a lot of trouble tonight. I think she would have done so much better with a JoJo song

Siobhan Magnus – “House of the Rising Sun” – Everything about Siobhan is kooky. Even though it seems like she might be boring. I don't think she ever could be. I love that she comes out and is so quirky, picks an odd song for her and gives an odd performances but for some reason it works for the most part. She comes across as she's just missing a few brain cells but one week she sings "Think" with a power note and then another week she does "House of the Rising Sun" acapella and using that gorgeous range she has. I thought the beginning of this was gorgeous and really showed the beauty of her voice and how flexible it is. I was a little surprised that it was an old fashioned song but it caught you off guard and made you sit up and notice it from the start to the finish which fits Siobhan to a tee. If I could pick a different type of song I would have liked to have heard her sing "Vision of Love" "For your Eyes Only," or even possibly Blondie's "Heart of Glass". I also would have liked to hear her tackle a Kelly Clarkson song as I think with her quirkiness and range could have handled it.

Lacey Brown – “The Story” by Brandy Carlisle – When I heard that Lacy was singing this song I have to admit I was scared. It's an unique song that gets really big and needs a powerful voice to belt it out. I don't think Lacy has that range and is even capable of getting there ever. She was super smart enough to use the parts of the song that highlighted her voices strengths and showed everything that is really special about her. It fit her vibe much better then the other songs that she did and the close-ups made those eyes of hers look like 3D. Also with the sitting at the edge she didn't have to move around awkwardly like she usually did. I thought this was a great performance and may have saved her for another week or not. I really liked this choice but if I had to pick something else I would have gone with "Linger" from Cranberries or actually anything from "The Cranberries.

Katelyn Epperly – “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King – I LOVE Katelyn but this with the hair, outfit, and song choice looked like something out of "The Electric Company." I don't know what she was thinking!! It reminded me of a television show where they have a pretty girl in a band pretending to play an instrument lip singing to a dubbed track. Her performance last week looked like she was performing at the AMA's or one of the other big award shows. This week she looked like she was trapped in a bad 70's Varity hour. This is a great song that just does not work in this type of show and Katelyn looked bored, scared and like she was hoping to be eliminated. She had some decent vocals but the problem is the song isn't really about the voice so you don't notice it or really anything about it stands out except the odd rhythm of the song . Which is a huge problem especially when there are so many talented girls this year. I was hoping she would have done acoustic version of "Poker Face" from her to cement her place in the finales or maybe "Angel" by Natasha Bedingfield or even If I were Boy.

Didi Benami – Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac – I love that there are girls this season who actually know who Stevie Nicks is! This is also something that I love about the girls of this season 9 contestants. It seems that unlike the boys who choose to lay down and act like road kill on performance nights. I get this felling the girls come out each Tuesday and aren't going down without a fight. This was simply amazing, Didi performed it beautifully and was a highlight for the season. She was able to take a Stevie Nicks song and make actually make it her own where you were able to hear her Didi Benanmi's voice instead of Stevie's distinct vocals. I also loved how she lifted the notes at the end of each phrases that made you sit up and notice. It worked beautifully. I know it seems like I've got a hard on for Didi tonight but she sounded incredible brought her magic into this performance and chose a song that I loved and performed it well. Take that "any" future contestant who decides to do Kelly Clarkson. I actually watched this a few times and have a feeling she'll be performing this song in the future. This was just so perfect that I really can't think of any other songs she could have sang. However I would love to hear her one day since something like "Beautiful Disaster," or anything by Fiona Apple though "Extraordinary Machine" is a favorite.

Paige Miles – “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin – Okay, I have to take back the comment about the girls going down without a fight. Paige is done. I don't think she even bothered to try this week. It felt like she gave up before she even performed. Even from the start with the piano interlude I was bored and then if you add her awkward walk in and the lack of vocal control her voice just seemed weak and all over the place. I guess she missed the episode in season 6 when would be rocker Gina Glocksen sang this song. She went home the next night and she sang it better then Paige did. I think she's an easy one to say goodbye to. There are so many other songs that I would have picked for Paige. I think she would have been amazing doing 'Sober' by Pink, a rock version of 'Bleeding Love', maybe a rock version of a Toni Braxton song she could have chosen to get that R&B place in the 12 that was begging for her. I'm not sure if anything more then a complete pity vote will get her though to the top 12. I almost wanted to call out Dead Singer Walking.

Crystal Bowersox – “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman – I LOVE this girl. I think it's easy to say she hides behind the guitar or does the same type of music every week but I think what she's showing us is exactly who she is as an artist before, during, and after the show. Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge and so many others perform mostly behind an instrument and no one gets bored with them and they're legends. While I don't think she's legend status just yet I really people don't judge her on holding the guitar though every song. What I love about Crystal is the emotion that she puts into her performances and it never a boring vocal. She's flying with confidence this season and I get the sense she's using the guitar and that voice to channel her soul. The other exciting thing about her is she can actually sing. She has a great record able voice and I've heard her on her own originals and she's fantastic on this. I might post some if people are interested. Her phrasing during this the song and when she's able to turn on the belt I got goose bumps. I hope sometime soon she gets to sing something like "Knocking on Heavens Door," any Patty Griffin, "Message in a Bottle," or Bitter Tears from INXES and that would be a moment.

Lilly Scott – “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline – I have MAD love for Lilly. I think she probably stands out wherever she is because you can't forget her. My word for her is arresting. You notice her and either you hate her or love her and if you love her you can't get enough of her. I'm fascinated by everything she does on stage more so then what her voice can do. I just wish she might pick slightly more current songs and work that unique performing style she has into those instead of older songs. I would love to hear her on Pinks "Who Knew," any Fiona Apple, and if there's a God I would love for to rock out to Celebrity Skin or Violet from Courtney Love and Hole. Lilly has confidence, and drive which is a lot more then I see a lot of the other contestants have. I think she's brilliant and can build a song and a performance into a showstopper. I don't thinking we're always going to get the best vocals but we'll have a star this year for as long as she's on.

I thought that it was a definitely a mixed bag of performances tonight. At this point it takes 4 women to automatically get into the top 12 then two possible who had an off or mediocre performance tonight get the last two slots. The two that don't make it into the top 12 are either truly horrible, lost most of their buzz, or came in with only a little buzz in the first place.

My guess is the four automatically enter the top 6 girls are Crystal Bowersex, Didi Benami, Siobhan Magnus, Lilly Scott they've had good buzz, featured a lot in the beginning gave at least one killer performance in the past three weeks. The next two who had an off and luckily an on performance that got lucky is Katelyn Epperly and the last spot will either be Katiebot from past good will because her three performances have been week or Lacy who didn't have great performances the past two weeks but really saved herself at the end. The thing that worried me is she latched on to the popular folk, rock, singer, and songwriter type that Idol has in abundance so it might have been a good thing for her or a bad thing because it's a crowded field this season so I could see both going home and Paige getting though because she's the only R&B girl this year.


On another note I think someone needs to talk to these kids about giving an A+ performance every week. Everyone (some more then others) seems to either be coasting, or great one night and on Quaaludes the other night. I hope they sit these kids and make them watch at least an hour on other Idol shows or performances to build their skills. It worries me when the girls are stars one week and the next week they wouldn't even be in the chorus at a community production of Oklahoma! I at least think the girls can be exciting this season the guys on the other hand are just road kill. Really that's the nicest thing I can say about them. The always look scared to death, like they have no personality or they spend more time perfecting their smile in the mirror then working on their vocals. At this point I might keep two boys and then probably eliminate them the next two weeks.

We shall see Thursday night. Join me tomorrow night where the boys.......show up. I'm sure tomorrows column is going to be very short since it is the boys.

Steven Dein