Solo Artist of the Week: Rita Ora

http://www.facebook.com/RitaOra

We continue Girl Power Week here at Bands That Need Love Too with our Solo Artist of the Week, Rita Ora! I've seen her name here and there, pretty much on tumblr because a girl I follow is quite a big fan of her, and I always make a note to myself to give her a listen, and then never do. Luckily, thanks to The Hits Radio (again) I finally heard her.

I honestly didn't know who I was listening to when the song came on, probably because I was only half paying attention (you know, because I listen to the radio when doing homework) but I quickly switched my attention because, wow, how boss is this girl's vocals and her track?

Admittedly, she's a little more known than I like to write about, what with her twitter having 900,000+ followers, but I can justify it if we pretend no one in American knows her. (Which, isn't a LIE per say. I mean, I did have to listen to British radio to hear her.) But I digress.

After falling in love with the song, R.I.P., I took to youtube to find all I could from Ms. Ora. What I found was a strong, soulful voice backed by rockin' dance beats that'd make anyone wanna move. I mean, that's kind of the main requirement for Girl Power Week if you haven't noticed. Rita Ora is the music you put on when you just want to have a good time. Her music is the music you blast while driving downtown through the city you love.

One of her singles, "How We Do (Party)," lyrically reminds me of Katy Perry's TGIF, only I personally think Ora rocks it so much better. Why I never heard it on the radio is beyond me. "R.I.P." is a harder song with heavier beats and showcases her voice better, which is probably why I love it so much. That, and it just makes me feel like the biggest badass.

In my own, humble opinion, Rita Ora has everything to make it big. She has the voice (as is apparent in her acoustic stuff), she has beats, and she has the looks. (Honestly, the girl is freaking gorgeous, and much like with Little Mix, I would LOVE to go on a shopping adventure with her.) That, and she just seems to be a pretty cool person. I mean, she cites Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie and Gwen Stefani as some of her influences. That's just... boss.

Let's just add her to the list of awesome talent coming from the UK, yeah?

America, you'd be remiss if you didn't learn to love her, like... now.

Go Download: Here in the US of A, you can pick up her single "How We Do (Party)" on iTunes! And if you're in the UK or Ireland, you can preorder her debut album 'ORA' which is set to drop August 28. No word on when it'll be out in the US though :(

And in case you needed proof of how amazing her voice really is...

Zach London

http://zachlondon.tumblr.com/

I've been missing for the past week. I even promised to give you a new artist/band and didn't hold up to that promise. Which makes me feel like a terrible person who should not be allowed to run a promotional blog and have Spanish homework at the same time. With that being said, I've been scratching my head trying to find who to break my mini hiatus with. I've had three solo artists queued for a bit, and I'm ever in the search for more bands, since, well... this is BANDS That Need Love Too. So finally, after much agonizing, I've decided to come back to you all with artist Zach London.

Much like the many that have come before him, Zach London was discovered through on of my various social networks. (Tumblr this time for all those wondering. I'm assuming he followed me due to the One Direction part of my blog, as I don't think the post-hardcore/pop-rock part of it wouldn't call out much to his genre lol.) What intrigued me so much about him is that none of his sites-- well, his Youtube, Tumblr and Facebook anyway-- are more than three months old, which leads me to believe he is seriously THAT brand spanking new.

Now, let's jump into his covers, shall we? That's right, all the guy has up right now are covers. Three on his Youtube and one on his Tumblr to be exact, but don't look anything into it, because each one is stunning. I'm particularly partial to his cover of Usher's "Climax." Maybe it's because I already loved the song to begin with, but Zach London breathes such a rich, smooth feel into it that I can't help but just sit back and feel like I'm rolling around in something completely decadent. (Think chocolate fondue for the ears, yeah?) Not that Usher DOESN'T deliver some rich R&B, but it's Mr. London here who takes it above and beyond, his tone the perfect breathy and light that makes it seem more like a heartbreak song than it sounds when Usher does it. (Let's be real, when Usher sings it, it's baby making music. Is that too far?)

He also covered One Direction's "More Than This," which is actually my least favorite of his covers. Not because I don't like it, because honestly I think this boy is great, but because it's too faithful to the original version. It's almost like I'm listening to 1D's long lost sixth member, and personally, I would like to hear more Zach London, because if I wanted to listen to 1D, I'd throw their album on.

His other two covers, Beyonce and Frank Ocean's "Miss You" and J. Cole's "Work Out" are both great covers. "Work Out" is almost tied with "Climax" as far as favorites go for Zach's covers. It's uptempo and is just fun. It's good stuff AND he made it his own.

I really, sincerely hope that we get new music from him soon, whether it be another cover or if it be something of his own. I think he can breathe some new life into the R&B/Pop scene and would GLADLY buy an album from him. So I think, you should get to liking him too. That way we all can point fingers and say I told you so when he makes it big :)

Go Download: It's a sad, sad day when I can't post a link for you to download anything, but hey, you can give his songs a listen on his Youtube!

We Are The Ocean

http://wearetheocean.co.uk/

It always blows my mind how a band can be so popular in one place and then not known in another. Now, I will admit that this time around I was a part of the "not knowing" category, but I have rectified the situation as it is a TERRIBLE category to be in.

You see, I got to catch We Are The Ocean on tour with You Me At Six, The Swellers and Twin Atlantic earlier this week and if we're being quite honest, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Aside from knowing that they were British, I knew nothing of them. They definitely blew my mind though when they played. They were SO energetic even though the crowd was not. (Not only was it a really small crowd, we didn't know them.) One of their vocalists, Dan Brown, would come into the crowd and sing and rock the fuck out. It was actually in the moment that he came down from the stage and into the crowd that I decided these guys were gonna be HUGE. So of course, after the show I bought their album from them and talked with their guitarists Liam Cromby (who is also the second vocalist) and Alfie Scully and let me tell you they are some pretty cool dudes. I'm sad I missed meeting the others because I can only imagine that they're just as cool. (For real though. They are just so nice. I can't emphasize that enough.)

Anyway, I researched them the next day, and was really surprised to find that they weren't as little known as I had assumed they were. They actually have the second highest amount of Facebook likes of the four on the tour, which made me feel even worse about having just now discovered them.

I think what I love most is the contrast in Dan and Liam's voices. Liam's is like silk. It's fine and soothing and pulls you in and then Dan comes in and vocally punches you in the face. And what's weirdest of all is that on paper they shouldn't be able to blend so wonderfully together. But honestly, their voices come together to create one of the most unique sounds I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Now, what I have deduced from having their album on repeat since purchasing it two days ago, is that these guys offer something that we just don't grow in the US. In fact, I can't think of any band from the US that I could possibly compare them to. They remind me of Fightstar, but I mean, Fightstar wasn't from America either. So, I think what I'm trying to tell you is that these boys know rock.

There are people out there who will say that they are "rock" and maybe they're a category of rock, but WATO is the real deal.

So if you like your drums hard hitting (Thank you Tom Whittaker!), your bass causing your chest cavity to vibrate (Thanks Jack Spence!), your guitars ripping up the air (Here's lookin at you Alfie and Liam!) and your vocals dirty and gritty (Get it Dan!) than you have found the band for you.

I can promise you that checking them out will only lead to one of the best musical experiences you could have.

Go Download: Their latest album, "Go Now And Live," from iTunes!!! (However, I would suggest seeing them in concert so you can buy the physical copy because it comes with a download card to get 10 acoustic tracks. And between you and me, their acoustic stuff is just as mindblowing as the full band stuff.)

Top 10 Discoveries of 2011: #6

Name: Ed Sheeran
Original Post:http://corneroflostandfound.blogspot.com/2011/09/ed-sheeran.html

Why: Are you kidding me? Do I NEED a reason to love him aside from the fact that he's a ginger British singer?! Haha, but seriously, his music is some of the best music I have on my iPod. It isn't just what type of music he makes, even though it is some of the most chill music ever, it's also the subject matter. I feel like he covers a lot of real world problems that aren't seen in many artists' music today.

What they've done since I posted about them: He released an album, "+", but you can't get it in America. Go figure. BUT, America will be getting his EP on December 6 :)

In the mean time, watch his latest music video, which features Rupert Grint, my second favorite British ginger

Top 10 Discoveries of 2011: #8

Name: Tanner Patrick
Original Post:http://corneroflostandfound.blogspot.com/2011/11/tanner-patrick.html

Why: Well, for starters, he was one of my favorite posts to write, so that has to count for something. He is also STILL the most adorable thing I have ever seen. He is also still my favorite person on Youtube, so that has to count for something too. Really, the only reason why he isn't higher is because I'm still waiting for his original song (But I definitely don't doubt that it'll be amazing. Because, well... like I said before, I think he can do no wrong.)

What they've done since I've posted about them: WELL, he has been added to the 4th Annual Unsilent Night music festival in Dallas where he'll be playing the Merch Now Main Stage 1. (It's a pretty big deal because that's the stage the headliner, All Time Low, is playing. So yeah, Tanner is legit.)

He also did a cover of mashup of Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" and Swtichfoot's "Twenty-Four" and it's absolutely beautiful.

Top 10 Discoveries of 2011: #9

Name: The Autumn Advance
Original Post: http://corneroflostandfound.blogspot.com/2011/09/autumn-advance.html

Why: Well, I have become a regular at Tripp's chat. And not only is he a pretty cool guy, but the people there are pretty cool too. Everyone knows how I feel about nice band people. You win me over when you're nice. So yeah. That, and I had suggested he cover The Band Perry and he did. (Of course, I wasn't the only one who suggested it, but you know. I was one of so I feel cool). You TOO can become a regular of his chat HERE at 9:30 pm EASTERN TIME on WEDNESDAYS (So, 8:30 pm here in Central time, 7:30 pm Mountain time and 6:30 pm Pacific time)

What they've done since I posted about them: He covered "If I Die Young" (Like I suggested)

Obadiah Parker

http://www.facebook.com/#!/obadiahparker

How did I find Obadiah Parker? Tumblr. I was going through my tracked tag for The Vampire Diaries and someone had posted a playlist for the show or something along those lines, and what caught my eye was a cover of Oukast's "Hey Ya". There aren't many people who have covered "Hey Ya" so I was intrigued. A quick youtube search brought me to a wonderful artist. It was amazing to hear that song in a folky tone and just a guy and his acoustic guitar. I highly suggest fans of City and Colour or Ray LaMontagne to look into Obadiah Parker. Also, as a random sidenote, the man has a KILLER ginger beard.

Go Download: His cover of Radiohead's "Idioteque" on iTunes

Ed Sheeran

http://edsheeran.com/

British acoustic folk singer Ed Sheeran isn't exactly unknown in the UK. However, virtually no one knows about him here. Which is sad, because he's WONDERFUL. Armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, this gifted ginger blows minds with his voice and lyrics. His most known song, "The A Team" is used in many collaborations with rap artists, which creates a beautiful marriage of the two genres. It's also a very meaningful song, written about a girl in a homeless shelter he played a benefit show for and how she got there. I don't know why he hasn't dropped here in the US yet. He was a part of the iTunes Festival this year, but I still have to turn to torrents to get all his music. Which is wrong. I would love to be able to pay for his magnificence.

Go Download: You can get his cover of "Wayfaring Stranger" and "U.N.I" by signing up for his email list on his website :)

Siri and Tavy

http://www.youtube.com/siriandtavy

Siri and Tavy is a sister acoustic pop act based out of Houston. How did I find this band, you ask? WELL, I'm actually friends with Siri, and I'm actually pretty sure she didn't want me to promo them here cuz this blog is for school, but I can't be tamed and I'm doing it anyway because I think she is a part of a band that needs love too. Very chill and laid back, they make for a good escape from the loud guitars, rockin bass and pounding drums. With three original songs up on their purevolume and a bunch of covers on their youtube channel, I'm surprised more people haven't contacted them. Though, I can imagine it's only a matter of time :) The best of luck to them in this music industry, because I firmly believe it could use more people grouned like them.

Go Download: They only have one song up for download, it's a cover on http://www.purevolume.com/siriandtavy but I really like "Somethin' About You"

The Autumn Advance

http://www.facebook.com/theautumnadvance


Comprised of one member, Tripp Rowe, The Autumn Advance is an acoustic pop act from North Carolina. I actually was introduced to Tripp’s music via one of my friends who invited me to a stickam chat with him, and I was intrigued, so I gave him a listen. He isn’t your usual acoustic pop act in which the music is happy and about love, four of the five songs from his Love and Time Travel has an EXPLICIT warning. I actually find the juxtaposition of the F bombs and acoustic guitar quite wonderful. It lends itself to a more truthful sound which I, personally, can relate to more than that of the sugary sweet pop songs that could practically give you cavities. He holds nothing back in his lyrics, and it is like getting your anger out through his words while being mellowed out by his playing. I highly suggest giving him a listen, as well as checking out his stickam chats on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm ET.

Go Download: “Watch That Girl” off of Love and Time Travel on iTunes.