By Mark Kirby, The world of R&B, hip hop, and dance music is full of fame-seekers, people who long for the crowd, who can't wait to live the superstar life as depicted in videos. Who wouldn't? But many people see that as the be-all end-all. Ask them what they want to do and why they're in music and they'd likely answer "To go straight to the top!" Sadly, as seen on "American Idol," many of these people bring nothing to the table but ego and desire. In a way, you can't blame them. Many of the top performers of the day have nothing more than cliched, overproduced voices, great abs, and (in females) a nice rack.
By Mark Kirby, Many people take the textural, musical landscape approach to ambient/New Age Jazz/whatever and turn the possibilities of mood and meditative introspection and turn them into awful realities of musical wallpaper; music so mellow you want sleep, so down-tempo you want to die.
For The Swift - the critically-acclaimed pop/rock foursome that brought the words "original" and "piano-driven" back to Christian music - the amazing race of the past two years has certainly made a definitive point. And it is this: Whatever happened yesterday is history. Today is where everything begins, so open your eyes and live it 100%. This is the point of Today, The Swift's infectiously profound, passion-driven second release on Flicker Records, a sonic '"kick in the pants" that you'll remember long after the CD stops spinning.
There comes a point in every artist's life when they need to go beyond simply scratching the surface and truly invest every ounce of their soul in the creative process. Though powerhouse vocalist Rachael Lampa's consistently belted out reflections from the heart, this self-titled outing finds her letting loose with no holds barred abandon, upping the expository level and relating to her audience with new found candor and maturity.
Holly Day,
"I'm in the pursuit of the perfect pop song," says musician Susan Barth, who has recently released her third solo album, "Wonderland," on her own record label, Pink Sox Songs. "I believe in the magic of the perfect pop song."
Yohany: The New Girl on the Block 
The world of R&B, hip hop, and dance music is full of fame-seekers, people who long for the crowd, who can't wait to live the superstar life as depicted in videos. Who wouldn't? But many people see that as the be-all end-all. Ask them what they want to do and why they're in music and they'd likely answer "To go straight to the top!" Sadly, as seen on "American Idol," many of these people bring nothing to the table but ego and desire. In a way, you can't blame them. Many of the top performers of the day have nothing more than cliched, overproduced voices, great abs, and (in females) a nice rack. 
