As we say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016, I promised myself that I would widen the array of music that I listen to. I'm going to try my best to listen to different genres, not just pop, alternative rock, RnB and hip-hop. I said I was going to give other musicians a chance and try to appreciate other types of music. Of course, with the exception of classical and jazz music. I mean, I can tolerate every other type of music, except for those two. Don't ask.
So I was watching that tear-jerker, "Miss You Already" starring Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette as my 155th film for the year 2015. As if I was not already bawling my eyes out throughout the entire film, the song that was playing as the ending credits started rolling was just so beautiful that I cried some more.
Of course, I waited for the last part of the credits to find out whose mellifluous and beautifully heartbreaking voice that was. The song was entitled "The Crazy Ones" and it was sung by an artist named Paloma Faith. The next thing I did was Google her. Duh. I found out that this English singer, songwriter has been active in the music industry since 2009. She is well-known for her "retro and eccentric" style. Upon watching a handful of her music videos on YouTube, I realized who she reminded me of: Lady Gaga and Sia. Her voice is also in the same tone and vocal range as those two artists, imo. True to her style, all of her music videos' themes are very retro; like a cut from some black and white 1950's or 1960's film. So far, I really liked "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" and "Just Be". The former showcased Paloma Faith's mezzo-soprano voice as she continuously belts out the lyrics during the climax of the song. The latter is more relaxed and stripped down, I think. The beautiful melody of the piano and Faith's clear, powerful voice were a perfect combination.
Surprisingly, her songs are actually heavily influenced by soul and jazz. So I guess me liking her music is one successful step towards my goal for 2016. I could picture most of her songs as something sung in an old film where the Marilyn Monroe-ish singer would have three female back-up singers who all looked identical and wore those pretty fishnet hats.
Now, The Crazy Ones... that is just the most perfect song ever for one of the saddest friendship films ever. It made me think about my crazy friends and the crazy things we did together. It turned me into a nostalgic, crying, miserable sap. I'm very emotional and sensitive, so I don't need a soundtrack to make me cry whenever I watch a movie. But this song doesn't just evoke sadness and misery; it made me reminisce about the happy and good times. As the lyrics aptly put it, "Even the worst times are the best times". I just thought no other song would make me feel happy and sad at the same time. In addition to all the feels, Paloma's voice was just SPOT ON. It was the kind of sensational voice that would really make you tear up, even for no reason. It's too early to say that I'm a fan, but I would love to hear more tearjerking and nostalgia-inducing songs from this wonderful and gifted singer.
