I’ve been following Justin and his work since Call + Response a few years back.  He’s doing great things on the human rights front.  This is really interesting and worth supporting.  Check out the website, sign up for his blog/emails, spread the word, and make a Christmas donation.
 
Here’s the Link:
Slavery Footprint.Org
 
 

Check it out.

My name is Jeremy Hunter, and I am a gear head… and I have a crush on this lady in the video. 101 years old and still changing her own oil and spark plugs in a ’30 Packard with a Straight8?  Badass.

This is fantastic.

1st post to the new Hunter Production site. Pretty cool that it’s from my phone. Having a great time in NYC. Saw some CMJ, and attended some AES (protools 10-anyone have thoughts). Met with my biz coach and rocking some crazy food.

Well, one of the best things about my life is that I’m married to a foodie and sometimes we go to NYC. Bar Pitti was amazing the last couple trips, so we had to hit it again… And it, of course, continues to be amazing. Haven’t had a less than stellar meal yet. Artisan meat and cheese appetizer and Penne Pitti for me this time. Lindsley had the duck bolognese pasta special. Both were killer. The Nero de Avila for wine. Heads up: cash only and take plenty.

In the same way that rival movie studios steer clear of potential blockbusters like “Iron Man” and “Harry Potter,” record labels kept their powder dry to avoid going up against Taylor Swift’s new release, Speak Now. And that was a smart move, because the country superstar’s third album crushed the competition and smashed records on its way to a historic 1,047,000 in sales, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

While she becomes the first female artist in six years to sell more than a million albums in her first week, Swift falls short of the all-time record for the best first week by a female artist, set by Britney Spears’ 2000 album, Oops … I Did It Again, which sold 1.31 million during its first week. It does, however, put her in rarified air, as only one of four women to ever sell more than a million albums in a week, and one of only 16 artists in the Nielsen SoundScan era (which began in 1991) to sell at least a million copies in a week, putting up the second-largest sales week of any country album since 1991 and the biggest sales week of any female country act since 1991.

Swift also takes the title of top-selling chart debut of 2010, beating Eminem’s Recovery, which moved 741,000 in its first week.

Swift’s label boss predicted the big sales last week, but even he must have been pleasantly surprised at how he nailed it. Swift’s last album, Fearless, debuted at #1 in November 2008 with sales of 582,000, going on to sell 6 million copies and taking the crown for top seller of 2009.

The only other top 10 debut of the week belongs to crooner Michael Buble, whose Hollywood: The Deluxe EP lands at #10 on sales of 26,000. The rest of the top 10: Sugarland, Incredible Machine (#2, 86,000, down 56 percent from its debut); Kings of Leon, Come Around Sundown (#3, 67,000, down 63 percent from its debut); Lil Wayne, I Am Not a Human Being (#4, 43,000); Eminem, Recovery (#5, 38,000); Elton John and Leon Russell, Union (#6, 37,000); Glee Cast, Rocky Horror Glee (#7, 31,000); Rod Stewart, Fly Me to the Moon: The Great American Songbook (#8, 30,000); and Darius Rucker, Charleston, SC 1966 (#9, 27,000).

Things were pretty quiet otherwise, with some of last week’s high debuts dropping down, including Shakira’s Spanish-language Sale El Sol, which falls nine spots to #16 in week two as sales dip 56 percent, and the soundtrack to Hannah Montana Forever, which drops six spots to #17 (19,000) as sales fell nearly 30 percent.

Swift isn’t just at the top of the charts, either. Her Christmas album, The Holiday Collection, comes in at #29 on sales of 14,000, while her mega-selling Fearless jumps 27 spots to #38, with sales picking up by 41 percent to just under 10,000. Her self-titled debut also bumps up 32 spots to #58 (7,000).

It’s no surprise that Swift is tops on the iTunes album chart as well, which she also dominated last week after just one day on the tally. Riding in behind her are Kings of Leon, the “Glee” Rocky Horror collection, the digital debut of Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, Sugarland, and Mumford & Sons’ Sigh No More, while the pre-orders for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy land that album (due November 22) at #7. Rounding out the top 10 are the Rocky Horror Picture Show cast album, Wayne’s Human Being and Eminem’s Recovery.

iTunes does not release sales data, but Ke$ha had a good week on the singles chart, topping it with her new single, “We R Who We R,” followed by the Far East Movement’s “Like a G6,” Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair,” Rihanna’s “Only Girl (in the World),” Nelly’s “Just a Dream,” Taylor Swift’s “Sparks Fly,” Trey Songz’s “Bottoms Up,” Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are,” Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” and Kanye’s “Monster.”

Nobody looks likely to beat Taylor next week, though there will likely be some new faces in the top 10 thanks to albums from fellow country stars Jason Aldean and Brad Paisley, as well as Mariah Carey’s Christmas album and new efforts from N.E.R.D., Neil Diamond and Good Charlotte.

By Gil Kaufman

Read the original article on MTV.com

By Gary Graff

Read the original article on Billboard.com

Midnight Sun gets off to a wonderfully strong start right out of the gate with “Live Every Love Song.” As the album continues the indie pop sound into “Standing On My Knees” and the beautiful title track, each song captures the artist’s worshipful heart and the introspective nature of her sophomore album Where The Past Meets Today in the process. “Stolen My Heart” may be the first straight forward worship track on Midnight Sun, with its personal, classic Kelly spin (“But the best came and left me / And I took a fall somehow but I’m standing taller now / You lift my head, re-move my heart / It’s You I needed from the start / You have stolen my heart”), but it’s after these songs that the album really begins to shift gears rather drastically. “Good Day” may be the ugly duckling of the ten tracks, opting for a more rock approach, but more in the same bubbly vein as “Brand New Day” and the title track from her last album, Born To Worship. Unfortunately, while it captures the genuine joy and optimism of God’s grace and redemption that Kelly so boldly embraces and wears on her delicate sleeves, it feels rather misplaced among the rest of the songs, which often bear a more serious tone. “Lift You Up” follows, also with an edgier rock vibe, but does a much better job capturing Sarah’s passion for rock with a tasty groove and vertical lyrics of thanks and praise (“I just want to thank You for all you’ve done for me / We lift You up / We lift You higher”). Kelly’s vocals soar here, using her talents better than on its preceding track, and the electronic elements are much more effective (ever so slightly bringing to mind the kind of delightfully fuzzy synths you might hear from Family Force 5).

After Kelly’s unashamed rock interlude, she heads into a series of worship originals for the masses, starting with “Day and Night.” Musically, again, it’s more of a mix of her debut and her previous effort, Born To Worship, capturing a more accessible worship sound. Kelly also softens her vocals from her usual, signature soulful approach. The songs still work, especially on a corporate worship level, and those who might not usually like her raspy rocker gal vocal style will likely find this latter half of the record more appealing. “Always Undeniable” and “Surely Goodness” follow suit and are catchy worship anthems that would sound great added into any Sunday morning service. To close, Sarah returns to the piano for the more soulful “How Much You Love,” ending Midnight Sun in a beautiful, intimate, and worshipful way (“Father and friend, with You I am safe in the same hands / That painted the stars when time began / Help me to understand / How much You love me / How You’re always thinking of me”).
In 2005, Kelly’s then label mate John Reuben sought out to create two different projects — one more cynical and dark, and one more upbeat and happy. The label decided to have Reuben combine the best tracks from both albums and The Boy Vs The Cynic was the end result. While I wouldn’t say that Kelly has such a broad spectrum of themes on Midnight Sun, the album does feel a little bit like two different projects that were combined into one ten-track journey. Kelly proves she can write songs for the church with the best of them, however, her greatest strength seems to lie with the songs that are personal, intimate, and out of the box. Midnight Sun represents the many layers and versatility of Sarah Kelly as an artist and worshipper, but simultaneously feels more like a compilation than a cohesive album.
Still, by the time her the strings fade out on the album’s piano ballad finale, Sarah Kelly has done it again. As she continues to bridge the gap between the over-saturated sameness that makes up the majority of what we consider “worship music” today with art and heart, Midnight Sun offers a little bit for everyone. Maybe Kelly’s fourth effort may have benefited from a more focused and consistent approach, it’s difficult to say, but anyone looking for something fresh and thought-provoking, with the likelyhood of stirring the heart towards worship, Midnight Sun is well worth giving a listen and sharing with the Church.

by John DiBiase

Read the original article on jesusfreakhideout.com