Eli Lieb - Sober (Demi Lovato cover)

One of my all time favorite voices in music belongs to Eli Lieb. I love the emotion he conveys. I love the rasp in his voice and I think he's just a brilliant artist. His cover is similar to Demi Lovato's original and I think that the nature of this song has to not have too much changed to it as it would muddy the message. I don't know if this is autobiographical on Demi's part but it's a powerful song that's going to touch a lot of people. I feel there are a ton of people struggling with addiction that can empathize with this song regardless of whether it's Eli or Demi singing.

In Eli's video, he's singing and playing the piano while his boyfriend dances to the song and it's beautiful. Both sides of the performance, the audio and the visual and I think it's great that we get to see both aspects of this song being brought together. I really enjoy hearing the passion that Eli evokes in his vocals. Always have been fan and I always will be. Don't have much to say about this because I think it speaks for itself. Watch the video and let me know what you think.

Eli Lieb - Until You've Fallen Down

It always makes me happy when Eli releases new music. There are very few artists that have the consistency that he does when making decisions about what he wants to represent his art and his experience. "Until You've Fallen Down" is the latest in a long line of music that does much more than sound good. It means something. It's got heart and it's got soul and it's one of the most uplifting songs I think I've heard in a long time. The basic premise of this song is that there are times in our lives where we have to go through the bad before we can appreciate the good. We have to have the bitter with the sweet. We have to stumble to find our footing and it only makes us stronger. It makes us stand taller and fight harder because we know that there are things in the world that are worth fighting for.

This is the most mainstream song that I've heard from him. It's got the most mass market radio appeal and I think that's incredible. It's got a message but it doesn't beat you over the head with it. It's got depth and it's got an incredible amount of positivity that we aren't getting in a lot of tracks today. Eli rarely misses when he puts out a song and I want him to be a huge star so many more people can be affected by his message and his meanings. He's a beautiful artist and we are lucky to have him.

Eli Lieb - Shangri La

I realize there's a lot of near nudity in this video but it has nothing to do with sexuality. It's an expression of vulnerability and being emotionally raw. This song is so evocative of emotions we've felt on some level. Losing ourselves in someone else. Being at the power of desire and longing. Forgetting who we are in the grand scheme of being with someone. All of those things are intoxicating when we get wrapped up in wanting someone and being with someone. Losing all of who were are for even the briefest of moments makes us swoon and become breathless. Baring all that we are for someone is terrifying and it's all encompassing and it's abrupt; like the end of the song. I love how the song just stops. It's jarring and some times we experience that too. The stop at the end of the long fall as we've fallen into someone. Eli's voice is so sublime in this song. It's earthy and raspy and full of hope with a twinge of desperate longing. He's naked. He's exposed. It's gorgeous and I adore this song.

Eli Lieb - Hollywood

Eli Lieb is easily one of the most underrated male vocalists in the industry today. I don't understand why he isn't a household name. His voice is magical, his musical sensibilities are beyond reproach, and he makes some of the most heartfelt and emotional music that I think every single person on this planet need to know who he is. The down to earth quality of his voice makes him so approachable and then his lyrics bare his soul every time he sings. Whether it's a song about young love or a song that's been used by an insurance company, there isn't anything this man can't do.

There is so much remorse and regret built up in this song based on being weathered and beaten by a city that I think everyone knows that at some point in their life they've been exactly where he's talking about. There's nothing left for you there and you need to get away and forge a new path; one that isn't full of broken dreams and empty promises. He makes you feel every thing he sings. He breathes so much life into these lines that when they hit you, it almost takes your breath. He has created a living, breathing expression of being done and it's something that we all need to be reminded of from time to time; you may feel wrapped up in what ever is holding you back but the roads always lead out of the situation and the cities you feel you're stuck in.

Eli Lieb - Chained to The Rhythm (Katy Perry Cover)

I saw Katy Perry's version of this track on the Grammys and it wasn't bad. But Eli adds a tremendous amount of soul to what was just a standard pop song. His voice is always so earthy. It's just got so much character to it. I wish he was such a bigger star than what he is. I love that he even did the rap in the middle eight. This is a very solid cover and I approve!!

Eli Lieb - Make Me (Britney Spears Cover)

Criminally Underrated. Eli Lieb needs to be a mega star. His voice is gorgeous. His arrangements, while staying true to the roots of the song, are perfect. He's got matinee idol good looks and he's one of the most sincere artists I've ever had the pleasure of following. He makes all the right choices with this cover of Britney's "Make Me", especially leaving out the horrible rap by G-Eazy. I want to see amazing things for Eli because he's a really cool guy.

Eli Lieb - Zeppelin

Eli Lieb has this amazing grounded, earthy quality to his voice and performance that makes him stands apart from the other young make vocalists out there.  He's got a bit of a harder edge to his voice that makes him a little more rock and a little less pop and that's great because I think it's important to do what it takes to make you noticeable.  He makes the music you want someone to dedicate to you on the late night call in show on your local radio show.  He makes the music that will be the soundtrack to your relationship with it even meaning to.  His music is the music that makes you want to be loved and in love.

"Zeppelin" is an absolute summer song that makes you just want to throw the top back and take off on a gorgeous summer night with that person beside you.  It's idealistic and it's hopeful and it's just an easy song to get swept up in.  By the time it's over, you're hitting the replay button to listen to it over and over.  The chorus is infectious and it's just an incredibly written, incredibly sung and fantastically put together song.

Eli makes music for the masses while being exceptionally true to himself and his artistic vision.  Never once do you feel like he has an agenda or he's shoving anything in your face.  His videos are just matter of fact about his sexuality and they don't scream a need for activism.  It's this type of quiet idealism that is going to be turning point in this chapter of the civil rights movement.  Because the images are so innocuous and there aren't over the top visuals, it's very easy to accept the story of the video and move on. 

Top 20 Musical Happenings of 2013

I came very close to not doing a list this year but in all good conscious, I determined that I really needs to.  It's something that I enjoy doing and it's a way that I go through the previous year and reliving things that were really amazing.  This year had a lot of media buzz around different artists and some of it was good and some not so good.  You'll find that this list is missing GaGa's Artpop and Beyonce's surprise album and that's by design.  There are other mainstream media outlets that are going to cover those and for all intent and purpose, I didn't like Artpop. It wasn't an impressive album and therefore, it didn't rate for me.  There are a ton of new artists in this list and some music trends and news so it, like my other year end articles, is a bit of the whole of the music industry and how if affected my life this year.

Eli Lieb - Young Love

I totally missed this back in July and for that I am damn sorry because that's 5 months I could have been obsessing over it.  I think when this came out, the press was hot and heavy over Steve Grand and it was just eclipsed by that press machine but I think this song will stand the test of time and will be around for quite a while.  It has enough of pop rock anthem and sensibility that if it were marketed correctly, it would be MASSIVE.

This song is built amazingly.  The hook and the chorus are super catchy and don't get me started on how well Eli slays these lyrics.  It's a gorgeous song and it needs to be a number one hit.  It's not pretentious and it's just an honest to goodness love song that has absolutely no ulterior motive.  It makes you feel something and that's important.  Eli's voice has a rough hewn edge to it that adds to the gravity of the song and gives it more weight.  The production is incredible and it's just an amazing song.  Simply, amazing. 

Eli Lieb on the Web

www.elilieb.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eliliebmusic
Twitter: @elilieb
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/elilieb