Mosaic Music Box-- Keri Noble

This week's artist: Keri Noble

I've been slacking on the once a week music features...Man this feels like being in school again with weekly assignments! Anyways...

It's rare that I instantly like a song when I first hear it. I have to let the lyrics and sound swirl through my head for a while before I officially declare that I like a song. Keri Noble's song "Ooh oh" is one of the exceptions. As soon as her song began playing on my Pandora I was captivated by the melody and mellow vibe of the song.

One of the habits I've gotten into since using Pandora is reading the biographies of new artists as they appear on one of my stations. I was interested to find out that Keri Noble is actually the daughter of a pastor, but from the biography it sounds like she wouldn't necessarily identify herself as a Christian.

Her song "Born Again" addresses her experiences with the church and what seems like a desire to distance herself from it. I appreciate her honesty in portraying her experiences with the church, and I'd be interest in learning more about her thoughts on the Christian church. Let me know what you think!

Mosaic Music Box--Omega Bugembe Okello

This week's artist: Omega Bugembe Okello

I met this week's artist, Omega, when performing in the annual Easter play at my church. I immediately liked her as she was sweet, approachable and humble. A few weeks into the play I was excited to find out that she ran her own indie record label (she's currently the only artist on it), and it wasn't until a few weeks later when I heard her sing her solo that I realized she could really sing!

Originally from Uganda, Omega sang with the African Children's Choir from a young age. From jazz to R&B to African, Omega's sound is a highly enjoyable fusion topped off by her beautiful voice. I immensely enjoyed two of her live performances in San Francisco, and I'm continually blessed by her humility, faith and poise.

I've been playing her latest album, "Kiwomera Emmeeme" (meaning "it is sweet to the soul" in Luganda, one of the many languages spoken in Uganda), frequently on my iPod. Most of the songs are not in English, so you may not understand the words, but I'm confident you'll appreciate the vocals and music! Some of my favorites from the album:

"Kiwomera Emmeeme"-Talks about the sweetness of getting something you've been longing for
"Mujje"- An upbeat song inviting listeners to come to Jesus. Super fun to dance to!
"Yaye"
"Amazima"

To learn more about Omega's music, check out her website: http://www.omegaworldmusic.com/

Mosaic Music Box-- Lisa McClendon

This week's artist: Lisa McClendon

Pandora has largely been responsible for my growing love of neo-soul/R&B artists, so I was excited to discover Lisa McClendon. Her vibe is a little bit like Lauryn Hill. Her sound is a blend of jazz, funk, hip hop and gospel with lyrics that stem from her Christian faith.

I'm always excited to discover Christian artists that are creating music that's more engaging than the standard Christian music fare.

Some of my favorites so far from Lisa:

"Still Alive" (samples the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive" with a Resurrection spin)
"Hey Now"

Enjoy!

Mosaic Music Box

A few months ago my friend introduced me to Pandora. For those who aren't familiar with Pandora, it's basically an online radio where you can direct the music playing according to your tastes by creating radio stations based on artists or songs that you like.

While it can tend to get a bit repetitive, for the most part I thoroughly enjoy Pandora, and it's introduced me to the music of a number of artists that I never would have listened to otherwise. So just as Pandora has introduced me to great music, I'd like to introduce (or re-introduce, if you've already heard of a particular artist/song I feature) you to some of what I'm jamming to while at work:-).

I'll try to post a little something new every week. I do offer the disclaimer that I'm definitely not a seasoned music critic or anything; it's just music I happen to like:-).

This week's artist: Joss Stone


I love her voice, and her music's vibe that's influenced by the sounds of soul and R&B music from the '60s and '70s. I was shocked to find out that she's only around 20! Some of my favorite's from Ms. Stone so far:

"Under Pressure" (remake of a classic Queen song)
"Headturner"
"Security"

Check her out, and let me know what you think!