An Honorary Spanish Diva, I am

Howdy folks



This morning I had to be up at 8:00 AM (on my day off) to let pest control in. They finally came, and just ask I expected, all they did was lay out poison. There is an infestation problem, we've seen 3 mice and this morning (*shudder*), my boo boo made a discovery under our kitchen sink. A glue trap we've had there for almost a year had 3 dead baby mice on it. EEEEEW! They layed out poison in areas they deemed necessary. I had to stop them from spraying some liquid poison along the walls. I asked them that I want poison that is safe for Chus (our dog) and I didn't want anything he can lick. At first he said "it won't hurt your dog, only if he licks it". You should have seen me, it was hilarious. I immediately shifted to pseud-ghetto ignorance and said "Of course he's going to like it! He's a dog!!! I don't want any spraying of that". Then our ladlord (he was here) said "well maybe you can keep Chus away for a while, maybe put him in doggie care". And I said "HE'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE! You're not
spraying that, if he has to go then so do we". Which in actuality, we just agreed on that. We're moving. I really didn't want to, for 2 reasons. Tat being that this apartment is big and is nice and also, I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE moving. I really do. But I don't want that feeling of worry everyday to continue. I want to be able to leave the dog's food out without worrying if something will come eat it or drink from his water. Gross

This past weekend I went to my boyfriend's home town of Milwaukee. It's kind of nice, a little vacation away from Chicago to a really dull quiet town where there's nothing to do. Besides those divey bars they have there are nice. They don't have stuff like that in Chicago, well maybe in the southside. It was fun. We bought a few more used CD's, oh no!

I started thinking last night, about how some singers who have come along are CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED SINGERS. Its amazing how some people I like only had one hit or not even one, yet have some of the most amazing voices I've ever heard. And I have heard alot of people, I'm very musically inclined.

My #1 right now is TIFFANY.



Wow wow wow...how did this diamond in the rough never get the praise it deserved? Its amazing, she has such a unique and powerful voice. Her tone is flawless. I rememeber how I got into her. It was 2000 and I was shopping at Wal-Mart for trinkets as it was my prom time (hahaha). I was looking in their clearance bin of CD's and I found Tiffany's debut album for .99. I knew "I Think We're Alone Now" and figured the dollar would be worth it for that one song. I listened to that whole album while playing video games...didn't think too much of it and thought it was cheesy. Then the song "Could've Been" came on, and I had to attentively listen. Her voice on that song, oh my god! After that, I re-listened to the whole album again, this time paying attention to her voice...and realized, "wow! Tiffany can sing!". After that, I tracked down her albums (all 4 of them) and fell in love.






My other criminally underrated singer...MARIA DEL SOL!

The poor thing..she has recorded 10 albums and never quite found her hit. She recorded her first album in 1982 at the age of 22..and did not have a noticeable song on the radio until her 5th album in 1986 titled "Un Nuevo Amor". The title track proved to be the song people who even remember her singing career know..and it also provided the public favourite "Girando, girando" and the hit ballad "Voy a ser una loba". She has SUCH AN AMAZING VOICE. It's rare to find someone with a soulful, almost black rnB vocals, in Spanish...and Maria Del Sol qualifies up there with RnB divas like Teena Marie and Chaka Khan. She still keeps recording in the Christian community, and in 2005 released her CD titled "Soy mama". I'd love to track down all her albums, I only have her last 2 and the aforementioned "Un nuevo amor".










Next on the list...JIMMY GNECCO of the band OURS.

This band is a total "no-hit wonder" and it's a shame. They released their only albums on Dreamworks in 2001 and 2002 and now find themselves without a label. Their music is somehwere between goth and metal..and in fact was the reason why they never found success. Their music has too many rock influences to appeal to mass market. Not to mention, Jimmy Gnecco has the most amazong male voice I've heard in years! Many compared him unfairly to JEff Buckley and wrote him off as a knock-off...but I think it's unfair. Jeff wishes he had an angelic and powerful voice like Jimmy. I'm hoping OURS releases a new album soon or have Jimmy release one. I will buy anything he touches. I even downloaded bootlegs! I NEVER do that for anyone, but that's how much I like his voice that I want to hear everything he's sung.





And now, probably the most unfair treatment...DANIELLE BRISEBOIS.

You all probably remember her as "Stephanie" on "All In The Family" and "Archie's Place". The kid actress turned to music and released her only official album in 1994 titled "Arrive All Over You". What a voice! She has a much more stronger voice than all the subsequent "Alternadivas" that emerged in that period..yet Danielle was ignored. Her CD was ful of anger, bitterness and power vocals, yet Alanis Morissette would conquer the world with a similiar yet inferior album. Too bad, I'm hoping Danielle returns! She's writing for other people, most recently writing Natasha Bedingfield's hit "Unwritten". I hope she records her own material, the world needs more people like her