The Great Singapore Sales is over and i didn't managed to purchase anything. Can't really find anything that i like or even if there was something i kinda fancy, the size doesn't fit. Oh well. But the last week, i managed to get myself 2 really good stuff! Jason Mraz's "We sing, We dance, We steal things" and Dolly Parton's "Backwoods Barbie"! Great music. I love shopping for CDs, especially when there's good album, and i never get bored. Good music are worth collecting and though we can legally buy music online now, thanks to modern technology which makes everything less of a hassle, I'd still rather spend some time in CD retail outlet and purchasing an actual hard copy of it. I don't know why actually, but I'm really fascinated by the inlays, or the lyrics booklet, whatever it is called. I think we, or just simply me, are very visual people. Seeing pictures of the artistes, especially my idols in this case, reading the lyrics and trying to understand the message underneath it all as well as the "Thank You" message. I love all these. And they are my prized possession. I seldom touch them again after i transfer them into my player cause i don't want to ruin those good stuff. Hahaha. So i'm really really skeptical if people were to borrow them from me cause i'm really afraid they would ruin it. I would consider a small fold at the edge ruined. Like i've said, i'm really particular when it comes to my CDs. Not that i'm being selfish or anything, but everyone has got something they treasure and collect, like how some people collects expensive figure of anime characters or the good ol' stamp or vinyl record or even watches. So mine is CD, cheap stuff as compared to others! Hahahaha. Okay okay, let's move on to the albums. Firstly, i shall ramble about the album that got me searching highs and lows for months, Dolly's "Backwoods Barbie". This is a really hard album to find, in all honesty, cause i thought that since Dolly is such a legend, her album would be available in our tiny little dot. Who knew, it took 4 months before it's imported here. I know country isn't recognized or anything, but in HMV, there's a country section, along with the classicals. But hey, at least i found it! Dolly Parton is Dolly Parton, music legend and country diva. This is her first mainstream country music after going bluegrass for close to a decade and all i can say is, I LOVE IT. 9 of the album cuts are written by the legend herself, since she is such a remarkable songwriter ( perfect example? Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and of course "9 to 5" ). Close to all the songs actually have potential to be a single. Something so special about Dolly Parton is her voice, which can literally touch your heart. She has got that special "X" factor, which is really rare actually. Go see some of her performance on "YouTube" and you'll see why. When she sings sad songs, like for instance "Made of Stone", "Cologne", "The Tracks of My Tears" and "I Will Forever Hate Roses" from this album, you feel the pain. When she's singing sassy upbeat songs like "Better Get To Livin" or "Shinola", you'll find yourself smiling and tapping your feet along to the melody. You might even want to add in some fingers snapping. Then when it comes to inspirational songs like "Jesus & Gravity" and "Somebody's Everything", you really feel good after listening to it. It's all great country songs, and i really really love it. If only i could see her in person performing live, that would be a dream come true. She has a the stage presence like no other, and i'm willing to pay big bucks (as if i have, haha, by hypothetically speaking still) to listen to her sing "Coat of Many Colours" and "Jolene". Actually, i would love to hear her sing any song cause most of it are great classics.

Moving on, Jason Mraz's latest released as well, "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things". I've never been a crazy fan of his prior to this, even though i really like his radio hits like "The Remedy", "You and I Both" and "Mr A - Z". But somehow or rather, i got interested in his music after hearing his first single off this album, "I'm Yours", and not being able to get that song off my head, i went to YouTube and sample some of his other songs. They are FANTASTIC. So i got really tempted and lastly, caved in. But i'm not complaining though, cause it's an awesome album. I love his ballads, and the message behind it. My favourite would definitely be "Love For A Child". Oh my god, i can't think of any song better than this in recent years. It's the bomb, as pe Randy Jackson (again). Hahaha. But seriously, i think this is the greatest song i've heard in many many years! The voice, the arrangement, the lyrics, everything! On this album, there's 2 collaborations, one with Colbie Caillat and the other with James Morrison. The former was the song called "Lucky", which is nothing but great. I've already gushed over it in one of the previous entry. Then with the latter, it's this amazing masterpiece called "Details in the Fabric". Both singers voice really complemented each other and blend in really well together. AMAZING. Then there's "A Beautiful Mess", "Live High" and "If It Kills Me", all really wonderful ballads. Okay, i've seriously run out of vocabulary to desbribe how great these albums are, though i gotta admit that my vocab is really limited. Hahaha. But all in all, great buys. Fantastic albums.