Brain Wave Theta The Best Frequency For Brainwave Entrainment

Theta Brain waves are closely associated with meditation and generally occur during dreaming sleep and deep trance states. Theta brain waves fall into the range between 4 and 8 Hz.

When Theta brain waves dominate many benefits can be achieved including:-

  1. Stress Release: Theta Brainwaves can lower both physical and mental stress. Most people will be familiar with this sensation from the deep sense of relaxation that they feel just moments before they drift off to sleep. This is when Theta brain waves are most prevalent for most of us.
  2. More Energy: People who experience Theta brain waves regularly have more energy, because the relaxation induced by them gives the body more rest and as a result they have more energy when they emerge from the Theta brain wave state.
  3. Better Healing Abilities: While the mind is in the theta brainwave state the body has opportunity to repair itself. As a result people who regularly experience Theta brainwaves can more easily recover from injury and illness.
  4. Improved Learning: Theta brain waves are also associated with the ability to retain more information while studying. Any students who can induce a theta state while learning will find they have much more productive study sessions.
  5. Increased Creativity: Theta brainwaves a produced in abundance by artists and musicians, so if you can produce more theta brainwaves it follows that you will be able to think more creatively.
  6. Better Memory: I suppose this is closely related to the improved learning function of theta brainwaves, but they also help retrieve memories, They are also tied to greater access to the subconscious mind which is heavily involved in storing memories.
  7. Subconscious Communication: Theta brain waves are closely associated with subconscious communication enabling you to reprogram deeply held limiting or un-helpful beliefs, such as phobias and addictions.

Theta brainwaves are also believed to be linked to lucid dreaming i.e. Being able to control your dreams, the ability to have out of body experiences and development of psychic powers, by those that have faith in those experiences.

So how can you can you take your brain waves into the theta spectrum at will and take advantage of all of those benefits that they offer?

Brain Entrainment simply involves using an outside stimulus to synchronise the brainwaves to the required frequency. We are all familiar with the situation where we listen to some music and find ourselves tapping our feet, or drumming along with our fingers to the beat. Well the same situation occurs in our brain, except we are not aware of it. Brain Entrainment is achieved by listening to sounds at the right frequency so that the brainwaves become synchronised, or in time with that frequency. Once our brainwaves have adjusted to the theta range we can start to reap all of those benefits we have discussed.

Companies such as Mind Sync produce entrainment audios in both CD and MP3 format. It takes roughly 6 minutes listening to one of these tracks for the brain to become entrained to a new frequency, which is most often brain wave theta, as this permits the subconscious to become influenced most easily.

Obviously once you have acquired the entrainment audio files, you can use them as often as you like to achieve any or all of the benefits detailed above. There is no need to keep having prescriptions filled or spend the lengthy amount of time and effort it takes to achieve brainwave theta level with un-assisted meditation.

Mind Sync Entrainment Frequencies

Mind Sync make and sell a very wide range of entrainment frequency and binaural harmonic MP3’s. In this Mind Sync review you will mostly read about those modules that interest me most, namely those that concern healing health problems and personal development. They cover issues like increasing serotonin for sleep, increasing serotonin for mood, inducing theta brainwaves and epsilon brain waves and achieving alpha meditation.

It is widely accepted in the West now that meditation provides a huge bonus to health by reducing stress and promoting the body’s own self healing mechanisms. Anything that can help people achieve the required level of meditation quickly has got to be a good thing in my opinion.

There are also entrainment frequency MP3’s available to help with stress management, speed learning, energy, increasing IQ, releasing endorphins, increasing Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production, curing Tinnitus, relieving Jet Lag and pain management. We will be discussing each of those here.

But Mind Sync also move well into the realms of the mystical, with products that claim to aid with astral projection, astral travel, out of body experiences, lucid dreaming, becoming psychic, clairvoyance, manifestation, telepathy, precognition and past life regression. Now these are subjects that I have no experience or knowledge of. But if these are things that interest you, then I think that entrainment frequencies would be a way to develop these abilities, if you believe that they can be developed.

The reason that I believe in the benefits of entrainment frequencies, apart from the scientific evidence, is that as an aspiring, or wannabe, musician I know how slight changes in sound can change the way that people feel. We all know that different types of music can make you feel happy, sad, melancholy, elated etc. So it makes sense to me that if you concentrated on the sounds, or frequencies that promote those feelings, then you could create the power to change people’s brain waves.

The scientific evidence takes my beliefs much further, by placing sensors on a subjects head and identifying the changes in various parts of the brain, whilst listening to the entrainment frequencies.

So what are the benefits that you can achieve by listening to entrainment frequencies?

Well we discussed earlier on this site the benefits of increasing serotonin for sleep and serotonin for mood. We also looked at the advantages of reducing stress with meditation in that article. So let us take a look at Speed Learning and Increasing IQ.

The concept of Speed Learning was originally developed by a Professor Lozanov and it was extensively publicised in the 1970’s by Ostrander and Schroeder. They proved that by studying whilst listening to certain rhythms and frequencies that the ability to take in and retain information is significantly improved. Also a specific binaural frequency in the alpha range has been acknowledged as the most powerful contributor to increasing IQ in each subsequent examination.

The MP3 for increasing IQ can be listened to anytime to reap the benefits, while the speed learning entrainment frequencies should be listened to while studying.

The benefits of increasing your IQ and speed learning are obvious for students, but can also provide numerous advantages for anyone in business, or any walk of life.

Finally let’s examine the advantages of increasing Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production. Most of us have heard of athletes illegally taking Human Growth Hormone to gain an advantage over their competitors. But what does it actually do for them?

Well it can increase muscle mass and reduce body fat without dieting. HGH will provide higher energy levels, enhance sexual performance and stimulate re-growth of many internal organs that shrink with age. In short it can reverse the ageing process.

Supplements of HGH are very expensive and most do not contain enough of the hormone to be effective. So what is more economical and more effective?

Once again Mind Sync have a sound frequency CD or MP3 that is proven to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce more HGH and once you have bought it you can use it as often as you need, without any further expense. Unlike supplements which you will continue to pay for indefinitely.

Mind Sync Brain Entrainment

Mind Sync, who also trade as World of Alternatives, have developed a whole range of audio products that can help with a wide variety of personal development and health improvement issues.

Their downloadable MP3 files each have combinations of alpha, theta and delta harmonics which create beneficial changes in brain activity and changes in consciousness, when listened to using headphones.

 The harmonic frequencies are generated with absolute accuracy for maximum effect and they have been extensively tested for safety and effectiveness.

Using a technique called frequency flowing, it has been proven, with brainwave technology, that these combinations of harmonics can create changes in consciousness and brain activity.

Mind Sync MP3’s do not contain music or subliminal messages. It has been widely proven that brainwave entrainment, or synchronization, is not effective when it is embedded in music, or accompanied by subliminal messages.

Modern life is full of stresses, anxieties, worries and demands. It is now widely acknowledged that mediation can help those that practice it control and release these emotions. But many people find meditation difficult. They find it hard to let go of their over active minds and find that their thoughts wander to their daily activities, when they should be deeply relaxed. Mind Sync’s Meditation MP3 provides the exact frequencies that guarantee to alter your minds state, in only 8 minutes. The programme lasts for 20 minutes and works every time that you use it. Continued practice will help you improve your health, your family life, even your job prospects.

The Mind Sync Sleep Improvement MP3 can be the answer to the troubles of the problem sleeper. Whether you have problems getting to sleep, or wake up repeatedly during the night, or sleep for 8 hours and still feel tired, the Sleep Improver can solve all of these problems. The theta harmonics used in the program can reduce the amount of sleep that you require and make you feel more refreshed and energized. Repeated use of the program can reduce your sleep requirement to 6 hours per night.

We have already discussed the stresses of modern life. They come at you from all angles your work, your family, money troubles, you name it. And stress is a killer, it is not only an emotional issue, it affects your body in numerous ways. The heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs, and brain are all in a constant state of readiness to meet the perceived danger that stress induces. In the long term this can be fatal, as it can lead to heart attacks, strokes and other organ failures.

The Mind Sync Stress Reducer uses a combination of alpha waves that produce immediate relaxation of the mind and body. The program lasts for 20 minutes, but the relaxation lasts longer and it works every time that you use it.

Each Mind Sync program can be bought individually, or you can buy a combination pack of all three of the modules discussed here and receive a big discount on the price of buying them separately.

Subliminal Audio

As an alternative to Mind Sync Brain Entrainment you may have heard of subliminal messaging.

Many people have a bad perception of subliminal messaging. This is mainly because, at one point, it was used as a means of advertising to TV viewers and listeners, without their permission. This is now in fact illegal, but using subliminal messaging for your own positive benefit, with your permission, is perfectly safe and legal.

You can purchase CDs and MP3s of subliminal courses for a wide variety of self improvement issues. They work in a similar way to hypnosis, in that the positive messages are sent to your subconscious mind. They build up there over time and help you to change your self beliefs, thoughts, and patterns of behaviour.

There is nothing dark or sinister about the messages, they just help you to change your thoughts, behaviour and beliefs in a positive way, while you simply listen to some relaxing sounds, like the ocean, a roaring fire or the wind. You can listen to them while you do other things, like work, exercise, drive or even while you sleep. They work in a similar way to affirmations, except that they go straight to your subconscious mind and do not have to wrestle with your conscious mind to get through.

Have you tried affirmations? I have and never really received much benefit. For example I was asked to use an affirmation “All is right with my world” of course what instantly happened was my conscious mind immediately listed all that was wrong with my world. Subliminal messages do not have to negotiate with that consciousness.

Subliminal audios are available to help you to cure bad habits and help with health issues like helping to quit smoking, cure obsessive eating, and lose weight, as well as self development and learning issues. You can even use them to help learn to play a musical instrument or learn to sing. There are in fact well over 200 self help courses, so literally something for everyone.

As an example, the Stop Smoking series uses the following messages at a level above your conscious hearing:-

• I am free from my smoking addiction
• I have overcome my smoking habit
• My willpower is rock solid
• I breathe easier and feel healthier every day
• I am more motivated than ever to stay off cigarettes
• I stay strong against cravings
• I always resist the temptation to smoke
• I easily resist my cravings
• I have quit smoking forever
• I have clean and healthy lungs and love being smoke free

So you can see they are only statements that you need to make to yourself in order to beat a bad habit.

To sum up, you can change your behaviour and beliefs in a positive way, while doing other things and beat any negative thoughts from your conscious mind. What more do you need to go ahead and try it?

Well how about a completely free trial. Yes you can try 3 courses for free. We will send them to you along with a guide on how to get the most benefits from the courses. Simply click on the link below enter your details and you will be able to try them today.

Serotonin for Sleep

Many people that suffer with sleep problems do not have enough serotonin for sleep. Most people know that low levels of serotonin affect your mood and can lead to depression. What most people do not realize is that sleep and serotonin are so closely related.

Sleep problems are very common, in fact it is estimated that one third of the worlds population are dangerously sleep deprived and an even greater number will suffer from sleep problems either infrequently or temporarily. This can lead to many other far reaching problems.

The obvious problems that most of us are aware of are irritability and exhaustion. But other issues, that many suffer with, but do not associate with their sleep problems and low levels of serotonin, include severe headaches, pessimism and lack of vitality, light headedness, nausea and muscle discomfort, appetite irregularities, either starvation or lack of appetite, stress and inability to complete tasks, no matter how small, lack of focus and at the extreme end of the scale, rage, ADHD (Attention deficit hyper-activity disorder), loss of memory and hallucinations.

Low levels of serotonin for sleep can also be a contributory factor in Sleep Apnea (abnormal pauses in breathing during sleep). Serotonin in the body regulates the contraction and relaxation of blood vessels. It is well known, that malfunctions in the cardiovascular system have a major affect on Sleep Apnea and that increasing serotonin levels in the blood has a direct positive affect on Sleep Apnea.

Many factors can lead to low levels of serotonin in the body including use of prescription medications and over consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Physical conditions can also produce low levels of serotonin for sleep and mood, such as increased levels of stress, lack of sleep, lack of exposure to sunlight, lack of exercise and a poor diet. You will notice that many of those contributory factors are also mentioned as symptoms of low levels of serotonin. So it is a vicious circle that sufferers of depression and sleep disorders need to break.

Another benefit of increasing serotonin levels in the body is that it kills pain. For this reason anti-depressants are often prescribed for chronic pain sufferers. Increasing serotonin in the body eases pain, partly because it improves your mood and makes pain less noticeable, but it also blocks the perception of pain in the brain and increases the flexibility of veins, arteries and capillaries. Of course the fact that it improves sleep is another factor in dealing with pain and recovery.

So if you are suffering with low levels of serotonin for sleep, depression, stress, anxiety or pain, how do you go about increasing your levels of serotonin to help you overcome any or all of these ills?

Well doctors liberally dispense prescriptions for anti-depressants; Prozac is arguably one of the most well known drugs in the world. Anti depressants operate by reducing the amount of serotonin that is taken up by the neurons of the brain, so that there is more serotonin around in the body. Most anti-depressants are termed SSRIs, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

But many people are not keen to take anti-depressants and get them selves hooked, quite often for life. So they would prefer a more natural method of increasing their serotonin levels. This can be achieved with some lifestyle changes.

Physical exercise is known to increase serotonin levels and meditation brings on calmness, reduces stress and anxiety, eases pain and stops those issues stealing your valuable serotonin.

However many people find meditation difficult to begin with. They are not used to relaxing their minds and find it difficult to reduce their brain activity and produce those theta brainwaves that are required. This is where the Mind Sync MP3’s can help. You simply download the MP3 and listen to it through headphones and in around 8 minutes the frequencies are guaranteed to alter you minds state. The program lasts for 20 minutes and the benefit of that induced relaxation can be felt throughout your day.

You can access the Mind Sync MP3s from the link below and download them immediately. So you could be relaxing and increasing your serotonin levels for sleep within minutes.

Bear in mind that the cost of the MP3 is probably less than the cost of a single prescription for an anti depressant and you can use the MP3 over and over again without ever paying again and there is no danger of overdosing or over medicating.

Gorillaz, Diane Birch, Bobby McFerrin

The show started with Gorillaz playing a tune called StyloDamon Albarn sang lead from the piano facing away from the audience. The band was fronted by two black guys that I never recognized, until their vocals came in, it was none other than Bobby Womackwho is still in good voice. Mos Def rapped over a good funk beat. On their second song, On Melancholy HillDamon Albarn sang from upfront of his all star band, featuring Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of the Clash on Guitar and Bass. Jools interviewed Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the animator for the Gorillaz. Strangely the animation, that was apparently appearing on screens above the band, was not being shown on television, until after the interview. It then featured heavily, maybe the director needed a reminder. Their third song was a duet between Albarn and Little Dragon called To Binge and featured numerous Japanese beer bottles in the graphics.

The Drive by Truckers played a rock song with some nice slide guitar. It featured some country type vocals that reminded me of Tom Petty when he sings in that style. Their second song was a heavier/grungy rock number featuring a different singer, that this time made me think of Neil Young.

Laura Marlin sang Devils Spoke a folky rock tune with a bluesy feel. Her Bass player used a violin bow on an electric bass for an interesting effect. Her second song, Good Bye Old England Covered in Snow, she played solo on acoustic guitar, finger style. It was a nice Joni Mitchell type contemplative tune. Her last song Rambling Man was more serious young woman music.

Jools interviewed Bobby WomackBobby was kind of evasive and gave some vague answers about spirituality, then rushed into If You Don’t Want My Love on acoustic guitar with Jools playing some nice piano fills. Bobby said this song was not a hit, but it has been covered by numerous people, from the Four Tops to Ron WoodBobby still has the most soulful voice and I am sure if you looked up Soul in the dictionary there would be a picture of him there. .

Diane Birch played Valentino on piano, an up beat funky tune that also had country feel. There was a nice trumpet break. She has a good vocal range and huge saucer like eyes. Her second song was called Fools and was very Carol King like, but I think Diane is a better singer than the legendary songwriter.

Bobby McFerrin played the old song Smile, that I believe was written by the silent film star Charlie Chaplin and was Michael Jackson‘s favorite song. This was kind of an instrumental on voice. He never actually sang the lyrics and had 2 or 3 things happening at once. It must require an amazing amount of practice and training to achieve these skills. He keeps time by beating his chest, which also changes the tones. He got a big reaction from the crowd. This really took me back, because in the 80’s Bobby Womack and Bobby McFerrin were two of my favorite artists. In fact I remember one Bobby McFerringig as one of the best I have ever been to and it featured no instruments all night. The support act was a local all girl acapella group called the Mint Juleps. Then Bobby came on with no supporting musicians, or instruments. But he called up people from the audience to rap and break dance with him. At the end he called back the Mint Juleps to join him and two of the singers from the Flying Pickets, who had a huge acapella hit in the UK with Yazzoo’s Only You, were in the audience and they joined him too. What a night!

Mos Def did a solo spot with a tune called Quiet dog bite hard. It sounded a lot like a Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five track. Mos Def played drums and rapped at the same time, with only a bass and some decks spinning for backing.

Gorillaz closed out the show with a song called Superfast Jellyfish, with De la Soul and Gruff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals rapping.

The next edition of Later will be on the 12th November on ABC2 at 10:20PM featuring Hole, Joanna Newsom, Mumford and Sons, Angelique Kidjo, Lissie, Ian Hunter andThe Rant Band

Kate Nash, Band of Horses, Plan B, Spacial AKA

This weeks Later started with Kate Nash singing a song called Do-Wah-Do. She played piano and sang in a strong cockney accent very reminiscent of Lilly Allen. The Lyrics to her songs were very similar to Lilly Allen’s too, domestic issues, kitchen sink dramas etc. Kate’s songs are far more musically sophisticated and I am sure she is a more competent musician, she played guitar too, but I don’t feel the world needs another Lilly Allen. Don’t get me wrong I’ve got nothing against a cockney accent, I’ve got one of my own, but it just does not seem appropriate for music in most cases. I am reminded of the story of the Small Faces hit Lazy Sunday AfternoonSteve Marriot the lead singer, who was from the heart of London’s East End and spoke with a strong cockney accent, was asked by Alan Clarke of The Hollies why he never sang in his own accent. So they wrote and recorded Lazy Sunday Afternoon. It was meant to be a novelty album track, but the record company chose to release it as a single. Although it was a big success, the band were never happy about it, as they wanted to be taken more seriously and Marriot chose never to emphasise his own dialect in music again, as far as I am aware.

Band of Horses played three songs ComplimentsFactory and North West Apartment. These were all good songs and well played. Quite diverse, there was an up tempo pop tune, a slower more elaborate song with strings and horns and a good rocking tune, in that order. Apparently the band was stranded in London unable to get back to their native Seattle because of the Icelandic volcano that caused the cancellation of all flights in Europe earlier this year. But this meant they booked their spot on the show and we got to see them. I would have liked to have included a clip of NW Apartment, the rocker, but I couldn’t find one I was happy with, so here’s the orchestrated Factory

Jerry Dammers Spacial AKA Orchestra followed. Now musically they were very interesting, if a little weird. The band were all dressed in costumes from around the world, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian African etc. many of them wearing masks. Jerry Dammers was however dressed like he lived on the streets, with scruffy hair, shaggy beard, no front teeth and many, many dinners heavier than his Rude Boy days with the Specials. Their first tune was kind of big band modern Jazz, their second was sung by a girl in a mask and the whole look reminded me of the party scenes from Eyes Wide Shut, except with more clothes. They finished up with a version of the Specials Ghost Town which they called Ghost PlanetDammers did not sing this either, but a genuine reggae man did and was pretty good, although the tune was even more of a dirge than the original. Jools Holland interviewed Dammers and asked about the recent Specials reunion, to which he was not invited, I think I understand why. He said just because they couldn’t do what he did it didn’t mean he couldn’t do what they do. Not a good look airing your grievances in public.

Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew is Plan B and sometimes known as Ben Drew. He appeared immediately after the Jerry Dammers band and funnily enough looked more like Jerry Dammers in his Specials days than Jerry Dammers did. He sang a nice soul/funk tune, but rapped in a Jamaican accent. He was later interviewed by Jools and explained how he learned song writing from Smokey Robinson’s Tracks of My Tears. When he sang his second song Writings on the Wall, a break up song, you could hear the Smokey influence.

There was a brief interview with Jack Bruce at the piano. He was there to promote his new book and talked about Blues in London in the early 60’s, mentioning pioneers he played with such as Cyril Davies, Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts and Ginger Baker. He also talked about how he wrote Sunshine of your Love, the opening line “it’s getting near dawn” being something his lyricist Pete Brown said after they had been up all night. Interestingly, Bruce said he would consider another Cream reunion, where as Ginger Baker said never again, when he was asked on an earlier show. Jack does seem to be in better nick health wise, so maybe that’s why.

Melody Gardot is a Jazz singer, who has been through life’s wringer. The victim of a serious road accident at 19 she suffered multiple head injuries and pelvic fractures. Her music served as a therapy for her and brought her to where she is today. Having recorded two albums she still finds touring difficult. She appeared sitting on a stool with a guitar, showing an acre of thigh (very nice legs). Her hair is blond, she wore huge dark glasses and looked like a 60’s Italian film star. Her first song Baby I’m a Fool was less Jazzy than her normal fare. The second song, Who Will Comfort Me? was more like a Jazz Gospeland featured scat singing, a nice Jazz cello solo, an Acappella break and a sing along. I enjoyed both her performances, legs and all. See what you think.

Next weeks Later, 10:20 on ABC2, features Gorillaz, Drive-By Truckers, Laura Marlingand more (the ABC site somehow dropped off the others)

Paul Rodgers, Paul Weller, Marina & The Diamonds

Later with Jools Holland returned to ABC2 on Friday 22nd October. It was a good show with some interesting music, but not one of the very best. The show kicked off with Paul Weller. He did three new songs which were all good, although I thought that in some parts they could have done with a better singer than him. His second song Aim High had a big orchestrated sound, with strings etc. and reminded me in parts of the Theme from Shaftby Issac Hayes. His last song Find the Torch Burn the Plans also had a very familiar feel to it, but I can’t identify what it reminds me of . Paul and one of his keyboard players were sporting some interesting 60’s/70’s influenced haircuts, that looked like they were cut with a knife and fork.

Next up were Hot Chip, who also played three songs. Which was a pity, as they didn’t really appeal to me. The guy that did most of the singing reminded me of Jimmy Sommerville from Bronski Beat and The Communards, but without any of the disco fun.

Gogol Bordello followed. Now this was a really fun band to watch. Their performance was kind of ramshackle and hectic and some of the singing left a little to be desired, but I really enjoyed them. They called it rock and roll and apparently have members from various countries, but it sounded like Russian Gypsy music to me. They went full pelt at both of their songs. I would imagine a whole gig would probably kill you, or them.

Marina of Marina and the Diamonds, reminded me a little of Kate Bush. It just seemed to be one of those shows where everything reminded me of something else. She had very good vocal control and the songs were interesting. I think I might need to have a few more listens to really appreciate her.

I was looking forward to Paul Rogers most of all. He is one of my old heroes and I loved Free and saw Bad Company live at least twice. But there just was not enough of him. He had a short interview with Jools and performed the Ray Charles song Crying Time with Jools at the piano. It was good but not earth shattering.

The Villagers was a one man band, Connor O’Brien, who performed heartfelt songs on an acoustic guitar, that seemed to be held together with gaffa tape. Once again he made me think of someone else. His vibrato on his first song put me in mind of Fergal Sharkey, although nowhere near as annoying.

The Polar Bears are a band that I would like to see more of. Their drummer had a huge mop of, well mop like, hair. They performed a nice instrumental with a really good groove and nice saxophone breaks.

This clip is not from Later but it is the tune they performed and worth a look.

This Friday on Later, Kate Nash, Band of Horses, Jerry Dammers’ Spatial A.K.A. Orchestra, Plan B, Melody Gardot and Jack Bruce. Should be well worth tuning in for.

A Journey Through American Music, Planet Rock Profiles

A great nights music on ABC2 tonight. It started with one of my favourite shows Later with Jools Holland. Tonight’s show started with the fabulous, soulful and funky Joss Stone. Truly an old soul in a young body. Strangely that young body was dressed in a pair of curtains and she had another curtain on her mike stand, each to their own I suppose. Fashion sense apart, Joss could not be faulted. She did two superb songs of her own and a great rendition of Ray Charles “I believe to my soul” with Jools at the piano. Jools’piano playing was equally as impressive.

Joss was followed by Alice in Chains. So let’s get the negative bits out at once. I didn’t enjoy Alice in Chains, too heavy a sound for my tastes, which was unfortunate, as they played three songs to everyone else’s one or two. One of them, surprisingly was acoustic, but this still didn’t do much for me. The other act on tonight that I wasn’t too keen on was Delphin. Again capable and probably good in their genre, but electronic music also has little appeal to me.

OK that over with, everything else was well worth tuning in for. Ricky Lee Jonesperformed an acoustic song apparently written by her father, nice song and featured some nice upright bass. Martha Wainwright performed an animated version of an Edith Piafsong. There was some very carefully pronounced French lyrics, so much so that even I was able to understand some of them. The only thing that was a little distracting is that she was obviously reading the lyrics from a music stand, or autocue, you just don’t often see that in modern music.

An act that I had not heard of before was Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears, these guys were really good, very funky. Their first song owed a lot to James Brown and made me feel like getting up off that thang. The second song was a bit too short, but as they say always leave them wanting more. This video can take a while to load and the song starts a bit slow, but play it loud, play it proud and get your funk on. Two things to notice here, first is Joss Stone getting on down with her bad self in the background and second, check out the trumpet player, he bears a remarkable resemblance to the trumpet player in Joss’s band. It’s not the same guy, but it could be him in disguise.

A big surprise of the night was Steve Martin and The Steepcanyon Rangers. I’ve seen Steve Martin play banjo before a few times and although I’ve been impressed with the talent and ability, the music itself was not really appealing, as I’m not a huge fan of country music. But I guess you would call what he did tonight Bluegrass and I enjoyed both tunes. The first was was an instrumental featuring two banjos, a violin, a mandolin, a guitar and a double bass. The second was like a 1940′s style country song with some comic lyrics. It reminded me a little of the The Soggy Bottom Boys from the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Which is a good thing

The night was rounded off with A Journey Through American Music – Blues Beginnings introduced by Morgan Freeman, followed by Planet Rock Profiles which featured the New York band The Bravery. More on those two programmes very soon.

OK the following has nothing to do with Later with Jools Holland or even anything that was on TV on Friday night. I just stumbled across them when I was looking for video clips and I liked them, I hope you do too.

Martha Wainwright and Charlotte Church, from a British TV special, I believe, performing the Carol King classic Will you still love me tomorrow?

Another sensational performance from Joss Stone and the sensational legs deserve a show of their very own. Here she sings the Dusty Springfield hit Son of a Preacher Manfrom the 60′s and gives it everything that Dusty did back then.

Deals of the day on recordings for Joss Stone, Martha Wainwright, Ricky Lee Jones and Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears

Peace Has Broken Out Between Delta and Jessie

On Sundays blind auditions of The Voice the female rivalry was billed to resume. The scene for the Delta/Jessie battle field was set from the offset.

The first contestant up was Tamara O’Callaghan who sang Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend in a basic sort of Marilyn Munroe impersonation. Marilyn traded on her sex appeal and wasn’t really a singer, Tamara did pretty much the same. Her boyfriend really set us up for what to expect, when he said that the only thing close to her looks was her voice, which is not a huge benefit when the judges can’t see you.

Once again Jessie J told it like it is, while Delta Goodrem tried to put a positive spin on a pretty ordinary audition. While Jessie made another valid point Delta took off her mic and walked off the set. This appeared to be a script that Delta was working to, while Jessiewas unaware.

A truce was called in the ‘feud’ after some interview segments tried to convince us how real it was. Jessie and Delta were all pally and sweetness and light together for the remainder of the show, and even ended up collaborating on some harmonies.

Next up was Mahalate Teshome, who had only ever sung in front of an audience at two weddings previously. She was nervous and stumbled over some words. But she had some good qualities to her voice. She seemed to be far from ready for prime time, but Jessie Jand the Maddens turned for her. She chose Jessie.

Stephen McCulloch sang the Cat Stevens‘ 60′s classic Father and Son. The intro is sung in a lower key and initially I was not very impressed, but he was so much better in the second part. Delta turned and it will be good to see what he does next.

I liked Hailey Marie McFadden‘s version ofWicked Game. I thought that she had some very interesting components in her voice, but no one turned, so we won’t get to see more of her… this year anyway.

Jeremy Ryan from Perth and his 7 kids had featured in all the promos for the show and his last note was not as big as it had been billed, but he did sing very well. Ricky Martin played to the crowd, surrounding himself with the kids, as a sort hunky Latin Santa Clause. It seemed to have been effective and persuaded Ryan to join Team Ricky.

It’s quite amazing how the show is used as a launching pad for so much self consuming media. Jeremy Ryan‘s audition prompted a plug for a web video and a segment on A Current Affair, where they will in turn plug The Voice, it’s a never ending circle.

I was kind of confused by Jake Howden‘s audition. It was a mixture of interesting and off key. Delta turned after a lot of teasing by her and the Maddens. We may find that more exposure to Jake will reveal his true abilities. At the moment my jury is out.

Country singer Temeaka Powell from central Queensland had some nice qualities to her voice, but lacked any highlights for me and I wouldn’t have picked her based on that audition. The Madden Brothers disagreed and she is through to the Battle rounds.

The final competitor for the evening was Elizabeth Rimbo, who has done all her previous public singing in church. Although not religious myself, I am a huge fan of gospel music, but this really did not deserve a bigger audience. However Jessie J jumped on stage, to show her how it should be done. Not wanting to be left out, Delta and Ricky Martin joined her and the roof was raised, praise the lord and pass the cheese.

In case anyone doubts Jessie‘s authority to tell anyone how to sing gospel music, here she is killing it, as a blonde.

So it looks like the bitch fight promotion is over, for now, and I’d like to think that the show will concentrate on the contestants from here in. But I very much doubt it. They are paying a lot of money to have these international artists on The Voice panel, so I am sure that they will make the most of them.

The blind auditions continue on Monday and Tuesday this week.

We have links below to music from the battling judges, just click on them for more details.

Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Ray Davies

I made the mistake of tuning in a little late for Later this week, damn the ABC for moving it to Thursday nights. I must set up my PVR to record it automatically, so I don’t miss any of the show again. I think I probably missed the first two, or three songs. But something very interesting was going on when I got there. Cyndi Lauper was singing a blues song with Jools Holland’s band. I’ve never particularly been a fan of Cyndi Lauper, I mean, boys wanna have fun too. But this was really good. The first tune I saw was called Shattered Dreams and was excellent. The second was Just Your Fool, it featured some great harmonica, which I believe is played by Charlie Musselwhite on the album Memphis Blues. I don’t think it was him playing on Later, if it was I didn’t hear Jools mention his name. Gilson Lavis the drummer from Jools’s band was particularly getting into the tunes.

Based on these couple of tracks the album will be well worth checking out, it features other guest spots, apart from Mr Musselwhite, such as Allen Toussaint and Anne Peebles and includes the Muddy Waters standard Rolling and Tumbling and Robert Johnson’s Crossroads

Ray Davies was up next, he has released an album of his old songs in a new format. He duets with a number of artists on new versions of his hits. He played Days mixed with a lesser known song This Time Tomorrow backed up by Mumford and Sons. He was later interviewed by Jools Holland and he talked about recording with Bruce Springsteen for the album See My Friends, which also features such luminaries as Jackson Browne, Metallica, John Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora

Anthony from Anthony and the Johnsons did a song at the piano, solo, without his Johnsons. This guy always reminds me of Boy George after a bad night, having neglected his make up and thrown on whatever clothes were around. The song Thank You For Your Love was meant to be heartfelt, I guess, but just sounded repetitive to me.

Imelda May was up next with a song called Mayhem. A friend of mine in London put me onto her some time ago and I like her. The band has the Rockabilly look and feel and Mayhem is a really good song. I think it was one of her songs that I missed at the beginning of the show, damn and blast.

John Legend was interviewed by Jools at the piano and came across as very articulate. He talked about Gospel music and sang a little of I Wish I Knew How It Felt To Be Free. Very nice stuff. Britishreaders will recognise the tune from the long running movie review show Film whatever year it was at the time.

Next up the Ting Tings. If anyone in Australia thinks that they don’t know them, just think about the Hyundai ad that has bombarded us for some time and the tune behind it Shut Up and Let Me Go. They played a song called Day to Day which was much more mellow and featured some nice strings.

John Legend performed Love the Way it Should Be, a lovers rock reggae tune. Nice band, nice song, nice voice. What more can I say.

Next up was a band called Chapel Club performing a song called Eastern Girls. The singer looked a lot like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and has probably as much chance of becoming a rock star. The song was a bit dark and gloomy and not to my taste at all.

Thankfully Imelda May was back to close out the show with Tainted Love. The song made famous by Soft Cell, but was originally sung by Gloria Jones, the woman that drove the car into the tree that killed Marc Bolan of T. Rex. All that aside this version featured some very nice trumpet.