I'm so glad she's back and with a top tune as well, it's ringing in my head quite frequently which is always a good sign. Life's About to Get good is the new single from Shania Twain and it's her first for six years. She's still looking absolutely gorgeous and it does look as though life is looking good for her now.

I could tell by just listening to the lyrics that it may feature her breakup from her ex husband which was big news at the time. This song seems to give off a good attitude, the one that says yes you can get down and things can seem rubbish but it's going to get better. I feel it may get to be the next, dare I say 'I Will Survive', the 2017 anthem that you put on to get over that lost lover and move on. It is very empowering and positive and I do love her voice.

Is it Country? Does it matter? Some will debate whether she has cast off her country roots and crossed over to pop. I think she did that a while back,  alot of country artists do especially to reach a bigger audience. You see country music is not as big here as it is in the States and I kind of get that an artist would move into a market that is going to sell their product. I always think of her as a country gal as that's what set me off listening to her in the first place. it was that time where we did have a massive injection of country music here in the UK. Line Dancing took off and we had the CMT Europe channel on TV, yeah remember that? Don't get me started, I'm still not over losing my 24 hour country music channel. So I remember Shania Twain back then when her music was definitely more country based than pop. 

For me I can hear the influence there, she will always have her country roots but it really doesn't matter. I admire an artist that can be so diverse and change genres in music. I look forward to the forthcoming album and I'm sorry I'm not seeing her at Radio 2's Live in Hyde Park this coming September, would have loved that. I'll be listening though. I'm happy she's back and looking forward to hearing more from her.

For more information on Shania Twain you can visit her website at:
www.shaniatwain.com

Thank you for reading and please join me again tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday, for now though....

Take care.........

I had an earworm this morning, no I wasn't infested and don't need any cream for it, it means I had a song stuck in my head.

​It was 'All By Myself', and I do tend to hear Eric Carmen in my head and not Celine Dion which I thank ear worm headquarters for, I'm not a big Celine Dion fan. Why that song though? A little melancholy when I do actually feel happy and joyous especially after a day of successful Women's Cricket yesterday.

I do sometimes feel a little lonely though and it is a very emotional song. I've got friends and family around me but one can have a lot of people around and still feel lonely. Maybe I am craving a bit of loving for Sue from the Brew, it does happen now and again. By no means am I asking for any sympathy as I am quite content being single and making my own decisions but from time to time I do wonder what it would be like to be in love again. Take a little look at the lyrics sometime. I feel they may be an indication of how I'm feeling at the moment. My motto is that there is always a song for an occasion or a moment. 

It isn't a very long song, I bet it didn't take Mr Carmen much time at all to run that one off, it does repeat a bit but I could write about twenty more verses the way I'm feeling. The thing is though, when you listened to this a long time ago, you could almost get depressed and feel down but now I just see Bridget Jones. I will have my moment of singing into a wine bottle, wearing my big pants and just belt it out. Then I'm laughing and thinking that the only person who can change my loneliness is ME!!!. So I will go out and 'Bridget', pick myself up and not be so lonely. Might leave the internet dating for a while but you never know. 

I think love has a radar a lot like sexuality, if you're not giving the signals off no one is going to find you. 'Radar Love' another good song, one for another day maybe, but hold fire I'm still in my doom and gloom, never going to find anyone and I'll be alone forever moment. Nah, don't be silly, it will happen one day. So it's time to flick my radar switch to on and strut my stuff. I am now visualising John Travolta walking down that street with a tin of paint, looking cool to the 'come and get me' anthem from Saturday Night Fever, the Bee Gees classic 'Stayin Alive'. You can't beat a good song by the Bee Gees to give yourself a good kick up the backside and jump back into reality again.

So Eric nice song but but I'm not staying in lonely street, I'm getting a tin of Dulux (other paint is available) and stayin alive not staying all by myself.

On that note I will leave you for today, thank you for reading. I will catch you again, hopefully tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday.

Take care for now........

This was my last performance now with Rock Choir for the summer, we attended the Food and Drink Festival at Elvaston Castle in Derby and sang our hearts out until.....it rained. It was forecast, so I am not taking the blame for my singing bringing on the precipitation (that's a big word). We had a lovely morning regardless.

I had my road crew with me, well ok my family and my mum actually took a photo which isn't bad eh? She got us all in and that's good after dragging her out of the marquee with the Gin stall in it, too early Mum!! Oh I'm kidding, we stuck to Lattes but bought a whole load of loose leaf tea and enough fudge to keep a major sugar rush going until Christmas. 

We sang our term time newbies such as 'King of Wishful Thinking', only it's second outing in a performance for me anyway and it went better than the first time shall I say. They are always fun the new songs. It's like taking a new puppy out on it's first walk outside, you think it's not ready but after the first walk that's it away it goes, and ooooh next minute let off the lead, and free to run. 'Shut up and Dance with Me' is a fun one to do and seems to go down well, we also performed 'A little Respect', 'Halo', 'With a Little Help from my Friends' and a surprise rendition, just thrown in there last minute of Adele's 'Someone Like You'. I was a bit like a rabbit in headlights as I had only ever sang that one once before, in fact this week in our last session before the end of term. It was ok though, bit of pressure never hurt anyone, keeps the adrenalin running through the old veins.

We have taken part in quite a few performances this year and I have honestly loved every minute of them. It's such fun to go to different events and we do have a giggle along the way. So what now? We don't meet up again until the new term in September. How will we all cope?

Well there is a answer to that. Rock Choir are offering a summer workshop where you can attend three sessions and learn three brand new songs. It is available across the UK so visit www.rockchoir.com to find your local session.  The  'Summer of Love' sessions are available to anyone so bring along friends and family if you wish, priced at £30 for the whole three sessions, you will have the opportunity to learn classics such as 'Summer of 69' by Bryan Adams, 'Big Girls Don't Cry' by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and also 'Walking on Sunshine' by Katrina and The Waves (songs for Derby session, they may vary across the UK). So what are you waiting for? This could be a great opportunity to have a go and become addicted to Rock Choir like me. If you can't attend the summer workshops try a free taster session when we all return in September. All the details are on the website. It really is a lot of fun. 

So there we leave it for now but we have some great songs coming up in the new term, so excited!! Thank you for reading today and please come back tomorrow with my spotlight on everything to do with tea on 'Teapot Tuesday'.

Take care for now.

We get around a bit us Rockies when we are gigging, from a small village fete over the weekend to attending the ICC Women's World Cup. The girls from Sri Lanka and The West Indies battled or should I say 'batted' it out and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. Yes believe it or not I went from cricket hater to cricket 'this is not so bad' in the five or six hours I was there. 

We arrived bright and breezy, well ok, I was just barely awake at the gates for 8.30am, I wondered what this early start was all about then I realised that is why it's called 'all day' cricket. I think it's safe to say we rocked the Derbyshire County Cricket Club and the sound was fabulous, proper posh mics that echoed our awesomeness around the ground and the whole of Derby. I like to think we had world domination as well but not sure Sky Sports included us. They will next time. How could you not? Next time? Get me! Oh I get carried away but I do love it. Rock Choir just makes me happy.

We were treated to VIP seats and the hospitality by the staff at the ground was fantastic. A good walk to and from our performance area but hey can't beat a bit of exercise on a Sunday. It was the perfect opportunity to clock up a few steps on those fit bit style devices. but I think we looked very professional walking out and very organised. I even manoeuvred well around cones and didn't trip on any cables. I'm impressed with us and I was there in amongst us all. 

For each performance we sang three songs from the list which included:
Shut up and Dance with Me, A Little Respect, Uptown Girl and With a Little Help from my Friends. We were blessed with great weather and sang loud and proud. A great day and a delight to have taken part.

I went home and actually watched a bit of the England v Australia match which was being played in Bristol. Not sure I like watching it on the telly, I mean they didn't have Rock Choir for a start (well not that I know of) and it just seems to have a better atmosphere when you actually watch it being played on the pitch. The West Indies ladies went on to win by 47 runs which I believe is pretty good. Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? I'm just new to the cricket thing but I think I would actually go again. England also won against Australia by 3 runs so they are looking good when they return to Derby this coming Wednesday (12th) to play New Zealand.

Thank you to Rock Choir for the opportunity and to Derbyshire County Cricket Club for allowing us to sing for you. If you would like to join Rock Choir you can come along for a free taster session, for all the information and to find your nearest session go to: www.rockchoir.com

Thanks for reading and I will be back tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday. 

Take care for now. 

My blog is now six months old so a big Happy Birthday to 'Make a Brew Sue'. That got me thinking about one of the most classic songs of all time, yes a song that's more popular than anything even The Beatles sang, it is 'Happy Birthday to You' or just "Happy Birthday as we know it now.

According the Guinness World Records this song is the most recognised song in the English Language, the lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages. The melody and lyrics have been attributed to American sisters Patty and Mildred J Hill who originally used a song called 'Good Morning to All' as far back as 1893 to sing with kindergarten children. The lyrics were later changed to Happy Birthday to You. It is traditionally sang to someone celebrating their 'birth date' and is sung around a birthday cake, with illuminated candles, at the end of the song the birthday day boy or girl blows the candles out while making a wish. The cake is then sliced and the first slice is usually presented to the person who's birthday it is.

We take it for granted don't we? It is the song everyone knows, well ok the lyrics are not difficult but it is probably the first song we all learn to sing. Nice easy start eh? I love singing Happy Birthday and I love to see someone celebrate their special day. I think the most famous rendition of Happy Birthday has to be by Marilyn Monroe when she sang a very seductive version the The U.S President John F Kennedy in May 1962. No one else has quite sung it like that again. Well not that I know of. 

So six months Sue from the Brew! A blog birth. I'm quite proud of myself for deciding on a project and sticking to it for this long. I've learnt to love my little space here, it may not be to everyone's taste but it's mine and I have found it to be quite therapeutic to write. I wanted to write a blog every day for one year so it's going ok so far, haven't missed a day yet. I suppose you could say it's like writing a journal but I think it's so much more than that. I hope it entertains and provides information too. It's been difficult at times as I've suffered from writers block on many occasions. There has been times when I've not wanted to write and had to schedule posts around holidays and commitments but I've managed. 

It has become a routine now, one I would miss it I didn't do it so I may extend the year target and carry on. I appreciate those who have taken valuable time out of their busy lives to join me and have a read. I thank you for that. So let's finish with a song.......

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear 'Make a Brew Sue'
(big finish)......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOOOOOOOO!!!!

Take care for now and do join me for more 'Teapot Tuesday' tomorrow.