Emmanuel Fonte | Music | Art | Leadership
If music be the food of love, play on. Emmanuel Fonte website is about music, art, real estate, architecture, design and decor. Occasionally, I talk about my other passion, hockey.
Get your safety and housekeeping ducks in a row so you can splash into carefree summer funWith backyard barbecues, clambakes and beach days, July is a time when many of us spend (or wish we were spending) more time outdoors than in. This month’s checklist offers ways to slash energy and water bills, keep your garden and patio in good shape, and protect your home while you’re away on a summer trip.
I know it’s summer, but real hockey fans never stop thinking about the greatest sport in the world.
“Seattle Dream Pt. II” is our tribute to the city of Seattle and the state of Washington. While most people think of rain and coffee when they hear the name Seattle what they don’t realize is just how amazingly beautiful our city can be. Our film aims to do just that.
With well over 50,000 photos and countless hours of shooting and editing invested into this project we had to narrow the 90+ separate time lapses we took down to just 51 to complete this 5 minute piece. Some of the places we visited while working on this project include places like Kerry Park, Discovery Park, Alki Beach, and even our friends rooftops.
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Show your patriotic pride with a flag on your home’s exterior for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July or all year roundbefore my house burned down, I was thinking about flags. It was the end of June, and we were in the midst of painting our home’s exterior. The front and back and one side were finished, and I was closing in on the fourth. It looked so fresh and bright, and I couldn’t wait to fly a flag or two, or 20, for the upcoming Independence Day. I was debating what would look best, but the fire took care of all that.
We moved back into our new house almost a year to the day after the fire, yet again right before the Fourth of July. I was so exhausted that flags were the last thing on my mind, but one more year after that, I couldn’t wait. I’d always loved the look of flags, but now it was a way for me to make a tangible declaration that our family was home and “still there.”
now, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.”
Sam Smith sings soul songs, but not in the usual way. Where most of this genre’s singers shout, he moans. While anger fires many, Smith focuses on hurt. It’s the sound a wound would make, a cry without defense or deflection. It’s so raw, it isn’t always easy to listen to, yet millions can’t help it. Smith’s debut album, “In the Lonely Hour,” shows why.
“Money On My Mind” kicks off the album with a crisp, skittering backbeat and chopped-up backing exhalations. The first official single is a bit of a bait-and-switch: the synthesizers don’t set the tone for the record but do reappear at the very end, and at first listen it’s easy to focus on the blaring chorus and miss the “I don’t have” that sneaks up beforehand.
“Good Thing” begins with swelling strings that spill into a muted guitar line, the second track is the real beginning of the end which, “In the Lonely Hour” is all about.
The first time I saw Smith was when he wowed an audience on “Saturday Night Live.” He killed it with “Stay With Me”judiciously placed tambourines, the song builds to a resounding gospel chorus that would give goose bumps to even the most hardened unromantic heart.
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“Leave Your Lover” is gorgeous in its simplicity; guitar, piano & string accompany a heavenly melody floating from falsetto to chest voice and back.
The first turning point of the record, “I’m Not the Only One”is where Smith digs down to the bottom of his range before his voice raises to anger, accusing, “You say I’m crazy, because you don’t think I know what you’ve done.” The violins surging behind the breakdown are so high-pitched they practically sting.
On “I’ve Told You Now” Smith is a master of contrasting volume and affect. The phrases escalate to the explosive emotional climax with restraint so subtle you can hear the guitarist’s fingers on the fret board. Here, Smith goes off into his falsetto like a balloon gone awry before being pulled in just as it’s about to fly away.
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“Like I Can” begins with whispered strumming that kindles deep indignation and frustration. Smith’s insistence of his stronger feelings is fueled with a full band, another choir.
Smith recants his anger at one of his most vulnerable points with “Life Support”. Smith’s falsetto blurs words together until they eventually collapse against each other during the song’s breakdown, which mirrors his own.
From the opening guitar notes of “Not In That Way”, it resembles Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” With just the simple melody and Smith’s reluctant honesty, it is one of the record’s finest moments.
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Another of Smith’s debuts on “SNL,” “Lay Me Down” has more of a theatrical flair than other songs, blending Broadway musical’s storytelling with Whitney Houston’s vocal acrobatics, and a splash of classy Frank Sinatra strings, supported by a military drum beat.
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As implied by its title, “Restart” returns to the record’s upbeat beginning and dials it up a notch. With the bounce of select cuts from “Bad,” Smith moves through uplifting pianos. To drive the point home, he scratches and rewinds his verses. Sonically, if not emotionally, it’s a logical progression from “Lay Me Down,” and at any rate it’s good to see him come back from the brink of wallowing.
Smith sings about his heart beating out of his chest on “Latch”, his throaty wail makes it sound like the organ is being ripped out.
On “Make It To Me” Smith lets loose with the record’s only guitar solo, ending the record on a surprisingly carefree note.
If you get this CD, you’ll discover Sam Smith sings soul songs, but not in the usual way.
With the influence of smart phones and online data sharing at an all-time peak, music lovers have shifted their attention from buying their favorite band’s vinyl at a live show, to finding the most efficient music streaming app available to them in the palm of their hand.
