Category: Song Of The Day

🎤 Where Are They Now? Brian Fuente – From The Voice to Nashville Entrepreneur

Published on September 25, 2025, By John Phillips

Brian Fuente posing in a leather jacket, showcasing a stylish and confident look.
Image Credit: Jackson Free Press Source: Jackson Free Press article

Brian Fuente blends Southern grit with soulful vocals and a modern rock polish — a sound that’s matured into something uniquely his.

Brian Fuente appeared on Season 2 of The Voice, joining Team Blake Shelton. His standout moment came with a fiery rendition of “Paris (Ooh La La)” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. This performance showcased his raw vocal edge. It also highlighted his stage presence. Though he exited during the battle rounds, Fuente left a lasting impression.

🌟 Life After The Voice

“Whoever you are, I hope you find your way.” — Brian Fuente

After the show, Fuente planted roots in Nashville, both musically and entrepreneurially. He married fellow Voice alum Jordan Pruitt (Season 3), and together they launched Aero Bar, a mobile cocktail experience that’s become a local favorite. Their ventures expanded into electric RVs and lifestyle branding, blending creativity with business savvy.

Musically, Fuente’s solo work reflects a mature voice — emotionally resonant, grounded in Americana, and unafraid to explore vulnerability. His songwriting invites listeners into stories of reflection, resilience, and quiet triumph.

🎶 Highlights from Their Musical Journey

🎵 Whoever You Are 💬 A melodic invitation to self-reflection, wrapped in warm instrumentation and lyrical sincerity.

🔗 Listen on Apple Music

🎧 Albums & EPs Fuente’s catalogue includes heartfelt singles and EPs that explore themes of identity, love, and reinvention. His sound bridges Southern rock and indie soul, with standout tracks that reward repeat listens.

🌍 Where to Follow Them

💬 Final Thoughts

Brian Fuente turned a brief moment in the spotlight into a multifaceted career. He’s created soulful tracks. He has also pursued entrepreneurial ventures. He’s carved out a lane that’s both grounded and evolving. Fans have plenty to look ahead to.

Jill Barber: Canada’s Cosmopolitan Crooner

By John

Album cover for Jill Barber's 'Chances' featuring the artist with curly hair and a purple dress, looking thoughtfully upwards against a light pink background, with a list of song titles on the right.
Album cover: Chances by Jill Barber. Image via Wikipedia.

Jill Barber is not just a singer-songwriter—she’s a genre-defying, language-leaping artist whose voice evokes smoky jazz clubs, Parisian cafés, and heartfelt folk stages all at once. With a career spanning over two decades, Barber has carved out a unique space in the Canadian music landscape, blending vintage charm with modern sensibility.

From Folk Roots to Jazz Royalty

Barber’s early work leaned into folk-pop, with introspective lyrics and acoustic textures. But it was her 2008 album Chances that marked a dramatic shift. Trading her guitar for a velvet microphone, she embraced the lush orchestration of vocal jazz, channeling the glamour of the 1940s and ’50s. Collaborating with Ron Sexsmith and producer Les Cooper, Chances became a breakout success, earning her a Juno nomination and a devoted new audience.

A Love Affair with French Song

Barber’s artistic curiosity led her to the South of France, where she immersed herself in the language and culture. The result was Chansons, a French-language album featuring covers of classics by Édith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg, and Charles Aznavour. Her sultry, expressive delivery resonated far beyond Canada—Chansons became her most streamed album globally, with over 120 million plays.

Her latest release, ENCORE!, revisits this territory with fresh interpretations of timeless French songs. It’s not just a tribute—it’s a celebration of cross-cultural artistry.

Accolades and Artistic Integrity

  • Three Juno Award nominations
  • SiriusXM Jazz Artist of the Year
  • Western Canadian Francophone Album of the Year

But beyond the awards, it’s her commitment to reinvention and emotional honesty that keeps fans coming back. Whether singing in English or French, Barber’s voice carries a timeless elegance and vulnerability that feels deeply personal.

The Family Album and Beyond

In 2016, Jill teamed up with her brother Matthew Barber for The Family Album, a heartfelt collection of duets that explored themes of kinship and memory. It was a reminder that music, for Barber, is both a personal and communal experience.

Her songs have also found their way into pop culture, appearing in shows like Orange Is the New Black, further cementing her place as a versatile and resonant artist.

Final Notes

Jill Barber is more than a voice—she’s a storyteller, a cultural bridge, and a master of reinvention. Whether crooning in French or serenading in English, she invites listeners into a world of romance, nostalgia, and fearless artistry.

And for your listening pleasure, Jill Barber!

Canada’s All Time Top Songs – #98

At 98 is a signature song from former Sweeney Todd singer, Nick Gilder. The track is Hot Child In The City. Nick was born in London, England in 1951 and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia.

His music career began as the singer for a group called Sweeny Todd and had a major hit while with them, “Roxy Roller”. After that success, Nick left the band, going solo and signing a record deal in the USA. In a strange twist, when Nick left the band, his replacement was a young Bryan Adams. That deal spawned the featured song, “Hot Child In The City” which hit number 1 in both Canada and the USA.

Riding the success of his new solo career, he won 2 Juno Awards (Canada’s Grammys), Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year. He also won a People’s Choice award in the USA. Other than North America, the song did not have much success internationally and did even chart in the United Kingdom.

This song was the high point of his vocal career. He never again charted in the USA and had only a few songs chart in Canada.

He did have success as a songwriter as well, penning hits for diverse artist as Pat Benatar and Bette Midler. He is still touring in Canada and now lives back in Vancouver.

The Best Cover Song Of All Time – Round 1

It’s time for a new series, the greatest cover song of all time, and you get to pick it. This will take a while, based solely on the vast amount of existing covers. After extensive research, I have developed a list that will keep us on track, create some surprises and greatly expand our respective musical IQs. How this works is I will pit 2 cover songs against each other. You pick the one you like best, and the winner will move on to the next round. On to the music!

Fiona Apple’s iconic cover of the great Beatles song from 1969. Her version was recorded in 1998 as part of the soundtrack for the motion picture “Pleasantville”.

Skinny Love is a cover of Bon Iver’s original from 2007. She recorder her version in 2011.

Both songs are excellent, this should be a close one.

Canada’s All-Time Top Songs – #99

After a Visitor break (some old friends from Saskatchewan on their way to the Chepe Express) and a bit of a cold, maybe CoVid, I will continue to move forward to where I left off; here is 99 on the top 100 list. I have also added a few notes as an upgrade. I think I was in a hurry when I did this one. As for the Chepe Express, we plan on that one next year.

At 99, we present “We Run” by Strange Advance. A Vancouver new wave band, they formed in 1982 and were almost immediately nominated for a Juno (Canada’s Grammy) as the most promising band in 1983. We Run was taken from their album, “2WO”, and released as a single in 1985. It reached number 28 on the RPM pop chart. The band never made strides outside of Canada. In addition, they were mostly a session band and apparently had never played live before 1985.

They released 3 albums overall and essentially went dormant after releasing the 3rd in 1988. There is talk about a new album being released shortly.

There is more information on that release and the band overall at their website.

https://www.strangeadvance.com/

Canada’s All-Time Top Songs – #100

I’m revisiting a few old posts to kickstart a series I never finished. As a lover of Canadian music, I found a list of the top 100 Canadian hits. The song holding down the 100 spot is by Honeymoon Suite. The original post continues with a few tweaks below.

Back in the hair band days of the 1980s, Honeymoon Suite was a card-carrying member of the genre. Formed in Niagara Falls, Ontario, in 1981, they had a string of hits on Canadian radio and had some success in the USA market. The band’s name and the place they formed share a connection, which is very witty. Their big highlight was performing the title track for the movie Lethal Weapon.

Love Changes Everything was released in 1988 and is on their album Racing After Midnight. The song reached number 9 in Canada, 13 on the US Rock and 91 on the US chart, all by Billboard. The band is still recording, and its latest release was in 2019, with a new album coming on February 16, 2024. The album title is “Alive”.

Get ready to rock to a live version of the tune; live is always the best.

Remember to support independent artists; you never know what you will find.

To see and learn more about this icon of Canadian rock, hit the link. https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/

The Best Canadian Bands 147 – Thor

I decided to start a new series, sort of. I did something similar a few years back, but my urge to put stuff on paper (paper?) dissipated. Now, I am once more giving it a go. I have a sense of music patriotism and tend to want to highlight Canadian music. Might it be because I’m a Canadian?

To begin, I found a list. It is a living document with additions and deletions, so the rank number is a moving target, more of a placeholder for now. The point is that they are bands from Canada. You may end up surprised that some of your favourites are here and are from Canada. 

First up is Thor. I am unfamiliar with them, but I’m going with the list and will likely find some bands I will love and some, maybe not so much.

Thor is a heavy metal band from Vancouver, BC. They have been recording since 1973 and have released 28 albums and 6 EPs. Their most recent release was in 2021.

As you can imagine, the band has undergone many changes in 50 years. Their Wiki page contains a full listing of past and present members. Lovers of the genre will likely know of many of them and the long list of guest artists appearing on their recordings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(band)

I added the song “The Ultimate Alliance” from their most recent album, “Alliance.” I may not be their biggest fan, but I always enjoy and respect the talent it takes to become a recorded artist with a strong following.

Remembering Melanie

Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk, professionally known as Melanie Sakfa and widely known as singer Melanie, passed away on January 23, 2024. She was born on February 3, 1947, in New York City.

She began her career singing in coffee shops, as many did then. After spending time in college, she began singing in various NYC clubs, eventually signing her first recording contract with Columbia Records. After some releases, she signed with Buddha Records and a string of hits started.

Her first major success was “Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)” in 1970. This was followed by a great version of the Rolling Stones hit “Ruby Tuesday” in 1970. In 1971, she recorded her most successful tune, which went global, “Brand New Key.”

She continued to record over the years, with several charted songs and albums, her last being recorded in 2010. A pioneer of today’s music, she performed at Woodstock and many other major events of the period. Another talent that will be missed but will live on through music.

Have a listen to the song “Brand New Key” and live as always. Please support live music and also patronize independent artists.

My Shazams: Absolute Grid

Shazamed this one in 2015. The song is by Echofusion and was released in 2010. Echofusion is a DJ based in Cyprus. His name is Raffy Gharibian, and he goes by several additional names, Dj Raffi G and Feel Good Vibrations. He has released a few songs and EPs but hasn’t released much recent music. At least not as far as I can tell. The song is definitely electronic dance music, and quite good. Takes a bit of time to take off, but when it does it does.

You can find him on Facebook here

Remembering Myles Goodwyn

Myles Goodwyn. (2023, December 14). By Tabercil – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4449811In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Goodwyn

Myles Goodwyn, a blast from my past, passed away on December 3, 2023, at 75.  I say a blast from the past as the band he basically led, April Wine, was a big part of my life’s soundtrack. Not well known internationally, April Wine is a Canadian treasure.

He formed Apil Wine in 1969 with David Henman , Ritchie Henman , and Jim Henman. The band underwent many personnel changes over the years with Myles being there through it all until late 2022 when he retired from touring due to health issues. He left the band in March 2023.

His accomplishments were many and included the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The band has recorded 16 albums, 15 compilations and 9 live albums. To my detriment, I never saw them live even though I had many opportunities. A regret for sure.

The memories attached to their volume of work are huge and plentiful. Their heyday was perfectly placed in my music timeline. He will be missed. I leave you with one of my favourites, and as always, a live version.