Alton Ellis versus Sean Paul (And Cover Art Advice!)

So, at the top here we have the late, great Alton Ellis singing I'm Still in Love With You, which is fab of course. At the bottom, we have Sean Paul and Sasha doing surprisingly good work with a more modern take on this track. Sean Paul has gone way too far in the wrong direction these days for my liking, but I think this song does a good job of mixing pop music with some of those elements that make Jamaican music Jamaican music - unlike some of the "crossover" attempts coming out of JA (or American studios) today. I have to admit, I'm a recent convert this line of thinking on this song, but I'm won over. It's a good driving-around-in-the-sunshine song.

Who did it better?

AND...as promised...more details on the Strivers podcast. Today at 1PM (Eastern Time), join the conversation about cover art and merch design with graphic designer Roy Brooks of Fold Four (you can see some of his work here). Call in, ask questions or just listen. Here's the link. I'll be the one saying "um" all the time and leaving long, awkward silences. Do say hello! We will also be reading and answering a question from an About.com reader.

Michigan and Smiley and Other News

Hey, remember when I used to update my blog? That was fun. So, I'm back! First, I'm back with this offering - Michigan and Smiley: Diseases. It's a great song made even better by the fact that they are suggesting that there might be some link between girls wearing trousers and diseases. Diseases like elephantiasis. Polomyelitis (which I assume is like poliomyelitis, but shorten to fit into a song). Arthritis. And the one diabetes. What's not to like?

Also, I just wanted to put the word out about a few work related things. First, mini-management! I get lots of emails via my About.com site from musicians who need some advise getting a plan together for their music, their tour or that sort of thing but who aren't at the stage when they can afford - or should afford - to pay a full time manager a percentage. I hope mini-management can help with that in-between stage. When you sign up for mini-management, you get:

- A personalized plan for your project
- Unlimited email communication
- Weekly Skype session
- Access to press databases
- A final, updated plan at the end of your membership based on the progress you've made

Mini-management terms are one month, and there's no requirement to sign up for X numbers of months or pap like that. We are just slowly starting to promote mini-management, so to kick things off, you can sign up for mini-management for the bargain basement price of $9.99 per month! Oh yes. Learn more here. Also at that link you'll find our slowly coming together Strivers site and Twitter links.

Next item of business - also a Strivers thing - every Thursday, you can tune in to hear Strivers talking about music industry issues on BlogTalkRadio. For instance, this Thursday, we'll be talking about cover art and merch design with a real, live designer. Stay tuned for details.

Last but not least, if you haven't been following the Indie Artist X project, I hope you'll start! I'm really excited about it. This is the last month - all will be revealed in November. Get the details.