Muse-ic Mondays: Issue 7

One thing I learned in 2009 is that my ears have a lot of catching up to do in 2010. I could fill a small city with all the artists that have been recommended to me or that I have been meaning to check out. Imagine that: A small city just brimming with musicians- some who will become your best friends, several you will meet only in passing, a loyal few who will help you through tough times, a dozen you will have a fling with, a handful you will fall in love with, many you could do without, and even more you will never meet.

Someday I will run that city, but until then I will leave you with one of my most surprising musical highlights of 2009:

I saw Jersey Boys (the story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons) back in August and I still find myself attempting to imitate Frankie Valli's falsetto in the shower.

What I've come to find is that people who haven't seen Jersey Boys will assume that it's too cheesy for their liking, but those who have seen it will tell you that it's pretty badass.

Yep, Jersey Boys is pretty badass. We're talking flashy strobe lights, flashier costumes, chain-smoking, smack-talking, and, as the show's disclaimer puts it, "authentic, profane, Jersey vocabulary."

And oh yeah, the cast knows a thing or two about carrying a tune.

The show even made me feel a little nostalgic. How could my tween self ever forget hearing "Big Girls Don't Cry" in the opening credits of Dirty Dancing or "Grease" in the opening credits of Grease for the very first time? And don't even get me started about "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." Lauryn Hill's cover of said song reminds me of every schoolgirl crush I've ever had.

All in all, I think the only problem I had with the musical was that the songs were just too damn catchy for my liking. And now I can't help but snap my fingers and do a little jive every time I hear a Four Seasons song.

Funny sidenote: If you catch the show in Toronto, something about it might seem a little distracting, especially if you are a fan of The Office. That's probably because triple threat Jeff Madden, who plays Frankie Valli in the Toronto production, looks a whole lot like funnyman Steve Carell. In fact, as I watched the show, both of my sisters sitting on either side of me kept whispering, "Is that Michael Scott?" That's what she said, indeed.