My New Non-Country Obsession: Emeli Sande [Video]

Today on Confessions of a Country Music DJ!  I never buy CD's.  Seriously, I really don't.  The summer I graduated high school I worked at Disc Jockey inside Towne Square Mall and I think I gave just about every paycheck back to Terry Woodward.  I used to buy CD's all the time and then, with the advent of ITunes, stopped cold in my tracks. ITunes is to music what Whitman's was to the Sampler, right?   But, the other day, I caved and bought my first CD in years.  And it wasn't country (insert gasp)!  And it's a CD that is setting HUGE records in the UK!  It's not even American (insert another gasp)!  In fact, Emeli Sande (who is my new non-country obsession and my favorite new Brit) just broke a record that was held by The Beatles for nearly five decades . . .

First of all, have you all heard of this gal?

If the name Emeli Sande isn't ringing a bell, I have a hunch you may have heard her song, "Next to Me."  It has become a pretty big here in the States.  Check this out . . .

If you've been station surfing (and I know you have.  LOL!) you're bound to have heard it by now.  Or, if you caught the Dancing with the Stars results show last night, she performed there.  Trust me.  I made sure my DVR was set before I headed down to Nashville to broadcast live at The Grand Ole Opry.  She had me at hello months ago.

I sampled Emeli's CD on ITunes and loved EVERY single song.  I mean, that NEVER happens.  Garth Brooks' The Ultimate Hits is probably the last CD I purchased and can honestly say I liked EVERY track on it.  But, this one?  She's right there with him.

Here are a couple of other songs that urged me to hit the elusive "Buy Album" button!

This song is called "Clown." It's a great ballad and her voice KILLS me.  It sends shivers up my spine.  I swear . . . it almost makes me wish I had a hairy back so I wouldn't get chills so much when she sings.

This song is called "Heaven."

I caught her singing this on Live with Kelly and Michael the other day and she killed it live.  This gal can sing . . . in the studio and in person.  That doesn't always happen in popular music these days (Kesha, anyone?)  Watch!

In the intro to that peformance you heard Kelly Ripa say that Emeli Sande is about to break The Beatles record for the longest stay in the UK Top Ten for any debut album.  Well, just last week, she did break that record.  AMAZING!  This CD has been in the Top Ten of the UK Chart for over 63 weeks (and counting).  To say she is the new wave of sensation in the British Invasion is an understatement.  Hey!  I bought her whole CD!

To get more information about Emeli Sande, check out her official website.

**And my apologies to Emeli.  Her last name has an accent mark over the "e" and I don't know how to create that with my keyboard.  LOL!!  But, in case you are wondering, her last name is pronounced "San-day."  Darn accent mark!