Seriously, Cyber-Sex Never Sounded So Nerd-Hot...

Apparently there is this web series called The Guild which is about people who play online role playing games or something. I say apparently, because the only web series I ever watch is that Ugly Betty spin-off Mode After Hours. It's been around for a couple of years and is so popular it was funded by PayPal donations from fans before being sponsored by Sprint. The more you know...

Anyway, why am I giving digital ink to a show I have yet to watch a single second of? Because every blog in the world is posting a music video/commercial performed by Felicia Day on lead vocals and the rest of the cast of The Guild. "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?" is a sexy Aqua-esque pop jam about dating virtual characters. Even if I knew what half the references meant, I don't think I could love it any more than I do. The video is fucking ridiculous, with crazy faux-Middle Earth costumes mixed with Beyonce/Gwen Stefani-style dancing. The most RPG fun you can have without getting into cosplay.

Melanie Fiona Samples The Zombies And Gives It To Me Right

Seriously, the instrumental background of the Zombies late 1960s classic "Time Of The Season" features one of the hottest, slinkiest beats ever. That funky guitar and organ, the piano coda, the knock-kneed drum sound and breathy "ah" just scream electric acid sex and I am surprised it hasn't been sampled earlier. Actually, a rapper named Necro did sample the beat and chorus for a stupid and filthy single called "Who's Your Daddy" a few years ago and he did it quite poorly.

Now, in 2009 (42 years after the original) two singles have been released featuring the crazy good beat. The better of the two is by Melanie Fiona, a Canadian R&B singer who has had a minor hit in her home country. I've been hearing "Give It To Me Right" on DMX satellite radio and have been crazy about it ever since. Between the beat and Melanie's soulful voice, it has a sweet Amy Winehouse feel that is both retro and really fresh and cool. She's currently managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation, so I'm really hoping for big things from this really awesome song. Listen here.

Mook N Fair's "Who's Your Daddy" is more straight up rap, the duo rhyming over the chorus and beat from the song. It's not as clever, and the rap is very basic brag raps about money. You can listen here.

Trashy Thursdays: "8th World Wonder" - Kimberly Locke

It's time to unveil a new feature at Pictures & Conversations! Trashy Thursdays will be happening every Thursday (duh) and will feature the trashy pop songs I kinda love. Don't get it twisted, I think pop music is an art form. But like all art, there are brilliant artistic works are fresh and dynamic and new as well as less inspired pieces of art. Sometimes those less inspired bits are as much fun as the "good" stuff, that's why we're getting trashy!

It was in 2003 that a sassy gal nicknamed K.Lo would come behind Clay Aiken (her future roommate) and Reuben Studdard on American Idol. I never saw that season, so my first taste of Kimberly Locke was this delightfully trashy pop single, "8th World Wonder."

It's really awful. Kimberly's vocals are good, she tries very hard to make lines like "seven days and seven nights of thunder/water's rising and I'm slipping under" seem anything but laughable. The music is generic teeny-pop sounds, which makes sense since producer Guy Roche also produced early Christina Aguilera hits like "What A Girl Wants." But it's catchy as hell, and you kinda root for this whirlwind romance to work out.

The video is hilariously trashy, we see the week long courtship going backwards with the date in the corner in really big, ugly Windows 95 fonts. Plus, the lame attempt at fashion forward outfits. The black jacket with the zippers on the sleeves is pretty cool, but the weird blouse with the missing shoulders that she answers the phone with on day 2 is just bad "plus size couture." And how about the dramatic page a day calander tear away? Hilar! Watch it here.

Despite being a trashy pop song, it was a huge hit in the Adult Contemporay market as well as in the dance clubs in a remixed format. Kimberly Locke has had many holiday hits since then, but as for a regular pop hit she's still looking for that followup to "8th World Wonder" Girlfriend needs to hook up with Max Martin, only he could make something equally trash-tastic.

The Hi Bias Club Mix:

LMFAO Are Out Of "Miami, Trick" (Thank God!) And Ready To "La La La"

The boys of LMFAO are riding high on the radio with their god-awful (yet catchy) "I'm In Miami, Trick" utilizing a blend of hip-hop, emo and electronica. Well, I am grateful they improved the mixture by adding a vocoder and a Paradiso Girl and lost some (but unfortunatly not all) of their tacky misogyny for the followup single "La La La"

The sound is pure techno with lush synths and bright keyboard tones and some electronic guitar-like sounds, the verses have a hip-hop flow but the chorus goes major electronica with a heavy vocoder. The video has a stupid opener, the guys create a computer program that allows them to interact with any female they want and then they end up in a computer generated music video with Chelsea from Paradiso Girls. After that, it's really kinda cute. The sound is updated Aqua mixed with some Gym Class Heroes, and I for one am loving it! Watch:

Oh, Kanye! How Do You Expect To "Run This Town" With Lyrics Like These?

Jay-Z just dropped a new single, and I'm really loving the beat and the Rihanna-sung hook. The lyrics are the usual Hova stuff, bragging about having money and fame and such. But Kanye, whom I usually love but has been slipping on his guest spots of late, turns in such a laughable third verse I can't help but wonder if he's just phoning it in anymore.

The first third of the verse makes lyrical sense, it's about the subject of the rest of the track -fame and fortune. Slightly disjointed, jumping from "everybody on my dick - no homo" to talking about buying his family cars to not wanting his picture taken at church. It fits with the theme, but the segues are poor.

But then comes the comedy gold. Kanye jumps to the topic of girls following him around and focusing on one in particular. This line is classic misogynistic stupidity:

"She got a ass that'll swallow up a g-string/And up top, unh... Two bee stings"

I think it's the "unh" that does it, I just lose it at that moment. Such a sick description of a woman's body, too. BUT! It gets better...

"And I'm beasting/Off the riesling/And my n----- just made it out the precinct"

Pure nonsense! And I hate the use of the n-word, even by African American rappers. But the first two lines make no sense at all. And he keeps going:

"We give a damn about the drama that you do bring/I'm just tryin' to change the color on your mood ring"

Are we still discussing Ms. "up top, uhn, two bee stings"? Because I would think after that comment, the mood ring color would need to be changed from Orange-Red for aggressive to Violet for "in love." Meanwhile, let's talk fashion with Kanye:

"Reebok, Baby/You need to drop some new things/Have you ever had shoes without shoe strings?"

I have, Kanye. I have. Oh wait, still chatting up that ass that swallowed up a g-string? My bad. Keep insulting her footwear choice, that usually gets the ladies in bed.

I just devolves into random Dr. Seuss rhyming games after that but 'Ye does manage to bring it round to the chorus at the end:

"You feelin' like your runnin', huh? Now you know how we feel"

Y'know, because we gonna run this town tonight... Rihanna, bring the vocals! The video is hot, though:

Jay-Z - New Music - More Music Videos

5 Songs To Sing In The Rain

It's been raining like hell for the past week here in Central PA, but I actually don't mind it. (Except when I have to go 35MPH on the highway because it's raining so hard!) I like the rain, and almost every time there is rain in the forecast, I gear up to sing one of these songs:

"Soon It's Gonna Rain"
I didn't even know where this song came from until a Google search, all I remember is hearing Della Reese sing a couple lines on an episode of Touched By An Angel and that's the part I always sing when the clouds gather. "Soon it's gonna rain, I can feel it/Soon it's gonna rain, I can tell/Soon it's gonna rain, and what are we gonna do" Turn out it's from the long-running musical The Fantastiks, but I will always sing it in a old gospel style. I can't find a clip of Della doing it, so enjoy Barbara Streisand's version:


Eurythmics - "Here Come The Rain Again"
The opening line is perfect for those when you look out the window and a drop hits the pane in front of you. At work, I almost always start singing this when we see the clouds descend and my coworkers scramble to get their car windows rolled up.


Garbage - "I'm Only Happy When It Rains"
While the title isn't entirely true for me, I rather enjoy the rain so I try to start singing this song whenever I walk into the rainy day without a care in the world.



The Weather Girls - "It's Raining Men"
What gay man doesn't love this campy disco classic? Whenever it's pouring down what other might call "cats and dogs," I call it raining men (hallelujah!) Perfect for those downpours that leave you absolutely soaking wet.


BJ Thomas - "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"
For a song about rain, it's an terribly sunny song. But when you thought the rain was almost over until those last few raindrops hit you it's time to sing out "I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining!"

Tegan & Sara And Tiesto Reveal Some "Bones" (Yes, Lesbians Like Techno, Too)

I've enjoyed the occasional Tegan & Sara jam, "Back In My Head" was catchy as fuck and had a great sing-along chorus. But I don't really follow the alternative rock duo as a rule. On the flip side, I enjoy techno music but don't really get too obsessed with individual artists as much as singles. So I knew who Teisto was (he did great remixes for Avalon and Celine Dion) but don't follow his work either.

So why is a collabo between two pop artists that I barely care about the hottest shit ever? Because it just is, yo! "Feel It In My Bones" is a sweet slow techno rock jam. I'm all about it, the track is from Tiesto's forthcoming October release Kaleidoscope and it is FIRE HOT, people. The techno beat is there, but not overpowering and it has some nice synths as well as rock guitars and a catchy vocal. Seriously, I love it.

This new disc also features guest spots from Nelly Furtado and members of Sugar Rios and Bloc Party. Sounds like a party the indie rock children, pop chicas and club kids can get behind. Also, lesbians... Listen:

Tiesto Feat Tegan & Sara - Feel It In My Bones (Album Edit)
by sephiroth70

The VMAs Throw It Up For The "West Side"

I've kinda gotten over the whole MTV Video Music Awards thing, I'm not sure why a channel that shows approximately one hours worth of music videos a week is celebrating music videos. But I guess they have to have somewhere to show commercials for "The Hills."

The noms were fairly benign, I didn't even bother posting them this year. But, the promos are pretty cool. MTV is paying tribute to the VMAs returning to New York City this year by incorporating the most New York of Broadway shows into the commercials.

Nominees Cobra Starship, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry perform the "West Side Story" classic "Tonight" with altered lyrics. As much as I would rather hear it sung straight, I can't hate on a revival of the song in any way, shape or form. It's really cool that a classic Broadway song is making it on MTV, even just in promos. Even if Taylor Swift's voice sucked... (Did I just say that out loud?)

Cobra Starship - MTV Shows

Taylor Swift - MTV Shows

What Had Happened Was... (Or; Why You Didn't Get A Blog Post Yesterday)

People of teh Internets, listen up! I have not forgotten you, I know my new found personal life has kept me from being as prolific as usual, but it has resulted in an epic tale I must relay.

Yesterday, I slept in really late like one does on a day off with nothing planned. I awoke, watched some Alexa Chung and checked my Facebook. My boyfriend was supposed to be working from six to four, so I was surprised to see he was Facebooking at eleven in the morning.

I texted to find out what's up. I knew his job at a local warehouse had been sending people home early (without pay!) and was worried it was happening again. My phone was acting all hinky, not letting the text go so I turned it off and back on. I received a bunch of texts from all hours of the morning, my phone had been not getting the texts for hours. My sexykins had texted me twice, I never got either.

He had been sent home early, and since a friend had suggested applying at his workplace I checked out the website. I downloaded the application, printed it and some directions from the BF's house and called him to see if he wanted to go apply. The position was in the food service area at a retirement community which shares it's name with a local college. This is important.

I see that I have about three hours before the Human Resources office closes, so I dress and get in my car. It's a 40 minute drive to my sexykins place, so I exceed the speed limit almost every time I head over there. This time was no exception.

The exception was the police officer that started following me. I noticed him, noticed the 20 MPH difference between the limit and my speedometer and slowed down. Too late, the red and blue start flashing and I'm sitting on the side of 81 with a $109 ticket in my hand. What a waste of ten minutes!

So I follow posted traffic laws and make it to my destination without any further incident. We have about two hours to get the application filled out and get started on the Google Earth directions to M------ Village. The boyfriend thinks he knows a faster way, so I follow his directions. We arrive in just twenty minutes at Bethany Village. Not the same place!

I try to maintain my composure and pull out my directions. If we get to route 15 we can follow the directions I printed and continue on our path. Only twenty minutes wasted, we still have over an hour to get there. We hop on 15 North, only to realize very quickly that we must be past the exit on the Google map. I get off 15 and discover that the exit to get on 15 South is backed up due to traffic. Shit! BF knows a round about way to get on 15 further down, so we head out again.

We don't get too far when a train crossing stops us dead. By this time I have some Marianne Faithfull tunes on to quell the frustrations and I'm singing along. I am trying to breath slowing and not freak out about the delay when THE FUCKING TRAIN STOPS! OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT THE FUCK ELSE CAN GO WRONG?

Not the sort of question should ask on a day like this. We make a U-turn and head further down the road. We hit a few traffic lights, and at one of the my car stalls out. WHAT THE FUCK? I breath in, turn the car off. I give it a little pat on the dashboard, murmur something about how nice this car is to me and turn it back on. It roars to life. JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL!

We finally make it on 15 and get off on the exit the directions tell us. We drive for a while and realize the next road listed isn't anywhere to be found. I stop at a Sheetz and wait as the manager listens to some old dude yammer on about some complaint that didn't make any sense. Finally I get a chance to ask him if he knows how to get to M------- Village. He gives me fairly clear directions and we head out.

We thought we found the road from the Google directions and veer off to try to follow it. It's wrong, so we head back to the Sheetz dude's directions. We make it to where there were supposed to be signs for M------- Village and instead find signs for M------- COLLEGE! Sweet baby Jesus, can this day get any worse?

By this point we had reached the time when the HR office closed for the day. But I was not about to give up! There had to be a receptionist, a head nurse, a frakkin' janitor we could give the application to. We drove back down the last road that we had found that was still on the printed directions. A sign on the side of the road mentioned a pumpkin festival hosted by the retirement community. I assumed that the Village must be around somewhere.

We pull onto the road by the sign and quickly find arrows directing us to the Village. We follow the arrows, only to discover that "Village" is not just a name. This retirement community is basically a giant development full of small houses and twisting roads. At it's heart is a massive hospital-style building. We assume this is where the HR office would be found.

But which of it's SEVEN entrances would it be found near. We try the nearest one. Sweet action! It has a sign directing us to Human Resources. We follow the arrow to... a series of unmarked, locked doors. Never mind, we knew no one would be in HR this late. The office had been closed for about twenty-five minutes by this point. We try each entrance in succession. One lead to a physical rehab center, one seemed like residential areas. The next took us to a closed door and an empty hallway. Finally, on the sixth entrance we find a cafeteria, and one of the staff was kind enough to lead us to the final entrance where a receptionist happily accept my boyfriend's application.

Let's hope the interview process isn't as exhausting.

Skechers Shape Ups Arrive!

OK, kids. Time to drop the music and TV news for a sec and talk my favorite subject, fashion, mixed with my least favorite, fitness.

I work at a retail shoe store because blogging don't pay the bills, honey. Usually when I get excited about a new shoe at work it's a fly Marc Ecko or some sleek Steve Madden pumps. But today we got the ugliest shoes to get me excited. Skechers Shape Ups are a knock off of MBT, the "Anti-Shoe." These are so weird looking, the soles are rounded and soft and the look is very generic athletic. I'm not a big fan of Skechers regular runners and joggers, the Energy series is pretty heavy looking. But I've always loved the urban/young mans casuals that the brand has produced, with a sweet combo of athletic design with higher end leathers. It's sporty, yet sexy.

However, Shape-Ups are ugly as sin. The men's style we got in (see picture at left) is a slip resistant black leather sneaker style with black laces. So boring, I know. Why am I so excited about these crazy things? They have magical properties that help you lose weight, strenghten muscles and improve posture. I know, sounds impossible.

Well, let me tell you this: I had those puppies on for about forty minutes of some walking, some standing and a small amount of sitting and I could feel the burn! I noticed when I put my regular shoes on, my posture changed. The way the soft rounded material works is it forced you to walk as if you're on sand. There seems to to be a bit of sinking in the heel (ala Earth Shoes) and that helps with the posture. These things are amazing.

The downside is the price. At over $100 retail for all the styles, these are the most expensive Skechers my company has ever carried, possibly the most expensive style they've ever made. Even with my employee discount, I'm looking at huge investment. But if I can burn off even more calories while doing my regular walking at work, plus if I use them while exercising, they may be worth it. If I want to get them, I better do it now. The ladies style we carried sold out in weeks. They may not be pretty, but they are hot!

PS: I have not been reimbursed in any way for this blog post. But if Skechers wants to send me a free pair, I won't complain! Or MBT, I'll do a compare and contrast. But I refuse to pay $300+ for shoes. Mama's a cheap bitch.

Is It "On" With Alexa Chung?

I've been lax in updating of late, due to a combo platter of writer's block and personal commitments leaving very little free time for blogging. So, of course, when I can't think what to write I waste time with a variety of shenagagins like Facebook, Twilight and this crazy new talk show on MTV.

It's On with Alexa Chung is a funny hour-long show that airs at noon on MTV. It has lighthearted interveiws and musical guests (like Ellen) as well as a daily segment called "What's Happening" in which Alexa and a comedian discuss celeb happenings and YouTube videos, (ala Chelsea Lately) as well as occasional segment on fashion or websites (not unlike a morning talk show like The Veiw)

Host Alexa Chung is a former model and a popular UK TV personality. She has a very quirky sense of style, with a mix of rocker tees, short shorts, crazy shoes and unusual accesories. Her dry British humor is perfect for me, peppered with a lot of sarcasm. She's cute and funny and young, something missing from the current crop of talk shows.

The guests are a mostly young mix, the stars of the Twilight and Harry Potter films and Disney Channel shows as well as American Idol winner Kris Allen and people like that. Musical guests are often indie rock bands, as well as a few newer pop stars like 3OH!3. It's a good mix, and Alexa's interveiw style is usually very conversational, with a few games thrown in.

It's a great deal of fun, and I'm hoping It's On stays on.

It's On with Alexa Chung - MTV Shows

Vogue Evolution Is ABDC's Feircest Dance Crew!

Last night, Randy Jackson's other fame game America's Best Dance Crew made it's season four debut. This season promises more variety than ever, with b-boys from Seattle and a "hick-hop" crew that mixes line dancing with hip-hop moves.



But of course, I zoned in on the feirceness like a gay bumblebee to a orchid in a vintage Chinese vase. NYC's Vogue Evolution have been competing in the underground balls for a while, and are used to the heightened competition in that world. And the first all gay and transgendered crew in ABDC's history brought the fi-ya! The five-piece ensemble did all kinds of dramatic moves I didn't know existed. Lil' Mama was all about it, she's hosting her own ball and seemed quite up on the culture. I'm kinda jazzed for this new season. Represent!

Watch the full episode here, skip to segment six for Vogue Evolution.

Paula Leaves Idol! But Do We Really Care?

It's been rumored for weeks and now Paula Abdul confirms via Twitter that she will not return to American Idol as a judge this coming season. Paula has been a judge on the TV phenomenon for the past eight seasons.

Paula has been the butt of jokes for the bulk of her tenure on Idol, although I found her comments this past season or two far more insightful than before. Between her and new judge Kara DioGuardi, it was nice to hear opinions that weren't couched in smarmy self-importance (Simon) or nonsensical collections of "dawg" and "for me, for you" (Randy.) I actually hoped Randy was the judge to leave, if they trimmed the panel back to three, but I didn't really expect that.

I like Paula. She's the sensitive judge, the one who knows what it feels like to be in the spotlight on a stage and perform for a large crowd. Randy has some experience, but only briefly as a bassist in Journey. She brought a unique perspective, even if it sometimes didn't make a whole lot of sense. I don't know how the new season will feel without Paula. And I hope it really was unanimous, that the show didn't force her off.

Here's the thing. I don't watch American Idol for the judges, and I'd be happy if the show forced them (through some kind of cut-off buzzer or something) to keep the comments to 30 seconds or less. I watch the show for the new crop of talent. I watch for the David Cooks and Adam Lamberts of the show, not the judges or host. I understand I may be in the minority on that, but as long as talented young people are singing and playing guitar and whatnot I will still be watching the show no matter who the judges are. But it will be different with out a crazy former pop star on the panel.

Kelly Clarkson Is "Already Gone" But She Can Also See Your "Halo"

It's been brewing for a while now, and I guess as the most Kelly obsessed music blog I know it's time for me to discuss it. "Halo" vs "Already Gone"

It's the epic pop debate of 2009, is Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone" a rip off of Beyonce's "Halo"? Kelly thinks so, and she is pissed. She told Canadian radio "No one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking, ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyoncé and Kelly the same track to write to.’ No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off."

Here's the thing, both songs were written and produced by producer of the moment Ryan Tedder. So some similarities can be excused. I can usually smell a Max Martin/Dr Luke collaborative prod/writ credit a mile away, the tend to have a rah-rah pop-rock sound. In fact, Kelly's own "Since U Been Gone" and "My Life Would Suck Without You" have a very similar flow and instrumentation, both produced by that team. Max by himself is a little harder to pin down. Lady Gaga producer Red One has a distinctive electronic sound, and his work with Enrique Iglesias sounds very much like Gaga's, while the song he produced for Sean Kingston bears only a slight resemblance.

But while a producer may pull the same trick out out of his bag twice, is that all the similarities between "Halo" and "Already Gone" are? I've been listening to both a lot, and I find more than just a passing resemblance. The verses have very similar melodies, the beat is identical. The same strings show up at different volume levels. There are some differences, "Halo" doesn't have a bridge like "Already Gone" but it's a lot closer than Tedder's previous productions like Jordin Sparks' "Battlefield" or his own band One Republic's "Stop And Stare." In fact, until I heard "Halo" and "Already Gone" I didn't think Ryan Tedder had a specific production style. Which is why the similarities strike me as lazy production, a chance to do about half the work for the same pay.

However, Kelly's emotional connection to her own lyrics (she co-wrote the lyrics with Tedder) makes "Already Gone" vastly superior to "Halo" so she should have had the upper hand in this battle. But since "Halo" has played for a long time before Kelly's single was released, it will sound like a copycat. And with Kelly distancing herself from the song, it will be hard to promote. I think Tedder really screwed up here, but in the end savvy listeners will love whichever song they connect with. Radio may be less accepting.

Review: Jordin Sparks - "Battlefield [Deluxe Edition]"

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks returns with her second disc of r&b-flavored pop, titled after lead single "Battlefield" and feature a blend of sure-fire singles and obvious filler. The album opens with the midtempo break-up-move-on ballad "Walking On Snow" and midtempo can't-break-up-can't-move-on title track. You get where this is going? However, there are some really smart pop songs on here, like the slow-burning "Let It Rain" which features a church organ, electric guitars, club beats and divatronics all over the bridge. Sounds messy on paper, but with Jordin's emotional vocal catches it really works. Also repeating the formula of her debut album's hits "Tattoo" and "No Air" is "No Parade" a (you guessed it) break up ballad that sounds beautiful. It's not all slow and sappy songs, "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" needs to hit the clubs yesterday, it's one of the bubbliest songs on Battlefield.

Jordin actually co-wrote some of the songs on the album, and high-profile hired guns like Dr Luke, T-Pain and Ryan Tedder handle some of the songwriting and producing chores. But there are some majorly cheesy pop filler songs, like "Watch You Go" and "Emergency (911)" as well as some overproduced songs. "Was I The Only One" starts out beautifully, a simple guitar and some strings accompany Jordin's low vocals on the first verse and chorus. But then a mid-90s beat kicks in and it loses a lot of it's charm. "Have A Little Faith" has me in a bind, it's very "inspirational" in a slightly cheesy way, but it will probably grow on me. The bonus songs on the deluxe edition are hardly worth it, "Papercut" is basically the same as all the other breakup slow jams on the album and "Postcard" sits squarely in Disney-channel land with somewhat juvenile lyrics about following dreams to Hollywood and blah-blah-blah-fishcakes.

Over all, I'd just hit iTunes and download "Battlefield," "S.O.S.," "No Parade" and "Let It Rain" now and wait for the full disc to show up on eBay for ninety-nine cents plus shipping. (However, Jordin looks stunning on that album cover!)

Review: Brooke White - "High Hopes & Heartbreak"

American Idol's seventh season was probably the best, in terms of showcasing artists with a distinct point of view. Love them or hate them, David Cook, Jason Castro, Micheal Johns, Syesha Mercado, David Archuleta, Kristy Lee Cook and fifth placer Brooke White showed artistic wholeness, providing a glimpse into what kind of album they would produce. The show had been shaken up by Blake Lewis the year before and karaoke on Idol was no longer good enough.

Brooke White, the Arizona-born former nanny with the wholesome image, had the Carole King-style singer/songwriter genre sewn up. She accompanied herself on piano or guitar frequently, making fine work of another female singer/songwriter classic, Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" on seventies night. As soon as I heard Brooke was releasing an album on iTunes I knew exactly what to expect.

High Hopes & Heartbreak is pure seventies-style sun-soaked Cali guitar pop with a slight country twang, drawing from Brooke's influences like Fleetwood Mac and Carole King. It's beautiful classic soul-pop and White manages to hit high notes in various tempos. Standouts include the upbeat title track, as well as slower songs like "Out Of The Ashes" and "Sometimes Love" - a really pretty piano ballad about real love and fleeting infatuation. She tugs on my musophile heartstrings with her constant referencing of bands, songs and musical moments, like on "California Song," "Phoenix" and "Radio Radio" as well as a Nashville-inspired cover of Kings Of Leon's "Use Somebody" that shines. Plus, Brooke co-wrote all of the rest of the tracks as well as playing piano. Y'all should know how much I love that!

It's a very mature second album, and at a reduced price on iTunes it's worth it for fans of adult pop and singer/songwriters like King, Simon or Joni Mitchell.