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!)

Jordin Sparks' New Song Is Gayer Than Elton John. I Loves It, Natch.

Seriously, Jordin Sparks just released pretty much the gayest song of her career. As if swiping a title used by Rihanna, The Jonas Brothers and ABBA wasn't queer friendly enough, she samples the Shannon classic "Let The Music Play" and creates the kind of club single girlfriend needs to get the gay boys behind her. Because being a full figured American Idol winner with pipes for days wasn't enough? I mean seriously, she's one rehab stint away from Gay Icon status as is. She just needed to release "SOS" earlier in Pride season and she'd be the new Diva du Jour.

"SOS" is fire-hot and hopefully will become the hit that "Battlefield" never became. She doesn't get to use her vocal prowess as much, but it's such a fabulous dance song I don't really care. I can't stop playing to it! Listen:

The Summer Jam Showdown! Who's Single Will Reign As "Paul's Official Summer Jam '09"?

It's time. Summer is upon us, with it's warm breezes and cookouts and things of that nature. I hate the heat, so summer always pisses me off. This is why I need my Summer Jams to get me through.

The perfect summer jam is hard to explain, but there are some criteria that it must meet.

First: When played in a car with the windows down and every seat filled, every one in the vehicle has to be able to sing along. Loudly.

Second: When played at a cookout/bonfire/outdoor cocktail party at least one slightly drunk girl or gay must be induced to scream "Oh My God! This is my jam!" when it starts playing on the radio and said inebriated person must start dancing erratically.

Third: I cannot mention Global Warming. It's summer, we already know it's happening.

Fourth (and most importantly): It must have a killer chorus (and preferably bridge) that, no matter where you are - club, beach, car, yard sale, back yard cookout, book club meeting - will make you sing along.

Other than that, it could be a hip-hop jam, a dirty rock anthem, a poppy power ballad or square-dance friendly country single. It just has to be hot. Here are the nominees for "Paul's Official Summer Jam '09":

"Boys, Boys, Boys" - Lady Gaga (from The Fame)
Gaga can do no wrong, and while her current single "Love Game" is certainly summer-jam-y enough for the list, there is no competing to the power of a chorus which is all about the boys. After all, this song is my life. I like boys in cars, my guy tastes like glitter mixed with rock'n'roll and I want to get lost in your Ferrari. Can you resist the allure of chorus that just shouts "Boys! Boys! Boys!"? Doubt it. Pros: mentions cars, hot beat. Cons: not a single, rips off "Girls, Girls, Girls".



"When Love Takes Over" - David Guetta feat Kelly Rowland (from One Love)
As if that piano line that opened the song wasn't enough to get my blood pumping, Kelly belts a tale of giving into emotion that just hits me where I am right now. (Summer lovin', y'all. It's hot.) Then, that club thump starts and it's all over. I am hooked like a big mouth bass, and I just want to throw on linen pants, leather thongs and loosely buttoned white shirt and join a dance party on the beach. Watch video here. Pros: beat is sick, feels like summer in musical form. Cons: chorus is a bit short.

"I Get Off" - Halestorm (from Halestorm)
What's summer without a hard rock song about voyeurism? Lzzy Hale roars like a modern day Joan Jett, and the rest of the band back her up with grinding guitars and a sexy bassline. The lyrical imagery is scintillating, a woman being aroused by the fact she's being watched through her window is sexy/scary. Pros: voyeurism is easy in summer. Cons: voyeurism is easier in summer.
Halestorm - I Get Off



"Don't Stop Believin'" - Glee Cast
As if Journey's everlasting smash about a small town girl living in a lonely world wasn't appealing, bring in the joy of Glee clubbers singing it. The pre-choruses were made for car sing-a-longs and Broadway star Lea Michele (Spring Awakening) brings an epic feel to the verses. As if I could ever stop believin'... Pros: you know every word already. Cons: it's a cover, summer jams should be originals



"Battlefield" - Jordin Sparks (from Battlefield)
Speaking of epicness, nothing - I SAID NOTHING! - is as epic as the bridge on this first single from the Idol winner's sophomore project. After asking why love always feels like a battlefield, sister-friend belts the rallying cry - "I guess you better go get your armor" In that instant, I'm in full camo with a helmet on my head and gun strapped to my back, getting ready to defend the fort from the invading forces of... something bad. I dunno, analogy is breaking down. It's fucking awesome, though. Watch video here. Pros: the bridge = life theme. Cons: it's a midtempo ballad.

"Good Girls Go Bad" - Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester (from Hot Mess)
If naughtiness was a requirement for Summer Jam supremacy, these emo-poppers would have the race sewn up. Known best for singing about snakes on a plane, the New York band is joined by Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester for a tale of the bad boys who walk in the club and get all the good girls to start doing shots and throwing their digits around. Add in a heaping dose of hooky chorus and I'm so there. Pros: sexy TV star + sexy emo stars = sexy summer jam. Cons: Gossip Girl is on hiatus, do it's stars exist anymore?



"All I Ever Wanted" - Kelly Clarkson (from All I Ever Wanted)
Yeah, Kells has a single out for summer, and "I Do Not Hook Up" is hot. But the title track from Clarkson's fourth disc is raw, bluesy funk-pop with a nasty chorus and sick, sick bass line. I love it more, and need it to be the next single. Make it happen, minions! Pros: chorus is sing-a-long perfection. Cons: not a single, people (read: losers) have jumped off the Kelly train.



So, who wins? Which song will be Paul's Official Summer Jam '09?

"When Love Takes Over"! Congrats, David and Kelly, there were some hot competitors. The electro mix is the shit, bee-tee-dubs. Now, commence playing of Official Summer Jam '09 on loop in your car in three, two, one...

Ten Days Of Idol Insanity: The Fifteen Best Songs By Idol Alumni

After the ticker-tape falls and a schlocky ballad is sung by a tearful winner, Idol contestants and winners alike must now do the hard work of making an album, promoting that album and trying not to get dropped from their label. Some do it better than others. For example, these lovely songs:

15: "Crush [Sonic Ether Club Mix]" - David Archuleta
The original version of this song is pretty sappy, I get a little creeped out when kids sing about crushes like they are the real deal. But the club mix is pretty sweet, and the chorus is catchy as fuck.

14: "Bar-Ba-sol" - David Cook
While the majority of David's major label debut is mid tempo lite-alternative rock of the Lifehouse variety, this shredder is a growly bit of southern-fried grit. The hardest rocker from Idol, at least until Adam makes his album.

13: "Invisible" - Clay Aiken
This is trashy pre-fab pop at it's creepiest. From Measure Of A Man comes a tale of stalking, sung with the bubbly voice of the geekiest kid to grace the Idol stage. I dare you not to sing along. (It's impossible.)

12: "Through The Fire" - Melinda Doolittle
It's just a Walmart exclusive track from season six's second runner up's old-school R&B disc Coming Back To You, but this Chaka Khan cover is exactly what Mindy Doo does best. A more gospel inflection takes the pop hit to church.

11: "What About Now" - Daughtry
Chris Daughtry may have only made fourth place in season five, but he has a bigger career with his own band's self-titled debut than any other contestant that season. This slow-burning inspirational rock number is exactly why.

10: "Love Story" - Katherine McPhee
In this brassy beat-heavy homage to 1960s-era pop, the season five runner-up tries to make the JoJo-aping "Over It" not her only hit from her self-titled album. It didn't work, and I'm still stumped as to why. It's a tale as old as time - boy and girl are friends, become more.

9: "Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
What happens when a petite blonde from Oklahoma is cheated on? C'mon, you know the words: she "dug her key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive, carved my name into her leather seats... maybe next time he'll think before he cheats" and made a nation of girls n gays run out to by Some Hearts.

8: "I Ran [Radio Edit]" - Darude feat Blake Lewis
About the same time he was being dropped from his label after the painfully underrated Audio Day Dream tanked, season six's resident beat-boxer hooked up with techno/house mastermind Darude for a couple of tracks. Among those were an AIDS charity single and this brilliant reworking of the Flock Of Seagulls.

7: "No Air" - Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown
This song, from season 6 winner Jordin's self-titled disc and featuring a pre-Rihanna-beatdown Brown, is epic. The number of Runs Per Minute is Whitney-level and the lyrics are ridiculously over dramatic. Just the way I like it.

6: "Because Of You" - Kelly Clarkson
When I first heard this song, from Kelly's breakthrough sophomore work Breakaway, I could understand every word, every emotion. I knew exactly what kind of relationship Kelly had with her mother, because I had the same one. This used to be the soundtrack to my own (therapy-filled) journey to my own wholeness.

5: "And I Am Telling You" - Jennifer Hudson
J.Hud deservedly won an Oscar for her brilliant work in Dreamgirls, and her performance of this song and "I Am Changing" on the soundtrack reveals why. The emotional connection and completely organic performance are astonishing, she is Effie.

4: "Permanent" - David Cook
The seventh season winner brings tears to my eyes with a painfully intimate tunes written for his terminally ill brother and included on his self-titled CD. I danced with my little sister to this song at her wedding, it's a beautiful statement of familial love.

3: "Irvine" - Kelly Clarkson
In this intimate acoustic ballad that closed her artistic statement My December, the original Idol winner cries out to the Divine as she contemplates fading completely. Bonus points for the hidden track that follows, a sassy bar tune about Chivas.

2: "Praying For Time" - Carrie Underwood
For the charity special Idol Gives Back 2, season four winner Carrie performed this George Micheal cover, which was even more emotionally wrenching than her cover of "I'll Stand By You" for the original Idol Gives Back. I still pull it up on the ol' iPod when I need to get inspired to give.

1: "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
The massive second single from Breakaway may be a predictable choice, I know. But when you combine a chick who can sing her face off with any song and the power chords of Swedish pop masterminds Dr Luke and Max Martin, what else can you expect but perfection? Even after being remixed, covered, inserted into Girl Talk jams and otherwise played to death, "Since U Been Gone" is what every Idol contestant dream of when they stand before the judges and belt.

Ten Days Of Idol Insanity: Jordin Sparks & Ryan Tedder Find Love To Be A Battlefield, Pat Benatar Has No Comment

Last week on the Idol result's show, season six winner Jordin Sparks performed her new single, the Ryan Tedder-penned and produced "Battlefield."

I can't decide if I love this song or not. It loses a couple of points for the stealing the whole idea behind Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" but it makes up a lot of points by not re-using the "Halo"/"Already Gone" beat Tedder has already foisted upon us. More importantly, when Jordin leads the choir in "Better go get your armor" towards the end, I can't help but sing along. It's good pop music, even if it's not a totally new concept. Plus, she looks hot. (It's OK, fellas - she's legal now.) Watch:

Battlefeild AI Live
by yardie4lifever2

PS: Pat Benatar & Blondie are co-headlining a tour this summer. Who else has their leg-warmers ready?

Some Gave All (I Just Give In...)

I finally gave in to the urge, the hunger, the want, the need, the DESIRE...

I was on my way back from my therapist appointment, and I only planned to buy new sneaks for work. I had my frequent buyer card for those, which make them cost 61 cents (I know!) But I had an excuse to stop at the mall, to find a place to put out Now Hiring signs (sure, that's the reason!) But my object of lust awaited. Remember the feirce sweater-vest-with-hood I blogged about? Well, my need for it grew stronger, and I was weak. I had a 15% off coupon for Express, plus I was easily swayed by the promise of another 15% for getting a credit card.

I was wearing my new (via Salvation Army) Georgio Brutini loafers and the click-click of leather sole on tile floor made me think I was Jordin Sparks (or Amy Winehouse, with a red dye job instead of beehive). And when you combine that sense of celebrity with the DKNY dark wash jeans hugging my ass just right AND crying out to be topped with more than a V-neck tee, I couldn't not give in. I am powerless against the call of the fashion sirens. So yeah, off to church I go, looking fly as fuck, y'all!

We're Halfway There... (Part One)

OK, kids, we've made it to the midpoint of 2008, and I'm hankering for some list making! So far 2008 has brought us a new Spears baby (not Britney's) a couple of pop diva comeback albums (again, not Britney's) and a new seriously hot American Idol (still not Britney) and an American pop star on How I Met Your Mother (yup, Britney!) So, what are my favorite tracks of 2008's first half?

I've decided to make two lists. The first is a top 15 list of just pop hits. These are the songs with heavy radio airplay and charted high on the Hot 100. Last year, a lot of these songs got buried at the back of my top 50, because I get so sick of hearing them they become less hot than the album tracks and indie stuff. But my number one pop hit may end up being my number one song of the year, it just depends on what the rest of the year holds. It's most played on my iPod, despite also being a massive radio hit. The peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 (per Wikipedia) is listed after the title.

List number two, which you will get later this week, is the non-hits. Maybe they got light airplay or are totally not radio-friendly indie-type stuff. Or perhaps they are remixes or album tracks, but my love for them is as strong or stronger than the radio hits. For my year end list, I will probably not do the separate lists, but who knows? That's six months away...

Paulbo's Top 15 Pop Hits 2008.5

15. Miley Cyrus - "See You Again" (#10)
For a song that I hated the first few weeks of radio play, Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus's biggest pop hit sure is high on my chart. I still think some of the lyrics are shit ("My best friend Leslie said oh she's just being Miley" is one of the most obnoxious lines in pop music history) but it's got a killer beat, funky surf guitars and a chorus that is catchy as hell. More worth cranking in the car than I want to admit.

14. Janet Jackson - "Feedback" (#19)
Another beat-heavy track, only this time with a far more urban flair and mature lyric content. Featuring one of my favorite lines of the year: "My swag is serious/something heavy like a first day period" So gross, but so funny.

13. Rihanna - "Please Don't Stop The Music" (#3)
This Michael-Jackson-sampling club hit puts me in serious dance floor mode. Originally gaining major play in dance clubs in 2007 causing "Please Don't Stop The Music" to hit the top of the Billboard Clubplay Charts before it's official radio release in January 2008. But enough chart chat, it's a dance song. So shake that booty people!

12. Mariah Carey - "Touch My Body" (#1)
Sexy, flirty, fun. And that's just Jack McBrayer in the the video! Mimi emancipates herself from ballads and brings a naughty pop track to the masses. Apparently booty calls are her style, and a piano-driven beat is too. But she's not totally kinky, if there's a camera up here, then she best not catch this flick on YouTube. But the hilarious music video? That's all up in YouTube's bidness like a Wendy interview...

11. Coldplay - "Viva La Vida" (#1)
"Viva La Vida" is the first ever number one hit for the British band, and my favorite Coldplay track since "Yellow." I love symphonic rock, and this is a prime example of why.

10. Rihanna - "Take A Bow" (#1)
Many have tried to rip off "Irreplaceable" but leave it to that hit's songwriter (Ne-Yo) and production team (Stargate) to turn the new Beyonce into, well, the new Beyonce. It may not be as catchy as "umbrella-ella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh" but it's still a stunning pop ballad.

9. Danity Kane - "Damaged" (#10)
I never really liked Danity Kane, they seemed like the Spice Girls for the '00s, only without the hits. While "Show Stopper" was an OK club track, "Damaged" is like "The First Cut Is The Deepest" only as a club banger! The lyrics are actually moving, but the girls don't park on the dance floor no matter how damaged their hearts are.

8. Natasha Bedingfeild - "Pocketful of Sunshine" (#6)
It's just a sweet little pop song, not as cloying as previous single "Love Like This" but not as brilliant as "Unwritten" or "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)" I love the downbeat of the track, reminiscent of fellow Brit-poppers Dido or Seal, which makes it a perfectly chill summer song.

7. Colbie Caillat - "Realize" (#20)
On this track Caillat's lyrics cut like a knife, which is something I never thought I'd say about the songwriter who described love as giving her "tingles in a silly place." It perfectly describes the tentative love one has for a friend, especially one that may be unavailable :coughstraightguyscough: Colbie wants her man to meet her halfway, to realize which she just realized, but we never find out if he does. I hope so, I know the pain of unrequited love and nothing spoils your peanut butter sandwiches more than it.

6. Chris Brown - "Forever" (#8)
I haven't heard a techno track get this much airplay since Cascada's "Everytime We Touch" but I'm not complaining. The beat insists on making you dance, the euro-synths shimmer like they should, the chorus is amazing: "It feel like I waited my whole life for this one night/It's only me, you and the dance floor" They may need a new word to describe this genre-blending on songs like this or Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop The Music" and much of Madonna's Hard Candy, perhaps techno-hop?

5. Katy Perry - "I Kissed A Girl" (#2)
A new-wavey nod to lesbian experimentation, with naughty lyrics like "I kissed a girl and I liked it/The taste of her cherry chap stick" and a synthy rock beat. It's an instant pop classic, from a girl whose worked with Matthew Thiessen of Relient K in the past and appeared in the Gym Class Heroes video "Cupid Chokehold" Emo enough for ya?

4. Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown "No Air" (#3)
The youngest American Idol winner completes her takeover of the pop charts with this torchy duet with R&B superstar Chris Brown. The runs-to-actual-lyrics ratio is pretty high, making it perfect for a chest-thumping lip sync in the bathroom mirror. I highly recommend it.

3. Flyleaf - "All Around Me" (#40, Hot Modern Rock Tracks Chart: #6)
With a stunning cry of "I'm alive!" over a bed of modern rock guitars, Flyleaf lead singer Lacey Mosely leaped into my heart. The smallest and most fragile looking rocker I've seen, her voice chills me, and the line from the chorus "I can feel you all around me/thickening the air I'm breathing" is one of the most amazing things I've heard all year. The album may be three years old, and the track may have debuted on the modern rock charts last year before finally entering the pop charts this year, but that only proves the longevity of this appealing rock smash.

2. Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake "4 Minutes" (#3)
This song was created just for me to love. My goddess, the Divine Madonna, and my boyfriend/stalkee, the Adonis-like Justin Timberlake, together? How could I hate? From the second the French radio rip hit the interwebs, I was all over it. The brassy beat, courtesy of pop-mastermind Timbaland and the self-referential hooky chorus were enough to have me in it's grips. The best dance single so far this year, with many other hit-worthy tracks on the parent album Hard Candy. I'm out of time, and I've only got four minutes...

1. Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love" (#1, four non-consecutive weeks)
It's hard to believe this soaring ballad was written by former teen-pop star Jesse McCartney, and that the eighties-style beat wasn't a Timbaland production. The organ and strings put me in mind of Sinead O'Conner's "Nothing Compares 2 U" only with the vocals of Mariah Carey. I gorgeous pop ballad, perfect for singing along to, but you can't outsing the new diva in town, Ms. Leona Lewis.