Oh, Mimi! You know I love that multi-octave voice, those ballads that you effortlessly belt and even the occasional club-banger you get my booty popping to. But girl, can you please just give me another piece of pure heart-breaking bliss that was "We Belong Together" on Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel? This "Obsessed" thing (way to steal Beyonce's movie title, bee-tee-dubs) isn't the worst piece of trash I've heard, but it seems better suited to Ashanti or some other lesser diva. I understand you wanna call out Eminem for his recent on-record slams against you and the hubby. But the best revenge is looking fabulous and sounding amazing, and doesn't seem to be a problem for you, hun. The problem is that tired ghetto beat and lackadaisical chorus does nothing to show off the pipes. Remember, it's all about the pipes. We love you Mimi, but we love you more when you sing "We Belong Together" Try that one again, because you and ballads do belong together...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Kleerup & Titiyo Are "Longing For Lullabies" (In a Sixth Sense Kinda Way)
This video has been out for a hot minute or two, but it's still defiantly worth playing. Andreas Kleerup is a Swedish producer who records and produced under his last name. He's probably best know for Robyn's UK smash "Every Heartbeat" or producing a track for Cyndi Lauper's recent foray into the nightlife, Bring Ya To The Brink.
His self-titled disc drops in the US later this month on Astralworks, and the lead single features Neneh Cherry's sister Titiyo on vocals. It has similar melancholic pop feel as the Robyn single (also included on Kleerup) with the bouncy synth beat never bringing joy as much as depressing emotion. In a summer where David Guetta's collabo with Kelly Rowland will probably rule the dancefloor, Kleerup's sweetly painful electro might not find it's way into the clubs. But "Longing For Lullabies" is brilliant pop, perfect for a wet summer day like we've been having the last week here in PA.
And the video is lovely, borrowing the plots of The Sixth Sense and that Nickleback video to give a Hitch moment towards the end. It's kinda sweet... Watch:
His self-titled disc drops in the US later this month on Astralworks, and the lead single features Neneh Cherry's sister Titiyo on vocals. It has similar melancholic pop feel as the Robyn single (also included on Kleerup) with the bouncy synth beat never bringing joy as much as depressing emotion. In a summer where David Guetta's collabo with Kelly Rowland will probably rule the dancefloor, Kleerup's sweetly painful electro might not find it's way into the clubs. But "Longing For Lullabies" is brilliant pop, perfect for a wet summer day like we've been having the last week here in PA.
And the video is lovely, borrowing the plots of The Sixth Sense and that Nickleback video to give a Hitch moment towards the end. It's kinda sweet... Watch:
Monday, June 8, 2009
MTV Unplugged Returns With Adele, Who Should Go Acoustic Next?
British retro-soul/pop songbird Adele marks the return of MTV's Unplugged series today on MTV.com. Clips will air during MTV's morning block of videos, but the show itself is only available at the website and On Demand.
Adele is perfect choice to reopen the seminal 1990s program that revived Eric Clapton's career and cemented Nirvana's status as rock icons. Her smoky vocals hold so much power, songs like "Hometown Glory" and her Grammy-nominated single "Chasing Pavements" sound even better than the originals. I fear Katy Perry might not fare as well in her upcoming episode, her live vocals often feel strained. But she may surprise us, that's the beauty of Unplugged.
I am loving Adele, and while my knowledge of Silversun Pickups is limited I think they may be awesome. But it's time for me and my readers to play casting directors and pick the artists that need to show up on the new Unplugged stage.
Kelly Clarkson - As soon as I heard MTV Unplugged was returning I thought: "Kelly needs to do this." Can you imagine an acoustic play list of "Since U Been Gone", "Because Of You", "Irvine", "The Trouble With Love Is", "I Do Not Hook Up" and a cover, maybe "Piece Of My Heart"? I can, and I am creaming my panties at the thought.
Destiny's Child - The girls would so bring the house down with an all acoustic reunion. I would die to hear "Survivor" or "Lose My Breath" given new spins as acoustic soul, and I think the trio still has desire to work together again.
Fall Out Boy - The group is in desperate need of revival after the marketing disaster surrounding the latest release, Folie A Duex. And while Patrick's vocals may not be the prettiest thing, slowed down and revised versions of singles "Dance, Dance" and "This Ain't A Scene" and album tracks like "The (After) Life Of Party" would shed light on the clever and emotional lyrics.
What about y'all? Who should show up on MTV Unplugged to rock out, acoustically? Fantasy casts are always allowed, if we could bring Mama Cass back for one more performance of "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" I think we all would...
Adele is perfect choice to reopen the seminal 1990s program that revived Eric Clapton's career and cemented Nirvana's status as rock icons. Her smoky vocals hold so much power, songs like "Hometown Glory" and her Grammy-nominated single "Chasing Pavements" sound even better than the originals. I fear Katy Perry might not fare as well in her upcoming episode, her live vocals often feel strained. But she may surprise us, that's the beauty of Unplugged.
I am loving Adele, and while my knowledge of Silversun Pickups is limited I think they may be awesome. But it's time for me and my readers to play casting directors and pick the artists that need to show up on the new Unplugged stage.
Kelly Clarkson - As soon as I heard MTV Unplugged was returning I thought: "Kelly needs to do this." Can you imagine an acoustic play list of "Since U Been Gone", "Because Of You", "Irvine", "The Trouble With Love Is", "I Do Not Hook Up" and a cover, maybe "Piece Of My Heart"? I can, and I am creaming my panties at the thought.
Destiny's Child - The girls would so bring the house down with an all acoustic reunion. I would die to hear "Survivor" or "Lose My Breath" given new spins as acoustic soul, and I think the trio still has desire to work together again.
Fall Out Boy - The group is in desperate need of revival after the marketing disaster surrounding the latest release, Folie A Duex. And while Patrick's vocals may not be the prettiest thing, slowed down and revised versions of singles "Dance, Dance" and "This Ain't A Scene" and album tracks like "The (After) Life Of Party" would shed light on the clever and emotional lyrics.
What about y'all? Who should show up on MTV Unplugged to rock out, acoustically? Fantasy casts are always allowed, if we could bring Mama Cass back for one more performance of "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" I think we all would...
Is The New Basement Jaxx Video NSFW Or Just Art?
Legendary house duo Basement Jaxx return later this year with Scars, with guest spots from Grace Jones, Santigold and Cyndi Lauper. It sounds like it could be club album of the year, and lead single is sans guest vocalists is isn't missing any of that hot nu-retro club sound. "Raindrops" hit the YouTube a short while ago and now the video is making the rounds on the blogs.
The video doesn't feature Felix or Simon, but it does have a lot art-house nudity. Nipples are covered, barely, and the dancing is clearly artistic, not erotic. Of course, I'm not sure I'm the best judge of what kind of female nudity is erotic. The kaleidoscope effect combined with dark makeup and wild feather costumes create the kind of scary-sexy look that gets so many girls in bed with Marilyn Manson. I would wait until after you get home from work before pressing play. Watch:
The video doesn't feature Felix or Simon, but it does have a lot art-house nudity. Nipples are covered, barely, and the dancing is clearly artistic, not erotic. Of course, I'm not sure I'm the best judge of what kind of female nudity is erotic. The kaleidoscope effect combined with dark makeup and wild feather costumes create the kind of scary-sexy look that gets so many girls in bed with Marilyn Manson. I would wait until after you get home from work before pressing play. Watch:
"Don't Stop Believing" Is Still A Song For Our Times
When the cast of Glee scored a top five hit with their cover of the Journey classic "Don't Stop Believing" last week, I was not at all surprised. If you saw the premiere episode of the new FOX comedy, you witnessed the joyous performance of a motley crew of glee club members, starting with an a capella riff on the signature opening and ending with choir of vocals, guitars ablaze and horn section blowing up. It's a perfectly radiant song, and that's exactly what the world needs right now - or at least that's what 177,000 iTunes purchases would imply.
It's not just the pure shining happiness that beams off of the faces and vocals of the young ensemble that gives me a hopeful feeling. In this day of economic turmoil, the lyrics speak to the everyman down on his luck, or living in fear of this next paycheck being her last. The story of a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world and a city boy who "for a smile" can share the night is exactly our story. We are all streetlight people, living just to find emotion and working hard to get our fill.
In an age when there have been civil rights setbacks on the marriage equality front, we need reminded - don't stop believing. On a day when our retirements funds suddenly disappear, we need told again - don't stop believing. When we wake up to find planes are still crashing - don't stop believing. In that moment when you think everybody else has finally found love in this crazy world but you, I tell you the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and on.
Don't stop believing. Without a shred of evidence to support this, I have managed to convince myself to believe everything will be OK. My job will not be in jeopardy, I will have enough money in the bank, I will find love. And you know what, it's working. Don't stop believing and hold on to that feeling, streetlight people...
It's not just the pure shining happiness that beams off of the faces and vocals of the young ensemble that gives me a hopeful feeling. In this day of economic turmoil, the lyrics speak to the everyman down on his luck, or living in fear of this next paycheck being her last. The story of a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world and a city boy who "for a smile" can share the night is exactly our story. We are all streetlight people, living just to find emotion and working hard to get our fill.
In an age when there have been civil rights setbacks on the marriage equality front, we need reminded - don't stop believing. On a day when our retirements funds suddenly disappear, we need told again - don't stop believing. When we wake up to find planes are still crashing - don't stop believing. In that moment when you think everybody else has finally found love in this crazy world but you, I tell you the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on and on.
Don't stop believing. Without a shred of evidence to support this, I have managed to convince myself to believe everything will be OK. My job will not be in jeopardy, I will have enough money in the bank, I will find love. And you know what, it's working. Don't stop believing and hold on to that feeling, streetlight people...
Friday, June 5, 2009
Why Lady Gaga or Katy Perry Could Be The Next Madonna (And Why It's Too Early To Tell)
More than one blog has crowned Lady Gaga the heir to Madonna's throne as Queen Of Pop. When "Just Dance" was all we heard, it was easy to brush those claims off as blog-perboly. Gaga's first single was a frothy pop confection, but after the Euro-flavored singles from Rihanna, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo it didn't seem all that new and daring. Most importantly "Just Dance" with it's two co-stars Colby O'Donis and Akon certainly didn't seem like the beginning of a shot to superstardom.
Fast forward a few months and "Just Dance" and it's followup, "Poker Face" had topped the charts and "Love Game" seems to be headed towards a similar fate. But does that mean Gaga is the second coming of Madonna?
She certainly knows her way around a hook, and the similarities don't end there. Both Catholic broads gathered a huge gay following after jumping into the NYC clubs scenes head first, both understand the need to play the role of Pop Star at all times. The are not conventional beauties, yet have massive sex appeal and definitely use it in a post-modern feministic way.
However, Lady Gaga's rise is slightly more accelerated than Madonna's, while the Material Girl's early singles like "Lucky Star" were great pop tracks, it took her second album to make her a massive media icon. Like A Virgin created a new template and look for Madonna, and made her a superstar. Gaga's The Fame has given her three massive, albeit slow-rising, singles out of the box.
This brings us to another pretender to the throne. Katy Perry's story echoes Madge's in a different way. Both pop stars had their share of disappointments in their early career: Katy with a failed gospel-pop album and pop band The Matrix, and Madonna with her early band Breakfast Club.
All three ladies know how to work a crowd with over-the-top costumes and shows, all three toy with their sexuality both in lyrics and interviews and all three write or co-write their own stuff. While I have no problem with pop tarts like Britney having songwriters and producers do everything to make the tracks hot, someone who can right their own hooks has a better chance of longevity.
Speaking of which, longevity is the real test of whether or not Lady Gaga or Katy Perry can become the next Madonna, or if they will become the next Debbie Gibson. Madonna knows a lot about adaptability, about ambition and drive and about making smart choices in songwriting, production and media manipulation. It'll be while until we know if either pop star can become Queen.
Fast forward a few months and "Just Dance" and it's followup, "Poker Face" had topped the charts and "Love Game" seems to be headed towards a similar fate. But does that mean Gaga is the second coming of Madonna?
She certainly knows her way around a hook, and the similarities don't end there. Both Catholic broads gathered a huge gay following after jumping into the NYC clubs scenes head first, both understand the need to play the role of Pop Star at all times. The are not conventional beauties, yet have massive sex appeal and definitely use it in a post-modern feministic way.
However, Lady Gaga's rise is slightly more accelerated than Madonna's, while the Material Girl's early singles like "Lucky Star" were great pop tracks, it took her second album to make her a massive media icon. Like A Virgin created a new template and look for Madonna, and made her a superstar. Gaga's The Fame has given her three massive, albeit slow-rising, singles out of the box.
This brings us to another pretender to the throne. Katy Perry's story echoes Madge's in a different way. Both pop stars had their share of disappointments in their early career: Katy with a failed gospel-pop album and pop band The Matrix, and Madonna with her early band Breakfast Club.
All three ladies know how to work a crowd with over-the-top costumes and shows, all three toy with their sexuality both in lyrics and interviews and all three write or co-write their own stuff. While I have no problem with pop tarts like Britney having songwriters and producers do everything to make the tracks hot, someone who can right their own hooks has a better chance of longevity.
Speaking of which, longevity is the real test of whether or not Lady Gaga or Katy Perry can become the next Madonna, or if they will become the next Debbie Gibson. Madonna knows a lot about adaptability, about ambition and drive and about making smart choices in songwriting, production and media manipulation. It'll be while until we know if either pop star can become Queen.
Monday, June 1, 2009
VIDEO: What Made Kanye And Rihanna Get So "Paranoid"?
Kanye has never made a boring video. From the anime-inspired clip for "Stronger" to the hilarious "New Workout Plan" starring Anna Nicole Smith, he's made a career out of taking risks in both the studio and in front of the camera. He may have an inflated ego, but he almost deserves it.
Now, Mr. West has dropped the fourth single from his epic 808s & Heartbreak album. "Paranoid" features Mr. Hudson, but it's Barbados-born pop star Rihanna that stars in the new clip. In some stunning lingerie and gowns, the always beautiful Rihanna makes a triumphant return to pop performance after her recent assault, allegedly at the hands of her then-boyfriend Chris Brown.
In the video, Rihanna doesn't have a whole lot to do, just pose a lot and drive a car around looking really hot. She does both well. Watch here.
Now, Mr. West has dropped the fourth single from his epic 808s & Heartbreak album. "Paranoid" features Mr. Hudson, but it's Barbados-born pop star Rihanna that stars in the new clip. In some stunning lingerie and gowns, the always beautiful Rihanna makes a triumphant return to pop performance after her recent assault, allegedly at the hands of her then-boyfriend Chris Brown.
In the video, Rihanna doesn't have a whole lot to do, just pose a lot and drive a car around looking really hot. She does both well. Watch here.
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