I decided to do a typical decade-end list of all my favorite things in music, and I can't fit half of the albums that have become anthemic or epic for me over the past 10 years, so I decided to put a random list up of albums I liked. There's no specific order, just how they came to me. Clearly my sound has evolved over 10 years, but the music is all still real to me. What's the next 10 years going to be like?
Leona Lewis has just jumped up miles in my 'potential wifey' category. This is a promo picture for her upcoming sophmore album Echo, in stores November 17.
Amerie is back on the scene with her latest album "In Love and War" set for release November 3 through Columbia Records. She was never one of my favorite artists, but her sound for this new album has been really appealing and different, and I just might be a little excited for it.
The promo single "Why R U" was a perfect throwback song, with a stylistically on point video, but since she isn't one of R&B's 'chosen' ones, the song hit a dead end on radio. The official single "Heard Em' All" isn't exactly my style, but it's definitely catchy and proves that she deserves a slot at the top of the charts. My favorite leak from this era is her remake of the Mint Condition classic "Pretty Brown Eyes" featuring Trey Songz. It's smooth and their voices harmonize nicely together. Plus anything Mint Condition is a plus in my book. It's not the best remake by any means, but she does a very adequate and fun job on her version.
When you've achieved the kind of international success Mariah Carey has in her almost 20 year career, failure is no longer an option for new musical material. She's had her fair share of commercial bombs (Glitter, obviously), and more than her share of commercial highs, (Butterfly, The Emancipation of Mimi)so for her twelfth studio album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel", she certainly produces a winner. Mariah shared the executive production duties of this album with the golden boys of the moment The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, and arguably for the first time in a while produces a slick,cohesive contemporary album without sacrificing her "Mariah" personality.
I'm not a fan of long drawn out, but Mariah finds herself at her most intriguing when she's not flipping through vocal hoops and restrains herself and let's the music speak for itself. "Ribbon", "Candy Bling", and the much hyped "H.A.T.E.U" find Mariah going into her emotional journal and just reminiscing on life. One of the things that I enjoy about this album is that there are songs for people miss the early poppy, doo-wop Mariah ("It's a Wrap", "Angels Cry"), but she did what I hate that so many artists often do. She turns the strongest songs on the album into interludes. "Languishing" could've easily been one of a her strongest songs ever, but instead we get the condensed version.
All of the comments aside, marriage and maturity seem to agree with Mrs. Cannon, and this is a very nice conceptual album to add to her catalog of musical tricks. Definitely a solid effort.
My Picks Betcha Gon Know Languishing Candy Bling More Than Just Friends H.A.T.E.U
Very few artists can constantly convey emotions of pain, hope, anger, and fun in every song, but Hayley Williams is one of the exceptions. Young and feisty, she represents something that has been lacking from the industry for a while: passion. "Brand New Eyes", Paramore's latest effort is not a complete departure from their commercial pop-punk sound that spawned previous hits "Misery Business" and "CrushCrushCrush", but a welcome change for a band that finds themselves on a maturing lyrical journey. The beauty in this albums comes when the guitars and drums are stripped away, and a raw, acoustic sound appears. The urgency and reality in William's voice is a perfect match to lyrics that find her on a never-ending emotional journey. In the end, that's what makes Paramore such a relateable band, because we can still grow with them.
My Picks Ignorance Brick by Boring Brick Looking Up Misguided Ghosts Turn it Off
Yessir. Mr. Jackson is back with his upcoming album Loso's Way (Not feeling the title at all).
Anyway, he has two videos out (and I'm sure most people who are die-hard fans won't know because radio is shafting him this time around) titled "Throw It in The Bag" ft. The-Dream and "It's My Time" ft. Jeremih.
'Throw it In the Bag' is a certified club banger, and it's just a simple, fun song. Plus Claudia Jordan is the leading lady, and she's one badd chick so I like it even more.
'It's My Time' is not a super banger, but it's a passable single. Jeremih adds nothing to the song. Overall, it's decent, but the video isn't horrible. I'm hoping Fabo comes harder on the rest of the album.
The realm of music groups is a fickle one. Danity Kane? Done. Da Band? Yea...no more. Day 26? Who knows? But they don't look to have a promising future. The point is that pop trios, quintets, and so forth are hard to maintain because of egos, cheesiness, and the fact that no one over a certain age should care about these groups. (In theory, of course.)
Now, let's meet Electrik Red, the newest group vying for the title of the 'it' girl group of the moment. Honestly I was (and still am) a little skeptical, but after listening to a few of their tracks, I'm impressed. None of them have voices to write home about, but I like the breathy, sex-filled Janet vibe they give off, and they're hot girls, so I mean that's an even BIGGER plus. But the icing on the cake is that their album is a product of one of the golden guys in music now, (Terius Nash aka The-Dream)so the songs automatically have dope production. Can pretty girls survive on being pretty girls, or can they actually stick around and create a brand for themselves that people want to support?
Have a listen for yourself. Their new album "How to Be a Lady Vol. 1" is in stores NOW.
"Brooklynati", the long awaited album by New York based hip-hop group is finally here. I was telling you guys about it a while ago, and it's completely worth the hype. Their what hip-hop should be: real, raw, smooth, and fun all at the same time. I won't go into a detailed review just yet, but tracks worth downloading (if you don't buy the whole album, which would be a serious mistake) are:
So Damn Down; Plan B; She's Gone; We're fly.
Hip-Hop is alive people! Now I just need to catch them live.
I'm not gonna lie, I thought Day26 was completely whack, irrelevant, and with the exception of a few songs off their first album (Since You've Been Gone) I didn't expect to hear anything worth listening to from them ever again. The whole boy-band image is hard to recreate, especially among urban listeners,so the odds were definitely not in their favor. Their sophomore album "Forever in a Day" finds them finally taking a more current approach to their sound, and putting some life behind their eyes. First single "Imma Put it on Her" is catchy enough, but Diddy continues to wreck songs by 'rapping' on them and causing them to lose all cred whatsoever. The album picks up nicely on second single "Stadium Music" and the T-Pain featured "Shawty What's Up". Uptempo's are not the groups strongest asset, but they certainly put energy into the songs, making them worthy club bangers. The group sounds as harmonious as ever, but the latter part of the album doesn't sound as fresh as the beginning (the horribly produced Jermaine Dupri "Need That"), making us wonder if the group knows who they are, and what they want to sound like. In the end, the reality is they have a long time to find 'forever', but they just might get one more day to find it.
Recommended songs : "Stadium Music", "Babymaker", "Truth is a Lie"
I say it a lot, music is in a recession. A recession of talent, drive, and creativity. It seems like everyone is bent on copying the same sounds, singing about the same tired club experiences, and just being damn robots. Pop music to me especially is full of over-produced, emotionless crap, and it makes turning on a radio pointless. Keri Hilson isn't exactly a svengali of music, but she's a nice departure from the same formulaic R&B dominated by few artists with few fresh ideas and sounds. Hilson's debut album "In A Perfect World" released March 24th, features the song "Knock You Down" with appearances by Kanye West and Ne-Yo. The production is breezy, enjoyable, and all artists on the track make it worth listening to. Keri may not be creative revolutionary, but she at least shows her talent and proves that maybe music isn't as formulaic as it always has been.
For a moment, there's an artist with a different approach to the same old scheme. Maybe the army of pop music machines can be defeated.
The time for a pulsating, insanely addicting song of the summer is almost here, and with the musical landscape not dominated by a single genre unlike years past, the field is wide open for an act to take charge of the radio airwaves. New Found Glory has stepped up to the starting gate with their new single "Listen to Your Friends", and the title alone makes it worth a listen. After all, friends don't lead friends in the wrong direction, right?
In the midst of the Fall Out Boys, the Panic! At the Disco's, Good Charlotte's and the countless other pop/rock punk bands out there, it's easy for a group without a hit in recent memory to fall into the abyss of one-hit wonders. (Bowling for Soup, anyone?) However, they're back and in full force with an energetic number that will be played at more proms, homecomings, and high school dances then necessary. That just might be the point, after all if the kids latch on to a song, the general public just might be a little more interested. The song isn't revolutionary, and pretty much sounds like the rest of "Glory's" catalog, but as long as radio spins it, the kids are happy, and the band has been plucked from obscurity, then this single should be checked off as a job well done. It isn't groundbreaking enough for song of the summer, but this is the great start of a potentially beautiful friendship
New Found Glory's sixth album "Not Without a Fight" was released February 20.
The Fray have just released their second self-titled EP "The Fray", and they're nothing if not consistent. "How to Save a Life" and "Over My Head (Cable Car)", the two biggest singles from their first album (How to Save a Life) are pretty good indicators of the sounds of the new album. Piano heavy ballads and mid-tempos, coupled with contemplative and at times overly dark lyrics are once again found all over the record. However, it's not a bad thing, because Issac Slade has the perfect voice for these types of records and they have mastered what sounds work, and what sounds don't. Lyrically The Fray is still on a strong level, but I think a band like them would be perfect tackling more varied subject matter in their songs.
Quick Rundown of Standout tracks:
"You Found Me"- Lead single. Wonderful production, strong lyrics. Great vocals 4/5
"Syndicate"- A mid-tempo ballad, which is more unusual for the band. Production is decent, however it's missing some power which would make this easily one of their best tracks. It's almost anti-climatic. Worth the download. 4/5
"Happiness"- I was surprised by the sound of this song. More guitar, less piano. There should've been more tracks like this on the album to make it thoroughly versatile, but this is definitely an interesting track. It's raw and bare sounding, which is a perfect compliment to Slade's vocals. 5/5
"Say When"- The best mid-tempo song on the album. The vocal structure and melody is very climatic and breaks into a powerful, flowing chorus. Production and vocals are very good.
Overall, the album is another solid effort from The Fray and while their sound hasn't radically changed, they have stuck with the format that first found them chart success and have put out another great record. Hopefully in the future they will begin to evolve their sound so they can avoid the bottomless pit of contemporary rock bands with no new tricks up their sleeves.
Here's an exclusive Yahoo! Music performance of "Never Say Never" off of the new album
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Breakaway
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My December
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