Catching Up!! Jack White, Dawn Richard, Gotye, Rusko : Album Review

18 Friday May 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Album Review, Dawn Richard, Gotye, MUSIC, Rusko

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Armor On, Armor On Review, Blunderbuss, Blunderbuss Review, Dawn Richard, Dawn Richard Album Review, Dawn Richard Armor On, Dawn Richard Armor On Review, Dawn Richard Review, Gotye, Gotye Album Review, Gotye Making Mirrors, Gotye Making Mirrors Album Review, Gotye Review, Jack White, Jack White Album Review, Jack White Blunderbuss, Jack White Blunderbuss Review, Jack White Review, Making Mirrors, Making Mirrors Album Review, Making Mirrors Review, Rusko, Rusko Album Review, Rusko OMG, Rusko OMG Review, Rusko Review, Rusko Songs, Rusko Songs Review

You don’t know how long I’ve been sitting on this next flock of Album Reviews I’m about to speed past.

I’ve begun drafts like once every week but than got the BLOCK (the one for writers), so I’m just going to be quick and succinct now to get them over with. Great albums though, and I wish I had the discipline to give them the full reviews they deserve. But it’s more important for me to have this done than to show off my grasp on English vocabulary. So here we go.

Jack White, “Blunderbuss“

I’m not the biggest Jack White fan, but I have enjoyed the out put I’ve heard from his various musical identities (most famously with The White Stripes but also with groups The Dead Weather, The Racounters, and others) and I realize he’s one talented dude. I expected “Blunderbuss”, his first solo album, to be entirely overrated and hyped by the Hipsters (he’s basically a Hipster/Indie god, one of the few artists to go from underground to mainstream and maintain credibility amongst that very particular group). Fortunately the album is actually quite stellar and any hype or praise it’s getting is actually deserved. “Blunderbuss” shows his skills as a musician, but also manages to find a balance between very fun and light material like “I’m Shaking”, “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy” and “Love Interruption” to more serious and creative stuff like “Freedom at 21″ and “Weep Themselves To Sleep”. It’s not necessarily a totally new style for White as some of it does recall his work with all of his previous groups. That’s okay though because this is a sound that’s pretty much specific to him, so the Blues/Rock/Alternative mixing on the album at least is familiar to fans of his. Overall it’s a very pleasing album, one that I could listen to from start to finish. It has a nice flow to it, and is diverse enough so that it doesn’t bore you at any point.

Rating: 4 of 5
Best: I’m Shaking, Weep Themselves To Sleep, Freedom At 21

Dawn Richard, “Armor On” EP

Dawn was my favorite Danity Kane member (or the “Making The Band” Band), and naturally my favorite member of Diddy’s now defunct Dirty Money. She’s talented and unique, and clearly someone who loves and understands music and it’s represented on her EP “Armor On”. At 10 tracks long, this EP is actually a lot better than a good number of R&B/Dance albums by more established acts. The stand out of the album though is it’s production, handled mostly by Druski, and Dawn’s ability to add such soft melodies to such abrasive and harsh electro beats. The beauty is how the production, her vocals, and the writing all blend to make something like the drum and bass sounds on “Black Lipstick” or the electro-tribal mash on “Heaven” seem so natural and organic. “Armor On” is very creative and fresh, even when there are heavy inspirations from the likes of Kanye, Sade and Brandy it’s all mixed in interesting ways to make something that feels really new. And it’s a risky album from a new artist, instead of going for what’s popular she actually seemed to stick to what she was feeling and it shows.

Rating: 4.5 of 5
Best: Heaven, Scripture, Black Lipstick

Gotye, “Making Mirrors“

I still have to say I’m shocked that Gotye’s single “Somebody That I Used To Know” has become so big on the mainstream Pop charts, but hell he deserves it. What you get on that song, nice lyrics and catchy hook and organic instrumentation, is what his album “Making Mirrors” is all about. It’s a very diverse mix of genres, you probably won’t like everything, but there is more than enough there to show that the guy has talent and a great knowledge of music and how to use it. Gotye plays with different styles from the very Motown-ish “I Feel Better” to (what seems like) a Beatles homage on “Easy Way Out”, and varying 80′s artists like Genesis and The Police, even Electronica on “State of the Art”. Gotye has a great grasp on each sound and does a good job of executing. A very above average album, especially compared to a lot of other current releases, so he definitely deserves the notoriety his hit single is giving him.

Rating: 4 of 5
Best: State of the Art, Somebody That I Used to Know, Eyes Wide Open

Rusko, “Songs” and “O.M.G!“

When the whole “Dub Step is the New Thing” came around 2009, Rusko was one of the preferred names of the genre. His 2010 album “O.M.G!” was definitely a good introduction to the Dub Step sound, and more skillfully done than a lot of what I’ve heard elsewhere. “O.M.G!” isn’t entirely gold, as some of the stuff gets a little too jarring at times, however when compared to his 2012 release “Songs” you actually miss that hard edge. Alot of online comments I’ve read about “Songs” associate it with yet another sub-genre Bro Step, which apparently is Dub Step’s more commercial and melodic cousin, and “Songs” is comprised of mostly Bro Step stuff. It’s not necessarily a good look. To me it sounds like Dub Step mixed with Pop mixed with the now obsolete 2 Step sound. Sometimes it works, as “Somebody To Love” and “Dirty Sexy” (which sounds like he wanted Rihanna, and had to settle for the chick he got) are fun, but sometimes it’s way too light and rather annoying like on “Pressure” and “Asda Car Park”.
The best thing about “Songs” though is he peppers the album with some amazing Dancehall/Dub sounds that are easily the best on the album. “Mek More Green” “Be Free” “Skanker”, they all feel like classic Dub feel but with that 2012 edge to make them fresh. “O.M.G!” provided some decent Dancehall inspired tracks, most notably “Rubadub Shakedown”, but “Songs” completely bests those cuts. Both albums do offer some really good and some bad, but Rusko remains a very interesting player in the Music game these days.

Rating: “Songs” 3 of 5, “O.M.G!” 3 of 5
Best: Scareware, Mek More Green, Skanker

R.I.P. Donna Summer and her Essential Music : MYFAVORITES, IMO

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Donna Summer, IMO, MYFAVORITES

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Donna Summer, Donna Summer R.I.P.

Disco Legend Donna Summer passed away from a bout with cancer today.
Summer’s Legacy in the music industry is celebrated, but somewhat downplayed even though she broke so many barriers and records for not only black women but women in general. (Full story here)

As a child of the 80′s, I completely missed her hey-dey of the Disco laden 70′s. In the mid to late 90′s though, there was a bit of nostalgia over the Disco era in the media. On top of references in Movies and TV, there were dozens upon dozens of info-mercials selling Disco compilations. With Donna Summer being the Queen of Disco she was always mentioned which intrigued me about her music. Luckily one summer when I was 16 I was going through some of my dad’s old albums and her “Bad Girls” album stuck out to me. I had to pull out a record player from the garage, and once I heard the album it started my love affair with La Summer that lasted… well it’s still going. I read so many things about her, going to the library and getting old Magazine interviews and information about her like Billboard placements and Album and Single reviews. Yes, you could say I became light-weight obsessed with her.

What I learned was that in her Disco peak (from around 1975-1979) she and her producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte changed the industry with their sexy and elongated Disco anthems. “Love to Love You Baby”, the nearly 18 minute hedonist-fest, was her first hit single and is still remembered to this day. Back than Disco was still on the underground, but that and subsequent Summer hits quickly made Disco a mainstream sound. By the time the genre had fully emerged as the sound of the time, Donna Summer was a force to be reckoned with. 1977 saw the release of “I Feel Love”, a song that was so futuristic and revolutionary at the time it is now believed to be a precursor to both 80′s New Wave and the Electronica sound the began in the mid to late 90′s. In 1978 she scored her first #1 single with “MacArthur Park” which followed another huge Classic single “Last Dance” which earned Summer her first Grammy and also won an Oscar. Than began the unstoppable Summer train as her next three albums “Live and More”, “Bad Girls” and “On The Radio” marked the first time any artist scored 3 consecutive #1′s for double albums. “Bad Girls” earned Summer 5 total nominations at the 1980 Grammy’s, and she became the only woman to win Awards in the Rock (for #1 single “Hot Stuff”) and R&B (1979′s win for “Last Dance”) Categories.

The turn of the decade marked a real turn in priorities for Summer though. She began experimenting with more diverse sound, utlizing more rock and new wave influences as opposed to straight up Disco and R&B. Though she never regained the success of her 70′s era, she was still able to score a few big hits here and there, most famously with “She Works Hard For The Money” which became yet another iconic song. Even if people aren’t sure who sings it, most people at least know the hook verbatim. In 1991 she scored a huge dance hit with “This Time I Know It’s For Real”, and throughout the length of her career would show she was still a Queen in the Dance realm scoring #1′s on the Dance charts every few years.

Now that she’s gone, I’m sure people will be hitting up iTunes to be johnny-come-lately fans. Nothing wrong with that, she has some amazing music and people should listen and appreciate a Legend. Here are some of her Essential albums and singles.

Essential Albums!

5. Four Seasons of Love
Her first of many concept albums, this chronicles a year in love. With the beautifully funky “Spring Affair” all the way to the heartbreaking “Autumn Changes”. Summer’s early work comes off a bit one-note to be honest, but this (her fourth album) shows diversity and some vocal chops.

4. Live and More Encore
Summer’s 1999 VH1 Concert Special and the accompanying disc showed a Diva who was still in top form. She runs through a nice sampling of her Classic hits, and her voice is in full force and it’s clear she’s having fun.

3. Endless Summer
There are ENDLESS Donna Summer greatest hits available, but this was the first one I bought. Yes, most of the hits are heavily edited down to 3 or 4 minutes but it allows for more classic songs to fit on the album and give people a great preview of her work.

2. Live and More
This is one of those live albums where I really wish I was there to see everything. The crowds reactions, the staging and styling, and just the performer in action. The drawback is this tour was in support of her “Once Upon A Time” outing and right before her ultimate peak so there’s some filler here but there’s also some amazing live renditions of her biggest hits. Even songs like “Faster and Faster to Nowhere” and “I Remember Yesterday” sound so much better with the live backing, but it’s “Last Dance” “I Feel Love” “Try Me I Know We Can Make It” “Love to Love You Baby” among others that sound like perfection live.

1. Bad Girls
Summers ultimate peak came in 1979 and even though she was the Disco Queen, this album isn’t quite disco. Well not JUST disco, as there’s bits of Rock, bits of R&B and Funk, bits of the New Wave sound she flirted with on “I Feel Love” and some decent ballads. It’s a well rounded and diverse album, but also a very pleasant listen back to forth. (Get the Deluxe Edition as it includes some extended mixes of her other hits including “I Feel Love” and the entire “Macarthur Park Suite” that has since been omitted form the “Live and More” album due to time constraints)

Essential Singles!

10. Dim All The Lights

Summer admitted she wrote this for Rod Stewart but later used it herself on the “Bad Girls” album. It’s Disco on the more mellow side, with a great hook and a delicious breakdown.

9. Could It Be Magic

In the vein of “Love to Love You Baby” and other early hits, this one has sex written all over it. Especially in the extended break down where she out-does herself on the harmonic moaning of the aforementioned hit.

7. Try Me I Know We Can Make It

Such a beautiful Lush instrumentation on what is almost a 3 part song. A Very underrated single, though the 18 minute time mark probably turns people off it’s definitely one of her better songs.

6. No More Tears (Enough is Enough)

Still one of the best Diva Duets of All-Time, both Summer and Streisand are singing in top form on this upbeat Disco hit. Yet the powerhouses compliment each other so beautifully that it works much better than it probably should.

6. She Works Hard For The Money

Classic! No one will forget this song.

5. Bad Girls

“Toot Toot, hey, Beep Beep!” One of Summer’s more funky urban numbers is also her catchiest and most fun to sing a long to.

4. Hot Stuff

Her foray into Rock, funny because it’s not necessarily my favorite but it’s a truly Iconic one that most people will associate with her name for a long while.

3. I Feel Love

For it’s revolutionary and futuristic production, this is one of the more respected songs by Summer. However Moroder’s production can only go so far as Summer beautifully matches up her vocals with the new sound.

2. Love to Love You Baby

People of this generation probably associate this hit more with Beyonce (“Naughty Girl” took a huge slice of the hook), but this was Summer’s break through. She would end up resenting the sexed up image portrayed here but it’s still another one of those Iconic hits that will endure forever.

1. Last Dance

Easily her best song, lyrically vocally and production wise. It’s sexy, it’s fun, it shows off her talents more so than any of her previous hits and it’s one every one can dance to. Another song that usually is associated with the Queen, and more so for it’s overall greatness.

(“MacArthur Park” is another Essential, but aside from the glorious build up… It’s not a favorite of mine.)

Rest In Peace Donna, We Love You, We Respect You, and all prayers to your family and friends!

Top 10 BEST and WORST Comic Book Movies : MYFAVORITES

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Captain America: The First Avenger, Catwoman, Chloe Grace Moretz, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Christopher Walken, Danny Devito, Daredevil, Green Lantern, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, Iron Man, Jack Nicholson, Joel Schumacher, Jonah Hex, Josh Brolin, Kick Ass, Megan Fox, Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfieffer, MYFAVORITES, Richard Donner, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Raimi, Spawn, Spiderman 3, Superman, The Avengers, The Dark Knight, The Punisher, Thomas Jane, Thor, Tim Burton, X2

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10 Best Comic Book Movies, 10 Worst Comic Book Movies, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman Forever, Batman Returns, Best Comic Book Movies, Captain America, Catwoman, Jonah Hex, Kick Ass, Spiderman, Spiderman 2, Spiderman 3, The Avengers, The Avengers Review, The Dark Knight, The Punisher, Thor, Top 10 Comic Book Movies, Worst Comic Book Movies, X2

Who isn’t excited for “The Avengers” today!! A HUGE Comic Book flick, and really the first one to merge different franchises together. I can’t wait to see how it turns out, and I should be writing a review soon. But first… here’s something that’s been waiting to get posted for a long while… enjoy!

When it comes to translating classic Comic Book heroes to the big screen, there have been loads of misses and a few great hits. It doesn’t seem like an easy thing to take characters that are decades old with legions of super fans waiting to knock any inconsistency and plot hole. Some film makers try and fail to cater to the fan-boys while some do their own thing to mixed results.
I haven’t seen every single Comic Book film of course, but here’s my attempt to dissect the best and the worst adaptations in the history of film.
(I actually had a listing a few years ago on Flixster, but on this list I’m trying to eliminate Graphic Novels and only talk about the weekly serials that have become iconic over the years. And if I’m wrong about something feel free to leave a comment and let me know)

>> The Worst!
These are the 10 films that for whatever reason did not satisfy the requirements of a great Comic Book translation, or even the requirements of a halfway decent film.

10. The Punisher
The only reason I even know about the Marvel character Punisher is through my Uncle, who was a huge fan. There have been a few attempts to make this violent and controversial comic into a movie and I’ve only seen one. The 2004 Thomas Jane one, and the problem with putting the Punisher on film is simply it can’t work. Unless it’s an Indie film and not aiming for a mainstream crowd, the content is way too risky to work and most times the writers behind the adaptations are too scared to take those risks and it ends up being a stale half-ass version of what made the comic great.

9. Kick Ass
Thank God this movie had Chloë Grace Moretz , the little girl who stole this rather uneventful film about teen heroes. This movie could have been great, but it got really bogged down in trying to be serious at times that a lot of the fun and humor it should have had was totally lost. (And this is where I’m uncertain, I can’t figure out if this was a Graphic Novel or a legit Comic Book! I might have to re-edit!?)

8. Spiderman 3
How to Ruin a Great Franchise 101! 1. Add one too many villains that don’t seem related to each other at all, it will totally ruin the flow of the movie. 2. Endlessly Hype the show down between Spidey and his arch nemesis Venom, and than save it until the very last portion of the movie. 3. Forget about trying to balance dumb slap stick comedy sequences with uber-serious and intense scenes. Just a mess all over.

7. Jonah Hex
Just couldn’t get into this fantastical Cowboy comic crap, Megan Fox seemed totally mis-cast (and gratuitous), and there was no chemistry between her and star Josh Brolin. The story was actually quite interesting, but the execution just didn’t work.
It came off really cheap and way too contemporary styled to sell the Western feel. (Much like the ill fated campy “Wild Wild West” with Will Smith)

6. Spawn
HBO had an excellent animated series based on the gritty comic, I loved that and it made me excited for this live action adaptation. But as with other ultra violent comics, mainstream can never translate them well so it came off pretty cheesy compared to what it should have been. (similar to “Punisher”)

5. Catwoman
This film was built on the fact that Catwoman and Halle Berry are sexy. And, that’s pretty much it. The other components of making a good film were totally missing with it’s flimsy storyline which basically amounted to a few sexed up poses and dozens of un-witty one liners. A cliched love story, an unbelievable villain and some actually uneventful fight scenes. At a point I did try to like this movie, but it truly is just a throwaway.

4. Batman Forever
Joel Schumacher all but ruined the “Batman” franchise Tim Burton rejuvenated. Instead of continuing on the darker, grittier path that Burton set up, Schumacher’s Gotham City was turned into an ultra cheesy, way too colorful, and overloaded Batman chapter. And the sad thing is, he wasn’t done as we’ll see soon enough.

3. Green Lantern
Cheesy graphics, a paint by number cliched script, actors that either phoned it in or just wouldn’t know the words “natural” or “chemistry” if it hit them on the head. Just an awful movie that really had no redeeming qualities at all.

2. Batman and Robin
Yes, “Batman Forever” was bad… but compared to this mess of a movie it looks like “Citizen Kane” (okay that’s going too far, maybe something like “Die Hard 4″). Not only are there way too many villains in this one, but they are third rate villains that most people (unless you were watching the animated Batman series of the time) wouldn’t have known. This film killed the Batman franchise for a while before Christopher Nolan dared to pick it back up. Awful!

1. Daredevil
Let’s see, where to start? This movie was so incredibly bad on so many different levels I don’t even know how to begin. What stands out the most is the awful CGI, than we have to think of the D.O.A. acting job of the consistently bland lead Ben Affleck. And, bottom line, it was just dumb! Boring! Not fun or funny! Absolutely no good qualities at all (maybe Colin Farrell, but there’s only so much one actor can do in a movie like this), not only is this my worst Comic Book Movie… but it ranks as one of my Worst Movies of All Time!

>>The Best!
So clearly, these are the few that actually got it right!

10. Batman Returns
Tim Burton’s dark “Batman” was revolutionary, and even though this sequel was just a skoche lighter, it still maintained the gritty world invented in the first film. This script was surprisingly original and new, with very interesting origin stories for the main villains. On top of that, the film was perfectly cast which is probably the main selling point. Danny DeVito was perfect as the creepy Penguin and Michelle Pfieffer treaded the line perfectly from a mouse-y secretary to a sexy fearless (sort of) villain. Christopher Walken’s role is also a great component to make this film worthy of the top 10

9. Thor
I think of Thor as an extremely complicated story to put on the screen. Where this could have fallen apart totally, the team really did their best to make it flow well and get a lot of information out without slowing down the overall feel of the movie. Add great acting as a selling point, in fact some of the stuff that hit the cutting room floor actually proves how good of an effort this was. It combines a mythological world with a scientific world and the real world effortlessly. And there’s no way they could have cast a better leading man as Hemsworth owned this role.

8. The Dark Knight
I had deemed this movie overrated when it was ridiculously hyped upon release, and I still think the last half hour was a mess … but the rest of the movie is undeniably flawless. Visually it’s dark, but still stunning. The writing is very clever and well thought out, and who can deny Heath Ledger’s spine chillingly scary Joker. It’s not the perfect film Fan Boys would like us to believe, but for what it does get right it is pretty frikkin phenomenal.

7. Iron Man
An atypically adult and mature super hero film. There’s actually not a lot of action as compared to the films running time, but what you get is real fleshed out characters dealing with very real (okay, let your imagination run wild a little bit) situations that are relevant in the real world. And Robert Downey Jr is flawless as the rich boy you want to hate but can’t help but love.

6. Superman
Classic! It’s one of the first big budget comic book movies to really be taken seriously. The effects were good for the time, but luckily they didn’t over-use them because the movie really does still stand up some 30 years later. Richard Donner’s Superman has lots of heart, great casting, and just overall a lot fun. Like what a Comic Book is supposed to be.

5. Captain America
Much like “Thor” (and frankly all of the films leading up to the avengers), “Captain America” had so much plot and character details to get through you’d think it would totally fall apart. However this film has almost a perfect balance of action, drama, character development, humor and intensity.

4. X2
X-men is such a great comic book series, it’s really a shame that most of the film adaptations thus far have been a little lack luster. With the big exception of “X2″, which totally grabbed viewers with the intense and non stop opening scene. By the very suspenseful and climactic end, you feel the film might have been too short. What this film had the other two lacked was that this was all about the action.

3. Batman
This is actually my favorite movie of All Time, simply because director Tim Burton took a totally new approach to the comic book genre. Flipping the corny Batman TV series of the 60′s and turning into a supremely dark and edgy suspense filled thriller with lots of humor with great visuals. This movie really, in my mind, changed the landscape of the comic book flicks and should be celebrated for taking a risk and setting a new trend.

2. Spiderman 2
1. Spiderman

The first two Spiderman movies make the top of my list because I think Sam Raimi and company did the best job of really bringing the comic book feeling to the big screen to life. There’s a certain life to both films that resembles that of an actual comic book, plus some of the visual techniques look like a comic book page re-created. Add to that it’s a fast paced, funny movie with some more than capable actors.

My Top 10 Songs of the Week “HAPPY 420!” : MYFAVORITES

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Buju Banton, Calvin Harris, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Dawn Richard, Janet Jackson, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Rusko, Shabba Ranks, The Black Keys, The Strokes, Top 10 Songs of the Week

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Black Keys, Buju Banton, Calvin Harris, Chaka Demus and Pliers, Dawn Richard, Gym Music, Happy 420, Janet Jackson, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, Rusko, Shabba Ranks, The Black Keys, The Strokes, Top 10, Top 10 Songs of the Week

I’m back!! (Remember when I used to do Album Reviews and such? At least two reviews are down the pipeline, possibly today)

10. Janet Jackson “Feedback”
So I made this Janet vs. Rihanna Cardio Mix. Compiling just a few of boths best Dance songs. I haven’t actually listened to the playlist during Cardio, but this song did come on outside of the gym and I forgot how much I love it. Amazing Amazing Production… props to Rodney Jerkins.

9. Buju Banton “It’s All Over”

8. Dawn Richard “Heaven”

7. The Black Keys “Little Black Submarines”

6. Calvin Harris “Feel So Close”
I find it so strange that I’ve been hearing this song on my local Modern Rock station!? It’s a Dance song at the heart, so I find that very odd (though, they play Bob Marley and Katy Perry at times too, so maybe they re-formatted the station and I just didn’t get the memo). Anyway, I like it!

5. Chaka Demus & Pliers “Murder She Wrote”
DANCEHALL CLASSIC!!! Enough Said!!

4. The Strokes “Under Control”
So, I’m eventually going to write about The Strokes in more detail on the blog. That would explain their presence on my lists the past two weeks… but this week this was definitely the song that stood out for me. Does this song give anybody a “The Tracks of My Tears” vibe!?

3. Dawn Richard “Scripture”
One of the reviews I plan on doing is for Dawn Richard’s EP “Armor On”. This and “Heaven” (#8) are two of the best from a very impressive outing. This one is so calm and so beautifully layered.

2. Shabba Ranks “Ting a Ling
If you notice, there’s a bunch of 90′s Dancehall on my list. Which is very fitting for #420 I think, but mainly because I find that Dancehall is perfect for Cardio. That aside, this song leaves me no choice but to get out my seat and shake wind and drop some thangs!! *Laugh

1. Rusko “Scareware”
I don’t have much to say about this song, other than I put it on repeat whenever I’m doing my weight lifting. I’m not that big of a Dubstep fan, but this song definitely motivates me (and the album is actually decent… I’m talking about “O.M.G.”, I didn’t like his more recent “Songs” album as much). Anyway… #1, That’s It! Now go get your #420 ON!!! =)

My Top 10 Songs of the Week “Sta-Sta-Sta-State of the Art” : MYFAVORITES

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Billy Idol, Coldplay, Gladys Knight, Gotye, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Steel Pulse, The Strokes, Top 10 Songs of the Week

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Billy Idol, Coldplay, Gladys Knight, Gotye, Kimbra, Major Lazer, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, Steel Pulse, The Partysquad, The Strokes, Top 10 Songs

And here it is…

10. The Strokes “New York City Cops”
Thank You Alex of Air Core Yell (check his blog! It’s pretty dope)!! I would never have known about this until he sent me a message in my comment box about this unreleased in America track. I also found a B-Side, a song called “Hawaii” that is forcing me to research all of Stroke’s material and get the missing pieces.
This is why I Heart Comments!

9. Gotye feat. Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”

8. Gladys Knight “The Way We Were/ Try to Remember”
I knew of the Barbra Streisand Classic, but never really cared for it. Loved Beyonce’s tribute at the Kennedy Center Honors from 3 years ago (surprise, surprise right?) but here, Miss Knight does a stellar job of taking the words and putting real feeling into them. I love this version and hate that iTunes doesn’t have it for me to download. curse you iTunes!!

7. Billy Idol “Rebel Yell”

6. Gotye “State of the Art”
Got Gotye’s album this week, and I should review it some time next week but I really liked it. This, sort of electronica, sort of reggae, sort of Pop track was a stand out for me in it’s weirdness.

5. Billy Idol “Dancing with Myself”

4. Coldplay “Paradise”
So, Coldplay is in town next week and really hoping I get the chance to see them. In anticipation I made a pretty sick “First 15″ burned CD of them. This one is a song that I was really lukewarm on at first, but the hook is undeniable, and the story I can really relate to.

3. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad “Original Don”
Still not over Major Lazer apparently! Honestly, I like this song more and more as the weeks go by and appreciate it’s uniqueness.

2. The Strokes “Machu Picchu”
I wasn’t a huge fan of “Angles”, but I always liked this opening track. And as I was trying to get back into the album this week I kept getting stuck on this highly addictive stunner.

1. Steel Pulse “Shining”
Just a really feel good song with awesome production.

My Top 10 Songs of the Week “Dick In Yo Face” : MYFAVORITES

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Aretha Franklin, David Guetta, Foster The People, Gotye, Jennifer Hudson, Major Lazer, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Santana, Top 10 Songs of the Week

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Aretha Franklin, David Guetta, Foster The People, Gotye, Jennifer Hudson, Kimbra, Major Lazer, Ms Thing, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, Nicki Minaj, PattiLaHelle, rihanna, Santana, T.O.K., The Stooges, Top 10 Songs, Top 10 Songs of the Week

Happy Friday, and my Top 10 is back on track on it’s correct day! It was a pretty lackluster week for music for me, but yesterday I signed up for Spotify which I’m already loving… so the coming weeks should be very interesting. Anyhoo, Happy Friday. Happy Easter. Happy Passover. and just Happy LIVES in general… and enjoy!

10. David Guetta feat. Jennifer Hudson “Night of your Life”
Can’t believe I haven’t listed this one yet, but Guetta and Hudson Kill It!! Proving why Jennifer should exercise her House Music muscle a lot more.

9. Nicki Minaj “Come on a Cone”
“If you wasn’t so ugly, I’d put my dick in your face… dick in your face, put my dick in your faaaace” *laughs hysterically*

8. Rihanna “You Da One”
Even though all the crotch rubbing in the music video is off-putting (aside from that it’s a pretty nice video too), I still really like this song.

7. Nicki Minaj “Roman Holiday”
I almost feel bad for trashing Nicki earlier this week, but this is one of the more exciting tracks from the Garbage filled Can that is “Pink Friday … Roman Reloaded”. (and might I add, for an album called “Roman Reloaded” there sure is a lack of Mr. Zolanski… I think this and “Stupid Hoe” are really the only ones that qualify as Roman songs.)

6. The Stooges “1969″
This song, which I just discovered maybe 3 years ago, is quickly becoming one of my Favorite songs of All Time.

5. Santana “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)”
A YouTube commenter says it best : @Retromantra “so much emotion, without words. spellbinding.”

4. Foster the People “Pumped Up Kicks”
How did i let this happen? I despised this song when it started charting last year, but earlier this week I woke up and VH1 was playing it. Ever since, that hook has been stuck in my head. I still don’t really like the song, but I at least appreciate it maybe 5% more.

3. Aretha Franklin “Ain’t No Way”
Don’t ask me why! Maybe it’s because of Patti LaHelle The Shade Motha (more on her later), but yesterday I must have listened to this 6 times in a row. Such a great classic song.

2. Major Lazer feat. T.O.K. & Ms. Thing “Bruk Out”
I’m gonna get over Major Lazer pretty soon, but every week I keep finding a new song from the album that I fall in love with. Obviously it’s this one this week.

1. Gotye feat. Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know”
Anybody Surprised this is actually a big hit. I mean it’s got well written lyrics… a very lush and intricate instrumental… and an actual point! It seems odd that it’s hitting, but I’m glad it is.

Nicki Minaj’s Overloaded “Roman Reloaded” : Album Review

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Album Review, MUSIC, Nicki Minaj

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Album Review, Nicki Minaj, Nicki Minaj Pink Friday Roman Reloaded, Nicki Minaj Pink Friday Roman Reloaded Review, Nicki Minaj Review, Nicki Minaj Roman Reloaded Review, Pink Friday Roman Reloaded, Pink Friday Roman Reloaded Review, Roman Reloaded Review

What happened to Nicki Minaj in the past 2 years!? Back when she was the go-to “Feature Queen” she was fresh and unique and I fell in love with her and expected a lot from her solo career. Her debut “Pink Friday” underwhelmed though, and over the past year it seems she’s lost a lot of her appeal. It can’t be denied that she has done immensely well for herself, not just in sales but in expanding her fan base. She’s no longer just a Hip Hop star but a Pop star as well, and her follow up album “Pink Friday … Roman Reloaded” is a testament to her audience as it dabbles in Hip Hop R&B and Pop. Diversity generally should be applauded, but in this case it feels less natural and extremely calculated. Like the genre hopping wasn’t something she Wanted to do but what she felt she was Supposed to do. Aside from that, diversity is pointless if the content builds up to nothing, which is the problem with the album overall.

The 19 track (and 23 tracks if you buy the deluxe version) is broken up in two parts, one half devoted to Hip Hop and R&B and the other Dance and Pop. The Hip Hop portion is easily the best of the album, with her producers Hitboy, Kenoe and T-Minus going Excessively hard on tracks like “Come on a Cone” “I Am Your Leader” and “Beez in the Trap”. She attacks the tracks with her humor, but the downside is that almost all of the 7 Hip Hop tracks are her stroking her own ego and patting herself on the back for her success which gets boring after a while (a little Humble Pie will go a LONG way). Her two R&B songs are also quite boring, even though the Chris Brown duet “Right By My Side” has a certain charm and cuteness about it.

Things go extremely downhill from there as her and RedOne produce a bunch of same-sounding Dance Pop tracks. “Pound the Alarm” is one that stands out, and “Beautiful Sinner” isn’t GOLD but it’s a tad different from the bunch, where as the rest are just muddled messes of noise. On top of that she only offers lazy and predictable lyrics, in the realm of “..fill my drink up” “…put your hands in the air” and other basic stuff you might find on any Taio Cruz or LMFAO song. And on top of the redundancy, her “Minnie Mouse/Barbie” voice gets extremely grating and lacks any sort of character.

The album is rounded out by some ultra-schlocky “slow” Pop numbers, most embarrassingly “Marilyn Monroe” which had potential to actually say something with some kind of personal substance but is just another paint-by-numbers Pop song with the embarrassing hook “must be how Marilyn Monroe Felt Felt Felt Felt!” (SMDH!!)

There are about a handful of songs that are worthy of going back to. “Roman Holiday” is weird but fun, “Gun Shot” with Beenie Man has Nicki working her Jamaican patois to great effect and “Young Forever” is a slight step above decent. It’s still the Hip Hop cuts that are the saving grace of the album as “Come on a Cone” is hilarious (“dick in your face, put my dick in your face!”) and heavy at the same time, and even the oft-mocked “Stupid Hoe” (which I always found similar to her break out “Itty Bitty Piggy”) at least has the kind of flow she got famous for in her features.

Overall, she just did too much without doing much at all with “Reloaded”. It’s not enough to say “she’s trying new things” (which, she sort of isn’t!), you can’t respect that if she’s taking the laziest route at versatility. It’s clear the multiple genres was simply just to cover her bases and give something to everyone of her fans, but in the end the album feels like it comes from a smart Business Woman and not from a serious Artist.

Rating: 2 Stars
Best: Come On A Cone, Gun Shots, Beez in the Trap

Top 10 Biggest Comebacks (excerpt from Full Blast Magazine) : IMO

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Aerosmith, Cher, Chris Brown, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Marvin Gaye, Meatloaf, MUSIC, Santana, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner

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For Your Information, my writing isn’t just devoted to this blog… Over the years I have contributed pieces to different blogs and online magazines as well. The online magazine I have contributed the most to has been Full Blast Magazine, which went on a hiatus almost a year ago. Fortunately, the magazine just launched it’s first new issue in so long and in the spirit of the magazine coming back, I decided to write a Top 10 list of the Biggest most Memorable Comebacks in Music.

Of course, I want you to actually go to Full Blast Magazine to check out the full article as well as the interviews and reviews in the new issue. However, I do want to give my readers here the gist of what I worked up. Here goes…

10. Chris Brown
The now infamous night nearly dimmed the very bright future that was Chris Brown’s career, it seemed like he was on his way out. In 2011 though, Chris released an amazing album in “F.A.M.E.” which resulted in Brown having one of the best selling albums of that year and earning his first Grammy.

9. Cher
A Comeback doesn’t always have to be returning from a tragic place. Cher’s album and #1 single “Believe” gave the Diva a whole new audience in the younger generation. Her Comeback was less of a return to form, but a return to relevancy.

8. The Rolling Stones
In the mid to late 70’s The Stones’ shocking publicity stunts and over exposure started to wane on the public. Then came 1978’s “Some Girls” album, a huge critical and commercial success that made the public pay attention to their music again.

7. Madonna
Madge suffered one of the biggest media backlashes ever in the early 90’s, and it wasn’t until she scored the much sought after lead in “Evita” and shortly after announced her pregnancy that the masses started to pay attention to her again. The album that followed, “Ray of Light”, was a critical and commercial success and earned Madonna her first Grammy in a major category.

6. Meatloaf
1977’s “Bat Out of Hell” is one of the best selling albums of all time, but Meat Loaf’s career after such phenomenal success did not translate to his 4 subsequent albums. 1993′s “Bat Out of Hell II : Back Into Hell” placed #1 in 9 different countries, while the breakout single “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” earned him his first Grammy and topped the charts in 28 countries. From near obscurity to one of the more Iconic players in Rock

5. Mariah Carey
Outside of Mariah’s ‘Lambs’ most people had written her off after her divorce, subsequent shedding of clothes and buddy-ing up to Hip Hop stars. 2005′s “The Emancipation of Mimi” was the Comeback that was long overdue, scoring one of her biggest singles and Billboard’s #1 song of the last decade “We Belong Together”, she also won her first Grammy in over 15 years and the overall public opinion turned positive.

4. Aerosmith
Around the mid-70’s Aerosmith’s moderate success started to dip. Surprisingly, in 1986 the Rock group collaborated with Rap duo Run DMC on a re-working of their song “Walk This Way”, and it instantly transformed the group into relevant Rockers for the MTV generation.

3. Marvin Gaye
Motown King Marvin Gaye was literally “washed up” in Europe, homeless and floating in debt before he signed a new record deal and released 1982′s “Midnight Love”. The album was a hit, and his Iconic single “Sexual Healing” became a #1 hit, earning him his first two Grammy’s in his 30 plus year career.

2. Santana
The band had major success through the 70′s and 80′s in Latin Rock circles, but it wasn’t until 1999 when they signed with Arista Records and released “Supernatural” did they become a mainstream phenomenon. It was their first #1 album in 28 years, they also acheived their very first #1 Single (“Smooth”). In the end “Supernatural” sold 27 million copies, topped the charts in several countries and earned 9 Grammys.

1. Tina Turner
We all know the triumphant story by now. After her divorce from Ike, Tina found it hard to find success on her own and was relatively out of sight for the remainder of the 70’s. “Private Dancer”, her 1984 album, gave her break out solo success with 3 Top 10 Hits including the #1 single “What’s Love Got To Do WIth It”. The album garnered 4 Grammy’s and established her as The Queen of Rock and Roll. If it wasn’t for the success of “Private Dancer”, who knows what her legacy might have been.