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Category Archives: Kelis

#KELISDAY Top 10 Favorite Kelis Features : MYFAVORITES

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by d1esel6 in Kelis

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Kelis, KELISDAY

As #KELISDAY comes to a close, I couldn’t forget about her entire career and musical output which includes some killer feature work that is just as diverse as her own recordings. Kelis started out as the female voice behind the Neptunes’ sound before they crossed over to the mainstream, so she can be heard on a lot of their early productions. As they grew in popularity, Kelis did as well and she was asked to guest on songs by many high profile acts from all different genres. So enjoy this countdown of my favorite songs featuring Kelis.

10. Nas “Not Going Back”

Yikes! The whirlwind marriage and messy divorce of Kelis and Nas at least provided us with this laid-back cut about a hustler determined never to return to his street life, with Kelis singing a beautiful melody in the back.

 

9. Foxy Brown “Candy”

This song is truly nothing more than a great Neptunes track and a super-cute hook from Kelis. Not much more can be said about it.

 

8. Timo Maas “Help Me”

This is a really haunting track from Electronic artist Timo Maas, and Kelis’ vocals are pure perfection as it matches the mood of the music so well.

 

7. Philly’s Most Wanted “Cross the Border”

Just like “Candy”, this song is simply cute. Kelis’ hook is the stand out thing about the track honestly because it’s so cute and catchy.

 

6. Busta Rhymes featuring Will.I.Am “I Love My Bitch”

This song is so WRONG, but so undeniably RIGHT at the same time. I often cringe about love songs dedicated to a rappers “BITCH”, but this is just too cute an too well put together to not like. Busta and Kelis have a great chemistry which sells the song and them trading off lines back and forth. Simply addictive.

 

5. Calvin Harris “Bounce”

Before Calvin Harris gave Rihanna her huge hit, Kelis was tearing up the clubs with the DJ on this killer dance track.

 

4. N.E.R.D. featuring Pusha-T “Truth or Dare”

“ORGY!” This early N.E.R.D. track is so sexy, with the appropriate balance of rock and R&B and Hip Hop that it almost becomes it’s own genre. It’s just an enjoyable piece of raunch from Team Star Trak!

 

3. Andre 3000 “Dracula’s Wedding”

This song is so weird, and that’s what makes it so great. Andre picked the perfect woman to compliment all the electronic goodness of this decidedly dark (and sometimes really silly) song.

 

2. Ol Dirty Bastard “Got Your Money”

This song is a CLASSIC!!! It’s so funky and funny and catchy, and Kelis had a big part in making it what it is.

 

1. Busta Rhymes “What it Is”

This track is funky as shit, a song that demands it’s listeners to get up a get into it. This makes #1 because I LOVE her bridge section which really takes the song and the track to a whole different level.

#KELISDAY Discography Review : Kelis (1999-2014)

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by d1esel6 in Discography Review, Kelis, MUSIC

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Kelis, Kelis Discography Review, Kelis Flesh Tone, Kelis Flesh Tone Review, Kelis Food, Kelis Food Review, Kelis Kaleidoscope, Kelis Kaleidoscope Review, Kelis Kelis Was Here, Kelis Tasty, Kelis Tasty Review, Kelis Wanderland, Kelis Wanderland Review, Kelis Was Here Review, KELISDAY

From the very moment Kelis was introduced to the world, she was bold and unique and eclectic and most importantly she stood out amongst everyone else. Her first single “Caught Out There” was a bold and LOUD declaration that she had arrived, and the albums that followed showed that she was an artist who would continue to go to the left when everybody else goes right, and an artist that would continually keep switching her career and style up to keep us surprised and intrigued. Here are short reviews of all 6 of her albums. Enjoy!

kelis album II

“Kaleidoscope”

kaleidKelis’ debut and it’s accompanying ecelectic mix of sounds definitely delivered what was promised with that first single “Caught Out There”. The album is bold, and loud and we get a peak into the personality of an artist that is all over the place as far as inspiration and delivery. “Kaleidoscope” was a breath of fresh air in the somewhat stale Urban landscape of music at the end of the 90’s. It’s gritty and energetic and alive and just OUT THERE. The album is also very diverse, giving us the hyper “Caught out There” and the trippy “Mars”, that’s mixed with the funky “Good Stuff” and the breezy “In the Morning”. Being honest though, this album was more of an introduction to the Neptunes for me, because the production was so amaze-balls and refreshing at the time. This was the album that truly started my love affair with the music of Pharrell and Chad, but Kelis did a good enough job putting personality and showing some range to her very sexy voice on the album.

Grade: B –  Best:  Get Along With You, In the Morning, I Want Your Love

“Wanderland”

wanderAmerica! You missed out. Unless of course you were able to score an imported version of this sophomore album.  This Europe-only release is one of Kelis’ best as she really starts to make herself stand out over the incredible Neptunes productions, which are decidely more energetic and upbeat and raw than on the previous album.  This time, things are a little more funky with tracks like “Daddy”, “Scared Money”, “Junkie” and “Digital Love” matching the ultra-popular hits the Neptunes had been delivering to other artists at the time. Ofcourse, Kelis makes them her own with very bold vocal delivery and this time truly letting her personality shine. There’s also a few nice Rock records on here that really fill the album up nicely and give us a Kelis that’s a little more present and up front.

Grade: B +  Best: Young Fresh N’ New, Daddy, Shooting Stars

“Tasty”

TastyThis album is a great one for Kelis, it is definitely a solid album that has mostly Killer and very little filler. It’s very classic yet contemporary album that feels nostalgic on certain tracks (the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam vibes of “Protect My Heart” and the Beastie Boys vibe of “Keep it Down”), but mostly infectious dance songs and soulful slow jams. This is lso an important album for Kelis, as it showed her slowly stepping out of the Neptunes shadow. Their presence is felt on the majority of the tracks, but she employs talent like Rockwilder, Dallas Austin, Andre 3000 and Raphael Saaddiq and surprisingly those songs are some of the albums best. A really solid album, not necessarily as adventurous as her previous two, but a good album overall.

Grade: B +  Best: Millionaire, Flashback, Milkshake

“Kelis Was Here”

was hereIronically, Kelis’ best album (imo of course) is the one that includes ZERO input from the Neptunes. Ironic because I’m such a huge fan of the Neptunes, and wondered how she would sound without them. Fortunately, Kelis found a great team who provided her some amazing music. And at this point, Kelis had truly found her voice and knew what made her unique. The music here is as diverse as before, but a lot more polished and it all just feels a lot more organic in terms of how everything from vocals and features fit together. All of the production shines, but especially the tracks from Will.I.Am and Bangladesh. Will provides a diverse sampling of stuff from the club type records (“What’s That Right There” and “Weekend”) to the more alternative stuff (“Till The Wheels Fall Off”), while Bangladesh gets her in a more Urban zone (“Bossy”, “Aww Shit”) but surprisingly provides her a really great Pop cut (“Handful”). The songs on this album are all great and the flow of the album is a lot stronger than before.

Grade: A –  Best: Till The Wheels Fall Off, Bossy, Aww Shit

“Flesh Tone”

fleshThe idea of this album was odd. The idea of Kelis doing a full on Dance/Club album was slightly strange because we had only heard her flirt with this genre before.  Leading up to this she was featured on a few Club cuts from producers like Benny Benassi and Timo Maas, but for her to do an entire album with that sound was different. Good thing she managed to kill it, with some great introspective lyricism and the confidence to totally switch her style up and attack it with her signature swag. If you are a Dance fan you will definitely appreciate the raw and authentic dance beats she manages to deliver on. This isn’t the Dance/Pop-lite sound that was dominating radio at the time, this is truly gritty and intense 4 to the Floor beats that the Dance purists could appreciate. Then you have the concepts that are really personal, from her talking about her son (“Acapella”, “Brave”) to just being free and enjoying life (“Emancipate”, “Scream”). It’s a short album so the synths and bass don’t get too one note before it’s over, it’s just a perfect little piece of Dance and another example of how much of a risk taker Kelis is.

Grade: B –  Best: Scream, Brave, 4th of July (Fireworks)

“FOOD”

foodThis album seemed to come out of nowhere earlier this year. And the sound is so unassuming and humble, it feels a little underwhelming on first listen. It’s a really low-key, mostly mid-tempo, blues and soul inspired album that is just so mellow that it’s a little difficult to describe. The more the album plays though, the more you appreciate it. The production, which is mostly provided by a live band, is really relaxing but very subtly layered. Her delivery is the same, not going too overboard but also not drowning in the lushness of the music. Clearly I haven’t gotten into this album as much, but it’s definitely satisfying. I think with every new Kelis album, time for adjusting is necessary. At times this doesn’t feel like a Kelis album at all, but Kelis is so out of the box you never really get that feeling and you have to respect that.

Grade: B –  Best: Floyd, Hooch, Biscuits and Gravy

#KELISDAY Top 10 Favorite Kelis Songs : MYFAVORITES

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by d1esel6 in Kelis, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES

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Kelis, Kelis Andre 3000, Kelis Bangladesh, Kelis Best Songs, Kelis Malice, Kelis Pharrell, Kelis The Neptunes, Kelis Too Short, Kelis Top 10 Songs, Kelis Will.I.Am, KELISDAY, Top 10 Kelis Songs, Will.I.Am

So here we are, my Top 10 Favorite Kelis songs. It’s weird, because Kelis’ music is so wide-ranging that I can come up with a different Top 10 for all the specific genres and moods she has tackled in her career. Filing it down though, I have a great compilation of music in this Top 10 list that truly shows the talent and fearlessness of Miss Kelis.

kelis singles I

 

10. “Daddy” featuring Malice

Right around the time I was getting into my imported copy of “Wanderland”, I was writing a movie that was eerily similar to this and a few other songs on the album. This is such a cute song where Kelis sort of rap/talks about her teenage love – a bad boy drug dealer. The song has a really cool laid back flow, and a catchy hook, and ultimately it’s always one that makes me smile and giggle.

 

9. “Flashback”

What more can you say but “yeah yeah!”. This song is so ridiculously catchy and fun and upbeat, you cannot deny it.

 

8. “Young, Fresh N’ New”

“Runway from… HOME!” This was my ANTHEM for a while. I really love the grungey/rock/alternative feel of the track, those synths really get to me in an energetic “fuck yeah” kinda way. Too bad I wasn’t bold enough to heed the words earlier in life, but it’s always been a favorite of mine.

 

7. “Shooting Stars”

This is one of Kelis and the Neptunes’ prettiest songs, the track just oozes romance and the lyrics are so well thought out and meaningful. Her delivery is also perfect as she doesn’t over power the song but doesn’t get drowned out either. Such a beauty, and the second part “rain rain, go away” is the cherry on top of a great ice cream sundae (err, Milkshake?)

 

6. “Milkshake”

Speaking Of…   this is undoubtedly Kelis’ biggest hit, and hell… why not!? It’s such a fun, and FUNKY track with one of the best hooks of the past 15 years. Seriously.

 

5. “What’s That Right There”

Honestly, Kelis’ label at the time was RETARDED for not releasing this gem of a song as a single. It’s got everything you want in a pop hit, the hook is crazy contagious, the track is retro and current at the same time, and overall it’s a fun call and response song that you can’t help but dance and sing a long to.

 

4. “Get Along with You”

This ultra-laid back melancholy epicness displays so much about Kelis and the Neptunes. It displays a softer side to her voice, and displays her incredible songwriting ability. The ability to mix random lines with the emotional and personal concept. This also showed that the Neptunes were equally as skilled producing a wonderfully layered slow record as they were with uptempo funky stuff. This one has truly stood the test of time.

 

3. “Bossy” featuring Too $hort

Kelis, in so many ways, is a true innovator. She takes risks and sets trends that other artists tend to follow. Like this classic song produced by Bangladesh. Before this, the producer was more or less just an underground Hip Hop producer. Enter Kelis and this cocky attitude-inspired record, and the likes of Beyonce, Usher and Rihanna followed suit rushing to use Bangladesh for their hits. Ultimately though, this song is great because of the swag Kelis puts on the delivery, the great hook, and the overall vibe of the very popular record.

 

2. “Till the Wheels Fall Off”

Will.I.Am may not be the most respected producer out there, but I have always loved his ability to be diverse. Many people probably wouldn’t believe this is one of his productions, it’s a nice balance of Pop and Rock and Soul, with a crazy contagious hook and just a nice mellow vibe that makes it one I always have to repeat several times before moving to the next track.

 

1. “Millionaire” featuring Andre 3000

Honestly, when I decided to make my Top 10 Favorite Kelis songs list I had no idea what could possibly top the list. There’s a feeling that I enjoy all of her songs equally, but this collaboration with Andre 3000 had to take the top spot for a bunch of different reasons. Firstly, the concept and the lyrics of this song are so heartfelt and meaningful. Both artists do a great job of laying down the idea that just because you have everything, doesn’t mean you can’t suffer loneliness and not feeling fulfilled. Andre 3000’s rap verse is GENIUS, one of my favorite of all times. And the sort of electro-dance-pop track is the perfect underlying tone for this song that has so many layers and is just so perfectly produced.

#KELISDAY

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by d1esel6 in Kelis

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Kelis, Kelis Rogers, KELISDAY

Happy Tuesday! And as promised I am going to continue my “Artist Appreciation” going this month, you all enjoyed #DAFTPUNKDAY last week and this week I’m going to shine a light on another one of my all time favorite underrated artists. Her name is KELIS!

collage IINow, maybe I shouldn’t say “underrated”. I feel like over Kelis’ 15 plus year career she’s been able to establish herself as one of the most unique and eclectic artists of the past two decades. She definitely has a good following, and she’s had a good amount of hits to carry her name this far. So she may not be “underrated” per say, but I’ll admit that sometimes months go by and I don’t even think of Kelis, and one song can set me off and I’m listening to her entire discography and amazed at how amazing she is as an artist.

She’s just COOL in so many ways. She’s a style maven, her music is incredibly diverse, and like she says in interviews she is “consistently inconsistent”. She’s one of the only artists that actually surprise us, like going from an Urban-themed album to something completely Dance, to a funky Soul throwback album. She’s also surprising in the various features she has contributed her husky/sexy voice to.

So today we are going to get into her music. What I have planned are just three posts, a Discography Review, my Top 10 favorite songs by her and my Top 10 favorite featured performances from her.

I actually have a final due tonight, and I’m putting the finishing touches on it while I try to finish this Day up. It’s going to be a pressure cooker in my brain trying to get these posts out and my school work done. But we are going to NAIL IT! So sit back, Enjoy, and Stay Tuned.

>2011 Grammy Nominations — Reaction!

04 Friday Feb 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire, B.o.B., Beyoncé, Big Boi, Broken Bells, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Gorillaz, Grammys, Janelle Monáe, Jay-Z, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kelis, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, LCD Soundsystem, Ludacris, Maroon 5, Monica, Neon Trees, Nicki Minaj, Paramore, Ray Lamontagne, Rihanna, Robyn, Sade, The Black Keys, The Roots, Toni Braxton, Train, Trey Songz, Vampire Weekend, Young Jeezy

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Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire, B.o.B., beyonce, Big Boi, Black Keys, Broken Bells, Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo Green, CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Fantasia, Gorillaz, Grammys, Hayley Williams, Janelle Monae, Jay-Z, Jeezy, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Kelis, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady GaGa, LCD Soundsystem, Ludacris, Maroon 5, Monica, Neon Trees, Nicki Minaj, Paramore, Ray Lamontagne, rihanna, Robyn, Sade, The Black Keys, The Roots, Toni Braxton, Train, Trey Songz, Vampire Weekend, Young Jeezy

>Now, you may not know that I posted my Grammy PredictionBlog literally 45 minutes before the nominations were announced. I was on Twitter and Grammy.com’s Live blog getting the announcements of who was nominated and who was snubbed. The reaction I had when the full list of nominations was finally available on the Grammy website was WTF!? Literally.

I’m not mad, not even all that surprised, just a little confused. Like last year, when GaGa, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas and Taylor Swift were up for Album of the Year it  just felt like the Grammy voters were choosing the most popular and best selling artists. This year with the Big 4 including a diverse group of artists like Cee-Lo Green, Ray Lamontagne, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars it’s not clear what the Grammy voters were thinking. I’ll pick the nominees apart in another post, but let’s first talk about how I was pretty spot on predicting which artists would be nominated, just not too spot on with the actual categories they’d be nominated for.

Of course Eminem was the King of nominations scoring 11. He got the Album, Single and Record of the Year nods I predicted and 6 of his nominations are in the Hip Hop category (competing against himself in two of those categories) which I also predicted. The remaining two nods are for Short Form Music Video for “Love the Way You Lie” (really???) and for his feature work in “Airplanes Part II” by B.o.B. Unfortunately he is really the only Hip Hop artist to dominate the Big 4 categories this year, so that goes against my earlier prediction that Drake, Jay-Z and the aforementioned B.o.B. would be big contenders. Jay-Z only nabbed a Record of the Year nomination for his “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys, same story for B.o.B. who finds himself in the same category with “Nothing On You” with Bruno Mars. And Drake’s only Big 4 nomination comes in the form of Best New Artist, in fact, despite having one of the best albums of the year Drake is only up for 4 total awards.

Lady GaGa ended up being a nominations leader again this year, and given the artists that were snubbed for Album of the Year (Jay-Z, Drake, Robyn, Sade, Rihanna, Janelle Monáe) it’s really upsetting that her 8 track EP “The Fame Monster” is actually up for that category. That undeserved nomination brings this years total to 6 nominations, though she missed out on Song and Record of the Year “Bad Romance”, “Telephone” and oddly enough “Dance in the Dark” are up for multiple nominations. Katy Perry also ended up doing better than I thought, as she did grab a nomination for Album of the Year even when I said it probably wouldn’t happen. Her “Teenage Dream” album helped to score her 4 nominations, not in the Song of the Year or Record of the Year category, but I was correct about the title track nabbing Pop Vocal Performance and “California Gurls” up for Pop Collaboration.

Country group Lady Antebellum also did well for themselves as I predicted.  They pulled 6 total nominations, 3 coming from the Big 4 categories Album of the Year, Record and Song of the Year for “Need You Now”, all of which I accurately predicted. Of the most nominated acts this year, the only one who surprised me was Bruno Mars who is also competing in 6 categories. His debut album “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” missed the cut-off for this year, but his singles feature work and writing made him a leading competitor. Another big surprise, the song he wrote for Cee-Lo Green “F**k You” (or “Forget You” the censored, radio friendly version) is up for both Song and Record of the Year.

And since I’m giving my honest reactions, maybe that song didn’t deserve it’s nods. It’s a fun song, but it didn’t make too many waves on the charts so I’m really surprised it’s up for such high honors.

Arcade Fire did score a nod for Album of the Year as I predicted for “The Suburbs”, but weren’t nominee leaders this year with only two other nominations. Another big surprise is the virtual snubbing of Sade, who only scored two nominations Pop Vocal, Group (“Babyfather”) and R&B Vocal, Group (“Soldier of Love”). Maybe it’s because their album was released so early in the year, voters forgot about them, but it was really a shock to see them only in two categories (however, looking back, they’ve never been nominee leaders, generally only getting one nomination per album).

Most of the other acts I mentioned as shoe-in’s in my Nominee Prediction post were named. Vampire Weekend, The Black Keys, Ludacris, Gorillaz, Young Jeezy, Nicki Minaj, Train and Janelle Monae are all up for at least one award.

And even some picks from my “For Your Consideration” portion are up. Very pleased by the nominations for Broken Bells, Robyn, Maroon 5, Big Boi, and Adam Lambert. And I was very pleased to see John Legend and The Roots‘ collaboration album “Wake Up” nominated in 5 categories, but the homage to the old school of R&B isn’t really a surprising choice.

Which leads to what I think are the biggest snubs. Actually, most of the artists I wanted to be nominated got at least one. However I feel a lot of them were shortchanged in categories they were more deserving of. For instance, Jay-Z and Drake should have definitely been up for Album of the Year. Katy Perry, who maybe got more than she deserves as far as nominations, should have gotten more love for her excellent pop Single “Teenage Dream”. And even though I personally like “Nothin on You” more than “Airplanes” by B.O.B., I feel like the latter is way more Grammy friendly and a great convergence of Hip Hop meets Rock with Hayley Williams on board.

Rihanna scored 4 nominations, 3 coming from Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” (the other for Dance Single “Only Girl (In the World)”) but to see zero nominations for her superior “Rated R” album, and none for her deliciously pop single “Rude Boy” is surprising. Another great Pop single that was snubbed was Neon Trees‘ “Animal”, which should have at least been up for Pop Vocal, Group if not more.
I also feel that Christina Aguilera should have been up for something, if only Pop Vocal, Female for her second single “You Lost Me” over Beyoncé‘s live rendition of “Halo” (which she won Pop Vocal, Female for last year).

Two terrible omissions came in the R&B category where Fantasia and Monica‘s subpar albums are nominated instead of Erykah Badu‘s “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)” and Toni Braxton‘s “Pulse”. And while Janelle Monáe scored two nominations, she was probably the biggest snub in the New Artist category (Justin Bieber got nominated over her).  I’m also really surprised that Trey Songz is not up for anything this year, and especially not for his addictive single with Nicki Minaj (who also I was surprised only scored one nomination after more than a dozen collaborations the past year) “Bottoms Up”.

And finally in the Dance categories, which is relegated to two categories (Dance Recording and Electronic/Dance Album) and only 10 spots, Kelly Rowland should have definitely knocked one of them out for Dance Recording with probably the best true Dance single of 2010 “Commander”, while Kelis switched up her whole style on the stellar Dance album “Flesh Tone”. Also it was very strange to not see one of the most critically acclaimed Electronic albums LCD Soundsystem‘s “This is Happening” not up for anything.
So those are my very overdue reactions, and sometime next week (before my Birthday on Thursday) I’ll post my Predictions for Winners as the Grammy’s are just 9 days away.

>Year In Music, 2010

02 Sunday Jan 2011

Posted by d1esel6 in B.o.B., Beyoncé, Big Boi, Black Eyed Peas, Broken Bells, Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo Green, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Daft Punk, Drake, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Far East Movement, J Cole, Janelle Monáe, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelis, Kelly Rowland, Lady Gaga, Lil Kim, Lil Wayne, M.I.A., Maroon 5, Miguel, Monica, Mr Hudson, Neon Trees, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Robyn, Sade, Surfer Blood, Taio Cruz, The Roots, Toni Braxton, Trey Songz, Year In Music, Year In Music 2010, Young Money

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2010 Music, American Idol, Angie Martinez, Bed Intruder, Black Eyed Peas, Broken Bells, Bruno Mars, Cee-Lo Green, CeeLo Green, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, ciara, Daft Punk, Drake, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Far East Movement, J Cole, Janelle Monae, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelis, Kelly Rowland, Lady GaGa, Lil Kim, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, M.I.A., Miguel, Monica, Mr Hudson, Neon Trees, Nicki Minaj, rihanna, Robyn, Steven Tyler, Surfer Blood, Taio Cruz, The Roots, Toni Braxton, Top Albums of 2010, Top Artists of 2010, Top Music Videos of 2010, Top Singles of 2010, Trey Songz, Weezy, Year In Music, Year In Music 2010, Young Money

>

Honestly, 2010 wasn’t such a horrible year in Music.Of course alot of the best stuff went under the radar, but even some of the more successful Pop stuff was surprisingly good and inventive. Here is my fairly positive assessment of the Year in Music for 2010, and hopes for 2011.

> > ARTIST OF THE YEAR

1. Young Money — Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne knew he was going to be gone (till November as he said on Drake’s “Miss Me”), but in order to keep getting his money he formed the Young Money mafia and groomed two of the biggest Hip Hop stars of the Year. Even before Drake and Nicki Minaj took off with impressive numbers for their debut albums, the Young Money clique had the biggest Hip Hop hit of the year with “Bed Rock”  (because let’s be real “Love the Way You Lie” is a POP song) and a solid selling and actually surprisingly good self titled album. Drake, who was buzzed about all last year, started things off with two huge summer singles and over 500k in first week sales of his debut “Thank Me Later”. All the while Nicki Minaj was making a big name for herself being featured on most of the bigger releases of the year (Usher, Christina Aguilera, Ludacris). She’s ending the year with her debut album “Pink Friday” selling nearly a million copies in a little over a month and quickly becoming a household name. Once Wayne himself got out of prison, he was already sitting with another #1 by releasing an EP “I Am Not a Human Being”. Proof that when his next full length album comes out he’s going to be a force to reckoned with. Now if only anybody could remember the names of the other Young Money crew members, we’ll see how things works out for them next year, if at all.

2. Katy Perry
3. Eminem
4. Lady GaGa
5. Kanye West

> > Artists who Deserves More Shine

1. Robyn
The swedish Electro Queen delivers both radio accessible Dance hits, as well as authentic and original Electronic music. There’s no reason why “Hang with Me” or “Stars 4 Ever” couldn’t be huge stateside, but it’s possible that her sound and lyrics are watered down and simple enough, sad really.

2. Janelle Monáe
Her full length debut album “TheArchAndroid” shows an artist who loves music and it’s history and doesn’t so much care for what’s popular, but incorporating different sounds and making interesting music. Of course radio would shun her, but critics (namely those who vote for the Grammys) should be fawning all over her. There’s still a shot she will emerge and be more widely respected for her talents.

3. Mr Hudson
His 2009 UK release “Straight No Chaser” is still one of my favorite albums in recent years, and I was hoping his guest appearance on Jay-Z’s hit single “Young Forever” would amp up his promotion in the US. Somehow he’s been forgotten again, maybe he’ll just have to settle for moderate success though he should be huge.
> > FAIL of the Year Award

Lil Kim
When Rihanna first came out it was clear her label was molding her to be the new Beyonce in style, but Beyonce had only glowing things to say about her because obviously she was an inspiration to the than new artist. When Drake came out his style of the non-posing Hip Hop rapper was similar to Kanye’s early work, and Kanye never publicly demanded Drake pay his respects to him, he actually worked with him. Simply because both those artists are established and aren’t threatened by any newbies. Unfortunately Lil Kim obviously felt threatened by up and coming Hip Hop star Nicki Minaj which brings us to the biggest FAIL of the year.
Kim’s first initial argument about Nicki was a FAIL because when she asked her to “pay homage”, Nicki had already done so in interviews and photo shoots. When Nicki said nothing against the Queen Bee, Kim just kept at it doing various radio interviews carrying on the beef in the media but never putting her thoughts on wax, which is how these Rap Beefs usually work. So when Nicki finally responded on “Roman’s Revenge” which was released shortly before her “Pink Friday” album dropped, and a radio interview with Angie Martinez showed Nicki being logical, intelligent and even still paying respects to Kim. Than Kim desperately put together a lackluster response “Black Friday” which showed exactly why Nicki has taken her spot, her flow and delivery were boring and the lyrics weren’t very clever at all. And even worse, most of the things Kim uses to call Nicki out apply to her and her early career (the “buffoon” remarks, and the idea that Nicki slept her way to the top when we all know that’s Kim’s story) or were flat out delusional (“still running the game” — REALLY????). In the end “Pink Friday” is doing better than any Kim album already, and Nicki’s more mature approach to this “beef” will make her the winner in the long run.

> > Nicki Minaj Feature Verse of the Year

1. Kanye West “Monster”
2. Diddy Dirty Money “Hello Good Morning Remix”
3. Trey Songz “Bottoms Up”
4. Gyptian “Hold Yuh Remix”
5. Ludacris “My Chick Bad”
6. Lil Wayne “Knockout”
7. Young Money “Roger That”
8. DJ Khaled “All I Do Is Win Remix”
9. Jason Derulo “In My Head
10. Sean Garrett “Get It All”

> > New Artist of the Year

1. Nicki Minaj
2. Surfer Blood
3. Justin Bieber
4. J Cole
5. Bruno Mars

> > Biggest Disappointments of the Year

While none of these three albums are complete garbage, given the caliber of artists behind the releases most have high expectations, and all of these albums just fell short.

1. M.I.A. “/\/\/\Y/\”
2. Daft Punk “Tron”
3. Christina Aguilera“Bionic”

> > ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Picking the #1 album was difficult for me this year, and even as this is posted I’ll probably still have second thoughts about it. It’s definitely between two Hip Hop albums Drake’s “Thank Me Later” and Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”.

Drake “Thank Me Later”
Why it deserves the #1 spot: Drake’s album is perfectly cohesive, the tone and the style of each song blends effortlessly into the next. Even in concept the album tells the story of a man with dreams and watching his dreams come true. The ease at which he transitions from rapping to singing is also new and different and feels totally natural. And it also feels a little more relate-able to the listeners, and another genius thing each and every song has a verse for hardcore Hip Hop fans and one for his female listeners. A clever, complex, carefree album.
Why it should be #2:The drawback to giving this the #1 spot is, even though it takes a few risks with extended verses and the overall ambient feel of the album, it’s still very much a mainstream accessible album (thus the pandering to different sets of fans mentioned above).

Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy”
Why it deserves the #1 spot: “My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy” is definitely Kanye’s peak thus far, and he’s been a genius his whole career. The albums strength is that it embodies the different styles Kanye has mastered on his previous four albums, but elevates them and mixes them with classic instrumentation and sounds of rock, alternative, hip hop and R&B. Because of all the mixing the album could have gone terribly wrong, but it manages to never sound forced or overproduced. It just all feels perfect, and is truly a Hip Hop masterpiece because of all the elements working perfectly together.
Why it should be #2:There’s honestly a lot of clever word play here and he tackles some really deep and important issues. However the main selling point of Drake’s album is that it was cohesive in theme, it felt like a story. Kanye’s “Dark and Twisted Fantasy” while very cohesive as far as the musical arrangements and feel, is not so much cohesive in theme, there’s really no story there just random thoughts.Which I suppose is what a “Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” would feel like.

I’m going to give the #1 , pretty predictably since it’s the best reviewed album of the year, to Kanye. Both albums feel really classic, and though I instantly fell in love with “Thank Me Later” and still love it to this day, Kanye feels more like a piece of art, like his short video for “Power”, so much thought and work and creativity went into it feels more like a Masterpiece.

1. Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark and Twisted Fantasy”
2. Drake “Thank Me Later”
3. Broken Bells “Broken Bells”
4. John Legend & The Roots “Wake Up!”
5. Robyn“Body Talk”
6. Surfer Blood “Astro Coast”
7. Rihanna “Loud”
8. Janelle Monáe “TheArchAndroid
9. Erykah Badu“New Amerykah”
10. Toni Braxton“Pulse”

> > SINGLE OF THE YEAR

1. Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”
2. Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and Bon Iver “Monster”
3. Rihanna featuring Drake “Whats My Name?”
4. Drake “Find Your Love”
5. B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars “Nothin on You”
6. Toni Braxton “Hands Tied”
7. Robyn “Dancing on my Own”
8. Sade “Soldier of Love”
8. Black Eyed Peas “Imma Be”
9. Neon Trees“Animal”
10. Kelly Rowland “Commander”


> >Guilty Pleasures of the Year

1. Ke$ha
She also gets my > > I Was Wrong Award because last year, when I hadn’t even heard “Tik Tok” in it’s entirety, I predicted the minimal talents of Ke$ha would wear thin once that song had faded out. Dam I was wrong, not that she became a real force to be reckoned with in the industry (her album releases and re-releases continue to flop — and her live performances are sub par to put it nicely), but she was able to get a few more hits using her auto-tuned, generic yet catchy songs. She became my #1 Guilty Pleasure late in the year, even though most of her songs sound the same and talk about the same stuff, who can deny her singles “Take it Off” “Your Love is My Drug” or “We R Who We R”. You hear her songs once and somehow they are stuck in your head. Still, other than catchy hooks and Whiskey references, Ke$ha doesn’t offer much else so we’ll have to see how things turn for her in 2011.

2. Black Eyed Peas “The Beginning” (Album)
3. Taio Cruz “Dynamite”
4. Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj “Bottoms Up”
5. Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris “Baby”

> > YouTube Clip of the Year

1. “Bed Intruder”
I don’t think anybody can watch this clip without having “Hide Ya Kids, Hide Ya Wife” or “run and tell dat Homeboy” stuck in their head afterwards. A shameful news clip is remixed into one of the most viewed videos, you wanna say SMH, but than you find yourself singing along and clapping to “We Gon Find You!”

2. Jay-Z and Beyonce performing “Young Forever”
Just too cute for words

3. Nicki Minaj’s Angie Martinez Interview

Listening to Nicki Minaj logically talk about whole Lil Kim situation, while still showing respect to one of her inspirations, shows just how immature and petty the older Kim is acting.

> > MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

1. M.I.A. “Born Free”

2. Jay-Z “On to the Next One” (tie) Rihanna “Rock Star 101”

3. Lady GaGa “Alejandro”

4. Ciara “Ride” (tie) “Gimme Dat”

5. Beyoncé “Why Don’t You Love Me”


6. Kelis “Acapella”


7. Rihanna “Only Girl (In The World)”


8. Drake featuring Lil Wayne “Miss Me”

9. Lady GaGa and Beyoncé “Telephone”


10. Cee-Lo “F**k You”



> > The PLEASE STFU!!! Award

1. Kanye West
By now, we all know that Kanye West is the most outspoken celebrity of late. And sometimes his outbursts were justified and Needed, but this year coming off his hiatus after the VMA controversy it seems that he didn’t learn a thing. He opened up a Twitter account and spouted random thoughts about clothing, traveling and Justin Bieber all leading up to the release of the best reviewed album of the year. And than things just got out of hand, firstly him feeling sorry for his 2005 comments about President Bush (the commander in chiefs apathy during a crisis and a controversy on a cable Awards show are NOT the same thing at all), than the Matt Lauer bust up. He now just comes off as a man who can never be happy about anything unless things are going 100% his way.
Kanye PLEASE STFU!!!! better yet, just put out music and don’t do any publicity. Let us appreciate the genius of your music without having your dickhead soundbytes to remind us what you’re really like.

> > Most OVERRATED Artist and Album of the Year

1. Eminem “Recovery”
Look, there’s no denying that Eminem can literally give us his worst and it’ll be better than most other rappers. He’s naturally gifted with a great flow and clever lyricism with his music, my only problem is he’s always the SAME Eminem. It never feels like he tries to do anything different, and really why should he when every time he drops an album he gets massive sales. This year, with the help of Rihanna and probably his biggest Pop hit “Love the Way You Lie”, he’s being hailed for an album that is really lackluster and very undeserving.

2. Bruno Mars “Doo Wops and Hooligans”
3. Monica “Still Standing”

> > Most OVERRATED Single of the Year

1. Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are”
2. Eminem featuring Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie”
3. Far East Movement “Like a G6”

> > Most UNDERRATED Single of the Year

1. Kelly Rowland“Commander”
2. Maroon 5 “Misery”
3. Miguel “All I Want Is You”

> > Most UNDERRATED Album of the Year

1. Big Boi“Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty”
2. Toni Braxton“Pulse”
3. Kelis “Flesh Tone”

> > Best Career Move

Jennifer Lopez becoming a judge on “American Idol”
The new judging line up of “American Idol” was a pretty big deal this year, and Jennifer Lopez (who I called out last year) jumped on it. Securing a spot as one of the “esteemed” judging panel for 2011’s “American Idol” should prove well for her, she’s still a big star and much more so than Paula Abdul when she joined the first season of the show. If she plays her cards right, this could help any future film or music projects for her. The jury is still out on if people will watch without Simon, but I’m sure most are at least intrigued by the new judging

> > Worst Career Move

Chris Brown having a Twitter account
Chris has been hustling this year, trying to get his career back on track. Working on mixtapes and releasing singles and videos left and right even though he has no new album to promote. It’s been working, but it seems everytime anybody mentions his “incident” two years ago, he turns into a little child instead of doing the mature thing and not responding. His fans don’t seem to mind, but it’s not doing him any good in the mainstream eye which is who he needs to get back on his team the most.

> > COLOSSAL Flop of the Year

1. Christina Aguilera“Bionic”

Wow! From every angle you look at it, Christina Aguilera’s “Bionic” has to be the biggest flop the pop world has seen in years. And really who is to blame, well let’s start with the label RCA. The album feels like one half what Christina actually wanted the sound to be (experimental Indie/Electro on “Elastic Love” and the title track among a few others) and what the label wanted it to be for chart dominance (the dated sounding single “Not Myself Tonight” and annoying pop fodder “I Hate Boys” for example). Those two different directions made the album uneven, but there are a lot of successful albums that are even worse. A lot of her fans blame Perez Hilton for constantly saying her new look was similar to Lady GaGa’s, which in a lot of aspects (especially the “Not Myself Tonight” music video) was true — but acts like Beyonce, Usher and Nicki Minaj get called out for copying other artists and it didn’t hurt their sales. Who’s next to blame, well the artist herself. From her icy and impersonal interviews, to her classless, over-sung (and partially lipped) MTV Movie Award performance she just didn’t seem to make any smart decisions in the promotion. The final result was an album that fell out of the Billboard 200 within months, and a first single that couldn’t even pass the Top 20 mark with her follow up singles lingering in the bottom half of the Hot 100 (if at all).
Christina did end the year on a bit of a high note. Her acting debut “Burlesque” wasn’t a box office smash, but wasn’t a complete Flop and it ended up getting a few Golden Globe nominations, including one for a song she wrote for the soundtrack. Here’s hoping Christina follows up quickly and makes some new and unique decisions
about her music and promotion.

2. Ciara 

Ciara also gets the > >You Poor Thing Award because she was the Flop of the Year last year. When she released her new “promo single” “You Got Me (Basic Instincts)” it seemed like she was on the right track because she was singing about what she did wrong in the previous era. Trying to be someone she’s not, and she promised to go back to her roots with the next album. Her single and video “Ride” were a step in the right direction, but than things started taking a down turn. BET banned her video (more on that later), and her album was pushed back several times while her songs were being leaked left and right (just like with the Fantasy Ride album). By the time her album did come out of nowhere in December with no promotion, it debuted at #43 with only around 30, 000 copies sold. OUCH!!!!
Her problem is the people behind her, to me it feels like somebody at her label is really out to ruin her career and are sabotaging her at every point. She needs to get away from those people and keep on grinding because she’s really capable of being a long lasting R&B artist, but after a while she might just stop trying. Poor Thing.


> > Trends that need to END!

1. The Dance Pop trend.
Please, it’s been the popular sound for too many years and now it’s just allowing people to be lazy. In both Production, and Lyrics. Compared to true dance music, the tracks are normally a diluted and repetitive generic version of Dance. And lyrically we’ve gotten to a place where we accept a song titled “Blah Blah Blah”. We need something new, and I have a feeling a more Island style is set to take over.

2. Re-Releases.

What used to be a clever marketing tool, is now clearly the proof that we are in a Singles oriented industry and the label heads don’t really care about whole albums. Artists might as well just follow Robyn’s idea of putting out short EP’s every few months, because aside from a few exceptions a Re-Release sort of cheapens the idea of putting together a cohesive full album, when in a few months your just going to scrap together some filler for a Re-Release only intended to promote 1 or 2 new songs.

3. Product Placement in Music Videos.
I understand artists nowadays have to get their money in unique ways, but too many Pop stars this year took the fun out of their videos by making them look too much like commercials. Ke$ha’s “We R Wo We R”, Lady GaGa’s “Telephone” and “Bad Romance” videos, and Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight” stand out as big abusers of this crime. Hopefully in 2011 artists can at least find more clever ways of incorporating the products in their videos.

>2011 Grammy Nominations — Predictions!

02 Thursday Dec 2010

Posted by d1esel6 in Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Arcade Fire, B.o.B., Beyoncé, Big Boi, Broken Bells, Bruno Mars, Danger Mouse, Drake, Eminem, Erykah Badu, Fantasia, Gorillaz, Grammys, Janelle Monáe, Jay-Z, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelis, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, LCD Soundsystem, Ludacris, Maroon 5, MGMT, Monica, Mr Hudson, Neon Trees, Nicki Minaj, Owl City, Rick Ross, Rihanna, Robyn, Sade, Snoop Dogg, Sparklehorse, Surfer Blood, The Black Keys, The Roots, Toni Braxton, Train, Usher, Vampire Weekend, Young Jeezy

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>As much as it pains me to acknowledge it, Eminem will almost definitely be the Grammy leader when nominations are announced later today. Although his recent album “Recovery” is still a sub par outing, Eminem had a huge hit this year with Rihanna that was still on Grammy voters minds when submitting nomination choices a few weeks ago.

A lot has been made about the fact that he’s never won Album of the Year in the media, and the fact that he’s been very present this year with feature work and his album selling as consistently well as his previous outings will assure him multiple nominations (even though his album was garbage, but hey that’s just my opinion). He’ll be a lock for Album of the Year as well as Record and Song of the Year for “Love the Way You Lie” with Rihanna, and he’ll dominate the Hip Hop categories.

Other than Eminem, the other leading nominees will most likely come with a lot of surprises. I’m honestly not as confident with my predictions this year as in previous years, but there are some artists that made such a big impact this year I couldn’t imagine them being left out. And given last years nominees, the popular acts and best sellers will probably be the most mentioned when it comes to nominations.

Judging by that, I have an instinct that this year may be a big year for Hip Hop in the Big 4 categories (Album, Record, Song and New Artist of the Year). Eminem’s “Recovery” is a lock for Album of the Year, but I also wouldn’t count out eligible albums by Drake (“Thank Me Later”) and Jay-Z (“The Blueprint 3”).

Jay’s album came out last year right after the cut off, but the album received critical praise and ended up having three really big mainstream singles. His only problem is since the album was released so long ago, it might be forgotten. Even if he doesn’t get that big nomination for the album, I could see “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys up for Record and/or Song of the Year.

Drake was the new artist with the biggest hype last year, and even though he didn’t have his album out he was up for three awards, so it seems obvious that he will be back again this year, and since his album was a steady seller it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in Album of the Year. He seems like a shoe-in for New Artist of the year however (and will probably win).

B.O.B. will most likely be up for New Artist of the Year as well, and even though his album might not be up for the top prize, his single “Airplanes” was so massive it’s sure to be competing for Record or Song of the Year (possibly both).

Eminem, Drake, Jay-Z and B.O.B. are sure to be favorites in the Hip Hop categories, and I believe they will probably be competing with themselves in certain categories. B.O.B. will probably get two nominations for Rap/Sung Collaboration for both “Airplanes” and “Nothing On You” with Bruno Mars. Same for Jay-Z who should find “Empire State of Mind” and “Young Forever” with Mr Hudson competing against each other. Drake’s “Over” and “Miss Me” will surely be up for nods. Also expect to see Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj whose feature work should snag her a few nods, as well as her hit single “Your Love”.

As far as Pop music goes, Katy Perry will probably come out with a bunch of nominations. Her album “Teenage Dream”, which is better than some of the Album of the Year nominees of last year, will probably miss out in that category. However her name should pop up in most of the Big 4 categories, as the albums title track is surely deserved of Song and Record of the Year nominations as well as Pop Vocal Performance, Female. The album should get a Pop Album nomination, and depending on how her label plays it “California Gurls” with Snoop Dogg could be up for Dance Recording or Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Lady GaGa was one of the nomination leaders last year, and expect her to be up for alot this year for her singles and videos from “The Fame Monster” EP. That release is only 8 songs long, and it’s doubtful it will be up for Album of the Year. However “Bad Romance” is sure to be up for Record or Song of the Year, as well as Female Pop Vocal and Dance Recording. Her and Grammy favorite Beyonce‘s collaboration “Telephone” will probably Win Pop Collaboration. As far as Short Form Music Video, any and all of her three video releases (“Bad Romance”, “Telephone” and “Alejandro”) deserve a nomination.

In the Rock and Indie scene The Black Keys, MGMT and Vampire Weekend are buzzed about underground acts that were more successful this year on a mainstream level. All of their releases came out in the first quarter of the year and could be forgotten, but thanks to a little commercialization Black Keys and Vampire Weekend might be up for a few awards, they have songs that have recently gained mainstream success because of television advertisements.

However the Indie act of the year that is most likely to get the most nominations are Arcade Fire, whose third album “The Suburbs” was a critical and commercial success. The group has won a Grammy for Alternative Album for both of their previous outings, and now that they are more known on the mainstream level I expect them up for Album of the Year no question. As far as any other possible nominations, I’m not sure but they will probably all fall under the Alternative categories.

One last shoe-in for Top 4 nominations is country group Lady Antebellum. I’m not very familiar with them, but I know I have read their name A LOT this past year. They are obviously very popular, and very respected as their second album “Need You Now” has been met with a lot of positive critiques. Again, I’m not familiar with them, but I would imagine Album of the Year isn’t out of the question. And the title track, which rose to #2 on the Pop charts will be a contender for Record and Album of the Year. And the group will most likely dominate the Country categories, as Taylor Swift did last year.

And finally the Grammys always have a soft spot for legendary acts making a comeback, and though it wasn’t really a comeback in that sense Sade‘s “Soldier of Love” album single and video will easily compete in a few categories, including the Big 4. That album was released in January and has since lost a lot of steam, but it’s Sade who has won a Grammy for nearly every album released. They won’t be totally forgotten, but I doubt they’ll be nomination leaders.

So here are my educated guesses for the Top 4 categories.

Album of the Year

Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”
Drake “Thank Me Later”
Eminem “Recovery”
Jay-Z “The Blueprint 3”
Lady Antebellum “Need You Now”
Sade “Soldier of Love”

Question marks on Drake and Jay-Z, Eminem might be too much Hip Hop for that category thus canceling those two (far superior albums) out. Also Sade is a question mark, because after the first single not much attention was paid to that album.

Record of the Year

B.O.B. and Hayley Williams “Airplanes”
Eminem and Rihanna “Love the Way You Lie”
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind”
Katy Perry “Teenage Dream”
Lady Antebellum “Need You Now”
Lady GaGa “Bad Romance”

Other possible nominations OMG by Usher, California Gurls by Katy Perry, Not Afraid by Eminem, Fireflies by Owl City, Tik Tok by Ke$ha, Find Your Love by Drake

Song of the Year

B.O.B. and Hayley Williams “Airplanes”
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys “Empire State of Mind”
Lady Antebellum “Need You Now”
Lady GaGa “Bad Romance”
Sade “Soldier of Love”
Train “Hey, Soul Sister”

New Artist

B.O.B.
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Drake
Janelle Monae

For Your Consideration:
I’ve been talking about the majorly successful artists who are sure to get nominated, however let’s shift things to the underrated outings that should be up for something this year.

Rihanna’s “Rated R” is a pop album on par with Janet Jackson’s “The Velvet Rope” which is a gift, but could be a curse at the Grammy’s. Janet’s 1997 album was met with the best critical praise in her career, but was ignored on Grammy night (only receiving a nomination for Short Form Video). Even though “Rated R” deserves a shot at Album of the Year, it’s doubtful she will snag it. However Rihanna will do well for herself this year, “Love the Way You Lie” alone will get her a few major nominations but also her big hit “Rude Boy” should be up for Female Pop Vocal and maybe Pop Single or they might even put her in the R&B race.

In R&B, Usher will most likely dominate as “Raymond v. Raymond” and it’s re-release “Versus” generated two big Pop singles and three pretty big R&B singles. However looking past the mainstream, hopefully Erykah Badu‘s “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)” and controversial video and single “Window Seat” will be shown some love tonight. As well as Toni Braxton‘s “Pulse”, which was all but forgotten shortly after it was released despite being a very solid R&B album with one of the better R&B songs to come out in years “Hands Tied”. And though I’m not personally vouching for these releases, I could see Monica and Fantasia up for some awards. Though these outings were a bit lackluster for me, they were met with a lot of praise from R&B fans. And even though she’s hard to put in a box of just one Genre, and even though she’s more than likely going to be up for New Artist, Janelle Monae will hopefully be given her due as she put out one of the most original and creative albums of the year with “TheArchAndroid”.

Producer Danger Mouse might have too mellow of a sound to take notice to, but his collaboration with James Mercer of The Shins “Broken Bells” should be up for Album of the Year. It’s doubtful it will, but it deserves to, and if it doesn’t I hope to see them competing for multiple categories in the Alternative categories. Also Danger Mouse’s collaboration with Sparklehorse might be a topic of debate, it was leaked digitally last year but was released officially this year with several guest artists from different generations of Rock and Alternative music. Even if that album isn’t nominated for anything, his output alone should get him a nomination for Producer of the Year. Another alternative group that I think are more than deserving of some mentions are Surfer Blood whose “Astro Coast” was one of the most solid albums released this year. They aren’t popular hardly at all on a mainstream level, but hopefully enough hipsters voted and they could possibly break through.

Kelis and Robyn linked up for a tour this summer, and they should both be up for Grammy gold in the Dance and Electronic categories. Kelis’ “Flesh Tone” was a sharp departure for her, as it was a total dance album. And not a watered down pop version of Dance, it’s up there with some of the best and respected Dance albums of the past. Hopefully we’ll see her name in a few categories. Robyn released three EP’s this year (only two are eligible), and if that invalidates her from any album categories, her two singles “Dancing on my Own” and “Hang with Me” are miles better than the radio staples I expect to see up for Dance Recording (that really don’t deserve to be there). Another Electronic act that got a lot of praise for his recent release was LCD Soundsystem. “This is Happening” got loads of critical praise, and since he’s been nominated three times in the past, I’m sure he’ll get a nomination this year. As well as Gorillaz, who’s album “Plastic Beach” isn’t necessarily one of my favorites of the year but deserves to compete, and they should also be up for Short Form Video for “Stylo”.

And Big Boi, his first solo album “Sir Lucious Left Foot, The Son of Chico Dusty” came and went with little fanfare, but it’s a really solid album with some solid singles that should be up for multiple Hip Hop categories. The Roots could be singled out because of heavy competition in the Hip Hop categories for their album “How I Got Over”, but I expect to see their collaboration album with Grammy favorite John Legend “Wake Up!” possibly in the Traditional R&B Album category since it’s a celebration of classic soul songs, and a truly great album.

In the Pop field, I want to see Adam Lambert‘s “Whataya Want From Me” up for multiple categories (I would say it deserves Song of the Year, but it probably wasn’t a big enough hit to make it in that category), he should definitely win for Male Pop Vocal for this song however. And while Maroon 5‘s album wasn’t anything to write home about, their single “Misery” is fun, infectious and well produced, hopefully that one song (and the video) get a nod or two. And finally, also aided by the help of commercialization, Neon Trees‘ excellent “Animal” should be a favorite for Pop Vocal Duo or Group (unless their label puts them in Alternative or Rock — which doesn’t quite fit)

So there are my predictions, as I said earlier I’m not as confident about these predictions as years prior, but I think I’m on the right track. We’ll find out tonight. And than we’ll discuss the nominations and predict winners shortly after.

>Album Reviews: Quick Update!!!

08 Tuesday Jun 2010

Posted by d1esel6 in Album Review, B.o.B., Kelis, MGMT, The Black Keys, Toni Braxton

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>Finishing up my Spring semester was pretty time-consuming. And that’s my excuse for
not posting in over a month, but I have alot of stuff in the pipeline because there’s so much music i’ve listened to in the past month and have to share my reviewers for my loyal followers =)

So firstly I’m gonna do another Quick Update! A wrap up on some of the stand outs, but I promise I’m going to post more reviews, longer reviews too, really soon.

MGMT “Congratulations”

This is the album is where I caught my writer’s block. Trying to wrap my thoughts around MGMT’s sophomore outing “Congratulations” was a bit of a challenge and still to this day I can’t really think of the appropriate words to describe it. Much like their debut breakthrough, their second is also very different and very weird. While their first album was very “indie” in style – pretty dark and pretty dingy production – at least those songs had some catchiness to them. “Congratulations” strips the duo of anything that might be considered radio-friendly and gives listeners a true feast for the ears. This album and the debut both have heavy psychedelic influences; this outing softens the mood and is definitely a more calming relaxing album on the whole. “Lady DaDa’s Nightmare” is especially good, and it’s an trippy but laid back instrumental. However there are some major peppy moments, like “Brian Eno” and first single “Flash Delirium” which prevent the album from being a snooze-fest. Simply put, because this album isn’t simple, “Congratulations” is complex and totally entertaining, and a proper follow up album from a very creative group.

The Black Keys “Brothers”

Truth be Told, I haven’t listened to the full album. I did one of those “listen to the 30 second clips on iTunes and download accordingly” thing I often do. I really enjoyed their 2008 album “Attack and Release” (produced by Danger Mouse), and was intrigued to hear this new album “Brothers” which is now their 6th album. Unfortunately, even though the sound of this album is a little more contemporary than their very Soulful output of the previous album, it leaves me feeling like this duo is a little “one-note” in their sound. The lyricism and vocal play were for the most part not oustanding, and some of the stuff is just a little dull to be honest. However there are some shining lights on this album, “Never Give You Up” is a gorgeous R&B throwback while “Too Afraid to Love You” and first single “Tighten Up” are great at matching their sound with with more contemporary techniques. I only listened to it once, and I feel like I may go back and listen at some point. So I may have to revise this later, but for now it’s just (and i hate it when i see this “word”) meh!

Toni Braxton “Pulse”

Another great release this year from one of my all time favorites, in Toni’s now 6th album “Pulse” the legendary Grammy winner tackles many styles that are invading the radio (Dance in “Make My Heart”, Snappy R&B in the superior “Lookin’ At Me”) but the heart of this album is centered in an area that made Braxton famous in the first place; authentic R&B slow jams and Pop Ballads. And this album makes one thing perfectly clear; Braxton has one of the best voices in the industry. 17 years after her debut, her voice is just as strong if not stronger. “Pulse” “Why Won’t You Love Me” prove this because they can stand with her greatest ballads “Unbreak My Heart” “Let it Flow” and “Breathe Again” as her Best, and it’s over a decade later.”Pulse” is more than a solid R&B/Pop album that will undoubtedly be ignored, but deserves recognition as one of Braxton’s best in her career. It shows she more than still has it, and that her voice can still span genres.

Kelis “Flesh Tone“

Please go check out my review on Full Blast Magazine. YES! I’m actually writing for an online magazine, I’ve evolved to the online magazine status, so let’s see how much further we can go after this!

B.o.B. “B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray”

B.o.B. seemed to have come from nowhere and attacked the singles charts with “Nothin’ on You” and “Airplanes”. I guess a little endorsement from T.I. and getting Eminem on the “Airplanes” remix (or the “Airplanes Part II) is more than enough to create some major buzz in the Hip Hop and Pop community, but strangely enough while really being Hip Hop B.o.B.’s debut “The Adventures of Bobby Ray” plays more like a Hip Hop/Alternative album spanning various different styles. Many a rapper has tried and failed at delivering a more eclectic album and it’s impressive that B.o.B. was able to do so while still making an album that feels like an album. And the guests, also from various different genres (Weezers’ lead singer Rivers Cuomo on one the albums best “Magic”, Paramore singer Hailey Williams on “Airplanes”, and Lupe Fiasco) contribute greatly to the material, but B.o.B. never gets really overshadowed which is a good thing. I’m not sure if he has any extraordinary skills when it comes to his lyrics or flow, but his musical influences and his versatility are something to be commended.

>Top 25 All-Time Favourite Artists (16-19)

16 Sunday Aug 2009

Posted by d1esel6 in Chad Hugo, Devo, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kelis, N.E.R.D., Neptunes, Pharrell Williams, Top 25 All-Time Favourite Artists, Usher

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>

16. Pharrell Williams/ Kelis/ N.E.R.D./ Neptunes (tie)

So around 2001-2004 I was a complete Neptunes freak. My cubicle at work was practically nothing but Pharrell and Chad pictures, I had countless Neptunes mix cd’s I made constantly, and I was almost always talking about them in some way. And the technical first introduction I had to this Awesome production team was via Kelis’ first album “Kaleidoscope”. At the time, the production on that album overpowered anything she was doing, and ever since than I followed the Neptunes careers. What I think I loved the most about their productions was they came really hard with the beats and bass and what not, but everything they did was undeniably dance worthy. Like you’d catch yourself nodding your head or tapping your feet and not even realize it. Now I can’t lie or ignore the fact that around 2004/2005 they officially started to fall off, and I’m not even sure they produce as a duo anymore. Pharrell’s solo album was a bit of a disappointment, and NeRD are sometimes a little TOO out there. But the Neptunes gave me a Good 5 Mix cd’s that I still play to this day, and I actually think that in 2008 they did a good job of saving their name, by bringing some actual New sounding stuff on Madonna’s “Hard Candy” and select tracks from NeRD’s “Seeing Sounds”.

Kelis, that’s just a cool bitch. She also has a lot of songs that I can personally relate to (which is oddly difficult to find). And she’s just Different, a very unique artist. I’ve Never been disappointed by any of her albums, even though she’s distanced herself completely from the Neptunes her music has actually gotten better which proves that she did bring a lot to the table and didn’t just show up to sing over the Neptunes beats all those years. I really wish she was more popular… but what are you gonna do?


myTop 3 Favourite Kelis albums: 1. Kelis was Here (2006), 2. Kaleidoscope (2000), 3. Tasty (2004)


myTop 3 Favourite Pharrell/Neptunes/NeRD albums: 1. In Search Of… (2002), 2. Neptunes Present Clones (2003), 3. Seeing Sounds (2008)


17. Jay-Z

I’m gonna admit something here. I wasn’t a big fan of Jigga when he first came out. I did like the “Aint No nigga” with Foxy. I didn’t hate dude or anything like that, but I really wasn’t paying much attention to him during the “Reasonable Doubt” era. I did notice that dude wasn’t going away and that he had a huge hit that even I couldn’t deny every Year (hell every six months). Than around the time of “In My Lifetime Part 2” and “Can I Get A…” when you just literally couldn’t get away from him… I did start to respect him and see him from a different perspective. He’s had a few missteps, but overall he’s been a very consistent albums artist. And his singles are crazy. Plus he has some of the best, funniest and thought provoking bars of any rapper Alive. I was a little mad at his “faux” retirement, and “Kingdom Come” was a real let-down. “American Gangster” was a step in the right direction, and I’m actually Really excited for “Blueprint III” coming out in September.

myTop 3 Favourite Jay-z albums: 1. The Blueprint (2001), 2. Reasonable Doubt (1996), 3. The Black Album (2004)



18. Devo

Being a 80’s baby, it almost goes without saying that I was familiar and a fan of Devo’s biggest hit “Whip It” and it’s music video. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I heard their wonderfully twisted cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” that I wanted to hear more from them. Just within this past year I’ve started to listen to their catalogue, and for some weird reason I seem to love everything they do. Most of their music is really unconventional (for me), like they lack melody or harmony. Still they are addictive and the band themselves are amazing together. Towards the mid-80’s they did start to stagnate with their sound, but they had a really great run of very creative, and ultimatley innovative music.

myTop 3 Favourite Devo albums: 1. Q.Are We Not Men? A. We Are Devo! (1978), 2. Freedom of Choice (1980), 3. New Traditionalists (1981)

19. Usher/Timberlake (tie)


These two are definitely the Kings of the Industry when it comes to artists from my generation. The feeling that we grew up together probably is the reason they are so high on my list. Especially Usher, who has been recording solo since he was 13. They both have had their share of peaks, massive hit singles and awards, and breaking records. Usher with his “Confessions” album which in 2004 became one of the few instant Classic albums of this decade. Timberlake’s solo debut (coming from probably the most successful 90’s Boy Band ‘N Sync) “Justified”, with the help of Neptunes and Timbaland, crossed over and was also pretty highly regarded. And ofcourse they both have their signature, un-escapable Monster single, Usher with “Yeah!” and Timberlake with “Sexyback”.
However. Usher’s last album was a bit of a dud, he’s working on a 6th album which will hopefully redeem him from not only a disapointing album, but very underwhelming live performances. Timberlake hasn’t even got to his 3rd solo album, and currently he’s more of a television star than a recording artist. They are both escaping
the “Teen Dream” phase, so their next releases are going to have to take them to a new level. If not they might totally fall off this list. (Like they care!)

myTop 3 Favourite Usher/Timberlake albums: 1. Confessions (2004), 2. Justified (2002), 3. 8701 (2001)


Okay that’s it for now. I’m actually going to come back really quick with the Tie for #15. I think they both deserve their own profile, and a longer explanation of why they are tied. And you can see #20-25 here.

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