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Category Archives: Major Lazer

Best (and Worst) Music of 2013…So Far : MYFAVORITES

17 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by d1esel6 in Animal Collective, Atlas Genius, Baths, Cold War Kids, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Fantasia, Fitz and the Tantrums, James Blake, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Local Natives, Major Lazer, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Phoenix, Rihanna, Snoop Lion, The Neighbourhood, The Strokes, Toro y Moi, Vampire Weekend

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Alt-J, Animal Collective, Atlas Genius, Baths, Best Albums of 2013, Best Music 2013, Calvin Harris, Cold War Kids, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Fantasia, Fitz and the Tantrums, fun., James Blake, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Local Natives, Major Lazer, Outasight, Phoenix, rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, Solange, Tame Impala, The Neighbourhood, The Strokes, Toro Y Moi, Vampire Weekend, Worst Albums of 2013, Worst Music 2013

2013 has definitely been an INTERESTING year so far for music. Let’s not even talk about what’s going on at Radio, but the album releases this year have displayed a wide range of talents, older and younger stars,  and Indie stars hitting it big. There was a big lack of Superstar releases, so it was easy to escape the Top 40 Mainstream grid and dive into a very diverse pool of music.

Here is my take on the year thus far, and instead of doing the traditional Top 10 lists, I’m gonna break down my favorite and least favorite albums in Three groups. The Disappointing, The Decent and The Best. I have to admit though, I haven’t been keeping up with ALL the 2013 releases. There was a time this year (like three weeks ago lol) when I was obsessed with George Michael and especially his Grammy winning “Faith” album. And even currently I’m on a Mariah Carey kick, so this list might be a little scant. Rhye, J Cole, A$AP Rocky and Chrisette Michelle are just a few of the artists I NEED to check out. And I will, but for now here’s my 6 months report.

The Disappointing

Timberlake “The 20/20 Experience”

At the top of this list, for me, is Justin Timberlake‘s “The 20/20 Experience” (1 of 2, because of course he has to bleed his fans dry of all their money), and simply because I had the highest expectations for it. If you go back to my “First Impression” review you’ll see I rated the album way too high with a 8.5. Ever since that first listen, I find myself really bored with the album which has him lyrically talking about the same old things (love, dancing, love and dancing again), his vocals are solid but not really impressive or surprising. And the overall production just feels dated, add the fact that the extended length of the songs in general are worthless. “Mirrors” and “Don’t Hold the Wall” are the two songs whose second halves are amazing and save the dullness of the first halves. For the most part though, these long songs just slow the album down. Still digging that “Strawberry Bubblegum” though.

“Out of My League” is one of my favorite recent radio singles, it’s so fun and catchy but it set my expectations for Fitz and the Tantrums‘ “More Than Just a Dream” way too high. The album doesn’t live up to that single for a variety of reasons. For one, “Dream” feels a little bit like a failed attempt at ripping off Human League, with it’s male/female vocals and 80’s feel. The most disappointing thing is the fact that the album rarely ever matches the Fun, Pep, and POP of “League”, you have the duo taking themselves way too seriously vocally and lyrically on a majority of the album. If they had lightened up it could have been pretty good, unfortunately it is what it is. 

Toro Y Moi released “Anything in Return”, and while I wasn’t expecting much from the album, it didn’t leave any impression on me at all. Unlike his previous album ” Underneath The Pine” which I enjoyed despite the thin-ness of Toro’s singing voice. This one was just a little TOO laid back, and while it was pleasant, it was totally forgettable.

Kelly Rowland “Talk a Good Game”

The problem with Kelly Rowland‘s 4th album “Talk a Good Game” is that it sounds like a regular Contemporary R&B Album. There are some excellent stand outs including “Red Wine” (possibly her best song ever), “I Remember” and “Kisses Down Low”, but the overall feeling of the album is that it’s a Producers album and not a album that shines a light on the talents and uniqueness of the artist. 

The Decent

Unlike Kelly Rowland (who guests on stand out track “Without Me“), Fantasia was able to make an R&B album and not lose who she is as an artist. “Side Effects of Me” is diverse, in that it goes from Contemporary R&B to Traditional R&B to Pop and Funk, and a lot of the material is top notch. Great writing, amazing vocals, perfect production, this album has it all. Unfortunately it’s not all that consistent, as I generally skip maybe every other track when listening. Still, there is enough here to at least make it one of the better R&B albums of the year.

Yes, I’m sure everybody shared a joke or two about Snoop Dogg changing his name to Snoop Lion for his Reggae/Dancehall inspired album “Reincarnated”. I personally thought the transition made sense, and I was actually surprised that I enjoyed the album as much as I did. And HELLA surprised that his track with Miley Cyrus, “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks“, was my ultimate favorite. The problem, Snoop doesn’t have a voice that’s ready for Reggae. He’s a little too laid back vocally on some tracks where he needs to channel the hype-ness of Beenie Man. And he doesn’t have that natural patois to smoothen out other tracks. The great thing, he has lots of collaborators who take the focus off of him. And at the end of the day, with the help of Diplo, there are some undeniable grooves that make you forget about the corniness that sometimes encounters the album.

Even though I’m a huge Diplo fan, and even though Major Lazer‘s last full length album “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazer’s Do” gave me so much life, I have to say their second album “Free the Universe”  was disappointing. What makes it decent is the fact that you are gonna get exactly what you got on “Guns”, which is fun and infectious Dancehall/Reggae grooves. This album definitely makes a person wanna get up and dance, but there are some cons about the album. The mixing of very Electronic vibes doesn’t always mesh well, and just overall it feels like a continuation of “Guns” instead of it’s own thing. “Get Free” is still one of the best songs I’ve heard, and tracks like “Jet Blue Jet” “Mashup The Dance” and “You’re No Good” are definitely worthy of the price of the album.

James Blake “Overgrown”

James Blake had my #1 album of 2011, and I can’t lie “Overgrown” is a very nice album. While it’s very much true to the same vibe of his debut, this album actually does take Blake into new terrain. It’s even more moody, and some of the production techniques like the sampling and the guest rappers add something new. He’s still got that soul in his voice, and the tracks are very exciting and engrossing. Good album, just not the Greatness I know Blake is capable of. Maybe next time.

I have to be completely honest with you guys when talking about Baths‘ album “Obsidian”, I actually JUST listened to it this week. However, just from one or two listens I really have to say the album totally got my attention and managed to be a break out album from all of the stuff I’ve listened to this year. Like James Blake, Baths seems to be a very unique artist as the album has this weird electronic/pop/ambient/organic mix up that is hard to compare to any other artist (okay, MAYBE Alt-J). It’s in The Decent group now, but I can imagine after several listens I’ll fall in love.

I LOVED (x20) Local Natives‘ debut album “Gorilla Manor“, and was so excited for the follow up “Hummingbird” . My initial impression was that the album was too similar to the debut, but that debut was so strong, with it’s beautifully orchestrated instrumentation, compelling melodies and great writing, that being similar wasn’t as much of a bad thing. And honestly, as the year progresses I do find myself coming back to certain tracks and I CAN play the album all the way through without much skipping. I just wish it was more of an elevated sound for them, wishing they’d pushed themselves further artistically.

In regards to the Cold War Kids, I LOVE their song “Miracle Mile” and was excited to hear what their album “Dear Miss Lonelyhearts” would sound like. The album is definitely decent (hence, why it’s in the Decent group) with some nice, drum-heavy, tracks and a handful of really good songs. The problem, for me, is the lead singers voice which at times is very grating. His strain-y falsetto just turns me off on a lot of the tracks and detracts from the potential of the album, however I’d still recommend it because some of you have a higher tolerance for screechy/whiney vocals. 

Another radio single I fell in love with recently was “Sweater Weather” from The Neighbourhood. There’s something about the laid back vibe and the cadence of the lead vocalist that just felt so great together, and had me anticipating a potentially great album from the group. “I Love You.” is a good album, but you are basically going to get what you got from “Sweater Weather”. It does have some really good songs on there, but the only problem is that altogether the songs seem to muddle together. I think the fact that most of the songs share that same sort of Dark, laid back vibe makes it hard to differentiate. Still worth checking out though.

Phoenix “Bankrupt!”

It’s hard to say what my problem is with Phoenix‘s “Bankrupt!“. It’s a far cry from their previous album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” which I found to be a bit of a masterpiece, but this new album isn’t bad. It’s just slightly dull in comparison to their last effort. And the lukewarm response I had when I heard this albums first single “Entertainment” is the way I feel about the album on the whole, It’s very much a decent album but it just lacks something that is hard to put my finger on. Maybe I just need to listen to it more, but overall the album was one of my most anticipated and quickly became one I rarely listen to.

“The Next Day” by David Bowie, his first album in nearly Ten years. Yes, as I said in my review earlier in the year, the album is really good. It’s good in the fact that it feels like a throwback to his entire Discography. It really is a good album with some really great, fun, emotional songs. I just have to admit that over the year I haven’t felt the need to go back to it often.

The Best

Only slightly disappointed with Kanye West‘s 6th solo album “Yeezus”, which overall I do think is great and another perfect addition to his catalog. The thing that disappointed me was that it is similar to his older stuff. Not so much production wise because on “Yeezus” Kanye goes a lot darker, a lot more punk-ish, and a lot more experimental. Lyrically though, he’s not talking about anything we haven’t heard him talk about before. The race problem in America, problems with the black community, problems with women, and so on and so on. West is more aggressive in his delivery, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve been there with him. Overall though, it’s another great risk taking album.

Atlas Genius “When It Was Now”

I became an Atlas Genius fan the very first time I heard their hit “Trojans“. It’s an amazingly catchy alterna-song that deserves (imo) to be a much bigger hit, and I was very happy when I listened to “When It Was Now”, their debut album, because my expectations were basically met. The album is very diverse, it has it’s fun moments, it has it’s moments of great artistry. Let’s be real though, the duo isn’t afraid to do something light, as this album isn’t really all that Hard-Rocking and a lot more Pop leaning. It’s just a great album whose songs attach themselves to your brain. I was happy not to be let down, and hope they continue to grow as their career continues. 

It has to be hard for Jay-Z at this point, on his 12th solo album “Magna Carta… Holy Grail”, you would imagine it’s starting to get difficult for the Hip Hop Legend to come up with new and interesting things to rap about. So, maybe on this album he just didn’t worry about it, but cultivated some of the best tracks he could get his hands on. The beauty of this album is the throwback feel of it, the tone of the tracks takes you back to 1998 when Jay was releasing his “In My Lifetime” trilogy. Working with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland recalls that soundscape of late-90’s Hip Hop and the production overall is Excellent here. He’s still ONE OF the Greatest Rappers Alive, and he manages to hold his own, but the overall “old school” feel of the entire album makes it a winner.

 After “Angles“, The Strokes‘ previous album, I was a little put off by the group. That album had it’s gems, but they were far and few between as they were definitely trying to escape the Garage Rock Band sound they are so good at. “Comedown Machine” really surprised me, because for the most part, every song is a winner here. The Strokes keep the experimentation going on this album, but they also manage to balance new sounds with what makes them a great Rock band. The album shows diversity, and a willingness to try new things (like Casablanca’s falsetto) and there’s hardly any complaints I have about the album, which I listen to quite frequently. 

The most surprising album for me this year came from Vampire Weekend, a group that I enjoy, but a group that I really wasn’t expecting much from. “Diane Young” hit radio and I instantly loved it, and I was really pleased to find that their 3rd album “Modern Vampires of the City” matched that song and beyond. The song is upbeat, catchy, glitchy and fun and there are several cuts on this album that have a similar quality. The greatest thing about this outing is it seems the band stepped out of their comfort zone a bit, playing with electronic effects and amping their style up with intensity and humor. It’s always great to me when a group can grow without growing out of their original sound. Bravo Vampires, Bravo! Great Album. 

Daft Punk “Random Access Memories”

And that leaves Daft Punk‘s “Random Access Memories“. This isn’t a list that ordered from worst to best, BUT I will say that this album is the one I was most impressed with on first listen, and the album that I keep going back to, discovering new favorite songs every time I do. The album is familiar to the Daft Punk sound, but with all the features from Pharrell, to Paul Williams to Julian Casablanca and with the insane live instrumentation and the soulful sexy Disco vibe permeating through the album, it’s just a very cohesive, very enjoyable album with lots of diversity. In a career that’s well over 10 years, it’s great to find a duo that steps their game up and making what might be one of their best albums yet. 

So there you have it. Let’s see what these next few months bring.

Honorable Mentions and 2012 Albums I Still Bump!

Solange “True” EP

Alt-J “An Awesome Wave”

Kelly Clarkson “Greatest Hits: Chapter One”

Rihanna “Unapologetic”

Animal Collective “Centipede Hz”

Tame Impala “Lonerism”

Rihanna “Unapologetic”

Ed Sheeran “+”

Calvin Harris “18 Months”

Outasight “Nights Like These”

fun. “Some Nights”

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.

My Top 10 Songs of the Week “Feature This!” : MYFAVORITES

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Beyoncé, Coldplay, Drake, Ludacris, Madonna, Major Lazer, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Sleigh Bells, The Strokes, The-Dream, Top 10 Songs of the Week

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No write-ups this week, sorry. And I guess somehow the Top 10 day has changed from Friday to Monday. Temporary? We’ll see. Anyway Enjoy!

10. Drake feat. The-Dream “Shut It Down”

9. Mariah Carey feat. Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley “Cruise Control”

8. Madonna feat. M.I.A. “B-Day Song”

7. The Strokes “The Modern Age”

6. Mariah Carey feat. Krayzie Bone and Da Brat “I Still Believe/ Pure Imagination (Damizza Remix)”

5. Missy Elliot feat. Ludacris “Gossip Folks”

4. Beyonce “I Miss You”

3. Sleigh Bells “End of the Line

2. Major Lazer feat. Collie Buddz and Lindi Ortega “Good Enuff (Cash Flow Dub)
**dam, sorry but I can’t find a link to this anywhere!?**

1. Coldplay “Paradise”

My Top 10 Songs of the Week! “Am I A Man… or…” : MYFAVORITES

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Amy Adams, Barrington Levy, Beyoncé, Bob Marley, Jason Segel, Jennifer Hudson, M.I.A., Madonna, Major Lazer, MUSIC, Sleigh Bells, The Muppets, The Partysquad, Usher

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Amy Adams, Barrington Levy, beyonce, Bob Marley, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Deena Jones, Diplo, Dreamgirls, Effie White, Jason Segel, Jennifer Hudson, M.I.A., Madonna, Major Lazer, MIA, Miss Piggy, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, Sleigh Bells, Switch, The Muppets, The Partysquad, Top 10, Top 10 Songs, Top 10 Songs of the Week, Usher, Walter

Happy Monday!
Some of you might be wondering… “What the hell happened to the Top 10 Songs this past Friday?” Well as “MDNA Week” begins today, last week was “Midterm” week with so many papers due and tests to study for. By Friday, I was spent… I did a rough draft of seven songs but when I got home I didn’t even log onto the computer before falling off to sleep. So sorry for the wait, but it’s cool because I can add a few songs I was loving (and rather embarrassed that I couldn’t get out of my head) over the weekend.

10. Madonna “Girl Gone Wild”
still not going crazy over the song, but the video that came out last week is pretty amazing. sexy, visually stunning, good dancing, and Madge looks great. definitely brought a new dimension to the song, which is still a very basic output. (get ready for “MDNA Week!”)

9. Beyonce “Dreamgirls”
How did I get Here? I forget now, but one song led to another which led to another and somehow I landed on the “Dreamgirls” movie soundtrack and this was one of the highlights. The scene is so pretty, and Beyonce’s err Deena’s spin towards the end gives me life every time.

8.(tie) Jason Segel & Walter “Man or Muppet”/ Amy Adams & Miss Piggy “Me Party”
Yes! I Went There. So I’m a kid of the 80’s so The Muppets were like my heroes, so when the recent movie “The Muppets” was released for rent I had to see it. And these two campy, cheesy and hilarious songs stuck in my head for the whole weekend. I still have “I’m a Muppety Man” replaying in my mind.

7. Bob Marley & The Wailers “War”
First line: “Until the philosophy which hold one race superior, and another inferior, Is Finally and Permanently Discredited and Abandoned, Everywhere is War!” … enough said! #TrayvonMartin

6. Jennifer Hudson “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”
Did Jennifer sing the Hell out of this song!!?? Yes she did!!! After not seeing the movie or hearing the soundtrack for a minute, I came back to this and was as impressed as when I heard it the first time. She did a phenomenal job.

5. Sleigh Bells “End of the Line”
I BOUGHT an album this weekend (well two! thanks Sopa! *laugh), this had been on my wish list for a while and I JUST finished it, but this song was an early stand out. It’s so peaceful, but still has those heavy and intense synths that the Bells are known for now. Could this be a single that makes top 40!? Who cares, but it’s an awesome song.
(you’ll have to settle for a live clip.)

4. M.I.A. “Bird Flu”
This track is so… different! I can’t really even explain what it is that I love about it, but it’s definitely something a little off-kilter but I can still dance my butt off to it.

3. Barrington Levy “Sensimella”
Last week, I was trying to find “new/old” music from some Reggae legends. Along with Barrington I grabbed some Steel Pulse, Aswad and Black Uhuru. This song, among a few from Barrington’s “Poor Man Style” album, stuck with me.

2. Major Lazer feat. The Partysquad “Original Don”
When I first grabbed this track, I was kind of like “wtf!?”… but it’s catchy so I kept going back to it. Now I pretty much love it. Yeah sometimes it gets a little exhausting, but I love this mix of Dancehall and what I’ve been told is called HardStyle. Fun song.

1. Usher “Climax”
Usher is really out to make sure his seat as King of R&B is still his. And this song can easily do it. It’s a bit of elevated R&B, a really strange but simple track by Diplo with some great lyrics and some standard flawless and very much alive vocals by Mr. Raymond. Can’t wait to see what else is on this forthcoming album, because this song is pure gold. (And I also really love the video!)

My Top 10 Songs of the Week! : MYFAVORITES

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Basement Jaxx, Major Lazer, MGMT, MUSIC, MYFAVORITES, Rihanna, Santigold, Top 10 Songs of the Week

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Basement Jaxx, Diplo, Diplo & Switch, Jovi Rockwell, Major Lazer, Mapei, MGMT, Mr Evil, Mr. Vegas, My Top 10 Songs of the Week, rihanna, Santigold, Santogold, Switch, Top 10, Top 10 Songs, Top 10 Songs of the Week, Vybz Kartel

So, like… This week I was clearly in a Santigold mood as she dominates the list this week. There are a some others as you will see when you scroll down, but she’s all over the place. Aside from Santigold though, I really just got into that whole idea of Dancehall/Dub/Electronic hybrid type music. Something you can dance to like a House song but whine to like a Reggae song, I love the combination so if anybody can recommend me some more music like that… Santigold, M.I.A., Major Lazer and others… I’m really feeling that right now and would love to discover some other music like it.

Enjoy the list.

10. Santigold “Unstoppable”

9. Major Lazer feat. Vybz Kartel “Pon De Floor”
Every time I hear this I think “Gawd, ‘Run The World (Girls)‘ was such a f*ckin’ MESS!”

8. Basement Jaxx “Breakaway”
I loved this song since I first got the Jaxx “Rooty” CD in 2001, but it came up on a playlist during the week and I got stuck on the song. I’ve always related to the message “i’m living the same old sh*t each and every damn day!”

7. Santigold “Starstruck”

6. Santigold “Disparate Youth”

5. Major Lazer feat. Mr Evil and Mapei “Mary Jane”

4. MGMT “Someone’s Missing”
“Congratulations” was a very weird (but enjoyable) album. This (very short, almost intro-like) song stuck out to me because of what happens around 1.22 before they finally switch the melancholy to an almost Motown-ish upbeat close. Good stuff!

3. Rihanna “Rude Boy”
I think I may have to share my playlists with my readers eventually, because my Rihanna “Greatest!” mix is the sh*t. And though I’ve listened to this song like a million times, I was really really really loving it this week. Never noticed that “ow-wow-ow” thing cycles through the entire song. *laugh

2. Major Lazer feat. Mr Vegas and Jovi Rockwell “Can’t Stop Now”

1. Santigold “Big Mouth”

Now that Blue Ivy Carter is here… some Career Advice for Beyoncé : IMO

11 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by d1esel6 in Active Child, Beyoncé, Career Advice, Christina Aguilera, Diplo, How To Dress Well, IMO, James Blake, Major Lazer, Sleigh Bells, The Weeknd

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A Star Is Born, Active Child, beyonce, Beyonce 4, Beyonce B'Day, Beyonce Countdown, Beyonce Dangerously In Love, Beyonce End of Time, Beyonce I Miss You, Blue Ivy, Blue Ivy Carter, Career Advice, Career Advice Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Clint Eastwood, Diplo, How To Dress Well, IMO, James Blake, Katie Couric, Major Lazer, Robyn, Sleigh Bells, Spank Rock, The Weeknd

Some time at the end of 2011, I thought a good blog idea would be to give my two cents on the careers of some of the acts in the music industry.

Who am I to give advice??

Well true, I’m a literal nobody in the industry … but as a fan and Industry follower for a good portion of my life, I think I could offer some sound options to some struggling celebs. They won’t (or it’s highly likely that they won’t) read this, so what’s the harm right?

Beyoncé dropped her first baby, so what's next!?

I was going to start with Christina Aguilera (have a rough draft all ready, so that post should come shortly), but I think it’s fitting to start this off with brand new mommy Beyoncé. This past Saturday she gave birth to baby girl Blue Ivy Carter after one of the most confusing and controversial celebrity pregnancies ever. And since said pregnancy nearly ruined the promotion of her latest album “4”, I just have a few suggestions for the next album whenever it may come.

In her interview with Katie Couric, Mrs. Carter said she might take a few years off, but knowing Bey she’ll probably be ready for another big era by Summer 2013. Whenever it is, it will be highly anticipated and expectations will be really high.

If “4” had been a major success (keep the same album sales, but have at least one huge hit single like she’s used to), the logical next step would be a full transition into film. She was already on deck for Clint Eastwood’s take on Hollywood standard “A Star Is Born”, but as Beyoncé told Couric that project has been post-poned until she’s ready. However, because “4” generated no hit singles, and minimal mainstream exposure, it would be better for her to come back with another album before becoming a full-time actress.

So, what should she do?

Let’s first talk the mistakes of her last album.

There’s really nothing wrong with the material on “4”, in fact if certain singles were released it might have given the album the hit single it was lacking. Aside from big hits on the HOT 100, the most important thing that was lacking from the album was something New! There were few examples of something fresh, “Countdown” is one , the beautiful “I Miss You” another and the flawless “End of Time”. They were all different in production, but utilized things Beyoncé is famous for (especially in “End of Time” matching a slightly off-kilter track with her staccato vocals, live instrumentation, multiple hooks, and strong melodies). Everything else on “4” felt like the music she grew up with, thus nothing really innovative.

With the next album, one of two directions would work and both directions would be taking her out of her element a bit. She’s had a solid discography, but the bulk of most of her albums have been pretty safe (save for her most daring work to date “B’Day”). Since she has now become more of an Albums artist as opposed to a Singles artist she really needs to start putting more risk and more daring-ness into her albums. It’s what she needs if she wants to be seen as a Legend.

One of the two extremes is to do something extremely loud and aggressive, which is what I thought “4” would be like given the early news that she was working with Noise Pop duo Sleigh Bells and the All-Around-Weird-Sounds of producer Diplo.

Diplo, looking all cute!

“Run The World (Girls)” was a mess, and that’s mostly due to the fact that a huge chunk of the song was a sample of an already existing and fairly popular song (“Pon De Floor” by Major Lazer— I also blame the verses which came off like rambling random-ness). The sample was Beyoncé again playing it safe, but if she were to go this route again she needs to force the producers to come up with something totally fresh for her.

(I could hear her on some Crazy dance/electro/dancehall mash-ups like Spank Rock‘s “No. 1 Hit“, Major Lazer’s “Hold The Line“, Robyn‘s “Dancehall Queen” or Sleigh Bells’ “Tell Em” “Run the Heart” or “Kids” — mixing her genius vocal prowess to soften the sound a bit)

If that’s too extreme for a whole album, than the opposite would be to still stay in a bit of a Indie zone but just a very minimalist one. I just downloaded James Blake‘s new EP, and the title track “Love What Happened Here” strangely screams for Beyoncé’s soulful chops to fill it out. All three songs on the EP are great for a new Beyoncé style, very different tonally but also very soulful. And James Blake made her Top 10 list of the year, so she obviously is a fan and I could see them coming up with some really fresh stuff. Almost in the vein of “I Miss You” which is almost an Indie-Electro-Ballad and it’s the best off “4”. James Blake, Tom Krell of How To Dress Well, Active Child or even The Weeknd could match her up with some very moody material to shine on.

Active Child's chill R&B sound would be a good look for Blue's mommy!

(Other sort of lo-fi ambient electro ballads that would sound great with a Beyoncé touch include Blake’s “Limit to Your Love“, “The Wilhelm Scream“, “I Mind” also Active Child’s “High Priestess” “Hanging On” and “Shield & Sword“)

Whatever direction she takes her next album, us fans just don’t want the same old from her. “4” was a “Dangerously in Love” sequel, and unfortunately I get the feeling that Beyoncé will continue in that tradition from now on. Even though fans were satisfied with the album, it’s too early for her to get stuck in the Adult Contemporary R&B mode when she has all of her 40’s and beyond to do that.

Stans want Sasha Fierce back!

We are ready to be excited again by her music, like when she released “B’Day”. She needs to make a return to that Sasha Fierce mode, full of attitude and sass before little Blue Ivy and her subsequent siblings take it all out of her.

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