Hello Folks, HAPPY FRIDAY!! We made it through our first full week of 2015, and I feel good. Anyhoo, here are my Top 10 Faves of the week (#7 is one I forgot about last week, I seriously love that song). Enjoy!
It’s FRIDAY!!!!! Not only that, but I got paid today AND tonight is my last class for the semester. I am juiced! Hence why I want to get this Top 10 out of the way.
Interesting week in music, I was HEAVY on that “X” (Chris Brown’s latest album) as I played that album non stop pretty much all week. There is also some residual plays from my #KELISDAY, and I started to get back into the Artist I will highlight this coming Tuesday (Jamiroquai). So it’s a somewhat well-rounded list. Anyway.
ENJOY!!!
10. Jamiroquai “Supersonic”
Yeah, SPOILER ALERT!! My Artist that I will highlight this coming Tuesday is Jamiroquai… and SPOILER ALERT, this might be my favorite song by the band.
9. Katy Perry “Legenedary Lovers”
Fuckin’ iTunes. Okay so one day, I wanted to hear this song so I synced the entire album to my iPhone. But… for some reason, this song is the ONLY song on the album that didn’t sync! It’s a great song though.
8. Andre 3000 featuring Kelis “Dracula’s Wedding”
7. Busta Rhymes featuring Kelis “What It Is”
6. Ol Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis “Got Your Money”
5. K Michelle “Love Em All”
Because I loved K Michelle’s last album, and I just like HER in general, I went ahead and purchased her new album on iTunes. It’s a pretty decent effort, definitely shows growth and maturity from the singer, but I haven’t totally connected to the material yet. This song though is my favorite so far.
4. Beyonce “7/11”
3. Kelis featuring Andre 3000 “Millionaire”
2. Chris Brown featuring Brandy “Do Better”
1. Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross “New Flame”
I’ll be honest, I’m not in the best mood right now and was almost not going to do this post. But hey, I still have over an hour before my class starts and I already promised I would post it… so, this might be a little condensed and not really what I wanted to share, but I’ll try my best.
Basically, my New York journey lasted for about 5 and a half months. I had lots of fun there, lots of frustration, met really amazing people. Even though I had moments of pure irritation, I truly did feel I fit in there as opposed to my Bay Area home. And I also felt like I was growing into the person I’ve always wanted to be.
But enough about all of that, let’s talk about the Music. I’m a music fiend, so the music I listened to and heard while there shaped my NYC Soundtrack. There are certain songs that now whenever I hear them, it always reminds me of a moment in New York.
So here is a chronicle of some of those songs and albums that now have a permanent New York stamp on them.
Jessie J “Wild”
The line “am i asleep, no i’m alive” was one that stuck with me the first day I was in NYC, walking around in Times Square and in disbelief that I actually made it and was there.
Britney Spears “Work Bitch”
I guess this song was a Billboard flop? Who cares, this song is the shit! And I would have never guessed it was a flop because when I finally did start going OUT this was very popular among DJ’s and drunks alike.
Ikona Pop & Charlie XCX “I Love It”
Speaking of going out, I swear it seemed like every time I entered a bar or club (well, the ones that played Pop music) this song was playing. I can’t stand the song, but whenever I hear it I’ll think of that.
Kendrick Lamar “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”
I think once I switched from tourist to job-seeker, this song helped out a lot.
Tamar Braxton ‘”Love & War” – Album
And yeah, my very confusing trips on the Subway were almost always accompanied with HER. This album was released only a few weeks before I left for New York so it was still new, but familiar enough so I could zone the fuck out and mime her amazing vocals and great songs. This album was actually the most played my entire trip to NYC … until of course Beyonce came back around, but we’ll get to that later.
Lorde “Royals”
I think Ikona Pop’s song was fading out at the same time this song was blowing up. I have a slight tolerance for this song NOW, but gawd I hated it when it was getting popular and of course all those bars were playing the hell out of this. Actually the night me and my FullBlast buddy went out to Industry I caught a pretty decent drag queen singing (and I mean actually Singing) this song.
Jay-Z & Justin Timberlake “Holy Grail”
Another song I HATE, but this was popular among the cars rolling past. I really cannot get over Timberlake’s screech fest on this song and still hate it, but it will always remind me of New York now.
Drake “Nothing Was the Same” – Album
Drake’s third album was released maybe a week after I arrived to New York. I wasn’t instantly loving it, but apparently NYC was. “Hold On, We’re Going Home” gave the Urban clubs LIFE nearly every time I went. And I would always hear random songs bleeding out of people’s cars (I guess this album replaced Jay-Z’s that year). One fun memory though, One night (had to be sometime in November) me and my girl -friend were out late hella drunk and we went to Boxer’s HK (one of our favorite spots) and it was empty so I guess the bartender or whoever put on the Drake album and me and my friend were acting mad crazy to “Worst Behaviour”. I should also say towards the end of the trip, I was really connecting with “Connect” (ha! see what I did there)
Eminem & Rihanna “Monster”
I remember getting an email that this song was out, and I just immediately went to iTunes and downloaded. I was suffering a real Rihanna drought and had to have it. I remember the night I did, I was in Brooklyn maybe my first week living there (I moved there late October) and I walked up and down the blocks with this song on repeat.
K Michelle “Rebellious Soul” – Album
Okay, so K. Michelle did an interview on The Skorpion Show. I liked K before hand, but I was struck by her comments on Tamar (or Ta-Muppet)’s album. Of course the girls were at odds at the time so she wasn’t going to say anything glowing about it, but it just made me interested in finally checking out her album. I’m glad I did because it definitely became a favorite.
James Blake – ALL
James Blake was my first and only New York City concert. I was really excited because I obviously love his music, and I was interested in checking out the NYC concert crowds. So I was getting ready by listening to him almost obsessively. I remember my night walks in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn vibing to his tunes. If I was going to pull one song, it would have to be “To The Last”.
Justin Timberlake “You Got It On”
Just dope, love this song.
J. Cole & TLC “Crooked Smile”
Remember when that TLC movie happened, well this (as well as the TLC Playlist I had to make) was because of that. I recall several mornings waiting for that 4, 5 or 6 to my Upper East Side job with this song on repeat.
Lady GaGa & R. Kelly “Do What U Want”
This song was surprisingly popular in NYC. The energy you would feel when it was played was high, like everybody was HERE for GaGa and the just released “ARTPOP” album. Another favorite song that accompanied me on my late night Brooklyn walks.
fun. “Some Nights” – Album
I honestly don’t know what spurred on my need to purchase this album, but I swear to you THIS album was such a big help for me throughout the last few months of being in NYC. By November I was getting extremely frustrated by not having a full time job, by my living situation at the time, by lots of things, and this album seemed to speak to me in several different songs. “All Alright” was my fave, “Some Nights”, “Stars” and a bunch of songs had lines in there that I related to and felt like “well hey, I’m not alone in this feeling”. I think “Why Am I The One” was especially funny because I was moving from Brooklyn to Washington Heights (my third time moving in three months) and “why am I the one, always packing up my stuff” perfectly fit my mood at the time. Bottom line, this album was my NYC album bar none.
So, I have an hour left in class and I won’t have time to finish this. As of now, I’m officially making this Part 1 and Part 2 should be up sometime tomorrow. And I’ll add YouTube clips and more pics and all that as well. The only reason I’m posting this now is because I promised it. It’s already Wednesday in New York and only a few hours left in Tuesday here… but, eh, whatever!
#TopTenThursday didn’t really happen, but that IS a weekly thing I want to keep going on this here blog. But, in the effort of trying to keep this blog active, I’m going to add another weekly list – TopTwentyFiveTuesday, or maybe this will monthly, we’ll see. (Mind you, BOTH the TopTenThursday and TopTwentyFiveTuesday won’t be exclusive to Music)
This post is to make up for two things actually, the #TopTenThursday thing AND the post I planned on making about my favorite music of 2014 so far. I could have easily posted something quick and easy at the end of June, the official halfway mark of the year, but I have downloaded so much music that I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to yet. I wanted to give those albums (Agust Alsina, The 1975, Beck, Jack White, et. al.) a fair listen and have a broader, more researched list of my favorite albums of 2014. Unfortunately I still have a bunch of albums in my iTunes that have zero plays… and it’s damn near August already. SO – instead of doing that (it’ll just have to wait until the end of the year) I’m just going to post the songs that I’ve been obsessed with this year. Some new, some old, all great.
And here we go…
25. Toni Braxton & Babyface “Roller Coaster”
Their “Love, Marriage & Divorce” album is really good, and this opening track is one of the stand outs.
24. Shakira featuring Rihanna “Can’t Remember to Forget You”
Sexy video. Fun song. And… well, RIHANNA!!!
23. Robin Thicke featuring Tamar Braxton “For the Rest of My Life Part 2”
22. M.I.A. “Bad Girls”
I was obsessed with this song my last month in New York City. Nice flow.
21. Pharrell Williams featuring Alicia Keys “Know Who You Are”
My absolute favorite from Pharrell’s “GIRL” album.
20. Jessie J “Thunder”
19. Justin Timberlake “Not a Bad Thing”
This is such a cute little Pop song, don’t “fuck around” and sleep on it.
18. The Black Keys “Waiting on Words”
Black Keys’ “Turn Blue” is an excellent album, and this has become my favorite.
17. Calvin Harris “Summer”
16. Christian Falk featuring Robyn and Ola Salo “Dream On”
I OWNED Robyn’s self titled 2008 album, but somehow never paid attention to this. I really got into it this Spring as I was easing back into the Bay Area life.
15. Drake “Connect”
14. K. Michelle “Can’t Raise a Man”
Great great song with a strong message that ladies NEED to pay attention to.
13. St. Vincent “Digital Witness”
Randomly saw St. Vincent on “Saturday Night Live” this Spring, and I fell in love with this quirky (and seemingly Prince-inspired) track. YAAAH!
12. Andre 3000 & Beyonce “Back to Black”
I was late to the party on this one, but this Amy Winehouse remake is so weird and strange – right up my alley.
11. Kanye West “Hold My Liquor”
10. Jhene Aiko “The Worst”
Thank the BET Awards for this, I seriously had never heard the song before the show. Really addictive song.
9. Coldplay “Midnight”
Just one word : AMAZING! (it reminds me of How To Dress Well though)
8. Jessie J “Sexy Lady”
Probably the most FUN song I’ve discovered this year, this girl is so terribly underrated and under-promoted. This song could be HUGE, but oh well.
7. Robyn & Royksopp “Monument”
Robyn and Royksopp’s collaboration album has highs and few lows, but this opening track is just EPIC!! Amazingly textured and one of the best aural experiences of the year. (It’s just a tad long, but worth it when you get to that Saxophone effect)
6. Beyonce featuring Drake “Mine”
I always find myself coming back to this beautifully complex track.
5. Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones “I Got U”
I heard this on some random commercial and just had to have it. The steel drums, the low-key House bump and the Whitney Houston sample just make this one of the best FEELING songs I’ve gotten into this year.
4. Mariah Carey “Make It Look Good”
3. A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera “Say Something”
Can’t even explain why I love this song, it’s so simple but makes such an emotional impact. Great stuff.
2. Mariah Carey “Faded”
This song is so sad, but the groove of it and Mariah’s vocals make it very addicting for me.
1. Coldplay “Magic”
Everything about this song is on point, the lyricism, the production and even Chris’ vocals are … well, they fit the song and mood.
It’s no secret that my enthusiasm for the Grammys and other award shows has waned over the last few years. Nominees have been either very predictable or very unworthy, and instead of trying to make sense of it all I try to just ignore them. This Friday, the nominees for the 56th Annual Grammy’s were announced and it seems like the academy is trying to turn things around. I have to admit that while scrolling through the list, I caught myself smiling and very proud of the nominees (even some of the snubs). This year seems to be a really great mix of artists with actual talent who deserve the extra Grammy shine, instead of the Academy favoring the biggest selling artists of the year just because they’re popular. Mainly, and selfishly I’m sure, what made me smile the most was that I was seeing some of my favorite music of the year up for big awards, which normally doesn’t happen.
So instead of going through the full list of nominees, let’s start with the ones that genuinely made me smile.
Kendrick Lamar is up for 7 Grammy’s including Album of the Year and New Artist
Daft Punk and Kendrick Lamar for Album of the Year.
“Random Access Memories” was easily one of my favorite albums of the year. I expected Daft Punk’s huge hit single “Get Lucky” to get lots of Grammy love, but didn’t expect the album to be in the Top category. Even though it is truly deserving, Grammy’s tend to relegate Electronic music to their own specific category, so I was pleased to see the album being appreciated among the rest of the great artists.
I was happy to see Kendrick Lamar up for Album of the Year category simply because I think he’s awesome. There hasn’t been a Hip Hop Album from a new, fresh, young artist like Kendrick up for this Top award in a long time, so it was nice to see and he’s definitely the one who deserves to break that pattern.
(Kendrick Lamar photo by Ben Miller, http://www.benmillerphoto.com)
James Blake, Kendrick Lamar and Ed Sheeran for New Artist.
Grammy’s never seem to get this category right. James Blake and Ed Sheeran are nowhere near NEW artists as Blake released his second full length album this year, and Sheeran’s “+” album has been available since 2011, and he was nominated for Song of the Year last year. The weird criteria for this category is confusing, but they are both great artists and very deserving of their nominations. And again, I just like Kendrick and he has a great shot at actually winning this prize.
The Snubbing of Justin Timberlake.
It was expected that Justin Timberlake would lead the list of nominees this year, he had the best selling album through most of the year, and is a Grammy darling. He racked up 7 total, which is great, but he didn’t find himself in any of the Top categories. His first album not to be nominated for Album of the Year. While it’s surprising, I personally feel like the snubbing is “Justified” so to speak. “The 20/20 Experience” album was hardly anything groundbreaking, and even though plenty of undeserving Albums have been nominated in this category, I’m glad at least this one didn’t get through. I feel this is the Grammy’s trending away from giving nominations to the popular, top-selling hits and being more critical about the actual material.
“The Next Day“, David Bowie’s first album in 10 years, was great in that it was current but also paid tribute to the amazing career he has had. Many are complaining that the Rock categories are filled up with too many “older” acts, but I feel that both of Bowie’s nominations for Rock Album and Rock Performance are well deserved, even if he’s probably not going to win.
Tame Impala grab their first Grammy nomination for Alternative Album
Tame Impala and Vampire Weekend for Alternative Album
“Lonerism” is an amazing album, but Tame Impala are one of those groups that I think may be TOO underground to get the attention of Grammy voters. Luckily that’s not the case this year as the group get their very first Grammy nomination for Alternative Album. When I saw their name I actually did a double take before I smiled, they probably have little chance of winning but I’m happy to see them being recognized for a great piece of work.
I was also happy to see Vampire Weekend in this category, specifically because I felt “Modern Vampires of the City” should have been up for Album of the Year and I thought they might have been ignored altogether. This one nomination is fine, and knowing they have a good chance of winning it is ever better, but I feel they got snubbed in some of the bigger categories. If not Album of the Year, than “Diane Young”, one of the most fun and clever songs of the year, should have gotten Record of Song of the year.
Tamar Braxton, one of my favorite albums of 2013 earned 3 Grammy nominations
Tamar Braxton‘s Triple nominations.
It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a #Tamartian, and I’ve been loving Tamar’s “Love and War” album since it came out. I was hoping she would be a sure thing for Contemporary R&B Album, but you can never be too sure. When I saw that she grabbed three nominations in the R&B categories I was ecstatic. Braxton is up for R&B Performance and R&B Song for “Love and War” and Contemporary R&B Album (which I personally think she should win, but who knows how that will play out).
Fantasia, Kelly Rowland & Missy Elliott for R&B Song
“Without Me“, the track from Fantasia’s nominated album “Side Effects of You“, was such a banger when I first heard it, I thought it was destined to be a massive urban hit. Months later with a peak of only #26 on the R&B chart I feared the song was totally ignored, so I was glad to see this collaboration with Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott up for an award.
(Side Note: How did “Pusher Lover Girl” by Justin Timberlake get into this race?)
Kanye West‘s “Yeezus” for Rap Album
Scrolling through the nominee list I was surprised when I didn’t see Kanye West listed much, so I was happy to see him get at least Rap Album (he’s also up for Rap Performance for “New Slaves”). He’s been nominated and won in this category for every single album he’s put out. He might not win, but it’s nice to see his most daring and risky album wasn’t ignored or under-appreciated because of his other antics.
Pharrell, a front runner for Producer of the Year
Pharrell Williams for Producer of the Year.
This nomination was a bit of a no-brainer, Pharrell was responsible for two of the biggest hits this year and regained a lot of relevancy as an in-demand producer. We just have to think back to the early 2000’s when The Neptunes were making hit after hit and were continually ignored by the Grammys. Those past snubs worried me about his chances this year, but sure enough he was there and set to win this trophy.
Capital Cities “Safe and Sound” for best Music Video.
I just recently saw the “Safe and Sound” video a few weeks ago at a bar, and it sort of blew my mind. The video is a time traveling, upbeat, fun, visually engaging video with lots of dancing that makes you laugh and makes your jaw drop. I’m very happy to see it in it’s deserved place as one of the best videos of the year.
Overall, I don’t have that many complaints which is a refreshing feeling around Grammy time. I would have loved to see Alt-J, Solange, Beach House or K Michelle among others nominated, but I wasn’t really expecting it. I was surprised that Janelle Monae and Phoenix didn’t get any nominations at all. I also thought very highly of The Strokes‘ latest album, but it, like all of their previous work, was ignored.
In the end, this years’ nominees have somewhat restored my faith in the Grammy system, and I may even do a Prediction blog post as the awards come closer. I’m most happy that my musical favorites are being recognized this year, so maybe I DO know what I’m talking about.
