Alright, this was relevant last year. However, it would be easier to take a year and reflect on the past decade and what definitely this era musically. The top 100 of the 2000s is never an easy list to comply and you have to be wondering what exactly gives you the right to come up with a list. Well in the end it's all my opinion, so you can take it or leave it. Most of the time, please just leave it. Anyways throughout the month of December, I would give you a new blog post for every 10 songs counting down from 100 to 1. #1 will be revealed on the last true day of the 2000s, December 31st, 2010. The count down for the top 100 of the 2000s will start Wednesday, December 1st. Looking back in the past decade we saw our share of heartbreak and triumph, our share of compassion and anger, our share of reflection and carelessness. The 2000s in music has its defining musical moments. In the 2000s, we had the rise and fall of the southern style of music known as "Crunk", the era of European-style music known as "Electropop", the decline of compact discs, and the rise of digital downloads. We saw careers come full circle to careers ending on a stage in New York City doing the do-see-do. We saw the creation of legacies, from American Idiots to Hollaback Girls to The King of Pop and everything else in between. The 2000s defined a music generation as diverse as the days of the hippies. I hope that the countdown will reflect what happened in the past ten years.
To qualify on the list, the song must have been released or re-released from December 1st, 1999 to December 31st, 2009.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Music Video Review - "Runaway" by Kanye West
Kanye West's new video is an astounding 34 minute-film, which is a tribute to what has happened within the past year since the infamous "Taylor Swift" incident at the 2009 Video Music Awards. His latest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is set for release the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The promotion machine is rolling with his appearance in the "Today" show, which caused him to cancel his performance on November 26. However, that is another story for another day. Anyways back to the video. It was shot in Prague over 4 days in the summer of 2010 and premiered in October 23rd, 2010. The overall story shows a relationship between a man and a half-woman/half-phoenix. The soundtrack is West's album and it stars Kanye West and model Selita Ebanks. In a recent interview, Ebanks explains that the moral of the film is "the world doesn't accept, or they try to change, what is different, instead of trying to understand it." Do you think that? Well, do you have 35 minutes available? Give Kanye another chance and watch his 34-minute film
Sorry for the clean edit of the video, i was too lazy to find the dirty version. However, I did watch the dirty edit where they curse. That is pretty much it. Anyways, I personally love Kanye West's music. I try to look on the bright side with that. Also, I give him a lot of credit to really say what he is saying on his mind and this video really shows that. It reminds me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" with a hint of "Full-Metal Jacket", which is listed as direct inspiration for the film. It has that dark feel where you are fully immersed into the world that Kanye has created. There are artists where they sing a song and you are supposedly get a peek into their secured world. This video and the whole album really shows what is going on in West's world. I'm sure after the VMA incident, he wrote this film to show what's going on with his world.
The film's title track entitled "Runaway", which starts at around the 13:23 mark, was played in full being that it is the main reason why the film was created. The video for the song begins with a dinner for about 40 of West's closest friends for him and his girlfriend. At one point, a gentlemen leans over to West and tells him that she is beautiful. Then the gentlemen asks West, do you know that she is a bird?. West's answer was "No, I never notice that", which I think was a good answer for that questions. Then the music begins and about 30 ballet dancers come running in to perform a group dance. I really like the colors and the way that the video was shot. It shows a painting coming to life, not really the extent of "Power", but it is visually stunning. It has a slight tint to it, which adds to the effect of a real-life painting. The 4 minute shorten clip is used as the official video for heavy rotation on MTV, VH1, The Music Factory, and BET, which comes to a sudden ending. However on YouTube, you can find the extended edit of the video. It has the ballet dancers performing a dance of their own with some annoying auto-tuning at the end of it. However, the visual painting is really expressed for about 1 minute where the ballet dancers are still and the camera pans the entire group, which really hits home the concept of the video.
After the video, dinner is served and the main course is...turkey. There is one reason and one reason only why this happened....spite. You hear the phoenix screaming to where the all the guests are leaving the table. I feel like that part of the video is a representation of what the media perceives West as, a spiteful bastard. The ending of the video is what the whole film is trying to convey to where West tries to convince the phoenix to stay in his world, instead of leaving. If you want to know if she leaves or stays, you have to watch it cause i'm not spoiling this masterpiece.
Finally, my opinion on the film. I think it is amazing and Kanye West should be receiving a bunch of awards for this video. If he doesn't, then the music industry is truly corrupt and doesn't really recognize true talent. There are a lot of artists out there that created catchy pop songs and created videos to where they are seducing the audience. This film shows the ability for an artist to go out of the box. I can't really think of an artist with that ability and is able to do it well. Kanye West is back with a vengeance and his supporters are letting people that he is back. This solidifies West's place in music as probably the most creative artist in the music industry right now. Can't you tell that I think Kanye West is amazing? Well, he is. I know that he has all that personal shit that people stamp him with, which ties him into the music. In the end, the music is all that matters.
Rating - 10 out of 10. Hit it out of the ball park and I'm taken back by the visual detailing.
Sorry for the clean edit of the video, i was too lazy to find the dirty version. However, I did watch the dirty edit where they curse. That is pretty much it. Anyways, I personally love Kanye West's music. I try to look on the bright side with that. Also, I give him a lot of credit to really say what he is saying on his mind and this video really shows that. It reminds me of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" with a hint of "Full-Metal Jacket", which is listed as direct inspiration for the film. It has that dark feel where you are fully immersed into the world that Kanye has created. There are artists where they sing a song and you are supposedly get a peek into their secured world. This video and the whole album really shows what is going on in West's world. I'm sure after the VMA incident, he wrote this film to show what's going on with his world.
The film's title track entitled "Runaway", which starts at around the 13:23 mark, was played in full being that it is the main reason why the film was created. The video for the song begins with a dinner for about 40 of West's closest friends for him and his girlfriend. At one point, a gentlemen leans over to West and tells him that she is beautiful. Then the gentlemen asks West, do you know that she is a bird?. West's answer was "No, I never notice that", which I think was a good answer for that questions. Then the music begins and about 30 ballet dancers come running in to perform a group dance. I really like the colors and the way that the video was shot. It shows a painting coming to life, not really the extent of "Power", but it is visually stunning. It has a slight tint to it, which adds to the effect of a real-life painting. The 4 minute shorten clip is used as the official video for heavy rotation on MTV, VH1, The Music Factory, and BET, which comes to a sudden ending. However on YouTube, you can find the extended edit of the video. It has the ballet dancers performing a dance of their own with some annoying auto-tuning at the end of it. However, the visual painting is really expressed for about 1 minute where the ballet dancers are still and the camera pans the entire group, which really hits home the concept of the video.
After the video, dinner is served and the main course is...turkey. There is one reason and one reason only why this happened....spite. You hear the phoenix screaming to where the all the guests are leaving the table. I feel like that part of the video is a representation of what the media perceives West as, a spiteful bastard. The ending of the video is what the whole film is trying to convey to where West tries to convince the phoenix to stay in his world, instead of leaving. If you want to know if she leaves or stays, you have to watch it cause i'm not spoiling this masterpiece.
Finally, my opinion on the film. I think it is amazing and Kanye West should be receiving a bunch of awards for this video. If he doesn't, then the music industry is truly corrupt and doesn't really recognize true talent. There are a lot of artists out there that created catchy pop songs and created videos to where they are seducing the audience. This film shows the ability for an artist to go out of the box. I can't really think of an artist with that ability and is able to do it well. Kanye West is back with a vengeance and his supporters are letting people that he is back. This solidifies West's place in music as probably the most creative artist in the music industry right now. Can't you tell that I think Kanye West is amazing? Well, he is. I know that he has all that personal shit that people stamp him with, which ties him into the music. In the end, the music is all that matters.
Rating - 10 out of 10. Hit it out of the ball park and I'm taken back by the visual detailing.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Music Video Review - "Firework" by Katy Perry
The fourth of July has come either early or late, dependent on your point of view. Katy Perry provides the pyrotechnic entertainment with her latest single "Firework". The third single from her successful sophomore album "Teenage Dream" turns out to be Perry's favorite song on the album. The video was shot in late September by accomplished video director Dave Meyers in Budapest. It is basically about the different struggles in life and how they can muster up the power to be a "firework" and be the center of attention and not really giving a damn about anything. Well, that's how I interpreted it. Watch the video and make your judgments on it.
The video has a lot of special effects to really fulfill the song's message. The fireworks are bursting out of the chests of some shy, timid people who don't understand what worth they have as opposed to what society has stereotyped them as. The different people are an oversized woman who is at a pool party, a cancer patient in remission, a homosexual male who decides to make the first move at a dance club, a bashful street entertainer, and a son in a troubled home. With the recent events of suicides due to bullying or just giving in to struggles of life, this video holds a stronger message than what was originally conceptualized to be. It is definitely an empowering video, along the lines of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". It shows that everyone is worth something and everyone can make a lasting impression. The beat alone drives the point and makes the video even more epic than it should be. The video is visually appealing with the "firework" special effects and the backdrop of the European capital. The ending of the video calls for celebration of all different types of people, which in this day of modern advances in relationships, still has people who are closed-minded and suffer from tunnel-vision. Unfortunately, there are people like that in this world and hopefully a electropop catchy pop tune like this one will help people tear down the walls. The video is enlightening and a surprise from the wholesome, sexy appeal that is known as Katy Perry.
Rating - 9 out of 10.
The video has a lot of special effects to really fulfill the song's message. The fireworks are bursting out of the chests of some shy, timid people who don't understand what worth they have as opposed to what society has stereotyped them as. The different people are an oversized woman who is at a pool party, a cancer patient in remission, a homosexual male who decides to make the first move at a dance club, a bashful street entertainer, and a son in a troubled home. With the recent events of suicides due to bullying or just giving in to struggles of life, this video holds a stronger message than what was originally conceptualized to be. It is definitely an empowering video, along the lines of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". It shows that everyone is worth something and everyone can make a lasting impression. The beat alone drives the point and makes the video even more epic than it should be. The video is visually appealing with the "firework" special effects and the backdrop of the European capital. The ending of the video calls for celebration of all different types of people, which in this day of modern advances in relationships, still has people who are closed-minded and suffer from tunnel-vision. Unfortunately, there are people like that in this world and hopefully a electropop catchy pop tune like this one will help people tear down the walls. The video is enlightening and a surprise from the wholesome, sexy appeal that is known as Katy Perry.
Rating - 9 out of 10.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Song Review - "The Time (A Dirty Bit)" by The Black Eyed Peas
From summertime hits to dance anthems, the Black Eyed Peas have always been one of the creative groups in music. Their diversity and their fearlessness have given them great success throughout the years and to some people, iconic status. Personally, I don't know if I would go that far, but they have changed their landscape of music. They have the simple message of music, saying that it's all about having a good time. "I Gotta Feeling", "Let's Get It Started", and "Boom Boom Pow" are all party starters and the simple formula of those songs have propelled them into stardom. These songs were the catalysts for the new song that BEP released last week from their new album "The Beginning", as opposed to their last album "The END". Have a listen below and i'm sure that the chorus will sound familiar to everyone.
I know what you thinking, BEP sampled that song? Yes, they sampled from "Dirty Dancing", the chorus was from the 1988 Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes hit duet "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". The electropop beat that very similiar to "Rock That Body" and "Boom Boom Pow", i'm not sure who was the producer behind this one. It's either David Guetta, who previous produced "I Gotta Feeling", or Will.i.am, whose beats remind me of "Planet Rock" or anything from Jupiter. As far as the song goes lyrically, it's not "Where's The Love?", but definitely better than "My Humps". The lyrics are party hooks that basically get the party going. You can sing to it, if you want to. The only part people will sing along to is the chorus cause it is recognizable as the song from "Dirty Dancing". The true king of the song is the beat that will make you dance all night long. One way to describe this song is like what Chris Rock said about rap music, "If the beat is alright, she will dance all night". This means that basically people will not care what the lyrics are, if the background beat is dance-able they will dance.
Recently, The Black Eyed Peas have been on this electropop kick to where almost every song is influenced from a DJ in Europe. It brings me back to the old school days of Afrika Bambaataa and The Soulsonic Force, where DJs use to spin in parks and have poppers and lockers battle it out on the school yard with moves. It's no longer about getting shot or who is hard, the industry is all about having a good time and partying. The Black Eyed Peas have always wanted to ushering in an era like this and along with the help of DJ David Guetta, they have. This song is only going to extend it and hopefully "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" will join BEP's recent dance anthems as recent radio and club hits.
Rating - 8.05 out of 10
I know what you thinking, BEP sampled that song? Yes, they sampled from "Dirty Dancing", the chorus was from the 1988 Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes hit duet "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". The electropop beat that very similiar to "Rock That Body" and "Boom Boom Pow", i'm not sure who was the producer behind this one. It's either David Guetta, who previous produced "I Gotta Feeling", or Will.i.am, whose beats remind me of "Planet Rock" or anything from Jupiter. As far as the song goes lyrically, it's not "Where's The Love?", but definitely better than "My Humps". The lyrics are party hooks that basically get the party going. You can sing to it, if you want to. The only part people will sing along to is the chorus cause it is recognizable as the song from "Dirty Dancing". The true king of the song is the beat that will make you dance all night long. One way to describe this song is like what Chris Rock said about rap music, "If the beat is alright, she will dance all night". This means that basically people will not care what the lyrics are, if the background beat is dance-able they will dance.
Recently, The Black Eyed Peas have been on this electropop kick to where almost every song is influenced from a DJ in Europe. It brings me back to the old school days of Afrika Bambaataa and The Soulsonic Force, where DJs use to spin in parks and have poppers and lockers battle it out on the school yard with moves. It's no longer about getting shot or who is hard, the industry is all about having a good time and partying. The Black Eyed Peas have always wanted to ushering in an era like this and along with the help of DJ David Guetta, they have. This song is only going to extend it and hopefully "The Time (The Dirty Bit)" will join BEP's recent dance anthems as recent radio and club hits.
Rating - 8.05 out of 10
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Music Video Review - "Yeah 3X" by Chris Brown
So Chris Brown...the name alone may cause shivers throughout your body in disgust or you might joke around with it. However you use his name, you can't take away from the talent and raw dance ability that this kid has. "Yeah 3X" is the start of the journey back to the top for Chris Brown after beating the crap out of the artist who I reviewed last week, Rihanna. The comeback started at the BET Awards with a Michael Jackson medley to where he climaxes by confessing his sins to the audience and promising them that he will not let them down. Well, did he do the right thing by starting up on this upbeat dance video called "Yeah 3X"? You can be the judge of that, click below to watch the full video.
The video debuted this past week and to generally popular reviews by some top critics. The song is feel good tune free of any sort of evidence of what happened in the past. It's all about loosening up and just having a good time. It sort of reminds people of one of his previous singles "Forever", which was took a while before being a huge hit for Chris Brown. I feel like that with this single. People are gonna warm up to Chris Brown before really accepting him back into American pop culture. The video itself is a little surprising cause I totally expected to have a more "grown-up" video. The video is squeaky clean and all about having a good time. I was not expecting to see kids on the street dancing with the type of song that was playing in the background. The dance sequences were fantastic and I thought that they were very creative. It definitely got the feel of the music. I think the setting and environment that the video was set in didn't match or fit the song.
In "Run It", it was exactly that but with a plot of a bunch of school kids battling it out in their school gym in the after hours. "Wall-To-Wall" was inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller", however it was more suited for Chris Brown. However, you can see the mature progress that Chris Brown was making in "Wall-To-Wall" following "Run It". This video sort of held Chris Brown back, but it was for a good reason. He needs to restore the image of Chris Brown pre-Rihanna beating, in order to really move on with his music career and really show us that he is a man.
Overall, I liked it and disliked it at the same time. The song was catchy, but the video was odd. Hopefully, Chris Brown's comeback is on the rise and that his new album "FAME" will be dropping soon to rave reviews.
Rating - Solid 7 out of 10.
The video debuted this past week and to generally popular reviews by some top critics. The song is feel good tune free of any sort of evidence of what happened in the past. It's all about loosening up and just having a good time. It sort of reminds people of one of his previous singles "Forever", which was took a while before being a huge hit for Chris Brown. I feel like that with this single. People are gonna warm up to Chris Brown before really accepting him back into American pop culture. The video itself is a little surprising cause I totally expected to have a more "grown-up" video. The video is squeaky clean and all about having a good time. I was not expecting to see kids on the street dancing with the type of song that was playing in the background. The dance sequences were fantastic and I thought that they were very creative. It definitely got the feel of the music. I think the setting and environment that the video was set in didn't match or fit the song.
In "Run It", it was exactly that but with a plot of a bunch of school kids battling it out in their school gym in the after hours. "Wall-To-Wall" was inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller", however it was more suited for Chris Brown. However, you can see the mature progress that Chris Brown was making in "Wall-To-Wall" following "Run It". This video sort of held Chris Brown back, but it was for a good reason. He needs to restore the image of Chris Brown pre-Rihanna beating, in order to really move on with his music career and really show us that he is a man.
Overall, I liked it and disliked it at the same time. The song was catchy, but the video was odd. Hopefully, Chris Brown's comeback is on the rise and that his new album "FAME" will be dropping soon to rave reviews.
Rating - Solid 7 out of 10.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Song Review - "Club Can't Handle Me" by Tyler Ward and Cobus Potgieter
For those who don't know who Tyler Ward, join the club cause I have no idea who this guy. However, I do know who Cobus Potgieter is. Cobus is from South Africa and gained fame on YouTube with his drum covers. I was searching for drum covers by blink-182 and i stumbled upon his YouTube channel and quickly subscribed to it. He has covered everyone from blink-182 to 'N Sync, from Avenged Sevenfold to Kelly Clarkson. My personal favorite is "Face Down" by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, which is very beautifully done. This kid has talent and plans on visiting the USA and Canada in Early 2011 for NAMM and other events.
One day, I logged onto YouTube and see a new video featuring Cobus with an American vocalist named Tyler Ward. So, I clicked on it and got to listen to a cover of Flo Rida and David Guetta's "Club Can't Handle Me" from Step Up 3D. Click on the video below to get a glimpse of the cover.
You heard the cover, now this is original.
Now, you can tell that these two are totally different from one another. The original version was made as a club anthem produced by the one of the respected DJs in the business and the cover version was made with a rock arrangement tailor-made for both musicians. Both versions are available for download on iTunes. This post is for the rock arrangement of the song, which I think is the more musically pleasing version of the song. I love both versions of the song, but why the rock cover? The rock version brings the song back to its very roots as a simple arrangement that is adaptive to any style. This cover by Cobus isn't as busy as some of his other covers. Tyler Ward looks like the song was arranged to fit them both to show their talents together. However, I think that this song doesn't serve them justice on how talented they are.
The song is too simple to be covered by a band. Anyone out there can create a great version of this song. It isn't too hard. There isn't anything complicated about the song, which brings me back to the beginning to where I think the song can be easily arranged and changed around to fit anyone's style. This song seemed like a safehouse for both of them not to have too many mistakes. Don't get me wrong I like the song but for Tyler and Cobus, if they work together again they should perform a song to really showcase their talents.
Rating - 6.5 out of 10.
One day, I logged onto YouTube and see a new video featuring Cobus with an American vocalist named Tyler Ward. So, I clicked on it and got to listen to a cover of Flo Rida and David Guetta's "Club Can't Handle Me" from Step Up 3D. Click on the video below to get a glimpse of the cover.
You heard the cover, now this is original.
Now, you can tell that these two are totally different from one another. The original version was made as a club anthem produced by the one of the respected DJs in the business and the cover version was made with a rock arrangement tailor-made for both musicians. Both versions are available for download on iTunes. This post is for the rock arrangement of the song, which I think is the more musically pleasing version of the song. I love both versions of the song, but why the rock cover? The rock version brings the song back to its very roots as a simple arrangement that is adaptive to any style. This cover by Cobus isn't as busy as some of his other covers. Tyler Ward looks like the song was arranged to fit them both to show their talents together. However, I think that this song doesn't serve them justice on how talented they are.
The song is too simple to be covered by a band. Anyone out there can create a great version of this song. It isn't too hard. There isn't anything complicated about the song, which brings me back to the beginning to where I think the song can be easily arranged and changed around to fit anyone's style. This song seemed like a safehouse for both of them not to have too many mistakes. Don't get me wrong I like the song but for Tyler and Cobus, if they work together again they should perform a song to really showcase their talents.
Rating - 6.5 out of 10.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Music Video Review - "Only Girl (In The World)" by Rihanna
Recently, Rihanna has been down on her luck. With the very public and messy break-up with Chris Brown in the past, she looks towards the future with a renewed sense of hope and happiness. Her upcoming album "LOUD" shows how much she has progressed and changed ever since that day in LA a couple of years ago. The album is set to drop November 12th. Her latest single "Only Girl (In The World)" was released digitally last month and the video was recently premiered on VEVO.
In the video, we see something that we haven't seen in a while. Only one person in the video! Holy crap, what an awesome concept! However, the video is bubbly and very upbeat. She is basically screaming out to the world that she in love with a guy who makes her feel like she is the only girl in the world. In fact, she is the only girl in this video. It sort of a very modern and very Rihanna take on the opening scene from "The Sound of Music", where Julie Andrews is dancing around the hills and screaming her lungs out to the world. Basically, both of these ladies showed that they are living a care-free lifestyle for at least til the song is done. The video pretty much goes with the lyrics to the Timbaland-inspired beat. The lyrics are very free-spirited and shows Rihanna is doing better. She couldn't be any happier, I wondered if she wrote this song while she was boinking "Jimmy" from "Degrassi: The Next Generation" aka Drake. The video itself is very eye-catching with a good amount of colors. The true star of the video is Rihanna with her sexy eyes and the way that she looks at you. She is making you feel like she is directly talking to you. If there is one thing that gets me going as a guy, it is definitely the eyes. The way that a woman looks at you with her eyes shows a lot about who is she and if she interested. Rihanna definitely looks like she is interested. However, I think she was looking at the dude behind me.
According to an interview for JustJared.com, Rihanna says "It looks fake, like something out of a postcard with the beautiful hills… We had a lot of sunshine those couple of days, so it really worked with the whole essence of the video. But really, the video just shows this big landscape and the only person there is me."
Overall, this video is very colorful. This is what Katy Perry's drug-induced "California Gurls" video should be like. It is a good thing that Rihanna took a page out of her best friend's book, but toned down the colors and just have fun with the video. The video perfectly matches the song and the spirit of why the tune was written in the first place. This video is up there with "Russian Roulette", as one of Rihanna's best videos. I'm sure that MTV and Top 40 will pick up on it and it will be played non-stop. However in today's day and age, what's wrong with having a little fun.
Rating - 7.36 out of 10 (Not bad, but definitely could have been more fun)
In the video, we see something that we haven't seen in a while. Only one person in the video! Holy crap, what an awesome concept! However, the video is bubbly and very upbeat. She is basically screaming out to the world that she in love with a guy who makes her feel like she is the only girl in the world. In fact, she is the only girl in this video. It sort of a very modern and very Rihanna take on the opening scene from "The Sound of Music", where Julie Andrews is dancing around the hills and screaming her lungs out to the world. Basically, both of these ladies showed that they are living a care-free lifestyle for at least til the song is done. The video pretty much goes with the lyrics to the Timbaland-inspired beat. The lyrics are very free-spirited and shows Rihanna is doing better. She couldn't be any happier, I wondered if she wrote this song while she was boinking "Jimmy" from "Degrassi: The Next Generation" aka Drake. The video itself is very eye-catching with a good amount of colors. The true star of the video is Rihanna with her sexy eyes and the way that she looks at you. She is making you feel like she is directly talking to you. If there is one thing that gets me going as a guy, it is definitely the eyes. The way that a woman looks at you with her eyes shows a lot about who is she and if she interested. Rihanna definitely looks like she is interested. However, I think she was looking at the dude behind me.
According to an interview for JustJared.com, Rihanna says "It looks fake, like something out of a postcard with the beautiful hills… We had a lot of sunshine those couple of days, so it really worked with the whole essence of the video. But really, the video just shows this big landscape and the only person there is me."
Overall, this video is very colorful. This is what Katy Perry's drug-induced "California Gurls" video should be like. It is a good thing that Rihanna took a page out of her best friend's book, but toned down the colors and just have fun with the video. The video perfectly matches the song and the spirit of why the tune was written in the first place. This video is up there with "Russian Roulette", as one of Rihanna's best videos. I'm sure that MTV and Top 40 will pick up on it and it will be played non-stop. However in today's day and age, what's wrong with having a little fun.
Rating - 7.36 out of 10 (Not bad, but definitely could have been more fun)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Song Review - "Beauty and The Beast" by Jordin Sparks
Surprisingly, I chose this version and not the one by Celine Dion. This song I heard on a commerical and wondered who was the singer. So, I went on a YouTube search and came up with Jordin Sparks. This song was remade for the latest release of the 1991 timeless classic "Beauty of the Beast". The song was sung in the movie by Angela Lansbury and then a radio edit was released as a duet between upcoming Canadian singer Celine Dion and R&B singer Peabo Bryson. The song was so good that it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992.
Almost two decades later, the song has been remade and covered by various artists throughout the years such as movie songstress Julie Andrews, pop/r&b group Jump5, and J-Pop group "Bright". The most recent cover was done by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and a music video was created specifically for The Diamond Edition of "Beauty and The Beast".
The song has a R&B touch to it, which taps into today's Top 40 market. This cover of "Beauty and the Beast" is almost made for kids' parties and to make parents who grew in the Late 80s and Early 90s remember when they heard this song for the first time in theaters. For the lack of a better sense, it's dance-able tune, where I can mix this with Selena Gomez or even worse Miley Cryus. Please don't get me wrong, Jordin Sparks is a very talented singer and probably one of the best singers to come out of American Idol. She is probably one of the few that can actually last in the music industry that has ties to the doomed show. Jordin Sparks sang this song the way that Jordin Sparks can. She made it her own song and definitely tried to keep it separate from the Dion/Bryson duet.
However, this cover is missing something that the Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson version had. I couldn't figure it out until I listened to both versions back-to-back. The duet of Dion/Bryson had chemistry, musical showmanship, and most importantly CHARM. The Jordin Sparks version was lacking charm and the appeal that made the song a Disney Classic. The song appeals to today's tween generation, but in the end, this song will be remembered by the 9-14 demographic. With the Dion/Bryson version will live on forever and every artist that tries to match the charm and musicality of this version will fail.
Almost two decades later, the song has been remade and covered by various artists throughout the years such as movie songstress Julie Andrews, pop/r&b group Jump5, and J-Pop group "Bright". The most recent cover was done by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and a music video was created specifically for The Diamond Edition of "Beauty and The Beast".
The song has a R&B touch to it, which taps into today's Top 40 market. This cover of "Beauty and the Beast" is almost made for kids' parties and to make parents who grew in the Late 80s and Early 90s remember when they heard this song for the first time in theaters. For the lack of a better sense, it's dance-able tune, where I can mix this with Selena Gomez or even worse Miley Cryus. Please don't get me wrong, Jordin Sparks is a very talented singer and probably one of the best singers to come out of American Idol. She is probably one of the few that can actually last in the music industry that has ties to the doomed show. Jordin Sparks sang this song the way that Jordin Sparks can. She made it her own song and definitely tried to keep it separate from the Dion/Bryson duet.
However, this cover is missing something that the Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson version had. I couldn't figure it out until I listened to both versions back-to-back. The duet of Dion/Bryson had chemistry, musical showmanship, and most importantly CHARM. The Jordin Sparks version was lacking charm and the appeal that made the song a Disney Classic. The song appeals to today's tween generation, but in the end, this song will be remembered by the 9-14 demographic. With the Dion/Bryson version will live on forever and every artist that tries to match the charm and musicality of this version will fail.
Why I Created This Blog?
Well, that's a simple question to ask. Why I decided to make a music blog? To be perfectly honest, I'm bored at home and I need to work on my grammar and spelling. However, one of my biggest passions in life is music. It doesn't matter, if it's r&b, rock, dance, pop, or whatever Nelly Furtado is making, I love music. I love listening to it. I love making music. Most importantly, I love the way music makes you feel while listening to it. If you are in a bad mood, you can click on your iTunes playlist and find one song that cheers you up in an instant. For myself, it's either "Perfect Day" by Hoku or "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. If you feel like dancing, DJ Sammy's "Heaven" or "Hey Ya" by Outkast can put you in that party mood. In times of sorrow, music can help you cope the troubling situations that life has thrown at us.
Sound is everywhere and with sound you can create music. It doesn't matter if it has no pitch or no rhythm, someone will consider it music and instantly change their current feelings/thoughts. Music in the 21st century has transcended previous conceptations of what is music and how it is created. It doesn't matter if we sample a previous beat or created one through a drum machine. The point of the matter is that Music is and always will be music. That is why I created this blog.
The next question I should ask myself is "Did anyone f*cking understand what the hell I just said?" If one person understand it, then I did my job and i'm content with myself. This blog will consist of anything and everything with music. I did mostly for reviews which will be released every Thursday. I'll begin with the one song that got me the idea of creating a music blog and i'm probably gonna get some slack for it. However, you can be the judge of that.
Sound is everywhere and with sound you can create music. It doesn't matter if it has no pitch or no rhythm, someone will consider it music and instantly change their current feelings/thoughts. Music in the 21st century has transcended previous conceptations of what is music and how it is created. It doesn't matter if we sample a previous beat or created one through a drum machine. The point of the matter is that Music is and always will be music. That is why I created this blog.
The next question I should ask myself is "Did anyone f*cking understand what the hell I just said?" If one person understand it, then I did my job and i'm content with myself. This blog will consist of anything and everything with music. I did mostly for reviews which will be released every Thursday. I'll begin with the one song that got me the idea of creating a music blog and i'm probably gonna get some slack for it. However, you can be the judge of that.
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