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
Thursday, October 28, 2010
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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