Archive for the ‘Bubbling Under’ Category
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Wale featuring Jeremih & Rick Ross—”That Way”
#109
I still think Wale has promise, but this isn’t going to get him anywhere. Jeremih provides a decent hook, and Ross provides his usual presence (and his usual lack of anything interesting to say), but Wale seems lost on his own record. You don’t remember a word he’s said once it’s over.
Ace Hood featuring Chris Brown—”Body 2 Body”
#110
A mid-level seduction track from two mid-level guys. There is one weird line, though, from Ace Hood: “Are those your real eyes?/Can tell you’re partially Asian”. Is that meant to be a compliment of some kind? Interesting ideas about seduction these guys have.
Jamie-Grace featuring tobyMac—”Hold Me”
#113
A British version of Colbie Caillat, which means a little Natasha Bedingfield and Lily Allen gets mixed in as well. Cute, if you can stand it.
Benny Benassi featuring Gary Go—”Cinema”
#119
As modern as pop techno gets, but so limp that what it most reminds me of is the wimpy bubblegum pop of the early seventies like Christie’s “Yellow River” or Edison Lighthouse’s “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” or Wadsworth Mansion’s “Sweet Mary”. All of which had better hooks. Better singing, too.
Tags: Ace Hood, Benny Benassi, Chris Brown, Christie, Colbie Caillat, Edison Lighthouse, Gary Go, Jamie-Grace, Jeremih, Lily Allen, Natasha Bedingfield, Rick Ross, tobyMac, Wadsworth Mansion, Wale
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Saturday, September 3rd, 2011
Victorious Cast featuring Victoria Justice—”I Want You Back”
#108
This is pure karaoke—the only thing that sounds different from the original is the vocals—but it’s a world away from Glee or the worst of American Idol. Still, it’s a well-crafted curiosity and nothing more. It helps that Justice doesn’t try to do Michael Jackson. More and more, in fact, she reminds me of Katrina Leskanich. I await her version of “Walking On Sunshine”.
Darius Rucker—”I Got Nothin’”
#109
After the warm and sleep-inducing paeans to family life on Rucker’s last album, the bleak desolation of this record comes as a surprise. What may be even more surprising is the way Rucker sings it: there isn’t a trace of country phrasing. If anything, he sounds like a grunge singer dabbling in a different genre (if you ever wanted to hear Eddie Vedder sing country, this may be as close as you get). Not a great record, but better than I would have expected.
David Nail—”Let It Rain”
#115
One of the things that makes country so fascinating right now is the sense of growing stylistic openness; more and more it sounds as if they’re willing to try anything. This may be desperation in the face of imploding sales, but it may also have to do with the broadening of the country audience not just beyond the south (which has been going on for decades), but from a rural and suburban base to one more urban. So now you get more traces of urban styles, even touches of hip-hop and urban soul, besides the obvious blues, southern rock, and easy-listening pop. This record, good but not great, features pumping organ as it’s rhythmic base, along with background vocals that suggest both black gospel and the sophistication of Fleetwood Mac, plus the unfortunately de rigueur power ballad climax (when is someone in country going to fight the loudness epidemic? they, of all genres, should be leading the charge). It doesn’t veer far from the basics, especially in the vocals, but it’s enough to make it sound fresh, and to make you wonder just where country is going to be a few years from now.
Skrillex—”Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”
#24
The sound of an early-twenties DJ/producer with a love of not only techno but heavy metal, playing at fun and games in the studio (or on his laptop). In other words, nerd music, but with a twist. It’s no surprise when near the end the relatively unfiltered vocals sound as wimpy and wan as Death Cab for Cutie or Owl City, but Skrillex isn’t interested in emphasizing his sensitive side, he’s into creating alter egos that reflect multiple aspects of his personality, even the nasty ones that aren’t that pleasant to listen to. Right now the dichotomy is obvious, jarring, and somewhat off-putting; if he should ever manage a synthesis, though, he could be something.
Tags: American Idol, Darius Rucker, David Nail, Death Cab for Cutie, Eddie Vedder, Fleetwood Mac, Glee, Katrina and the Waves, Katrina Leskanich, Michael Jackson, Owl City, Skrillex, Victoria Justice, Victorious Cast
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Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Big Time Rush featuring Iyaz—”If I Ruled the World”
#106
The line between teen TV soundtrack music and mainstream pop is now so thin that if it wasn’t for the strained actor’s vocals this would be inseparable from any other pop song with Iyaz on it. In other words, don’t write this off just because it’s for tweens, write it off because it’s mediocre—catchy mediocre.
Ronnie Dunn—”Cost of Livin’”
#107
I’ve never much cared for Dunn, either with his ex-partner or on his own, but this is a near masterpiece. For the most part the lyrics avoid sentimentality, and also politics, sticking only to the essential points and details. Meanwhile the music, dry and precise, drives home the emotional point. The bridge is devastating. I wish Dunn had a better voice, or could make it a bit less plaintive, but that’s a minor quibble. I doubt he’ll ever do anything better.
Eric Church—”Drink In My Hand”
#109
I heard a lot of promise in Church’s first few singles, and though I can’t say this fulfills them all, it comes close. This sounds ordinary at first, but it grows on you fast, and Church shows some interesting flashes of where his inspiration comes from: parts of this sound a lot like Dave Edmunds and Rockpile. Which means it’s more like intelligently recycled rock and roll than country. But then who (besides Ashton Shepard) knows what country is anymore?
Kelly Rowland featuring Big Sean—”Lay It On Me”
#114
Big Sean’s rap on the intro, where he fantasizes about Rowland in a schoolgirl porn outfit, is enough to make me reject this record from the start, and Rowland, who seemed to be onto something with “Motivation”, does nothing to improve matters. And then Big Sean comes back.
Swedish House Mafia—”Save the World”
#117
Whose house again? Journey’s?
Tags: Ashton Shepard, Big Sean, Big Time Rush, Dave Edmunds, Eric Church, Iyaz, Journey, Kelly Rowland, Rockpile, Ronnie Dunn, Swedish House Mafia
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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
DJ Drama featuring Fabolous, Roscoe Dash & Wiz Khalifa—”Oh My”
#101
In which three guys who have never had anything to say say it together over a track that has nothing to say, either. At least DJ Khaled’s tracks are full of racial pride; this is just full of it.
Big Sean featuring Kanye West & Roscoe Dash—”Marvin & Chardonnay”
#102
Big Sean is Big Sean, Roscoe Dash is, I guess, Roscoe Dash—to tell the truth I didn’t even realize he was on here until I read the credits—and Kanye West is a strange and shriveled parody of himself. First time I heard this I thought West was Big Sean doing a Weezy imitation; even when I realized it was West himself I could barely believe it. It’s not just that his verse is bad—West has been bad plenty of times before—it’s that it isn’t even an interesting or offensive form of bad, it’s sub-par in every possible way. Now I’m beginning to wonder if it isn’t West making fun of Big Sean instead of the other way around.
Pia Toscano—”This Time”
#105
Apparently Jimmy Iovine thinks Toscano can be a star despite her early booting off of American Idol. To prove it, he gets Ester Dean to write up a pale imitation of a Ryan Tedder track and tells Toscano to sing as loudly as she can. At least that’s how I imagine it went. I figured I’d give Toscano a break and not blame her the first time out. Next time, though…
Craig Campbell—”Fish”
#109
This is as dirty as country can get and still be played on the radio, though I suspect the only program it would really fit on is the old Dr. Demento show. The main joke you see, is rhyming “fish” with “truck” and “luck”, an idea that puts it right up there with “Shaving Cream” in the intellectual humor department. There are also some double entendres involving fishing rods and little pink bobbers. Which doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable in a leering, adolescent sort of way.
Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield—”Easy”
#121
What exactly is Natasha Bedingfield, or her management, or her record company, thinking? A few years ago she was pioneering a form of white-girl hip-hop which, if slick as hell, at least carried some meaning; now she’s lending her voice to one of the worst bands in the world on a “country” power-ballad that makes Lady Antebellum look like masters of emotional restraint. Unless she’s planning to go “country” herself how does this possibly further her career other than keeping her name in the charts? Yeah, her last album tanked, but that’s because she had lost track of where her true strengths lie. Now she’s even further off course.
Tags: American Idol, Big Sean, Craig Campbell, DJ Drama, DJ Khaled, Dr. Demento, Ester Dean, Fabolous, Jimmy Iovine, Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Natasha Bedingfield, Pia Toscano, Rascal Flatts, Roscoe Dash, Ryan Tedder, Wiz Khalifa
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Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Thompson Square—”I Got You”
#108
Another sign that the most powerful outside influence on country is no longer the Eagles, or even Fleetwood Mac, but Tom Petty. The Hammond organ is the giveaway, along with the occasional elegiac sustained chord sequence. The lyrics, however, are pure cliché (unlike Petty, who’s only banal), and, as usual for modern country, the guitars are way too loud.
Pistol Annies—”Heel On Heels”
#110
The red dirt slide guitar intro is great, and on first hearing I couldn’t imagine any country artist who could rise to its promise. Even though this is far better than average, I still can’t. The lyrics are wonderful—the devil made them smart and they have your credit card to boot—and I like that Miranda Lambert makes no attempt to upstage her colleagues. But this is still a little stiff, and the clapping on the last chorus is a mistake: I think it’s intended to demonstrate feminine solidarity, even in the pursuit of evil, but all it does is soften the sound and atmosphere. They should have tried it with just that ghostly, menacing guitar.
Miguel—”Quickie”
#116
The Wailers-style harmonies leading into the chorus is one of the funniest moments to grace a pop record this year, and overall this pulls off a canny mixture of hip-hop and dub that I find fascinating. The lyrics are pleasantly silly throughout, but the association of true love with near-violent sex is bothersome, even if it’s just part of the joke.
Daddy Yankee featuring Prince Royce—”Ven Commigo”
#118
A Latin rap/dance record that really makes me wish I spoke, or at least understood, Spanish. There’s a stretch in the middle where the staccato rhymes, if the words are on a level to match, are something special, and the occasional moments of English are odd enough (“I’m so hood…like Tiger Woods”) that I wish I understood more. It gets repetitive near the end, but before that it changes up nicely, and has an excellent, scene-setting intro. Makes me wish someone would set up a Latin rap translation site (if there already is one, let me know).
Jerrod Nieman—”One More Drinkin’ Song”
#119
Not to be picky, but shouldn’t the singer of a happy-go-lucky drinking song sound like he actually drinks every once in a while? It’s clever in spots, sometimes too clever, but there isn’t a single moment of spontaneity or recklessness in the entire song. It comes off as nothing more than a stiff genre experiment. Nieman’s a talent, but he may be too much of a perfectionist for his own good.
Tags: Daddy Yankee, Fleetwood Mac, Jerrod Niemann, Miguel, Miranda Lambert, Pistol Annies, Prince, The Eagles, Thompson Square, Tom Petty
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Monday, August 15th, 2011
Blaire LeVoir—”Digital Kiss”
#106
The idea for the intro is stolen from Prince (not from a song, but from a segue between songs), the sound from David Guetta or RedOne or some other garish electro producer, and the theme of technologically-assisted passion from, uh, Gary Numan, if not Lost In Space. I would say the lyrics sounded like the fantasies of a sci-fi obsessed twelve-year-old if most twelve-year-olds didn’t show far more understanding of technology than LeVoir ever does. Sex, too.
Avril Lavigne—”Smile”
#114
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Lavigne making teenpop in her mid-twenties. She helped invent the current strain, after all, and many people before her have done the same, and many will after. All the same, this record is inexcusable. There have been lots of songs about women who love men who mistreat them, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard one that sounded as slick as a laminated Hallmark card before, or as clueless. She thinks it’s cute when he slips her roofies. Unhealthy at, or for, any age.
Ledisi—”Pieces Of Me”
#115
Ledisi is a respected jazz singer, but this is cocktail soul at best, and the theme song to a discussion show on the Oprah Winfrey Network at worst. If she were white, her phrasing of “Fo’ sho’” would be derided as minstrelsy. I’m not sure it isn’t.
Kellie Pickler—”Tough”
#119
Even when she was on American Idol I though Pickler had more talent than people gave her credit for, or that she even gave herself credit for, and I still do. Her phrasing, obviously modeled on Dolly Parton, is wonderful, and the song, though not great, isn’t bad either. But Pickler doesn’t seem interested in doing anything but entertain—maybe she doesn’t believe she’s capable of anything else—and her self-doubt show’s through even when she’s acting tough. The result is a record that sounds like it should be fun but never delivers, and that you never once believe.
Matt Nathanson—”Faster”
#124
This is fast, at least for adult-contemporary, and Nathanson’s sense of craft makes it bearable. But when I hear a guy who’s been in the business for nearly twenty years sing about his girl tasting like “sunshine and strawberry bubblegum”, I figure he’s a middling careerist who’s had a lucky fall into a decent hook. The blaring horn arrangement confirms it.
Tags: Avril Lavigne, Blaire LeVoir, David Guetta, Dolly Parton, Gary Numan, Kellie Pickler, Ledisi, Matt Nathanson, Oprah Winfrey, Prince, RedOne
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Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
Christina Grimmie—”Liar Liar”
#103
This, coming after Christina Perri, is almost enough to make me think that no one named Christina should be allowed to make records. Granted, this is only mediocre, while Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” is unbearable, but it’s hard not to think that Grimmie got signed for her name and her geek-girl looks rather than her music.
Shakira featuring Pitbull—”Rabiosa”
#117
The crazier Shakira gets on record the more I like her, but despite the title this is nowhere near as rabid as it should be. Even then it’s too stylish for Pitbull, who thrives in rougher surroundings. He’s out of place here, while Shakira sounds as if she’s going through the motions and nothing more. This has its moments, but not nearly enough.
Steve Holy—”Love Don’t Run”
#119
Mediocrity seems to be the watchword this week. This isn’t embarrassing as far as country love ballads go, but it’s nothing special either. Because the song never tips us off as to exactly what’s being discussed, it feels unfinished, not only as a song, but emotionally. How can we possibly understand how strong his love is if we don’t know what it is that it isn’t running away from? Pop songs shouldn’t make you ask questions as convoluted as that.
New Hollow—”Airplanes”
#120
Other than proving that “Airplanes” works as rock and roll as well as hip-hop, I don’t see much point to this record. I bet someone like Jason Aldean could make it work as country, too. So?
Alexandra Stan—”Mr. Saxobeat”
#125
More euro-disco nonsense. Irritating not just for itself, but because there must be far better euro-disco that isn’t being imported (aside from what ends up backing Pitbull and Chris Brown, that is), and I’d much rather hear that than this corny pablum. Though I’d be happy to play it to anyone who still believes European culture is more sophisticated than ours.
Tags: Alexandra Stan, Chris Brown, Christina Grimmie, Jason Aldean, New Hollow, Pitbull, Shakira, Steve Holy
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Saturday, July 9th, 2011
Tech N9ne, F/D-Loc, Twista, Busta Rhymes, Ceza, Jl B. Hood, Twisted Insane, Uso & Yelawolf—”Worldwide Choppers”
#104
An entire single devoted to Busta Rhymes’ machine gun flow. No surprise that the only one who comes across is Busta himself, though in a few places this starts to sound more like Dizzee Rascal. Mostly, though, it’s an incomprehensible novelty.
Jamie Foxx featuring Wiz Khalifa—”Best Night Of My Life”
#108
Foxx likes to keep on top of trends, or at least trendy rappers, so he picks up on Khalifa, who sounds almost as anonymous as Foxx himself. The result is a record that disappears from memory while you listen to it.
Frank Ocean—”Novacane”
#112
The unsettling beat goes perfectly with the unsettling message, which suggests that plasticized, emotionless sex and beauty are as irresistable as they are numbing. It’s the same idea Lil Wayne has been dancing around lately, except Ocean has found music to match. What Ocean lacks is Wayne’s sense of guilt and despair, maybe even lust, along with any apparent sympathy for the woman. So while I like this a lot, it doesn’t go as far as it could, or should.
AWOLNATION—”Sail”
#115
Immediately identifiable as a one man project—those pizzicato string samples are the tip-off—and as pretentious as you might expect from an album called Megalithic Symphony. Striking in its way, but also ridiculous, not to mention self-absorbed. It’s like Owl City for prog-rockers.
Chester See, KevJumba, Ryan Higa—”Nice Guys”
#118
It starts out sounding like a comedy record, and maybe it is, but it quickly turns nasty, and then falsely sincere, and ends up the most misogynistic single of the year (to make the singles charts, at least). Yuck.
Tags: AWOLNATION, Busta Rhymes, Ceza, Chester See, Dizzee Rascal, F/D-Loc, Frank Ocean, Jamie Foxx, Jl B. Hood, KevJumba, Owl City, Ryan Higa, Tech N9ne, Twista, Twisted Insane, Uso, Wiz Khalifa, Yelawolf
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Sunday, July 3rd, 2011
Colbie Caillat—”Brighter Than the Sun”
#102
I’ve developed a certain respect for Caillat. Her craftsmanship is impressive, even if a lot of it is borrowed from her dad, and though her romantic optimism often sounds cloying, it also sounds as if she believes it. On this record, though, she pushes too far. The opening almost sounds like rock and roll, but after that it devolves into cute rhythm effects, choral background vocals and the usual easy-listening cliches. The Bob Marley reference is particularly irritating. She’s showing off; not a good idea when your forte is laid back romanticism.
The Lonely Island featuring Justin Timberlake and Lady GaGa—”3-Way (The Golden Rule)”
#103
The quality of Samberg’s material seems to depend almost entirely on the quality of the musicians he works with. Timberlake adds a level of sophistication that seems beyond him, and GaGa’s braindead “Wow!” almost saves the helicopter dick joke. All the same, this is only mildly funny; it’s certainly a step up from “Jack Sparrow”, but still not as good as “I’m On a Boat”, not to mention “Dick In a Box”.
Andy Grammer—”Keep Your Head Up”
#108
It figured there’d be a male version of Natasha Bedingfield sooner or later. Figured he’d be worse, too. But this much worse?
Matthew Morrison—”Still Got Tonight”
#124
One thing you can say for Glee, they give their non-singers decent material.
Cee Lo Green—”Bright Lights, Bigger City”
#125
Cee Lo is a talent, but he’s a slave of his material. When it’s great, like “Crazy” or “Fuck You”, then he’s great. When it’s moderate, like this, then he’s moderate. This is a good song, and Cee Lo does a good job of changing up the usual party weekend cliches, but if it wasn’t for the bassline, lifted whole from “Beat It”, I’m not sure I’d pay attention long enough to notice.
Tags: Andy Grammer, Andy Samberg, Cee-Lo Green, Colbie Caillat, Justin Timberlake, Lady GaGa, Matthew Morrison, Michael Jackson, Natasha Bedingfield, The Lonely Island
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Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
Cobra Starship—”You Make Me Feel…”
#102
Musically Cobra Starship isn’t any better or any worse than every other electroclash inspired dance band, and their lyrical message isn’t any different, either, but there’s something about their sound that emphasizes the most offensive and sexist elements of the music. This is especially true when Victoria Asher is singing. She sounds as if she were a proud blank, a woman whose sense of submissiveness is the closest thing to emotion she’s capable of feeling. I’m not suggesting that there aren’t women out there like that, or that a man couldn’t act in the same way, but the message of this song seems to be that all women should be like that. It sounds creepy, and I don’t think that was their intention.
Romeo Santos—”You”
#104
I couldn’t begin to translate the words, but it doesn’t take any Spanish to realize how insane this record is, especially since one of the more insane moments is in English. “You are my lady, it’s more than sexual, and you make me complete” Santos croons, while the music slips and slides all around him. The light but propulsive Latin rhythm is constantly shifting from one pattern to another, sometimes creating the illusion of stopping, backing up, and turning off in another direction entirely. At one point a chorus of crickets takes over. I’d be willing to bet it doesn’t make any sense in Spanish, either, but it sure is fun to listen to.
Korn featuring Skrillex—”Get Up!”
#108
Not terrible by a long shot. L.A. producer and DJ Skrillex adds not just sonic texture but sonic jokes, including a Pink Floyd reference that’s both unexpected and a perfect fit. I like the theme, too: urging self-pitying slackers everywhere to stop feeling sorry for themselves and get busy. Just to make sure the guy gets the message, during the instrumental break the band prods him with power tools.
Big Sean—”I Do It”
#120
I like Sean’s easygoing flow, which is like Ludacris crossed with Drake (or just Drake with a sense of humor). For the moment, though, that’s all Sean’s got, and unless he latches on to a real idea, it isn’t going to be enough.
Lloyd featuring Awesome Jones—”Cupid”
#123
One of the best hooks of the year so far, and the mix of sounds, from crunk to mid-’80s British soul, though it never quite gels, keeps things interesting. Unfortunately, though the music is sometimes reminscent of Scritti Politti, the lyrics are strictly Spandau Ballet. If Lloyd could master a lyrical style as daring as his music he could be a monster, but I’m beginning to wonder if he has the talent, or even the ambition to try.
Tags: Awesome Jones, Big Sean, Cobra Starship, Korn, Lloyd, Pink Floyd, Romeo Santos, Scritti Politti, Skrillex, Spandau Ballet
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