Posts Tagged ‘Big Sean’

Hot 100 Roundup—10/22/11

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Daughtry—”Crawling Back to You”
#41
The hook sticks in your head, but only because you’ve heard it a thousand times already. Fans of this kind of stuff can probably sing along after the first two or three notes, which I’m sure is a large part of its appeal. There isn’t an original or interesting idea anywhere on it. Not that that’s a surprise.

Hot Chelle Rae featuring New Boyz—”I Like It Like That”
#51
This is like 3Oh!3 for the younger crowd (what became of those guys, anyway?), and if it wasn’t for the presence of the New Boyz, might be considered as an audition for the next Kidz Bop collection. The New Boyz, however, though they keep it clean, also add a bit of personality, which is the last thing a Kidz Bop record would want. They’re still good enough that I wish they weren’t so obviously at the mercy of the industry, and I only hope they don’t get every ounce of talent, or their regard for each other, squeezed out of them before their contract expires.

Glee Cast
“Fix You”, #53
“Run the World (Girls)”, #91

Taio Cruz featuring Flo Rida—”Hangover”
#62
I like this a lot, mostly because I get the feeling that Taio Cruz is secretly putting forth an anti-drinking message, or at least an anti-drinking-to-excess message. When he brags about drinking till he throws up I always catch the whiff of satire, no matter how hard the beat is pumping in the background. Satire, of course, is beyond Flo Rida, because most of what he says is incomprehensible anyway. He does claim that he never throws up, so maybe he considers satire unmanly.

T.I. featuring Big K.R.I.T.—”I’m Flexin’”
#66
I can’t think of any particular reason to recommend this track. The flow is good, the raps intelligent, but neither T.I. or K.R.I.T. have anything important or interesting to say, which may explain why the music seems old-hat and lacking in punch.

Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull & The WAV.s—”I Like How It Feels”
#76
This record confuses me. I like the openness of the arrangement, and the beats sound like they were made with live drums (probably not, but that’s how they sound), but the lyrics are weird. The first verse sounds like a standard dance track, with an odd reference to the It Gets Better project tossed in for no apparent reason. Then the second verse is all we-can-save-the-world-if-we-stand-together. Then Pitbull enters, and since all he’s ever been able to rap about is sex, he does that for a while, and then the record ends. My assumption is that Iglesias was just stringing words together and callously cashing in on an internet meme. Then again, if Pitbull wasn’t on here, I might wonder if this wasn’t Iglesias’ confused idea of a coming out song. I have no real evidence to back that up, and it probably isn’t true, but weirder things have happened.

Big Sean—”Dance(A$$)”
#93
This is like a Busta Rhymes track without Busta. Why exactly did Kanye West sign this guy? Because he reflects West’s id (or anybody’s, really) without the limitations of conscience, intelligence, or taste?

Beyonce featuring Andre 3000—”Party”
#95
I haven’t heard the J. Cole remix that is apparently replacing this for the video and radio, but it can’t possibly be better. This is a good record, especially the harmonies on the chorus, but Andre is the only thing that makes it special. His rap is about being older, about not partying, but being looked up to by the kids who are. It adds a level of contemplation to the song that’s only hinted at in the mature groove of the arrangement. I’ve heard that some people think Andre is slipping as a rapper. I think he’s entering a realm that those people don’t understand.

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Bubbling Under, 8/13/11

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?

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Hot 100 Roundup—8/6/11

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Red Hot Chili Peppers—”The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”
#38
Not that it means much, but their craftsmanship is impressive: the grooves have become tighter, the song construction less erratic, the playing and singing expert. None of which changes the fact that this is the alt-rock version of mellow, smooth and meaningless. They wanted to be Parliament/Funkadelic, and turned into Tom Petty. It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for them.

Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Otis Redding—”Otis”
#47
The idea that this somehow demeans Redding is ridiculous. If anything, the way the sample is used emphasizes his vocal strengths and puts them in a framework younger listeners can appreciate. Besides, the song isn’t called “Otis” for nothing. It may be hubris for Jay-Z and West to see themselves as part of that tradition, but they’re not claiming to be more talented than Redding, just richer. Not that they don’t twist the meaning of his song. What “makes it easier to bear” in their case isn’t tenderness, it’s money, and all the style and beauty and high-powered toys it can buy them. Which doesn’t mean they’re not aware of the ironies of their situation, either: “Sophisticated ignorance” may be the greatest self-description West has ever come up with, only they’re not ignorant by a long shot. There are so may intellectual and emotional twists and turns in this record that it’s almost impossible to keep up with, and then James Brown get thrown into the mix and things jump to still another level. A great one.

Drake—”Marvin’s Room”
#68
Like all late night drunken phone calls, this starts out interesting but quickly becomes repetitive and boring. I appreciate what Drake is trying to do, but the relentless self-pity has become unbearable. He needs a new approach.

50 Cent—”Outlaw”
#87
This is easily 50 Cent’s best record since 2005 or so, maybe even longer. But he’s achieved it by going back to 2005, where he will no doubt be stuck for the rest of his career, such as it is. If you feel like reminiscing, I’d give this a listen.

Big Sean featuring Kanye West & Roscoe Dash—”Marvin & Chardonnay”
#88
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 7/30/11

Miguel—”Quickie”
#95
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 7/23/11

DJ Drama featuring Fabolous, Roscoe Dash & Wiz Khalifa—”Oh My”
#100
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 7/30/11

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Bubbling Under—7/30/11

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.

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Hot 100 Roundup—7/16/11

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011

Javier Colon—”Stitch By Stitch”, #17
Dia Frampton—”Inventing Shadows”, #20
Adam Levine & Javier Colon—”Man In the Mirror”, #45
Blake Shelton & Dia Frampton—”I Won’t Back Down”, #57
Christina Aguilera & Beverly McClellan—”Beautiful”, #74
Vicci Martinez—”Afraid To Sleep”, #78

George Strait—”Here For a Good Time”
#65
Strait has been coasting over his last few singles, but when you’ve absorbed as much craft as he has even coasting sounds more energetic, and certainly more intelligent, than most other country output. This isn’t a masterpiece—too much of it seems automatic—but it has moments, such as the opening line of the second verse, that seem like minor miracles. Strait may be coasting, but he’s coasting in style.

David Guetta featuring Taio Cruz & Ludacris—”Little Bad Girl”
#70
For Guetta, not bad, but Cruz has done better, and Ludacris has done much better. I like the breakdown a lot, but have just about had it with Cruz’s phrasing. I only hope he doesn’t succeed in making pronouncing “air” as “ur” a trend.

Coldplay
“Moving To Mars”, #90
“Major Minus”, #92
Two obvious throwaways filling in the “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” EP, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the best Coldplay I’ve heard: rough, grounded in real emotion, sonically striking (I even like Chris Martin’s croaky croon). Thematically, though, they’re old hat: spaceflight as a symbol of alienation and paranoid anti-establishment tropes, respectively. “Moving to Mars” may very well be intended as a tribute to Bowie and/or Elton John, and good for Coldplay if it is. If Martin managed to become as good a lyricist as Bernie Taupin, they might be worth listening to more often.

Iyaz featuring Travie McCoy—”Pretty Girls”
#94
Iyaz is as forgettable as they come, and McCoy, usually a black mark on every record that bears his name, is less painful than usual, and therefore also forgettable. As for the song…uh, what was it called again?

Big Sean featuring Wiz Khalifa & Chiddy Bang—”High”
#98
I have nothing against people getting stoned, honest I don’t. But when all they can talk about is weed, especially in a childish, aren’t-I-clever manner like this, I consider investing in paraquat.

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Hot 100 Roundup—6/11/11

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Scotty McCreery—”I Love You This Big”
#11
Lauren Alaina—”Like My Mother Does”
#20
At first listen it seems as if the latest American Idol survivors have been granted better material than previous winners. But even though these songs are more specific in detail and less generic in overall tone, they’re still terrible, with lyrics that make you gasp in awe at their utter inanity. McCreery and Alaina make the best of it and deliver what they think is expected of them, but McCreery’s voice lacks seasoning—he needs experience: alcohol, sex, even more religion—while Alaina’s attempts to bend her song to her will result in a lot of growling and screaming and only make things worse. They’ll both do better. Whether either of them has the talent or brains to do much better is still an open question.

Glee Cast
“Light Up the World”, #33
“Pretending”, #40
“For Good”, #58
“I Love New York/New York, New York”, #81
“As Long As You’re There”, #93

Lady GaGa
“You and I”, #36
“Marry the Night”, #79
The pleasure I take in Born This Way is largely a matter of sonics and structure. That’s not a putdown. When you create something that for the most part is collage and pastiche, both musically and lyrically, sonics and structure are what make the difference between bland imitation and creating something new, and GaGa gets them right every single time. And then she boosts them. The drums and guitar on “You and I” may owe their inspiration to Queen, but they outstrip and outboom anything that band ever did, and the fact that they’re tied to a song that borrows from highway rock and roll and even country and western puts it in a league of its own. “Marry The Night”, meanwhile, is more Springsteen-inspired disco, with a coda beamed in from a mid-90s rave. I still have my doubts about her lyrics, which are often blander than they need to be, and I don’t think she’s making anything truly new out of her sources, but her merger of hard rock with disco diva anthems (which is what that ridiculous cover photo is all about, in case you were wondering) is wondrous, even if it ultimately doesn’t lead anywhere. Don’t think of it as something new, but as a well-earned celebration of a greatness we may have missed at the time.

Beyonce—”1+1″
#57
I have my doubts about Beyonce’s soul moves, especially her high notes and the dynamics that accompany them, but thematically this is a breakthrough, the first Beyonce song about a relationship I’ve heard in which she isn’t either asserting her iron-willed dominance or making like a supplicant to her godlike man. That see-sawing from one extreme to another was getting tiresome, and this is a welcome relief. I bet it’s a relief to Jay-Z, too.

Lil Wayne—”How To Love”
#69
I don’t think it’s the softness of sound that has caused so many people to write this song off. Sentimentality is as much a part of rap as any other kind of music, and if anyone has earned the right to a little mellow down time it’s Lil Wayne. What probably bothers hardcore rap fans more is the sense of empathy the song is based on. It isn’t really a love song, and it certainly isn’t a sex song. Instead, it’s a real attempt to understand where this woman is coming from and what she’s feeling, something more along the lines of Prince’s “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” (even though the situation appears to be completely different) than your standard lover man rap. In other words, thematically it’s as far from the mainstream of rap as Wayne’s phrasing and twisting trains of thought have always been. Like the pre-prison “I’m Single”, it’s a record by someone who’s trying to sort out the world in all it’s aspects, not just as it relates to his place, position, and pleasure. Musically, Wayne still isn’t sure what to make of these ideas, so he falls too readily into cliche, but if he should ever figure it out, or find a collaborator who has, then watch out: he may well remake rap yet again.

Reeve Carney featuring Bono & The Edge—”Rise Above 1″
#74
Not sure exactly what I expected a Broadway soundtrack written by Bono and The Edge to sound like, but I wasn’t expecting standard-issue U2, that’s for sure. Way to stretch your stylistic limits, guys. As for Reeve Carney, his Bono imitation is so exact I can only assume he thinks of Spiderman as a warm-up for that more lucrative U2 biopic that’s bound to appear sooner or later. Either that or he has a great future in tribute bands.

Mac Miller—”Donald Trump”
#80
The white version of Wiz Khalifa, or Waka Flocka Flame, or maybe even Big Sean. How did we stand the wait?

Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter—”You and Tequila”
#92
Strong, steady, and never overdone, this is as good as Chesney is ever going to get. With Grace Potter playing Emmylou Harris, he almost sounds human. There’s still something that doesn’t come across, though, and the stiff perfectionism of this record keeps it from classic territory. Damn close, though.

Rihanna—”Man Down”
#94
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 6/4/11

Lupe Fiasco featuring Trey Songz—”Out Of My Head”
#98
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 5/21/11

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Bubbling Under—5/28/11

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.

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Hot 100 Roundup—3/19/11

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Britney Spears—”Till the World Ends”
#20
Not only better than “Hold It Against Me”, but almost the equal of the best of Blackout. The breakdown is as amazing and mesmerizing as it’s intended to be, and if she ultimately has nothing to say that isn’t going to keep anyone from dancing. She may not have gained any new knowledge from all she went through, but she found a sharp new sound, and that may be enough.

Foo Fighters—”Rope”
#70
Production matters. This is no better or worse than any other Foo Fighters’ song, but Butch Vig’s production adds a clarity, focus, and energy that have been missing from their last few records. They have nothing important to pass on but more rage, but now at least their rage sounds authentic.

Gorilla Zoe featuring Lil Jon—”Twisted”
#77
It’s always good to hear Lil Jon, even if all he does is shout “Okay!”, and I’ve found Gorilla Zoe’s earlier records interesting at the very least, and this is no exception. He makes good use of electronic effects, and occasionally comes up with a decent turn of phrase. But for the most part he’s a crunkier and less frenetic version of Flo Rida, with fewer hooks. And no amount of Lil Jon’s shouting is ever going to make him anything else.

The Band Perry—”You Lie”
#80
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 3/12/11

Chris Medina—”What Are Words”
#83
If this helps Medina and his fiancée in their situation then I guess I’m all for it, but that doesn’t change the fact that the way their story was presented on American Idol was the worst sort of media exploitation. It also doesn’t make Medina a decent singer or this anything but a terrible record. There are far better ways to help people than making charity records, but you’ll never convince the record industry of that.

Big Sean featuring Chris Brown—”My Last”
#89
It’s getting hard for me to tell the various Drake’s apart. This one has a stronger voice and a smoother flow. He’s also cruder, if such a thing is possible. He has no other distinguishing traits.

Nicki Minaj—”Did It On’em”
#92
If there has to be hashtag rap, let it all be like this. Minaj is always at her best when she’s pissed, even when she isn’t trading up her voices the way she does on Kanye West’s “Monster”. The fact that she isn’t fooling around here must mean she’s really mad. I wouldn’t want to cross her, that’s for sure.

Mary Mary—”Walking”
#97
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 2/13/11

Willow—”21st Century Girl”
#99
Willow actually sounds closer to her age here than on “Whip My Hair”, and though this lacks the novelty value I think it’s a better record. I don’t even hold the fact that the chorus is a reworking of Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” against it. In fact, it’s kind of cute.

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New this week—5/9/10

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Glee Cast
“One Less Bell To Answer/A House Is Not a Home” (featuring Kristin Chenoweth), #53
“Beautiful”, #61
“Fire”, #64
“A House Is Not a Home”, #70
“Home” (featuring Kristin Chenoweth), #90
Though the rest of this week’s crop is made up of the usual sub-par versions of overly-familiar pop songs, I need to be fair and admit that Kristin Chenoweth’s take on “One Less Bell To Answer” (at least the first three minutes of it) is easily the best thing Glee has produced yet. But I also need to point out that in keeping with the show’s growth as a marketing tool, the song is a cross-promotion for the Broadway revival of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David/Neil Simon musical Promises Promises, in which Chenoweth stars. “One Less Bell” wasn’t part of the original show, but has been added to the new production. In other words, it isn’t technically a Glee song at all (by the sound of it, the arrangement was taken straight from the musical), thereby keeping the show’s unbroken record of awfulness intact.

The Black Eyed Peas—”Rock That Body”
#62
It’s too late to convince the haters, of course, but this is my favorite track from The E.N.D. It rocks, it discos, it punks, it calypsos, and it turns Fergie into the pure special effect she was born to be.

Shakira—”Gypsy”
#65
Not as profoundly silly as “She Wolf”, but it has its moments. “I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of gypsies, but that only makes the line jump out even more. Sexy and silly at the same time—a pretty neat trick.

B.o.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo—”Magic”
#83
As bizarre as this pairing may seem, I have to admit that there’s something both wonderful and ridiculous about Cuomo bragging about his flow, especially on a chorus that’s livelier than anything Weezer themselves have done in years. As for B.o.B., once again he gets lost somewhere in the background. Maybe that’s where he belongs. I respect him more for his realizing it.

Mike Posner featuring Big Sean—”Cooler Than Me”
#85
I liked the chorus the first time I heard it, but by the time Posner had rambled through it in his self-satisfied sing-song for the fourth time, with nothing but a mediocre rap to break the pattern, I was already bored with it. Now I don’t care if I ever hear it again.

Jerrod Neimann—”Lover, Lover”
#89
Country has been weird lately, and I mean that in the best possible way. Though loud, good ol’ boy country hair metal hasn’t gone away, there are a whole bunch of sort-of newcomers on the scene who seem to take a more traditional, slightly laid-back approach (they all tend to cite George Strait as their biggest influence). Neimann has been hanging around in Nashville for almost fifteen years, put out a couple of albums on independent labels, wrote a few songs that found a place on big name LPs (Garth Brooks, Chris LeDoux), and now here he is with his first major label single. Lyrically it’s nothing special, but the music, which mixes both soul and country-gospel influences, is wonderful. It isn’t perfect—it gets too soft at the end and starts to drift into early Doobie Brothers territory—but it’s another pleasant surprise in a genre that two years ago was as predictable as they come.

Big Time Rush—”Halfway There”
#93
Another attempt by Nickelodeon to seize some of the tween-pop landscape that Disney has already conquered. They don’t seem to be making the same investment in songwriting, though; even the worst songs on the High School Musical soundtracks were better than this. Maybe someone should tip these kids off to Zeno’s Paradox so they can get out while they have the chance.

David Guetta & Chris Willis featuring Fergie and LMFAO—”Gettin’ Over You”
#95
Up until now, I’ve never been sure what, aside from the occasional rap, Apl.De.Ap and Taboo actually contributed to The Black Eyed Peas. Now, after hearing this garish mess and Usher’s will.i.am-produced “OMG”, I finally have an answer: they tell will.i.am and Fergie when to stop. If only somebody else would.

Alpha Rev—”New Morning”
#100
A couple of weeks ago I suggested that there wasn’t a single song on the Hot 100 that was worse than anything by the Glee Cast. That is no longer true.

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