Posts Tagged ‘Chris Brown’

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Bubbling Under—8/27/11

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.

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Bubbling Under—7/2/11

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.

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Hot 100 Roundup—6/18/11

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

Coldplay—”Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”
#29
Producer Brian Eno continues to toughen them up musically, but the lyrics are as self-obsessed as ever. This one posits romantic revolution for record nerds, where sitting in your room and listening to daring and difficult music is a rebellious act that ends in you raising your fist against something or other somewhere out in the real world. And then you feel sorry for yourself. Not even Eno can ring the sentimentality out of crap as earnest and determined as this.

Pitbull featuring Chris Brown—”International Love”
#59
On the chorus, Chris Brown’s idea of international appears not to extend beyond the continental U.S. The hook is catchy, though, and Pitbull makes up for Brown’s narrowness with an itinerary that starts in Rumania (where a pair of sisters offer themselves to him) and includes Lebanon and most of South America. Compared to his last couple of appearances, Pitbull sounds rejuvenated, especially near the end, when he switches effortlessly between English and Spanish. His voice is his main attraction, but Pitbull doesn’t get near enough credit for his rapping, which is fluid not only linguistically but rhythmically. I find his eurodisco-based beats a bit heavy-handed, but that’s what a club banger is supposed to be.

Beyonce—”Best Thing I Never Had”
#84
Though she tries hard, too hard, to separate herself from the norm, Beyonce fits perfectly into one standard mold: the mid-career pop artist desperate to be taken seriously. Her attempts to break free are, in fact, a symptom of the problem. This is terrible in almost every way: over-arranged, melodramatic, badly sung (when Beyonce wants to sound angry she tends to bellow), with lyrics whose artlessness may be designed to counteract the dramatic production but only succeed in exacerbating the problem. By the time she shouts out “Sucks to be you right now” it’s impossible not to wonder what the hell she was thinking when she recorded this. That she was doing something different and daring, I bet.

Linkin Park—”Iridescent”
#86
I can’t stand these guys, but they are entertaining. This may be the funniest hard rock record since Queensryche’s “Silent Lucidity”, though it doesn’t come close to Queensryche’s preening, pretentious stupidity. It doesn’t even set a record for cliches, since just about any romantic lyricist could beat them in a walk. For sheer boilerplate existential despair, though, no one can touch them, and the first verse, which I feel a duty to quote in full, is a masterpiece:

You were standing in the wake of devastation
And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown
And with the cataclysm raining down
Insides crying “Save me now”
You were there, impossibly alone

It’s even funnier when Mike Shinoda sings it.

Trey Songz featuring Drake—”Unusual”
#90
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 6/4/11

Rodney Atkins—”Take A Back Road”
#92
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 5/21/11

Victorious Cast featuring Victoria Justice—”Best Friend’s Brother”
#93
I love the bridge, like the chorus, but could care less about the verses, which are standard, streamlined punk-pop. All the same, Nickelodeon is getting better at mining the Disney-pop model, and Justice, who has a co-writing credit, may be a real talent. Especially if she wrote that bridge.

Andy Grammer—”Keep Your Head Up”
#94
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 6/11/11

Rej3ctz—”Cat Daddy”
#97
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 4/23/11

Trace Adkins—”Just Fishin’”
#98
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 5/21/11

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Hot 100 Roundup—5/21/11

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Lady Antebellum—”Just A Kiss”
#7
Definite proof that the near-great “Need You Now” was a fluke. This one, which is both mellow and overwrought in equal measure, concerns grown-up abstinence, and should relieve those who were worried by the drunken booty call of their biggest hit. Never fear; this record contains no sexual tension whatsoever. I’m surprised they can work up enough libido for even a goodnight kiss.

David Guetta featuring Flo Rida & Nicki Minaj—”Where Them Girls At”
#14
What makes Guetta and DJs like him different from his predecessors isn’t just the music, but the culture. Guetta’s followers aren’t blissed out on love and Ecstasy, they’re hard partying drunks, and the music Guetta makes isn’t designed to harmonize with chemically stimulated synapses but to deliver a final, convulsive jolt to dying brain cells, a death rattle with a beat. It’s the techno version of “Boogie Til You Puke”, minus the knowing sense of humor. This is Guetta’s most relentless record yet, and also his lamest. Flo Rida, who has never sounded duller, borrows his vocal flow from Pitbull and his hooks from…well, nowhere, because there aren’t any. But dammit it if Nicki Minaj doesn’t almost save things anyway. It’s worth suffering the rest at least once to hear her go “dee dee dee dee” in a voice that parodies every record Guetta has ever made, his entire aesthetic encapsulated in a few nonsense syllables. I wonder if he noticed.

Bad Meets Evil—”Fast Lane”
#32
I’m not sure which is more impressive, the fact that Royce Da 5’9″ keeps up with Eminem, or that Eminem keeps up with himself. Whatever the case, though this isn’t much beatwise, it’s an amazing display of vocal technique and wordcraft on both sides. Half the time I can’t tell what either one of them is saying, but it all rhymes, and on a record like this that’s all that matters.

Glee Cast
“Go Your Own Way”, #45
“Songbird”, #68
“Don’t Stop”, #79
“Never Going Back Again”, #81
“Dreams”, #92

New Boyz featuring Chris Brown—”Better With the Lights Off”
#61
The New Boyz continue to look for a style, and what I once took for corruption, as they moved further away from their jerkin’ roots, is now beginning to look like constant experimentation. Even with both Chris Brown and Cataracs on board, this is neither jerkin’ nor hip-hop; sounds more like rock run through some sort of techno-rap filter. There are only the slightest hints of the New Boyz’ teen cleverness on display, but the record is good enough it isn’t missed much, and there’s a pleasant shock of recognition when it does appear. I’m not sure if this is a great record, but it’s growing on me.

Avenged Sevenfold—”Not Ready To Die”
#70
More metal bombast, with extra arty touches, so that it goes on for more than seven over-baked minutes. The only interesting part is the intro, which is a direct, uncredited lift from Elton John’s “Funeral For A Friend”. They may not be ready to die, but are they ready to be sued?

Jennifer Lopez featuring Lil Wayne—”I’m Into You”
#72
Pleasant enough for fluff, but that’s all. I continue to be amazed, though, at how Lil Wayne can get off the dirtiest lines and still sound charming and innocent. Who does he think he is, Katy Perry?

Don Omar & Lucenzo—”Danza Kuduro”
#82
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 11/21/10

Dierks Bentley—”Am I the Only One”
#89
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 4/16/11

Thirty Seconds to Mars—”Closer To the Edge”
#99
I’m sorry, what did you say? I couldn’t hear you you above your ego.

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Hot 100 Roundup—4/30/11

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

Lady Gaga—”Judas”
#10
I was preparing a long critique of this record, but after another listen and a more concentrated perusal of the lyrics I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. “Judas” is such a confused mess that whatever message Gaga is trying to get across is lost in the rehashed disco, rehashed Abba, and rehashed “Bad Romance”. Whether she seized upon the idea of Judas as symbol or allegory (of what?), or as justification (of whose sins?) is impossible to tell (I lean toward Judas representing fame, or maybe the record industry, but the song itself doesn’t provide any clues). She may well be talking to herself more than anybody else, and though her moral confusion is interesting up to a point, it isn’t what I would call fascinating. Gaga may be an instinctual genius, and at the artistic and intellectual level she’s achieved a sort of middlebrow perfection, but if she wants to go any higher—and she does—she’s going to need to think things out a little more, and I’m not sure she’s capable of that.

Kelly Rowland featuring Lil Wayne—”Motivation”
#55
Sex is an everyday feature on the pop charts, but true eroticism is rare. Soul crooners like Ne-yo and Lloyd come close, but you’d have to go much further back to find anything comparable to this, which is guaranteed to make you either melt into a puddle or stand up at attention, depending on your gender/preference. Lil Wayne is in top form, keeping his rap focused and throwing in some subtle cunnilingus references. For the most part, though, this record is all Rowland’s, and after various miscues and less than stellar guest appearances since the demise of Destiny’s Child, she deserves it.

Game featuring Lil Wayne—”Red Nation”
#62
So Lil Wayne gets to appear on both the best and the worst debuts of the week. Can’t say he’s hasn’t got all his bases covered.

Chris Brown—”She Ain’t You”
#90
With it’s sample from “Human Nature” this is being pegged as a Michael Jackson tribute, which makes me wonder why Brown sounds so much like Stevie Wonder on the first verse. Whatever the case, this is well below even Brown’s recent output, much less his models. Sounds a lot like the junk he put out as a teenager.

Hot Chelle Rae—”Tonight Tonight”
#93
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 4/16/11

Bridgit Mendler—”Determinate”
#94
Just when it looked like Disney was going to allow Nickelodeon to claim the tween-pop crown, they come roaring back with new singers, a relatively new production team (TWIN, a pair of Swedes who have worked together for nearly a decade without having any big hits), and a sound that is both more mature and overtly powerful than much of the Disney pop that preceded it. Even the rap is OK, or at least not embarrassing. And “determinate” itself seems such a perfect pop term I’m surprised it hasn’t been used before.

Jake Owen—”Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
#96
The production is a surprise, at least for a country record, but the song itself isn’t. No doubt the arrangement is intended to make up for that, though it may also be intended to cover up the relative weakness of Owen’s voice, which can be expressive but isn’t as rich as many of his contemporaries. It doesn’t quite work, but I appreciate the experimentation.

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Bubbling Under—4/23/11

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Death Cab for Cutie—”You Are a Tourist”
#108
For a piece of indie chicken soup music, this isn’t bad. These guys know their craft, and the way all their dinky little hooks mesh together at the end is impressive. But dinky little hooks are what they remain, to go along with their dinky little ideas and their dinky little voices. The guitar figure is particularly irritating.

Johnny Cash—”Ain’t No Grave”
#112
Rick Rubin’s production, with its effect-laiden drums and atmospherics, is, to my ears, a mistake. It provides an overemphasis that not only isn’t necessary but often detracts. At least Rubin had the good taste not to overwhelm Cash’s vocals, which provide all the atmosphere this record needs and more. He sounds older than all the sins you know he only half regrets, and at times the voice betrays weakness, but he never sounds feeble or less than enraptured with the song and its message. He lived this music so deeply that death was the only thing that could sever his connection with it.

All Time Low—”I Feel Like Dancin’”
#113
The lyrics are clever in their way—when’s the last time you heard a song about a guy turning down sex so he could keep dancing? Not to mention being felt up by another guy on the dance floor: “Now I know how Ke$ha must be feeling”. But they don’t seem to know how Ke$ha sounds; their power-chord dance-pop is so old hat that this comes out sounding like Disney pop. Only the lyrics tip you off otherwise.

NKOTBSB—”Don’t Turn Out the Lights”
#114
Since I never cared much for, or even paid much attention to, Backstreet Boys or New Kids On the Block, their co-reunion doesn’t mean much to me. This record, which sounds like something Chris Brown might have cut two years ago, does nothing to pique my interest. I also have my doubts about their combined name. New Kids On the Backstreet Boys? I don’t even want to think about it.

Rej3ctz—”Cat Daddy”
#119
These guys claim to have invented every dance movement to come out of L.A. in the last few years, and if “Cat Daddy” is their evidence, I believe them. The inventiveness of this record, produced by JHawk, never stops, and in almost totally deconstructing hip-hop it moves jerkin’ to an entirely different level, one from which it can do just about anything it wants. I may well be overrating it, but right now this sounds like the best and most important record of the year. May their pockets be forever guacamole.

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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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Hot 100 Roundup—2/13/11

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Dr. Dre featuring Eminem & Skylar Grey—”I Need a Doctor”
#5
This seemingly heartfelt but confusing tribute to Dr. Dre might be touching if it were an Eminem record, or even a Skylar Grey record. But it’s not, so we’re faced with what is basically a paean to Dr. Dre from Dr. Dre himself, produced and co-written by Dre and released under his name. For all we know, the whole thing was his idea from the beginning. Eminem’s rap is so plainspoken that you can’t help but think that he means every word, though that doesn’t make it sound very exciting. Dre, meanwhile, provides some old-hat beats (no, not old-school), and a rap which, after thanking Eminem for his praise, heaps scorn on everyone—that is, the “faggots”—who ever doubted him. Fuck you, too, Doc.

Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes—”Look At Me Now”
#11
Though he may be rehabilitated, Brown’s ego still far exceeds his grasp. As much as I disliked his teenage falsetto, his mature voice is worse, lacking any character or personality whatsoever, especially when he uses it to make stupid dick jokes. Lil Wayne’s contribution is nothing to get excited about. Which leaves Busta Rhyme’s demonstration of breath control as the only interesting thing about this record. Nice to hear he’s still got it.

Glee Cast
“Need You Now”, #72
“Thriller/Heads Will Roll”, #75
“Bills, Bills, Bills”, #79

3 Doors Down—”When You’re Young”
#81
They start off sounding like Darius Rucker, than turn into Daughtry with Nickelback touches. Do these guys know how to cover all the bases or what?

The Lonely Island featuring Nicki Minaj—”The Creep”
#82
It takes real effort to turn Nicki Minaj into just another unfunny singer/rapper on an over-arranged comedy record, and you can feel the strain. You’re comedians guys; it’s not your job to make real music. Mediocrity isn’t funny.

Jessie J featuring B.O.B.—”Price Tag”
#88
A mixture of Natasha Bedingfeld, VV Brown, and Lily Allen, with all the appropriate vocal inflections and musical hooks, only with less to say (even than Bedingfeld, who trades in nothing but self-help these days). Dr. Luke provides the hooks, all of which sound vaguely familiar, either from his own productions or other sources. All the same, I welcome this record. Not because it’s good itself (though it isn’t bad), but because it may open the door for others who are better. It may also shut them down, but that’s the chance we’ll have to take.

Panic! At the Disco—”The Ballad of Mona Lisa”
#89
So beautifully produced and arranged—and catchy, too—that you might end up feeling that you know what it’s about. Let me know if you do, will you? If you can convince me that it isn’t just a misogynistic rant, all the better. What do you think that exclamation point stands for, anyway?

Mumford & Sons—”The Cave”
#99
Just like Panic! At the Disco, these guys are masters at creating records that you swear you understand until you actually try to put that understanding into words. I have nothing against vague emotions, but if you’re going to cram this many words into your songs they should connect in some way to some idea somewhere, and not just be a bundle of pseudo-folk-wisdom tropes.

Bubbling Under:

Mary Mary—”Walking”
#107
Elementary gospel music—almost literally; the second verse sounds like the soundtrack to a short film on Sesame Street. I like the application of religion to the everyday, and the fact that they don’t mention Jesus until the very end, but the music itself is too everyday, and this could use a little Christlike passion. Not bad, but not exciting.

El DeBarge featuring Faith Evans—”Lay With You”
#112
If you’re going to engage in ’80s nostalgia, this is the way to do it, with somebody who’s actually from the ’80s and who, even after years on the sidelines, doesn’t seem to have lost the touch. It isn’t progress, but it sure sounds good.

Tinie Tempah featuring Eric Turner—”Written In the Stars”
#117
Like his fellow newcomers to the states Jay Sean and Taio Cruz, Tempah is already a huge star in the UK, but in his case it’s difficult to understand why. His not a terrible rapper, and I like his dancehall touches, but otherwise there’s nothing to distinguish him besides his accent, which makes him unusual here but ten-pence-a-dozen in the UK. The song is ordinary, as well. And God help me, I never want to hear Eric Turner breathe again; he sounds like he’s having an asthma attack.

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Hot 100 Roundup 12/19/10

Sunday, December 26th, 2010

T.I. featuring Eminem—”That’s All She Wrote”
#18
No matter how much he brags, the events of the last couple of years have worn the sharp edges off of T.I. Even when he’s trying to be threatening he sounds ruminative, as if he’s thinking out the safest way to kick your ass. He’s gained maturity, maybe even some wisdom, but he isn’t sure what to do with it. Eminem meanwhile, clean and sober but with a voice that makes him sound permanently pissed, throws maturity out the window. His rap is seriously insane—no, you can’t have any of his fritos; yes, A&W hot dogs are the best—and all of it is apparently addressed to Sarah Palin. While T.I. is back in jail, pondering, Eminem is a free man getting his roar back.

Glee Cast
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, #57
“Welcome Christmas”, #59

Adele—”Rolling In the Deep”
#68
Adele has a voice, but she takes too much pleasure in showing it off, and doesn’t understand that to really show it off she needs strong songs. This is not a strong song; it’s barely a song at all.

Chris Brown—”No Bullshit”
#89
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 12/12/10

Dev & The Cataracs—”Bass Down Low”
#94
As if to prove my theory of last week regarding Far*East Movement’s dependence on their guests, here come Dev & The Cataracs with a record that’s essentially a remake of “Like a G6″. Dev is a real find, Ke$ha with added hip-hop cool (if she’s drunk you’d never know it), Fergie without pretensions to diva-hood. The music is Black Eyed Peas without the minimalist/intellectual gloss, more street and more club at the same time. Who knows how many of these they have in them, so grab it while you can.

Jamie Foxx—”Fall For Your Type”
#95
Reviewed in Bubbling Under, 12/12/10

Bubbling Under:

Taio Cruz—”Higher”
There are far worse things than mindless dance music, and in this particular genre I’m starting to like Cruz more than Flo Rida, whose gift for hooks is starting to fade. Cruz’s gift for hooks is just warming up, and I’m impressed by his voice: he hits notes that would be in the falsetto range for anyone else with no apparent strain (and though it may just be the suggestiveness of the title, there are times when this really does remind me of Jackie Wilson). The arrangement is busy, but even that makes a certain sense: the pressurized feeling of dancehall transferred to hip-hop influenced disco. As music for listening, it’s too simple, but for dancing it’s perfect.

Mariah Carey—”Oh Santa!”
Overstuffed with Christmas cheer as it may be, this is so silly and charming and energetic that it can be forgiven the overkill. Carey is trying too hard, but somehow it all works: cheerleader chants, soul choruses, lyrics that are both artless and endearing (“I know you’re really busy with your elves right now”), it’s got everything. Best of all, when Carey lets loose with her whacked-out theremin impersonation, she plays it for a joke. It’s the final touch of icing on a cake already covered with sugar balls, glitter, and tinsel. Merry Christmas.

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Has anyone freestyled over this yet?

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

Girl Unit’s “Wut” has justifiably been turning up on a lot of people’s year end best-of lists. It’s a great record, but what no one seems to mention is that it would make a perfect techno-based hip-hop background, with its traditional verse-chorus structure, custom-made to rap over. This is especially noticeable after the first chorus, where the music drops out for a moment as if providing space for an MC lead-in. Hip-hop has almost completely merged with techno anyway, and this could be the kind of record that defines an emerging genre. I can’t imagine I’m the only one who’s noticed this, so some adventurous rapper better grab this fast, because it could be huge. Quick, Kanye, before Chris Brown steals it.

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