Sometimes a song's popularity or even its own production can mask the fact that it is, when you strip it down to its base elements, actually very well written. Take "Islands in the Stream," the 1983 smash hit performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and penned by the Bee Gees. Today, it's chorus is still as dreamy as ever, but the production is awash in lite-rock blah and, because it was always programmed to be as big as it was, the duet partners belt it to the bleachers, quickly killing the intended sentiment of the lyrics. The song gained a new life, of sorts, when the hook was copped and revised by Mya and put to brilliant use in rapper Pras' 1998 single "Ghetto Supastar (That is What You Are)". Now, however, 25 years after the original, indie rock heroes Constantines have recruited Feist to redo the whole damn thing -- and redo it smashingly. They start from scratch, slow-cooking "Islands" with an intensely personal, hushed arrangement that has just the right amount of soothing, deep bass guitar. Meanwhile, with low-key vocal turns, lady Leslie and the band's lead singer, Steve Lambke, finally realize the beauty and warmth of the words that were always there but overshadowed by the outsized personalities of Rogers and Parton. In fact, listening to this new version, it's almost as if you can hear the sound of perfect love, imagining it being absolute contentment with your significant other that requires nothing more than being together in a hammock on a relaxed spring afternoon. We can rely on each other, uh huh. A
These days, all conversations regarding Mariah Carey can basically be broken down into two subjects: her looks (or, perhaps more specifically, her choice in attire) and her breakdown/eventual comeback blah blah blah. While the success of the 5X Platinum "Emancipation of Mimi" (2005) was certainly an inspiring tale, especially for longtime fans, people keep referring to the event as if it were an anomaly so unfathomable that it must be the only thing worth talking about when Carey's name arises. That or, in a big slap in the face to actual career relevance, the songbird's array of revealing outfits. At 38, I say she's more than earned the right to dress however she wants and saying something like "she's too old" or, worse, something thoroughly misogynistic, such as "she's a whore," does nothing but empower useless, harmful social stereotypes. What's more, Carey seems more confident and comfortable with herself than ever, so why shouldn't she celebrate her body? In fact, the singer's renewed sense of self continues to inform her music, and her strut on "E=MC2", her ninth studio disc, is equal to or greater than that displayed on immediate predecessor "Mimi" and she easily carries you through even the rockiest moments.
Now, much has been made of this new mathematic title, with "witty" blogsters making references to the obvious differences between her and Einstein, but anyone should be able to figure out that Mariah's own formula breaks down thusly: Emancipation=Mariah Carey to the second power. As in, she's even stronger after being freed from the restrictions of both bad press and her own personal demons. It's kind of clever, if you think about it. Ballsy, too, that she would name a record full of crossover radio jams and lovesick ballads after something as famously brainy as Einstein's key work. Yet this post-"exhaustion" MC is a ballsy gal in general...so it's too bad that the producers neuter that strength and wind up turning the new album into something so safe it verges on dull.
Thankfully, we do open with the strongest tracks on the record: Migrate and first single Touch My Body. The former finds the venerable songstress rubbing shoulders with the Short Circuit of modern R&B, the always electronic-sounding T-Pain, who I swear at some point in his life swallowed a vocoder and now forces all collaboraters to at least partially use one, including the girl in question. She fares better than most, however, as her distinct voice could never be gurgled into something unrecognizable. As well, le Pain infuses the song with a killer beat and showy, catchy synths that help glue the hook to your brain. And while Body, on first listen, may have sounded like a dreary retread of hits past, repeated listens have revealed the beauty of both the twinkling beat (by Tricky, a big fan of deceptive simplicity) and the more complex-than-it-seems melody. In addition, Carey's performance is relaxed, sexy and, above all, agreeably playful (see the charming video, featuring 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, for further evidence of this).
The next handful of songs are less memorable but almost as entertaining and are probably the most likely to be chosen as future singles. Side Effects, featuring Young Jeezy, is notably bangin' while I Stay in Love and Love Story are pleasant, serviceable ballads that sadly (yes, sadly) lack the five-octave histrionics of yore, settling for mid-range prettiness. In fact, none of the slow jams (including the one just sent to radio, Bye Bye) come close to even her last big weeper, We Belong Together. Produced mostly by...sigh...Jermaine Dupri ("yeeeeeahhh...uh huh"), they feel generally unimaginative and bland, though Carey does what she can with them. Plus, who knows? They may prove to be growers over time, especially once heard over the airwaves or in a big-budget video. But for now -- and in light of all that she's done before -- they disappoint.
While the first half of "E=MC2" is quite good, something funny happens when we hit track eight: Mariah temporarily transforms into a Vietnamese hooker. On I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time, she repeats the titular phrase so many times it quickly goes from unintentionally funny to teeth-gratingly annoying -- and the ucky throwback vibe of the music doesn't help anything. And then presto, almost everything following that travesty becomes boring, as if it were signalling the end of even trying to make a great CD. We get more ballads that blend together; O.O.C., a second song (following the more tolerable Cruise Control) that finds Carey trying on a fake, silly accent, this time Hispanic (it was Jamaican for Cruise); and, worst of all, a Bible-themed piano tinkler called I Wish You Well -- a sequel in spirit and execution to "Mimi"'s Fly Like a Bird -- that sounds too much like Carole King's ANatural Woman for this reviewer's comfort.
At its best, Mariah's first post-comeback effort recalls her 90s glory days; at its worst, it's just another pop-R&B hybrid that any upstart divette could have made. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad and this very specifically titled equation is certain to keep Carey at the top of the charts for the next few months. It's just a shame that, with all her brass and divine diva powers, she ended up delivering something that, impressive vocal abilities aside, fits in so squarely with everything else...which may ultimately mean that the only thing label heads want to see after "=" is "$". However, I can certainly respect everyone involved with the MC machine for wanting to keep it a continued success. After all, if her career were to go off the rails yet again, she'd be doomed to living out her life nowhere but in the fashion pages of gossip rags, with her clothes becoming all anyone has to talk about -- and nobody wants that. B-
Download: Migrate, Touch My Body, Side Effects Avoid: I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time, O.O.C., I Wish You Well
Because I'm a good friend, I voiced no objection to seeing The Ruins, the new horror film based on a Scott Smith novel one of my pals really dug. As well, I'm open to pretty much anything out there and, in accordance, believe almost anything has a chance to be good, which is why I'm probably the most agreeable "movie buddy" any of my dearest cell phone contacts has. With that (perhaps somewhat naive) critical affirmation safely established, let me say this about the film currently under discussion: it blew tremendous amounts of hot monkey chunks, which is something I haven't officially put on record since I was a teenager.
If you're looking for a more mature dissection of matters of quality, fine: this is stock garbage that somehow has already lost sight of the fact that pretty young things being punished (very violently) for being "wild," free-spirited, sexual pretty young things was one of Scream's best witty observations about shitty scary movie cliches. And that Wes Craven classic is pushing 12 years old. I don't find the absurd gore found here (or anywhere else) disgusting in execution so much as in concept. What kind of people are these "movies" being made for? Who gets off on watching a beautiful blond slice her skin up with a knife (oops, spoiler alert) or young, generic hunks cutting off another man's legs? All this would be less nauseating if it all had some kind of point or viable artistic statement. Maybe, just maybe, it's a metaphor for nature's awesome power and how it will always outlast humanity, especially a sampling of humanity who dare (!) to go where they should not. But that's giving The Ruins far too much credibility. Especially considering its antagonist is a fucking plant -- A very CGI vine that mocks its prey with talking flowers. Yeah, don't ask.
And, I'm not usually one for asking these kind of questions, but if all the modern Mayans who fear the almighty weed really thought it was so dangerous, why the fuck don't they just spray its ass with some Roundup? F
Get ready to party like it's 1999. Literally. In a big, noisy construct, all blasting horns and purposeful rhythm, Nelly makes a desperate attempt at a comeback with "Party People", something that coulda been huge in the era when we were still fearing the potential fallout of Y2K. In a post-Timbaland world, however, peppier, more impressive beats are easy to come by, no matter where you turn the FM dial. Shit, even Jesse McCartney hooked up with Tricky and was able to procure a fantastic bounce that propels his current, surprisingly listenable single, "Leavin'". But, Nelly and producer Polow da Don? They choose to go "big" (and boring) with a deafening wall of sound (with sirens, how ominous and revolutionary!) and some fairly cliche dissing as well as a few been-there-done-that calls-to-action for the former's titular friends. "Where [they] at?" Fergie repeats at least as many times as she ever spelled her own favorite word for a grand, impressive life ("G! L! A!..." etc.), her superfluous appearance nothing more than another panic-induced scheme to make Nelly seem "hip" and "now," because, y'know, nothing says "hip" and "now" like F-E-R-G-I-E. If you're 12. Or hooked on phonics. "PP" has been hovering around the iTunes top 20 since its release not too long ago, but I've a feeling it may stall there and soon fade into oblivion. Why? Because if we want big, boastful rap tracks that are actually fun, we'll go through our old 90s CDs, reminiscing about a time when such things were still considered hot. Additionally, if we want a Nelly song that will actually get a party started, we'll scan through Nellyville, thankyouverymuch. As it stands for the "Grillz"-wearing former Band-Aid enthusiast in 2008, things are definitely getting cold in herre. D
Vanilla Sky is an Italian band singing in the American pop punk style made famous by bands such as blink 182 and Fall Out Boy. Their songs remind me of the songs we can hear on any Cartel/All Time Low/Cute Is What We Aim For/Summer Obsession/Powerspace/(the list could go on for days) album. So why give them a listen? Our iPods are full of this kind of music already, we don't need to add more to it. F
That could be that, but like any band with the drive to succeed Vanilla Sky has worked to make a sound their own. Yellow Card has the violin, Paramore has the girl singer, and Vanilla Sky has the whole Italian thing.
Current single, Goodbye, also has an Italian version Si Vuoi Andare, which is surprisingly more engaging than the English version. Which isn't to say that the English songs aren't good, they are catchy poppy songs that you will have stuck in your head, at least for a few minutes.
The songs on "Changes" are all good songs that are perfect for summer trips in the car, or drunken sing-a-longs at parties. They just lack that something special that really makes it stay in your head for days at a time.
Unless, of course, you are referring to their cover of one of the catchiest songs ever released. Last summer Vanilla Sky, and every other person in the world, released a version of Rihanna's Umbrella. Out of all of the versions I listened to I found Vanilla Sky and Mandy Moore to have the only versions good enough to compete with the original.
Vanilla Sky then took it to the next level when they made their own version of Rihanna's video.
You know a band is good when they can take a song everyone knows and make it their own.
This is a band to keep an eye on. Already big in Europe I expect nothing but great things from these guys; because as they tell me in On and On, our relationship is never done. B
On and On we carry on The same old story but we must go on We're barely here and the sun is gone for now On and On we carry on The same old story but we must go on We're barely here and the moon is gone for now You and I are never done
Saving Jane is a band that I have heard about for many many years. You see, my cousin knows them and has done things for them in the past. Of course I really didn't care about them at all when he was talking about this band I never heard of and their shows. Fast forward to 2006 when all I heard on the radio was Girl Next Door - the song we could all relate to, whether we were the prom queen or in the marching band; we were all the girl (or boy) next door to someone.
Unfortunately for the global music community Saving Jane's follow up singles Happy, Come Down to Me, and One Girl Revolution failed to make the impact of Girl Next Door. Luckily for everyone with ears the wait for new music is over. A few months ago Saving Jane posted the demo of a new song, Supergirl, on their myspace. Now it is an officially released song, available to one and all on iTunes.
Musically Supergirl sounds more like One Girl Revolution than Girl Next Door; it almost sounds like a sequel to OGR (not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned - I'm a giant fan of the sequel). Lyrically it is an upbeat song that will be moved to the top of my playlist of songs to listen to when I need to be cheered up. With lyrics such as "I'm super girl, walking every wire, set the world on fire, no one's shinning brighter, I'm super girl" you just can't feel bad about yourself. Trust me, I know. After twenty listens on repeat I feel like I can do anything (except for finding Citizen Kane entertaining...I don't think that's possible no matter how many listens you give the song). And while I personally think that Marti has a voice that is perfect for the slower and more reflective songs such as my favorite Saving Jane song, Ordinary, she keeps the audiences' attention throughout the song. Marti has the ability to make her personality shine through in every song which makes it a little more special.
The return of Saving Jane has me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for their next CD. Saving Jane never ceases to move and inspire me. I hope you give them the chance they deserve so that you can say the same thing. A-
The only bad thing about fresh sounds entering the mainstream is that if they catch on, watch out -- you will soon be drowned in a sea of imitators who are either the calculated cash-in scheme of a major label or, significantly less enraging but wholly more frustrating, a viable artist who lacks the ability to better integrate her influences into her own music, coming across as a unconscious tribute act. Last year, when the U.K.'s Amy Winehouse shockingly translated her deafening buzz into actual, stateside top-10 success, her dark-lit, hard-edged jazz-pop became something new and different for people all over the world to savor...and, inevitably, kicked off a new round of wannabes and "admirers." It started, most notably, with Duffy, whose every vocal move and back-up production tweak come across as watered-down Winehouse on her smash British single Mercy, recently offered to Americans as an iTunes Single of the Week. The Winehouse adoration train continues with Adele, who had her own Single of the Week a few months back with Hometown Glory and now delivers to our shores her very first LP, "19".
Glory, in breaking with the majority of the album, sounds less Amy and more angsty, like a lost late-90s ballad, all doom-and-gloom piano and searching vocals. It's ability to draw you in and keep you listening proves Adele is a striking talent worth taking note of, a fact that comes into even greater light with the song that really put her over the top in her native land: Chasing Pavements. Pondering whether or not taking a big chance for love is worth it, Pavements is a goosebump-inducing sing-a-long that starts slowly and soon builds into a sweeping, heavily orchestrated thing of beauty, a deeply involving midtempo ballad that recalls some of the best singles of the 60s. It stands as the record's biggest highlight and, being that it's only track no. 3, does in fact mean we go downhill from there.
Though she has a much different lyrical slant than everyone's favorite beehive-sporting tabloid star, Adele's every twist and turn work like a plot that's comfortably familiar. The songs are good, sure, and different enough to be believable originals, but not amazing enough to overcome the not-totally-unfair comparisons she'll earn to the Rehab Grammy winner. One of the biggest problems is that Adele's vocal affectations are often so eerily Winheousian that's is as if she fits into that latter category of followers, those who hem too closely to their influence's blazed trails, intentionally or not. There's a chance that this is untrue, that Adele is no Winehouse fan at all and wasn't even conscious of what she was doing. However, a few good listens to "19" really make this forgiving theory doubtful, whether or not the artist in question may deny it.
Not that "19" doesn't have its own issues, similarities to Big Things or not. A cover of Bob Dylan's Make You Feel My Love is a giant misstep, especially for someone trying to establish credibility as a fresh, original voice. The song has been covered so many times already and was all but murdered by the one-two punch of Garth Brooks' and Trisha Yearwood's individual takes on the Hope Floats soundtrack. There is little Adele could add to it and, sadly, she adds nothing at all.
Promise peeks through, though, like in the twinkle of First Love, the slow burn of Hometown Glory and, of course, the endearing energy of Chasing Pavements. Her songwriting is certainly indicative of a bright future, especially when (or if) she someday strips away all the trademarked stamps of her influence(s) and lets her own personal artistic vision shine brightest of all. B
Download: Chasing Pavements and Hometown Glory, her most unique tracks.
Avoid: Right as Rain, which feels like something Winehouse left on the cutting room floor.
Yes, Virginia, rebel-yell punk rock can have damn good hooks. And don't tell me limp-dick bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan already proved that because you'll be severely lacking in proof that a) either was punk rock or b) anything they ever did was memorable. Fortunately, Be Your Own Pet come a lot closer to outsider credibility than either of those bands ever will, thanks to the blessing of avowed rock deity Thurston Moore, whose Ecstatic Peace label issued both Pet's self-titled debut and their kicking new LP, "Get Awkward".
Things jump start with Super Soaked, its toy-inspired title as indicative of the track's fun level as it is of the band's own child-like energy and enthusiasm. There's a lot of loud, raw instrumentation and yelling and yet through it all, you want to sing along as much as you're dancing. And amazingly, this spirit of buzz-inducing ra-ra bopping never fades; in fact, one full listen in a single sitting (yeah right, as if you'll be able to stay still while this record is playing) could leave one totally reeling.
However, the production is unobtrusive enough to reassure you that you are, in fact, listening to a rock record. Singer Jemina Pearl's shrieking is never fine-tuned or flat-ironed for the sake of being inoffensive (of course, no amount of vocal tinkering could take the awesome piss out of lines like "I know you're lying, that you take it in the rear"). As well, the band sounds viciously alive. The bass and guitars are bone-crunchingly satisfying and the drums are sporadic and sprightly enough to remind you, "oh yeah, there was a time when people laid down tracks without drum machines."
If I had any complaints, it would be that the songs seem to cycle through the same subjects over and over again. Pearl proclaims on at least two songs that she wants to break hearts like hers has been broken and on a few others that she really just wants to stay out all night. But I suppose that's just par for the course with actual (modern) punk music. However, it's a bit of a shame, as this flaw slightly detracts from the fact that most of "Awkward" is actually made up of very sharp, witty and lovably bratty lyrics.
For curious Top 40 fans, if you want Paramore without the pop overtures or Flyleaf without the Christ worship, I'd definitely recommend taking Be Your Own Pet for a test drive. The hard sound might scare you at first but, don't worry, soon enough they'll be destroying your car speakers with repeated spins.
On a final note, I played this CD first thing in the morning today and it jolted me so far awake I have yet to slow down...even after a mere four hours of sleep last night. So what does that mean? "Get Awkward" might just be the healthy alternative to shitty energy drinks which shall not be named. ...Or that I'm getting by on fumes. Fumes of awesomeness. A-
Download: Food Fight, Super Soaked, Twisted Nerve, Bitches Leave
Avoid: Well, nothing...but the slower You're A Waste kind of interrupts the momentum of the thing.
Every once in a while I'll come across a show that is so funny and fresh that I recommend it to all of my friends. It is even less often that that show will lead me to something even funnier.
In early 2003 I somehow stumbled across the BBC2 televisions series Coupling and instantly fell in love. Described by some as a rip-off of Friends, it is so much more. When it was canceled after four series' I looked online to see what else the cast of Coupling has been up to. That's when I discovered Green Wing.
More Scrubs than Grey's Anatomy, GW is a show about the lives of hospital workers; and not just the doctors and nurses like most of these shows. The show gives (nearly) equal time to the doctors as it does to workers in the Human Resources department.
Green Wing begins on the first day of new doctor, Caroline Todd, and focuses on hers, and others, lives. She immediately meets Dr Guy Secretan whom she can't stand, and yet might possibly love (there's also the impossibly large poo that she makes in his toilet that just won't go down). The other object of her affection is Dr "Mac" Macartney. Don't be misled, this is no romantic comedy of a show; it's far more about making the audience laugh and escape for an hour at a time.
As far as I'm concerned though, the real star of the show is Michelle Gomez and her portrayal of Sue White, the staff liaison officer whose job, as she describes it, is "To soothe, to bathe, to listen to the workers' woes". The only problem is that she causes more woes to be soothed.
Oh, and we can't forget about when she attempted to murder a co-worker.
I don't know where to suggest that you look to find the show, but if you search the internet hard enough I'm sure you can find it (or buy the region 2 DVD's from amazon.co.uk). Regardless, if you like British humor, and haven't had your funny bone removed, you won't be sorry. A+
It seems you can't go a day without hearing or seeing some American Idol alum on MTV, the radio, the record store, or in some cases (Justin Guarini) singing for spare change on the street corner. It seems that every contestant on the show gets their one CD and then slowly fades away. It's not a common occurrence in the world today that someone from American Idol that didn't win releases a sophomore album. Josh Gracin is one of the exceptions. Yes, we had to wait four years for "We Weren't Crazy", but it was worth it.
The first single from "We Weren't Crazy", Favorite State of Mind was released last October. It's an upbeat song that makes me look for my boots and hat so that I can go to the hoe-down and line dance with the prettiest girl in all of town. The next release, I Keep Coming Back, is a ballad that does an excellent job of showcasing Josh's voice. It's a soothing voice that is excellent in the background of a movie, yet powerful enough to hold an audience at a concert captive. It's a voice that reminds me of Tim McGraw.
With the current single, We Weren't Crazy, Josh tries his hand at writing. What we get is a song everyone who has ever taken a chance can relate to; regardless of the outcome. It's a song that offers hope in spontaneity.
"We Weren't Crazy" ends with the only track penned solely by Josh; a love song to his wife. Even though it's the shortest song on the album it is one of the most beautiful. You can hear in his voice the sincerity of the song and the love in his heart.
Josh says it best himself on the track Found: "Somehow, I finally discovered that this is where I wanna stay. Baby now, I've been found." I only hope he doesn't get lost again; four years is too long to wait for quality music. A
Josh's homemade video for We Weren't Crazy. A little sappy, a little adorable.
Download: Found, We Weren't Crazy, Unbelievable (Ann Marie) Avoid: Nothing.
Sometimes a song's popularity or even its own production can mask the fact that it is, when you strip it down to its base elements, actually very well written. Take "Islands in the Stream," the 1983 smash hit performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and penned by the Bee Gees. Today, it's chorus is still as dreamy as ever, but the production is awash in lite-rock blah and, because it was always programmed to be as big as it was, the duet partners belt it to the bleachers, quickly killing the intended sentiment of the lyrics. The song gained a new life, of sorts, when the hook was copped and revised by Mya and put to brilliant use in rapper Pras' 1998 single "Ghetto Supastar (That is What You Are)". Now, however, 25 years after the original, indie rock heroes Constantines have recruited Feist to redo the whole damn thing -- and redo it smashingly. They start from scratch, slow-cooking "Islands" with an intensely personal, hushed arrangement that has just the right amount of soothing, deep bass guitar. Meanwhile, with low-key vocal turns, lady Leslie and the band's lead singer, Steve Lambke, finally realize the beauty and warmth of the words that were always there but overshadowed by the outsized personalities of Rogers and Parton. In fact, listening to this new version, it's almost as if you can hear the sound of perfect love, imagining it being absolute contentment with your significant other that requires nothing more than being together in a hammock on a relaxed spring afternoon. We can rely on each other, uh huh.
