Lady Gaga-"The Fame" Review

 

When you first look at Lady Gaga, it's hard not to write her off as a Gwen Stefani wannabe. They share the same passion for fashion, the same hair color, and even the same vocal range. But while Gwen made fame being a ska punk and a Harajuku girl, Gaga became known for her antics as well as her perfect pop confections. Her sexuality and her unwillingness to be subtle are what set her apart from the rest of the pop pack. Now she can hang with the likes of Madonna, who had been doing, well, exactly the same thing back in the 80s. But, with Gaga's higher-pitched voice she could very easily pass herself of as Blondie just as well. In short, Lady Gaga is the definition of fame. She's exactly what the rap-dominated world of 2008 needed, a fresh face who could even fresher pop to the table. It was inevitable, Madonna could only change her game so much before the mainstream demanded more. Lady Gaga not only meets its expectations, she far surpasses them.

 

While new artists of 2008 sang about to cliches and current trends of the world (Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" is the best example), Gaga not only mocked them, but turned her mockery into fourteen very sellable hits that fit the mold that they are trying to break, and then modify it to make pop wider and more versatile. And while the subject matter of other artists remains firmly on themselves, Gaga takes a page from Shania Twain's book and creates tales that are not about Lady Gaga, the person. Let's face it, has she really ever faced a situation like "Starstruck", where she not only gets close to a celebrity but shares her favorite music with them? No, Gaga's listeners are meant to her themselves in her songs. She has her firm grasp on what the people are in to. She knows that club goers want to "Just Dance", and that girls love "Boys Boys Boys". Her fans don't want a "Paper Gangsta", and we all have that one person with those special "Brown Eyes". She even plays into the not-so good obsessions of the world today such as "The Fame" and especially the "Paparazzi", whose obessions has lead to some unfortunate automobile accidents...

 

Still, what makes "The Fame" such a great and cohesive album IS the gargantuan glossiness and relatability that bedecks its monster-sized hooks and its perfect production. This album is an entity too big to be dealt with all at once, so its brilliance lies in the fact that you will be on your infinite spin and you still find more to love. "The Fame" is a lean album with not an ounce of fat. Sure, there will always be a couple songs for filler, but even they sound as good as the sleeper-hit "Just Dance" and the very addictive "Poker Face". This is catchy pop, feel good music, and an album that busts the door open to many more artistic and career possibilites. Not just for Gaga, mind you.

 

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Just Dance                     2. LoveGame                    3. Paparazzi

4. Poker Face    5. Eh, Eh, (Nothing Else I Can Say) 6. Beautiful, Dirty, Rich

7. The Fame                      8. Money Honey               9. Starstruck

10. Boys Boys Boys          11. Paper Gangsta           12. Brown Eyes

13. I Like It Rough            14. Summerboy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Number Two Songs

So with "Gangnam Style" falling 2-5 on the Billboard Hot 100, the magazine issued a feature naming the best number two singles that failed to reach number one on the chart. So I decided to make a list of my own, because there have been plenty of songs that should have reached number one, but never did. And it's very fitting I do this now after I just blogged about the singles that should not have reached number one, or if they did they shouldn't have stayed there for weeks on end. From the good songs to the really good songs, here are the top 20 singles that didn't reach number one, but should have:

20. Miley Cyrus-Party in the USA (2009)
19. Mariah Carey-Shake it Off (2005)
18. Greenday-Boulevard of Broken Dreams (2005)
17. Hoobastank-The Reason (2004)
16. Tag Team-Whoomp! There It Is (1993)
15. Gnars Barkley-Crazy (2006)
14. Ciara and Missy Elliot-1, 2 Step (2005)
13. Destiny's Child-Survivor (2001)
12. Taylor Swift-You Belong With Me (2009)
11. Sheryl Crow-All I Wanna Do (1994)
10. Shania Twain-You're Still The One (1998)
9. Jewel-Foolish Games/You We Meant For Me (1997)
8. LeAnn Rimes-How Do I Live? (1997)
7. Ellie Goulding-Lights (2012)
6. Missy Elliot-Work It (2002)
5. Avril Lavigne-Complicated (2002)
4. Kelly Clarkson-Since U Been Gone (2005)
3. Christina Aguilera-Beautiful (2003)
2. Donna Lewis-I Love You Always Forever (1996)
1. Lady Gaga-Bad Romance (2010)

P!nk-"The Truth About Love" Review

What a journey Pink has taken! Starting as an R&B queen with "Can't Take Me Home", and then quickly turning to pop with "Missundaztood". She tried her hand at rock with "Try This", but later chose the dance/pop scene with her best album "I'm Not Dead". Then after a separation from Carey Hart, she became a jack of all trades with "Funhouse". And to top it all off, after re-uniting with Carey and giving birth to her first child, she released "Greatest Hits...So Far!!!" which captured all of her best moments and wrapped them all up in a nice little package. While she has taken more musical directions than any other pop artist of her generation, the problem that arises with this is: what more can she do to get even better? And that's the initial frustration with "The Truth About Love". It includes mainly hard rock with a hint of Ke$ha-esque pop, so it is an unfortunate fact that just like the last time she made an album like this (Try This), "The Truth About Love" will not generate many chart topping singles. True, she lucks out with one of the best songs of her career (Blow me one last kiss), and she even includes her trademark boldness (Slut Like You and Walk of Shame). She once again shines with her self-help anthems (Are We All We Are and The Great Escape), and then comes her straightforward tales of love (True Love, The Truth About Love, and Try). She covers all of her basics, and even throws in her straight out silliness (How Come You're Not Here?). But that's the problem, as good as this music is, it's hard to deny that Pink has finally become predictable. She swears like a sailor, she makes you feel great about yourself, she harks about the hardships of life and love, and then she lets loose and sings about the joy of just having fun. And while she showcases her best duets since "I'm Not Dead" and also fianlly conquers the challenge of a slow ballad, there are none of the instant hooks that Pink is known for. While "I'm Not Dead" and "Funhouse" were as addictive and pop-py as all great pop should be, "The Truth About Love" does not instantly catch your eye. It will take a few listens, and in the end you still may not pick up the buried hooks, but with its faults, "The Truth About Love" is an album that music NEEDS this day and age, and it is undeniably the most adventurous and fearless album of 2012.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Are We All We Are?       2. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)  3. Try
4. Just Give Me A Reason 5. True Love                     6. How Come You're Not Here?
7. Slut Like You                  8. The Truth About Love         9. Beam Me Up
10. Walk of Shame           11. Here Comes the Weekend  12. Where Did the Beat Go?
13. The Great Escape

Nicki Minaj-"Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" Review

Wanna know why Nicki named her sophomore album Roman Reloaded? Well the majority of it is obvious, her infamous alter-ego Roman Zolanski has re-fueled and is ready to come back even stronger than "he" appeared. The first track of this album entitled "Roman Holiday" kind of explains why Roman took a vacation. It's as good as an explanation that Roman and Martha, Nicki's second alter-ego can give. As you progress through the first six tracks of Roman Reloaded, after a while you realize the musical content is merely a facade, and Roman is essentially just screaming into a microphone with "his" trademark attitude and flare. Some tracks do offer alot of promise ("Roman Holiday" and "I am your leader"), while some are just downright hilarious, and embarrassing ("Come on a cone" and "HOV Lane"). After airing the dirty laundry, Roman calms down for tracks 7-9, all of which are highlights (especially "Sex in the lounge", for obvious reasons). And Roman essentially exits after track 9, because as soon as you hit "Starships", the whole direction of the album switches completely. Now we dive into the brighter, pop-py side of Nicki Minaj. The second half is where she manages to balance attititude with fun. Tracks 10-18 are all stand-outs and very good assests to this album. After the musical ear-garbage of the first half, Nicki offers songs you just can't skip. Now there's one thing left to cover, the greatly-panned and commerically hated closing track, "Stupid Hoe". Immediately upon its release, the overhwhelmingly negative response came from her fans, most of which said she was a stupid hoe for creating that song. It seems that this vicious attack on her rival is underappreciated. Believe it or not, "Stupid Hoe" is one of the most catchy and musically sound tracks on Roman Reloaded, and it offers a good story book ending. Roman Reloaded ended just like it began, with the harsh persona of this character. Long story short, if you cut the fat from this album, you are left with the very lean and mean beats that only Nicki/Roman/Martha can deliver.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Roman Holiday        2. Come on a Cone        3. I Am Your Leader
4. Beez in the Trap     5. HOV Lane                  6. Roman Reloaded
7. Champion                 8. Right by my Side       9. Sex in the Lounge
10. Starships                11. Pound the Alarm   12. Whip It
13. Automatic              14. Beautiful Sinner      15. Marilyn Monroe
16. Young Forever        17. Fire Burns               18. Gun Shot
19. Stupid Hoe

Crappy Number One Songs

So, Billboard has just announced that Maroon 5's "One More Night" is spending a ninth week at number 1 this year. Wow, I can't believe this song even topped the chart, let alone for 2 months straight. It's not that it's bad, but come on, NINE weeks at number one? That's kind of ridiculous. I can see why "Call Me Maybe" spent nine weeks at number one this year, that song is catchy as hell. But not "One More Night", this I don't understand. But I have a bad feeling that it might become the longest running number one of 2012, and it clearly doesn't deserve it. But, then I remind myself that this isn't even the worst song to top the chart for more than one week. "One More Night" is just one in a LONG line of songs that are either ok or bad, but yet ended up selling millions of copies. Here are some examples of such songs:

Flo Rida-Whistle (2 weeks at number 1)
Lil Wayne-Lollipop (5 weeks at number 1)
50 Cent-Candy Shop (9 weeks at number 1)
Wiz Khalifa-Black and Yellow (1 week at number 1)
Brandy and Monica-The Boy is Mine (13 weeks at number 1)
Soulja Boy-Crank That (7 weeks at number 1)
Chris Brown-Kiss Kiss (3 weeks at number 1)
Beyonce-Single Ladies (4 weeks at number 1)
Nelly and Kelly Rowland-Dilemma (10 weeks at number 1)
Ashanti-Foolish (10 weeks at number 1)
Rihanna and Drake-What's My Name? (1 week at number 1)
The Black Eyed Peas-Imma Be (2 weeks at number 1)

You see? I just don't understand all the hooplah. In other Billboard news, they also announced that "Gangnam Style" falls 2-5. Thank. God. I will evaluate my disdain of the song later, but there's the other bit of news that Rihanna's new song "Diamonds" jumps 4-2 and might possibly top the chart next week. Now THAT is a song that deserves number one. But this is my opinion, do you think that "Diamonds" is better than "One More Night"?

Ellie Goulding-"Halcyon" Review

"Lights" was a sleeper hit for Ellie Goulding. It was just one of those songs that needed to be played repeatedly in order to fully appreciate it. The same principle works for Goulding's sophomore album "Halcyon". It is a very appropriate title, since its meaning of calm and serenity perfectly describes this set as a whole. Starting with the warped voices and eerie production of "Don't say a word", Ellie's musical direction is far darker than that of her debut album "Lights". And while her vocals stretch far beyond her range, this strain comes across as endearing rather than irritating. Each song is packed with emotion, so there is no filler here. Each song was crafted perfectly to fit Goulding's musical and artistic vision. From the fantastic anguish of "My Blood" to the indie paradise of "Figure 8", she proves a song can be both meaningful and catchy at the same time. She does not need any auto-tune or drum-like synthesizers to make a track superior to the rest of the pop and indie pack. She sets herself far above those peers by finding the perfect balance of electronica and raw vocals. And the synths, the beating drums, and simple lyrical content only add to the brilliance of this album. While it is not quite indie, rock, or even pop, it's rather a happy medium between those three. Just like her smash single, Ellie Goulding shines throughout each of "Halcyon"'s 14 tracks, because while the producers provide interesting and chilling music, the strength of this album comes down to Goulding herself, and the sentiments she provides. While "Halcyon" is not a perfect album, mainly due to its redundant nature and its jilted momentum, its far more mature, and quite frankly better, than any other album released in 2012. Besides the heart-break anthems of Adele, and the equally compelling rock of Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding is best Brit to grace the mainstream of the US in a very, very long time. "Halcyon" is not quite as sleek as "Lights", but it's still a beautifully charming effort all the same.

Recommended Tracks in  Bold:
1. Don't Say a Word              2. My Blood          3. Anything Can Happen       
4. Only You         5. Halcyon       6. Figure 8       7. Joy                                         
8. Holding On                        9. Explosions        10. I Know You Care     
11. Atlantis                            12. Dead in the Water
Bonus Tracks:                        13. I Need Your Love     14. Lights

Taylor Swift-"Red" Review

In case you weren't aware, Taylor Swift wants to break into the pop scene. She was edging away from country before, but her fourth album "Red" is her first full-on flirtation with pop. However, flirtation is the key word, not conformity. Take for example "Stay, Stay, Stay", a song that's laced with  an incessant hook and whimsical music, the framework for a pop song, but it goes against conventional wisdom and is worked to fit the country mold. The banjos, light drums, and Southern accent take the forefront to retain her country appeal, but works very well as a pop song, too. With that said, that track is a rarity on this album. It appeals to a country audience as well as a pop one, which is what Taylor Swift has been striving for since her "Fearless" breakthrough in 2008. But, that can't be said for the rest of the album.

With "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" as the main culprits, this album is Taylor Swift's first explicit attempt to gain a cross-cultural appeal, plain and simple. Those two songs are easily some of the best she's ever recorded, the former (also the lead single) is a very successful pop-crossover hit, while the latter introduces Taylor to dubstep, sugary guitars and big, blown-out choruses. There's nothing wrong with a change of pace, but execution is also another part of the process that "Red" doesn't seem to grasp. One would make the assertion that Taylor Swift was never all that country to begin with, and to a certain extent this is very true. She always tried to shape her songs for mass consumption, and in doing so she created a good string of country-pop hits. But there's one key element that separates "Red" from "Fearless". In 2008, Taylor was still relatively new, she had yet to experience the high and blinding effects of fame (an issue in which she addresses eloquently in "The Lucky One"). But now in 2012, there's no denying that the inner diva has started to make its way forth. Mostly because four albums in, there's nothing new Swift has to say about non-relationship based material. Also, what made "Fearless" and "Speak Now" so appealing was that girlish and subtle touch that she brought to them. There's nothing subtle about "Red"; its opener "State of Grace" is riveting and cold, "Red" (the title track) is an excellent, blown out song with country influences still in tact, "I Knew You Were Trouble" features a robotic production and ingratiating hook, and all of the ballads present their subject matter with the subtlety of a jackhammer. True, it's not easy to tell who she knew was trouble, or who she had a "Sad, Beautiful, Tragic" love affair with, but nevertheless, they're still about someone in particular. It follows her trail of revenge love songs that she started with her debut, but after six years in the music game, even Taylor is running low on new and original ways to execute them. Most of the ballads here (excluding the closer "Begin Again", a soft and heartwarming tune), are too saccharine for their own good, and even the guest appearances of Gary Lightbody and Ed Sheeran can't bring them out of Taylor's simpering murk. What's also problematic is how her music is becoming increasingly similar, which only adds to the album's staidness. But most of all, it's what exactly this record is supposed to be that becomes in undoing. To be sure, it's not a country album, but it's also too acoustic to be thrown into pop. "Red" is pulled tight between these two extremes, as she holds on to her roots but is obviously hungry for mass appeal, which leaves half the album a wash of sound, while the other contains a slew of detached pop songs that are appealing, yet lack personality. As a whole, "Red" is cold and calculated, it bounces back and forth between her familiar territory and her pop ventures, and these constant shifts and the overall tonal inconsistency leave this album to be a frustrating mix of sensational and skippable.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. State of Grace                     2. Red                         3. Treacherous

4. I knew you were trouble   5. All too well             6. 22

7. I Almost Do                        8. We are never ever getting back together

9. Stay, Stay, Stay                  10. The Last Time       11. Holy Ground

12. Sad, Beautiful, Tragic       13. The Lucky One   14. Everything has changed

15. Starlight                            16. Begin Again