The first video from Keane’s upcoming CD “Perfect Symmetry” is out, and honestly, I don’t get it. That’s not to say it isn’t a great video, because it is. I just don’t know what the concept is about. Maybe I’ll just have to watch it 12 or 38 more times to figure it out.
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All posts for the month September, 2008
I bought the CD for Leann Rimes’s current record “Family” back in October last year as I was on a business trip back to Denver. My partner and I had moved to Michigan so he could pursue a PhD degree, so this was my first trip back to the town I had called home for six years. The CD hit on Tuesday, I swung by Target to pick it up, and then hit the road for Boulder and Longmont with the new music.
Between those two towns, I found myself driving through the foothills of the Rockies when “What I Cannot Change” came on. To say I was blown away would be a severe over-generalization. In amazing form, Leann (who co-wrote this song with her husband and another writer) completely captured where I was at in life with just a couple of verses.
I will learn to let go what I cannot change
I will learn to forgive what I cannot change
I will learn to love what I cannot change
But I will change, I will change
Whatever I, whatever I can
Sound familiar? It’s kind of an updated version of the Serenity Prayer, which has special meaning to me. My grandmother cross-stitched this in a class she took, and then took a ceramics class and made a frame to go around it. It’s one of two items I got of hers upon her death, and it’s been in every home I’ve had since college. But more than the memory, the Prayer means a lot to me in my life. I have a Don Quixote mentality at times, trying to rage against machines that I really have no business raging against. The Prayer brings me back to being grounded, and knowing when and where to pick my battles.
The single cello, the sparse piano, the basic drum beat…the simplicity of the arrangement only adds to the basic message of the song. Leann, who seemed like a novelty act way back in the day, turns in her most nuanced vocal performance to date, and cements herself a place amongst the few mainstream country artists that really have some integrity in what they record. If this is not a hit (it was released as a single in August), Country Radio should have its head examined.
So what’s the current significance to my life? Well, I am sitting in a hotel in Nebraska, with all of my possessions loaded into a truck out in the parking lot, on my way to Denver. My relationship of five years ended in May, and I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really reboot my life. Suddenly Leann’s mantra of knowing what’s in her control and what’s left to the powers that be really has additional significance. As I was heading out of Michigan, the “radio version” of the song, with some additional instrumentation to help garner airplay, came on Sirius, and it hit me instantly that this should also be on my moving playlist.
Life throws a lot of curves at you, and it’s how we handle them that defines us and shapes our future. I’m hoping that I hit this one out of the park, but only time will tell. Music follows me wherever I go on this journey, and I’m constantly amazed how often the timing of hearing a song can deeply affect how you view lyrical content. Not everyone will like “What I Cannot Change”, but at least give it a listen.
What I Cannot Change – LEANN RIMES
Somewhere along the way today, I came across a mention that today is “National One-Hit Wonder Day”. Who knew? So in honor of the holiday, here is a presentation of some of my favorite one-hit wonders, a commodity that I have traded in heavily over the past 20 years.
[NB – when I refer to a one-hit wonder, I refer to someone who achieved a Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 here in America, and never made it back to the Top 40. So put yer claws away, mm’kay?]
Cock Robin, “When Your Heart Is Weak” – The epitome of what I loved about music from the 80s:
Jane Child, “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” – Nothing says the turn of the 90s like this #2 record:
Moving Pictures, “What About Me” – Oh, how an angsty 13-year-old felt like this was the deepest sentiment ever committed to vinyl. Now when I hear it, I can only think of Kath and Kim:
Jasmine Guy, “Just Wanna Hold You” – I do like this song, but there’s a reason she only got one hit. The album was CRAP!
Nick Lowe, “Cruel To Be Kind” – If there was a definition of “driving music” in the dictionary, this should be cited as the chief example:
Dazz Band, “Let It Whip” – In my top 10 all-time favorite jams…a classic
T’Pau, “Heart & Soul” – “China In Your Hands” would be here, but the stupid Americans didn’t make that a hit:
Boy Krazy, “That’s What Love Can Do” – When the Bible of Pop Music is published, this will be on the Ten Commandments of Pop:
There you have it. It’s only a partial list for me, but it’s got a decent mix. Care to weigh in?
I’ve alluded to it a few times in prior entries, but as of Sunday, I will once again be a resident of Colorado. As a result of this minor operation, I may be out of commission for a few days. However, music will still remain on my mind. Of course, there has to be a playlist for this move, and a few songs have already added themselves to the list, including the Killers’ new track “Human” (duh), Ne-Yo’s “So You Can Cry”, and “The World I Know” from Collective Soul. All of these have direct correlation to what’s going on currently, but I’d like some straight-ahead moving/driving music. Suggestions?
It’s as if the tea leaves have fortunes typed right out on them…Janet Jackson parted ways with Island/Def Jam today, apparently at Janet’s behest. Rumors are already flying that she’s already looking toward Live Nation, which is looking at established record-and-touring artists, and that might be a good fit, but the press release hints at taking her time in finding a new home, and I can’t say that I blame her. Why rush the decision when you’re actually selling out shows? (LA and Vegas, to start) She’s now added another show to the tour, this time in Tulsa. Could Denver be far behind? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?
[Janet…I know you’re out there somewhere. Call me. I’ve got some ideas.]
So “Human”, the first single from the Killers’ new CD (“Day and Age”, due on November 25th), premiered today on BBC Radio One. At first glance, it’s brilliant! No Human League samples…just the simple yet lush production that is the epitome of the Killers at their best. Check it out below, but do it quick, before they yank it. The single will be released to your favorite digital source on September 30th.
With a h/t to Poster Girl, it appears that my future ex Shayne Ward has been laying down tracks in LA recently. Among the folks he’s working with are the Underdogs (Jordin Sparks, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Mario), Taio Cruz (“Like a Star”, one of this year’s most annoying pop songs), Futurecut (Lily Allen), and Karen Poole (Kylie and Dannii). Seems like a continuation of the more R&B-ish sound that he was embracing on his horribly promoted second CD. If the label is smart, and, as Shayne mentions in his last blog entry, he really IS going to give the US a serious shot, then they need to take a few songs from the last CD (such as “No U Hang Up”) and beef up the record with some radio-ready tracks. He’s a natural for the charts here, especially if JT is taking a little time off from recording.
I will be hitting the road with the parental units tomorrow, so posting may be a bit sporadic. In the meantime, here are a few bits for you to chew on:
– P!nk scores her first #1 single as a solo artist, and I’m glad to see it. Slag her off all you want, but she’s one of the few artists out there consistently keeping a little bit of integrity in what she does. When you hear a P!nk record, you know it’s her, and not just a producer’s direction. Looks like she and T.I. might battle for the top spot for a few weeks now. “Funhouse” drops on October 28th.
– Despite a valiant try, September’s “Cry For You” loses momentum at Pop Radio this week, and drops out of the Top 30. I was pretty sure we would see a full-on dance music assault on the pop charts somewhere along the line, but it hasn’t started as of yet. Sometimes it takes one massive hit to start the ball rolling, and then the dance hits just start coming out of the woodwork. That’s how it worked in the 90’s anyway. Can you say “La Bouche”?
– Jason Mraz drops out of the Top 10 on the Hot 100, but with continued airplay growth at Top 40 and Hot A/C, there’s a good chance it will hop back in. And speaking of returns to the Top 10, as predicted here last week, Estelle takes a big ol’ leap up to #9 with “American Boy”. The single is losing a little bit of momentum at radio, but maybe this big week of sales (99,000) will reignite it and propel it into the Top 5.
– We’ll find out next week how well Kanye’s “Love Lockdown” was actually received at the VMA’s, as the single is available this week on iTunes.
Ne-Yo, Ne-Yo, Ne-Yo…we had an idea that this would come out about you. Don’t ask me how I know…maybe it was just a glance you gave us, perhaps it’s the way you carry yourself, and possibly it’s even something you said that lead us to read into things a bit deeper than we should have. No matter, though. Apparently, it’s all true.
Ne-Yo was known as Shaffer Smith when he was born in 1979, despite what many websites will cite as 1982. (See…TMZ is good for SOMETHING!). Giving credit where it’s due, his mom really helped influence his musical direction, giving him albums like Stevie Wonder’s “Hotter Than July” and Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” to help him find his voice. Apparently, he’s a good study, since it’s becoming more and more clear that Ne-Yo’s got the goods to assume the “King of Pop” mantle.
My first “attraction” to Ne-Yo was in the form of Marques Houston’s “That Girl”, which was a pretty good indicator of what was to come. A minor pop and R&B hit, the single helped raise Marques’s profile a bit, but was just a slight breeze compared to the tornado that Ne-Yo was about to unleash. That force of nature was Mario’s “Let Me Love You”, which Ne-Yo co-wrote, and spent nine weeks at #1 at the beginning of 2005. (Has it really been that long?) From there, the hits kept coming…”Unfaithful”, “Irreplaceable”, “Gallery” were all hits in 2005 and 2006. Not as well known, though were all of the songs that he wrote for a minor boy band called Youngstown in 1999 and 2001. It’s probably safe to say that he can leave those tracks off of the resume now.
2006 also saw his first CD, “In My Own Words”, released, which resulted in his first number one album, along with the #1 single “So Sick”, #7 “Sexy Love”, and #15 “When You’re Mad”. He repeated the CD feat in 2007 with “Because of You”, supported by the #2 single “Because of You”. While this record didn’t sell quite as many copies as the first one (1 million vs 1.6 million in the US alone), that’s still not a bad chart record. His profile kept rising, though, because of the writing and production that he was doing for other folks, including top 10 records with Rihanna, Fabulous and Plies. And don’t forget his appearances in Stomp the Yard and Save the Last Dance 2 (oh wait…I already have).
To say that expectations are high for “Year of the Gentleman” is to be way too obvious. At this point in an artist’s career, you’re either going to have the massive breakthrough, or you’re going to slowly slide off into oblivion (can you say Tevin Campbell?). Single #1 sure didn’t get off to a strong start…”Closer” languished for quite a while, only got as high as #21 on the R&B chart, and was already starting to slip down the Hot 100 when a strange thing happened. Buy.com started promoting the release of his CD “Year of the Gentleman”, which had already been pushed back due to the seemingly dead single, and they did it by using a clip of “Closer”. For those of you who haven’t seen the video, it’s one of the most visually striking clips of this year, simply using shades of black and white, and a whole lot of dancing (by Ne-Yo) and gyrating (by a lot of women). In what I would call a very rare occurrence, the single not only stopped it slide, but began climbing again, and has gotten as high as #8 on the pop chart. There’s a good chance that within two weeks, the song will be the number one record at pop radio. With hindsight, I would say that the choice to push back the CD was a pretty wise one. Look for it to be his third straight #1 debut.
So what do I think of it? Well, I almost called this entry “Son of ‘Dangerous'”, because I really feel like this record resembles Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” in a lot of ways. There’s a diversity here that some R&B artists attempt, but never pull off convincingly. Ne-Yo gets it, though. A song like “Back To What You Know” incorporates an acoustic guitar that wouldn’t be out of place on a Daughtry record, but it never loses Ne-Yo’s personality, with a shuffling beat that keeps it grounded. Anyone hear shades of “Dirty Diana” in this one? Stand out track “Fade Into the Background” grabs a beat similar to “Blood on the Dancefloor”, and “Nobody” is pre-“Thriller” Michael at its best.
So why the comparison to “Dangerous”, if all of the songs cited sound like tracks from other albums? Well, in my opinion, “Dangerous” did what “Thriller” never did, and that was to show us a consistent picture of MJ. “Year” does the same thing for Ne-Yo, without the heightened expectation of how you follow up a historic record like “Thriller”. As a result, so much of this record comes off as effortless, and I have no doubt that there will be at least five singles off the disc.
Unfortunately, one of the current singles is heard in a different form on “Year”. “Single”, currently climbing the pop charts with New Kids, is in a non-NKOTB form here, and (am I really going to say this?) it suffers because of the omission. The beefed-up harmonies and (shoot me now) Donnie Wahlburg’s rap at the beginning actually works, but in the Ne-Yo only version, the replacements just fall flat. Also not up to par is “Stop This World”, which comes off kind of sappy, like MJ’s “Will You Be There”. As a whole, though, this is Ne-Yo’s most cohesive record, and it’s going to get a lot of play on my iPod in the next few weeks. If he’s positioning himself for Michael Jackson’s throne, it won’t be long before the coronation occurs.
From RCA Records comes word that David Cook’s new CD is arriving in November (like that was in question):
NEW YORK, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ — American Idol winner David Cook’s debut album will be released on November 18th, 2008 on 19 Recordings / RCA Records. Cook has teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album.
Today marks the launch of DavidCookOfficial.com, Cook’s official social networking site where fans can interact with David, his music and each other. Fans can create their own profiles, make friends and contribute their own blogs, photos, videos and connect with other fans in their towns by various search functionality.
Cook describes the site as a place where he and his fans can communicate with each other. Cook will be hugely involved in all interactive aspects of the site. He personally welcomes fans to his site via video blog and fans can communicate with David by sending him email to David@DavidCookOfficial.com, Cook’s personal mailbox. Those that sign up to his newsletter will be the first to be notified of the title of his first single in the coming weeks. Additionally, Cook will regularly message his fans so they are the first to know breaking news and album updates.
Color me intrigued…many artists have attempted to utilize the web to connect with their fans, but David seems to be even more proactive than many of his contemporaries. This actually sounds a lot like KylieKonnect.com, where fans are encouraged “to make friends, upload pictures, send messages and more.”
It will be interesting to see how successful the website is, given that DC has a pretty wide range of fans (including yours truly, if I’m working on a full disclosure basis). From pre-teens to their moms, the base is pretty impressive for an artist releasing their first album, and the seasonal timing (right before Black Friday) sure doesn’t hurt, either. Rumor has it that the first official single will hit in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll just sit here and wait patiently for it to hit. [FYI…”The Time of My Life” is over 860,000 downloads since its release. Not too shabby for a debut single, eh?]
So what is it that I like about Cook? As a guy who always fantasized about being a pop star, David Cook is living a dream that I’ve harbored for almost as long as I can remember. I can relate to where he came from and how he struggled, and I can actually see aspects of myself in him. Maybe it’s just a front, but he strikes me as a bit of a dork (uh, have you met me?), and he’s got a solid, grounded attitude about everything that’s going on around him, which I admire. Check out this blog post from last month if you have any questions about what I mean. For those of you who are cynical about it, I can’t blame you, but it isn’t like he hasn’t been working at his craft for years. Truthfully, that entry sounds just like something I would write myself.
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Speaking of Kylie, she recently announced tour dates in…wait for it…the Americas! Well, South America, but it says “America”, right? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Okay…it’s a whole lot of wishful thinking, but a couple of dates in major US and Canadian cities with a set that’s already more than paid for, and what’s the harm? Someone even decided to start an online petition. Nice thought…honestly. It’s an optimistic idea, but let us know how that works out for you, mm’kay?
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