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.
Archives
All posts for the year 2008
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.
______________________________________________________
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?
Well, at the moment, Estelle’s giving it her all. Despite several points where it seemed like “American Boy” was losing steam, the song is now Top 10 on the Pop charts. However, the song isn’t even in the Top 50 songs of the Hot 100. What gives?
Remember that entry about Kid Rock and the Knockoff Single? (Sounds like some kind of old-time Western) Well, turns out that some of the folks at Warner Bros have been inspired by KR’s decision to not release “All Summer Long” as a digital single. They chose to pull Estelle’s “American Boy” off of iTunes, only allowing it to be sold as part of “Shine”. Well, the single plummeted from #11 to #37 in one week, and out of the Top 50 the following week. Meanwhile, the CD is showing about as much life as my grandfather on the couch after a Thanksgiving dinner. This week, “Shine” pushes its way up to #99. Not exactly a positive showing.
So what went wrong? If it worked for Pam Anderson’s ex, why wouldn’t it work for a fly girl from the UK? The answer, as it usually is in the music business, is probably in the demographics. Estelle’s track is a hip, urban, slinky jam, while Kid Rock’s is a double feature of classic rock samples: “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Werewolves of London”. While I’m sure there were kids that wanted the Kid Rock single, a lot of their moms and dads were probably into it, too. Those folks, having grown up in the prehistoric times where people bought CDs at the store, probably picked up the full-length at Wal-Mart or Target while shopping for school supplies, and the CD blows sky high.
Meanwhile, Estelle’s crowd doesn’t need a stinkin’ STORE to get their music. It’s much easier to log onto the computer, boot up iTunes, and click to have some instant gratification. But here’s where the miscalculation occurred…these folks also know where to find it illegally online, too. So not only was Warner losing out on over 100,000 downloads a week for a top 10 digital release, they also didn’t capture the full-length sales that they were hoping for, and multiple knock-off versions showed up on the charts, too. So, with tail tucked between their American legs, the single came back online this week, and promptly shot back up into the Top 10 at iTunes, which may be enough to take the song from #53 back into the Top 10 next week.
Is this the last time you’ll see this practice occur? Don’t count on it…the industry is hurting, and they’re going to try and milk every penny they can out of every release. So while you might not see this happen with a Rihanna or Pussycat Dolls, if someone like Jon Bon Jovi or Celine Dion were to somehow have a huge pop hit again, you can bet they’ll go for the Hail Mary (aka Kid Rock) pass to push CD sales.
– It looks like Lady GaGa’s label has finally decided to properly work her to Top 40 Radio, as the single is now officially being worked this week. Bad move on their part…they had great momentum after her “So You Think You Can Dance” appearance, so why the delay? Probably because the album is dropping next month. Well, at least they can console themselves with a #8 debut in Canada last month, and a #12 debut in Australia this month. That makes it all okay, right?
[BTW…the infamous track 8 that’s changing from territory to territory will be “Starstruck” in the U.S., featuring Flo Rida. Say it isn’t so, LG! And what about the NKOTB duet? You’d think she would be able to include that as well.]
– New releases this week feature Ne-Yo (yes…the profile is coming in the next 24 hours), Darius Rucker (of Hootie fame) and sixth-place Idol contestant Kristy Lee Cook with their country music debuts, a cool EP of remixed Cure singles leading up to their new full-length, and Marc Broussard, who is opening for Sara Bareilles at the Denver show I’m seeing next month. There’s even a duet with Sara called “Why Should She Wait”. However, the most notable release, at least from a cover stand point, is Nelly. I think he’s going for the gay porn look with the cover of his new CD, “Brass Knuckles”. Damn, Nelly…you signed as an exclusive to a porn studio yet?
– I’d like to think that Reuters and Billboard checked out my piece on modern R&B a few weeks ago, but I have a feeling they may have done some of their own work. Either way, it’s good to see an acknowledgment of how R&B is becoming a mainstream influence for the first time in a long time. I will say, however, that some people would argue that what we’re calling R&B is really just a more soulful pop sound, and I don’t know that I would argue with that. But as long as the artists still identify with R&B, and R&B stations are playing them, then who am I to argue?
Also check out a quick article about UK artists crossing over. It’s great that folks like Natasha and Leona can make the jump, but remember that there are dozens of non-starters for every one that makes it. (Liberty X, I’m looking at all five of you!)
I remember working at a radio station back in 1987, and coming across a 45 from a new group called New Kids on the Block called “Please Don’t Go Girl”. Despite a lame name, the song actually was intriguing to me, and I kept an eye on it. A couple of months later, the song went Top 10, and a phenomenon was begun. More than twenty years later, are we looking at a revived frenzy for these five guys from Boston? I wouldn’t put money on it, but the odds are much better now than they were a few months ago.
“The Block”, which is a pretty clever way to rebrand yourself if you’re an aging boy band, opens with “Click Click Click”, one of my favorite pop songs of the year so far, and it hasn’t even been released as a single. Handclap percussion and Close Encounters-style synths bubble with a slick, subdued, and sexy vocal (almost a carbon copy of Nasri’s) that becomes as modern a single as NKOTB has ever released. Follow that with the Ne-Yo duet “Single”, the Lady GaGa duet on “Big Girl Now”, and their first top 40 hit in 16 years “Summertime”, and you have what shapes up to be a surprisingly legit CD from a band that was dead and buried at the start of 2008. The key here is the production. The boys can sing, and finally laid the lip-synch charges to rest a long time ago, but their musical choices were suspect at best. Now that they control their own destiny, they can be as grown as they wanna be, and they do that on tracks like “Grown Man”, “Dirty Dancing” and “Sexify My Love”. Highlights include “Full Service”, which surprisingly works with New Edition along for the ride, and “One Song”, despite the vocoder.
The Kids aren’t meant to change the world…they’re designed to cruise along with on a sunny day with the windows. If that’s your benchmark, they hit it with no effort.
The Block – B
So I broke down today and initiated the Genius on my shiny new iTunes 8.0. After checking out a few write-ups, including a pretty descriptive one on how to confuse it, I went ahead and ran it. The initial load took about a half hour to go through all of my music, and then I gave it a try. After a few tries, I feel comfortable in recommending it. While iTunes has always had genres, you sometimes want to play one type of music or artist within a genre, and the Genius has a much better grasp on it than just plaiying everything. After selecting a Jill Scott song, the Genius grabbed other music by Maxwell, Me’shell Ndege’ocello, and Keyshia Cole. I’ll keep playing it, but so far, I declare it a success.
Speaking of Ms Scott, she’s on tour overseas at the moment. Having experienced several of her shows, I know she tends to…communicate with the crowd. I hadn’t seen this form of communication before, but with crowds being the way they’ve been lately at shows, I ain’t hatin’ on her for it…
– Everyone’s talking about how irrelevant the VMA’s have become, and I guess my response is “what took you so long?” But there HAVE been moments on the VMA’s over the years that stand out. Madonna writhing on the stage, Diana Ross feeling up Lil’ Kim, Howard Stern attempting to mainstream Fartman…it’s all happened there. But in the grand scheme of the music, which is supposedly something they care about, they lost any cred a long time ago by NOT PLAYING IT. So thanks, MTV, for relegating music to a Friday night show for new music, and the unwatchable TRL. I’ll stick with VH1 Classic over some of the crap you’re showing these days.
– Beyonce announced today that she is hitting the industry with both barrels blazing, releasing “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies” to radio in early October. Whether these songs will be released to different radio formats wasn’t mentioned in the press release, but it’s an interesting strategy. Her as-of-now untitled follow-up to 2006’s “B’day” is slated to drop November 18, which arrives just in time for the holidays. I’m sure this pleases the suits at Columbia, but I’m wondering what happened to “Beautiful Nightmare”. No full track listing has been released yet, so it remains to be seen whether this jam ends up on the final or not.
This should be an interesting record to watch, as a lot of Beyonce’s contemporaries have fallen flat on their faces after promising starts. After fast starts in their first weeks, heavy hitters like Mariah, Madonna and Usher haven’t been able to sustain any consistent sales on their newest CD’s, and none of them are likely to regain any momentum this late in the cycle. Between B and Kanye, it may turn out to be a bright holiday for retailers.
– Just got a little reminder from a work-related newsletter that the Janet Jackson tour hits Detroit the day I drive out of Michigan for Colorado, which leads me to wonder if this tour is actually generating interest. I really haven’t seen a lot of buzz on it, but they do keep adding shows. Although I don’t know if the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY (outside of Syracuse, my hometown) really counts as a big addition…
– Several reviews coming up in the next week, including The Game, NKOTB, and Little Jackie.
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 