So I know all of you are out there, waiting for the new Destiny’s Child record, right? You’re not? Well, then I guess you wouldn’t be interested in the new girl group from Jive Records called Rich Girl.
Insane just how much they’re biting on DC’s style, isn’t it? One big difference between the two groups is that all four ladies sing on “He Ain’t Wit Me Now”. The svengali behind this group is Rich Harrison, who you’ll know from records by Beyonce, Kelly, and Destiny’s Child, as well as Mary J. Blige, Pussycat Dolls, and Toni Braxton. One listen to this track, and you’ll hear the influence. Two or three listens, and you’ll actually start getting into it. Despite the beginning of the song, which bites freely off “B’Day”-era Beyonce, the track is catchy and stands a decent chance of R&B chart success. Don’t know if I see this one translating onto the Pop chart, but it’s a good start.
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All posts for the month May, 2009
The official Kanye West video appeared on the ‘nets today, and it’s slightly different than the original. For starters, Rihanna doesn’t seem as disturbed in this cut, playing up more of a model angle. There isn’t as much of the car simulation, and Kanye isn’t in nearly as much of the video, although there’s more of him at the beginning. Overall, it’s not as disturbing as I thought the first one is, but as ww_adh commented, this single is pretty much over here in the States.
Add another video to my “If It Makes It To the U.S., It’s Gonna Get a Re-do” department. The Saturdays come back with single #4 from their debut, and while it’s arguably the best song on the disc, it’s definitely not their finest moment on video. Don’t get me wrong…the ladies look GOOD, but if the budget got to a four-digit figure, they must have spent most of it on catering. Thoughts?
So Daniel Merriweather’s got a second hit this weekend as a solo artist with “Red”, which is a precursor to his full-length Love & War, due June 1st. I’m pleased to see this, and also a bit surprised. “Change” came in at #8, and given all of the hype that had surrounded the guy, it was seen by some as a bit of a disappointment. As ww_adh noted today, it’s rare when a new singer’s second single posts growth over the first. Having said that, the Saturdays come to mind, as each of their successive singles have had a higher peak, and their profile continues to grow. At this point, they’ve had more Top 10 hits off of their debut than Girls Aloud had off their current CD. But I digress.
I was in an Apple Store the other day, and “Stop Me”, the track Daniel sang for Mark Ronson, came on the sound system. One of the “geniuses” behind the counter stopped dead in his tracks and said he’d heard the song once before, and had to know who sang it. Being the dork I am, I rattled off the details, and the fact that the singer was about to release his debut in England. They all moved away from me there at the counter, but not before they all got into the track. I’m hoping that Love & War does well enough elsewhere that it gets a proper release here in the US (rumor has it that it will be released). The CD doesn’t sound like a game-changer, but it’s a solid debut effort, and highlights like “Red” show much promise.
There’s something about Daniel’s voice that pulls you in and lets your own experience breathe in the space between the lyrics. Even on a track like “Change”, which is a bit formulaic, his delivery allows you to forget multiple weaknesses within the song structure or production. Probably one of my strongest associations with Daniel is a blog post from adem with an e, who was dealing with a personal, painful situation, and found that “Stop Me” fit the mood perfectly. Once again, here is the power of a song; holding associations, and helping release pent-up emotions that we may not have even known were buried.
Kanye’s video for “Paranoid” is already complete and awaiting an official release, but I’ve actually already seen it, thanks to a bootleg video taken at an industry event. LA Reid even introduced the clip. If I have to pick a word to describe it, that would be memorable, for no other reason than the occasionally disturbing inclusion of Rihanna as the main character. Don’t get me wrong…from a production standpoint, it pushes Kanye’s visual aesthetic on nicely. But given Rihanna’s recent history, it’s just a bit unsettling. Check it out for yourselves…any thoughts? (No guarantees on how long this clip will be up for)
I’ve been enjoying this track for a couple of weeks now, but now there is a video for “I’m In Love With a Robot”. Robyn is as hot as ever, and the video fits the song perfectly.
It’s funny how different groups of friends will ask about different aspects of the London trip. Work folks tend to ask about monuments and sights, family asks about the quality of the trip and whether I enjoyed it, and blogger friends ask about what I bought at the record shops.
Following XO‘s lead, I headed out to Notting Hill on Wednesday to do a little shopping and check out some of the used bins. Two hours later, and I hadn’t even begun to make a dent in Music and Video Exchange’s selection, but I definitely found some good stuff. Friends in London asked what I did with my Wednesday, and I could tell they were disappointed by my answer, but I haven’t had a bin dive like that in a LONG time, and I really enjoyed it.
While it wasn’t my plan when I went in, I ended up finding CDs for other friends that I was going to give as souvenirs, instead of shot glasses or thimbles. One friend who is a huge ABBA fan is getting an Agnetha CD and a pre-success ABBA CD (“Ring Ring”). Another friend from Indiana will be receiving a Hoosiers CD. Those of you in the US should understand the joke; for those outside of the US, Indiana’s population is referred to as Hoosiers.
I didn’t really buy all that much for myself, and that was a little disappointing. Turns out I actually have a lot of what I want in terms of UK music, and if you don’t know what you don’t know on the remaining stuff, it is tough to find revelations in the bin. One CD that I did find and am thoroughly enjoying is the first Mr Hudson and the Library CD, A Tale of Two Cities. In listening to this, I understand what Kanye sees in Mr Hudson. In fact, while listening to “Picture of You”, I heard definite shades of John Legend in the delivery. This one will be in rotation for a bit.
So listening to A Tale of Two Cities got me thinking about the new Mr Hudson music that is supposed to be coming any time now. Turns out, it might be a bit closer than I thought. According to Kanye’s label blog, the video for “Supernova” was shot at the end of April, and the full-length is coming August 3rd. In addition, Mr Hudson is touring the UK starting this week. While a lot of my trip was brilliant, the fact that I didn’t get to see one show while in London was a little disappointing.
I thought I found an official version of the video, but it got yanked. Besides, XO should get to present the videos, as he’s the reason I found Mr Hudson in the first place. To hold you over, here is the audio clip of “Supernova”, which I think stands a decent chance of becoming a hit.
I was thinking that me trying to stay away from blogging for a whole week would be difficult, given how music-centric this trip was going to be, but I stayed busy enough that it wasn’t an issue. There will be several posts upcoming that were inspired by the trip, but here are some quick thoughts and observations.
– Much thanks to everyone who made suggestions about where to go and what to do while there. Special recognition goes to XO for pointing out Video and Music Exchange, where I found a lot of good stuff, including souvenirs for friends at home. Record shops ended up being a bit part of the trip.
– Speaking of record shops, I got to spend Wednesday afternoon with Paul, talking music and other assorted topics. Great to meet someone in person and find that they are just as cool in real life as they are online. For some reason, I didn’t even think to take a picture until after the fact.
– Good Lord…is Star Pilots really going to be a hit? Because I heard that track A LOT!
– I have been fully won over to “Number One” and “Tiny Dancer”. In the end, resistance was futile.
– “Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer” sounds amazing on the radio. If there is any pop god in the world, they need to ensure that this is a proper hit.
– In a small souvenir shop in Sluis, Netherlands, I heard Lily Allen’s “Fuck You” uncensored on a local radio station. Instantly I loved the Netherlands.
– Much disappointment in the fact that several releases I would have bought (Gary Go, Daniel Merriweather) weren’t coming out until well after my departure.
Quick Per Gessle/Roxette update. Per, who performed in London last night, has announced that “Party Crasher” will see the light of day in the UK on June 15th. In an interesting development, the record won’t be released on EMI, but instead will be distributed by Sony. No sign of the record on Sony’s website yet, nor whether “Silly Really” will be released as a single prior to the full-length.
The news that might be bigger for many of you is that Roxette will be performing live together tonight in Amsterdam. Rumor has it that Marie has been declared healthy and ready to tour, and they will do so later this year, making up dates that the band had to cancel way back in 2002. Talk about devotion, eh?
I moved to North Carolina in 1996, attempting to get a fresh start after a career setback that at the time seemed monumental, but now seems silly. This should have been a solo trip, but the guy I was dating at the time accompanied me, also looking for new opportunities. However, after a few months there, he met someone, and I experienced my first broken heart. I was in a strange town, I knew no one, and it was Christmas. Talk about a perfect storm.
One of the hardest parts of the situation was that every other song on the radio reminded me of him, and evoked feelings of sadness, anger, loss, loneliness, and even revenge. “For You I Will” was one of the worst, and turned me against Monica for a short amount of time, even though I genuinely liked her music. The Space Jam soundtrack did not get much play in the music store I managed as a result. Even Christmas music affected me (see “When Love Is Gone”). While those songs stand out to me, the one song that really defined that whole breakup was “Unbreak My Heart”.
Picture it…you’re at a club a couple of months on, and you’re having a good time with a couple of acquaintances. Toni Braxton comes on, and you head to the dancefloor to let your demons go. Suddenly, it’s as if you’re in a music video, with a camera that cuts through the crowd, focusing on two guys dancing slow to the hottest club jam of the moment. It’s your ex and the new guy, and you’re just stunned. Next thing you know, you’re out on the patio, pacing at 80 mph in the February cold, experiencing every emotion available in record time. (My friend Chris must have thought I was Sybil from the way I reacted.)
While the breakup obviously is memorable, it’s in moments like those that I recognize just how much I am touched by music. For me, music acts as a time capsule, storing bits and pieces of memories that a couple of chords can unlock in a matter of moments. So often we hear a song and think “it’s as if someone wrote it just for me”, but I’ve come to the understanding that it says as much about the common feelings and emotions we all experience as it does about a specific event. Music really is a uniter, no matter how much we bicker about who’s got the better b-side or who sold more records last week.
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 