It’s tough keeping up with pop music these days. Okay, I said it. There are so many websites and so many blogs and so many forums that you just wonder how you’ll ever fully be “in the know”. On top of that, you read a lot of stuff online where you wonder what their “angle” is, because sometimes it’s pretty obvious that you’re reading a PR release instead of a genuine review of someone.
Having said all of that, there are ways of finding out what “real” folks are grooving to, and my favorite is Last.fm. (“Pop Music Notes is not in any way receiving any compensation or recognition for this endorsement”) They’ve come a long way in the past two years, and I consider them to be a top-notch service that allows me to keep up with friends and their tunes, check out new stuff through recommendations, engage in dialogue on artists and their music, and even blog. Prior to this blog’s inception, all of my American Idol posts were listed there, and the discussions would get a bit heated at times. Sad, yes, but still interesting.
I’m probably preaching to the choir with many of you, and some of you are already friends with me on there. If you’re not, feel free to add me. It would be great to keep up with what everyone else is digging. And in case you’re wondering, here’s what I’m listening to today:
No, this won’t be a tribute to Ms Abdul, although wasn’t she supposed to have a record out right about now? If there was a good time for her to release some happy dance music, now would be the time to do so. In the face of hard economic times, there are two types of music that really seem to do well. Anything that reminds the listener of a better time (aka oldies) start popping up more, so expect an upswing in “80s and 90s weekends” on your local Adult Contemporary station. In addition, dance music seems to do better in these times, and I think that may be slowly working itself out.
Case in point: the dance opus “Blackout”. (Why does everything come back to Britney this week?) Yes, it’s the least successful Britney CD saleswise, and I’m sure that part of that has to do with leaks and downloads, but if you look at the single releases, they were collectively more successful than “In The Zone”. Britney’s only had one hit bigger than “Gimme More”, and that’s “Baby One More Time”, her only #1. What’s the common theme of the singles on “Blackout”? It’s dance music, bitch.
A month ago, I found myself at 3 am slightly intoxicated at Charlie’s in Chicago, hanging with a good friend who was on the make. After a year of living in Lansing, it was great to be in a big-city club playing big boy music, and I was just taking it in. The music was bangin’ all night, but when “Closer” came on, the place really lit up, and I found myself on the dancefloor by myself for the one and only time of the night. There was something so liberating about that 7 minutes or so of escapism through dance, and I reveled in it. Gone were the worries about the upcoming move, the pending unemployment, and the final cords being cut on a long-term relationship. In their place was joy, exhilaration, and celebration.
“And I just can’t bring myself away
But I don’t want to escape
I just can’t stop”
Dance music has power, and it’s that power that draws people to it in times of despair and crisis. The mental, emotional, and physical release can be healing.
Of course, I look at this as an American, where dance music seems to seep its way underground more often than not, but this is the same country that rallied behind “disco sucks” in the late 70s. I am often jealous of my counterparts in other countries who enjoy dance music in the mainstream on a regular basis. If all goes according to plan, though, the US will be experiencing a dance renaissance not seen since the mid 90s, when tracks from the likes of Real McCoy, C+C Music Factory, La Bouche, Haddaway, and Crystal Waters were ruling the airwaves. I leave you with a video that arguably represents that period better than any other.
– Surprise, surprise…Janet has postponed a total of three shows on her “Rock With U” tour in order to recuperate from some super-secret malady that caused her to become “suddenly ill”. It’s been reported that she was only at the hospital for two hours, and then left. Shows in Montreal, Boston, and Philadelphia are supposed to be rescheduled, but does anyone want to take a guess on how poor the ticket sales were there? It can’t all be doom and gloom, though…tickets for a newly added show in Tulsa go on sale this week. I’m still waiting for the Denver show to pop up on the radar, but I have sources that have told me that I have a better chance of seeing Kylie in America than of seeing Janet in Denver. *sigh*
– New releases this week include full-lengths on TI, Jennifer Hudson, Robin Thicke, James Taylor, James Morrison, Faith Hill (Christmas), and Kellie Pickler (for you trashy AI fans). You’ll get reviews shortly on several of those titles. It’s also a singles bonanza this week, including new tunes from the Killers, Nickleback, John Legend, Ciara, and David Cook, whose “Light On” is a decent start for his new CD that’s dropping in November. In a world where “Human” exists, though, everything else is just sounding mediocre at best.
– Looking at Pop Radio, Rihanna is number one on airplay with “Disturbia”, while Ne-Yo’s “Closer” is number one in total audience, and Katy Perry picks up most increased airplay for “Hot N Cold”. Speaking of Rihanna, “Rehab” is officially the 72nd single off of “Good Girl Gone Bad”. Other songs going to pop radio this week include (finally) Jennifer Hudson’s “Spotlight”, and the brilliant “Love Lockdown” from Kanye West.
– Thanks to everyone for all of the well wishes as I’ve moved to Colorado. I am grateful for all of the support as I get settled and attempt to find a job. In the meantime, I’m making sure I enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts.
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
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?
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?
It’s tough keeping up with pop music these days. Okay, I said it. There are so many websites and so many blogs and so many forums that you just wonder how you’ll ever fully be “in the know”. On top of that, you read a lot of stuff online where you wonder what their “angle” is, because sometimes it’s pretty obvious that you’re reading a PR release instead of a genuine review of someone.
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