– Craig David’s video for “Insomnia” dropped this weekend, and while I am still loving it, there is no new ground broken here. Can anyone say “Closer”?
– While we are talking about Davids, let’s talk about David Cook on Saturday Night Live last night. While I think he did a good job, it seemed like there were some serious nerves keeping him from putting his performances over the top. Single “Light On” was really the stronger of the two, but “Declaration” was a solid track as well. I’m concerned about the band, though. If this is the band that is going to back him up at all live events, I think he might be in for a bumpy ride. No video for the live performances, but that’s become normal for SNL. Here’s a video that contains that track of “Declaration”, followed by a rough video of “Light On”.
On the subject of David Cook videos, look for the premiere of “Light On” tomorrow morning on DavidCookOfficial.com. The video was shot two weeks ago at L.A. Valley College football field, and director Wayne Isham was behind the shoot. For those of you who might be curious, it appears that David and former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell are still an item, as Caldwell was spotted hanging out with Cook on the set. [UPDATE: Here’s a sneak peak at the video…][UPDATE #2: Here’s a link to the full-length video.]
The premise of today’s post came to me last Tuesday, as I hiked through the foothills just to the west of Denver. My ears still had a very slight ring to them from the previous night’s Jason Mraz concert, but I still felt the need to stay immersed in his music. Having all three major CDs and a few EPs on my iPod, I started up the Mraz Mix and took off into the woods. Unlike a lot of my hikes, this one really didn’t have the sweeping mountain views. Instead, I plunged into the wooded trail, and apparently dislodged some deep angst that floated up to the surface.
I’ve been pretty up-front so far about how my life has changed over the past few months, and how music has played a big role in adapting to those changes. A decent chunk of my time over the past month has been fretting about current situations, as well as future predicaments. I’m a planner at heart, and the uncertainty of my financial and residential situations throws me for a loop. Somewhere along the line you have to let go of those worries and allow life to develop as it will whether you worry or not. I recognize this, but in my case, that is much easier said than done.
So how does this tie in with Jason? Anyone familiar with his music will recognize the “everything’s gonna be all right” theme that I’m alluding to. Speaking of that, he even played that Bob Marley classic during the encore. When Jason sings “live high/live mighty/live righteously”, he’s not only telling you to live your life, but to live it in a way that at the end of it, you’re not saying “I should have done (or not done) THIS…”
Mraz was in fine voice throughout the show, and his sense of humor was on display all night. “You and I Both”, which contains some of the highest notes that he hits in any song, was even better than the studio version. That’s the joy of an artist like Jason; his element is in the live performance, and he definitely exceeds any expectations that someone seeing him for the first time might come in with. Group participation is also encouraged, as evidenced by the choreography he set up for “The Dynamo of Volition”. Dancing is encouraged, sing-alongs are practically mandatory, and knowledge of more than just the hits is highly encouraged.
You like cover songs? We’ve got cover songs! Besides the Marley track, Jason rocked Steely Dan’s “Peg”, and kicked out a rousing version of “Buttercup”. Honestly, I didn’t realize just how many words I knew to that before Monday night. My favorite cover, however, was during “The Remedy”, where Jason had the ladies sing a portion of the song, while the guys sang the first verse of “Wonderwall”. Don’t ask me to explain why, but it was absolutely amazing.
Jason’s band was also top-notch. Referred to at one point as “Child Support and the Saran Wrap Jimmy Hats”, they were as tight a group as I’ve seen. At one point, the horn section ended up in the balcony, playing to the masses. It was clear to the audience that these guys really like each other, which made the show that much more enjoyable.
I’ve seen four shows in the past two weeks, but this show was far and away the best one. Maybe it’s a case of right place, right time that the themes of Jason’s music resonated with me as well as they did. Perhaps it’s being in the middle of a crowd that’s been with this guy for the past five years, and really gets the music. Whatever the reason, I was caught up in the wave, and there was nothing that could stop it. Show ender “A Beautiful Mess” really summed it all up for me. “Hold your own/Know your name/Go your own way”. That’s the best advice I’ve gotten in a long time, and it’s something I plan to follow whenever possible.
Viewing a singer or group live multiple times can cause several changes in how you perceive an artist. For example, my multiple trips to see Alison Krauss and Union Station have been more and more enjoyable, in part because it has became very clear that Alison is an absolute goober, which has endeared her to me so much more. The Indigo Girls have their standards, but other than those, you never know what you’ll get. And Reba McEntire, no matter what scale show she puts on, always seems larger-than-life.
Unfortunately, the equation can work in the opposite direction, which is the case with the Maxwell show that I saw last Saturday. Now, to be honest, the music was great, and Maxwell was in fine form. Despite not having a new CD in the past five years, he pulled in a decent audience, although the back 10 rows or so were pretty empty. In some ways, this is the type of show concertgoers crave, where the artist plays their greatest hits and fan favorites, and doesn’t mess around with new music that no one really knows. Something just didn’t seem right, though.
Usher recently said in Billboard that, while men were welcome at his show, that his concert experience was geared toward the ladies. Maxwell, in many ways, was operating under the same conceit. The grinding on the stage, the suggestive dance moves, the call for panties on the stage…I’m sure there’s a good portion of the audience that enjoys that, but would those folks not come if he played it just a bit straighter?
The guy can sing, and he’s got a perspective on R&B that I really admire. He doesn’t play into all of the clichés that so many male contemporary artists feel are necessary to be successful, and the imagery he evokes is of a much more realistic view of life, love and heartache. So why does he feel the need to “dumb it down” on stage? I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, but it really distracted from the show for me.
One cool thing that came out of the show was to hear a couple of tracks from his long-delayed triple CD “Black Summers’ Night“. “Pretty WordsWings” seemed a bit disjointed to me, but I liked the overall vibe. “Bad Habits”, on the other hand, felt fully formed, and a worthy successor to some of Maxwell’s funkier jams from the past 10 years. He claims the record is finally coming out in early 2009, but we’ve heard this before. Let’s hope that this tour is a good reminder that it may actually happen, because I’m intrigued to hear just what he’ll do with three CDs to fill.
– If it’s a recession, then AC/DC must be number one. The boys from Down Under pick up their biggest sales week of the Soundscan era, and also the second biggest week of the year (behind Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter 3”), with almost 800,000 copies of “Black Ice”. My initial skepticism of Wal-Mart’s ability to generate huge numbers on exclusive deals is fully debunked now, after seeing what they’ve been able to do for AC/DC, the Eagles, and Garth Brooks. In addition, the rock veterans also move close to 100,000 copies of their back catalog.
– In other album news, “High School Musical 3” does something that neither of its predecessors ever did: it debuts outside of #1. While it sells just shy of 300,000, that’s not quite enough this time around. Those kids have a #1 movie…what else could they want anyway? Someone who exceeds their previous best peak is Adele, who makes another strong jump from 46 to 11 with “19”. Her single “Chasing Pavements” is the top new entry on the Hot 100 at #82. In addition, the single climbs 19-17 on the Hot AC chart, and is one of the Most Added songs, with 8 new stations reporting airplay. Things are definitely looking up for Ms. Aerophobia making it here in the U.S. She has also rescheduled her tour here for the second half of January, and I have tickets to see her. She’s playing smaller theaters, but I have a feeling those shows will sell out pretty quickly.
– Speaking of radio, Most Increased Plays and Most Added goes to Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy”, which is at #19 in its second week. Fueled by the release of a digital single, the track also zooms up the Hot 100 to #3. In most circumstances, this would be an amazing achievement, but in today’s chart world, where we see songs jump from #96 to #1 in the span of a week, Beyonce’s jump is just okay. Other notable jumps include Jason Mraz, who re-enters the top 10 at #10, and Lady GaGa, whose “Just Dance” FINALLY looks like it may become a hit, taking a 10-point leap to #49. At Pop radio, Mr A-Z gains another 850 plays to come in at #9, and Ms Bowie-Mercury is most added, with 16 new stations reporting airplay this week. Colby O’Donis may not end up a one-hit wonder after all! I commented last month that GaGa’s radio strategy seemed odd and ill-timed, but I may have to eat my words on that one, too.
– The highly-underrated “Right Here (Departed)” from Brandy debuts at #40 on the Pop chart, and is among the most added records this week, along with Mariah Carey’s “I Stay In Love”. “Stay” is a high point of “E=MC2” (and a personal favorite of the Fizz), and the video is surprisingly good, compared to some of the crap that she’s produced for her latest disc. There’s actually a coherent story to the video, and the black and white really works well here. It’s not necessarily a Video Notable, but when you’re comparing it to her recent output, it’s absolutely stellar. Judge for yourself:
– LL Cool J leaves the tour, due to “unnamed scheduling conflicts”. Now, this could work one of two ways. Either he wasn’t happy with the crowds that Janet HASN’T been bringing in (only 8,000 showed for the concert in Detroit last night), and didn’t feel like it was a constructive use of his time, or maybe Janet’s team didn’t see any add-on value in having LL on the tour, and gave him a way to bow out. After all, his current CD “Exit 13” is actually even more of a bomb than “Discipline”, having only sold 80,000 units since its release. The details get even more clouded when you consider that LL is leaving Island/Def Jam after this release, and Janet recently left IDJ. There could be a LOT of politics going on in the mix here.
– Speaking of the Detroit show, Janet removed a three-song portion of the show because of a Michigan law “prohibiting simulated sex acts in a public performing space”. From the concert team:
Jackson’s manager Kenneth Crear, who was on site, said that “Janet did not want to disappoint her Detroit-area fans again, so we adhered to Michigan’s state ordinance and trimmed the ‘Discipline’ segment of the show so it would not be canceled.”
Janet bringing men up on stage and having her way with them is nothing new…she did it during the “All For You” tour I saw back in 2001, and it’s been her shtick pretty much since “The Velvet Rope”. You don’t necessarily think of Michigan as being that type of place. but then again, this is the same state that Madonna had issues with in “Truth or Dare”, so I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised. Sorry…that was Toronto. My bad. (Thanks, Michael)
– In a small ray of good news, it is expected that Janet will add more dates to the schedule. Whether that will be in smaller venues, or that there actually is some demand in other parts of the country, she’s got to be happy with that. One more chance to pay for all that freaky hair and costume expense.
Part 2 of 2 reviews from last Monday’s Sara Bareilles show
So this was supposed to be parts two and three of my review, but honestly, I’m not feeling that inspired, so you’ll get it all at once, and you’ll like it! Well, I hope you will, anyway.
Marc Broussard is someone that I’ve followed with great interest over the past few years. Originally signed to Island back in ’04, he released two albums, “Carencro” (named after his hometown in Louisiana) and “S.O.S.: Save Our Soul” (an album almost entirely made up of R&B covers). Despite middling success, he has moved on to Atlantic Records, who are actively promoting his new CD, “Keep Coming Back”. Despite having all three CDs and a benefit EP he put out for Hurricane Katrina victims, I’ve never seen him live until last week.
Marc’s time on stage flew by, being an opening act length set. He hit several favorites of mine from the first CD, including “Rock Steady” and “Save Me”, which someone from the audience yelled out for. He said he hadn’t performed it in a while, but it sure sounded well played from where I was sitting. Other highlights included “Come In From the Cold”, from “S.O.S.”, and “Evangeline Rose”, which he wrote about his baby daughter. Prior to “Evangeline”, he espoused his love of being a father, and it really hit me that this guy doesn’t seem to do anything unless he really feels a passion for it. A song like “Lonely Without You” that’s on the new record would sound alright sung by anyone, but the passion and the sincerity that Marc puts into his ballads really gives them a life of their own.
While I wish he’d done “Home” from the first record, I enjoyed the tracks that he did decide to feature. The band was top-notch, his voice was in great shape, and it was a terrific set. For a little extra bonus, I got to meet him in person at the end of the show. Really nice guy, and very passionate about what he does. He told me that he feels most proud of this CD than any of his others. From the grin on his face as he talked about it, you can be sure that’s not just lip service.
So at this point in the evening, we’re two-for-two, and I’m really looking forward to Sara bringing the house down. The lights come down, the band takes the stage, and Sara starts in on “Vegas”. Great song, great performance, but there’s one issue…the sound mix. It was HORRIBLE. And not just on that song, but through almost the entire show. Anything involving the entire band just completely washed out Sara’s voice. Bad sound crew!
In spite of the mix, I did enjoy the set. With only one album to work off of that people would know, she worked her way through just about every song, and threw in a couple of cool covers to beef up the set. Feist’s “I Feel It All” was about as much fun as any other song she did, and she blew me away with her version of the Counting Crows’ “Sullivan Street”, featuring just her and a guitar. “Love Song” was the big sing-along you would expect, and in a great twist, she opened “Come Round Soon” with the chorus to “Black and Gold”. Unexpected, but really well done!
The high point for me, though, was “Gravity”. I’m kind of biased, if my recent entry about the song hadn’t given me away, but it was amazing. When a singer can play a song like that, and cause the entire theater to shut up for four minutes, it’s a truly potent moment. I choked up a little bit, because I’m a softie like that, but it showed me just how much potential Sara has. New songs “August Moon” and “Little Voice” (go figure…it wasn’t on the record) sound great, and will make a good base for the second CD as she begins to plan it out. And you know what a second CD will mean, right? Another tour, which I’d love to go see.
– The Killers have announced a full-fledged tour for 2009, starting right here in Denver on January 17th. From the list of dates, it looks like they are playing some mid-sized venues. I suppose when you’re trying to gauge the support for a tour before a new album is released, you have to hedge your bets a bit (Kelly Clarkson’s ill-fated first attempt at a tour supporting “My October” comes to mind). There are only 14 dates scheduled at the moment, but here’s hoping that they’ll have the support built in to add more dates and increase the size of venues that they can visit.
– Condolences go out to Jennifer Hudson, who has already lost her mother and brother, on the apparent murder of her nephew Julian. Details continue to trickle out of Chicago, but the current speculation is that the prime suspect is William Balfour, who is the ex of Julian’s mom, Julia. Julia is also Jennifer’s sister. Here’s to a quick resolution of what has to be a painful situation that I can’t even begin to imagine.
– I think it’s safe to say that the holiday music season has kicked off, with some powerhouse releases coming out tomorrow. Besides P!nk, keep an eye out for new discs from John Legend (which I feel like I’ve heard from all of the “singles” that have been released), Ryan Adams, Snow Patrol, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts (Greatest Hits), The Cure, Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, the Quantum of Solace soundtrack, and (finally) the U.S. version of Lady GaGa’s “The Fame”. You U.K. pop fans should also be trembling in anticipation over the release of The Saturdays’ debut release “Chasing Lights”. (I feel like I’m being chased by “Chasing” these days!) I am listening to the Saturdays as I type this, and I am just blown away. Review to come, but wow. Talk about exceeding expectations!
– Gotta love this report that Madonna’s in meltdown mode over her divorce from Guy Ritchie. Among the more interesting details is that she’s had her assistant gather up any possessions that she may have received from Guy so that she can bury them. There goes the Mistress’s reputation for being a cool customer if this is true! No wonder she’s been taking shots of liquor onstage! (Dan? Yuri? Anything to add?)
One of the more humorous websites that I visit on occasion is prince.org. Not because of His Royal Purpleness, but because of the forum members and their diverse taste. I came across this post which documented some white boy beef:
“I’ve never been on the cover of VIBE, but I don’t think that that is a good thing to really point out. It’s like damn, who are you to say that you deserve the cover? That’s kind of pompous to me. Just fall back and do what you do and don’t complain. You’ve been blessed.”
– Jon B on Robin Thicke’s complaint for not making the VIBE cover.
“Listen man, you have your career and I have mine. If it came down to a battle situation, where we were piano to piano, vocals to vocals, and he really wanted to test skills on some wild competitive type of stuff we could make it happen.” – Jon B on a battle with Thicke.
“I paved the way for a lot of white artists now that don’t have to deal with the stigma of being a white artist. I don’t think that people would be as open for non-African American artists like that if it I didn’t take a lot of the slack for them.” – Jon B on originally holding it down for white Soul artists.
Now THAT is some funny stuff. For those of you not familiar with Jon B, he’s a pretty talented R&B singer from the late 90s/early 00s who got his start under Babyface’s guidance. They actually did a record together called “Someone To Love”, and you couldn’t even tell their voices apart at times on that record. Jon went on to have 6 R&B and 3 Pop Top 40 hits, and even scored 2 Top 40 hits in the U.K. with “They Don’t Know” and “Don’t Talk”. He’s been out of the spotlight for a few years, but has a new album coming out on Tuesday called “Helpless Romantic”. First single “Ooh So Sexy” with Paul Wall recently debuted on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks.
I won’t lie…I’ve always thought that Jon’s image was a bit contrived. He plays the urban card a little too hard sometimes, and I’ve often wondered if it hurt the way he was perceived, or how seriously he was taken. Then again, that was 10 years ago. Robin Thicke has been able to do his thing, and there is NO question that he’s a white boy. Coming from another soulful white boy, I can say that.
Although he’s probably going for some publicity here, Jon brings up a good point. Robin’s really only had one “hit” album under his belt, with “The Evolution of Robin Thicke”. The new record, “Something Else”, has done alright, but it remains to be seen whether it will have the longevity of “Evolution”. So based on one arguably amazing CD, does he really deserve the cover of an industry standard like VIBE? Hard to say, but once you get pegged with the “arrogant” tag, it’s tough to get rid of it.
I debated whether this was worth a whole entry, and then I came across a clip of a new song from another white boy that many of you might might be interested in, so that gave me some extra incentive. The leak from Mr Timberlake is called “Magic”, and I think it’s safe to say that this won’t be an actual single, with Mr Thicke having had a #1 R&B hit with a song of the same title just a couple of months ago. I suppose it gives you a taste of what he’s working on, though. That, and it’s also another good reason to post a picture of Shayne Ward, who is in the process of selling his soul to the devil to take over Justin’s musical career.
Part 1 of 3 reviews from Monday’s Sara Bareilles show
The best I could do with my camera phone
There are two types of opening acts in the world. First, there are the ones hoisted on an up-and-coming artist by their record company to cross-promote “brands”. I’ve seen plenty of shows like that, and they rarely impress me. Then there are the opening acts that the headliner actually gets to pick. Monday night’s show at the Paramount with Sara Bareilles fell into the latter category. I’ll talk about Marc Broussard later, but right now, I’d like to talk about an up-and-coming indie band named Raining Jane.
In 2004, I saw Tracy Chapman live (coincidentally at the Paramount), and her opening act was an up-and-coming group called eastmountainsouth. The word “revelation” doesn’t begin to explain just how moved I was by this amazing duo. The old-school instruments, the Americana-based songwriting, and some of the most unique harmonies I’d heard in a long time grabbed me hook, line, and sinker. While they are no longer together, that one CD still inspires me to this day. Raining Jane had that same effect on me on Monday night.
First off, how cool is it that Sara actually came out herself to introduce them? That says a lot about her as an artist and as a fan of the band. In fact, she sings backup on their record “Clementine”, and referred to them as some of her best friends. Quite an endorsement, but that doesn’t always translate to a good match musically. Fortunately, in this instance, they turned out to be a perfect compliment to Sara. [BTW, Raining Jane also co-wrote the Jason Mraz track “A Beautiful Mess”, from his EP “We Sing”.]
I’m going to be a bit negligent on some of the songs, because I didn’t know their music at the time of the show. The opener started off well, and the chorus had a hook I really liked, so I perked up immediately. If my interest was piqued, song #2, “Wyoming Sky”, won me over instantly. Such a beautiful track, and it truly captured that dreamy Mountain West vibe that I’m drawn to. From there, I was sold. “Pinball” perfectly captured the upbeat, bouncy vibe of its title, and new track “Paper Cut” had the audience laughing along with a humorous tale of “the first time”. Take that visual where you want to.
It pleases me to not know how to categorize their music. While they describe themselves as “an eclectic rock-folk band”, you’re going to hear some World music elements, some downright pop moments, and some Americana bits mixed in. As they roll through their set, you know that different members are bringing different styles and sounds to the table, and the diversity is one of their biggest strengths.
The personalities of the group and how they interact really work well live. Mona, who on their website aspires to be “the first female Persian rapper / whistler”, comes across as the ringleader, and also the chief comedienne. I could tell you all about the “pelvic thrusts for Sara”, but I wouldn’t do them justice. Let’s just say that she had the audience in the palm of her hands with her humor, as well as her amazing skill on the Cajon, a flamenco-type drum that she sat upon and played with her hands through the entire set. Chaska and Mai also had the fun banter going on, while Becky came off a bit more serious, simply because she didn’t have a mic on stage. At the merch table after the show, though, she was all smiles and very cool to talk with.
Becky and Chaska post-show
Instruments played a huge part of the show: Mona with her Cajon & other various percussion; Mai with her cello; and Becky with her sitar. Yes, sitar. She pulled it out for two songs, and just sat right down on the stage with it, instantly becoming my hero. One highlight of the show was Mona and Becky’s instrumental jam “Browntown”. Highlight #2 was Mai and Chaska coming back out and doing their impression of “Whitetown”, which consisted of doing the Sprinkler (look it up if you don’t know how that dance step is done).
I won’t lie…the music was a bit of a blur to me, since I didn’t know it, but I’m glad it worked out that way. No words to sing along with, no songs to be desperate to hear, and no expectations. The ride was a fun one, and I was glad to be along for it. With people like Sara and Jason in their corner, I have no doubt that they may be in this business for a while. They’re touring with Sara through the beginning of November, so if you have a chance, definitely check them out. You can also find their music on iTunes, if you’re so inclined. Trust me…they’re worth the effort. And while you’re at it, check out their clip of “Wyoming Sky” down below.
– Adele did indeed take a big jump up the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, from 129-46, with a 145% increase over last week’s sales. Because there was only one reporting day after her performance on SNL, and given that the record is still #2 (behind the High School Musical 3 soundtrack), I’m guessing there will be another up week next week to reflect the rest of her sales. “Chasing Pavements” moves up a spot to #19 at Hot AC radio. This could be the make-or-break week for that single.
– Another album that takes a huge leap this week is the long-released duet CD from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, “ChasingRaising Sand”. That record sees a 125% increase in sales, and jumps to #50. Heading in the other direction is the unexpectedly good “Unexpected” from former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams. It drops 75% of last week’s sales, and plummets to #190. Notable debuts include Kenny Chesney at #1, and Keane, whose “Perfect Symmetry” bows at #7, but with only close to half of the sales of “Under the Iron Sea”.
– In other radio news, the big news at Pop Radio is the huge debut this week for Beyonce’s “If I Was A Boy”. The track roars onto the top 40 at #26, tying Britney’s “Womanizer” debut two weeks ago. That track is at #16 in its third week, with a good head of steam on it. “Boy” also moves up the Hot 100 at a good clip, moving from 100 – 68, while “Single Ladies” hops on the chart at #72.
– Pop programmers finally seem to have recognized that Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” is a hit, and it picks up over 900 additional spins this week, and moves up to #13 on the Hot 100. (Paul, I told you it would rebound) Number 1 at Pop Radio this week is Pink for a second week with over 10,000 spins total (#3 on the Hot 100), and Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” is a distant second place (#5 on the Hot 100). Songs going for adds this week include Mariah’s “I Stay In Love” and the twelfth attempt at a hit for Christina Milian with “Us Against the World” on MySpace Records.
– A note for chart followers…you’re seeing a lot of huge debuts, followed by steep declines, and you might be saying to yourself “it never used to do this in the past.” Well, for the most part, you’re right. But this is a new age. With the advent of electronic forms of distribution, coupled with illegal downloading, labels are rushing singles out quickly to recapture as much revenue as possible before tracks end up on the Internet by other means. In the past, record companies would release the single early on, but the airplay would be the primary thing pushing the sales. It was in the 90s that companies started withholding singles, and then releasing them when airplay was dominant, in order to get a big debut (along with big headlines…see image). Oh…and 99 cent singles didn’t hurt, either.
On the subject of David Cook videos, look for the premiere of “Light On” tomorrow morning on DavidCookOfficial.com. The video was shot two weeks ago at L.A. Valley College football field, and director Wayne Isham was behind the shoot. For those of you who might be curious, it appears that David and former American Idol contestant Kimberly Caldwell are still an item, as Caldwell was spotted hanging out with Cook on the set. [UPDATE: Here’s a sneak peak at the video…] [UPDATE #2: Here’s a link to the full-length video.]
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 