I was going to do a basic Video Notable entry, but I have so many to share that it has turned into a video jamboree.
– I know that this is primarily lipsync, but Robyn’s recent performance of “Fembots” this week is a joy to watch no matter how live it is.
Now, if Robyn is looking to outsource a video for “Fembot”, she absolutely has to check out Popmuse’s version starring his daughter Lily. Cute overload at its most fierce.
– Jay-Z closed the night at Coachella last night, and instead of bringing out Mr Hudson for a duet on “Young Forever”, he brought out his wife Beyonce, who never met a chorus she could twist.
From a strict vocal perspective, she was spot on, but between the key change and her phrasing, I felt a big disconnect from the performance. Jay was on point, even with only a partial voice, but that should have been a massive sing-along. How do you sing along with someone who is doing a bit of improv? I know I’ve given my raves about the studio recording of “Young Forever” before, but sometimes you shouldn’t mess with a winning formula.
– Toni Braxton got her money’s worth out of the video shoot with Director Bille Woodruff, as it appears she made one for “Hands Tied” at the same time that she made “Make My Heart“. Some may be put off by the less than blockbuster budget, but I think Toni’s done alright with what I am sure is only a fraction of the budget she’s used to having. “Hands” actually has a good look and feel to it, whereas some of the graphics used in “Make” looked a little cheap.
Mr Hudson posted a video today of a Jay-Z show in London that he showed up at to sing “Young Forever”, 
The most striking thing to me, though, was at the end of the second round, where Hova kicks in to the intro of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This happens at every concert…someone segues from their own song into a crowd-pleaser that gets the audience hyped, or maybe they play a bunch of party jams right before the show starts. For Jay, the fact that he can stage a huge sing-along for a song that was considered alternative in the 80s, it becomes a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, there is no question that Jay-Z can rock a crowd, no matter where they are. But does that ability hurt his street cred? Sadly, it does. There’s a double-standard playing here…so much of the rap body of work talks about escaping poverty and making it big. Yet Jay has to deal with the “sell out” tag, amid accusations that he isn’t street anymore. There’s no winning for winning, is there?
We talk about selling out, catering to certain audiences, working with the “right” producer, but at the end of it all, if the listener finds something that resonates, then the music has done its job. As much as I hate the God-and-nation forms of country music, it works for someone, and who am I to deprive them of that. So the same goes for rap music. If you can bridge the gap by speaking the musical language of the audience you are playing to, more power to you.
The video finally hit today for “
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.
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.
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 