An unfocused Keri Hilson still Ekes out Pretty Girl Rock
No one’s saying that an album with a lot of genre shifts can’t be enjoyable – that can sometimes be a true marking of an artist’s ambitions. But just as often it can feely sloppy or unfocused or like the artist isn’t sure of who they are.
That seems to be the problem with Keri Hilson who tries on lots of variations of the r+b/club diva persona, though she unfortunately does it a lot less effectively than counterparts like Rihanna.
The club-bangers don’t really add up and I’d have to say my favorite song is definitely the poppiest (and it doesn’t really match the rest of the album at all.). It REALLY reminds me of something that I can’t quite put my finger on (and I don’t think it’s Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us” which is apparently the dominant sample). She looks adorable in the video though….love the Janet and TLC homage.
Keri Hilson – “Pretty Girl Rock”
Tennis –bringing GirlGroup into millenial LoFi
This band has quite the backstory – the husband and wife team sold their collective posessions and then sailed around the Atlantic for 7 months and then decided to write some songs about their experience. Why not?!?!
Very 60s girl group with a scuzzy lo-fi buzz. Hat nod to Kenny, who has definitely been championing them. Tennis – “Pigeon”I Want U
More than a little. And more than a lot. Baby this want is all that I got.
Rosie Gaines – “I Want U” And this nifty (M+M Mix, I think)Tricky watches Too Many Films, For Real
One of my favorite Tricky songs, released on Island right before he got dropped…he seemed to know what was coming.
[Sample lyrics: “And something else you take too seriously: your record deal.” “Yeah, I’m a player haterI hate when players can’t take their turn
And when the record company drops me
That’s when I learn.”] “For Real”
I love Fitz and the Tantrums
I read the buzz about this album last year but didn’t get my hands on their Pickin’ Up the Pieces album until this week and I absolutely adore it. Like Sharon Jones, these guys are heavily influenced by Motown and Stax and they take their retro sounds very seriously – but they’re still fun as hell.
Check out the opening track…and if you like this, you’ll like the whole record.
Fitz and the Tantrums – “Breakin’ the Chains of Love”
Always wanted to hear that song with some accompaniment by Darryl Hall? Here you go!
And those delicious backing vocals (on the album version at least, i can’t confirm if that’s her in the live clips)….Why they’re by (oft-club Diva) Maya Azucena, who also did vocals on this Jonathan Peters produced delight:
Jonathan Peters f/Maya Azucena – “Music”
I love Fitz and the Tantrums
I read the buzz about this album last year but didn’t get my hands on their Pickin’ Up the Pieces album until this week and I absolutely adore it. Like Sharon Jones, these guys are heavily influenced by Motown and Stax and they take their retro sounds very seriously – but they’re still fun as hell.
Check out the opening track…and if you like this, you’ll like the whole record.
Fitz and the Tantrums – “Breakin’ the Chains of Love”
Always wanted to hear that song with some accompaniment by Darryl Hall? Here you go!
And those delicious backing vocals (on the album version at least, i can’t confirm if that’s her in the live clips)….Why they’re by (oft-club Diva) Maya Azucena, who also did vocals on this Jonathan Peters produced delight:
Jonathan Peters f/Maya Azucena – “Music”
Robyn Does Alicia
Even me – a huge fan – is approaching my own level of Robyn overload. With the press insisting at every turn that “people need to like her damnit!” – of course i agree but I’m certainly not the first person to want to keep his favorites near and dear. There was a time when I had to turn people ON to Robyn…and now (you gays, especially) you’re already there. Can’t fault people for good taste though. 🙂
No surprise – here’s another great cover, this time of a very Prince-like Alicia Keys song. See it after the jump.
And as long as we’re on the subject of Robyn…here’s A-Trak’s remix of “Indescructible” which I think I like even more than the original:
CeeeeeeLoooooo
So the cat’s out of the bag in regards to this supremely awesome Cee-Lo song (he performed it last week on SNL).
The bass line is straight out of “Billie Jean” and the synth line and chorus remind me of something…..I just can’t quite put my finger on it.
Awesome in everyway. Only appopriate that it takes its name from the uber-80s Jay McInerney novel.
Cee-Lo – “Bright Lights Big City”
I like Linkin Park? Really? Yup, it’s official….
In my VMA wrap-up I wrote about being surprised by how much I liked the song Linkin Park performed at the awards ceremony. Well I finally got a hold of the record, and lo and behold, they’ve apparently have a newfound fan.
I’m sure that the band’s taken some heat for A Thousand Suns. The sound of the album is far removed from the Limp Bizkit-style rap metal that I remember hearing in the ’00s. This is a more electronic, melodic sound, with quite a bit of keyboard – almost akin to current Depeche Mode. And the album is constructed as a whole piece, as opposed to a collection of tracks. Some of the songs fully embrace “We’re in it together”-style U2 bombast (to iffy results). They worked with producer extraordinairre Rick Rubin and developed a lot of the concepts via “automatic writing” – basically taking their stream of consciousness “free-writes” and re-working them into songs.
So I’m surprised how much I like this record. Here’s a smattering of some tracks so you can tell if you’re on board too.
This was the next single following “The Catalyst” (which they performed at the VMAs). “Waiting for the End” (official video)
You’ll get my DM reference when you listen to this song – a bit droney but the melody gets stuck in my head. “Robot Boy”
And I guess this track combines their more agressive guitar style with this newer sound. Definitely the song that has grown on me the most. “Blackout”
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