New Keane! Strangeland album is here.
I’m a huge Keane fan. Take a listen to the new album. It definitely is “Strange” in that it’s no Spiralling; nor is it Somewhere Only We Know. But Neon River captures that old school Keane essence, and it’s worth checking out.
LISTEN: B.o.B. - Bombs Away Ft. Morgan Freeman
That’s correct, the feature is Morgan Freeman. After I thought I was listening to The Bucket List on audiobook, the powerful beat drops and Bobby Ray kills it in the opener to his new album.
Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj are the obligatory requirements based on the trends, and he continues his hip pop streak of new music.
Overall, it’s an average sophomore offering. Rolling Stone has an interesting take on Ryan Tedder’s contributions to the album, and Billboard has a similar review.
What do you think of the album?
Usher is back (no, not “Climax”) with a new hit. Possibly a summer jam, but is it THE summer jam? I don’t get a “Party Rock Anthem” feel like I did with that song last May.
Produced by Max Martin, it feels incomplete to me. Maybe I’m expecting a Pitbull feature?
Love this song. It’s been running on repeat on my iPhone. Too bad she left Twitter. Maybe I could get a RT from her ;)
Next single will be “Right By My Side” Ft. Chris Brown. But I hope they put this through the radio waves. Wait… maybe I don’t.
LISTEN: Maroon 5 - Payphone Ft. Wiz Khalifa
Finally! The music season has arrived. So many new songs, artists and mashups. This one comes with a little ironic satire on the “love song.” This hybrid pop/alt/hip hop gets blurred even more with a Wiz Khalifa feature on the new Maroon 5 song, “Payphone.”
What do you think?
NEW! LISTEN: Linkin Park - Burn It Down
Off their new album, Living Things (Out June 26th), Linkin Park is back with a first single (and no Transformers movie to go along side it). I love it when Mike Shinoda gets on the mic. It has hints of Meteora, but it’s still a little A Thousand Suns. Kind of sucks that it’s primarily Rick Rubin with the older, harder influences added in rather than the other way around.
But oh well. I’ll take it. Can’t wait to see what comes next.
LISTEN: Rascal Flatts - Hot In Here
So Rascal Flatts has a new album (Changed). Did you know? I don’t think a lot of people did. With the new label, it seems like they haven’t done a very good job with the promotion of the superstars’ new album. Does it matter, though?
Hot In Here is one of the better tracks, but overall the album talks more about family and changes and getting older. Which is fine, but they’ve been more “Flatt” than “Rascals.” I mean, there’s a song that talks about a college child calling their mom and dad just to say hi. Really, Rascal? How boring.
Give this song a listen, but don’t expect too much else. They’re just not fun anymore. There are no “Fast Cars & Freedom’s” or “Take Me There’s.” I know getting older is not fun, but that doesn’t mean your music should do the same.
(Source: Spotify)
LISTEN: Nicki Minaj - Whip It
Yes, she has an alter ego. But Nicki Minaj skirts the edge of bi-polar in her sophomore debut. The first half of the album she’s in beast mode, then the last half softens it up with some pop.
My favorite song on the album is Whip It (see the new Spotify integration!). RedOne takes the production credit here, and the other better half of the album has more RedOne (Starships, Pound The Alarm, Automatic), a little Dr. Luke (Beautiful Sinner, Young Forever), and even a sleeper hit from Alex Da Kid (Marilyn Monroe).
Overall, I think Nicki / Roman has a long lasting album, even with all her craziness.
#YMCMB baby.
(Source: Spotify)
LISTEN: The All-American Rejects - Heartbeat Slowing Down
The new Kids In The Street album is out from The All-American Rejects. One of my favorite songs on the album, Heartbeat Slowing Down, is poised to be a radio hit. The track feels like a heartbeat. Tyson Rytter’s falsetto on the chorus is classic AAR, and it’s a pretty powerful song.
LISTEN: Justin Bieber - Boyfriend
Not sure there’s a lot to say here. It’ll be very popular and overplayed. Musically, It’s very “Justin Timberlike” and mixed with a little Ying Yang Twins “Whisper Song” for a little edgy flare.
It’s bound to be a hit (written and produced by Mike Posner), but when you mention Buzz Lightyear in a song, it’s clear he wanted to maintain some youth. I was singing its antithesis (‘NSYNC’s “Girlfriend”) and drew a lot of similarities. But I definitely think his “Biebs” have finally dropped.
If Believe is anything like Justin Timberlake’s Justified, I think we’re in for a treat. In the words of Usher: “Yaaaa maannnn.”
Listen: The All-American Rejects - Beekeeper’s Daughter
The All-American Rejects are back with their new single, Beekeeper’s Daughter. As Billboard pointed out, they’re straying away from their “Swing Swing” days by going a little bit more sugary. So sugary, in fact, that they landed a gig on 90210.
It is catchy. It’ll have you singin’ “La Da-Da Da Da” all day long.
Listen: Nicki Minaj - Starships
RedOne-produced “Starships” was released yesterday, 2/14, and it seems like she’s got another hit on her hands. It’s got a little “Dynamite” (Taio Cruz) in it, but I’m not complaining. It’s a catchy synth tune, and much better than her 2012 Grammy song/performance. As if bringing “the Pope” as your date wasn’t a dead giveaway on how weird she is…
2012 Grammy’s Review
A little over one day after the news of Whitney Houston’s passing and it’s apparent that The 54th Grammy’s would carry a different tone. Thanks to a touching opening prayer by LL Cool J, the show proved a bit better than last year’s.
TV / Advertising Commercials:
Loved the Chevy commercial aired during the Grammy’s featuring Chelsea Williams who covers Bruno Mars’s “Billionaire”:
And also the Adele / Target commercial. Girl has pipes!!
Chipotle also aired their Coldplay TV spot, which I previously reviewed here.
Performances:
Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby” showed his old-school spunk. Definitely appreciate the style he’s got while pushing music forward. (B)
Chris Brown continued to impress with his performance of “Turn The Music Up” and “Beautiful People.” He’s an incredible dancer, even if he is the worst dressed man of 2011. (B+)
Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s crossover “Don’t You Wanna Stay” was a bit pitchy and mediocre. Surprisingly, Kelly was the weaker of the two. (C)
Foo Fighters performed the Grammy-winning “Walk” to Dave Grohl’s staple screech right outside the Staples Center. It was a mellow selection for the crowd (no amount of Tie Fighter camera angles could make it feel like a rock concert), but they found a cadence towards the end. (C)
Rihanna and Coldplay teamed up for “Princess Of China,” but not before Rihanna opened with a toned-down piano intro of “We Found Love” and then igniting the stage with her dance number. Then the setting went all fluorescent and neon graffiti, and Chris Martin and crew took over with “Paradise.” (B)
Paul McCartney performed “My Valentine” to a standing ovation. I think the rest of the watching world took a bathroom break during this, though. (D)
The Civil Wars performed “Barton Hollow,” and good lord, for a 60 second performance, it outshined a lot of the full-length performances. They then introduced Hunger Games collaborator Taylor Swift for “Mean.” A few years and millions of albums later, Taylor has become a much better performer, and it showed with this performance. “Someday I’ll be / singing this at The Grammy’s / and all you’re ever gonna be is mean.” Awesome. (B+)
Adele returned post-throat surgery with Rolling In The Deep. I could have been fooled, because there was no lapse in her voice or evidence of any surgery. In fact, I think they replaced her old pipes with a synthetic robot throat to sound even better, because this performance was the best of the night by far. (A)
Jennifer Hudson delivered a deep version of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” There are some songs you just don’t touch, and this one is one of them (especially given the context). Fortunately, it didn’t feel like an American Idol audition, but a thoughtful and somber tribute to the late legend. She hit the right notes and belted them with strong precision. (B+)
Foo Fighters were up for another sub-par performance of “Rope.” It was such a weird transition to go from David Guetta dance to Foo Fighters rock, that it didn’t really work for me. And the Deadmau5 assist didn’t make it any better. I wish I had a rope, because I wanted it to be over (both the song and my life). (C)
Nicki Minaj did Roman’s Revenge and Roman Holiday, and overdid it with the alter ego bit. I’m a fan of Nicki, but this may have been the worst performance of the night. I would have preferred Cee Lo, muppets and Gwyneth Paltrow. (D)
Big 4 Grammy Winners
(in bold) with my thoughts:
Record Of The Year
“Rolling In The Deep - Adele
“Holocene” - Bon Iver
“Grenade” - Bruno Mars
“The Cave” - Mumford & Sons
“Firework” - Katy Perry
Thoughts: Without a doubt, Adele deserves this award. I would have thought “Grenade” or “The Cave” were worthy of it, but the entire record deserves to go to her.
Album Of The Year
21 - Adele
Wasting Light - Foo Fighters
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops & Hooligans - Bruno Mars
Loud - Rihanna
Thoughts: See Thoughts for “Record Of The Year.”
Song Of The Year
“All Of The Lights” - Kanye West
“The Cave” - Mumford & Sons
“Grendade” - Bruno Mars
“Holocene” - Bon Iver
“Rolling In The Deep” - Adele
Thoughts: No surprise here, although I think “All Of The Lights” deserved the win here since it didn’t get nominated for Record Of The Year.
Best New Artist
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex
Thoughts: I think Nicki Minaj deserved it outright. But I do believe he earned it; his music is very unique and different. And Kanye West may have helped him get it.
Technically, she HAS swept the big 4 (she got Best New Artist in 2009). It was definitely the year of Adele.
Chipotle’s First Ad Features Willie Nelson Coldplay Cover
I love two out of the three things in my headline.
If you follow my blog, you’ll know that Coldplay is one of those things. Even though I’m a Barbacoa fan over Chipotle, the new spot featuring a cover of “The Scientist,” all twanged up by the less than favorite Willie Nelson, promotes the consciously-raised ingredients into their delicious burritos.
In any other context, this would be a hard sell. But I love the fact that WIllie Nelson took a classic song with a piano-heavy mysticism and transformed it into a just-as-successful Chicken Run-esque commercial.
Watch the video:
A blog about the latest buzzworthy music as well as thoughts and analysis on the music industry. I think about music from a business perspective and what sounds good to listen to. Some of it falls under Top 40, but good quality music is always something to write about. I like hip-hop, pop and alternative music, but also enjoy some country and techno.
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