Shontelle - Perfect Nightmare

And on to the next song of this week. Sadly this song has quite a few problems that can make it a little unjoyable. The major issue is that Shontelle has completely scrapped her own style to use other styles, namely Rihanna's. The two singers already sounded pretty similar, but now Shontelle has absolutely ripped off Rihanna's music right down to the little details, such as the dancy beats, the pleading voice, and the repititive chorus. Of course this is not the first time that artists have ripped eah other off, but Rihanna's style does not work with Shontelle, especially when she has her own. She already had a hit earlier this year, "Impossible", which was much more unique. Shontelle needs to go back to her old "Impossible" sound instead of butchering Rihanna's.

The song does have a nice somewhat haunting tune through the verses, but the annoying repititive chorus does not help this. Another problem is that the soulful vocals clash with the dancy background beats which causes an odd sound. The lyrics themself are unique and can stir some emotion, but I don't feel much emotion in Shontelle's voice. Overall I feel like this song could have been a hit if it had been for Rihanna and some changes were made, but I would much rather hear a song like "No Gravity" as Shontelle's next single.

Sara Bareilles - King of Anything

I've never considered myself a fan of adult style of music, but it's songs like this that make me not so sure. This song carries a bouncy beat and unique tune that works into a nice catchy diddy. There is a nice sound from the background and the front vocals that help to add to this great song. The lyrics are clever, but not confusing so they are easy to understand and relate to. They definetly offer a situation that is familiar to a lot of us, and finally ask the question,"Who died and made you King of Anything" I can really see this as a great followup to Sara's previous hit, "Love Song" with effort and time put into making a wonderful song and not just a quick remake. It might not make a big splash on pop charts, but it is still a great tune and should get some recognition for that.

PS I'm doing another double post this week due to all the new music I want to comment on.

Ke$ha - We R who we R

With a massive ammount of great singers releasing singles at this time Ke$ha has entered in the fray, sadly her song doesn't have what it take to compete. The rap/dancing track is a fine song to dance to and I find it enjoyable, but there's nothing that makes it stand out from so many other similar songs. With great songs from P!nk, Katy Perry, and Rihanna currently out and the possiblitlity of new Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Britney any day Ke$ha needs something strong and unique to top her competition. "We R who We R" bears striking resemblance to Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling in Love" and has unoriginal, uncreative lyrics that seem to lack any soul. The song pretty much feels like a hastily slapped together mesh of old dance tracks in an attempt to create a hit before the end of year. The song is sure to be a hit like Ke$ha's last couple of singles, but in the rising war of divas she's not going to come out on top if she doesn't try a little harder.

Marianas Trench - Good to You

Marianas Trench have two signature sounds, the rock dance style and the soul-driven love song, this definetly falls into the latter category. The song has the familar sound from past hits from Marianas Trench plus Kate Voegele as a featured artist adds a subtle but nice touch. The songs message is far from original but the way that it is sung can cancel that out. The beautiful voices deliver a clear loving plea to someone which sound very real. However, what cannont be forgiven are the lyrics; there's really nothing clever or special about them. I also find it quite annoying when things like "Oh oh oh" or "La la la" are treated like they are actual lyrics; in this case the bridge consists of only "Whoa-oh-oh". Overall I think that the song is nicely done and has a sweet sound, as long as you don't mind the lame lyrics it is quite a good love song.

P!nk -- Raise Your Glass

And the second post of the week is a song from P!nk called "Raise Your Glass". It defintely has a familiar P!nk sound yet still original making an overall great song. Using a combination of both rock and dance the song creates an irresitable beat with clever lyrics. The song resemble previous hits from P!nk such as "U + Ur Hand" and "So What" but it also has its own qualities that make in unque, exciting and fun. Plus a spoken line in the bridge that adds a nice humour to the song.

"Raise Your Glass" will be on P!nk's Greatest Hits album and it's easy to see why. It has taken some of P!nk's greatest aspects and merged them into this awesome song that is sure to become her next Great Hit.

Shakira -- Loca

Doing an earlier post since there's been so much new music this week that I really want to go over, so I figured I'd try to do two songs this week. First up we have Shakira's new single off her upcoming album. Sadly Shakira seems to be suffering from the same problem as Rihanna, which is not coming up with anything new and exciting. She's had some really well done latin pieces such as "Hips don't Lie" and "Whenever/Wherever" and she had her interesting "She Wolf" song, but "Loca" isn't anything to get hyped up about. It's the familar latin sound, but there's nothing different about it and it's not too special.

Of course, I don't mean that the song is horrible, just unoriginal, but there is plenty to like about it. The verses have Shakira's famous bouncy sound and the chorus had a pretty catchy beat. Interspersed lines from Dizzie Rascal adds a nice touch, unlike so many other songs that just feature famous artists for one verse, this song keeps Dizzie through out it which makes the song overall more interesting. The song isn't particularily dancy but there is a nice beat throughout the song that gives a handclapping/singing along vibe. This song could very well become a hit, which really is what Shakira needs right now; but I think she needs to get more creative if she really wants to make an impact.

Aleesia - Angel

There are a lot of good songs out there that after you start hearing it a few times you realize how good it is; but this song made an instant wonderful impression on me. The fast paced dance single makes it impossible to resist getting up and moving or singing along. The repititive electronic chorus is really cleverly made to have such an infectious sound. The lyrics have a clear meaning and, although the idea may be cliche, they way that they're sung makes them sound true and believable.

What I really find super about this song is that it could very easily be annoying. With repeated lines and autotune this could be just another irritating dance song; but it has been done well. Aleesia's voice works well and the way she sings the lyrics makes you believe that she truly is in love. I'm really looking forward to this song coming popular and I only wish that it could have been longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.