The thing about Nicki Minaj is that, like I've said before, her success is based on her novelty. Her unique rapping style is what gets people hooked on her music; but that's also why it's easy for her to get stale, which is what clearly happened with "Fly." Nicki either has to more than just rapping, or something completely different. With "Starships" it seems like she's picked up on this and is just going along with the electronic-dance craze right now.
The song has a promising start; it's not quite rapping, but it's still the unique Nicki Minaj sound. It's catchy and dancy, while not getting redundant. The chorus is the same stuff that you'll hear on any other dance track, though. It's auto-tuned vocals singing a command to dance. So, that takes away a bit from the uniqueness, but doesn't make it any less danceable. Things get weird in between verses where she switches to chipmunk mode. I don't see the point of that, and it's annoying. Overall, the song is really a mixed bag musically.
Lyrically, the song sounds like it could be a summer anthem. Nicki's not saying anything particularily clever, it's just let's party, let's dance, whatever. Summer's not for a while, though, so she's missed out on that opportunity. Another part of the song that bothers me is the references to starships. Most of the lyrics are pretty straightforward, but at the chorus she sings, "Starships were meant to fly." I don't really see where this comes from. I'm sure she could be getting at something, but I don't see it and it seems out of place.
One thing to mention is that, despite it's faults, this song is incredibly catchy. You will not get it out of your head and you can listen to over and over again without it getting old. And, really, that's what Nicki Minaj probably wants. This is a sound that's still unique, and catchy enough to keep us hooked for more. It's already smashed onto the billboard and it'll probably be another big hit for Nicki Minaj.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Katy Perry - Part of Me
Seems like Rihanna isn't the only singer who's not giving us a break, after five singles off of a super album, Katy Perry's got another song off of her re-release of Teenage Dream. However, unlike Rihanna, Katy knows how to keep things fresh.
"Part of Me" has got to be one of the best things that I've heard from Katy Perry. It has the perfect combination of everything to make me love it. It's a powerful dance track that combines autotuned vocals with a pounding beat. Overall it's incredibly catchy and impossible to resist. It's a mixture of the familiar Katy sound, while doing something new too. This is one of her most electronic sounding songs, whether you love or hate the style, it's still something fresh for Katy Perry which is what keeps it interesting.
Lyrically, it's also something special. It's got a break up theme, but it's dealt differently than a lot of the songs right now. It's not entirely original, but it's also not the same out cut and paste message. The lyrics make sense and tell a believable story. It sounds unique while delivering a simple message.
I was a bit disappointed that Katy never released "Circe the Drain" from Teenage Dream, but this song is basically just a pumped up version of that song. Same idea about a break up, same powerful vocals. Only now it's electronic and dancy. And Katy's breaking up with Russel Brand, not Travie McCoy.
I say that Katy Perry is artist who should be releasing a lot of music. She has delivered six different songs lately and each one has had its own unique message as well as a unique style. Katy won't get old soon and since all of her songs are so amazing I'm glad that she'll be sticking around.
"Part of Me" has got to be one of the best things that I've heard from Katy Perry. It has the perfect combination of everything to make me love it. It's a powerful dance track that combines autotuned vocals with a pounding beat. Overall it's incredibly catchy and impossible to resist. It's a mixture of the familiar Katy sound, while doing something new too. This is one of her most electronic sounding songs, whether you love or hate the style, it's still something fresh for Katy Perry which is what keeps it interesting.
Lyrically, it's also something special. It's got a break up theme, but it's dealt differently than a lot of the songs right now. It's not entirely original, but it's also not the same out cut and paste message. The lyrics make sense and tell a believable story. It sounds unique while delivering a simple message.
I was a bit disappointed that Katy never released "Circe the Drain" from Teenage Dream, but this song is basically just a pumped up version of that song. Same idea about a break up, same powerful vocals. Only now it's electronic and dancy. And Katy's breaking up with Russel Brand, not Travie McCoy.
I say that Katy Perry is artist who should be releasing a lot of music. She has delivered six different songs lately and each one has had its own unique message as well as a unique style. Katy won't get old soon and since all of her songs are so amazing I'm glad that she'll be sticking around.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Madonna - Give Me All Your Luvin'
Madonna is one of the biggest pop superstars out there and she debuted this song at the Super Bowl which is one of the biggest events in American Culture, so you'd think that the song would be something amazing. It's good, but I don't know if I'd call it amazing.
The song has a sort of pounding, chanting rhythm throughout the whole thing, the sort of cheerleader song you'd expect at the Superbowl. It's a fun sound, but not really all that exciting. It's catchy and it'll probably get you dancing, but it's not about to make a lasting impact on anybody. With the return of Madonna (at the Superbowl no less) you'd expect something epic to remind us all why Madonna is so huge, not something "Give Me All Your Luvin'" that's fun, but nothing more.
The song also features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. which doesn't add much to the song and is pretty pointless. Both of them have quick verses near the end that aren't anything special and only add an interruption between Madonna's verses. One might have been okay, preferably M.I.A. as she seems to fit better with the song, or giving them more time to shine might have also made the song more interesting. Instead it's as if they said, "Let's put a few seconds of some popular rappers on the track to get more attention." Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. can both be awesome at their best, but sadly we'll be hearing none of that in this song.
Chances are this song will grab attention and still manage some success. It could go to number one, but I suspect that it will easily fall and be forgotten after its peak. Aside from the initial interest of hearing a new Madonna song a couple of times I can't think of any reason why this song will gain much popularity.
The song has a sort of pounding, chanting rhythm throughout the whole thing, the sort of cheerleader song you'd expect at the Superbowl. It's a fun sound, but not really all that exciting. It's catchy and it'll probably get you dancing, but it's not about to make a lasting impact on anybody. With the return of Madonna (at the Superbowl no less) you'd expect something epic to remind us all why Madonna is so huge, not something "Give Me All Your Luvin'" that's fun, but nothing more.
The song also features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. which doesn't add much to the song and is pretty pointless. Both of them have quick verses near the end that aren't anything special and only add an interruption between Madonna's verses. One might have been okay, preferably M.I.A. as she seems to fit better with the song, or giving them more time to shine might have also made the song more interesting. Instead it's as if they said, "Let's put a few seconds of some popular rappers on the track to get more attention." Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. can both be awesome at their best, but sadly we'll be hearing none of that in this song.
Chances are this song will grab attention and still manage some success. It could go to number one, but I suspect that it will easily fall and be forgotten after its peak. Aside from the initial interest of hearing a new Madonna song a couple of times I can't think of any reason why this song will gain much popularity.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
K'naan - Is Anybody Out There
Well, K'naan has really switched into pop for this song. He's always had a sort of balance between pop and his more urban sound, but with Nelly Furtado on this song it sounds like a lot of the other pop-rap songs you'll be hearing today. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, after his big attention with "Wavin Flag" it might be a better idea to get something else that's likely to grab at success.
The addition of Nelly Furtado on the chorus is a nice little something. We haven't had too much from her lately so hearing her signature voice is a definitely a refreshing bit. Her voice creates an instant hook that is sure to pull you in, and that allows K'naan to burst in with a powerful verse. K'naan mixes his rap style along with a bit of singing; it creates another good refreshing effect. The whole song is very catchy and by combining several different sounds it's got potential to stay fresh.
Lyrically, it's a message to dealing with depression. Yes, we've heard it before, but it's got its own unique message in it. K'naan verses discusses different kids named Mary and Adam and their unhappy situations. There's pros and cons to this style. Pro, it adds a unique idea to the story by giving a name to the person. Con, it isolates the idea away from the listeners and into something unknown. Still, I'd say that's it's mostly a good idea as we don't really need another "Firework" and the like.
K'naan is one of Canada's biggest artists lately and I think that this song is sure to get some attention. The addition to Nelly Furtado is also sure to get people interested. With a variety of catchy sound and interesting lyrics I think that it's been sit up to be a hit.
The addition of Nelly Furtado on the chorus is a nice little something. We haven't had too much from her lately so hearing her signature voice is a definitely a refreshing bit. Her voice creates an instant hook that is sure to pull you in, and that allows K'naan to burst in with a powerful verse. K'naan mixes his rap style along with a bit of singing; it creates another good refreshing effect. The whole song is very catchy and by combining several different sounds it's got potential to stay fresh.
Lyrically, it's a message to dealing with depression. Yes, we've heard it before, but it's got its own unique message in it. K'naan verses discusses different kids named Mary and Adam and their unhappy situations. There's pros and cons to this style. Pro, it adds a unique idea to the story by giving a name to the person. Con, it isolates the idea away from the listeners and into something unknown. Still, I'd say that's it's mostly a good idea as we don't really need another "Firework" and the like.
K'naan is one of Canada's biggest artists lately and I think that this song is sure to get some attention. The addition to Nelly Furtado is also sure to get people interested. With a variety of catchy sound and interesting lyrics I think that it's been sit up to be a hit.
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