I first heard this a while ago, actually, and my first thought was, this isn't the kind of song that I'd expect as a single. Yet, turns out I was wrong, and after listening to the song a couple more times, I relaxed that it actually will work pretty well on the radio.
Justin's more dancy than ever now with this song. Not that there's anything wrong with that, this album has offered a surprising amount of diversity for Bieber, and he might as well try the style that everyone is loving right now. For the most part the song sounds like a lot of the dance stuff we've heard before, but Justin's voice still manages to sound tender and sweet. Something that is always welcome when pretty much all the major stars are female, or rougher style bands. I feel that the song really breaks out thanks to it's dubstep style beat that interludes between the verses. It's something unique and a lot of fun compared to the more generic eletro-beats out there.
The song doesn't shine too much in the lyric department. It's about two things we've heard before plenty of times, a beautiful girl and dancing. Justin isn't really trying to sound romantic with his voice this time, but it's not like he can really sell emotion in his voice anyways. Might as well just focus on sounding catchy.
We also get a verse from Nicki Minaj, which I feel isn't exactly at her. best. She's spilling out rhymes that make little sense, and doesn't really add anything to the song. I feel that they could have done without her, or at least done it a little better. It just feels like a last minute tack-on to give the song more attention.
There's no reason why this song won't be a hit. Justin Bieber has always had success with his songs, and this one fits in exactly with the market today. It probably won't be a huge smash, but since when has anything Justin Bieber's done been a huge smash? It'll be a fun song to listen to, and that's good enough.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
P!nk - Try
P!nk's got a couple of signature sounds. There's her rough side, and there's her party side, both which were somewhat present in "Blow Me One Last Kiss," but she's also got her incredibly vulnerable side which is what "Try" is all about.
The song has a lot of similarities to her previous hit, "Perfect." It's a reflective piece that is meant to boost one's spirit. Unlike "Perfect" though, P!nk isn't speaking to anyone but herself. This is her song, showing all of her insecurities, but telling herself that she's still going to try. It shows a lot of inner tenderness that makes the song really beautiful. It doesn't quite have the same raw power that was present in "Perfect," but that is a hard feat to top. The song is no less beautiful, though, the feeling is clearly still there. It took me a few listens to really connect with it, but once I did, I felt a beautiful emotion within the words.
The lyrics are perfectly done. It's a simple song, while delivering a strong story. P!nk says exactly what she means, "Where there is desire, there's bound to be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns doesn't mean I'm gonna die. You gotta get up and try." It really emphasizes the album's title, "The Truth About Love." This is a universal truth about love, and she's saying that you can work through it. Much of the song is just a repetition of the phrase, "And try, and try, and try. Gotta get up and try." Yet this only reinforces the strength. The repetition shows her determination, she's not going to back down, she's just going to keep trying.
The song is beautiful, and is bound to be another one P!nk's hits. She's got a lot of competition right now, but no one can really match her sound, her fragile emotion, and her strength. I would be surprised if this song does not go to number one.
The song has a lot of similarities to her previous hit, "Perfect." It's a reflective piece that is meant to boost one's spirit. Unlike "Perfect" though, P!nk isn't speaking to anyone but herself. This is her song, showing all of her insecurities, but telling herself that she's still going to try. It shows a lot of inner tenderness that makes the song really beautiful. It doesn't quite have the same raw power that was present in "Perfect," but that is a hard feat to top. The song is no less beautiful, though, the feeling is clearly still there. It took me a few listens to really connect with it, but once I did, I felt a beautiful emotion within the words.
The lyrics are perfectly done. It's a simple song, while delivering a strong story. P!nk says exactly what she means, "Where there is desire, there's bound to be a flame. Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns doesn't mean I'm gonna die. You gotta get up and try." It really emphasizes the album's title, "The Truth About Love." This is a universal truth about love, and she's saying that you can work through it. Much of the song is just a repetition of the phrase, "And try, and try, and try. Gotta get up and try." Yet this only reinforces the strength. The repetition shows her determination, she's not going to back down, she's just going to keep trying.
The song is beautiful, and is bound to be another one P!nk's hits. She's got a lot of competition right now, but no one can really match her sound, her fragile emotion, and her strength. I would be surprised if this song does not go to number one.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven
This month has proven to be a major turning point for 2012 in music. We already had Christina Aguilera, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Ke$ha making big moves. And just this week we've got new Adele and of course, Bruno Mars.
Bruno is taking a step in the right direction with "Locked Out of Heaven." He's picking up the pace with his song and turning it into something that could be really easy to dance around to. Yet he's still keeping it true to himself; he's still got signs of his signature style that makes it unique. In the end it's the best of the best; we've got Bruno's smooth and bouncy vocals, put into a tracks that builds into something intense, all backed by a recurring, "Ah yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Lyrically the song uses biblical allusions in reference to sex. I suppose I wouldn't be against that, but the problem I find is that it seems indecisive of whether the song is subtle or explicit. On the one hand, lyrics like "Open up your gates," could be taken innocently or with a sexual reference in mind. On the other hand, "Your sex takes me to paradise," doesn't really leave a lot to the imagination. If you're going to fill a song with metaphors, I find that it's better to keep at least some ambiguity just to keep the effect alive.
All in all, I'm finding the song to be pretty enjoyable. It's catchy, it's fresh, and it proves that Bruno Mars has what it takes to survive right now. I think it's going to be another hit, but he seriously has a lot of competition, so who knows how well he'll fare against them.
In other news, I've been watching season 2 of X Factor. Last season I was very devoted to it and spent a lot of time talking about my favorite moments. With X Factor it's really easy to pick a favorite and cling onto them; you bite your nails when they could leave, and you cheer when they survive. This season, my favorite girl is CeCe Frey. I just love her obnoxious confidence, it's a really refreshing break from all the sob stories and under-confident contestants. And she's got a really strong voice too, so she proves that just because you're cocky, doesn't automatically mean you're a terrible singer. It also doesn't hurt that her leopard facepaint looks very sexy. She survived the first episode of Boot Camp, now I'll be praying that she keeps on surviving.
Bruno is taking a step in the right direction with "Locked Out of Heaven." He's picking up the pace with his song and turning it into something that could be really easy to dance around to. Yet he's still keeping it true to himself; he's still got signs of his signature style that makes it unique. In the end it's the best of the best; we've got Bruno's smooth and bouncy vocals, put into a tracks that builds into something intense, all backed by a recurring, "Ah yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Lyrically the song uses biblical allusions in reference to sex. I suppose I wouldn't be against that, but the problem I find is that it seems indecisive of whether the song is subtle or explicit. On the one hand, lyrics like "Open up your gates," could be taken innocently or with a sexual reference in mind. On the other hand, "Your sex takes me to paradise," doesn't really leave a lot to the imagination. If you're going to fill a song with metaphors, I find that it's better to keep at least some ambiguity just to keep the effect alive.
All in all, I'm finding the song to be pretty enjoyable. It's catchy, it's fresh, and it proves that Bruno Mars has what it takes to survive right now. I think it's going to be another hit, but he seriously has a lot of competition, so who knows how well he'll fare against them.
In other news, I've been watching season 2 of X Factor. Last season I was very devoted to it and spent a lot of time talking about my favorite moments. With X Factor it's really easy to pick a favorite and cling onto them; you bite your nails when they could leave, and you cheer when they survive. This season, my favorite girl is CeCe Frey. I just love her obnoxious confidence, it's a really refreshing break from all the sob stories and under-confident contestants. And she's got a really strong voice too, so she proves that just because you're cocky, doesn't automatically mean you're a terrible singer. It also doesn't hurt that her leopard facepaint looks very sexy. She survived the first episode of Boot Camp, now I'll be praying that she keeps on surviving.
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