Owl City - Shooting Star

I apologize for taking a bit of a hiatus with this for the last couple of months, but I'm back.  Now, let's take a look at Owl City's new song "Shooting Star."  Owl City is just coming off of a huge success with "Good Time," but one of my major complaints with that song was that it sounded way too generic for Owl City.  Unfortunately, "Shooting Star" follows the same pattern.

The song is a basic pop dance song.  We've got Owl City singing in typical beat that grows into a bouncy, powerful chorus followed by the usual "whoa whoa whoa" while the beat plays.  There's nothing wrong with this, but we've heard it all before.  And this is Owl City we're talking about, the guy who's known for his unique sound, not for following commercial trends.

Then we get to the lyrics.  They're not as plain as "Good Time" but they are still very predictable.  It's the same old message about letting yourself shine through.  We've been hearing this for so long now it really doesn't carry any meaning, and I'm certainly not hearing any new meaning from this song.  In fact, this song could easily be mistaken for Katy Perry's "Firework" if you reworked some of the lyrics slightly.

The song manages to present a small fraction of Owl City's quirkiness.  The background beat gives a cute feel and the lyrics bring back the cosmic theme that's been in a few previous songs.  But it's really not enough.  It feels like Owl City has taken what's made him special and transformed it so it conforms to what's commercial right now.  It's really unfair because Owl City had some amazing songs, and "Fireflies" was even a massive hit.  But apparently it wasn't enough.

The question now is how will this song do?  It's formulaic style is sure to attract some popularity, but will it be enough to turn the song into a hit like "Good Time"?  I doubt it, but it's possible.

In other news, both The Voice and The X-Factor will be coming to an end soon.  I watched both of them and can easily say that X-Factor was much more entertaining.  Even though she's gone I will forever be a fan of CeCe Frey!

Justin Bieber - Beauty and a Beat

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.

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.

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.

Carly Rae Jepsen - This Kiss

No question about it, 2012 has been the year for Carly Rae Jepsen.  Of course, Canadians like myself have been listening to her for years now; perhaps you'll recall that I posted about "Call Me Maybe" months before it hit America...eh, eh.    It's Carly Rae's cute, bubbly sound that people love and she manages to keep that sound while she takes on a new sound as well for "This Kiss."

Right off the bat, that puts Miss Jepsen ahead in my books; she's not afraid to experiment with something a little different.  "This Kiss" stays true to the dance sound that's popular right now, while mixing in some 80s style synth-beats.  The song is designed really well, so the electric style beats mix right in with Carly Rae's voice and gives a pounding effect to the words she sings.  It's definitely something that'll catch your attention.

If you're a loyal Carly Rae fan that perhaps you'll remember when "Tug of War" was her big hit.  Well "This Kiss" puts her the opposite shoe on her foot lyrically.  This time she's the one out screwing other guys, while she leaves her guy oblivious.  It's not really a dirty song, though, it still keeps that cute innocence.  Carly Rae reminds us that she knows what she's doing is wrong, yet she just can't resist. "I wish it didn't have to feel like this," she laments while still keeping the song fun and upbeat.  These lyrics have meaning and a story to tell.  You can tell that there really is thought behind these words.  How else you explain the fact that she rhymes 'sentimental' with 'detrimental?'

"This Kiss" really is an awesome song that is sure to keep on boosting Carly Rae Jepsen's unstoppable rise.  Like "Call Me Maybe" it's giving something people are sure to like, while offering something that you haven't heard a billion times already.  It's cute, it's fun, it's the kind of song that just so easy to love.  I think this is sure sign that Carly Rae isn't going anywhere.

It's so nice to know that Canadian (or other countries) artists aren't always confined to their country.  I always thought Carly Rae was one of those gems that the rest of the world would never find, yet here we are.  Now if only someone would bring Dragonette over to America, I'd be set.  

Rihanna - Diamonds

Rihanna.  We have heard that name nonstop for the past four years...at least.  She doesn't know how to take a break and so she just keeps pumping out the same sounding songs over and over and over again until you just want to slam your head against the steering wheel whenever her voice comes on the radio.  Occasionally, though, we get a diamond in the blur of repetitive, blaring dance tracks.  And "Diamonds" is aptly named, because it is one of these gems.

"Diamonds" isn't the kind of dance song that Rihanna has been giving us lately.  It's still a pop song, yet she slows it down a bit and gives us something graceful.  You may remember "California King Bed" which I thought was lovely, but definitely didn't match the success of her other hits.  "Diamonds" is a similar song, yet it adds much of the strength and excitement that "California King Bed" lacked.  The chorus may be slower than what you're used to be, but it just has so much power in the smooth vocals.

Throughout the song Rihanna repeats the phrase "Shine bright like a diamond" with a playful, childish tone.  At first I thought it was annoying, yet I realized that this is the perfect final piece to the song.  While she's got you hooked with her beautiful singing, this little verse is the part that's going to burrow into your head and make you remember the song.

"We Found Love" was the kind of song that repeated a sentence so many times that it lost all meaning.  "Diamonds" is repetitive too, yet it keeps the meaning to the song.  There is such a strong emotion behind these words that it really does keep the beautiful every time.  Plus the verses contain poetic lines that actually sound interesting and make you want to listen to what she's saying.

While I could still use a break from Rihanna, I'm glad that she is giving us something a little different.  The ballad type song is still popular, and Rihanna takes this while mixing in her own style to make the kind of song that is sure to appeal to many fans.  I am very impressed with "Diamonds" and I think it may be one of Rihanna's best songs recently.

Ke$ha - Die Young

Throughout all of 2012 I've been saying how it's been a  boring year for music.  Well all of sudden, it seems like all the biggest names have decided that it's time to dominate again.  Today I'm going to try to cover three of the songs that stood out to be in the past week.  Starting with the one that, while it's good, probably had the weakest effect on me.

Remember "Born This Way?"  Remember how Gaga hyped it up, saying it was going to be a revolutionary hit?  Well, the song was good, but did not match my expectations from that.  And here we go again; this time it's Ke$ha who claimed that she would be reinventing pop.  And then she goes and releases a song that doesn't even reinvent herself.

This song is exactly what Ke$ha has always sounded like.  It's got an autotuned chorus, while she raps through the verses.  The lyrics are about partying and the like, sound familiar   Basically, we waited over a year to get TiK ToK part two.  Although, it's not all a repeat of herself; she also borrowed the same guitar riff that you've heard throughout "Good Feeling."  As if you didn't have that stuck in your head long enough.

It's not a bad song, though.  We have waited long enough that just hearing the familiar Ke$ha sound is nice again.  There's a reason she's been topping charts, and that reason should carry onto this song.  Ke$ha should keep in mind, though, that getting people's hopes up can lead to big disappointment.

So, in short.  The song is the kind of dance-track Ke$ha specializes in.  If you like that style, then you should like "Die Young."  And maybe Ke$ha will reinvent pop later on, you never know.  But so far, all we've got is her recycling pop.

Christina Aguilera - Your Body

2012 has been a bit of an uninteresting year for music.  I'm not even sure what the song of the summer actually was, a lot of people are saying, "Call Me Maybe," but I remember listening to that song way back last year.  Personally, I'd pick either "Wild Ones" or "Payphone."  But anyways, it looks likes things are seriously picking up this fall and winter. We'll be getting hits from Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, P!nk, Nicki Minaj, No Doubt, Nelly Furtado, and of course Christina Aguilera.  I feels like forever since rumors of a song called, "Love Ya Body" were floating around, well looks like it's finally here, only now just called, "Your Body."

Christina is coming out of a really rocky zone.  Her "Bionic" album was a much bigger failure than expected, and it all went downhill from there.  She's making a comeback now and this is the big single representing that.  It's powerful, it's got that really raw Christina sound that she's famous for.  She's back in action and not holding anything back.

The song moves quickly at first, but really breaks out at the chorus with a pounding beat.  Rough strength is put into everyone word as they're drilled into your head.  It's definitely a good strategy as it's so easy to get that rhythm stuck in your head and find yourself humming or bobbing to it throughout the day.

The lyrics also take a pretty strong approach.  Whether your listening to the explicit version or the clean version, it's still very clear what the meaning is.  "All I want to do is love your body." What else could that mean?  She's not making any unusual euphemisms, she's just shouting it out plain and simple.  Like everything about the song, it's bursting with confidence and strength.

The one thing that gets me about the song, though, is how formulaic it is.  There's nothing particularly new or unique brought out here.  I'm not going to drag on this, though, since she's coming from rock bottom, so it makes sense that she'd want to stick with the winning formulaic.  It's still a great song, just not as interesting as it could be.

This is going to be a big hit for Aguilera, the question is can she stand up to the massive competition?  It's going to be tough, but can she hold her own against the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and various others?  Only time will tell.

Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire

Alicia Keys definitely seems to be trying to bring back some of her big success back from her debut.  While she's had some nice songs over time, none of them have been very big hits like "Fallin" and "No One" were.  Well, it seems like her response is just to repeat, "No One" with new lyrics and hope for a hit.

Like "No One," "Girl on Fire" is a pretty song.  What it lacks that is the power and emotion that her previous hit had.  The song mainly just repeats itself with never really building too strong.  It's a slow song that stays at a leisurely pace throughout it's play.  While she does put some strength into the word "fire" each time she says it, that's about as good as it gets.  The song just feels like it should be building somewhere, but it never does.

By taking a slow tender approach, you're already crossing off the dance appeal, so that means that it had better be a beautiful song.  Like I said, it's pretty, but it's far from beautiful.  The lyrics are motivational, and could be emotional, but it just feels like there isn't any feeling behind them.  This song doesn't feel like it's about Alicia, it feels like it's about some girl that Alicia is being paid to sing about.

There's a Nicki Minaj version, too, which presumably is what will be marketed to the radio.  Like the rest of the song, Nicki is slow, boring, emotionless, and meaningless in her lyrics.  While normally you'd think that adding a rapper like her to the song would be an attempt to pick it up a bit, all she does is make the songs a few seconds longer.

The song is a bore overall.  Maybe it'll be sweet to hear once in a while, but it's not something that is going to keep people interested.  It simply doesn't feel like a hit.  If Alicia wants to recapture what she had with "No One" she should keep in mind that it takes more than the same formula to make a song into a hit.

Pitbull - Get It Started

Pitbull's career lately seems to be following in the exact footsteps of Flo Rida.  A while ago, Flo released, "Good Feeling" a song that sampled a much older song, that took a bit to warm up to, but was actually incredibly catchy.  Then later Pitbull released "Back In Time" which was essentially the same idea.  At the start of the year we got "Wild Ones" from Flo Rida and Sia.  A dancy song, that clearly showcased Sia much more than it did Flo Rida.  And just now we've got "Get It Started" a song where Pitbull sounds like the guest rapper for Shakira.

The song starts out with a Pitbull sounding plain and boring.  It's not until Shakira explodes onto the scene that the energy really starts to pick up.  Her powerful vocals really bring the song alive and actually make you feel like dancing.  Pitbull, on the other hand, sounds like he's doing his cheap, generic featured verses.  There's no playful rhythms or puns that stand out.  It's incredibly lacking on his part.

The song does keep the energy up with an electro dance-break  in between verses.  Normally I'm against songs that give credit to the DJ, like David Guetta or Tiesto, but that's exactly what this song should have been.  If they gave it to some big name DJ like Calvin Harris then he could have really gone all out on the electronic parts, while mixing Shakira and Pitbull together.

The song is able to keep the energy alive, though, and that is what really matters.  "Wild Ones" was a huge success, even if Flo Rida wasn't the star of it.  So, I'm thinking that "Get It Started" still could do good, but not great, if it starts to pick up.

Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Well, this song hasn't even been out that long and it's already making huge waves.  It's topping charts and everyone's saying how it's going to be a big hit.  Taylor Swift is definitely already a big name, and her return is sure to attract attention.

The song is slightly different for Taylor.  While she normally does smooth country pop full of sad emotions, this one is much more pop.  It's got a strong pounding beat, as Taylor chants about how she's done with her boyfriend.  Thrown into the mix is a spoken part, again emphasizing that she's not getting back together.  The song is catchy and easy to bob along to.

Lyrically, Taylor's done being sad and instead takes a more triumphant sound.  She's taking control of the relationship this time and won't let the boy back.  It doesn't offer anything new, but the lyrics are still clear and meaningful.

So, the song is good, but personally I don't think it deserves quite all the hype that it's getting.  While pure pop may be something new for Taylor, it's old news for the rest of us.  "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" sounds just like a good chunk of the songs you'll hear on the radio right now.  For some of us, we liked hearing Taylor's gentler sound in the midst of all the dance songs. Both lyrically and musically the song offers nothing new to this genre.  So why is it soaring up the charts?  Why is it going to be the most overplayed song in a month or so?

I like the song well enough right now, but if I have to listen to it everyday then I may quickly change my mind.     So, overall I'll say congratulations to Taylor Swift for trying something new for her and something that has guaranteed her a hit, but personally I wouldn't mind if she just went back to country.

Divine Brown - Gone

I've been meaning to post this all week, and but I finally got around to it today.  Anyways, this is the kind of song I'd usually not like, I'm not exactly the biggest R 'n' B fan.  Yet there's something about the way it's done that just has me hooked.

Divine Brown has the perfect voice to maintain the soulful feel, and yet make it fit into the catchy Pop trend.  The song has a call and response echo of "Gone, gone," that just keeps growing as you go through the song. It's easy to just bob along with it as he voice gets stronger and more powerful.  The song combines verses with the same style, as well as as spoken verse at the bridge.  All of it works together well in creating a nice song.

The lyrics are straightforward and to the point. "I'm gone, and I won't be coming back."  Divine Brown sings them with dignity and power.  This isn't a sad goodbye song, or an angry breakup song.  It's simply, I can't stay any longer.  It's easy to feel the power in her voice as she repeats this message.

While I find that it works well combining R 'n' B with Pop, the question is, will radio accept it.  I wouldn't be surprised to see it just disappear because no one's interested.  It wouldn't be the first time it's happened.  But I'll keep my fingers crossed that Divine Brown can pull off another urban style hit.

Nicki Minaj - Pound The Alarm

Before you read this post, perhaps you'd like to save time and just read my post on Starships.  Because they are essentially the exact same song with the exact same faults and qualities.

Structurally, they're identical.  Nicki starts out with a light bouncy melody, before breaking into her signature rap style.  Then once we hit the center of the song, she goes overboard with the autotune effects and starts chanting in a distorted voice.  So, all the same stuff we heard from "Starships."

Like, Starships as well, the lyrics don't really make any sense at all.  What does "pound the alarm" even mean?  What does that have to do with the rest of the song?  What does, "we're getting hotter and hotter, sexy and hotter," mean?  Is there any message at all trying to be conveyed here?  It really doesn't seem like it.  It's just another song that was tossed to Nicki Minaj for sales purposes.

And you know what?  Despite everything I just said, I cannot stop hitting repeat.  I know that I should hate this song, that there are so many things wrong with it, but I just can't.  It's far too catchy and I can never get it out of my head.  "Pound The Alarm" may not get any points for composition or lyrics, but it's got the perfect formula and with the casual listener today, that's what matters.  If you hear this song on the radio, you'll turn it  up and want to hear it again.

I guess that's really the most important thing, that people are going to want to listen to it.  So, Nicki's team may have to work on getting a little more unique and writing better lyrics.  Nicki is an incredibly original sounding artist, if someone needs to stick with generic dance pop, I don't think it should be her.

Nelly Furtado - Spirit Indestructible

Nelly Furtado has two major styles: rough and sexy, and deep and soulful.  While her last single, "Big Hoops," she went rough and sexy, this time though she's all emotional.  Once again she's taken her familiar style but still kept it fresh.

"Spirit Indestructible" is a deep song about inner strength, yet it's the way that it's delivered that makes it so powerful.  It starts with smooth vocals and easily slides into a powerful song.  The chorus begins with the line, "I have the spirit indestructible," which just sounds so majestic it's easy to imagine something soaring through the sky.

The song continues to build, while still maintaining it's tender feel.  It never turns into a dance song, yet it adds  in drum beats and chanting to build up the power.  It reaches its climax as Nelly sings, "Look at me, look at me, take me away."  It's a dignified sound that feels quite real.

Uplifting songs like this have been overdone lately, but it's nice to have one that seriously feels like it means exactly what it says.  This isn't a song telling you to cheer up because you were born this way, it's saying
"I am strong."  There is a clear connection between the speaker and the lyrics which is what gives it such a powerful effect.

Despite "Big Hoops" being a great song, it failed to achieve success.  I feel like "Spirit Indestructible" should succeed, but I said the same thing about "Big Hoops."  I'm really hoping it becomes a hit though, because it would be a shame for such an amazing song to go by unnoticed.

Justin Bieber - As Long As You Love Me

It was just a little while ago when I was saying how I didn't care much for "All Around The World," Bieber's promotional single, but the official second single is much better.

Stylistically the song is something pretty interesting.  It's still got that dancy edge to it, yet it's a bit more slow and tender than your party anthems.  It's a good combo because people seem to appreciate the tender side of Bieber, yet they also like something they can dance to.  The song takes a gentle flow through the lyrics, but things pick up around the chorus.  While it's not the most in depth set of words, there's just something catchy about the dubstep style, "La la la la love me."

Lyrically the song has a lot more structure.  It's the same old love song that we've heard before, however it does deliver a meaning at least.  It's a loving song, and that's Bieber's specialty,  it's probably best that he sticks to it.  In the song he sings about being able to survive hardships as long as he has the love of someone.  Yes, it's corny, but that's Bieber for you.

The song also features a verse from Big Sean.  It doesn't really add anything, but it does help break things up.  Big Sean fits in nicely, so I'm not going to complain.  Rap verses are common now, but finding one that actually connects to the song's meaning is always nice.

Clearly this is a good choice for a second single.  It's still showing off a new style of Bieber, but it stays true to the things that make him popular and loved.  Maybe he'll get his biggest hit yet out of this.  Or maybe not. But it does seem likely that it will be big.

P!nk - Blow Me One Last Kiss

This is one of those songs that came out and surprised me.   I really thought that we wouldn't be hearing from   P!nk is a while, now that she's a mother.  However she's back and she's ready to smash right back into the world.

P!nk is a impressive artist, as she manages to stick to a winning formula, while still making it sound fresh every time.  She's got her unique style, yet each of her songs always offer something different.  Her last two big hits were "Raise Your Glass," a party song, and "Perfect" a relationship song.  "Blow Me One Last Kiss" is different from both of them, it's a rocking break up song.

Unlike most break up songs, though, it's not angry and it's not sad.  It's more like, "Whatever, I'm done with this."  It's very in character for the P!nk's persona and it's a lot of fun too.  It's an upbeat song, and could easily be a party anthem if you ignored the lyrics.

The song has a nice pounding rhythm and it's easy to bob along with it.  P!nk rolls off the chorus in a fun style that really just flows together great.  The song is pretty much just a nonstop train that keeps on going.  It's a dancy song, while still maintaining the rock edge.

Like I said, the song is a lot of fun and I'm certain it's going to be bringing even more success for P!nk.  With big names like Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Madonna not doing as well, I think it's time we got to see a superstar return with power.

Justin Bieber - All Around The World

I missed my usual end of the week post last week, but I'll try to make up for it with a double post this week. Right now, I've got another song from Justin Bieber's new album.  It's got some good and some bad.

Let's start with the good, because there's a lot of bad to get to.  The good part is that Bieber seems to be getting more comfortable in this new style.  He made quite the jump from his squeaky puppy dog love, to deep, sexy "Boyfriend" style.  It was a bit of a surprise to see the difference, which is part of the reason why "Boyfriend" had such an impact.  However, the song sounded robotic at parts, "All Around the World" flows a lot smoother.  It's combined with the typical dance sounds to make a much more listenable and enjoyable type of song.

Now for the bad.  The song is repetitive, meaningless, and boring.  First off he just repeats the same old things we've been hearing forever:  "You're beautiful, beautiful, beautiful."  Then we get to the chorus which is  where the song nosedives.  The lyrics are absolutely meaningless.  "All around the world people want to be loved."  What is that supposed to be telling us?  How does that related to the girl who's "beautiful, beautiful, beautiful"?  And the song pretty much just continues to loop like that.

We get an appearance from Ludacris, probably in an attempt to throw back to "Baby."  But his verse doesn't do much to freshen up the song.  It's the same kind of Ludacris rap we've heard before, which doesn't make the song anymore exciting.

It's been really confusing trying to figure what exactly Bieber's new single will be.  I think he settled on "As Long As You Love Me," but that hasn't stop radio stations from playing "All Around The World."  If it keeps up it might end up like Gaga's "Edge of Glory" and become the next single anyways.  Let's hope it doesn't though, because it's boring and I got tired of it after only one listen.

Owl City - Good Time

Summer has officially started and the song that'll be the anthem of the next few months is probably already on its way to the top.  This is an example of a song that seems to be trying really hard to fill that spot.  While there are songs like "Payphone" carry a meaning and just happen to be released strategically at the right time, "Good Time" feels like it was simply released to be a summer fun song.

Owl City teams up with big breakout girl, Carly Rae Jepsen, for this song.  I saw this coming a while ago really.  Aside from "Call Me Maybe" it's unlikely that Carly Rae's other Canadian hits are going to reach international success, so they're going to have to stick her on already international stars.  

Both of them shine equally, though, so it truly is a duet.  They trade verses while they blend together for the chorus.  They do sound good together, they are both fun voices and this song is all about fun.  Adam Young takes a deeper, smooth tone for his verses, while Carly Rae still sounds chipper and girly.

The problem is, this is a really big setback for both of these artists.  People like Owl City for something incredibly different from what they're used; Carly Rae shines in simplicity.  This song is a generic dance song.  The lyrics sing about having a good time, surprisingly enough, and feature the same old "oh whoa" on repeat. The whole song gets rather repetitive fast, though.  It's something that  you've heard before, and it doesn't even try to bring anything special.

I can understand the logic behind it.  Owl City really only had "Fireflies" and Carly Rae no doubt wants to bring out into the more mainstream style.  But if they're going to do what everyone else is doing, then they have to make it interesting.  I would have liked to see a little more of their individuality in this song.  They both put strong personalities into their previous songs and that's what made them great.

I can't say for sure how this song will do once or if it hits the charts.  Carly Rae Jepsen is big right now, so I'd imagine that a poppy song like this would gather good attention.  But can it keep that attention?  It's a pretty boring song, and yet that hasn't stopped songs from going to number one before.  I'm willing to just wait and see how it plays out.

B.o.B - Both Of Us

B.o.B. seems to have an unpredictable history when it comes to hit singles.  He's had ones that top charts like "Airplanes" and he's had songs that felt like they might be hits, but never really made it, like "So Good."  It's very clear that he's trying to get another "Airplanes" with this new song.

We've got the tender voice of Taylor Swift doing the chorus this time.  Sound familiar?  That's right, it's basically the role that Hayley Williams did on "Airplanes."  Taylor may be a bigger name than Hayley, but really she doesn't bring anything different.  And it's just her singing the same lines over and over again.  It's pretty the first time, it gets a little redundant after a while though.

Then we've got the rap verses from B.o.B.  They're good, they're catchy, they've got meaning; yet it's nothing new.  A common thing you'll notice with pop rap songs is that you really have to depend on the pop part to make things interesting; since most rappers sounds same once you've heard their sound once.  Taylor isn't sounding too exciting in this song, and the rap is all stuff we've heard before.

Lyrically, it seems to have a good meaning; it's just a little tricky to figure out what it is.  From Taylor's lines I would guess it's about not being strong enough to maintain a relationship.  Yet B.o.B. raps about unfortunate people in general.  Taylor sounds like she's longing to hold onto someone, B.o.B. sounds annoyed at the world.  There's a bit of a dissonance there, which doesn't help the song.

With all that said, though, it's not really a bad song.  B.o.B. still sounds good rapping, and it's clear that he does have his message in mind that he's trying to get across.  Taylor still sounds pretty, I just don't think she was the right choice for this particular song.  Still, I suspect that it'll be enough to make another big hit for B.o.B.

Alexandra Stan - Lemonade

With Summer nearly upon us, the song of the summer should be just around the corner.  Right now the frontrunners are "Payphone" (yay!), "Where Have You Been" (meh), and "Scream" (please, no.)  And then we've got Ke$ha coming back a little later; she'll probably take over once her next single arrives.  But for me personally, I think "Lemonade" is my summer anthem.  It's just the kind of song that would be so nice to sprawl out and relax to.

It's basically a sexier version of Colbie Caillat's "Brighter Than The Sun."  It's a mellow tune about throwing your cares away.  Alexandra sounds very exotic and very sexy as she sings the lyrics.  And yet the song doesn't build up into anything.  It remains at that chill momentum, which works for me.  It's not the kind of song you dance to, but more just the kind that you bob along with.

It does have serious dubstep featured in it, though.  The vocals are very distorted which just help to make it sound more exotic.  The background is a little cluttered of electronic noises, but again, it's something different and refreshing.  The entire song is just pure bouncy fun.

It's not likely that it's going to break out into the Americas at all, and if it does it'll probably be too late for Summer.  But it's still a great song and you can't stop me from listening to it as I relax in the sun.  I suggest you do the same.

Gym Class Heroes - The Fighter

In today's music their are several names that you will see collaborating with
 everyone.  Rappers need singers to make their songs more poppy.  Singers need rappers to make their songs more exciting.  Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, and Rihanna are showing up on everyone's songs.  So what combo have we got this time, it's Gym Class Heroes with Ryan Tedder.

The song delivers pretty much exactly what you'd expect.  The typical playful rhymes of Travie McCoy mixed with Ryan Tedder singing a tender chorus.  We've already heard the rhymes are songs like "Stereo Hearts" and we've already heard the tender chorus on songs like "Rocketeer," so really we're not getting anything new.

It's still a nice song though.  The smooth vocals have a nice contrast with the gritty rap verses.  It's not a dance song, but it's still got a nice bounce to it in the verses.  And it's easy to the have the hook and chorus stuck in your head and humming it for the rest of the day.

Lyrically, it's something interesting.  It's got the message of keep on fighting, which in itself isn't too new, but it's delivered well.  It takes a much more aggressive approach then your typical uplifting song.  The speaker asks for pain and scars to make him a fighter. It's something a little more unique and makes the song a bit better overall.

So, the song itself is nothing too special.  We've heard the tune before so it's not likely to make too much of an impact.  But it's still a sound that people like and it's got good lyrics so the song should achieve some success with that.

Katy Perry - Wide Awake

Katy Perry proved last year that she's capable of mastering the pop ballad with "The One That Got Away," a song that was both emotional and catchy.  "Wide Awake" is another strong step in that direction.

The song is a bit slower, but in no way is uninteresting.  With electric effects and strong vocals it's as powerful as any other song she's done.  But the raw emotion that can be felt in the words brings the song up another level.  Once again it's something unique and different while maintaining a sound that is sure to keep people hooked.  The emotion is perhaps even stronger than "The One That Got Away" making it just that much more powerful.

Lyrically, the song is the opposite of "Teenage Dream," falling out of a relationship in unhappiness.  It's a tender message and personally I feel that it's easier to relate to than "The One That Got Away."  Instead of having memories of someone gone, this song tells what it feels like during the pain of the relationship.  Like the music it is something interesting and sure to get people's attention.

This is why Katy Perry is such a powerhouse.  She can juggle a variety of different styles and sell all of them.  She can be unique and creative, while not drifting too far from what we love about her.  "Wide Awake" is sure to be another hit for her.  If only Rihanna could do the same.

Rihanna - Where Have You Been

I just can't go long without posting about Rihanna it seems.  Since I started my blog with "Only Girl" she's released eight mainstream songs.  Like I've said before by releasing so many songs she gets boring really fast and the fact that all of her songs sound the same isn't helping.  "Where Have You Been" isn't great, but it's not too bad and it's her best shot right now.

Off of her latest album we've had her signature sound in "We Found Love," something unique in "You Da One," and a reunion with Jay-Z for "Talk That Talk."  All of them were repetitive.  "Where Have You Been" really isn't that different, however the main thing about it is that it is the right mix of familiar sound and creativity.  One of the reasons that "You Da One" and "Talk That Talk" didn't do as good was because they weren't the dance sound that people listen to Rihanna for.  On the other hand when she keeps up the same cheery, bouncy sound it gets annoying.  "Where Have You Been" sounds a little darker, but not nearly as much as has been. 

The song mixes quick paced, haunting verses with the signature blaring sound of Rihanna that we're all used to in the chorus.  Rihanna gets a little more electronic with this one which is a good move and this time it isn't as redundant as it is in "We Found Love"  The song is definitely dance and is sure to make you do just that, but it also offers a slightly different sound. 

This album has been a bit of a low point for Rihanna with two songs to considerably poor for her standards.  I give her thumbs up for trying different things, but that doesn't work if the songs are no good, and she can't rely on the dance factor if they're not dance songs.  That's why "Where Have You Been" is a good way for her to end this run.  It's going to remind people that she can still make us dance, while still being a little creative.  It's being released just in time for summer so I'm guessing that's why she was holding it back for now.  It's pretty much guaranteed for success since it's the familiar sound that does so well.  I say it's good enough for me considering how annoying Rihanna can get, but I hope she actually puts some serious work into her next album. 

Usher - Scream

Usher tends to be a little hit and miss with me.  "OMG" was interesting, but didn't have enough to keep me hooked, while "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" and "More" were both very catchy and dancy, but not particularly unique.  However, "Scream" has got to be the worst one yet.

The song follows the basic pattern that we've heard in Usher's other dance songs, as well as most dance song today.  It never does anything interesting, it doesn't build, there's nothing at all to keep me listening.  It's not even that catchy, maybe on the first listen you'd be able to dance a bit, but after that it just becomes incredibly boring and repetitive. 

The lyrics are even worse.  It's the same old, same old, "I want to get with that hot girl" sort of thing.  So that on it's own is boring, and the lyrics don't anything clever or creative to it.  It's just a recycled old message.  But it goes one step further by filling the rest of the song with filler lyrics like "Yeah" and "Ooh, baby baby."  In fact you hear the phrase "Ooh baby baby" so much that it gets really annoying.  It doesn't mean anything, it's just a clear sign that they're trying to fill a dance track with whatever reusable lyrics they can find.

Like I've said, there is no reason to want to listen to this song again.  It is so tremendously boring with the same thing over and over.  The music itself is not enticing and the lyrics are meaningless.  But do you want to know what the worst part of this is?  The worst part is knowing that this song is going to become a huge hit, and it'll be overplayed on all the pop radio stations where I'll be forced to listen to every time I turn on my radio and I'll just get more sick of a song that I already hate.  I'm not looking forward to it.

Darrelle London - Fine

Something to always look for in songs in uniqueness.  Seeing as there are a lot of songs in the same style, with similar lyrics, that all around sound the same.  Something fresh is always welcome, and that's what you'll find with Darrelle London's "Fine."

The song is incredibly tender and sweet, it would make you feel emotional even if you couldn't understand the lyrics.  However the lyrics are very clear and it delivers a simple, but very sweet story.  This is the sort of thing that we've heard before with Carly Rae Jepsen or Demi Lovato, and it's a very lovable style.

The verses follow the tender, girly voice of Darrelle London as it bounces through the words.  The longing chorus is a bit smoother as she stretches out on words.  Both of those together and along with piano underneath a few silent pauses, the song comes off as very cute. 

Lyrically it's about love, but more importantly is the fact that it comes from a personal point of view.  The song is told from the point of view of a girl who is happy to be alone, yet still wants someone to love.  The lyrics have meaning to them and the song is sung with meaning.  It is easy to relate to while still being slightly creative.

The main thing to know about this song is just how over the top sweet it sounds.  Like, this is the kind of thing that you'd hear in a Disney movie.  I wonder if it's a bit too much,  but I've concluded that it is done right.  It portrays a very cute story, and the way that it's done is just right.  If you like Disney, you'll like the song; if you don't...you still might enjoy it. 

Neon Hitch - Love U Betta

Lately a lot of major songs have been drifting away from the typical dance sound.  Emotional ballads are becoming more popular as well as unique and alternate sounds.  But electric dance is still strong and Neon Hitch proves that with "Love U Betta." 

The song bears a lot of similarities with Britney Spears.  There's a constantly present electric beat throughout the song while the vocals play around with a lot of autotune.  Neon shows off a few different sounds as the song plays.  She starts off with strong smooth lyrics, but once the chorus picks up it's a striking sound paired with "eh"s and echo effects.  There's the typical dubstep style breakdown that you'll find at the bridge, as well as a spoken closing, which is also becoming common.

Now let's get to the fun part, the lyrics.  "Love U Betta" is the clean version with a much stronger word used in place of "Love" for the explicit version.  While a lot of songs will dance around the actual, sexual intention of the song; this one does not.  There's no dirty metaphors or double entendres, the song is flat out saying, "I can f*** you better."  The direct approach is quite surprising and adds something different to the song.  A lot of times I feel that the use of explicit content is unnecessary and only trying to get attention, but this is definitely necessary, it's the core point of the song.  It's something different and exciting which is what a still emerging artist like Neon Hitch needs right now.

People already know Neon from 30H!3 and Gym Class Heroes songs, so she's already created a name for herself, now we need to see if she can move off of that.  People are sure to notice "Love U Betta," but is going to be enough to boost Neon into the mainstream world?  I think that it can.

The Wanted - Chasing The Sun

Lately big names have been coming from all over the world.  Canadians are making international breakthroughs, Australia has an international chart-topper, but where it's really at right now has got to be the UK.  Adele, Jessie J, One Direction, and of course, The Wanted.  Their last song "Glad You Came" was enough to launch them to the top of charts all over the world, and now they're ready to keep going with "Chasing The Sun."  And really, it's not that special.

It sounds like the kind of think you've heard before and it doesn't offer anything new.  For me I could just imagine The Wanted singing "Till The World Ends," and it would sound identical.  It's full of "oh oh oh"s and lyrics about never growing old.  It's boring.  It doesn't build to anything, it's not particularly catchy, it doesn't give you any reason to want to listen to it again. 

The lyrics also don't give us anything too unique.  It's the same old message.  It's full of interesting metaphors, that don't seem to really have any meaning.  In fact, the whole song seems to lack meaning.  The boys put no emotion into what their saying so I'm certain that  they're just reading the script that they were given.  No doubt they just wanted to pump out another dance song and that's all they got, nothing more.  No effort was putting into making anything meaningful in these lyrics.

Where this song will go is a bit of a mystery right now.  On the one hand, they are riding off the huge success of "Glad You Came," on the other hand, is one hit enough to make people buy a boring song.  I suspect there will be some initial interest, but it will be a massive fall from the success of "Glad You Came."  It wouldn't mind hearing the song, but I don't particularly want to hear the song either.  It's just plain boring.

Maroon 5 - Pay Phone

Last year Maroon 5 debuted their huge hit "Moves Like Jagger" on The Voice, and this year it looks like they're trying for a repeat with "Pay Phone." The song has all the usual aspects of a Maroon 5 song and sounds pretty similar to some of their other stuff, but that doesn't mean that it's no good.

Like songs like "She Will Be Loved" and "Never Gonna Leave This Bed" it combines falsetto with bouncy verse and emotional lyrics. The chorus is nothing new, but as the verses roll along a bouncing beat with meaningful clever lyrics it starts to hook you in. Altogether the song is very catchy and it's easy to have it play in your head all day.

Lyrically it's actually got some meaning to it. The song tells a story about a break-up and the feelings afterward. You can tell that effort really went into something that was meaningful and sounded true, and not just some copy and paste lyrics.

The flow of the song is broken up by an appearnace of Wiz Kalifa. His verse doesn't really fit with the rest of the song can kind of throws it off for me. It's job was probably to keep the song interesting, which it did, but I would have picked someone else to feature on the song. He doesn't feature all that promently though, so we can just overlook it.

Maroon 5 already have the formula for a hit so I don't think they have to worry about "Pay Phone" doing poorly. They still managed to keep the sound fresh and interesting on this one and it sounds great all around. I'm certain it'll be another huge smash.

Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops

Like I said before, we've had a slow start this year for big hitters in the music world. Major stars last year like Lady Gaga and Rihanna are fading out, while Ke$ha and Christina Aguilera are holding out for a little later. But with summer coming up it's time to start looking for the song of the summer and we might have our first candidate with "Big Hoops."

It's been like forever since Nelly Furtado has released a new album, and we only got a small taste a couple of years ago with "Night Is Young." While "Night Is Young" was in her smooth gentle style, "Big Hoops" is her sexually aggressive style. It's just as strong as anything she's done and it's sure to really draw in attention.

The song is a little crazy, but it's clearly an organized crazy. Chanting "the bigger the better," opens the song and continues to pound throughout the rest of the song. Nelly fills her verses with clever lyrics, while the chorus is just a simple bouncy, "I can go fast, I can go slow," followed by an island style "Hey ey ey." It really comes together to make a blast of different sounds. It works really well and makes the song very enjoyable to listen to.

Near the end we get a little break where she speaks, "Oh, I thought the song was over." It's weird, but it's something to keep you on your toes. Nelly Furtado is making a big return, she's going to smash with everything about her that makes her so great. If only Madonna had done the same.

Right now "Big Hoops" is looking like the best bet for song of the summer, but Katy Perry is still hanging on, and if Ke$ha times her first single off he new album right she could also make a smash. For now, we'll have to wait and see.

Dragonette - Let It Go

I don't know if I ever mentioned it before, but I absolutely love Dragonette. I think they are one of the best acts out there right now; such a unique sounds and always catchy. "Let It Go" does not disappoint.

The song follows a mellow electronic beat with consistent electronic, almost distant, vocals. The song displays many of Dragonette's signature sounds like Martina's pronounced vocals and echoing effects. However, it also sounds fresh and unique. The song doesn't build up too strong, but it works in the mellow style. It still manages to create a powerful effect with other tricks, such as when the music holds back and the vocals come forward for the second verse.

Lyrically, the song is hard to make sense of, but that's nothing new for Dragonette. Their songs have always been a little kooky with poetic lyrics that could be interpreted different ways. Lyrics are important to me, and so this is a bit of downside, but it's not like it's unexpected, and it least the lyrics do seem to have some purpose and aren't just some nonsense over a dance beat. If you analyzed the song, there's probably a meaning or two to it, my guess is sex, but it could be anything.

Dragonette smashed international with Martin Solveig on "Hello" last year so the world is ready for something new and unique from them. It's bound to be another big hit in Canada, but it's hard to say whether it will get noticed anywhere else in the world. Canada has been getting a lot of recognition in the world of music lately, Carly Rae Jepsen had her big break out, K'naan getting some success, even Flo Rida's got some new protegee from Canada. So let's cross our fingers that Dragonette can ride on the success too.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Curiosity

Carly Rae Jepsen has just been doing amazing lately. "Call Me Maybe" was a huge hit in Canada and now it's making a strong run in the US as well; now it's time to move onto her next single, "Curiosity."

"Curiosity" is an interesting blend, on the one hand it's got a darker feeling that "Call Me Maybe," but it's still got her perky sound. While the verses offer a more mysterious sort of sound, the chorus bounces right back up to the usual fun sound. It's easy to just nod along with the catchy "Oh oh oh"s and forget about the rest of the song.

The biggest snag for me is the lyrics; I don't exactly follow them. My first thought was that it was about being stuck in a toxic relationship, yet now I'm thinking it might be something more positive. The first verse seems to be about being hurt in a relationship, yet other lines where she talks about following him home in the rain, make it sound like it actually is love. It doesn't help that the chorus is just "Curiosity oh oh oh" repeated over and over again. It sounds like it does have a deep serious message, yet it's really hard to follow. The song just doesn't seem to have much direction and bounces around randomly.

If it was a catchy song the lyrics could be overlooked, and this song is catchy, but not as much as "Call Me Maybe." It's a bit of a step down when people are expecting more. You could say that since they're a little different in style that they balance out to be the same, but we're not looking for "Call Me Maybe" part two, we're looking for another big move from Carly Rae. So with a good, but not great, tune and confusing lyrics, I think you may be disappointed.

Carly Rae still can look forward to "Call Me Maybe" smashing in the US, but that might be all she gets; "Curiosity" just doesn't seem like it will hook listeners in the same way.

Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

It's been a bit of a slow start for 2012. Lady Gaga is gone for now, Rihanna is fumbling, Kesha and Christina Aguilera are holding off for a bit, and Katy Perry is just adding on a few final hits to her Teenage Dream. Madonna was supposed to be the big smash comeback, and she pretty much failed at that. But I think this song is one of the first big moments of the year.

We all knew that it was coming, Justin Bieber couldn't keep being the cute little boy that he debuted as. With "Boyfriend" he makes the full transformation from an annoying squeaky voiced boy to a sexy singer. He's really filling the void that Justin Timberlake has left us. Mike Posner briefly filled it, and now Posner is writing for Bieber, would you look at that. And when I say this, I don't just mean that he's similar to Timberlake, I mean that he is completely emulating his sound. He's got the deep, sexy sound mixed with the high tenor sound. He's got the spoken parts, and the stretched out chorus.

Bieber is fully embracing a new sound. "Boyfriend" is full of spoken, rap verses and combined with smooth choruses. Lyrically, though, he's pretty much the same as always. He wants to be your boyfriend, just like he has for the last five songs or so. But I think that's easy enough to ignore, it's not like you have too many other options when you're eighteen, and this message has been working for Bieber so far.

I was never a fan of Timberlake, so this song isn't one of my favorites, but I can tell that it's going to be big. This is the moment when Bieber fully enters the world of music. Sure he's had a few songs before that disappeared quickly, but I think this one has potential to be a hit. Even if it doesn't fall before reaching a new peak, it'll still be remembered for it's new sound. Still, I'm betting we'll be seeing it at number one soon. We've been waiting for something big to make this year special, this might be it.

Emeli Sande - Next To Me

I've been to busy to stick to my usual schedule over the current couple of weeks, but I'll try to balance that out by doing two posts this weeks. Anyways, we've got something interesting today with Emeli Sande. Once again, she's a unique sound that could really shake up pop music. It's been all about switching things up lately, what with Adele and all, and I think Emeli Sande is doing just that. She's similar to Adele, but very different as well.

The song may come off as a bit boring at first, but I find most slower songs tend to do that. Once you give it a couple listens you'll see how catchy it really is. It's got a kind of old-fashioned nostalgic style to it. It's not your typical dance song, and that makes it interesting. Of course, saying that has lost it's meaning lately, but I still stand by it; I think you will be interested once you hear the song.

I say it's not a dance song, but that doesn't mean it's any less catchy or danceable. The chorus is very powerful and what really brings the song to life. With a combination of "Woohoo"s and "Eh"s and it creates and steady beat. Add that with the underlying piano melody and smooth vocals and you've got a song that's very easy to move to.

It's really nice to see that we won't have to put up with the same sound over and over again. I commend people like Sande for bringing something fresh to the table. This song is unique, but still has the formula for success. Hopefully it'll be a break out from another unique artist.

Demi Lovato - Give Your Heart A Break

Demi Lovato returned to the scene last year with the emotional ballad "Skyscraper." It was a powerful song, but we have been a little overwhelmed with pain and suffering in music with people like Adele, Christina Perri, and Bruno Mars. Luckily, Demi switches things up a bit with the very light-hearted new single, "Give Your Heart a Break."

It's got a bouncy melody, cheerful lyrics, and a warm voice from Demi. One of those things has got to make you smile. Despite the song having a much less serious message from "Skyscraper," Demi still conveys true emotion. It's a loving song and you can really feel the loving feeling in her voice. Overall it reminds me of the peppy songs "Call me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen or "Angel" by Aleesia. It's just something fun that is sure to brighten up your day. The fact that it's also a very well done song makes it just that much better.

"Skyscraper" might have given Demi some positive attention, but I don't think it was as successful as they would have wanted. Hopefully, "Give Your Heart a Break" will be able to do a little better. It's catchy, it's fun, I'm sure people will love it. And with all the currently being expressed on the radio, it'll be nice to do what the title suggests and give your heart a break.

Adele - Rumor Has It

Before I get into this song, I'd like to say how thrilled I am about Carly Rae Jepsen breaking out into the States. She's always been such an amazing singer and "Call Me Maybe" deserves all the success it's getting. I just heard on talking with Ryan Seacrest and Justin Bieber. I think we'll be hearing a lot more of her soon.

Anyways, onto Adele. Adele is just amazing, right, you can't go wrong with her, right? Well, "Rumor Has It" is something that went wrong. It's just such a let down. We heard true power whether it was anger in "Rolling the Deep," pain in "Someone Like You" or a little of both in "Set Fire to the Rain." But there's none of that in "Rumor Has It." It's sad to say, but Adele needs to sing about painful break-ups if she wants to keep the style that's been keeping her so success.

So, it's not the most emotionally powerful song, but it can still be a good song, right? Apparently not. It is nearly painful to listen to. It's just her repeating the title line over and over and over again. There's no catchy tune to it or anything. It's just that pounding line over and over and over again. I would expect this kind of thing from Rihanna, but Adele...she's the superstar who's always put such meaning into her words. "Rumor Has It" doesn't even have any meaning to it. And if it did it would be killed after the fifth time you hear her repeat the same line. Really, Adele, this is such a disappointment.

So, it's not an emotional ballad and it's not a dance track. Analysis: It's not what people want. It doesn't have the same sort of message that Adele is famous for, and it'll either leave you scratching your head thinking, "What happened?" or "We get it, the 'Rumor has it.'" I mean, I can understand why she would want to try something different, but this is not the right choice.

So you're choices are it's boring, it's painful, or even if you're a big fan of Adele then it's a disappointment. It could still be a big song since Adele is just riding off the momentum of her previous smashes, but I expect the success will be much less than what she's used to. I've got my fingers crossed that she'll realize her mistake and release "Turning Tables" next.

Calvin Harris - Feel So Close

Something that has always bothered me is how DJs like David Guetta and Tiesto get the major credit for hit songs when there's really someone else singing. We'll be having none of that with Calvin Harris, though, he actually provides his own vocals for his song. "Feel So Close" is an interesting mix of being both unique and redundant.

You will immediately notice that this is the usual pop song you'll hear on the radio. Calvin Harris sings in a laid-back style that you really don't hear too much right now. It's far from the upbeat dance tracks, yet it's more upbeat than the emotional ballads. It's something new and interesting that is sure to get people to notice. And, as he is still a DJ, the song is full of catchy electronic sounds. So it still is essentially a dance song, just with much more mellow vocals.

Calvin Harris got international fame early with Rihanna's hit "We Found Love" and this song shares a key similarity: It's the same sentence over and over again. "We Found Love" was catchy enough that it took a while for it to get old, but it got old all the same. I can see "Feel So Close" doing the exact same thing. It'll be fun for the start of its run then you'll get to the point where you think, "How many times to I have to listen to the same lyrics?" It could easily get stale and a pain to listen to.

Something that we've really learned about music lately is that it pays to be original. I think that this song has enough novelty to get people's attention and boost itself up the charts. However I don't think it's really number one material and it could easily fall as quick as it rises.

Nicki Minaj - Starships

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.

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.

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.

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.

Flo Rida - Wild Ones

Flo Rida's currently made another big smash with "Good Feeling" and "Wild Ones" could follow on that moment. Personally I found that "Good Feeling" was a bit dull at first but warmed up to it, "Wild Ones" is the polar opposite, it's great at first, but has potential to get boring eventually.

The song starts out wonderfully. A smooth and catchy, yet still restrained, verse from Sia gets it started and the Flo Rida bursts in with his usual rap. It's a familiar structure, yet with Sia's voice and sound new to the industry it offers something fresh. The song continues like this for a bit, but eventually we run into a problem. Basically, Sia takes over the song. She has much more time singing than Flo Rida does, and by the end it's pretty much just her with Flo Rida only adding odds and ends. Sia's voice is amazing, but this was supposed to be a Flo Rida song, by the end it's a Sia song.

Like I said, it starts out very catchy and by combining powerful rap verses with a unique chorus. But once we get to the second half, and it's just the same thing again and again. Sia just repeating herself until the end. It's not atrocious but is this becomes a song that you hear a lot, then it is likely to get a bit tiresome. Flo Rida's raps always add life and the disappearance of them at the end takes away from the song sadly.

I won't bother saying too much about lyrics because dance-rap just isn't something that puts any effort into meaning. For the parts I can understand it's a pretty simple idea and nothing too special.

I think that people will like this song and it will be a big hit for Flo Rida. Who knows? It might be a number one for a while. But the problem is that it's not the kind of song that's going to be remember much once it's gone. And it certainly won't be remembered as a major Flo Rida song because it was most certainly a Sia song.

Will.i.am. - T.H.E.

Will.i.am. seems to love acornyms, earlier the Black Eyed Peas had the abum The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies) and now he's giving us The Hardest Ever. The Black Eyed Peas may been taking a break for now, but by this point the Black Eyed Peas aren't really much more than Will.i.am. and Fergie, and if you get Jennifer Lopez to replace Fergie than you can still turn out a hit dance tune.

This song has all the qualities to be a smash in the world of dance and by extention pop. JLo gives us a catchy, repititive hook throughout the song, while Will.i.am does his rap/singing thing. Combine that with a killer beat and it's easy to get pulled into a dancy mood with the song. The song goes back and forth between Will.i.am and JLo which keeps the energy alive and keeps the song very catchy. The only odd thing is the addition of Mick Jagger. It seems like a strategic move, combine the smash of dance with the rock sound of Mick Jagger, but it doesn't quite work out that way. Jagger's verse at the end of the song really doesn't fit and just throws off the whole feel of the song. It's like they just wanted to cram him someone to make the song seem special, yet it only ends up making it sound cluttered.

Another problem is the lyrics. Jennifer Lopez is just offering the same thing over and over and over again. The same sentence on repeat isn't too interesting. But Will.i.am's verse are just plain weird. I mean, I know that a lot of his songs have an abstract meaning in them, but those are usually clever and understandable. They're are just so many crazy lyrics throughout the song that it gets annoying. "I woke up in the morning, hard like morning wood in the morning," What the hell is that?

The song has qualities, but it also has faults. I don't think most people care about lyrics too much today and especially not when Will.i.am's involved. The song sounds like it's combining a lot of good sounds, but when you hear it, it's nothing super. I don't see this song becoming huge, but it might gain some success. Let's wait and see.

Selena Gomez and The Scene - Hit the Lights

Selena Gomez is an unpredictable artist. She has good songs that get popular, and bad songs that get popular; and vice versa she has unpopular good songs, and some that deserved to stay unpopular. But no matter what song she has, it's never number one material.

She was able to get her biggest hit with "Love You Like a Love Song" which was both catchy and unique. Now she has to follow that, yet "Hit the Lights" might not do that. She turns up the tempo on this song, so she'll still get people's attention with the dance style, but it's not a very interesting song.

Musically, it's just another dance song with nothing new about it. You've heard the same type so many times before, so when a generally boring artist does it again it's just not that intriguing. Then there's the lyrics, which I'm a little confused about. The verses sing about lost opportunities, the chorus is about dancing. I can see what they were aiming for, but it just sounds so disjointed. One minute she's lamenting the boy she didn't kiss, then it's just party, party, party.

Like I said, Selena Gomez is unpredictable and I don't know if this song will be a hit or not. Considering how she's still fresh off the success of "Love You Like a Love Song" I think that people will want to hear this song. But will they get bored of it soon? How far will it go before it drops? This may be Selena's last song for a while so let's hope she goes out with a bang.

Coldplay - Princess of China

I'm not sure if this song as actually been released a single, but it's been getting a lot of attention either way. Coldplay haven't been nearly as successful as they used to be, so it only makes sense that they would want to do a collaboration with someone more pop. But did it have to be Rihanna? Like I've said time and time again, I am getting sick of Rihanna and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Personally I preferred the more tender songs of "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" and "Paradise," but I can understand why they would want to try something different. "Princess of China" starts like a usual Coldplay song with just a little more dance feel to it. But as soon as Rihanna gets on board it just all goes downhill from there. For starters Rihanna's voice clashes with the Coldplay sound; their voices just don't work together. Another thing is that Rihanna really takes over this song once she gets started. While the Coldplay parts are softer, she's just doing her usual blaring sound. Which means, basically, we've just got another Rihanna song in the system.

Lyrically it's nothing too special. It's a breakup song with obvious metaphors. I can't understand where the "China" in the title comes from because they never mention China once in the song. The song also contains a bunch of non-lyrical vocalizing; this is one of my pet peeves, but sometimes it works, this time it doesn't.

There's nothing preventing people from liking this song and there's a good chance that it'll be a hit, but I'm just so tired of hearing the same thing from Rihanna over and over again. This is just another one of her songs, but it features Coldplay. And she's still not doing anything new or exciting. To me this song is just a bore.