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.