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.
Friday, September 28, 2012
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$ha will reinvent pop later on, you never know. But so far, all we've got is her recycling pop.
Remember "Born This Way?" Remember how Gaga hyped it up, saying it was going to be a revolutionary hit? Well, the song was good, but did not match my expectations from that. And here we go again; this time it's Ke$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$ha will reinvent pop later on, you never know. But so far, all we've got is her recycling pop.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Christina Aguilera - Your Body
2012 has been a bit of an uninteresting year for music. I'm not even sure what the song of the summer actually was, a lot of people are saying, "Call Me Maybe," but I remember listening to that song way back last year. Personally, I'd pick either "Wild Ones" or "Payphone." But anyways, it looks likes things are seriously picking up this fall and winter. We'll be getting hits from Ke$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$ha, Lady Gaga, and various others? Only time will tell.
Christina is coming out of a really rocky zone. Her "Bionic" album was a much bigger failure than expected, and it all went downhill from there. She's making a comeback now and this is the big single representing that. It's powerful, it's got that really raw Christina sound that she's famous for. She's back in action and not holding anything back.
The song moves quickly at first, but really breaks out at the chorus with a pounding beat. Rough strength is put into everyone word as they're drilled into your head. It's definitely a good strategy as it's so easy to get that rhythm stuck in your head and find yourself humming or bobbing to it throughout the day.
The lyrics also take a pretty strong approach. Whether your listening to the explicit version or the clean version, it's still very clear what the meaning is. "All I want to do is love your body." What else could that mean? She's not making any unusual euphemisms, she's just shouting it out plain and simple. Like everything about the song, it's bursting with confidence and strength.
The one thing that gets me about the song, though, is how formulaic it is. There's nothing particularly new or unique brought out here. I'm not going to drag on this, though, since she's coming from rock bottom, so it makes sense that she'd want to stick with the winning formulaic. It's still a great song, just not as interesting as it could be.
This is going to be a big hit for Aguilera, the question is can she stand up to the massive competition? It's going to be tough, but can she hold her own against the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and various others? Only time will tell.
Friday, September 14, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, August 24, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
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.
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.
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