It happens to almost every female Pop artist. There comes a moment when she decides to infuse her sound and image with a new sexuality, supposedly borne out of some newfound confidence. When it’s an artist with actual undisputable talent, it’s usually tasteful, if titilating (although there are some awkward exceptions). Then you’ve got the attention-seekiing, rite-of-Disney-passage hoe-down that seems to lure everyone who isn’t so Raven.
But the funniest has to be the when this sexual awakening magically coincides with the failure of an artist’s last few singles to do any real business at radio or retail. It befell Christina Milian (masterfully), Ciara (somewhat less so), and now it’s got Keri Hilson in its patent leather clutches. (more…)
The folks over at SoulBounce are celebrating “The Summer of Michael Jackson” with their picks of the Top 50 cuts in Michael’s extensive (and incredible) catalog.
While I don’t expect anyone to agree 100% with their pics, I suggest you take solace in the fact that they don’t either. It’s a testament to the man’s brilliance that we can argue about his 50 best compositions. Try getting three rational-minded people over the age of 25 to give a damn about Justin Timberlake’s best 7 songs. Go on, try.
Anyway, because I’m currently a tad too busy with the dayjob and a few other features to do such a list justice, take a look at the Bouncers’ picks, and be sure to check for updates every day.
So, when I was younger, I listened exclusively to uptempo music. If it couldn’t be played at a club, I didn’t wanna hear it. But as I matured, my tastes kinda flipped, and 80% of what I really dig is mid- to downtempo.
I bring this up because even in my youthful folly, Jagged Edge were on a short list of artists who made ballads that didn’t bore me. They harmonized brilliantly, and could write the hell out of a ballad. Sure, they rewrote the same ballad like six times (“Walked Outta Heaven”, “Good Luck Charm”), but dammit, each one was brilliant. Plus, they knew how to switchthingsup every now and again — 2001’s Jagged Little Thrill is one of the most tragically underrated R&B albums of that decade. (more…)
Hands Tied – Toni Braxton – 2010
I heard this a month or two ago and I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps I was just distracted by the video — a pedestrian offering in which the smokin-hot Braxton (along with her relevance-chasing haircut) tries her hand at a number of female-video staples: the gentleman’s club performer (exemplified by this En Vogue classic), the “Classy Stripper,” the moving Liebovitz portrait. She looks incredible, but it’s still a ho-hum affair.
So when the album finally got its release this past Tuesday, I figured I’d give it a shot. I recently discovered a soft spot for Toni B. It goes beyond my cliched support for the talented underdog. You see, for me, unless you’re Minnie Riperton or Mariah Carey, your high notes as a female vocalist really don’t impress me. But if you’re able to go low, and do it right — like Braxton, Anita Baker, and Carey again (Shakira used to be on that list, but her freakish “AutoTune-Unplugged” voice has started grating on my nerves) — you have a special place in my heart.
Toni Braxton has never been someone I looked to for full-album satisfaction, so the fact that Pulse ain’t doin’ shit doesn’t particularly surprise me. Plus, I never got the impression she had full label backing, anyway. Still, no matter how abysmal it is as a cohesive entity, every album she’s put out has had some serious burners — from “Just Be A Man About It” to “Talking in His Sleep” to “Trippin'”.
So as I browsed the album for halfway-decent shit worth a download, I realized “Hands Tied” is literally the strongest thing on there. It’s a smoldering, Oak-produced cut with a vocal performance reminiscent of her Babyface-assisted heyday, and a guitar-wail undercurrent that marries her “Trippin'” and Usher’s “You Got it Bad” to brilliant effect.
If the rest of the album had half as much kick, it wouldn’t have flatlined.
Aguilera’s new video premiered this morning. Seconds into it, it was clear: this is her answer to Lady Gaga The Dancing Costume‘s fame. Apparently, fans of both parties have been waging a knock-down, drag-out war for the past 3 years over Aguilera supposedly biting the style of a then-up-and-coming Costume while promoting her forgettable single “Gets No Better”* a while back. I can’t say for sure that she jacked specific elements from Costume for this video, but it’s clear: since the one-two punch that was Rihanna and Gaga, we’ve seen an avalanche of pseudo-edge engulf the music biz. Poor Kelis — she’s been doing it for a decade, but nobody gave a shit. *(or something like that — I couldn’t be bothered to look that shit up) (more…)
It happens to almost every female Pop artist. There comes a moment when she decides to infuse her sound and image with a new sexuality, supposedly borne out of some newfound confidence. When it’s an artist with actual undisputable talent, it’s usually tasteful, if titilating (although there are some awkward exceptions). Then you’ve got the attention-seekiing, rite-of-Disney-passage hoe-down that seems to lure everyone who isn’t so Raven.
MAD TUESDAY 