Sweet Nothing- Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

Calvin Harris is quickly becoming one of my favourite DJ’s in the realm of EDM, though I think his true home might just be in pop. He is able to put together his music that he has produced with the right sound of voice. You might have first heard him on Rihanna’s track “We Found Love”. The tracks that are his with featured artist that you may know are “Bounce” feat. Kelis and the summer hit “Feel So Close” where Harris himself sings the vocals.

“Sweet Nothing” has that sound that I love and the pairing of Harris’ music and Florence Welch’s vocals, of Florence and The Machine, are pure awesomeness. Welch’s voice sings like a heavenly angel on a track that seem to be about a bad relationship that neither one seems to be trying to get out of. Can “Sweet Nothing” obtain the popularity of “Feel So Close” and the Ne-Yo sung “Let’s Go”? Time will tell, but the track as so far only obtained a #82 on the Billboard Hot 100, but hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Let me know below in the comment section what you think of this track, Calvin Harris, or Florence Welch.

RATING: 3.5/5

-JakeLX

 

Diamonds- Rihanna

When Diamonds was released on September 27 I will admit I wasn’t a fan. Then on October 2 it was released to radio for airplay. I wasn’t thrilled or amused. I just couldn’t understand why such a slow song was released as a lead single for Rihanna’s new album Unapologetic. I will also admit that due to the slowness, I really never gave it a shot or listened to the lyrics.

Thanks to the radio, listen after listen had me falling in love with this song. Lyrically, vocally, and musically it is a beautiful. The song lyrically seems to fit many different things in Rihanna’s life. Could it fit her breaking free from her destructive relationships and finally finding happiness alone or with someone else? Could it be her finally just getting to a place in her life that she is finally truly really happy? Who knows what Rihanna saw the song as, maybe just a beautiful song that she really wanted to sing. The fact is the song was written by Sia Furler. The song was never written specifically for Rihanna, but was played for her and apparently she liked it.

Vocally, Rihanna comes off stunning. While no one has ever said Rihanna has a bad singing voice, not all of her songs in the past have shown what her pipes are capable of doing. This song allows for Rihanna to really spotlight her song as her vocals intertwine with the music to create a stunning song.

Musically, the song is catchy. Like I said above it isn’t in the way of Rihanna’s vocals and is the background or platform for Rihanna’s vocals to stand on and be the spotlight of the song. I really am a fan of how the music builds from the beginning to the chorus and then back down again to build back up to the chorus once again. Despite the songs slower pace, it really does have a driving beat that keeps the song alive and moving to keep the listener engaged.

Overall, I think sometimes not liking a song right off of release can be a good thing. I feel like I am somewhat closer to this now and can enjoy it more because I had to piece together what makes this terrific song amazing and now one of my favourite Rihanna songs. I say to anyone out there that is like I was and hasn’t given this song a true chance, give it a chance. You might just fall in love with it as I did.

I’d like to know what your thoughts are on Diamonds or even Rihanna as an artist. Please leave comments below in the comment section.

Rating: 5/5

-JakeLX

 

 

New Battleship Trailer

Universal Studios has a new trailer for their new film set to come out May 12, Battleship. This trailer shows the movie off a bit more and in some better light. It definitely shows much more action and kinda explains a little better what the movie is about. Battleship was set to come out last year, but was pushed back to this May. I actually forget why it was pushed back. I know Universal recently ended its fairly new deal with Hasbro to develop more board games into films and had to pay Hasbro some large amount for breaking the contract.

I can only imagine it is because despite all the star power behind Battleship with Rihanna, Liam Neeson, and Tyler Kitsch, it hasn’t been well received. I think that could be it looks like a mix between Transformers and Battle: LA. Anyway, I do want to see it, but it depends on what else is coming out in that time period. I will see it eventually. Checkout the trailer below.

 

Miranda Lambert Hates Chris Brown

Miranda Lambert is not a shy girl by any means. Who thought she was? At last Sunday’s Grammy’s Miranda apparently was not pleased to see Chris performing two times in a row and then he won his first ever Grammy. She doesn;t like anyone supporting a guy who has beat on a women(of course we now know Rihanna must not care anymore). Miranda is even going as far as now incorporating a sign saying: “Chris Brown Take Notes” before she sings her song “Gun Powder and Lead” which I just learned is about a woman killing her abusive husband. Who knew? I sure didn’t. I guess her and Rihanna won’t be doing anything together like Rihanna and Sugarland did. Wonder how far this will go and if Chris Brown will respond? I say to Miranda, way to go!

Checkout the latest on what Rihanna and Chris Brown may or may not be up to together here!

Source: E! Online

 

Rihanna and Chris Brown Again?

I am very disappointed in Rihanna’s choice to be working or even possibly dating Chris Brown again. The rumours are that she is doing an extended version of her song “Birthday Cake” or that she is possibly doing a whole new song with her. Then there is the rumour that they have been seen out together and are possibly dating again. You can say that she is just being the bigger person and forgiving him, but I don’t think that she should have ever forgiven him. I don’t think anyone that beats up on another person should be forgiven.

I guess I am even more annoyed because after the whole Chris Brown incident in November 2009 we got “Rated R”. That album was a different less fun and care free Rihanna. It was great music, but it obviously was influenced by how she was hurt and damaged not only physically, but emotionally. Then in November 2010 we got “Loud” which was still a better Rihanna emotionally but still unable to love and trust again. Then this past November, 2012, we got “Talk That Talk”. It was a fully healed Rihanna who was ready to have fun and love once again. Now I feel like she is going to ruin it by getting involved with Chris Brown. This whole process for nothing.

I guess we can’t control her, but I hate to see people make stupid mistakes. I’m not the only person who feels this way. A lot of people have been in outrage over these rumours and one rumour itself says that her management is not happy with this and anything that Rihanna and Chris are working on they don’t even want released. Hopefully, RIhanna will play it smart and these rumour will not have been true though I am highly doubting that they will be proven wrong. I guess if she didn’t learn her lesson the last time with him then if something happens again, I won’t feel sorry for her. I feel like she will have deserved it because people who abuse other people are very likely to repeat that behaviour again. I guess only time will tell what happens… I just hope that it all works out for Rihanna.

 

JakeLX: Top Albums of 2011

It is that time of year again were it is time for me to list the albums that I purchase throughout the year in order from my least favorite to my number one favorite. Now please keep in my that I obviously bought these albums because I liked the music on them, so even if one is listed last, that doesn’t mean I hate the album. This year my album list is heavily dominated by women and British women at that. The 2011 list is for any album that I bought or was given to me between 12.01.10 thru 11.30.11 no matter what the release date was. So you will see some albums that came out in 2010 on this list, but that is due to the fact I didn’t own them untill after December 01, 2010. First you will see the list in descending order to number one. Below that I will explain some of the albums placement which I am sure some will question.

22. Treats(2010)… Sleigh Bells

21. Down The Way(2010)… Angus & Julia Stone

20. Science & Faith… The Script

19. When The Sun Goes Down… Selena Gomez and The Scene

18. Welcome Reality… Nero

17. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy(2010)… Kanye West

16. 21- Adele

15. Saxobeats… Alexandra Stan

14. Goodbye Lullaby… Avril Lavinge(Biggest Disappointment)

13. Siberia… Lights

12. Who You Are… Jesse J

11. Perfectionist… Natalia Kills

10. Love?- Jennifer Lopez

9. Body Talk(2010)- Robyn

8. I Am The Dance Commander… Ke$ha

7. Lights… Ellie Goulding(Biggest Surprise)

6. Talk That Talk… Rihanna

5. Pink Friday(2010)… Nicki Minaj

4. Nothing But The Beat… David Guetta

3. Ceremonials… Florence + The Machine

2. Born This Way… Lady Gaga

1. Femme Fatale… Britney Spears

Okay, now you have seen my list and am probably wondering why I placed some albums where I did. I decide this really on how I responded to each album. What kind of music it is, how fun it was, what was the meaning, how does it compare to the artist past work, ect. I have no set standard and that is what makes this enjoyable to do each year. Depending on how I feel each year makes different types of music take top honours.

The one that I think most people will be shocked to see is where I placed the Grammy nominated Adele’s “21″ album at number 16 out of 22 albums. The reason for this is quite simply two things. First, Adele has released singles of all the songs I liked on the album. You may think that is a good thing. I don’t think so because she released all the songs that would sale. The rest of the album to me is very boring and I quite frankly dislike it. She does have a beautiful voice, but I don’t want that beautiful voice putting me to sleep. Second, Adele-fatigue. Except for the albums singles, I don’t get the buzz for the album as a whole. Again beautiful voice, but very dry and boring except for those released singles.

You may also be surprised to see Britney Spear with “Femme Fatale” in the number one spot. Everyone likes to knock Britney down and say her voice is crap and all of that other garbage. Britney has made a name for herself and she is talented despite what others may say. In second place I have Lady Gaga with “Born This Way” and in third place Flo+The Machine with “Ceremonials”. Both do have far superior voices than Britney Spears, but neither have the legacy that she has. Gaga is making a legacy that she will leave behind, but her and Britney are very different. Britney’s legacy is that of a phoenix come up out of the ashes. The mid-2000′s and on were a roller coaster ride for Britney, but I do believe in 2011 she has proven that she is back and better than ever. She’s Britney, bitch… And she isn’t go anywhere.

As I said number two went to Lady Gaga. I adore Lady Gaga and would have loved to given her the top spot, but I couldn’t. First, Britney deserved it for the reasons I listed above. Second, Britney was my first CD ever with “… Baby One More Time” and I feel like I have grown up with her. I totally go crazy for Gaga though. Again, I find that they are totally different people. “Born This Way” was an excellently crafted work of art from Gaga and I love it. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. At the end of the day a fierce comeback and a sentimental reason is why Britney kept Gaga from number one. Again, I must stress how much I love and adore the very talented Lady Gaga. I would also love to request that at some point we get some acoustic or piano album from Gaga. Probably not as her new album, but somewhere in between the bigger albums. She has such a beautiful voice and sometimes the techno beats take from it.

Number three for me wasn’t hard to decide. Flo+The Machine were always going to be in the top five somewhere. Again, sentimental reasons kept her from obtaining the top two spots. The music Florence does is different and not exactly the same as the other two spots and that also held her back from the top two spots. Last year I gave Flo+The Machine the number one spot and “The Biggest Surprise” acknowledgement. This years “Ceremonials” is even bigger and more exciting than last years “Lungs”. This is another girl that I cannot wait to see what she will do next.

Biggest Disappointment— It always sucks when an album isn’t as good as you had hoped it would be. Last year this accolade went to Orianthi’s ”Believe”. This year it went to Avril Lavinge with her album “Goodbye Lullaby”. The thing that may be odd is that it isn’t even the a bad album by a long shot. It is at number 14 out of 22 albums. The fact is, I thought it was going to be a return to the old Avril, the “Complicated” and “Sk8tr Boy” Avril. It almost was and that is what makes it so disappointing. Another thing that makes “Goodbye Lullaby” a disappointment is the fact that we were told it will be out on this date and then this date. The date kept getting pushed further and further back. I guess in my mind she was creating a wonderful masterpiece that was going to be the most awesome thing ever. Avril use to be punk and then by her “Girlfriend” album she was more pop. Luckily, Avril herself said that she is already working on another new album that should be out sometime next year. I think she knows that “Goodbye Lullaby” was an album she did for herself. Again, not a bad album by any means and I love a lot of the songs. It just left me already waiting on the next album. So I wait…

     Biggest Surprise— Last years “Biggest Surprise” accolade went to Florence+The Machine. This year it yet again goes to another British women. Ellie Goulding and her album “Lights” was defiantly a pleasant musical surprise this year. I had seen her performance on SNL, but wasn’t sold until I heard “Lights” elsewhere. Ellie Goulding satisfies that dance, electro sound with some how still managing to let her beautiful voice shine through. That probably has a lot to do with her not doing real hard dance style music. Either way if you haven’t given Ellie a try, do cause you are SO missing out. She should have another album out next year as well.

I would have to say that overall 2011 belonged to the British women who seem to be gaining air play on our US airwaves. I call it the Second British Invasion. They all have beautiful voices that deserve to be heard and enjoyed. I hope you enjoyed my view on this year in music and allowing me to list the albums I purchased over the year. I have been told I don;t buy enough albums, but they are enough for me. Please do checkout any of these great artists if you haven’t heard them before. Spotify is an awesome way to checkout many of these artists for FREE. Believe it or not this isn’t a paid ad for Spotify, though maybe they should pay me. Spotify is just the way I first listened to a lot of these artist.

 

Rihanna-Talk That Talk

Overall “Talk That Talk” is a bit more fun then last years “Loud” or 2009′s “Rated R”. We still aren’t back to where we were with 2007′s “Good Girl Gone Bad”. The album is good and surprisingly there are only two songs that sound clubbish, those being of course “We Found Love” and another song “Where Have You Been”. Go ahead and watch my full review:

 

Rihanna Music Video Banned

The French have apparently banned  Rihanna’s hit single “We Found Love” from playing before 10pm. They cite that it uses too much prerogative images and themes.  I guess I find this shocking because I always have thought Europe as a whole was more open to content on television. They didn’t run to the press crying over something they had seen on TV. Now thought the are censoring this, which is a shame because to me censorship over every little thing is and American value, a value which I despise. The only reason this video hasn’t had to be censored here is because the only time it is ever being shown is 3am when MTV and its sister channels decide to actually show music videos.

Source: The Celebrity Cafe