Your Love – Nicki Minaj – The Annie Lonax sample is a give away as to how serious the rap world is taking Minaj. That’s some bucks but that’s not why. Lil Kim got it wrong, she doesn’t wanna be the next gangsta bitch, she wants to be the next Aaliyah. She wants to be a pop queen. And this won’t hurt at all.
Always Belong To You – Michelle Shaprow – Song two off the EP and the fit is tighter, the vocals sweeter, the beat louche and cool and the move from verse to bridge to chorus and back seamless and the back up singer a soft sigh. And yet off kilter…
Sometimes I Don’t Need To believe In Anything – Teenage Fanclub – Brit rock. This sounds like Prefab Sproat meet earlyBlur? Nah, early Teenage Fanclub. It is a bit whatever, and the lead singer sounds too much like Paul Heaton, plus the ending is meant to be another hook and doesn’t. HOWEVER THE CHORUS IS FANTASTIC AND SAVES THE SONG!!!
Billionaire (feat Bruno Mars) – Travis McCoy – The rapper from Gym Class Heroes makes a solo move and it is a fun, novelty poppy hip hoppy? Best moment: “…hum a few bars to buy a few cars”. Nothing here is close to as witty as Biggie.
Up On The Ridge – Dierks Bentley – The fiffles hold the song together all the way through but the same isn’t up to much. I preferred when he was a little more easy going.
Bilar – Ratatat – I’ve liked ratatat since I heard em on a coupla of Kid Cudi tracks but I really think they’ve gone as far as they can with electronic instrumentals. This is very clever stuff but so what? So is everything else. And I am having trouble connecting his cleverness to its… sensibilities.
Paris (Ooh La La) – Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – Dan Aquilante gave the album a 4 star review in the New York Post and if I’d read it before I’d bought the entire album, I wouldn’t have bought the entire album. This is a great blues screamer, the album has its moments.
You Lost Me – Christina Aguilara – Watching Christina cavort through her PR machinary the past two weeks has been nothing but depressing. I have bought three songs, and I’ve liked all three, especially and by far this lovely power ballad. But she is irritating the fuck out of me.
Microphone Fiend – Rakim – Free forming? I have a friend who claims Rakim is the greatest rapper of all time. I say, Rakim is insufferably self-important. Good rapper but and this sounds like Public Enemy though the backing track is a little.. Old fashioned.
Look Like (Young Jeezy and Fabalous) – Plies – I like two of these three guys a whole lot. Unfortunately the one who I am less keen on is Plies. At least it has a good timey posse flow to it.
She Won’t Be Lonely Long – Clay Walker – This has been riding the country charts all year and you can hear why. When George Jones says Taylor Swift isn’t real country, he means she isn’t Clay Walker. This is a straight up no chaser country rock ballade and it sways beautiful. Sometimes Brad Paisley, a song like “Everybody’s Here”, can play it this clean. But George Strait is too dour and Eric Church and Jamey Johnson too up to date, and taylor Swift way too pop, and… you get the picture. It is rare to nail it so well. SONG OF THE WEEK.
Simple Tree – Blitzen Trapper – Sure I liked Furr -I didn’t like it that much.