Savvy Spotlight VIDEO: Pol-B - Campaign Season
Check out the latest video from Savvy Spotlight Artist Pol-B! Currently, Pol-B is loading up tracks for his highly anticipated sophomore album entitled Campaign Season, coming very soon. If you haven't heard of Pol-B, click here to check out the exclusive interview with Sound-Savvy and listen to some cuts off his first album, Unsilenced, as well as some tracks from his upcoming project. Let me know what ya think... UPDATE: THIS VIDEO IS NOW STREAMED IN HD TO ENHANCE YOUR VIEWING EXPERIENCE... ENJOY!
Video: Asher Roth feat. Cee-Lo - Be By Myself
Asher gets bonus points for making this video stimulating to the eye. Vivid colors, entrancing effects and beautiful ladies give this video a cool edge and a creative twist. I'm sure the first 5000 purchasers of the album have an enhanced perspective of the video; in fact, I'm sure it was done this way just for the tree-hugger in us all. Be By Myself features the vocals of Cee-Lo and is the latest single from Roth's debut album, Asleep In The Bread Aisle. Album in stores, review on the way.
Video: Maxwell - Pretty Wings
Yes ladies, he's really back... Maxwell keeps it simple in his comeback video for Pretty Wings, the first single from his forthcoming trilogy album Black Summers' Night. The first album in the trilogy is entitled Black and is slated for a set to be released on July 7th. Check out the video here or you can click here for my review of the song...
Chris J. feat Plies - Don't Need No Man
R. Kelly feat. OJ Da Juiceman - Supaman High
I could almost rock with this joint, it's not groundbreaking or a classic by any means, but it has a certain level of bang-a-bility. However, listening to OJ Da Juiceman yell "AYE" every couple seconds is sickening after the first minute. It sounds more like a wounded puppy learning to bark. I think it's really time for R. Kelly to get off these club songs and go back to his grown man art and start singing again, REAL music.
The Backstreet Boys Are Back... Or Are They?
Mel B.'s Still Got Spice in Vegas 'Peep Show'
Title: Peep Show: A Tale With A Tease
Stars: Mel B., Kelly Monaco
Location: Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas
If you’ve ever been to
Peep Show is the tastefully topless yet sinfully sweet stage show that pays homage to the breasts: the boobies, the ta-tas, the tittays, the flapjacks, the hooters, the twins, the smother-me-now bitches. If you’re an ass-man, this probably isn’t your show, but hey it’s Vegas so I’m sure someone’s working on it. The production of the show was carefully moderate instead of over-the-top, while the storyline adds a sexy twist to the popular nursery rhymes you probably read as a kid. The soundtrack is a rockin’ mix that includes Vegas-stage covers of pop hits along with some original show tunes, entirely backed by an all-female band elevated above the stage. And the set is an imaginative outlay that adds to the whimsical nature of the production.
Peep Show follows the story of a scantily clad Bo Peep, played by Dancing with the Stars alum and winner Kelly Monaco. Apparently, Bo Peep has lost her man and fallen into a disappointing sexual slump. Enter Mel B., a fairy godmother of sexual sorts, with the intent to empower our lovelorn character. Together they transform the imaginative set into a sultry parade of carnal fantasies, and with help from Red (Riding Hood), Goldie (Locks), Three Pigs (minus the swine flu), a ripped man-wolf, and her bothersome dog, the end result sees our star finding sexual freedom in her bathtub with a muscle-bound yet charming prince. And you know how these fairy tales end…
Musically, this show gets a bit karaoke at times, but to its credit the singing appears to be all live, no pre-recordings. The soundtrack added to some of the highlights in the show, including a sexy tease in the form of a cheerleader routine to Christina Aguilera’s Ain’t No Other Man, a seemingly innocent beverage-stand war culminating in a topless and bottomless swim in a giant vat of milk to the tune of Kelis’ Milkshake, and my personal favorite: a sexy, seductive straddle show performed to Ginuwine’s Pony, complete with a blindfolded topless dancer on a suspended saddle that swings over the stage and part of the audience. Of course, no strip show could be complete without some well-choreographed routines on the infamous pole.
The best part of the show is that it achieves what it set out to do. Peep Show is designed to be a striptease, an indulgence to carnal indiscretion and a whetting of the sexual appetite that encourages attendees to, in the closing words of Mel B., “go home and get laid”. In that respect, the girls keep it tasteful rather than gratuitous, and it’s a display of art in forms beyond nudity. The show is heavy on synchronized dancing, at times looking more like a music video than a Vegas stage show. In the end, I’d give Mel B. and her new crew of spicy girls two thumbs up on a well planned and executed production, a show I’d gladly peep again…
Black Eyed Peas ft. Busta Rhymes - Boom Boom Pow (Remix)
Maxwell - Pretty Wings
However, while we're on the subject of hiatuses, this is an appropriate way to get back on my biz! If you're going to take 8 years off and then stage a comeback, this is how you do it. Not departing from his signature style by much, Maxwell re-emerges with what I'd consider phoenix wings, but he insists they're Pretty Wings, the first single from his 4th studio album, Black Summers' Night. This project is said to be a trilogy of albums, released over three years, and each bearing the title of a word from the collective name (Black, Summers and Night). Pretty Wings is the first single from Black, the first of the three releases, due out July 7th. I'm especially feeling the mellow groove of this song and the horns add a nice touch of class. This is the new age of grown folks music...
Sound-Savvy's Open Letter to Lil Rounds
Contrary to how it seems, American Idol is NOT a talent show. If you were a contestant on America's Got Talent, you'd be a front-runner. Yes, you can sing -- you can blow from here to kingdom come. But American Idol is more than a competition to find the next best singer - Idol is about finding the next great artist. Lil, each week you hit the stage and do songs that are popular and well-known but you do second-rate renditions of the original version instead of top-notch renditions of your own version. Basically: If you do Whitney's song, the same way Whitney sang it, you'll be compared to Whitney... and do you really think you're better than Whitney? But if you do Whitney's song, but do it Lil's way... who can we compare you to other than you? Sure you add in your own ad libs here and there, but there is so much you could do to transform hits by legends into hits by Lil and you don't take advantage of that freedom. If I were you, I'd have used my big vocals to transform country, disco, or poppy songs into soulful versions. There are plenty of songs you could have easily transformed and applied your own style to, but you stuck with original versions, and while you continually sounded good, you weren't creative, thus boredom ensued.
Tonight however, I'm confident that you'll see the consequence of your failure to act - you'll be sent home. You've proven a failure to keep up with your competition, as they have each infused their own levels of creativity into legendary songs, which is why they've excelled. With you, you may as well perform to an instrumental track each week, and that has become boring. And so, it's time we say goodbye. I'm disappointed, not just because you'll cost me points in the office American Idol Pool, but because I had high hopes for ya. Well we'll see you on tour this year, and maybe some label will mold you into the artist they want you to be, since you don't have an identity as an artist yet. But hey don't worry, you'll join the ranks of the other robotic pop stars on the radio, just an ex-Idol edition.
Video: Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
Oh come on... we've ALL been there: You're out somewhere, whether it's a boring corporate meeting or a drab ceremony of some kind when a random raunchy thought pops into your head and mentally, you explore the possibilities of the inescapable "What If". They say men go through this every 7 seconds of their lives on average, but I shall neither confirm nor deny that allegation! I must say though, I love the rocker/party girl side of Kelly Clarkson in this video; it was time for a switch from her darker videos and sad undertones. If you haven't gotten All I Ever Wanted yet, "put the bottle down, cause you don't wanna miss out..."
Video: Ruben Studdard - Together
Mack: It's so good to see the big homie Ruben Studdard back in the music scene. It's been almost three years since The Return of The Velvet Teddy Bear was released which was, by the way, a GREAT album. Ne-yo penned this new track, Together, which is also the first single from Studdard's 4th album, entitled Love IS. The album features production by dynamic duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Ne-yo and others, and will be released May 19th. Since his last album, Ruben's gotten married, which might explain the glowy, happier look in this video. Very classy clip, but not over the top. Simple, yet stylish...
Ciara - Like A Surgeon
Video: Ne-Yo - Part Of The List
Mack: Thanks to bshepjr for posting... Ne-yo has done it again... Part of The List is absolutely one of the best tracks from his third album Year Of The Gentleman, which is, hands down, THE BEST R&B album I've heard in a long while. I'm glad he listened to his fans and did a video for this joint. Excellent video, his directors always have a way of capturing the feeling and emotion behind a song and putting it into a video (I know right, that's what they're SUPPOSED to do....) . If you don't have Year Of The Gentleman, you're seriously missing out. It's worthy of 5 Platinum Headphones...
Sammie feat. Yung Joc - Body Rock
New Single: Kelly Clarkson - I Do Not Hook Up
Album Review: Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
Gucci Mane ft. Busta Rhymes - Stoopid
Teairra Mari feat. Kanye West - Diamonds
Chris Brown Kicks It 'Round Here'
The dust isn't close to settling and Chris Brown is moving on with his career. In preparation for his new album Graffiti, Chris' camp has leaked Round Here. I'm diggin the sound of this record, but I also think Chris will really have to prove himself with this next album. I'm hoping for some growth and change in his sound and his style on Graffiti.
Video: Soulja Boy ft. Gucci Mane and Shawty Lo - Gucci Bandana
I just lost 4 minutes, 41 seconds of my life that I'll never be able to get back, and with my schedule, I could've accomplished a lot in that time! Soulja Boy, Shawty Lo and Gucci Mane come together for the Gucci Bandana video clip. The video has no point, just a bunch of guys over-exaggerating their wealth, flashing their jewelry and rapping about a fashion accessory more suitable for someone's mother than a rap star. What has rap resorted to when we're making songs off about Gucci bandanas? I guess this one just ain't for me to understand, still WACK though...
Video: Joe Budden - Exxxes
First things first: Fellas, her name is Milani Rose (watch the Google hit count explode!) . Joe Budden gets it in with his new video for Exxes off his most recent project Padded Room (click here for the review). The video is about 6 minutes of gratuitous (but by no means excessive) eye candy. As for the song, this was already one of my favorite cuts off the album. Joe Budden's popularity may have nose-dived, but his flow is still sick. Definitely one of the best in the industry, whether he makes your top list or not!
MINDSTREAM TOPIC: For Cheaters Only
Tonight's Topic on Mindstream is CHEATING... Do you forgive, forget and move on? Do you get even? Or do you just walk away? As part of the Sound-Savvy report, I thought it'd be cool to take a look back at some of the best 'cheating' videos (in no particular order) of our lifetime. This is not a definitive or final list, so feel free to leave comments with some videos you think should've made the list.
Asher Roth feat. Cee-Lo - Be By Myself
Kelly Rowland - Love Me Better
Is this really Kelly on the WHOLE song? First verse doesn't sound like her, more like Letoya . It's definitely an increase in confidence with the lyrics and the vocals, which is a good thing, and it's a great new sound for her. But then I guess it brings to light a bigger issue: Kelly doesn't have her own voice. I guess that's why Columbia dropped her, despite her last album Ms. Kelly, which is a really great project!
Lil Mama feat. Count Justice - Shake
Cassie Ft. The-Dream - Keep On Lovin' Me (Prod. By Tricky Stewart)
Day26 - One Night Only (Bonus Track)
Mack: Yes!! Finally a slow jam without Willie all over it! This is the type of track that should have made the album!! Shouts to my homie Keishia, who LOVES this song. She and I have a mutual problem: Some of the hottest songs were the ones they recorded during this season of the show - AND THEY DIDN'T MAKE THE ALBUM! One way to rectify this? Repackage the album and include these unreleased joints. I really LIKE Day 26, but the album was nowhere near as good as it should have and could have been...
Album Review: Day 26 - Forever In A Day
Release Date: 4.14.09
Sure there’s been a lot of fighting and excessive bitchassness on this season of Making The Band, but for the only male R&B group making significant noise in the industry, it seemed undoubtedly certain that the music would be their saving grace, right? WRONG. Just over a year after the release of their self-titled debut album, Diddy’s hand-picked R&B squad, Day 26, releases their sophomore effort Forever In A Day, which, despite the hype and hot singles, falls much shorter than it’s predecessor. This album is marred with ill-advised club songs, lack of vocal variety and an overall failure to mature as a group. The good songs are REALLY good, but the bad ones are equally as horrible.
On Forever In A Day the sexiness and sensuality on the album’s slower songs have received a noticeable upgrade, and they stuck with the tried-and-true B. Cox format, which gets old and boring fast. Perfect for their stage shows is Girlfriend, the ultimate fan fixation song. Then there’s Perfectly Blind, penned by Day 26’s Que and his beau Dawn Richard of their sister group Danity Kane. This song’s breathy vocals and flowing production make it a shoo-in for anyone’s intimate mixes. Add to that mix Babymaker, which is exactly what the title suggests. Reminds Me Of You and Then There’s You are two of the album’s best tracks and they both take me back to the days of Boyz II Men, circa the Evolution era. Both are characterized by very clean harmonies that rise above the simplicity of the production and a sense of vocal unity that was present in most of Boyz II Men’s greatest hits. Other notable highlights include Truth Is A Lie and Bipolar.
The main problem with this album is that Day 26 failed at an attempt to switch lanes. Bringing the bedroom boom wasn’t enough and as noble as the attempt at versatility is, this album misses that mark by a longshot. Aside from the hook, Just Getting Started was a rather disappointing start to the album, and I’d have gone with a stronger song, like the rocked-out second single Stadium Music. All this talk of stuntin’ and ballin’ on Started is a tad bit difficult to believe, especially when their televised lives tell a different tale. Think of Me is just overall boring and there’s nothing memorable about it. The guys take it to the dance floor on Need That, which incorporates a house-style dance/club beat, but it fails miserably. The production is terrible and the sound on the record is overused and worn out. Jazze Pha took the reigns on Your Heels, and while I’m sure he could have used the money, this track is another epic failure. The lyrics on Heels lack creativity causing the song to crash and burn. The only word to describe Shawty Wats Up is overkill. Five singers and you decide to add an over-synthesized beat with recycled production elements AND T-Pain on the Auto-Tune? I’d like to know who made THAT smart choice.
Overall, Forever In A Day is not the followup album I (or any other musically-inclined fans) expected to hear. There seems to be too much focus on beats and production and not enough dedication to showcasing the talent of Day 26. The efforts to diversify their audience base by trying new sounds, though notable, fail for exactly the same reason. These guys need to work with a writing and production team that can really bring out the talented vocals of the group with some mature subject matter. While they’re at it, they should definitely rotate the leads around some more: Willie dominates much of the album, while Mike's signature voice rarely gets beyond a bridge or ad libs. It’s not really expected for these guys to go beyond two albums, just look at Bad Boy’s track record with pieced-together groups! I was just hoping they’d go out like Danity Kane did with a bang; now it looks like they’ll just fade into obscurity…
Sound-Savvy officially rates Forever In A Day with 3 out of 5 platinum headphones.
Related Posts:
Day 26 - Stadium Music (Flashing Lights)
New Music From Day 26: I'mma Put It On Her
Video: Day 26 - I'mma Put It On Her
Monday's Motivation Muzik: Hoobastank - The Reason (Passion of the Christ Video Mix)
If you've never heard The Reason by Hoobastank, this song is powerful to listen to on it's own, the lyrics and the music in this song speak to the soul. But then to add these images from one of the most groundbreaking and powerful movies of all time adds a whole new element to it. So why did I choose this as Motivation Muzik? Today is Easter Monday, the day we celebrate that historic 3rd day when Jesus Christ claimed victory over death and Hell. His victory on that fateful day gives us victory - if he could rise above something as ultimate as death, then surely we can rise above our circumstances and become better people. He rose so that we may rise... Enjoy and happy Monday!
Marques Houston - I Love Her
Good Friday Flashback: Brian McKnight - The Day The Earth Stood Still
Album Review: Jadakiss - The Last Kiss
Artist: Jadakiss
Album: The Last Kiss
Release Date: 4.7.09
If you show me a person who claims to have a bad album from Jadakiss, I’ll show you a person who’s either a liar or doesn’t know good hip-hop. J-to-the-muah delivers The Last Kiss, his third studio album and the final offering in the ‘Kiss’ trilogy. Line for line, Jadakiss is one of the best (albeit underrated) lyrical rappers to ever touch the mic. So while he’s only put out 3 studio albums compared to 6 by a better charting rapper, Jada makes up for his lack of quantity with a surplus of quality – and that makes all the difference. The Last Kiss brings to the table a slew of featured artists, which is where the project tends to fall a bit short.
As good as The Last Kiss is, I won’t go so far as to say it’s a classic. Pain and Torture is the opening track, jump-starting the project on a very high note. Definitely feelin What If, although it sounds like an updated mix of his hit Why feat. Anthony Hamilton. His content turns introspective on the Luther-sampled Things I’ve Been Through, while Pharrell and Bobby V. lend their contributions on another favorite Rockin’ With The Best. Wu-Tang’s Ghostface and Raekwon step in on another of the album’s best tracks Cartel Gathering. One of the standouts on the album is Jazmine Sullivan’s appearance on the Grammy-worthy Smoking Gun; she brings her soulful vocals to a song that really requires it due to the sensitive content. By My Side was a great choice for a single with Ne-yo tearin up the hook as Jada gives the ladies some room to turn the swag up. Faith Evans teams up with Jada to close out the album with Letter to B.I.G., an open letter to Kiss’ former labelmate, friend and icon in hip-hop.
The Last Kiss is not without some misses along the way. Swizz Beatz' contributions on Who's Real are hot, but can you honestly say it doesn't sound like something you've already heard (sounds just like the beat from T.I.'s Gucci Rag)? Grind Hard features Mary J. Blige and her vocals are just a little bland on this one, nothing really blew me away about this struggle-to-success story. Avery Storm has sounded better too, and his vocals on I Tried are disappointing. I’ll catch flack for saying this, but I wasn’t feeling One More Step with Styles P; even when they were in the Lox, Styles P wasn’t really on Jada’s level, so to hear him now next to a more mature and developed Jada really widens the gap.
While Jada’s talent is in great supply, the album’s features are what really take away from it’s overall quality. It seems that this album was an attempt to get more mainstream, which in turn leads to more sales – can’t fault him for trying. However, out of the 16 tracks here, he could have cut about 4 not-so-hot joints and made this into a classic album. Still, the album’s bangers are just that, and Jada’s still reppin the home of hip-hop to the fullest.
Sound-Savvy officially rates The Last Kiss with 4 out of 5 platinum headphones.
Related Posts:
Video: Jadakiss feat Ne-yo - By My Side
Jadakiss feat. Swizz Beatz and OJ Da Juiceman - Who's Real
Video: Electrik Red - So Good (Remix) feat. Lil Wayne
Brace yourself, Electrik Red is not Destiny's Child... they're not TLC, or EnVogue. No, these ladies are attempting to rebirth, or better yet, evolve the concept of the girl group. Sexiness is in tow and this time it brings along a different type of edge, an unapologetic sassiness and a get-in-line-or-get-out-the-way mentality. So far, it's coming off okay, but I need to hear more before I'm completely sold on this group. So Good is the first single from their forthcoming debut album How To Be A Lady Vol. 1 set to be released on May 26 via Def Jam.