Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2011, album, beyonce, music, premiere, R&B, video
This week has been full of Beyoncé news. On Sunday we got an iconic performance of “Run The World (Girls)” at the Billboard Awards which you can watch HERE. Beyoncé also received Billboard ‘Artist of The Millennium’ award on the same night.
Today we got a number of things. Most importantly, Beyoncé released her single called “1+1′, from her upcoming album, ’4′. ’1+1′ is a soulful ballad, with probably the best lyrics from any Beyoncé song. Beyoncé might have a hard time getting this to #1, but if Adele can make such a soulful song like, ‘Rolling In The Deep’ #1, then so can Beyoncé. You can listen to the song via Rap-Up and download it on iTunes. Beyoncé performed the song on American Idol tonight, and you can watch that performance below.
On top of that, the tracklisting for ’4′ was also revealed today. The album will include 12 songs, with the opening track being ’1+1′. There will also be a 2-disc deluxe edition which will be released on the same day. Check out the tracklisting below, and pre-order ’4′ by clicking HERE.
- 1+1
- I Care
- I Miss You
- Best Thing I Never Had
- Party (featuring Andre 3000)
- I’d Rather Die Young
- Start Over
- Love On Top
- Countdown
- End of Time
- I Was Here
- Run The World (Girls)
I was a huge supporter of Lady GaGa from the moment I watched her music video for ‘Paparazzi’. Her debut album, “The Fame”, and following EP, “The Fame Monster”, are both amazing albums, and there is no doubt that GaGa livened up this once stale music industry. Like many others, I was excited to hear her new album, which GaGa herself said would be the “best album of the decade”. When the first single, ‘Born This Way’, was released, I was disappointed to find that it was a carbon copy of Madonna’s “Express Yourself”. What I loved about “The Fame Monster”, was the originality of it. “Bad Romance” wasn’t only a catchy song, but an innovative masterpiece with a controversial theme.
I have to say that most of GaGa’s new album follows in the footsteps of the first single. None of it is original, and the overproduced tracks make it almost hard to listen to. I expected much more from an artist who made such an impact when she came onto the scene in 2008. The lyrical content in the songs aren’t all that bad, it’s the production that messes this album up. Some of the songs, such as “Marry The Night”, start off great, but after the beat kicks in, we’re in for a really bad headache. I’m sure that America will still eat this up, seeing as in most of the song on the Billboard Hot 100 are similar to the songs on ‘Born This Way – Generic and Bland. Look for a song by song review below.
- Marry The Night – Beautiful opening, reminiscent of Irene Cara’s hit “What a Feeling”. Then a horrible over-produced instrumental kicks in, that makes you easily forget how great the song started off. (6/10)
- Born This Way – Unoriginal, insincere, and corny. The song is catchy and fun, but too similar to Madonna’s “Express Yourself”. The message is great, however, and an inspiring song for the LGBT community. (6/10)
- Government Hooker – Nothing really happens in this song, except some random demonic screaming, and random lyrics. The vocal delivery is on point though. From the title, I expected this to be a much deeper song. (5/10)
- Judas – I was surprised when I heard this song, that it follows the techno-inspired trend many artist have been using lately. There’s nothing special about this except the controversial religious theme. (4/10)
- Americano – This is the song I was looking forward to the most and I’m terribly disappointed. The acoustic version performed by GaGa in Mexico a few weeks ago is probably my favorite vocal performance by GaGa, but the studio version’s production is horrid. Mariachi and Techno are two things that don’t mesh well together, and it shows on this track. This is a great song lyrically, but if there were going to be one ballad on the album, ‘Americano’ should’ve been it. (6/10)
- Hair – A corny pop song that will probably do great on radio. Nothing great about it, and it seems like it was written using a thesaurus. (2/10)
- Sheibe – This song confuses me on what type of artist GaGa is. We have corny pop tracks, whiskey bar tunes, and then this attempt at a techno song. (3/10)
- Bloody Mary – Boring with a bland chorus. (2/10)
- Bad Kids – This song has a great intro. The production is more bearable than on the other songs, but the chorus is weak, as well as the lyrics. (4/10)
- Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) – The song gets lost in the production. (2/10)
- Heavy Metal Lover – The lyrics are useless, and the production is too similar to other songs on the album (2/10)
- Electric Chapel – This is my personal favorite on the album. It reminds me of the GaGa I fell in love with in 2008. I love the lyrics, and the guitar is a nice addition. I love that this song doesn’t get lost in the production like most of the other songs on the album. (7/10)
- You & I – Hands down, the most memorable song on the album. The lyrics are beautiful, and it’s probably one of GaGa’s best vocal performances. The song would’ve been much better if they didn’t add the unnecessary additional instruments that take away from the vocals. Although I don’t think this album deserves any awards, if it were to win any, I think it should be for this song’s vocal performance. (7/10)
- Edge of Glory – Sounds like a blend of a 90′s sitcom theme song and a Pink song. Zero originality. The chorus is hella catchy though. (3/10)
M.O.G. RATING: 5/10
Natalia Kills has just released an epic video for her new single, Wonderland, one of my favorites off her underwhelming album, “Perfectionist”. The video is amazing, and it’s great that she didn’t go the route everyone was expecting, which was a lovey dovey cute dance video. Although I don’t think her album was that great, I do think she deserves a chance, and this video proves that.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 2011, album, music, New Talent, Pop, review
Natalia Kills caught my eye when she released her single, “Mirrors”, and I saw pictures of this very interesting looking girl all over the internet. I listened to a few of her songs and immediately became hooked. There’s something truly intriguing about Kills. She has a unique voice, and a cool sense of style. I also liked that her music seemed consistant; every song has a similar sound, which is like a Natalia Kills staple.
I was really rooting for Natalia, and I was anxiously awaiting this album her debut album, “Perfectionist”, which was released today internationally. In all honesty, the album disappointed me a whole lot. There isn’t much variety in the record, and at some point during the middle of the album it seemed like I was listening to one very long song. The beats are all too similar, and there aren’t almost any songs that I can see being successful on radio. My biggest disappointment, however, is that there aren’t any standout vocals on any song. I was expecting to hear at least one song with great vocals, but it never came. The more emotional songs were underwhelming. Some of the songs might grow on me, but for now, this album was not what I expected at all.
- Wonderland (8/10) – If there is any song on the album that might be a hit, then this is it. It’s a great pop record, with catchy lyrics, and a sick beat.
- Free (8/10) – Easily, the best song on the album. It’s the stand out track in every way – lyrically, vocally, and production-wise. It’s the most original song on the album and also the most relatable. I’d love to see how big this song could get with good promotion. More songs like this would have made the album much better.
- Break You Hard (6/10) - The beat is sick, and the chorus is catchy, but those are the only good things about it.
- Zombie (5/10) – Too unoriginal. I actually like this song, but it’s just catchy.
- Love Is a Suicide (4/10) – Boring and generic.
- Mirrors (7/10) – Although the song is a carbon copy of Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance”, it is extremely catchy and has great lyrics.
- Not In Love (3/10) – I was waiting and waiting, but the song never went anywhere.
- Acid Annie (4/10) – This song had potential to be the best song on the album, but Natalia’s underwhelming vocals ruined it.
- Superficial (5/10) – A Standout lyrically and vocally, but once again the beat is too generic.
- Broke (5/10) – It’s just OK.
- Heaven (4/10) – The song is good, until you get to the chorus.
- Nothing Lasts Forever (5/10) – Another OK track.
- If I Was God (6/10) – One of my favorites. Her voice actually sounds great, but I don’t like the chorus.
