One thing a new year brings more than anything else is promise. Whether you feel as though this is the year you’ll get that book deal you’ve been dreaming of, or that the cross-country road trip you’ve been planning for the past two years will finally happen THIS summer, the future, much like Natasha Bedingfield sang about in that Pantene commercial, is unwritten. With release dates only set a couple of months in the future, this is also the time […]
Posts tagged "John Mayer"
Spin Cycle: David Mead’s “Dudes”
For at least a few years, David Mead’s been on my “must check-out” list: I’d just never been in the right situation to give him a chance. I remember first hearing about him via my friend Paul, who described David as the cooler alternative to John Mayer, who I love. Actually, that might have been the reason I held off on checking his music out. When you take down one of my favorites to big up someone else, I tend […]
The Blerd Interview: Andy Grammer
As it turns out, Andy Grammer speaks exactly like you would expect him to. This isn’t a bad thing – anyone who’s heard his earworm hit single “Keep Your Head Up” is very aware of the positive vibes that are the 27-year-old singer’s stock and trade. Andy’s self-titled debut album hit shelves earlier this summer, and he’s already managed to cultivate a growing fanbase that revels in his sunny brand of optimistic pop-rock head-nodders. Andy greets me on our phone […]
Spin Cycle: Matt Nathanson’s “Modern Love”
You’ve got to give John Mayer props if for nothing else than re-opening the door for sensitive yet somewhat witty dudes with guitars who play appealing/hooky pop/rock. One guy who’s benefited from the Guitar Dude Renaissance (which has actually been happening for a decade now…geez, time flies) is singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson. Having recorded since the mid Nineties, Nathanson got his break big with the song “Come On Get Higher”, featured on his 2007 album Some Mad Hope. A few key […]
Popblerd!’s 2011 Grammy Preview: Pop & Dance
Pop is such a random catch-all term that it’s hard to figure out how the people that nominate artists for the Grammys figure out what constitutes “pop”. Of course, if you’re in the know, you just know that the labels that nominate their artists designate what categories certain songs go into, so…yeah, it’s totally random. This year’s nominees are the typical mixed bag of pop, a term that can navigate vast waters and describe everything from Michael Buble to Lady […]
Popblerd!’s 2011 Grammy Preview: Rock
It’s the dinosaurs, y’all! Grammy’s rock categories typically tend to honor those who have attained a certain tenure in the industry. Grizzled vets get carte blanche, and if you’re an up and comer, you know you’ve been accepted into the rock establishment when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences starts heaping little golden gramophones on your ass (i.e. Kings of Leon, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, etc.) This year’s most interesting category overall (to me) is […]
C’mon Son!: Five “Get it Together” Hopes for 2011
I realize that I spent most of the past seven days talking about how great music was in 2010, and like I’ve said before, last year was one of the best years for music (no matter the genre) in quite some time. That said, there were a number of musicians who disappointed me last year-either by making substandard records or by being complete asses publicly. Here are five artists who either need to right the ship from a musical standpoint, […]
Award Show Sundays: Sweet Baby James
One of my favorite Grammy Award moments occurred back in 2003, when two of the artists tagged to carry the singer-songwriter torch into the 21st century joined forces with the man who lit the torch for a wonderful performance. The young artists were Vanessa Carlton, then riding high with her hit “A Thousand Miles”, and John Mayer, who had already scored huge hits with “No Such Thing” and “Your Body is a Wonderland”. Carlton performed a shortened version of “Miles” […]
Taylor Swift Said “Speak Now”! (and the Masses Obeyed)
It’s safe to say that Taylor Swift has officially made the jump from country chick with a guitar to cultural phenomenon. No matter where you live or what you do, she’s as inescapable a pop star as there is these days. In an era when female singer and oversexualized images are almost synonymous, Taylor’s a throwback to a simpler time, sort of an Olivia Newton-John (kids, look her up) for the new millennium. Unlike ONJ, Taylor plays guitar and writes […]
All of My Heart Thinks "Half of My Heart" is a Pretty Cool Video
Over the years, John Mayer’s gone from a guy who I think is a really good songwriter and I would totally hang out with to a guy who I still think is a really good songwriter but otherwise seems like a total douchebag. Now that the dust has settled on the diarrhea of the month that got him in trouble a couple months back, he’s returned with a new single and video from his fourth studio album, “Battle Studies” (which […]
ChartStalker 4/25/10:Special Sunday Edition
Still getting back into the swing of things after being away for most of the week. Here’s what’s going on in the world of the Billboard album charts. Last week marked the second week in 2010 when no album managed to reach the 100,000 mark in sales. Justin Bieber’s “My World 2.0” notches a third non-consecutive week at the #1 position, selling another 92,000 copies. Things go into freefall from there, as the #2 album, MGMT’s sophomore effort “Congratulations” only […]
A View from the Side-Eye: Jay-Z (& John Mayer) in "NY-Z"
I love Jay-Z. Seriously. It might just be blind Brooklyn love, but it’s there nevertheless. There’s something about his (yeah, I’m gonna say it) swagger that makes me feel good-and only cats from Brooklyn have this swagger, this attitude. Sometimes, listening to Jigga is like listening to a black Tony Robbins. Nevertheless, the new “short film” featuring Jay-Z called “NY-Z” leaves me a little lukewarm. I mean, first of all, what purpose does it serve? Because Absolut vodka is sponsoring […]