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 […]
Posts tagged "Pop Music"
Blerd’s Notes: A Guide To The Music Of Prince (Part Two)
Originally published 11/1/10 When dealing with someone whose released approximately 600 albums during his lifetime, it’s best to go piece by piece. When it comes to Prince, we’re gonna go five at a time. When we last left the Purple Yoda, he was on the verge of megastardom. “1999” was his biggest pop success, and set the stage for… “Purple Rain” (1984)– By the time “1999” hit, Prince was feeling himself so much, he convinced his label (and film studio […]
“Check it Out”: Or Don’t, If You Know What’s Good for You
I could very easily turn this into yet another post bashing will.i.am, who’s pretty much my favorite whipping boy. “Check it Out” is yet another blemish on an excessively long list of blemishes. Despite a reasonably intriguing visual, the sampling (of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”) is uncreative, his lyrics are completely meaningless, and there’s nothing that separates the song from the pack of unoriginal, Auto-Tuned, dance pop tracks that have crowded Top 40 radio for the past […]
It Takes Quite a “Commitment” to Enjoy Seal’s Latest Album
Full Force one sang that love is for suckers, and while I’ll leave the explanation behind that statement to Bowlegged Lou and Paul Anthony, I will say that definitive proof exists of one thing: falling in love can definitely fuck with your music. Case in point: one Sealhenry Samuel. Once best known for the Grammy-winning hit “Kiss From a Rose” (or his collection of facial markings), Seal is now best known for being Mr. Heidi Klum. And while we should […]
Chart Chat 10/27/10: There’s Something Sweet at the Top of the Chart This Week
The country onslaught continues! Sugarland scores this week’s #1 album with their latest effort, “The Incredible Machine”. The duo’s sound, which mixes traditional country with a more streamlined, arena pop-rock sound, was enough to impress 203,000 folks. Not bad, huh? The top four positions on this week’s Billboard chart are all new entries. Kings of Leon score the biggest debut in their history with “Come Around Sundown”. The band’s fifth effort scores a total of 184,000 units-more than double the […]
Bruno Mars Doo-Wops His Way Into My Heart with His Debut Release
If I’m a sucker for anything, it’s someone who can write a great melody. Maybe it comes from me being such a big Michael Jackson fan. Maybe it comes from growing up in the Eighties, an era when even the worst songs had memorable memories (c’mon, think about it). But when someone hits that sweet spot with melodic pop goodness, well…I’m putty in their hands more often than not. Which brings me to Bruno Mars. If you take a look […]
Am I The Only Guy Who Doesn’t Like Rihanna’s New Video?
I had to watch Rihanna’s new “Only Girl (in the World)” video before I finally got it. She’s supposed to be the only girl in the world! It all makes sense now!! I’m dumb sometimes. Anyway, the song’s OK for mindless pop, although nowhere near as good as “S.O.S.” or “Umbrella”. The video is kinda…I dunno. Just a little too much red and pink going on for me. It hurts my eyes. And this new “happy” direction for Rihanna just […]
I *Can* Go for That: The Bird & The Bee Sips on the H2O
Inevitably, what was once uncool becomes cool at some point in time, at least from a musical standpoint. I remember in the mid Nineties, all the alternative rock kids (who had come of age in the Seventies) began worshipping Karen Carpenter as some sort of goddess although she played the type of music that would have gotten her laughed off the stage at Lollapalooza. Not to say that Hall & Oates was the 80s equivalent of the Carpenters, but there […]