The Single Life September 28, 2006....
Time for another "Single Life".... the odds and sods I pick up from I-Tunes, Beatport, the dwindling singles part of the record store, Perfect Beat, or wherever....Here's a bunch of what I've been jamming to. As always you can click on the artist's name to go to their website for more info.
Keith Urban - "Once In A Lifetime" This is the first single from Keith's new album due out in November. Strangely it starts out stealing the guitar intro to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone", and proceeds to sound like a mashup of that song and his "Days Go By" song... Competently done, but after a whole lotta songs of his sounding like this already, it's not groundshaking. Grade: B-
Kaskade - "Be Still (Extended Mix)" Very New Order-esque trance song by the American DJ counterpart to acts like Tiesto or BT. Childlike vocals travel on a Mitsubishi-ad-style backing track works for its purposes. Good production on this one. Grade: B+
Luther Vandross - "Shine (Freemasons Club Mix)" The Freemasons have made a little cottage industry of infusing current dance songs with old-school disco samples, so why not go to the source? As much as I usually wince about the post-mortem releases that have come out, Luther's "Shine" does him great justice. It brings his work full-circle to his days with the disco outfit Change. Awesome, happy groovy song. Deserves much wider play. Grade: A
Stefy - "Chelsea" Well, imagine Gwen Stefani redoing Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This" with Berlin as her backing band. And hell, it works, amazingly. Short and sweet retro-new-wave number about catfighting. Grade: B+
Dave Aude & Tall Paul f/Sisely Treasure - "Common Ground" Dave Aude is good for remixing songs with an alternative but still accessible touch. Now for this own work, he does the same with a bouncy number with the requisite female dramatic and breathy vocals about some sort of longing/crisis/whatever. Just groove along. Grade: B+
Smash Mouth - "Story Of My Life" Well they finally put this out way after it's run on the adult Top40 chart. However it's cashing in on the "All-Star" and "I'm A Believer" vein from "Shrek" without any movie to help it along (and "Surreal Life doesn't count). Innocuous Bar Music. Grade: C-
Pussycat Dolls - "Buttons" You know, as much as I wanna hate 'em for being a Milli Vanilli-style manufactured act (only lead Nicole sings on the whole album), I have to admit as a package the PCD enterprise have put out pretty quality music. Best that money can buy, I guess (the Paris Hilton principle, without the assholiness). Great Middle-East groove with enough non-corny sexiness. Grade: B
O.A.R. - "Heard The World" Good for those of you into the hundreds of workingman alt-rock bands out now. Grade: C+
OK Go - "Here It Goes Again" The band and song now universally know for it's video, arguably the best rock video of this millenium so far, this song as power-pop genius works just fine on it's on. I'm so glad rock re-found out about melody again. Grade: A
JoJo - "Too Little Too Late" This little pop song picks up from the void left when Backstreet Boys and Nsync faded. Same Swedish-pop style guitar strum/minor chord change/insistent chorus. In this year, surprisingly fresh. Grade: B-
Stone Sour - "Through Glass" Stone Sour is lead Corey Taylor's Dr Jeckyll to his other band Slipnot's Mr. Hyde. This song is a straightforward rock song, with not even a trace of edginess. But pretty well done, and Taylor's in good voice. Grade: B
Breaking Benjamin - "The Diary Of Jane" With guitars sounding like I thought Stone Sour would sound like, basically brooding neo-teen-metal which isn't offensive, but not totally clear in its message. Grade: C+
She Wants Revenge - "Welcome To The Black Parade" First glimpse into their forthcoming album, and a very good sign indeed. It looks like they've taken inspiration for Green Day and produced a punk-epic song that's really moving and fun without being corny. Can't wait for the album, and song "Mama" with Liza Minelli of all people! Grade: A-
Sugarland - "Want To" I'm still unsettled by the exit of Kristen Hall from the band, which I so was happy for their success with their first album. I know it just can't be the old "I just want to write" story that's been handed around. Is it because her un-stereotypical un-barbiedoll appearance or her sexuality that got her kicked? Or strife with the band? Don't know if we'll ever find out. This is the first single without Hall, and somehow it does signal a slight change in sound. Though Jennifer Nettles' voice still shines, and the groups sincerity still shows. Grade: B
Craig Morgan - "Little Bit Of Life" Morgan gives more of his white bread-neck music with this ditty. Somehow I think by the way he sings he never does the simple things he sings about. Grade: C
Taylor Swift - "Tim McGraw" Very Very blatant cash-in on another singer's success. No reason for this, really. Blech. Grade: F+
George Strait - "Give It Away" George strikes again with his 41st #1 country song. Not his worst, by far not his best. At least not hokey, like he is prone to do sometimes. Grade: C+
Goldfrapp - "Fly Me Away (Ladytron, Chuck Barrett, and C2 Mixes)" Uber-electro artists put out new single, heavily cribbing "I Feel Love" and actually making it not as good. Ladytron puts a better spin on the song, with it's retro-wave synths. Grade: C+
Sergio Mendes f/Black Eyed Peas - "Mas Que Nada (Master At Work Remix)" I had to pick this up on an import at Tower Records (please don't close, my dear store...) It's good to have Mendes back, even if to redo one of his classics. Not the most inspiring remix, but still cool and breezy and playable in a good restaurant/club without being embarassing. Grade: B-
And here's the video for Stefy's video for "Chelsea"... enjoy
Keith Urban - "Once In A Lifetime" This is the first single from Keith's new album due out in November. Strangely it starts out stealing the guitar intro to Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone", and proceeds to sound like a mashup of that song and his "Days Go By" song... Competently done, but after a whole lotta songs of his sounding like this already, it's not groundshaking. Grade: B-
Kaskade - "Be Still (Extended Mix)" Very New Order-esque trance song by the American DJ counterpart to acts like Tiesto or BT. Childlike vocals travel on a Mitsubishi-ad-style backing track works for its purposes. Good production on this one. Grade: B+
Luther Vandross - "Shine (Freemasons Club Mix)" The Freemasons have made a little cottage industry of infusing current dance songs with old-school disco samples, so why not go to the source? As much as I usually wince about the post-mortem releases that have come out, Luther's "Shine" does him great justice. It brings his work full-circle to his days with the disco outfit Change. Awesome, happy groovy song. Deserves much wider play. Grade: A
Stefy - "Chelsea" Well, imagine Gwen Stefani redoing Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This" with Berlin as her backing band. And hell, it works, amazingly. Short and sweet retro-new-wave number about catfighting. Grade: B+
Dave Aude & Tall Paul f/Sisely Treasure - "Common Ground" Dave Aude is good for remixing songs with an alternative but still accessible touch. Now for this own work, he does the same with a bouncy number with the requisite female dramatic and breathy vocals about some sort of longing/crisis/whatever. Just groove along. Grade: B+
Smash Mouth - "Story Of My Life" Well they finally put this out way after it's run on the adult Top40 chart. However it's cashing in on the "All-Star" and "I'm A Believer" vein from "Shrek" without any movie to help it along (and "Surreal Life doesn't count). Innocuous Bar Music. Grade: C-
Pussycat Dolls - "Buttons" You know, as much as I wanna hate 'em for being a Milli Vanilli-style manufactured act (only lead Nicole sings on the whole album), I have to admit as a package the PCD enterprise have put out pretty quality music. Best that money can buy, I guess (the Paris Hilton principle, without the assholiness). Great Middle-East groove with enough non-corny sexiness. Grade: B
O.A.R. - "Heard The World" Good for those of you into the hundreds of workingman alt-rock bands out now. Grade: C+
OK Go - "Here It Goes Again" The band and song now universally know for it's video, arguably the best rock video of this millenium so far, this song as power-pop genius works just fine on it's on. I'm so glad rock re-found out about melody again. Grade: A
JoJo - "Too Little Too Late" This little pop song picks up from the void left when Backstreet Boys and Nsync faded. Same Swedish-pop style guitar strum/minor chord change/insistent chorus. In this year, surprisingly fresh. Grade: B-
Stone Sour - "Through Glass" Stone Sour is lead Corey Taylor's Dr Jeckyll to his other band Slipnot's Mr. Hyde. This song is a straightforward rock song, with not even a trace of edginess. But pretty well done, and Taylor's in good voice. Grade: B
Breaking Benjamin - "The Diary Of Jane" With guitars sounding like I thought Stone Sour would sound like, basically brooding neo-teen-metal which isn't offensive, but not totally clear in its message. Grade: C+
She Wants Revenge - "Welcome To The Black Parade" First glimpse into their forthcoming album, and a very good sign indeed. It looks like they've taken inspiration for Green Day and produced a punk-epic song that's really moving and fun without being corny. Can't wait for the album, and song "Mama" with Liza Minelli of all people! Grade: A-
Sugarland - "Want To" I'm still unsettled by the exit of Kristen Hall from the band, which I so was happy for their success with their first album. I know it just can't be the old "I just want to write" story that's been handed around. Is it because her un-stereotypical un-barbiedoll appearance or her sexuality that got her kicked? Or strife with the band? Don't know if we'll ever find out. This is the first single without Hall, and somehow it does signal a slight change in sound. Though Jennifer Nettles' voice still shines, and the groups sincerity still shows. Grade: B
Craig Morgan - "Little Bit Of Life" Morgan gives more of his white bread-neck music with this ditty. Somehow I think by the way he sings he never does the simple things he sings about. Grade: C
Taylor Swift - "Tim McGraw" Very Very blatant cash-in on another singer's success. No reason for this, really. Blech. Grade: F+
George Strait - "Give It Away" George strikes again with his 41st #1 country song. Not his worst, by far not his best. At least not hokey, like he is prone to do sometimes. Grade: C+
Goldfrapp - "Fly Me Away (Ladytron, Chuck Barrett, and C2 Mixes)" Uber-electro artists put out new single, heavily cribbing "I Feel Love" and actually making it not as good. Ladytron puts a better spin on the song, with it's retro-wave synths. Grade: C+
Sergio Mendes f/Black Eyed Peas - "Mas Que Nada (Master At Work Remix)" I had to pick this up on an import at Tower Records (please don't close, my dear store...) It's good to have Mendes back, even if to redo one of his classics. Not the most inspiring remix, but still cool and breezy and playable in a good restaurant/club without being embarassing. Grade: B-
And here's the video for Stefy's video for "Chelsea"... enjoy
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