Single and Listening

I owe you two of these a month.  Should be getting one tomorrow, too.  Would like to spread them out more, but just been so busy, lately.Single and Listening

 Single and Listening

Single Reviews by Release Date

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all over the place	carries a tune	part of the chorus	featured soloist	conducting the choir

 I review 4 divas this time around. 

Paulina Rubio “Causa y Efecto” Released:  March 30, 2009
From Latest Release:  Gran City Pop ♫♪
For a song from an album called Gran City Pop, I’d expect more of a distinguishable pop sound.  Maybe this is what Spanish pop sounds like.  First listen, I wasn’t really feeling it.  Second listen, I can tell it’s a Paulina song.  Suits her style.  Third listen, I can see myself singing along, head-nodding to my right, and air-tapping my right foot over left.  A capable effort, but it doesn’t blow me away.

 Paula Abdul “I’m Just Here for the Music” Released:  May 5, 2009
From Forthcoming Release:  TBD ♫♫
Sounds like Britney pop when it’s done right.  Jay-Z has proclaimed the death of Auto-Tune, but this song was released before that proclamation.  Perhaps, this is a nice last breath on the dance floor.  I can see it burning up the clubs.  A simple and repetitive beat might be its only downfall.  For that reason it needs a layered and complicated remix to really funk things up.  But, overall, it seems to work.

Amerie “Why R U” Released:  June 15, 2009
From Forthcoming Release:  In Love & War ♫♫
Love the hip hopped-out intro.  Amerie exhibits some pipes providing some nice layers and colors.  The call-out chorus works and pays clever tribute to “1 Thing.”  Some nice elements that don’t quite find their way to fitting perfectly together, but work well enough.

Mariah Carey “Obsessed” Released:  June 16, 2009
From Forthcoming Release:  Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ♫♪
Not bad, but I think MC is at a point in her career where the era makes the artist and the artist no longer makes the era ala’ Cher who had a disco hit and then 80s soft rock hits and then techno, etc.  Mariah may stay with the urban/R&B/pop genres more, though, as those are her areas.  A couple of lines of clever wordplay make it worthwhile and the spoken intro works.  It’s a grower; I’d play it more than once.  A slow burner, not spontaneous combustion.

 

MY TOP 10: Music Video Cameos — 3. Celebrities “Liberian Girl”

I thought it would be fun to countdown MY TOP 10:   Music Video Cameos.  That is, music videos with cameos by non-musical personalities who are known for working in other areas of show biz.  My criteria were that:

1) the video be memorable, of course;
2) the featured personality not be another musical artist at the time (now if they became musical artists at a later point that’s another story; they’re still eligible);
3) the featured personality be known at the time (not be an unknown who became known later); and
4) the cameo be a worthwhile part in the video (not just a 2-second spot).

3. Paula Abdul, Rosanna Arquette, Dan Aykroyd, Mayim Bialik, Bubbles, Jackie Collins, David Copperfield, Emily Dreyfuss, Richard Dreyfuss, Corey Feldman, Lou Ferrigno, Debbie Gibson, Danny Glover, Steve Guttenberg, Jasmine Guy, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherman Hemsley, Olivia Hussey, Amy Irving, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Beverly Johnson, Quincy Jones, Don King, Virginia Madsen, Olivia Newton-John, Brigitte Nielson, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ricky Schroder, Steven Spielberg, Suzanne Somers, John Travolta, Blair Underwood, Carl Weathers, Billy Dee Williams, and ”Weird Al” Yankovic in Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl”

Okay, so there are some popstars in there and that goes against my criteria.  We can knock them out of the running and that still leaves a lot of star power.  And, yes, these were some of the biggest stars at the time.  This goes to show the power that Jacko wielded at the time – to be able to get them all on the same set.  It’s fun to compare then to now and see where people are at now in their careers. 

Now, paint me clueless, but I like a couple of songs that use this as a sample and I didn’t realize they referenced an original Michael Jackson song until recently.  I love Jennifer Lopez’ “If You Had My Love” and MC Lyte’s “Keep On Keepin’ On” featuring Xscape.  I’m sure there are more as well as all kinds of other Michael Jackson samples and interpolations out there.  He is Michael Jackson and was at the top of his game at one point and for a very long while. 

That said, in my defense, this song/video was never released in the US.  It was only released in Europe and Australia as an official single for Bad.  Regardless, it’s a clever concept and that’s why it’s Number 3.

 

MY TOP 10: Music Video Cameos — 6. Arsenio Hall “Straight Up”

I thought it would be fun to countdown MY TOP 10:   Music Video Cameos.  That is, music videos with cameos by non-musical personalities who are known for working in other areas of show biz.  My criteria were that:

1) the video be memorable, of course;
2) the featured personality not be another musical artist at the time (now if they became musical artists at a later point that’s another story; they’re still eligible);
3) the featured personality be known at the time (not be an unknown who became known later); and
4) the cameo be a worthwhile part in the video (not just a 2-second spot).

6. Arsenio Hall in Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”

I may have broken my own rule.  No, I think he’s in there more than 2 seconds.  Less is more in this case.  I wonder if people (especially the young’uns) still know who Arsenio Hall is or that Paula Abdul was once one of the hottest pop stars in the universe.  He’ s a comedian and had a successful late night talk show in the 1990s.  He may be most known for his role opposite buddy, Eddie Murphy, in Coming to America.

At the time, The Arsenio Hall Show, was the only place you could see urban musical acts on late night.  (What was my mamma doin’ lettin’ me watch late night TV during school nights, you ask.  Don’t ask me.  I do not know.)  Some hip hop and soul acts, such as Mariah Carey and TLC,  performed for the first time on national television on this show.  President Bill Clinton even made a stop and played his saxophone while on his 1992 campaign trail, which is viewed as a crucial moment on his path to the White House because he connected with young and minority voters.

Arsenio lounged on couches with his guests (not behind stuffy desks like the other hosts) and all the while kept it real and kept it funny.  Paula Adbul was one of his friends and he did her the favor of appearing in her video.  Goes to show that it really is all about who you know.  And at the time, Arsenio Hall was one of the ones to know.

 

MY TOP 10: 90s/00s Pop/R&B Diva Music Video Jump-Offs – 8. Jennifer Lopez “If You Had My Love”

8. Jennifer Lopez “If You Had My Love”

The beginning of the J. Lo pop revolution started with number 8, “If You Had My Love,” released in 1999.   She was On the 6 and we were all on the subway ride with her.  Though she didn’t get her urban make-over until Ja Rule lent his magic with the “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” in 2001, this video got the steam going through the first singles until the excitement of “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and the J. Lo album, which put things into overdrive.

A portent of things to come for Jennifer and other pop-lets, it shows the world’s fascination with her through a mix of fans watching her every move on live room cams on her official website.  It was a clever use of modern media and examination of its implication on a pop star’s image, performance, and existence.

Maybe not the first video to incorporate the dance break, though it sure feels like it in the modern era.  Its influence is still felt today as Madonna and both Timbs are still doing it on “4 Minutes” in 2008.  Though her musical significance is in question today, at the time, we hadn’t had a grown dance diva with such flair since Janet, Madonna, and Paula before her.