Jessie J- Wild Download+Review

Hey everyone! Jessie J recently unveiled her new single Wild, featuring Dizzee Rascal and Big Sean.  This is her first single to be released after Silver Lining (Crazy ‘Bout You) (2012) from the movie Silver Linings Playbook.  Check out a review of the new single down below. You can download the song on Itunes or Amazon MP3 down below.

Wild sounds like nothing Jessie J has ever done, and it holds true to it's name. It starts out with a very hard beat with a huge emphasis on the bass. The lyrics are the same way, with Jessie J spitting the lyrics like she has a vengeance. However, the mood of the song changes as quickly as it began, with Jessie J softening a bit into a more mid tempo chorus, yet the heavy instruments don't let up. However, the second verse quickly sets in, with Jessie J bringing back the same fierceness from the first verse. However, it cuts off rather quickly as we launch into Big Sean's verse, and even though it isn't very long (about 45 seconds) it manages to be a hit and miss throughout, with some of it not going with the beat whatsoever. However, overall it's a quick, enjoyable rap verse. After that, we go into the chorus one more time, followed by Dizzee's rap. Let's just say British rap is something you have to hear and review for yourself... :) Anyways, after his verse, the chorus plays again, and there, the song ends.

Overall, this is definitely not at all what I expected from Jessie J. However, it has a great new style that fits her perfectly, and I expect to be hearing it on the radio very soon.


           

                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                           -Colby

Beyonce- Grown Woman Review

Beyonce's newest single, Grown Woman, leaked on Tuesday, and of course I immediately stole someone's phone to hear it as soon as I heard about it. Now that I've listened to it over 2,000 times, I figured, why not do a review about it. Let's jump right in.

Grown Woman starts out with the familiar beat from the Pepsi ad, and becomes danceable from the get go. When the lyrics start in Beyonce manages to create a sound that's electric, laid back, and has almost an African feel at the same time. This is partly due to the electric feeling beat being joined with marching drums, that work perfectly with the swaggerish lyrics Beyonce fiercely sings out. Sometimes overlaid on her swaggerish, yet also (somehow) laid back lyrics are upbeat pop vocals, which pair perfectly with the rest of the song.

This song takes on many different identities, and a quarter way through the song pairs African backing vocals  with Beyonce's lyrics (lyrics that take on a more pop variant), which make for a more danceable, upbeat track. 

The song slowly adds on throughout, and midway through the song, it starts to lose its electric beat and starts moving towards more traditional instrumentals, with a large emphasis on percussion, which still maintain a strong African feel.

From there the song just goes into Beyonce saying I'm a Grown Woman / I can do whatever I want, which gets rather annoying, but the instrument still progress throughout, even adding flutes, which makes the otherwise boring verse much more interesting. And then, after another line of I'm a Grown Woman / I can do whatever I want, the song cuts off, extremely abruptly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this song. It's much more Beyonce like than the previous track Bow Down/I Been On. However, this was a leaked track, and at some points it feels very empty, as if they could add a lot to some parts, which leads me to believe that the track isn't 100% finished. But with that being said, this is a great track that I could see on any urban radio station.

                                                                                                                   -Colby

*NEW SINGLE ALERT* Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull- Live it Up Review

Hey everyone! Today Jennifer Lopez revealed her (annual) Pitbull assisted track, Live it Up. I'm going to be reviewing the song right here, so let's jump right in!

The song starts out with a beat that is unrecognizably the same as most pop songs today, and starts off with Pitbull's first verse. And while this beat does sound the same as most of today's beats, it works well with the Pitbull's first verse, however, once again, it sounds exactly the same as most of Pitbull's song, but honestly, when does he sound any different? The song has about the same tempo as "On the Floor" and is faster than "Dance Again" and luckily, this song does differ from the above two. Lopez offers variety than rather just singing, she also chants I Hit the Spotlight/ All Night/ Ready to Go/ Give You a Hot Night/ So Tight/ Ready to Go/ (don't quote me on that one, I'm awful with lyrics) very rhythmically as the beat builds up behind her and drops (very un-climatically though) to her singing, followed by Pitbull getting uncomfortably close to the mic and saying "Make love! Don't fight! Let's hook tonight!" and the beat then drops into a banging dubstep interlude, coupled with chopped up Pitbull vocals. Then the song carries on with Lopez's pop vocals, but very quickly goes back to the I Hit the spotlight chant, and the song pretty much just repeats from there with little variety.

Overall, I did enjoy this song much more than their previous two singles, as it actually offers a lot of variety, from pop, to rap, to dubstep, it covers all the bases.

Well, I hope you all liked the review! Tell me what you think of the song in the comments below, and I'll see you all soon!

                                                                                                               -Colby

Jessica Sanchez- Me You and the Music track by track review

Hey everyone! On Tuesday Jessica Sanchez's (American Idol 11 runner up) debut album was released, and I'm about to do a track by track review, so let's just jump right in! *Note* Most of my track by track reviews are very short, and if one of these songs is released as a single, I'll review it more in depth.




Right To Fall- Right to Fall is the perfect mix of urban and soul. It beautifully shows off her great vocals, while at the same time is also a very danceable track, with an electric esque beat, another urban element. I
could easily see this on any R&B radio station.

Tonight- Read Full Tonight Review Here

Don't Come Around- Don't Come Around is a much more pop track. This song was more geared toward radio rotation. The quick moving song doesn't show off her impressive vocals as much, but it shows how much versatility she has as an artist, as she can belt out "I Will Always Love You" or sing a pop ditty like "Don't Come Around".

Crazy Glue- Crazy Glue is the 1st ballad featured on the album. This song (so far) is the song that most shows off how much power she has in her voice. The song features a very powerful rhythmic beat, that pairs great with her incredible voice.

No One Compares (Feat. Prince Royce)- No One Compares is also a ballad song, at first, featuring Prince Royce. As the song starts out very slow, it soon transitions into an electric, fist pumping beat. The song stays
at a quicker pace for the rest of the song. So the song is much more urban heavy with only the intro and outro being balladesque. I could definitely see this on the radio soon, and I imagine it will be the next single.

In Your Hands- In your hands is a mid-tempo urban pop song. However, the song quickly picks up, becoming up-tempo, once again paired with an electric type beat. The song is constructed very well, as each verse starts out slow, and then slowly gets quicker and quicker until it reaches the chorus, and I can see all of her fans being pleased by this song.

Plastic Roses- Plastic Roses is a ballad about realizing that the guy you thought was perfect was actually all lies. This is another song that shows off just how much talent Jessica has. This is actually a very meaningful song, and is probably the best ballad on the album (so far).

Drive By- Drive By is a very R&B heavy song, vocal and instrument wise. This quick paced song is very radio friendly, yet still shows off her vocal abilities. The song features a variety of instruments that makes for a great instrumental track that pairs wonderfully with Jessica's voice. This is my favorite track off the album.

You've Got the Love- You've Got the Love features synth instrumentals with Jessica's
vocals. The song features Jessica singing so fast at some parts she's almost rapping. These two elements work together perfectly for a club banger track. But the best part about this song is that even with all that said, it's still able to distinguish itself from all the songs we hear on the radio today that all sound the same. Overall, this song is able to be a catchy radio song that actually has, variety.

Gentlemen- Gentlemen is another heavy urban R&B song. The song features Jessica singing swaggerishly coupled with a quick, equally swaggerish beat. This isn't how I expected the album to be closed, but it actually works
perfectly.

Overall, this album is actually about what I expected  urban R&B led with a few ballads throughout. I think this album was able to capture how much she can do as an artists, and I think everyone can find a track they'll love on this album.

Hope you liked the review, tell me what you think of the album in the comments, and I'll talk to you guys soon!
                                                                                                              -Colby

Beyonce and Andre 3000- Back To Black Listen+Review

On Saturday morning Beyonce and Andre 3000 unveiled their cover of Amy Winehouse's Back To Black, for the Great Gatsby soundtrack. Take a listen here:

The song has more modern feel, as the instruments are chopped and screwed, and have more of an electronic feel to them. The song starts out with, surprisingly Andre 3000 not rapping, but singing. He actually sings for about half the song, and it really doesn't add anything to the song, in fact, it takes away. In my opinion, I really have no idea why he's in this cover, as Beyonce could have handled the song herself. However, after a painful 1 and a half minutes, Beyonce comes in, bringing the song back, and actually not disgracing the song. Beyonce sings beautifully, redeeming the song. She really shows a whole different side and mood to this song, as rather than singing with Amy's more powerful voice, she sings very softly and backed with the different instruments, shows how many ways this song can be crafted, and still work great. However, Beyonce's part quickly ends (in a very abrupt manner) and surprisingly (unlike most Beyonce songs) I'm not left wanting more. I feel like this song could have been remade in a much better way, but overall, after hearing this cover, I think this song just shouldn't have been messed with at all, and they should have just made a new song, with Andre 3000 sticking to rapping, and Beyonce singing. Anyways. thats my review, tell me what you think in the comments below, and I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye!

                                                                                                              -Colby

Paramore's New Album- Paramore Review

Hey everyone! Recently Paramore's new self titled album Paramore came out, and I totally forgot to review it, but I'm here now, so let's jump right in. Note- This won't be a track by track review, but rather an overall review.

The album starts out pretty strong with Fast in My Car, but at some parts of this song the lyrics didn't fit and they just crammed them in, making the song sound really awkward at some points. However, it was a pretty nice start to the album. From there the album goes to the song Now, which has a great beat, is very catchy, and showcases Hayley Williams' beautiful voice very well. Grow Up is titled very properly. That's because this song has very refined sound, and shows how much Paramore has grown over the years. From there the album moves to Daydreaming, which is also titled very properly, as I was daydreaming through this whole, boring song. The album then moves to their first interlude. The interlude Moving On had a very interesting sound, so I was excited to see what the next part of the album sounded like. The next part of the album started with Ain't It Fun, and it had a more upbeat pop feeling to it, which was a interesting sound for Paramore, but they pulled it off with no trouble at all. The album then moves to Part II, which was a bit of a mix of the first part of the album and Ain't It Fun, which made for a very unique sound, which I enjoyed. Paramore then went to Last Hope, which was a much slower, and even though it did speed up, it took too long, and this song just didn't keep my interest. The ninth song on the album was Still into You, the second single of the album. I can see why this song was picked as a single. While it was still rock, Paramore's strong suit, it was very upbeat, and had a great beat, coupled with Hayley William's great vocals, which made for a great song. Anklebiters kept up with Still into You, with great vocals, a great beat, and a quick speed. There the album switched gears again with Interlude: Holiday, which sounded almost folk like, and was very different for Paramore. Probably a bit too different, as it just didn't sound right to me. But luckily, the next song, Proof, didn't sound like the interlude, however, it sounded just like the rest of the album, and didn't really offer anything new. It was the same situation with the next song, Hate to See Your Heart Break, which was a very slow song, which dragged on much too long in my opinion. The rest of the album followed suit, with some stand outs and some duds. Overall, I really enjoyed this album, and it definitely met my expectations, and I think other Paramore fans were probably very happy as well.

So that's all for this review! Tell me what you thought of this album in the comments below, and I''ll see you next time!
                                                                                                                            -Colby

Fall Out Boy: Save Rock and Roll- Hear the full album here + track by track review

                                                   Picture Credit: Island Records

Recently Fall Out Boy put their whole album up for streaming on Soundcloud! Here's my review of the upcoming album- Save Rock and Roll.

Listen to the full album here
Hear all the individual songs here

My Song Knows What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)- This was definitely the song to come back with. Definitely a standout song, this song has a killer beat and great vocals. The song is structured perfectly around the beat, hitting the highs at just the right point, and also hitting the breaks at the right points. The song really doesn't offer much lyrics wise, as it is mainly just chorus, but the way it's structured definitely makes up for that.

2 Chainz Remix- This version isn't just an extra verse by 2 Chainz, it changes the beat into well, a totally different beat, giving the song a more electronic feel, which somehow blends with the song perfectly. 2 Chainz's verse really doesn't add much to the song, but the beat switch up was definitely welcomed.

The Phoenix- This song starts out... well basically crazy. The beat is absolutely incredible, the instruments are a full out orchestra., which pairs great with Patrick Stumps's vocals. The song starts out very hard and gritty (in a good way) but as the song goes on they know when to pull back and slow it down, and the chorus combines both of those, the grittiness and the pulled back parts, and it works incredibly. The song shows off Patrick Stump's incredible range, and is able to do this while still making a very radio friendly song.

Young Volcanoes- This song is much more slowed down, and toned down from the rest of the album, and a bit folk reminiscent at some parts, although the beat does pick up a bit throughout the song. This song does a great job at showing off Patrick Stump's vocals (once again) and while I'm pretty sure this song won't be a single, I'm sure most Fall Out Boy Fans will really enjoy this song.

Alone Together- Alone Together starts off very different from most of the album as well, just like Young Volcanoes. This song is more on the pop side, which actually surprised me a bit. However, while I do enjoy this song, I don't think this song was necessarily for them, as it just doesn't sound quite right. So while this isn't my favorite song off the album, I don't particularly... hate it.

Where Did The Party Go- This song is also much more pop than I expected, which once again, surprised me. This song does work a bit better than Alone Together, but it really isn't much. It just doesn't really offer as much as it could. It almost sounds like on this song, they were thinking about singles and the radio, and not much else. I feel like this part of the album, including Alone Together, was just a bit of a misstep. Let's hope the next few songs pick back up.

Just One Yesterday (Feat. Foxes)- Yay! The weird pop thing is over! This song changes gears a bit, and features Pete Wentz as the main vocalist, which is nice to keep the album from being monotonous, but his voice really just doesn't appeal to me. However, with a nice beat, and some great backup vocals, this song pulls it through, even if the song is mainly just the same lyrics over and over again. Also, Foxes feature definitely adds some variety to this song.

The Mighty Fall (Feat. Big Sean)- The Mighty Fall definitely puts this album back on the rock course  which was definitely needed, and it doesn't just get the job done, it gets the job done well. This song has a great beat, awesome lyrics, and a killer speed, which of course, all blend together very well. Big Sean's verse felt very out of place here, really out of place. Like seriously, I can't stress this enough, that verse had no business being there, and was probably just there to pull some rap fans over to this album. But besides that verse, this is definitely one of the powerhouses on this album.

Miss Missing You- Oh Fall Out Boy, why do you do this to me? I'm not exactly sure what genre this is, but it isn't rock, at least, not the harder rock I wanted from this album. And even though the lyrics are powerful, and do tell a story, this song just doesn't do it for me, like unfortunately, many of the other songs on this album.

Death Valley- Ok, maybe I've been a bit too hard on this album, maybe I haven't. Whatever the case, this song brought the album back in my opinion. Another great beat, like all the songs on this album, contributes greatly to this song. But the vocals contribute just as much, and both elements work well together to make this a standout on the album. The end of this song features a nice switch up, which wasn't long, but added some variety to the otherwise monotonous song.

Rat A Tat (feat. Courtney Love)- Well, Courtney annoyed me, pretty much through the whole song, but this is the kind of song I wanted to hear, and this brings me back to the old Fall Out Boy. It's a quick paced, hard song, which I really enjoyed. And well, pretty much all the beats on this album are great, and all work great with the vocals they are paired with. This song does have a lot of variety as well, and as much as I hate Courtney Love's parts of the song, she does add variety as well. What do you think of Courtney's parts? Tell me in the comments down before after you listen to it!

Save Rock and Roll (Feat. Elton John)- Well, this song's beat definitely takes the cake... the... beat cake. This song is very powerful, and was a great way to end off the album, and while I was really hoping there weren't any slow songs on this album, this was a slow song, but I really enjoyed it. Elton John and Patrick Stump also harmonize very well together, and while I didn't expect them to harmonize together, it sounded great. surprisingly. Overall, this was a great closing song.

Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this album, and while it didn't meet my expectations, it was a good album. I was expecting (and hoping for) some more rock on this album, and I wasn't given that, I was given a lot of variety, some of which just didn't work. Overall, while I liked this album, I thought it could have been much better than it is.

                                                                                                                        -Colby