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Listen Up:
Delectable holiday singles…
You can definitely tell that it’s holiday season. Tons of artists are releasing singles and CDs to entice shoppers to buy (…or download) their albums just in time for Christmas.Here’s a sampling of music that is hitting the airwaves. ¤ Michelle
“Tell Me”
Diddy feat. Christina Aguilera, Press Play
First off, I really should let you know something…psst….Diddy is not a good rapper! So it is kinda surprising to me why he keeps putting out albums. His last few albums tanked, and the Bad Boy label is starting to lose its luster. Gone are the days when Biggie, Total, Faith Evans and Ma$e brought some shine to the label. And now Puffy (yes, I got to keep it real and call him Puffy!) insists on putting out music to keep the Bad Boy name alive.With “Tell Me,” Puffy teams up with X-Tina a.k.a. Christina Aguilera. I thought at first that it would be an odd pairing, not unlike Eminem and Elton John, but their voices don’t sound that bad together. Keep in mind, it’s not a great song, but Christina’s smoldering vocals give the song some oomph.
The best thing about this song is the beat. “Tell Me” has a nice hard beat that is hot enough to get club kids sweating on the dance floor.
Rating: If my rating were solely based on Puffy’s rapping skills, I would give this song a two out of five, but that phat beat plus Christina’s voice more than makes up for Puffy’s mumbling. I give this song a *** (out of 5).
“Irreplaceable”
Beyoncé, B-Day
Thank God Ms. Knowles released this song. I was beginning to think that her sophomore CD as a solo artist was a big mistake. “Ring the Alarm” and “Déjà Vu” are my least favourite songs from Bey, so I was happy that she stepped up her game and released the catchy, infectious ditty, “Irreplaceable.”On “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé recounts how she was played by her man and is now kicking his sorry butt to the curb. He messed up, so she’s telling him to go, because he ain’t irreplaceable. You go, girl! I like her empowering lyrics, but what I really love is that catchy chorus…to the left, to the left.
Rating: My girl got her groove back with this song. “Irreplaceable” gets a *** 1/2 (out of 5).
“Daydreamin’”
Lupe Fiasco feat. Jill Scott, Food and Liquor
Opulent, lush, lavish. These are just a few words that I can use to describe Lupe Fiasco’s masterpiece, “Daydreamin’.”This is so not your typical hip-hop song. It’s more of a jazzy throwback to a more innocent era. The song is complete with a small stringed orchestra, jazzy crooning courtesy of the incredible talent Jill Scott, and intelligent yet wacky lyrics from Lupe Fiasco. Sample line: “As I spy from behind my giant robot's eyes, I keep him happy 'cause I might fall out if he cries, scared of heights so I might pass out if he flies.” I don’t get it, but I don’t care!
Even though this is Lupe’s song, Jill Scott does such an amazing job on it that it’s as much hers as it is his. I’ve always been a fan of hers, but this song really lets me know how intensely talented she is.
Rating: This song is what I’ve been craving for. It gets a ***** (out of 5)
“Wind it Up”
Gwen Stefani, The Sweet Escape
Okay, I’ll come clean. I didn’t really want to review this song. I don’t particularly enjoy Gwen Stefani’s music (specifically her solo effort – I do like her No Doubt stuff), so I tried to steer clear of writing anything about it.But while I was riding the bus home on a particularly exhausting day from my now ex-job (I’ll get to that in another article!), I put on my MP3 player but I decided to listen to the radio instead of my downloaded tracks. That’s when I caught the tail end of Gwen Stefani’s “Wind it Up.”
Okay, the chorus grabbed my attention. I couldn’t believe that she actually had the audacity to sample a song from The Sound Of Music. As corny as a Julie Andrews song can be, I actually liked Gwen’s use of the sample. I don’t like the song per se, but the yodeling part is different – and not in a bad way.
Overall, I don’t exactly like the song (surprise, surprise). Like most of her songs, the lyrics are absurd and Gwen’s questionable use of the Harajuku girls irritates me. Stop pimpin’ them!
Rating: She gets a ** (out of 5) for the yodeling.
“Lost Ones”
Jay- Z feat. Chrisette Michele, Kingdom Come
HOVA’s back! I’m absolutely positive that you already knew that! Especially since his first single – “Show Me What You Got” – from his post-retirement CD, Kingdom Come, is blowing up the spot.I love that song! It’s so energetic and fun to dance to. It just shows you how talented Jay-Z is. After being in the game for over 10 years, he can leave it for a bit, come back and still deliver music that is both relevant and good. All the new rappers should take notes!
Jay-Z’s second release, “Lost Ones,” is a less upbeat song than his first release. As Jay puts it, “it’s not a dis song, it’s a real song.” The first few lines are said to be about Damon Dash (his ex-Roc-A-Fella partner and friend). It recounts how a friendship and a business relationship can go sour.
In the second verse he alludes to his relationship with someone who is more concerned with her career than with him (Beyoncé, perhaps?). Like I said, this is all speculation.
The last verse deals with a personal tragedy. He speaks about how he lost his nephew in a car accident.
Just as the title suggests, this song is all about losing something. Jay lost his friend, he’s on the brink of losing his girlfriend, and he lost a member of his family. He speaks about his loss in an emotional way without coming off like a punk.
Most of the songs reviewed in this article have a female featured on the song. And in all of these songs, the female voice enhances the song to another level. “Lost Ones” is no different. Chrisette Michele’s whimsical voice lends a softer, sensitive side to this song. Jay-Z’s hard edge and her delicate voice mesh very well together.
Rating: Looks like Jigga is on a roll. His first two singles are hits. I give this song a **** (out of 5).
