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Listen Up:
Grown and sexy: the grrls edition…
Pop music is typically dominated by the young, sexy people; however, if you take a look at the current hits, you will notice that a bunch of grown folks are taking over.Artists that have been in the music biz for well over ten years are showing the youth what the Grown and Sexy can really do. Holla!
Being a grown and sexy grrl my damn self, I opted to give a little shine to the female singers that I have listened to over the years. Take a look at my review of some of the current chart toppers from the young at heart. ¤ Michelle
"Touch my Body"
Mariah Carey, E=MC²
Remember when an innocent looking Mariah burst onto the scene in 1990 with her rather chaste song, “Vision of Love”? She then solidified her adult contemporary/pop artist status by consistently blazing the charts with radio friendly hit singles. Even her bo-ring music videos perpetuated her squeaky clean image. Remember “Dreamlover”?I will admit that even when I first heard of Mariah back in the day, I wasn’t immediately bowled over. I liked her music, appreciated her talent, but I was not necessarily a fan. Over the years, I’ve come to like her music (psst…The Emancipation of Mimi is one of my fave albums of 2005) and enjoy her crazy crackhead antics. But what I admire most about Mariah is that she is able to move with the times. She didn’t stay locked into the sappy, naïve love songs formula of the early 90s; she has kept true to herself but also made music that has evolved.
Over the past 18 years Mariah has released over ten albums, altered her image (she did away with her innocent look and fully flaunts her inner sex kitten), and embraced her “urban roots” (read: she happily includes rappers on her songs).
On her current hit, “Touch My Body,” Mariah sexily coos for her lover to touch her, and to keep their private affair on the down low. Classic line: “'Cause if you run your mouth and brag about this secret rendezvous, I will hunt you down.” As scary as that line is, I chuckle every time I hear it!
Though this is a very bouncy, light pop song, I like it. Mariah has taken some flak from others saying that she should act her age and write about age appropriate things, but I think this song need not be taken seriously. As frivolous and lighthearted as this song may be, I think Mariah is fully aware of how to produce hot songs.
My rating: You have to hand it to Mariah for being a successful female artist for almost 20 years. She’s still able to climb the charts and put the younger wannabe singers to shame. This song gets
out of 5.
“Ching-a-Ling”
Missy Elliott, Step Up 2: The Streets OST
It’s safe to say that Missy Elliot is hands down one of the most influential artists of our day. Not only can she sing, but her rapping skills are off the chain. She, along with Timbaland, were responsible for giving average R&B songs a shot of uniqueness. This in turn won her tons of recognition and led her to collaborate with a slew of artists – SWV, Total, Aaliyah, Puff Daddy, and Lil Kim among others. Missy was definitely the hottest person to work with.I have been a fan of Missy from day one. “Beep Me 911,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” and “All N My Grill” are my jams! I loved that Missy never took herself too seriously and gave her fans what they wanted – something fresh. All of her videos are proof of that!
Over her ten year career as a solo artist (she started her collabo career in 1993), Missy has never stopped making fun music and creating innovative videos.
On “Ching-a-Ling,” a song included on the Step Up 2: The Streets soundtrack and the first single off her soon-to-be released CD, Missy spits verses about how fat her pockets are.
To be honest, I’m not totally feelin’ this song. It’s okay if you’re in a club and trying to get your dance on, but other than that, it’s mediocre for Missy. It’s like she took one of her old songs and remixed it.
My rating: The beat is nice, but the lyrics are a little uninspiring. She gets props for her video. I like the House Party vibe at the end.
The song getsout of 5.
“Honey”
Erykah Badu, New Amerykah 4th World War
Erykah Badu is one of my all time favourite artists. She’s funky, jazzy, insanely creative and a little eccentric. I fell in love with her in 1997 when I had the opportunity to preview her debut CD, Baduizm, when I worked at a music store. I adored her first single “On & On” so much that I was compelled to buy the album (other fave album tracks: “Appletree,” “Afro” and “Sometimes”).Toward the late 90s, Erykah, along with other artists (D’Angelo, Maxwell, Jill Scott) started the movement called Neo Soul. The sound wasn’t typical R&B – it had a deeper, more soulful sensibility. Erykah definitely had a hand in changing the type of music that we listened to.
With five albums under her belt, Erykah has not had huge commercial success. She’s released great songs, but she’s notoriously known for her penchant for dating rappers than her music. She’s dated Andre 3000, Common and the D.O.C.
Being a huge Erykah fan I was looking forward to hearing “Honey,” the first release off her album, New Amerykah. I know that she’s talented and I was sure that she wouldn’t disappoint.
“Honey” is pure funky goodness with a smooth throwback vibe. It evokes images of big afros, platforms and disco balls. Even though this song is not particularly dissimilar from her previous work, I love the way I feel when I hear the song. It’s the kind of song that you could bob your head to as you chill in a funky lounge.
I do like the song, but I love the concept for the video more. The video is shot in black and white and shows Erykah reinventing classic album covers. She puts her image on albums like Illmatic from Nas, Paid in Full from Eric B. and Rakim and Three Feet High And Rising from De la Soul. Ms. Badu also pays homage to her ex-boo Andre 3000 by sending up his “Hey Ya” video.
My rating: Although I love Erykah and everything she releases, this is not her strongest song. It’s chill and fun to listen to, but she’s been absent from the music scene for sooo long and I unfortunately craved more.
The song getsout of 5.
“Feedback”
Janet Jackson, Discipline
Like Britney and Ciara, I too was a huge Janet Jackson fan. Watching her videos made me want to dance. I practically knew all the moves to the “Pleasure Principle” video (you don’t know how many times I almost knocked myself unconscious trying to do that chair move!). I adored her. She was likeable, she was the youngest Jackson, and she was probably one of the only artists of that time that I could safely look up to.Janet’s early music (late 80s) reflected the turbulent times. Her music spoke about racism, sexism and violence. Though she wasn’t the most political artist of the time, I liked what she had to say and how she said it.
Over the years, she’s strayed from her good girl persona. Like Mariah, she seemed to have more fun tapping into her dirty sexy side. Slipping from good girl to bad girl was achieved by revealing more skin in videos, collaborating with edgier artists (Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Missy Elliot) and by opening up (a bit) about her love life. We found out that she was married for thirteen years to Rene Elizondo (but before that, she was married to James DeBarge when she was eighteen) and that she was currently in a relationship with super producer, Jermaine Dupri.
You’d think that Janet would be selling tons of records since her man is a producer with the Midas touch, but her last two studio albums have been major flops. Although I was a serious Janet fan back in the day, my love for her was seriously fading.
“Feedback” was chosen to be the first single released from her tenth album. It’s a dance friendly song that is pretty much Janet – meaning, it’s a generic dance song that does not showcase any vocal ability. Unlike Mariah, Janet has not been able to change her style. She still delivers safe pop songs like she did in the 90s. If you were to close your eyes while hearing this song, you’d swear you were back in 1992.
The video does not help the song either. Its weird futurist tone does not suit the song and only confuses the viewer.
My rating: It’s not the worst Janet song. It might entertain a bunch of rowdy club hoppers, however, I’m hoping that she challenges herself and releases something that shows us that she’s not just a pop artist, but also a singer. The song gets a
