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Listen Up:
Club-ready songs…
Has it been a while since you got your club on? Ready to work up a sweat on the dance floor? Here are a couple of chart toppers I know the DJ will be spinnin’. ¤ Michelle
“Because of You”
Ne-yo, Because of You
Like Usher, Justin Timberlake and even little Chris Brown, Ne-yo channels his inner Michael Jackson to produce a hit song. As relevant as Michael Jackson is these days, Ne-yo’s efforts actually serve up a pretty cool song."Because Of You" is the title track from Ne-yo’s sophomore CD. It’s practically one of the most likeable songs I’ve ever heard. It’s incredibly easy to sing and dance to – which is always a winning combination.
Though Ne-yo intermixes R&B melodies with salacious lyrics (he readily admits to being a little too preoccupied with sex!), it comes off playful rather than freakish.
Rating:
In the span of a week, I’ve seen Ne-yo perform this song on every major talk show, so it’s safe to assume that this song won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Good! I give this song **** 1/2 (out of 5).
“Like This”
Kelly Rowland featuring Eve, Ms. Kelly
It’s unfortunate that when you’re a member of Destiny’s Child, you will inevitably be overshadowed by bootylicious diva, Beyoncé. She’s the super sexy one who gets all the attention and the remaining members are just there for the ride. But after listening to a couple of songs from Kelly’s first CD, Simply Deep, I quickly learned that she could actually hold a note.I heard a while ago that Kelly was putting out her second CD and was about to release the first single. I was dying to listen to it...but then I regrettably heard it while I was searching on youtube for some new videos. I must say that I really, really don’t like this song. It’s boring and not distinctive at all! That chorus is so repetitive and irritating that as soon as I hear it on the radio, I immediately lower the volume. Sorry, girl!
Eve’s rap isn’t as annoying as the rest of the song, but you basically know that she’s there to spit a verse, get paid and be outta there!
Rating:
On a positive note, Kelly does have a good voice, but I wished that she spent a little more time producing a better song instead of unloading a run-of-the-mill R&B song. I give this song ** 1/2 (out of 5).
“Give It To Me”
Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, Shock Value
It’s practically a no-brainer to know that when you mix Timbaland, Justin and Nelly you’re going to wind up with a club-banger. They all work well together, and their chemistry is evident in their music.What I like about this song is the cockiness of the lyrics – lines like, “Sitting on the top, it's hard to hear you from way up here. I saw you tryin' to act cute on TV just let me clear the air. We missed you on the charts last week, damn, that’s right you wasn’t there.” As much as I hate cockiness and bravado, it totally suits this song.
Rating:
Whenever I take a break from working on an article, I cue up this song and dance around like a mad woman in my room. Perhaps I shared too much! Anyways, I give this song ***** (out of 5)
“This Is Why I'm Hot”
Mims, Music Is My Savior
I know that this is not the most profound song out there (“this is why I’m hot” is repeated way too many times!), but there is something infectious about this single. The lyrics are ignorant as hell, but the actual beat is nice. It’s no wonder that as soon as this song plays in a club, the crowd is whipped into a frenzy.I like that Mims pays homage to old and new hip-hop via the samples that he includes in the song. He raps about West Coast hip-hop and fuses in Dr. Dre featuring Snoop’s “Nothing But a G Thang” and then splices in “Jesus Walks” from Kanye West when he speaks of rap from Chicago.
Rating:
Honestly, I don’t hate this song. It becomes tolerable when I ignore the lyrics and just bounce to the beat. This song gets *** 1/2 (out of 5)
“I'm a Flirt”
R. Kelly featuring T-Pain and T.I., Double Up
I am soooo not an R. Kelly fan. I will admit though, he’s a talented producer and artist, but his “extracurricular activities” are cause for concern."I’m a Flirt" is R. Kelly’s first single off his soon-to-be released CD, Double Up. The song tells the audience how much of a pervert…oops, I mean flirt...R. Kelly is.
The lyrics aren’t the tightest (sample line: "Sometimes when I'm with my chick on the low I'm a flirt, and when she's wit' her man lookin' at me, damn right I'm a flirt"), but this song is seriously putting in time on the charts. Lucky for R. Kelly, not so much for me!
Rating:
"I’m a Flirt" sounds too much like other songs from R. Kelly. It’s okay, but it won’t get me backing my thang up on the dance floor. This song gets a *** (out of 5).
