Friday, October 11, 2013

#BANGERZ

Bangerz - Miley Cyrus
2013 RCA Records
Billboard 200:
Genre: Hip Pop
Featured Artists: Britney Spears, Nelly, Future, Big Sean, French Montana, Ludacris
Tour(s): 
Grade: A

Review:

Whether you like it or not, Hannah Montana is dead. She's made the Best of Both Worlds, and left with us the empty shells of a teenager trying to grow up and leave behind her Disney roots. The former child star's fourth studio album comes filled with hits after hits; Bangerz, the title itself describes the entirety of the album. Preceding the release of the album were two worldwide hits: the first, We Can't Stop, hitting spot #2 and produced by her rumored lover, Mike Will Made It and the second, becoming the singer's first number one in the states, Wrecking Ball (produced by the Billboard Champion Dr. Luke). She preceded her album with one of the most controversial and talked about performances at the 2013 MTV VMA's in August and a much talked about wardrobe malfunction at the iHeart Radio Festival the following month.
Miss Cyrus' album starts and ends with hidden messages about her former fiance, Liam Hemsworth, while delivering hit after hit with some of the hottest producers right now, Mike Will Made It, Mr. Pharrell Williams, and Dr. Luke. Miley has shown us that she has evolved from the child star who sang about "taking the cab from LAX" to the star she is now and her parties and "doing what she wants." Yes, her album is edgier and more explicit than her last three records but she has created a new genre that few could master: Hip Pop.
Enlisting the aid of several of the hottest hip hop stars right now, she talks about being accepted in the society around her and finding her true love, something she is obviously struggling with. Starting with the ballad, Adore You she sings about a former lover (AKA Liam) to singing about a destructive love in Wrecking Ball, she has obviously matured much more lyrically and musically than we think. Her new image that has caused much controversy is all for show and money, something that is working for her commercially. Of course she has her occasional Party-loving, YOLO songs like Love Money Part and Do My Thang and her first UK #1, We Can't Stop, but she also hits those high notes and tells off the people in her life like in FU and Maybe You're Night. And if you're afraid that she's completely let go of her country roots to become the hip pop star she is now, think again. She infuses country with hip pop in her song 4x4 and in a few other songs in her album. 
What we thought was a mess has become one of the music industry's biggest young adult stars.
Hate it or love it, Bangerz is truly a head banging album and one of this year's most creative and lyrically impressive albums of the year. She came in like Wrecking Ball with nothing but her tongue sticking out and making us fall in love with something that we should hate. And no, she is not a slut.

Songs To Download

  • We Can't Stop - Her Transition from Child Star to Hip Pop Queen
  • Wrecking Ball - The Heartbreak Message to Liam
  • FU (Ft. French Montana) - The Two Letters Explain It All
  • Maybe You're Right - And She Is Right, #BANGERZ

Track Listing

1) Adore You
2) We Can't Stop
3) SMS (Bangerz) [Ft. Britney Spears] 
4) 4x4 (Ft. Nelly)
5) My Darlin (Ft. Future)
6) Wrecking Ball
7) Love Money Party (Ft. Big Sean)
8) #GETITRIGHT
9) Drive
10) FU (Ft. French Montana)
11) Do My Thang
12) Maybe You're Right
13) Someone Else
Deluxe Edition
14) Rooting for My Baby
15) On My Own
16) Hands in the Air (Ft. Ludacris)

-JAkkawi 10/11/13

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Truth About Love


The Truth About Love - P!nk
2012 RCA Records
Billboard 200: #1
Genre: Pop
Featured Artists: Nate Reuss, Lily Rose Cooper, Eminem
Tour(s): The Truth About Love
Grade: A

Review:

It has been about 5 years since P!nk's last album release, Funhouse, due to having her first child, Willow Hart but in her 6th studio album, P!nk has come back with a masterpiece. Titled, The Truth About Love, Miss Alecia Beth Moore has created a true masterpiece. Preceding the album was two top 10 singles, Blow Me (One Last Kiss) and Try, the former reaching #5, the latter #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. She preceded the release of her album with a performance in 2012 MTV VMA's with her debut performance of Blow Me and latter performing Try during the 2012 AMA's to one of her most critically acclaimed performance with her amazing dancer/body builder Colt Prattes.
Her album, in which she starts with the head banging, chanting worthy, Are We All We Are, P!nk delivers hit after hit. Her new album comes packed with the perfect amount of ballads (Beam Me Up, The Great Escape) and her signature rock-pop genre (Blow Me, Slut Like You) she is known for to leave your ears pleased. With the aid of such featured artists noted above, she delivers the message that she herself had a hard time coming to terms with back during her troubled relationship with her now husband.
The common themes on the album center around relationships, love and break-ups while also talking about feminism and the dominance of a woman in a male-led society, especially in terms of love.
Almost spending 4 years and 2 years of recording new material, she comes back with an album full of meaningful and amazing lyrical content. One of my favorite songs from the album, Just Give Me A Reason, featuring Nate Reuss from the upcoming, young, mainstream band fun, she writes of complications of a relationship. What really works is the amazing blend of voices that both Miss Moore and Mr. Reuss deliver themselves. Some of the biggest standouts of the album come in her deluxe edition with such beautifully written masterpieces such as My Signature Move and Is This Thing On? which, in my opinion, are some of her best written songs on the album.
The beauty of P!nk is that she writes music that she knows her fans want to listen to. She isn't the type of artist that will go ahead and write and collaborate with the hottest producers around only to produce as many number-hits. She writes from her heart and from her experiences, something that most artists nowadays lack. Writing from her heart for this album was sure worth it, for not only does she discover The Truth About Love, but also The Truth About Great Music.

Songs To Download

  • Blow Me (One Last Kiss) - A Break-Up Anthem
  • Just Give Me A Reason (Ft. Nate Reuss) - An Amazing collaboration and duet
  • The Truth About Love - The Title Track
  • My Signature Move - A Beautiful Array of Pink's vocals
  • Is This Thing On? - The Best Usage of a Synchronized Drum-Beat

Track Listing

1) All We Are We All
2) Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
3) Try
4) Just Give Me A Reason (Ft. Nate Reuss)
5) True Love (Ft. Lily Rose Cooper)
6) How Come You're Not Here
7) Slut Like You
8) The Truth About Love
9) Beam Me Up
10) Walk of Shame
11) Here Comes The Weekend (Ft. Eminem)
12) Where Did The Beat Go?
13) The Great Escape
Deluxe Edition
14) My Signature Move
15) Is This Thing On?
16) Run
17) Good Old Days
iTunes Deluxe
18) Chaos & Piss
19) Timebomb
Fan Edition
20) The King is Dead but The Queen is Alive

-JAkkawi 8/5/2013