Yodel…Lloyd-He-Do

I just had to say something about Lloyd’s latest single “Lay It Down” and I wanted to make sure that you listen to it if you haven’t heard it yet. I am not a Lloyd fan, but I am a sucker for a yodel. I think yodeling is one of the hardest things a vocalist can do and it’s so cool when someone can do it really well. Some of you may think yodeling is lame, but I think it’s pretty cool. It really is a difficult vocal technique that not many singers are capable of. I did some research and found that it’s not just something you’d hear in a country music song or in the Alps. Apparently yodeling is common in Persian music and even in Central Africa. The Pygmy tribe is known for yodeling…which is interesting because if I’m not mistaken they are known to be extremely short people and Lloyd kind of looks like the love child of Sammy Davis Jr. and a leprechaun. I’m getting off track, but my point is…Lloyd has a pretty cool new song and I love how he worked the yodel in at the end.
Click here to listen.

Since we’re talking about new music, I thought I’d mention that R. Kelly has done it again. His new CD Love Letter is another hit. There are a couple of things that we can say for sure about R-uh. #1) He is a pedophile and #2) He is a great songwriter! I’ve loved every CD he has put out, except for that unfortunate situation involving a closet…and I could’ve done without Double Up (except I like the song “I’m A Flirt”) but once again I’m getting off track. This CD is a throwback to some of the great old soul singers. You can hear influences by Jackie Wilson and Otis Redding in some of the songs. It has a really cool, easy feel and it is one of those CDs that you can just let play all the way through.

Love, Peace (Body) & Soul: Soul Train Music Awards Recap

I have to say that the highlights of the Soul Train Music Awards were R. Kelly’s performance and the Anita Baker tribute. The lowlights were the awkward skits between Taraji and Terrance, but I won’t dwell on that. Was it me or were there a lot of ass cheeks showing during this telecast? I’ll stop skipping around and go through the recap in the order of occurrence. R. Kelly opened the show with his new song “When a Woman Loves” and I thought he turned the place out, even though he was lip synching. That’s the way to do a creative, memorable performance for an awards show. The AMA performers should take note. I especially loved the section where he did a throwback to soul singers like Frankie Lymon and I believe that was supposed to be Ray Charles. That was a stand out performance. Why are the pedophiles and wife beaters always the greatest entertainers? I’ll have to delve into that topic deeper at a later date. FYI – I really don’t need to see a live performance from Ne-yo ever again. They just don’t do anything for me. I appreciate his talents when it comes to writing music, but I just don’t need to see his soup coolers or his milk dud head or his attempts to dance battle anymore. I loved every second of the Anita Baker tribute. Every artist sounded great. Though, I must admit, I had no idea what song Kem and Rachelle Ferrell were singing until they got to the chorus. That was a unique rendition. Was it me or did you feel like they were channeling Al Jarreau? Lalah Hathaway was amazing. She needs to thank her Daddy for that tone. (I’m sure she does.) Why wasn’t Chante Moore a part of the Anita Baker tribute? I saw her in the audience and Ms. Baker mentioned in her video package that they were acquaintances. Aw, Goapele is so cute…even though she was flirting with my man that one time, but that’s ok. I forgive her. What? Dionne Farris? Where did they find her? Her shirt was a couple sizes too small for her, but she sounded pretty good. Oh yippee! El DeBarge. I just love him. Not sure why they brought him on after the tribute was over, but at least they brought Anita back to spend some quality time with him. Ok, here we go. This is the BET I know. Why would they come back from the commercial break at the end of Eric Benet’s performance? Not that I’m pressed to hear him beg for Halle Berry to come back to him, but I’m just saying. That seemed a little unprofessional. Oh look here. There’s a note at the bottom of the screen addressed to Eric Benet fans telling them to log on to the web if they want to see the entire performance. How rude. Wish they would’ve done that for Ne-yo instead. I don’t really have much to say about Wolf Blitzer. I realize Cee-Lo in a gold moo-moo may be off-putting to some, but I kind of like it. And I love that song, but I prefer the unedited version. Apparently Tank isn’t good enough to get his entire song broadcast either. I bet Eric Benet wasn’t too happy to discover he’s been D-listed. First he has to open for Fantasia’s tour even though he’s been out way longer than she has, and now this. I like Jasmine Sullivan and think she has an incredible voice, but I prefer to see her stand still and sing. Bruno Mars did a great job with his song, “Grenade”. I enjoyed him on the guitar as well. So if we were going to compare the tributes, which we probably shouldn’t, I’d have to say the Ronald Isley tribute was a let down. Keyshia Cole was good, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention her new teeth and how distracting they are. (That goes for you too Brandy.) Did Tank almost forget the lyrics? Is Tank trying to sound like Jamie Foxx or is Jamie Foxx starting to sound like Tank. Not sure which came first…the chicken or the egg? I know they’re friends, but they really are starting to sound alike. OMG, could Freddie Jackson be any gayer. Did you see how he walked out? Jeffrey Osborne and Peabo Bryson haven’t lost their voices. Glad to hear that they still sound good. Oh, I see. That’s what they were saving Chante Moore for. Yeah, it was kind of cute to try and recreate the video, but kind of a waste of time for those thirty seconds. She should’ve sung an Anita Baker song instead.

Click here to check out the Anita Baker tribute.

American Music Awards: State of the Union

Hello my fellow Americans. The time has come to address the nation in regards to the current state of our nation’s music. We are all well aware of the economic downturn that has caused this extended recession, but it never occurred to me that the deficit would affect our music too. As I watched the American Music Awards last night, I was perplexed by the array of talent that was awarded and invited to perform. Seriously, is this the best that our nation has to offer this year? I didn’t see anything musically inspiring come across that stage. Not only did the musical content leave a lot to be desired, but the vocals were mediocre as well. Honestly, the best vocal performances of the night came from Pink and Christina Aguilera and they weren’t all that great. I’ve heard both of them sound much better before. Not to mention, they weren’t really talking about anything. Their musical selections had no meaning and they seemed to concentrate more on the spectacle of their performance. Help us please Obama. We need a stimulus package for the music industry. There’s got to be something out there that can breathe some life into the music industry that challenges artists to be more creative and produce artwork with some substance. Maybe a little bit of D’Angelo would help resuscitate the art form (if someone can get him in rehab). If not, Maxwell is going to have to release albums at a more accelerated pace. Maybe it’s just me. Can anyone actually say they saw a great performance last night? If so, let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Whatever Will Be...Willow Be

Have you guys heard Willow Smith’s new song “Whip My Hair”? When I heard she had a new song, I wasn’t expecting much because I’d heard a clip of her singing before and wasn’t impressed. However, I should’ve known the Smith family wouldn’t have released the product if it didn’t meet a certain standard. Couple that pedigree with a hot beat provided by Roc-A-Fella records and you’ve got a recipe for success. They worked their magic in the studio and the song sounds pretty good. I think it’s a catchy tune. I had to remind myself that Willow is only 9 years old so she has plenty of time for her voice to mature and to really develop her craft. She definitely has the potential to be a successful artist. I was involved in a debate about whether or not a young black girl can sell as many records and become as popular as the young white boy that has currently created the epidemic known as Beiber Fever that is currently sweeping the nation. I think it would be possible if she was singing Pop music that would appeal to a wider audience, but this song seems to fall more into the R&B/Hip Hop genre. Who knows what her style is or what else she would create, but I’d think it would have to be more crossover in order to reach that wide of an audience. I’m sure that’s not the intent anyway, just let me know if you like it or not. If you haven’t heard it yet, click this link to listen to it.

GaGa Dominates The VMAs

I know…it’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you…but I was on summer break. What do you want from me? (I hope you got those references to Aaliyah and Adam Lambert. Just making sure you’re paying attention.) Anyway, here’s my MTV VMAs recap.
Eminem opened the show. It was kind of cute how his performance started and looked like the scene from “8 Mile”. He still looks sick to me though. Are we sure he is okay, or is that just the effects of the drugs? I was scared at first when I saw the girl with the red hair appear on stage. I thought I was going to have to sit through another horrible Nicki Minaj performance. Luckily we dodged that bullet. It was just RiRi with a wig on. 30 Seconds to Mars just won best Rock Video. OMG...is that Jared Leto. It sure is. I knew he was in a band but never really paid attention to which one. Am I the only one that watched “My So Called Life” and had a huge crush on Jared Leto? Raise your hand if you feel me. I’m sorry; I just can’t handle Trey Songz. Why are his pants so tight, yet they still are hanging so low? Maybe they are so tight that he can’t get them over his hips. Well if that’s the case, wear some different pants, damnit! He’s getting a little too full of himself. He is cute, but the fact that he thinks he’s so cute…is not cute. What the hell is Usher doing? Does he think he’s some kind of superhero dancing robot? I will admit his CD is way better than I thought it was when I first critiqued in a previous blog, but I think he’s lost something in his dance moves since the babies. It happens to the best of us. Believe me, I know. Kids age you instantly. Why is Will.I.Am in black face? (sigh) We’ll just move on. I’m not even going to comment on Nicki Minaj’s butt. I am curious to know why she makes those faces. Is that supposed to be cute? It’s not. I’m still not sure why she raps the way she does. Is that supposed to sound good? It doesn’t. What was up with that car commercial that Ciara and 1/2 of Neptunes did? Why does Mercedes from Glee refuse to wear heels? I understand walking in heels can be uncomfortable, but why are combat boots always her alternative. Why not a ballet slipper? Why is the cheerleading coach wearing that floor length trench coat? That’s kind of weird. GaGa and her outfits are so ridiculous. It takes 5 people to get her out of her seat and 10 people to get her up the stairs. Mmm, Justin Timberlake looks delicious. What is Swizz Beatz doing on the piano? Is he trying to be like his new wife? He’s not even pressing any keys. Drake is rapping and Swizz Beatz just keeps saying “oh” and little random comments here and there. I’m not sure why Swizz Beatz is even on the stage. Maybe Swizz Beatz raps now and I just didn’t get the memo. Uh-oh, are they booing Kanye? I think people are still mad about the Taylor Swift thing. He better stop with that remedial performance on his Casio keyboard and start doing something to make up for last year. Who is that rapping with Kanye? I thought it was Omarion for a second and was thinking, my gosh he’s aged quickly in the last couple of years. I thought the second mic was for Taylor Swift and that maybe there would be this cute little collaboration where they play nice with each other, but apparently the other mic was so he could do that horrible auto tune crap. Oh well. The VMAs are known to be unpredictable and full of surprises, but I must say this year was pretty underwhelming.

Why is the Man In The Mirror Crying? (2010 BET Awards recap)

I almost didn’t post anything about the awards show because I couldn’t think of anything nice to say, but I found a few bright moments in there, so here it goes. Queen Latifah was a little more than I could handle with her continued role playing, but whatever. Even though BET has gotten a little better with their amount of technical difficulties, there were still several awkward moments, missed cues and poor writing for the presenters. I really like Usher’s song “There Goes My Baby” and was glad he switched up from the generic performance with his back up dancers that we see on every other show, but man listening to his vocals towards the end of the song was painful. The Alicia Keys medley was interesting…and so was her ensemble. I think she needed a little bit more material in the front of her dress, unless they intended for it to just barely cover her coochie. With every step, I was concerned they were going to have to get the graphics department to pull out on of those black strips to cover up her goodies. Then she brought out Kim Burrell to sing for all of twenty seconds. What a tease. Why even bother?

I’m sorry, but I really am not into this Diddy Dirty Money thing. What is the point of the two girls? For the little amount of lyrics they sing he could just hire some random background singer to lay those vocals on the track. Why make them a part of your group and pay for them to go everywhere you go if you’re not even going to utilize them? Then Diddy started with that Hello, Good Morning crap and I was tempted to change the channel, but I didn’t. Another thing I don’t get is this Nicki Minaj mess. Who actually thinks this girl is talented? I can’t believe people are falling for this crap. She was lip-syncing her rap. Who does that? It’s just talking. You can’t handle that live? Was she saving her voice because she was using up her energy dancing? I hope no one classifies what she was doing as dancing. T.I. looked cute. It was good to see him out and about. Does Eminem look sick to you? He does to me. Trey Songz is cute as a button but he sounded like a dying cat. Someone please put him out of his misery. Please don’t ever sing a Prince song if you can’t handle it. Why did they even let him sing “Purple Rain” during his performance when it was a part of the upcoming tribute? Poor planning. Speaking of the Prince tribute…what the hell happened? Did they run out of money when it came time to allocate funds to the budget? Give me a freakin' break! You don’t treat royalty like that! He’s a prince for God sakes! You know he doesn’t come out of Paisley Park that often, especially with his bad hip, and y’all drag him all the way out here for this crap? You can’t have Janelle Monet (who can’t sing live and has only one go to dance move…the James Brown one leg slide thing that she does over and over again) and Esmerelda Whatever her name is (the symphony orchestra reject with the mediocre voice) perform for the prince. Prince wasn’t impressed either. Though, try as he might to hide it, you could see it all over his face. Alicia Keys is the kind of artist you hire for this situation. Except, she almost gave Prince (and everyone else in the room) a heart attack when she crawled up on that piano. Thank the Lord for Patti LaBelle. She saved the day. Prince seemed to enjoy her too…especially catching her shoe after she kicked it off. It was upsetting that Prince didn’t perform like the honorees normally do. I know how particular he is about that so he probably shut them down as soon as they asked. It was good to see him at least. He’s so pretty it’s ridiculous. I’m sorry, did I miss something? Were Gary Coleman, Lena Horne and Teddy Pendergrass the only ones that died this year? What happened to everyone else? Was that another technical difficulty in the production department? Tyrese sounded good. Oh yippee. Someone found El DeBarge and brought him back home. I’ve been so concerned about him ever since they aired his family’s episode of ‘Unsung’. He looks good and sounds good. I’m excited he’s making a comeback.

So...Jermaine comes out to talk about his brother and I’m not totally paying attention because his hair is extremely distracting. He’s still using that shellac to plaster his hair to his scalp, but now he’s doing this interesting thing where he’s allowing the ends of his hair to lift up on the sides. It’s kind of hard to explain and it’s all very confusing, but I noticed the style change and thought it was worth mentioning. Anyhow, when I came out of the trance his hair had me in, I heard him introduce the “one tribute we never got a chance to see.” I’m racking my brain trying to think of who he could be talking about and when the performance began I was still confused. I thought it was Trey Songz and couldn’t figure out why this was a tribute we’d all been waiting for. Then I realized it was Chris Breezy. Wow! The dancing was amazing. He really was the best person for the job because he had the moves down perfectly. I am just so excited by this homage to MJ and by Chris’ amazing talent that I feel my heart opening up to him again. I think I’m ready to let him back in. Then “Man in the Mirror” happens. What the hell? Christopher, Christopher, Christopher. Somebody get this boy a box of tissues…and not the cheap tissues, he needs the extra absorbent triple ply tissues because there is snot flying everywhere. I mean, he can’t even talk or catch his breath for sobbing so hard. Good Lord! Is the thought of making a change and starting with the man in the mirror that emotional? Well, too bad. Suck it up! Have your breakthroughs at your therapy sessions on your own time. I want to hear the song, damnit! He better get to pop locking and stop all this foolishness! I was ready to forgive him but now he’s making me mad. What was that? How did you guys feel about it? Post your thoughts and take the poll on the right side of the screen. Click here to watch the performance in case you missed it.

Janet Jackson Is My American Idol

OMG! I still can’t get myself together. (Breathe and count to 10.) Ladies and gentleman, Christmas has come early this year! What on earth did I do to deserve this wonderful gift? I’ve been complaining about how terrible this season of idol has been and I take it all back. This is the best idol season ever. Well…it was the best Idol finale ever. I have been praying to the baby Jesus for some better days and my prayers have been answered in the form of Janet Jackson. I screamed for a full sixty seconds when she came out. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Janet would be on this show. Here I was thinking the highlight of the show would be an inevitable “Pants on the Ground” performance. It was really good to see (and hear) Christina Aguilera, the Bee Gees, Michael MacDonald, Hall and Oates, Alanis Morrisette and Joe Cocker. I really enjoyed Carrie Underwood’s new song “Undo it”. It was good to see Bret Michaels perform, but I really think he should be home resting. It was super cool to see all the Idol winners sing together with some of the former contestants. Just when I thought the show was pretty entertaining and was probably coming close to ending, I heard the first five notes of “Again” that I would recognize anywhere. When Janet came out, I just couldn’t contain my glee. I noticed that microphone headset, which could only mean one thing. Janet’s going to dance! What more could a girl ask for? I swear, I don’t think those songs, or her dancing to them, will ever get old to me. How can you not love Janet? I can no longer get involved in conversations with people who can’t give Janet the respect she deserves for all she has done. What an amazing career. Maybe the last CD didn’t sell as many as her first few CDs, but so what. She had thirteen number one hits between Control and Rhythm Nation alone. Who can keep that up on every CD? She’s still making good music and she’s still performing at a high level at age 44. Maybe it’s not as energetic as it used to be, but good lord, who can dance, the way she was dancing for 3 hours straight at age 44? And please don’t even bring up the Super Bowl…that was so a hundred years ago. Janet is the greatest. Case closed.

Click Here to see Janet on Idol if you missed it.

Whitney Houston....We Have A Problem

Everyone is talking about Whitney's comeback. Many were anticipating her return and were routing for her to resurrect her career. When the album came out last year there was enough excitement about the material to garner decent record sales. The album went platinum, though it didn't receive any Grammy nods. There are a few good songs on the album, but the hot topic has been her live performances. We're all aware of her drug abuse, and the wear and tear that can take on a voice was evident even on the studio recordings, so I'm not sure why people expected much from her live performances. Some fans are outraged that they've paid high ticket prices for her European tour dates only to have the show canceled or to show up to a lackluster performance filled with bad vocals and crackish behavior. Disappointed concert attendees have booed and even asked for their money back. I think this is totally unwarranted. Anyone who went to the shows expecting to see Whitney sing "I Will Always Love You" like she did in the 90's has a screw loose. One could only have expected to buy a ticket to the circus to see the spectacle in person, not to hear the voice that in its prime was referred to as a national treasure. Because of the latest concert controversy some are saying that she is destroying her legacy. I question if that is even possible. Yes, its possible to lose fans and maybe you're not as successful as you once were, but doesn't your legacy still stand? Whitney may be living la vida loca, but that doesn't change the fact that she is one of the greatest vocalists of our time.

It happens to the best of them. Michael Jackson got weirder with each passing day and may have molested those kids (though I'm not convinced he did) but he's still the freaking King of Pop! No one will ever surpass all that he's accomplished. Janet may have pulled a boob out once and doesn't break records for album sales with every release anymore, but that doesn't discredit everything she's ever done. She was a trailblazer for female artists and changed the game when it came to dance, video and live performances....and yes she was out before Madonna so don't try to tell me it was Madonna who opened the door. My point is, all good things must come to an end. That's just the way it is. It's sad, but true. I like to reminisce about the good old days to lift my spirits. Click here if you want to take a walk down memory lane with me.

Movie Night on Idol

Jamie Foxx was back this year to help the Idol contestants with songs from major motion pictures. He came up with an idea to give the contestants t-shirts that either said ‘Artist’ or ‘Contestant”. The goal was to show him that you had what it takes to be a true artist and not just a contestant in a talent show. Notice how he gave everyone an Artist shirt except for Big Mike. It’s not like Mike could’ve fit the shirt either way, but obviously Jamie Foxx agrees with me about Mike’s future.

My favorite paint salesman, Lee DeWyze, sang Seal’s “Kiss From A Rose”. It wasn’t his best performance, but I don’t think it matters. Lee is going to be in the finale. His vocals were much better on the duet he did with Bowersox. Her vocals, however, were not so good. This was another example of her inability to harmonize and blend well with another voice. Her key was all over the place. Why on earth would Big Mike sing a song from the movie Free Willy? He’s making it really hard for me to behave. I’ll just say this. He didn’t hit that first low note he opened the song with…just like the high notes he never hits in the other songs. He’s got no range. He sounded like he was whining through most of the song. I must admit he sounded much better singing the duet with Casey. I was upset to see Casey cut his beard off. I will miss it. I hope it returns soon in the form of a five o’clock shadow. I think Casey was just okay last night in his solo performance, but he sounded better during his duet. Bowersox didn’t move me at all last night. I think I’m falling out of love with her.

If I tap into my psychic powers once again, I’m going to predict that Casey is going home….though it really should be Mike. We’ll see.

Elliott Yamin vs Taylor Hicks

Apparently my post about Elliott Yamin caused a bit of controversy with Taylor Hicks fans. Let me take this opportunity to delve a little deeper into the subject. I get that some people are Taylor Hicks fans and may enjoy his music. That is the great thing about music. It comes in so many different flavors and there’s something out there for everyone. He’s just not my cup of tea. Preferences aside, Elliott Yamin can sing better than Taylor Hicks. That’s just a fact. I’m sure even Taylor would agree. I said Taylor didn’t deserve to win because he was not the best singer that season. Up until then the best singers won. Kelly, Reuben, Fantasia and Carrie were the best singers of their seasons. They did not necessarily have the best personality or great stage presence. (Reuben always stood still looking confused about where he was with his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. But dude could sing so he won.) I feel that around the fifth season the competition changed. All these other factors came into play and it was no longer about who was the best singer. People voted for Taylor because they enjoyed his personality, his energy, those spastic convulsions that he passed off as dancing and that God awful never-ending Soul Patrol chant. After that season it wasn’t just about the singing, it was about the personality, the stage presence and how cute somebody was. They even started letting contestants play instruments, use props and elaborate lighting displays. There were the dramatic entrances down the spiral staircase and I think someone even dropped down from the ceiling one time. My point is, if the best singer is supposed to win, it should not have been Taylor Hicks. I’ll admit Elliott leaves a little to be desired when it comes to his stage performance, but he gets a pass. His voice is good enough for him to just stand there and sing. One of the comments from the last post suggested that I check out a song on Taylor’s CD featuring Elliott. I decided to give it a chance and see if maybe I was mistaken and should reconsider what I said. Nope. I was right. Elliott is definitely a much better singer than Taylor. I’ll admit Taylor is good on the guitar and has the personality and energy to front a band, but he doesn’t have the vocals. When I listened to the studio recording of the song, Taylor didn’t even sound good on that. He was missing a bunch of notes and usually everyone sounds good on the computer enhanced studio version. I repeat…Elliott is a better singer than Taylor and should have won. I think the real votes, which are cast with the consumer’s dollars, speak for themselves. Billboard recently named the top 24 Idols based on record sales and Elliott came in at #15. Katherine McPhee was #16. Taylor Hicks was down at #19. Why don’t you guys cast your vote over on the right side of the screen so we can settle this? Click on the links below to listen to them both singing together and tell me who sounds the best.

USE ME

TIED TO THE WHIPPING POST

Sing Like Yamin It

Ok, I’m finally ready to talk about Elliott Yamin. I know some of you probably have no idea who that is, but you should. He was the third runner up on Season Five of American Idol, which I find totally offensive because he was way better than both Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks. Taylor Hicks was the worst Idol winner ever. That season was the beginning of the end of Idol, in my opinion. It totally discredited the competition. Think about it. Prior to then all the winners were worthy of winning. Kelly, Reuben, Fantasia, Carrie….then came Taylor Hicks and it went down hill from there. I was so irritated during the Idol gives back show and another show the week before when Elliott Yamin was sitting in the audience instead of singing. He’s got such a great voice, why wouldn’t they utilize that. I think it’s a shame he doesn’t get more play. He’s had two good CDs, but for some reason he still isn’t that popular. I know he’s not a heartthrob, but he did get some new teeth. Doesn’t that count for something? I could go on and on about him because I’m such a fan, but I’ll keep it short. In case you’re interested in downloading some of his stuff, the highlights on his first self-titled CD are “Moving On”, “Wait For You”, “One Word” and Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You”. The best song on his second CD is the title track “Fight For Love”. There are too many good songs on that CD to name them all. I want you guys to give him a try. I think you’ll like him. Click here to hear him singing “You Say”.

Let Me (Sunday) School Ya

Sunday Best is finished with their auditions and have started the stage performances. This season looks like its going to be good. If you haven’t been watching, you should tune in every Sunday night on BET. Last week, to kick off the stage performances. they opened up with the gospel community’s We Are The World type song created to raise funds for Haiti. Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell and one of the Marys from Mary Mary were there to sing their parts. Too bad Smokie Norful and J Moss weren’t there to sing their parts, but I guess you can’t have it all. The tone of Kim Burrell’s voice just sounds so great and you can always count on Yolanda Adams to bring it home. Over the past two season’s I’ve tried my best to ignore the host and focus on the contestants, but I can see this season it’s going to be increasingly harder to do so. The Littlest Christian (aka Kirk Franklin) is seriously getting on my last nerve. The first few performances were pretty good. I think they need to send home the guy with the mohawk and the girl from Nigeria. The elderly contestant was the cutest thing ever! He was so good. He showed all the young contestant how its supposed to be done. You have to watch his performance. You won’t see anything like this on American Idol. Watch it all the way through to the end to see the judge’s reaction. Click Here to see what I mean.

GaGa Gag Me With A Spoon

On Idol results night, the contestants sang some of Harry Connick Jr.’s songs. Casey sounded really good. Too bad he didn’t sound like that the night before. Lee sounded great as usual. Anyone ever notice that Bowersox cannot harmonize? She does okay on her own…but man, when she gets with those boys she just goes way too high and is always off key. Then for some reason after Frank Sinatra week and Harry Connick Jr. tunes, they decide to throw Lady GaGa in there. Who is in charge of booking talent? Did they get their dates mixed up? GaGa sat down at the piano and started singing “Bad Romance” and I got super excited thinking this was going to be a great performance with some fun choreography and her amusing quirks. Then she gets up from the piano and switches songs. Hated it. What is up with her and Alejandro? I was just so confused.
Then later she had an issue with Roberto, but she was mostly still stuck on Alejandro.
Click Here to see what I mean.

She always performs in a thong and a bra. Beyonce’s outfits are getting skimpier by the minute too. Don’t even get me started on Erykah Badu. I don’t know why everybody gave Janet such a hard time after her “wardrobe malfunction”. She still had on more clothes than anyone else. The best part of the results show was when they showed the rehearsal video and Harry Connick Jr. called Big Mike an A-Hole. Chicken Little went home. I’m still psychic.

Beyonce...Why Don't You Love Me?

Hey guys, Click Here to check out the new Beyonce video and tell me what you think. (Thanks to KG for sending me the alert.)

I’m not sure how I feel about it. I didn’t care for most of the make-up and was not excited about all the costume changes. She is beautiful, but I’m not into watching a stylist dress her up like a Barbie doll for five minutes. I guess I’m just not satisfied if she doesn’t have some dancers behind her doing some new creative choreography that I can’t wait to try out. I don’t even think I like the song. At least it didn’t do anything for me after listening to it for the first time. Give it a week or two and it’ll probably grow on me like most of her songs. She’s good at playing those Jedi mind tricks on me and making me follow her in whatever direction she goes.

Fly Me To The Moon

Last night Harry Connick Jr. helped the idol contestants with Frank Sinatra songs. Chicken Little sang “Fly Me to the Moon”. I didn’t love the arrangement. I think the song is perfect as it is and you really shouldn’t mess with it. Chicken Little (aka Fivel the Mouse) was okay last night…nothing special. Casey (aka Curly Blonde Hair) did not have a good performance. His vocals were kind of whack, but he sure is cute, so I’m going to give him a pass.  Bowersox sang “Summer Wind” and it was just okay. I’m bored with her. She hasn’t been good for a few weeks and I’m over her. She needs to go back to the grungy, raw, authentic, street performer kind of vibe she started with. Big Mike sang “Just the Way You Look Tonight”….and let me tell you just how he looked last night. He looked like a hot mess with those tight pants on and that teeny tiny hat on his head. In fact, I have a picture of exactly what he looked like.

Actually the first line he sang sounded pretty good. His vocals were okay, but he gets a thumbs down for all that repetitive lip licking. My favorite paint salesman, Lee DeWyze was ok. This was not one of his best performances, but the judges liked it and he’s super cute so it’s all good. I’m thinking Chicken Little and either Curly Blonde Hair or Bowersox will be in the bottom two.

Don’t forget to watch Glee tonight after Idol.

Calling All Gleeks

It’s official. I am a Gleek! I love this show. It’s so fun. The writing is great and super witty. The cheerleading coach is hilarious. There is some good talent on the show that provides several standout performances throughout the series. The best vocals belong to the girl that plays Rachel (the Jewish perfectionist that has her eyes set on a career on Broadway) and the girl that plays Mercedes (the Black girl with the big voice). The teacher, Mister Schuster, and the boy in the wheelchair are pretty good too. They do a great job of picking such a wide variety of musical selections. Some of the highlights of Season One were the football team doing Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, Mercedes singing “And I Am Telling You” and Rachel singing Barbara Streisand’s “Rain On My Parade”.

If you haven’t given Glee a try yet, open your mind and give it a chance. It really is a feel good show with a bit of an edge. I LOL’d last week when the cheerleading coach called the black guy ReRun two times and again when someone else said they hated the Duke basketball team more than the Nazis. This week’s standout performance was Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” sung by the character Mercedes. The cast also sang Stephanie Mills version of “Home” from the stage play “The Wiz”. You can go to http://www.fox.com/glee/ to watch full episodes (or just skip through to the musical performances). Glee comes on Fox Tuesdays after American Idol. Give it a shot. Click here to watch the cast of Glee performing on Oprah. (Ignore the guy singing and just pay attention to the two girls.)

I'm A Little Bit Country

American Idol elimination night started with a Rascal Flatts performance. They sang “Unstoppable”, which is not one of my favorite songs of theirs, but it doesn’t matter. I love Gary, the lead singer’s voice. He’s got a nice sounding twang and he puts some stank on some of his runs. Carrie Underwood introduced the band Sons of Sylvia as her writing partners and says she’s a big fan of their music. I love me some Carrie Underwood so I sit up and pay attention. After the first thirty seconds, I lost interest in Sons of Sylvia, but immediately had the urge to watch The Dark Crystal or a vampire movie. Lady Antebellum was up next. They sang their song that I love, “I Need You Now“. The male singer (not the one that plays the piano) has the better voice, but I’ve got to give the girl props because she writes the majority of the songs. What is Shakira doing on country night? Apparently she has a song with Rascal Flatts. I don’t think those two are a good mix, but whatever. Shakira is so cute. The song was okay, but the vocals…not so good.

Siobhan got kicked off. I called it. My psychic powers are still pumping strong. Her Mary Poppins tattoo is pretty cool.

Throw Mama From The Twain

Last night was Shania Twain’s turn to mentor the remaining Idol contestants. The show opened with two of my favorites….Lee DeWyze and “You’re Still The One I Love”. Finally, I’m enjoying the show. I’m literally sitting in front of my TV smiling…then here comes that bloated Magila Gorilla. (Smile fades) I can’t even imagine what Shania Twain song he’s going to butcher. During the rehearsal, Shania gave him the perfect advice…unlike the previous week’s celebrity mentor which was absolutely no help to the contestants and should remain nameless. (Alicia Keys) He shouldn’t just rest on having a good voice and get cocky about it. You’ll touch an audience if you feel the emotion in the song and bring that to your performance. I think that’s my issue with him. He’s very conceited and believes he’s better than he really is. Maybe I wouldn’t give him such a hard time if the emotion he tried to portray during his performances seemed genuine, but to me it’s just too dramatic. He’s acting as if he’s singing the hell out of the song when he’s not and the judges are falling for it. If he can take the advice Shania’s given him to heart, maybe I’ll lighten up on him. Not so much. He started the song with that damn lip licking he always does and that funny look on his face that he thinks is sexy. News Flash: It’s not sexy!! Please stop. OMG Becky! (Clutch the pearls) No the judges did not just compare Big Mike to the great Luther Vandross. I almost threw the remote at the TV. I said it before and now I am certain the American Idol judges have lost what little credibility they had left. Luther must be rolling over in his grave. The only thing Luther Vandross and Big Mike have in common is about 300 lbs. The only reason Shania Twain was crying after that performance was because Big Mike messed up her song.

Moving on…

I loved Casey’s performance. The first line he sang was absolutely perfect. He had me at hello. Crystal Bowersox, you can pressure your boyfriend to marry you on your own time. Don’t bore us with that mess. Reminder: this is a singing competition, not an open platform for your couples counseling. That was her worst performance to date. Chicken Little did pretty good this week. He hit some really good notes. Then he reminded me how gay he was when he dedicated that song to his mother. Siobhan always sounds good in rehearsal than not so good during the live show. That’s a problem. I’m putting her and Big Mike in the bottom two this week. In thirty minutes I’ll see what America decided.

Buyer Beware

Remember last post when I was talking about Justin Timberlake and I said I would buy anything that boy was selling? Well I did….and you should too. Justin has a new artist on his record label that is an old friend of his from his Mickey Mouse Club days. His name is Matt Morris and if you don’t want to buy the entire album, I’ll tell you which three songs you really should have in your music library. “Live Forever” is a great song with a nice feel to it. “Bloodline” is another good one. If you liked Jim Croce’s song “Time in a Bottle” you’ll like this song. You absolutely have to have “Money”. It’s so funky. Click here to check it out for yourself.

Totally unrelated….but if you’re looking for something else to add to your play list, check out Corrine Bailey Rae’s latest release “The Sea”. I loved her first CD and was a little concerned about her coming back from her husband’s death, but the sophomore album is just as good as her first. Some of the highlights are “Closer”, “Are You Here”, “I’d Do It All Again”, “I Would Like to Call it Beauty” and ….just get the whole thing because I pretty much am naming every song on the CD. They are all good. Click here to see her performing “Closer”.

Give It Back

Who knew Idol was giving back last night? I thought it was just going to be another boring elimination show. I really haven’t been paying attention this season. Any how….let’s recap what happened. The Black Eyed Peas performed first. You know, I liked the idea of the Peas when they were first introduced to us by Justin Timberlake, and maybe that’s why. I would buy anything he’s selling. Now they just seem like some multicultural superheroes. Yeah, they make some good dance hits, but Will.I.Am’s voice and hair irritate me and the more Fergie sings, the worse she sounds. Man, Idol sure knows how to squeeze blood out of a turnip. That story about the pregnant wife dying made me pick up my phone to donate the little piece of money I had left. That cuff on Jeff Beck’s arm was way too small. Thank you Joss Stone! Finally someone that sounds really good is singing on Idol. Click here to watch her performance if you missed it. Carrie freakin’ Underwood killed it. I haven’t heard this girl sing a bad note yet. She’s been on about a hundred shows since she won idol and she sounds good every time (which is more than you can say about most of these established artists running around out here now). I was hoping that Alicia Keys would change my mind but she started her song with that airy, whiny voice and then after that I was just so distracted by that silk garment riding up her butt. Ok, this is the second time Idol’s had Elliott Yamin sitting in the audience without having him sing. How rude! All that talent sitting right there at your disposal and all you do is wave to him? They have all these other fools singing on the show with their weak voices (Season 7’s Brooke White with that boy looking like rejects from the Twilight cast) and their whack songs (Orianthi) when they could have Elliott Yamin grace us with his beautiful voice. Don’t even get me started on Yamin. I’ll get back to him on another post. I don’t really know what to say about the Mary J. Blige performance, but I will say that Travis Barker was great on the drums. I love me some Elton John, but his voice is completely gone. Looks like my psychic powers are working again. Swoopy hair boy went home.

Fallin' .....out of love

Maxwell was on Dancing with the Stars last night singing “Fistful of Tears” and the first note he hit in that falsetto voice was so pretty. I love when he uses that part of his voice. He really has mastered the skill of going back and forth from high to low. Not many people can do that. I think Prince is also great at that and so is Raheem Devaughn. Let me tell you who is not great at it. Big Mike….aka Magila Gorilla. Which brings me to my American Idol recap, as much as I don’t want to talk about it, I just have to.

Last night Alicia Keys was their guide through a selection of inspirational songs. Though the only thing the contestants were inspiring me to do was change the channel. The boy with the long blonde curly hair (aka Casey) was kind of boring and I did not agree with his song choice, but I still like the tone of his voice. The paint salesman (aka Lee Dewyze) chose a Simon and Garfunkel song. Come on Lee, this was a bad choice, but I still like him so I’m going to try to ignore this performance. The judges seemed to think it was his best performance ever. I beg to differ. I’ve decided the judges are no longer credible and they are the reason we are in this predicament (being the worst season of idol ever). I’m just ready for this season to be over and bring on the X-factor already. Swoopy hair boy (aka Tim something) chose a GooGoo Dolls song. It was a complete waste of time. He needs to go home…and I think this week he just might. Chicken Little (aka…Fivel the mouse) decided to sing R.Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”. Last night he looked like one of the creatures from the Dark Crystal series (mixed with Fivel the mouse and Chicken Little, of course). I really think this song was way too big for him and I was just wishing he would fly away already. My favorite part about Siobhan’s performance was the butterflies on her hand and shoulder. OMG, I really cannot handle watching this bloated dude, licking and pursing his lips, with that tiny banjo he calls a guitar. Enough already! Come on Crystal Bowersox, give me a break. The crying was a bit dramatic for my taste. Hopefully Swoopy hair boy or Magila Gorilla will go home tonight. I’m assuming Alicia Keys will perform, but I’m not that excited about it. Is it me or have you noticed that ever since she got with Swiss Beats her voice has gotten really high and kind of whiny? I used to love everything she did, but I’m not loving some of these breathy high-pitched songs. They’re kind of irritating.

Father Knows Best

After years of debate, I am ready to admit defeat. Daddy, you are right. Jennifer Holiday’s rendition of “And I’m Telling You” is way better than Jennifer Hudson’s. Though I think out of all the people out there in a position to make an attempt at even coming close to taking on the role of Effie White on the big screen, Jennifer Hudson did a great job. Of course Jennifer Holiday did the best version ever. It doesn’t get any better than that. Really what I was trying to debate more was to acknowledge the great job that J-Hud did with such an impossible task, which my father refuses to notice. When the movie first came out there was a lot of discussion over which version was the best, but I really don’t think it’s fair to compare the two. Click here, to see Jennifer Holiday’s legendary performance and decide for yourself. Take the poll on the right and let me know who you think has the better version. Click here to see Hudson and Holiday together.

Watch Your Tone

Let’s quickly recap tonight’s American Idol elimination episode. Just because you put on an MJ jacket and a Billie Jean hat doesn’t mean we should scream for you, yet this misguided audience did. Give me a break Jason. Come on Kara! What song did the dude write that was so great? Not the song he was singing. When is somebody new going to come out that I can get excited about? Aw, little David Archuleta is back singing the song he sang on his season of idol that made me sit up and pay attention to him. I was wondering why no one sang my other favorite Beatles song “Imagine” ….and know I know why. Why didn’t Ri-Ri sing “Rude Boy”? That’s what I wanted to hear. I give her props for the hair and the cat suit…but not for the guitar. Who does she think she’s fooling? She can’t play the guitar. I could strum those two chords she used and I only took lessons for two weeks back in 1989. Oh well, looks like I’m not psychic after all, but I did get an early Christmas present. I’m not going to have to watch Big Mike stuff himself into tiny clothes anymore. Oh no, they’re letting him sing for his life. Did you hear the falsetto in the beginning of the song? He didn’t hit it. Nor was the rest of the song that impressive. I’m convinced these people have never heard Maxwell sing “This Woman’s Work” because they seem so impressed with Big Mike’s version. Ok, just kidding. Looks like there’s coal in my stocking. They decided to save him just as I realized who he reminds me of. Wait for it…




Replace the banana with a microphone and you know that looks exactly like him with the tiny hat and the bow tie.

BTW - I had a lively debate about music with my in-laws recently and we ended up on the topic of tone. There are a lot of great singers out there that can hit all the right notes, but there is something about the natural tone of the voice that can’t be taught or rehearsed that can set you apart from the rest. Here are two examples of great tone for you to enjoy. Click here for Jasmine Sullivan. Click here for Adele.

Let It Be

Yippee!! I was all excited because it’s Beatles night on American Idol. I was thinking it should be really good, because they’ve got a lot of great hits, but I should’ve known these kids would ruin it for me. Chicken Little sang “Long and Winding Road” and it was a long and painful road for me. At first I thought Chicken Little was gay and he just didn’t know it yet, but tonight it seemed he was beginning to embrace his orientation. Man oh man, “Let It Be” is one of my favorite songs and the young girl did not do it justice. I’m starting to think there’s something going on with this girl’s voice, because she sounds very nasal or flat…just kind of off. Wouldn’t you know, the judges said that was her best performance? Maybe things sound different in the theatre than they do on TV. “Can’t Buy Me Love” is another favorite of mine, but the performance by Garcia was lackluster. Ok, they are clearly hearing something different in the studio than we’re hearing on TV. Big Mike was not good. He continues to try to sing in his falsetto voice and he can never hit those notes. The rest of the song was just shy of okay. “Come Together” is such a funky song. I love the Michael Jackson version. Crystal did a good job with it; though she didn’t quite hit some of the power notes, but let’s face it….she doesn’t have much competition. When the said the guy with nine lives was going to sing “All My Love” I thought that was the perfect song for him to continue with the corny performances he usually gives with bad vocals. But you know what? He actually did better than usual…but still who cares. I’m not even sure what song Goldilocks sang, but I liked it! He sounded great. There was a very nice feel to the song. Siobhan is putting me to sleep. I like her boots though. Wow. Ask for a bag piper and ye shall receive. I like “Hey Jude” as well and I really like the paint salesman, but this wasn’t my favorite performance of his.

Okay, let’s see if my psychic powers are still working this week. I’m thinking either the girl that sang Let It Be or Garcia is going home.

Gospel Sunday

The trumpet Awards were on TV One last night. In case you missed it, here are the highlights. The old group, After 7, started the evening with a medley of their songs. I can’t tell if those are the original members or if some have been replaced because the only one I ever paid attention to was Kevon Edmonds. Kevon still sounds good. Rachelle Farrell sang “America the Beautiful”. She’s got quite a large mouth and she stretches her face in the most peculiar positions to get those notes out, but good golly miss molly she sang the hell out of that song. Jay Moss, The Clark Sisters and Kiki Sheard did a tribute to Frankie Beverly & Maze. I am speechless! The freaking Clark Sisters are amazing! I can’t even verbalize what they just did. You have to watch it for yourself. Click here to see.

The new season of Sunday Best started last night. It’s the gospel version of American Idol. They began auditions in Lagos, Nigeria to find one contestant to represent Africa. Catch it every Sunday on BET at 8pm. It’s worth watching.

OMG

OMG…Is Reuben Studdard getting smaller or are his clothes just way bigger? No, he’s definitely smaller. Good for you Reuben! He may even be smaller than Big Mike. I like his single “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like You No More”. I’m not sure if him touring with Clay Aiken is a good idea, but its good to see him back out there.

OMG, Usher, what is going on? I’m not sure why he chose to sing, “OMG” on American Idol because the song is pretty whack. I guess he wanted to dance and bring out his little friend Will.I.Am (who had on an outfit even weirder than Usher’s). Speaking of his dancing….uhm, is he trying to tell us something? What was up with all that feminine choreography? Those must be his favorite boots because he keeps wearing them at every appearance.

OMG….Puffy Combs, give me a break. I’m still trying to figure out what his song was about. It had like two phrases….”Hello” and “Good Morning”. Look, if you have a nice track you want to use and you can’t come up with any lyrics….hire a writer. He can afford it. And what’s up with his two sidekicks? He’s got the last standing member of Danity Kane and Estelle’s long lost twin sister dancing and singing some oohs and aahs. What’s the point?

This week’s theme was R&B/Soul music and this is what we get? Was Maxwell busy? I know he’s on tour with Jill Scott right now, but they could’ve sent a private jet for him. What about Anthony Hamilton? I know he wasn’t busy. I understand they are booking talent that is promoting a new project, but I just don’t see how Diddy falls into the R&B/Soul category. What about Monica? She’s got a new CD out. They should’ve invited her. Anyone would’ve been better than Diddy and the twins.

BTW, looks like I am psychic. They sent DiDi home as I predicted.

Simon Says

I know this season sucks, but I can't not talk about American Idol. Last night Usher ushered the contestants along as they attempted R&B Soul songs. I won't even get started on Usher and his man handler that stood up every time he did protecting him from what,I'm not sure. I'm going to focus at the task at hand. It's my turn to be Simon and rip these contestants a new one.

In my eyes the talent is not that good this season. I don't even have a favorite that I'm routing for...and I always have a favorite. Siobhan sounded good singing Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire" for the thirty seconds of the rehearsal footage they showed...then she never sounded good again. The guy with the glasses whose parents are ex-gangbangers was interesting last night. I like the idea of stripping down a song for an intimate acoustic set, though I'm not sure Chris Brown's "Forever" has the lyrics that would provide the moment he meant to have. I will say it was definitely better than his performances the last couple of weeks. Why are they pumping Big Mike up so much? He's already pumped up enough. Is it me, or does anyone else think his clothes are going to rip at any moment? Why can't he just put on a larger size? Anyway, he's got a decent voice, but he's not as great as they're making him out to be. I understand...in a sea of mediocrity, he can seem like greatness, but let's not fool ourselves. His version of "Ready For Love" was no where near as good as India Arie's and his rendition of "This Woman's Work"can't even hold a candle to Maxwell's. The girl with the dredlocks was good, as usual and the guy with the blonde ponytail sounded good. My favorite performance of the night came from the former paint salesman singing "Treat Her Like A Lady". I love the tone of his gritty voice...and he's really cute too. I'd buy some paint from him...and I don't even need any paint.

I predict DiDi, who sang "What Becomes of a Broken Heart", will get kicked off tonight. Check back tomorrow to see if I'm psychic.

New Releases

It's Tuesday! In the music biz, that's new release day...and though it pains me to do it, I may as well review Usher's latest release, "Raymond vs. Raymond". I'm not a fan, but a lot of people are and though I hate to admit it, he's got some great hits.



Hey Daddy - Unless he's talking to his kids...and I have a sneaking suspicion he's not...this is gross. I'm not into calling anyone, other than your father, Daddy.
There Goes My Baby - This reminds me of Charlie Wilson's song with the same title, yet this song is much more tolerable.
Lil Freak feat. Nikki Minaj - Uhm...who said she was any good? It's like someone in a high position said she is the next hot female rapper and everyone believed it just because they said it was so, but she sucks.
The next four songs aren't even worth talking about.
Fooling Around - Sounds like Confessions Part 16. These type of songs always work for him. He should stick with it.
Papers - I know I shouldn't like this song, because divorce is said and all that stuff, but I do. I love a bitter song and I like that he's admitting his mistakes....not to mention its a catchy tune.
More - Is perfect for the NBA commercials... and nothing more.

Listen, there are a few good songs on here, but as a whole the album is mediocre. He'll never top "Confessions"...Maroon 5 will never top "Songs About Jane"...that's just the way it is.

Okay Erykah...its your turn.



20 Feet Tall - Uh oh...Erykah's smoking that weed again.
Window Seat - Was a really good song...until I saw the video.
Agitation - Maybe I don't get it because I don't smoke weed. You probably have to be high to relate...kind of like George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic's music.
Gone Baby, Don't Be Long - I like this one. Pretty funky.
You Loving Me - Drugs are bad...emkay?

For those of you who enjoy all types of music, like myself, check out Gretchen Wilson's "I Got Your Country Right Here".

Music Videos: Have they gone too far?

I saw on the web that India Arie thinks the new Lady GaGa video featuring Beyonce goes too far. It's no secret sex sells and unfortunately artists that don't play that game don't always get the recognition they deserve. I've always thought India Arie doesn't get the credit she's due becuase of her look...and it's a shame this site used a picture of her looking worse than Harriet Tubman to drive the point home.





Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of it too. I enjoy a little eye candy in a music video. However, she raises a good point...when does it go too far? Check it out for yourself. Telephone Video Dancing in a thong is a bit much. I see it as an act of desperation. GaGa needed to do something to stand out next to Beyonce and to distract the audience from the fact that the song really isn't that good. I did enjoy the dance break in the superwoman outfits, but the rest of it was a waste.

It's true that sex sells, and we definitely buy it, because a sex tape or a naked music video usually jumpstarts a career. It's been going on for years. Madonna and Janet did it. Even D'Angelo, who I believe is a musical genius and doesn't need to play these games because his music is just that good, didn't become a household name until his naked video. (BTW, someone please go find D'Angelo and check him into rehab asap. The industry needs him back. It's been way too long.)

I guess Erykah Badu needs to breathe new life into her career because I can't for the life of me fathom what would posess her to do this....

Window Seat Video