smile pretty for me

The Leak(y) Album: Hard Candy

2008-04-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

As the leak for Mimi's E=mc2 appears not to have hurt sales (est. at over 500k for this week), perhaps the sampling of 6 more tracks from Hard Candy (in addition to already released 4 Minutes and already leaked Candy Shop) will excite listeners to buy at the record store:

Give It To Me

This is to be her second single. There's wink in the rhythm link to 'Superfreak' before a break complete with Balinese Gamelan gongs.

Heartbeat

A heartbeat gives away to a layer of stuttering synths (reminding me of something from TRON) It's an ode to dancing as an escape from 'this complicated life' ...seems like she hasn't finished her dance floor confessions.

Miles Away

Beautiful, breezy song with Madonna ruefully ruminating on how love is so much easier at a distance. This should be released as a single.

She's Not Me

I love this song -- very Ring My Bell at the roller disco. Funky guitars over spare cascades of bells, cowbells and whistles -- all supporting cheeky, back off b*tch lyrics -- quite a treat.

Incredible

Twittering beats over a series of piano chords as Madge sings ruefully of beautiful beginnings gone stale. Then the bridge which comes in raging w/ electric guitar before giving way to a fluttering of more synths before jerking back into the sputtering beat/piano combo and veering into a breakdown. It seems like Madonna & Pharrell are trying to force the urgency of 'finishing what we started' through the schizophrenic sonics. To me, it's the most jarring and least accessible of the leaked tracks.

Beat Goes On

Radical rework from the demo leaked last year, both in sonics (a calvalcade of tinkling bells, synths, cowbells) and lyrics (thankfully jettisoning the 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride' reference for a more universal 'Just Do It' vibe). It bumps along nicely, sweeping Kanye along for the ride in a guest rap.

Here's a link to an article in The Sun with Madonna's own rundown on some of these tracks.

(UPDATE: Seems that Warner Bros. is more diligent than Universal in plugging leaks...check back next week for the full-on deluge!)

the leak(y) album: E=mc2

2008-04-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Those darn internets -- Mimi's E=mc2 leaked last week (even though her album drops today)...and the tracks are already up on YouTube! :-\ Either this is Universal's ploy to drum up further buzz on the album for that big opening week sales number (her stint on Oprah on Monday will also help bring in the bucks), or someone on the label needs to watch his/her back...!

Click on the titles below to listen to the tracks:

Migrate (feat. T-Pain)
This club banger opens the album as 'It's Like That' did for Emancipation, complete with guest rapper! Considering 'It's Like That' was a disappointment on the charts, I can understand her not wanting to repeat that scenario. Her lackluster live performance of this song on SNL didn't help much either.

Touch My Body
See blog entry below.

Cruise Control (feat. Damian Marley)
Mimi mixes Jamaican patois with those JD programmed beats. The reggae organ and Damian Marley 'Pass the Dutchie' melodic reference are inspiring.

I Stay in Love
Standard R&B ballad...nice, yearning lyrics that will be very popular at high school proms.

Side Effects (feat. Young Jeezy)
OooOOh, Mimi is MAD! She put Mr. Mottola on BLAST with this song...and that butterfly flirts back in her lyrics once again...

I'm That Chick
I'm really feeling this song. The disco, Patrice Rushen 'Forget Me Nots' vibe is quite a refreshing change of pace. The Off The Wall reference in the middle is quite cute too.

Love Story
Back to JD and his drum kit...however, we *do* get a piano too!

Loving You Long Time
Ah, a joyous single with a wall of (sampled) sound, many Mimi voices and an impassioned lead vocal. Another standout track.

Last Kiss
Back to the standard JD slowjam (multilayered vocals, syncopated melody lines, that 808)..reminds me of We Belong Together.

Thanx 4 Nothin'
*Another* JD ballad (see above) -- but with lyrics sour, not sweet. :-\

O.O.C.
'Out of Control' -- the cymbals and handclaps ground the song as multitracked layers of vocals swing and coo. Nice.

For the Record
Yet another JD slowjam. If these songs weren't jam packed into the same album, they would most likely stand out. Unfortunately, they start to meld into each other as track blends into track.

Bye Bye
See blog entry below.

I Wish You Well
A lovely way to end the album: Mariah, a piano and a gentle layer of background vocals. It reminds me of Vanishing, a gem of a song from her debut album.

Overall impression -- JD really needs to back off that 808 machine. Well, at least the sound is consistent.

UPDATE: a fantastic review from Rich at fourfour -- pretty much on the money.

How's that song go again? Beat It

2008-04-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

With Thriller's 25th Annivesary edition: The original version: Beat It - Michael Jackson This was a classic... Weird Al's version: hahaha... Fall Out Boy (w/ John Mayer) currently has a rendition that's ~~#19 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart~~ (UPDATE: it fell out of the top 50 in this week's chart). Here's the Guitar Hero version for you to play along: And finally, my favorite version of the song -- Amy Winehouse & Charlotte Church tear it up (literally): I just admire how the great Amy "plays" with the vocal line as Charlotte helplessly plods along...

How's that song go again? Ain't No Other Man, KEN LEE!

2008-04-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

So, the CONductor sent me this clip he found on YouTube several weeks ago...he professes to gloss over the song lyrics, deeming them irrelevant compared to harmonies, counterpoint, musical textures -- blahblahblah.

Perhaps he wanted to provide insight into the music of his mind:

While I never thought of Xtina's pronunciation as particularly poor, I do appreciate aural reconstruction.

If a native speaker of English can mishear and mangle the meanings of songs, imagine the reinvention done by those who don't speak it at all-- like perhaps someone from...Bulgaria:

The British are Coming! Leona & Estelle

2008-04-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Leona Lewis landed on our shores and scored her first US #1 two weeks ago (with much help from Mama Oprah) with debut single Bleeding Love (check out the UK version as well as the US version).

Estelle, signed to John Legend's Homeschool Records (Atlantic), currently has the #1 single in the UK with 'American Boy' (feat. Kanye West):

This song has a sophisticated, 70s disco vibe which reminds me of that (dare I say) CrazyCool Gnarls Barkley hit -- which was huge in London during the summer of 2006. Hmmm, could this be a good omen for Ms. E?

How's that song go again? Bye Bye

2008-04-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, contrary to rumors of club-friendly Migrate being the second single, she come's out with a ballad for *everybody* who's lost somebody -- I guess she's just trying to cover her (fan) bases...(source: www.mariahcarey.com and click on the music player) ...or check out her performance below:

(Guess she didn't want to hazard the perils of live performance after this)...

Sign O' the Times: Music Labels Scramble to Court the MySpace Crowd

2008-04-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

In this article, the NY Times reported that 3 of the major labels (Universal, Sony BMG, & Warner) have teamed up w/ MySpace to augment the MySpace Music site. According to the article, the 3 labels will open up their catalogs to MySpace, in exchange for revenue share from ad-sponsored song streaming and download purchases. The article didn't make clear whether the labels will get a cut from merch also available for sale online (e.g. t-shirts, ringtones), but as MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe considers this endeavor a "full 360-degree revenue stream," one can assume this to be the case.

Downloads will be available DRM (Digital Rights Management) free, in line w/ offerings available at Amazon. Another attempt by the labels to wean themselves from their dependency on the almighty itunes.

Looks like the feature isn't quite ready for primetime. Upon visiting the site, there are currently no options anywhere on the site to stream or download music; looks like you have to visit the individual artist pages and these pages aren't (yet) supporting their full catalogs...

Sign O' The Times: LiveNation 360 Deals

2008-04-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

NYTimes.com announced in this article that concert promoter Live Nation is close to completing a deal with Jay-Z worth $150 million over 10 years and is broken down as follows:

Length of Jay-Z deal: 10 years
$25 million upfront payment
$25 million general advance, including fees from current Heart of the City tour w/ Mary J. Blige
$25 million to cover five years' worth of overhead
$25 million to finance acquisitions or investments
$30 million total album advance (3 album minimum over 10 years)
$20 million for certain publishing, licensing and other rights
(source: NYTimes.com)

(Guess money *is* a thing...)

Compare this with U2's deal struck on Monday and Madonna's deal struck late last year:

Length of U2 deal: 12 years
Financial windfall for U2: undisclosed
Terms: Live Nation will manage touring, merchandising, U2's website. Publishing and music distribution not included.
(source: Billboard.com)

(Hopefully, the money helps some..)

Length of Madonna deal: 10 years
Financial windfall for Madonna: $120 million
Terms: Live Nation's deal "encompasses Madonna's future music and music-related businesses, including the exploitation of the Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising, fan clubs/Web sites, DVDs, music-related television and film projects and associated sponsorship agreements."
(source: Billboard.com)

(Well, at least she's upfront about it...)

While there has been criticism on such seemingly extravagant payouts, these established artists have a solid fan base who will pay $$$$ for concert tix, and extra $$$ for the merch. Additionally, album sales for Madonna and Jay-Z have already peaked (U2 may still be holding out for relevancy in an increasingly irrelevant music label distribution paradigm), so the hedging their bets on these previously ancillary revenue streams makes some cents.

Do you think Live Nation is off its rocker? Sound off...

How's that song go again? Touch My Body

2008-04-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

As reported earlier today in Billboard, Mimi knocked Elvis off his throne of #1 hits this week with her debut single, 'Touch My Body,' from upcoming album, E=mc2 (out on 4/15/08):

I guess her genius indeed surpasses my comprehension -- *this* is a #1 song??? It's cute, it's lite, it's airy...it's inconsequential! Will we be remembering this song 10 years from now? To recap, these are her 18 #1 hits:

Album: Mariah Carey
1990: Vision of Love
1990: Love Takes Time
1991: Someday
1991: I Don't Wanna Cry

Album: Emotions
1991: Emotions

Album: Unplugged
1992: I'll Be There

Album: Music Box
1993: Dreamlover
1994: Hero

Album: Daydream
1995: Fantasy
1996: One Sweet Day
1996: Always Be My Baby

Album: Butterfly
1997: Honey
1998: My All

Album: Rainbow
1999: Heartbreaker
2000: Thank God I Found You

Album: The Emancipation of Mimi
2005: We Belong Together
2006: Don't Forget About Us

Album: E=mc2
2008: Touch My Body

While her output pre-1997 was highly scrutinized (controlled) by husband-svengali Tommy Mottola, those cuts are pretty classic. While My All can be unforgettably tragic (in the best way), tunes like Thank God I found You and Don't Forget About Us can be...tragically forgettable. Touch My Body seems like Don't Forget About Us, redux.

How's that song go again? 4 minutes

2008-03-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Madonna inspires fierce loyalty from her devotees. While her upcoming album Hard Candy isn't out in the US until 4/29, fans have been rabid about spreading the word on Mother's next coming. While the lead off single, 4 minutes (w/ Justin Timberlake), was officially available as a digital download last Tuesday, copies have been passed back and forth like the bird flu (those darn internets!)

To conquer the US market, she's enlisted all of Virginia (or at least its producers: Timbaland, Pharrell, Danja, etc.) to help craft an R&B/pop sound (UPDATED):

25 years in the business and we get *this* as the opening salvo for her last jaunt with Warner Bros.?

As other reviews have noted (particularly this one from Rich at fourfour), it's Promiscuous (which came out in 2006) + Lose My Breath (2004!!!). Not exactly trailblazing -- but then again, how do you remain the vanguard when you're approaching 50?

But to get back to the lyrics...uhm....hunh?

C'mon boy, I've been waitin' for somebody to pick up my strobe
(C'mon boy, I've been waitin' for somebody to pick up my stroll) <-- actual lyric! or later in the chorus... Keep it up, keep it up, don't be a prig, you gotta get 'em a...hut (Keep it up, keep it up, don't be afraid, you gotta get it line, hop!) I mean, I guess it's about the music, because even w/ lyrics posted online (see here) I *still* don't know what they're talking about...???

Of course the lyrics could be read as Madge passing the pop wand to Princess Justine, but...is it that serious?

UPDATE: So the video's out -- uhm, what's w/ the homage to Damien Hirst?

How's that song go again? Caribbean Queen

2008-03-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Amazing how videos found on YouTube can unlock warm, tucked away memories. Sometimes you're able to look at these moments from a sober perspective, gained out of hard-fought "maturity". Other times, you're still as lost as you were when you were 10.

Case in point: Caribbean Queen, Billy Ocean's snazzy hit from 1984.

I mean...what is he saying???

She touched by me...and blamed it on jeans
(She dashed by me in painted-on jeans)

Even though you can now find correct lyrics to songs via numerous websites (such as this one), sometimes it's more fun not knowing...