Single Review – Natalie Bassingthwaighte “Someday Soon”

Natalie "Someday Soon"

To those not from Australia or the United Kingdom, you will mostly be unaware of Natalie Bassingthwaighte, former front woman for the Rogue Traders, but not for long. “Someday Soon is the second single from her debut album 1000 Stars, which she has been working on for almost two years, and believe me, from the first two singles, it shows.

First there was “Alive”, the debut single from her solo album, which I loved, but due to it’s staggered release did not receive the lofty chart accolades it deserved, a stunning electro-pop song, with character, Natalie’s voice and look is one of a kind, except in some instances she can look alot like Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, but that’s a tale for another time. Now “Someday Soon” reminds me of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” and Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”, it is an inspirational song, and before you know it, it’s stuck in your head in a great way.

“Someday soon you’re going to catch that dream you’ve been chasing, Someday they’re gonna write your name in the sky”

The song combines a dreamy beat which is quite similar to Gwen Stefani’s “The Real Thing” and Natalies inspirational vocals are truly spectacular, she is a talented singer for sure, and also knows how to bring her personality into a song without seeming forced. Overall I rate it 4 and a half stars and I’m positive it will be a hit, the single will be released both digitally and physically on January 10th, obviously Sony BMG learnt not to drag out their releases!

Listen to this euphoric Pop Song Below on the official music video

Lily Allen Covers Britney Spears “Womanizer”

Lily Allen

Bottom Line: unless you have a strange ability to find Lily Allen’s voice new and entertaining after three years of it being played constantly through your radio, then you will find this monotonous and really poor music.

The cover isn’t a satire of the song despite it’s repetitive lyrics, in the vein of Alanis Morisettes mocking rendition of the Black Eyed Peas “My Humps”. This cover is, dripping with Lily Allens smart-assed attitude but in this case it’s not exactly very fitting.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy her first album, and some of the more electro inspired tracks she released over Myspace last year, but this cover is crap, and if Lily Allen doesn’t change her direction like I thought she was going to, then she wont exactly be very successful. If she finds a fresh influence for her next album, I think it could harness her talent and really exemplify her as more of an artist than a sarcastic “mockney” singer, which we begin to see in songs like “Littlest Things”.

Apparently she is also now in trouble with her label, EMI, for sending the cover to Mark Ronson, who played it on his radio show and allowing fans to rip it and spread it over the internet, which Lily Allen claims was not her plan… mmm, ok.

No Doubt Reunited Touring Whilst Producing Album

 

They're Back

The epic No Doubt, with Gwen Stefani, have announced they will be touring next year before releasing their new album, which is very exciting, obviously since Gwen was pregnant, producing the new album had to be postphoned quite a bit, but they are going to tour in the meantime and hope to release the album in the third to last quarter of 2009, which means we should expect a lead single around about June-July!

 

Checkout this new photo of the band taken recently, found on the bands webpage. I’m already pumped for their tour after over a year of waiting for some decent news on Gwen Stefani or No Doubt, (Musically speaking) finally there is something new from the band, and it looks classy and I like the new style of the band, this indicates that they know a new direction and shouldn’t be trodding on old terriritory. When Gwen Stefani takes a chance on something new, history shows that she usually kicks ass at it.

Britney Spears New Tour To Depict Her Breakdown

 

Britney In Top Form

It has been alluded to that Britney Spears upcoming tour “The Circus: Starring Britney Spears” will depict her epic breakdown and her brilliant comeback in a three act show, the first depicting her downward spiral, the second when she runs off the to the Circus, a metaphor for her driving around aimlessly, shaving her head, and the like. Finally Britney will emerge from the clutches of the circus and be reunited with her friends and family.

 

This has me intruiged, and it displays absolute potential for something truly incredible that will really dramatize what her life really must be like, this show could easily incorporate both Blackout and her new album Circus, with both dark and lighter music, this tour could become critically acclaimed, so lets hope she does some shows in perhaps Europe (Other than London) and possible Australia, but as always it’s not a question of being able to sell tickets, because… well she’s Britney Spears, if someone will pay 50,000 for a piece of her chewing gum on eBay then they’ll certainly buy tickets, it is more a problem of the recent mother of two children could really handle something so full scale at this time in her life.

Personally I believe that Britney should promote the full course of the album, she could easily get 6-7 top 10 singles out of this album, and if she rushes into the tour in March as proposed, that might jeopardize the potential of this incredible pop album.

If you have any comments or requests for single or album reviews, drop me an email at jaw.modernmusic@gmail.com and i’ll try my best to get back to you.

Financial Crisis, what about the Katy Perry Crisis?

Katy Perry looking intelligent in a demure outfit

If you thought perhaps the Financial crisis, or even the Bird Flu epidemic was anything worth worrying about, then direct your eyes to the newest crisis, an ongoing problem, that has existed ever since the music world was conceived, it’s called crap music.

As aforementioned in the title, Katy Perry is the 2008 ambassador for “crap music”, her debut single, “I’m so Gay” which, luckily for her was never really exposed properly to the educated populus cashed in on mindless homophobia as a hook for what is a really… immarture song. Katy Perry’s music sounds whiny, because that is all it is, she complains, she compains that her boyfriends so “Gay”, she complains that she “Kissed and Girl” (mmm whatever),  she complains that she doesn’t want to be “One of the boys”, and finally that her boyfriend “PMS’s like a bitch” (what a symphony of divine lyrics!).

Now, if you need any more reasons to agree, consider her first successful single, it’s called “I kissed a girl” something I really doubt Katy Perry has done, considering her incredible dim and immarture attitude in interviews, she trivialises being gay as Pink herself said, she cashes in on the “shock value” of scaring the more backwards people in American soceity who remain heavily homophobic, to the enjoyment of the slightly less backwards people in America who are homophobic “except when it’s like… two hot chicks, yeah?” .  Katy Perry will never have any real integrity as a successful artist (if she becomes one), until she actually can admit that her first album is a load of garbage designed for a target demographic who buy into her false stories or kissing a girl.

She declares “I Kissed a Girl and I like it” in the fashion that she knows very well the exact reaction she’s going to get, she knows its controvertial, and thats what makes it so transparent that they wrote this song in a desperate and shameless bid for number one in the US. The way she declares it reminds me of the sort of girls whose top may fall off for example, and instead of keeping quiet to avoid embarrasment, YELL IT OUT “OH MY GOD MY BOOB FELL OUT!”, knowing that it will get them attention, because they are attention whores.

This is what is wrong with Katy Perry, I think she can sing, you can find proof if you listen to her doing a cover of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” on BBC LiveLounge.  The second major issue I have with Katy Perry, is she has become incredibly arrogant, firstly when her and Miley Cyrus (another tweeny musical mess) had a little tiff via the media, with Miley stating “[Katy Perry's] just mad at me because she used to be a backup singer on my records” to which Katy Perry replied “Six weeks at number One”, referring to her single that’s so overexposed it would make a solar eclipse seem dim. The problem with this is, Katy, SOULJA BOY has been at number one, so have many other CRAP songs, which is why having ONE single go to number one, means very little in the music industry.

Ego is the music industry is… good in small and reasonable doses, consider for example, Lady Gaga, who has a stage ego, but it works in line with her stage persona a fierce platinum blonde performer. Katy Perry also recently said when asked by a journalist how she would react is she was offered to collaborate with Britney Spears that “Oh Well it depends, I only colloborate with people I like love, y0u know, so I’d like really have to love her, so yeah maybe”…. HOLD ON A SECOND… she’s so arrogant she actually completely overlooked the framing of the question, the words “if” referring to it being unlikely and “offered” meaning that Britney Spears is 83.5 million albums ahead of her tiny self. Katy Perry would never be asked to collaborate with Britney Spears, what Katy Perry does could be easily regurgitated by your average female popstar, say Lindsay Lohan, or Hilary Duff.

The irony here, is as I alluded to before Katy Perry’s album has only barely sold half a million copies after being out for over half a year, that is a dismal effort for somebody so arrogant. The album has also scored an appaling 45 on Metacritic, earning a well earned spot of 2nd worst reviewed album of 2008 and earining her a much deserved spot in the bottom 100 albums of all time. Conratulations!

P.S. I wrote an article about Katy Perry Sucking and I liked it!

Music News – Britney Spears Womanizer Tops World Chart

83 million records later, Britney's Still On Top Of the World

Britney Spears’ Comeback single, “Womanizer” has stomped out all the competition, moving up from number 3, to 2nd place, and this week to 1st place on the United World Chart. This is a fantastic achievement on behalf of Britney as it shows us that she is world renknowned, not just big in the United States.

Womanizer has also recently been certified platinum by the United World Chart for garnering over 2 million points and counting. This simultaneously occoured, as her new album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 with sales of over half a million, and the title track, the single, has debuted in third place on the Hot 100, Britney’s highest debut for a single in her entire career, it topped both the Digital Track chart and the Digital Songs chart in America, debuted at 15 in the Australian charts, and at number 8 on the United World Chart, an envious achievement considering the chart counts both sales, physical and digital, as well as airplay, something that didn’t even commence for the “Circus” single officially until today the 12th December.

Track Chart week 51 / 2008 – December 20 the most popular tracks according to global paid download, single-sales and airplay issue date: December 11, 2008 copyright (C) 2008 – all rights reserved

	2 / 3 week 9	Womanizer – Britney Spears Jive – 319.000 – 1 week at No.1
	1 / 1 week 7	If I Were A Boy – Beyoncé Columbia – 312.000

Britney Spears Storms into Number 1 in the charts!

 

Hits Daily Double Chart with sales information

It’s 99% official people, Britney Spears will debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200, with an incredible 505,000 copies sold of her new Circus Album.

This is a stellar achievement especially considering the meager 320,000 her last album Blackout sold in it’s first week, and the embarrasing 890,000 total copies sold

This is proof that Britney Spears is back once again, she’s miles ahead of the competition, and with dates being added to her tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears, around the clock, there is just no stopping this woman.

This is an exciting time in pop music history as Britney sways over from a Has-Been to a bonafide Pop Princess once more, but bigger and better than ever.

If you want any more information regarding the album drop me an email at jaw.modernmusic@gmail.com

Upcoming Single – Lady Gaga “Eh Eh”

Finally some news! I have it on good word, that the next single for Lady Gaga’s album “The Fame” will not be the banal title track but the dreamy “Eh Eh Nothing Else I Can Say”.

I have mixed feelings about this, but I’m just so relieved that they didn’t choose “The Fame”, because it would never do as well as Just Dance or Poker Face because it’s just a forgettable song. However Lady Gaga should’ve considered Papparazi as 3rd single, then possibly Summer Boy.

However, “Eh Eh” is just a million miles better than “The Fame” but like I said i’m not too sure that this single will have the widespread appeal of Poker Face and Just Dance, because it’s more pop than electro, but fingers crossed this lovely lady gets her third consecutive #1 in Australia!

Anyway this single has potential regardless of whether it’s pop or electro, Lady Gaga should be able to make a killer video for “Eh Eh”, and remember, you heard it first on JUSTADDWATER – Modern Music Blog!

If you have any questions or want to request an album or single review, drop me an email at jaw.modernmusic@gmail.com

Upcoming Single – Sophie Ellis-Bextor “Sophia Loren”

Wow, ok so after waiting ages with constant pushbacks regarding her fourth album and the lead single, finally I have come across an iota of proof that this album may be something worthwhile!

All the hype began when she cancelled some show in London and released some crappy b-side as a free download, “Love Is The Law” which sounded like a formula Sophie song, it sounded so empty and completely pointless. How is this song an apology? It’s almost the musical equivalent of SENSORY DEPRIVATION! Don’t you see what you did Sophie? You’ve lead yourself down a perpetual path of apology, because you’ll release another b-side quality song hmm like “Off And On” to apologise for the last one, and then “Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer” to apologise for the last!

 

ANYWAY, I tried to enjoy the former two songs, but they were lifeless to be honest, and if she seriously thought that “Off and On” could’ve been a lead single, what’s going on in her head? But I heard through the grapevine that the new lead single for her fourth album which will be titled “Split-Second Love” is called “Sophia Loren”, which is playing in the background of some new beauty commericials she recently filmed, and it sounds fantastic!

“Sophia Loren” sounds like Britney Spears’ “Mmm Papi” but the with gestapo-like received elocution of correct British Grammar, and it has some LIFE in it, thank god. This is what Sophie needs, she has character but when she focuses on perfect elecution she loses it and it sounds monotonous because she’s already released three albums of it!

I hope this single will be released as soon as possible, and I will keep you all updated on any news to do with the album! I predict this could reinstate her relavence in the global pop world. Listen to the song below

If you have any questions or want to request an album or single review, drop me an email at jaw.modernmusic@gmail.com

Album Review – Jewel “Perfectly Clear”

 

Jewel's Sixth Album "Perfectly Clear"

“Perfectly Clear” is folk singer Jewel’s 6th studio album, an album where she decidedly creates country music instead of her trademark insightful haunting folk rock sound. To be honest I am dissapointed that she has diverged into Country music as I beleive, whilst she certainly fits the mark for it, she has greater potential in other areas of music, and myself not being a country fan I will stay as objective as I can.

 

The album opens up with the delightful upbeat positive self affirming lyrics that can lighten up the darkest of moods. This song is really a great number by Jewel, singing “I’m gonna be my own best friend, wont lose myself again”. This song was rightly chosen to be the lead single for the album, yet enjoyed mediocre success. Despite this the song is still worth listening to for fans of Jewel.

“I Do” is the second song on the album, and fittingly the second single. This song is fantastic, it has heartwrenching chords and it switches between country and pop during each bridge. This is by far the most original song on the album, and probably would be a fan favourite. If you enjoy this song, the music video is worth a watch.

“Love Is A Garden”, which is another spectacular song, the lyrics are truly meaningful, and they suit her beautiful melodic vocals, would be the best choice for third single, although I believe that it has been chosen to be “Til it feels like cheating” which is a mediocre effort at best, when you compare it to her other albums.

“Thump Thump” is a sweet song, that can be enjoyed best when thinking about that special someone, she cooes “Your laughter is like poetry to me” along to a gentle riff. This song is one of the occasions where the album peaks well above the rest.

“Rosey and Mick” is an interesting song, a story about a couple reaching the end of the line of their violent relationship, Jewel’s sonorous feminine vocality shines through this song, and it is engaging and at no point trivial whilst remaining tongue-in-cheek in her constant allusions.

“Perfectly Clear” makes it clear (perfectly of course) why Jewel would do country music, and that is because the combination of country music and her raw and emotional vocals which drive this song to the quaint but so introspective style of Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic”. 

Overall this album encapsulates Jewel as a person, she was homeless at a young age, living out of a van doing gigs and trying to get a recording contract whilst making ends meet, she is a true icon because her music presents her life as evidence for the emotions in her unique vocals. Perfectly Clear gets only 2.5 stars unfortunetly, only because it just diverges too far from what makes her so good on a few too many occasions, and some of the songs seem to have been written to sound like country music, with stereotypical lyrics and a few too many cliches (Of course nowhere near the dreadful amount in Jessica Simpsons country “effort”) Yet songs like “I Do” and “Perfectly Clear” redeem Jewel from such songs.

Jewel is one of my favourite artists, and I’ll be very dissapointed if she sticks to country music, despite her being somewhat suited to it, it doesn’t mean she should change her musical direction because her folk-rock music is incredible, and a gift to a music industry starving from tasteful music that contains raw emotions other than the why did you call the album “Songs about girls” when clearly it’s “Songs about Shemales”. Nevertheless, Jewel fans will enjoy a selection of the songs on this album, but they will never be as memorable as songs like “This Way”and “You Were Meant For Me”. 

If you have any questions or want to request an album or single review, drop me an email at jaw.modernmusic@gmail.com