Don’t get me wrong with this post, I think that Kanye West’s latest CD - 808s & Heartbreak - could be my favorite Kanye CD since his first album, but good lord, I’d be lying if I said that his performance of “Love Lockdown” on Saturday Night Live wasn’t a disaster.
What I like about the new CD is that the beats are so good that Kanye’s rhymes take a backseat to the incredible production value. While Kanye’s past couple albums have been heavily dependent on his lyrical ability, this album is completely different. Not only does Kanye sing, which seems to have led to some mixed results, but there are very few typical rap verses on the album. For all that’s missing in terms of lyrical content, there’s a lot there in terms of just great music.
Keeping with the Britney Spears theme for the week, just a reminder that MTV will be premiering their Britney documentary of sorts “For the Record” on Sunday night at 10PM.
It looks like the show will be focusing on the past couple years of the pop star’s life and giving her an opportunity to speak about what it feels like to be thrust back into the spotlight after what was a trainwreck-like two or three years. People will probably be talking about it and hopefully it’s worth watching!
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Britney Spears perform on stage and while many of us still can’t get the memory of her “Gimme More” performance on the VMAs out of our minds, it’s good to see the one-time pop princess turned trainwreck somewhat back on her feet. With Britney’s album Circus just days away from release, Britney is hitting the international TV scene with performances of her single “Womanizer.”
While I wouldn’t say that they’re anywhere near what she once was, this is also about ten years later than the “Hit Me…” days. I think that a lot of the awkwardness in these performances has to do with the weird arm choreography, along with the fact that she still had a breakdown somewhat recently and it’s got to be tough to be on stage so soon after everyone had given up on her.
For what it’s worth, I’m happy Britney’s back and I’ll be picking up Circus on Tuesday, regardless of what the critics may say.
I was telling a friend the other day that Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” was going to be one of the top country albums of the year, despite the fact that it’s coming out in October. And after one day, it looks like I could be right.
Billboard says that Swift’s sophomore album will not only be the top album on the charts this week, but that it could sell as many as 600,000 this week - making it the top selling week for a country artist this year. For context, Carrie Underwood’s “Carnival Ride” sold 527,000 copies in its first week, though Swift is probably not yet on Underwood’s level in terms of popularity, it shows that she’s just a half step back.
Now that I’ve been to four separate Carrie Underwood concerts (Dixon, California; Los Angeles, California; Stagecoach 2008; San Diego, California), I think that I can say that I am a Carrie Underwood concert pro at this point.
Since Carrie’s first album “Some Hearts” came out, she’s been far and away my favorite singer and music personality. I was pretty much a pure hip-hop/R&B listener and somehow, Carrie Underwood got me to listen to country, which got me listening to some more rock, which got me listening to anything and everything. About 75% of the time that I’m in the car, I’m rocking out to something that isn’t hip-hop or R&B at this point and I think that’s a pretty big deal for one artist to completely change the type of music that someone listens to.
After going to Carrie’s Carnival Ride tour in San Diego last night, I have to say that Carrie has come a long way in a good way as a live performer. Not that she wasn’t great initially, but she really owns the stage at this point and is great at interacting with the audience. A singer like Carrie will always have the voice to win over an audience, but people come to concerts to feel like they’re getting to know their favorite singer and I think she’s come a long way in that sense. You see a lot more of her personality and she takes a little bit more freedom with the riffs and variations that she puts into her performances, all of which is great.
So basically, if you’re a Carrie fan and haven’t seen her in concert? Just go. You won’t regret it and she’s turning into such a strong performer at this point that I’ll never miss her when she’s in town, no matter the cost! There are tons and tons of concert reviews online, at great fansites like CarrieFans.com, but if you’re at all a fan of Carrie’s, I can tell you as a veteran concert goer (not just a Carrie concert goer) that she’s quickly becoming great to see live.
Carrie is part of a “new generation” of country singers, especially female country singers, that are making their mark inside and outside of the country music industry. While there are names like Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and even LeAnn Rimes, that everyone who knows a little bit about music will know, you’re starting to see a new generation led by singers like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, Miranda Lambert and others that are really beginning to stake their claim within the music industry.
What we’re seeing here is the passing of the torch - much like Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Brandon Roy, and Deron Williams have given us a new generation of NBA superstars - country music is undergoing a transformation right before our eyes. This is a transformation that will finally stop people from saying that they like “all music, except for country.” Artists like Swift, Underwood, and Jennifer Nettles’ duo Sugarland, have crossover appeal that makes it more than ok for anyone to like country.
I’ve said for a while that there is no ballad like a country ballad and with this new generation, there’s actually a shot for a wider audience of people to get to hear it.
Since the BET Hip Hop Awards tape early, the news is breaking late, but The Game was scheduled to perform with Ice Cube and Musiq Soulchild.
The Game has been a bit of a mystery lately with the release of his latest album, L.A.X. He had been quoted saying that his third album would be his last, but later said that he would release a fourth album entitled “D.O.C.” (Diary of Compton).
Personally, I really like The Game’s third album and hope that he continues making music and doesn’t move towards just becoming a producer. All drama aside, The Game’s talent is a bright spot in today’s hip-hop music and while his third album hasn’t yet gone platinum, he has the talent to keep making music for at least a couple more albums. Here’s wishing for a quick recovery for his sister, B-Fly.
Now that I’ve been to four separate 
Rapper The Game apparently