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Friday, May 06, 2011

Pop Blitz 5/6/11

Friendly Fires - Live Those Days Tonight
Like their past singles, this has that distinct electro-indie vibe. I can appreciate it, and I actually quite like it, but there's something holding me back from loving it. The production is probably the strongest aspect. B

Jordin Sparks - I Am Woman
She's recorded exactly two brilliant pop songs in her career and everything else has really failed to impress me. This, unfortunately, will be filed with "the rest." From the cluttered production to the girl power lyrics, it's like a subpar Beyonce b-side. C

Hard-Fi - Good For Nothing
It's been a long time. The band definitely suffered from the sophomore slump, but I'm not sure if this is enough to bring them back out of obscurity. They've lost much of their electronic influence in favor of guitars. C+

Lady Antebellum - Just A Kiss
They're clearly aiming for the kind of crossover success they achieved with their breakout single, as this isn't all that country. Instead, it's a calibrated-for-radio-success ballad that sounds an awful lot like their last one. Nice vocals and melody in the verses, but it's a little sleepy. The chorus should be stronger. B-

Jennifer Lopez - I'm Into You
It's certainly a comedown from the excellent On The Floor. This midtempo, slightly Latin sounding pop song has some of the dippiest lyrics of the season, but the melody is infuriatingly catchy. B

Rye Rye - Never Will Be Mine (ft. Robyn)
I never thought something that sampled Robyn could be so bad. Rye Rye basically takes on of the best songs of the last decade (Be Mine, the acoustic version in this case) and craps all over it. My only hope is that this would lead people to listen to the original. D-

Cody Simpson - On My Mind
He's tried to be the next Justin Bieber so hard, but it was never gonna happen. Now that his voice has changed, he's aiming to become the next Chris Brown, apparently. As derivative as this is, it's still the best thing he's recorded by far. B-

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Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Pop Blitz 2/3/10

Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood
I'm still not entirely in love with Marina's voice, though that's more of a personal thing. However, the song's quite nice. Subtle in a way... it doesn't really hit you over the head the first time. It's a real grower. Hopefully that means longevity. B+

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
I'm not a country fan but I can see why this is taking America by storm right now. Somehow it sounds more like a big 80's ballad than anything. There's nothing like it on the radio right now. Very pretty. A-

Jedward - Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) (ft. Vanilla Ice)
I'd probably hate this if I hadn't followed John & Edward on X-Factor. As it stands, it's a super fun slice of novelty pop. And it does the impossible: makes Vanilla Ice tolerable! B+

Pink - Glitter In The Air
Her performance at the Grammys catapulted this non-single to hit status and unearthed a buried gem. It's one of her most delicate ballads. Reminds me of the late 90's. A-

Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be
This is absolute crap, and represents the worst side of BEP. It's not a song. It's noise. The military could use it to drive Bin Laden out of hiding. F

Iyaz - Solo
Horrible. Basically, he took a classic song, changed the lyrics and sang it horribly. I can't believe that something like this could even be deemed radio-worthy. D-

Jason Derulo - In My Head
Maybe he won't be a one hit wonder, after all. This sounds a hell of a lot like Chris Brown, and possesses exactly 0% originality, but it's pretty catchy. Could've been a LOT worse. B

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