Pop Blitz 3/8/12

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
I remember Carly from all the way back during Canadian Idol. It's great to see her rack up a worldwide hit. The song's good, too. It's the kind of straight-up pop track that doesn't come along very often anymore. I'd argue that that's why it's been so successful. People want this kind of music back. A-

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
Speaking of massive worldwide hits, this is pretty much conquering the planet. And like with the last track, I think much of its success is down to the fact that it's a complete 180 from what's popular right now. That hook doesn't hurt either. B+

Madonna - Girl Gone Wild
Though her last single was a little embarrassing, it had its moments. This is straight up dance, which is really where she should be at this stage in her career. The verses are pretty forgettable, but the hook sticks. B+

Nicki Minaj - Starships
This is really a pastiche of popular 2011-12 tracks. There are the guitars borrowed from Pink's Raise Your Glass and the dance elements borrowed from almost every song of the last year. Yeah, it's catchy, but it's almost ridiculously unoriginal. B-

Katy Perry - Part Of Me
This track's been floating around for ages, but I'm happy that it's now a single. It's up their with Perry's best--uncomplicated, glossy power pop. Her strong singles reign continues. A-

Carrie Underwood - Good Girl
It's Carrie in uptempo, rocking "he done me wrong" mode. I really like the sound of this, but I feel like it's missing something extra that would have pushed it over the edge. B

Train - Drive By
I dread a new Train single. But, with expectations as low as they can be, this isn't too bad. However, it's not horribly, drill-into-your-head contagious like their worst hits, so it probably won't do that well. C

Your Choice: What's your favorite Pop Blitz song this week?

Pop Blitz 3/8/12 Your Choice!

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me MaybeGotye - Somebody That I Used To KnowMadonna - Girl Gone WildNicki Minaj - StarshipsKaty Perry - Part Of MeCarrie Underwood - Good GirlTrain - Drive By

Free polls from Pollhost.com

Countdown to the Countdowns: The Worst Singles of 2011

yes, it's a matter of taste, but if I didn't have taste I wouldn't be running this blog. So before I count down the best tracks of the year, let's look at a few that I never want to hear again.

1. Pink - F**kin Perfect/Jessie J - Price Tag
With her first two albums, Pink was very high on my list of the best pop stars out there. Then she began to repeat herself and water down the music. Perfect, with it’s cutesy lyrics and plodding chorus, just turned me right off her. And if that’s not bad enough, we were forced to endure the song twice this year under two names. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the chorus of Price Tag is exactly the same thing. As if it wasn’t mind-numbing enough the first time.

2. Christina Perri - Jar Of Hearts
Suffers similar problems as Pink’s song. It’s got those kind of Starbucks poetry, precious lyrics that just rub me the wrong way. Still, it was a hit around the world. I know people love it, but I seriously can’t listen to it again.

3. Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song
Almost Don’t Worry, Be Happy levels of irritation. It’s the kind of novelty track that sets an artist back years in my opinion. Everything else Bruno released this year was fine. This made me scream every time I heard it on the radio.

4. Anything by Taylor Swift
Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one in the world that who is totally done with Taylor Swift. I just can’t deal with the “dooby dooby doo… princess… dooby dooby doo… white horse… dooby dooby doo… ballerina…” nature of her songwriting. I know I’m not the target audience and that it’s just a matter of taste, but to me it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

5. Matt Cardle - Run For Your Life
The UK X-Factor winner lived up to his title of dullest champion yet with this unceremonious dirge. The title basically says it all.

6. Hot Chelle Rae - Tonight, Tonight
This epitomizes what irks me about the hipster mentality in pop music. It's like the soundtrack to a bad romantic comedy (in fact, it probably is). None of the little catchphrases in this track are the least bit cute or funny.

7. Coldplay - Paradise
More of a pet peeve of mine than anything. I hate songs whose chorus consists of the same word repeated over and over again. To me, it's lazy songwriting and almost always results in a plodding melody. Coldplay have done much, much better in the past. I can't believe I gave this a decent grade when it first came out.

8. Train - Marry Me
Thankfully it never became as ubiquitous as their last single, because this is the most saccharine track they've ever released.

Pop Blitz 2/1/11

Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
As this single's quick chart ascension proves, it's an instantly catchy dance track. What it doesn't seem to have, though, is a lot of staying power. Right now I'm rating it as "just fine." Certainly not bad, but nothing all that special, either. B

Jessie J - Price Tag
While I can see a glimmer of the "next-big-thing" hype she's getting, neither her last song nor this one has got me all that excited. It's kind of boring, honestly. C+

Chris Brown - Yeah 3X
After everything that happened, I'm honestly surprised that this comeback is happening. Especially with such a derivative, sounds-like-everything-else track. Taio Cruz does this much better, but I do have to admit that the chorus is pretty strong. B-

Pink - F**kin' Perfect
Sorry, Pink. I'm a fan, but this is such a lazy song. Boring melody, sappy sentiment and dull production. I don't see why it's such a huge hit. It's the same problem I've had with a lot of her more recent stuff. She's coasting. There's none of that spark of her first three albums. C

Adele - Rolling In The Deep
Amazing. This is an example of an artist improving on her debut with a single that pushes forward, rather than setting the auto-pilot and reaping the rewards of an already established career. A-

Train - Marry Me
Is there anyone alive that still likes Hey, Soul Sister? It may have been the most overplayed song of all time. Let's HOPE this doesn't follow the same path. This is a neutered band, producing Hallmark card songs at the whim of conservative radio playlisters. Blech. F

Wretch 32 - Tractor
I'm probably not the target audience for this, but as far as UK rap singles go, I find this relatively forgettable. I like the production, but the hook's not strong enough to make much of an impact. C-

Pop Blitz 1/6/10

Train - Hey Soul Sister
The comeback I didn't think anybody was asking for (yet apparently they were if itunes is any indication), Train are back with something that sounds like solo Rob Thomas or Jason Mraz. It's pretty boring stuff, and that chorus is laaame. I almost kinda used to like these guys. C

3Oh!3 & Katy Perry - Starstrukk
Equal parts catchy and obnoxious, I'm still not entirely sure what to think of these guys. Part of me really just wants them to disappear from Earth. The verses are very, very irritating. The chorus is a bit better, but sounds a lot like their last single. Oh, an getting Katy Perry on here certainly doesn't help matters. C-

The Saturdays - Ego
Picking up where Girls Aloud left off, this is a relatively strong uptempo with a great bridge and chorus but weaker verses. I'm still not sold on this group's potential, but this is a promising step in the right direction. B

Erik Grönwall - Higher
As per tradition, Swedish Idol's winner was saddled with this turgid ballad even though he's got a voice more suited for 80's rock. Loved Erik during the show, but this song pretty much defines crap. They better let him record an album more suitable for his voice. D

Boys Like Girls (with Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One
Taylor is everywhere, isn't she? Doesn't matter, as she barely registers here. Seriously, the female vocals could have been anybody. This emo-ballad has grown on me, but there are still so many stronger tracks on the album. B-

Leona Lewis - I See You (Theme from Avatar)
Well, it's no My Heart Will Go On. Like the movie it's supporting, it's quite a pretty experience but lacks any real meat. Leona better start doing better than this if she wants a sustained career. C

Selena Gomez & the Scene - Naturally
I'm actually kind of surprised that this is taking off, not because I don't like Selena (quite the opposite, actually), but because the first (stronger) single pretty much flopped and the album didn't seem to do much better. This is nice in a Hillary Duff sort of way. Fun, throwaway dance pop. B+