Best of 2009: March #6 - #3

And we start another month - March was filled with milestones for me personally so how did the music I was listen to reflect that? LOL. Enough talking - let's get down to business.

#6: Hannah Montana - You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home
(view my first mention of the song)

Hannah Montana has remained a guilty pleasure of mine, I remember that the show premiered while I was at the height of my Disney addiction (fueled by HSM) in 6th grade. I may not like Miley's stuff as Miley (Party in the USA can burn in hell for all I care) but this is the one song that I liked from whichever identity of hers this year. ESPECIALLY the string section in the middle 8 - that did it for me.

#5: Corbin Bleu - Moments that Matter
(view my first review)

The first part of the year was pretty decent for Disney acts and Corbin Bleu is one of those that were blessed with decent songs this year. I've gushed like crazy about Moments That Matter - it's got a gorgeous piano part and although Corbin's vocals on the song are crap, the song is brilliant. The rest of the album sucks so I wouldn't bother but this is the one song you have to hear. Brilliance.

#4: Savannah Outen - If You Only Knew
(view my first mention of her)

YT sensation Savannah Outen has a gigantic, deep voice but I like the fact that they're not making her sing a bunch of ballads for 40 year-olds. If You Only Knew is pop/rock and the girl sells the song so well that I just have to listen to it again. Gorgeous melody, beautiful vocals and the whole song just works.

#3: Cassie - Let's Get Crazy

Cassie pretty much gave me my R&B fix when I was in 6th grade when her debut album was making a slight impact on American music - TRL in particular. Whenever I listen to her first and only studio album the first thing that pops into my head is TRL. Go figure. After a ton of songs being leaked, her sophomore album being pushed back for years now, and her kind of being MIA in terms of official singles and the actual album, Let's Get Crazy kinda fed my need for new music from her. She doesn't have the best voice, heck, it's not even note-worthy but I dunno - I just like her music.

New Music!

I can't help myself, there are quite a few things out. I'm almost done studying anyway! hmm.

• THE CRAIG DAVID CONCERT WAS SPECTACULAR. I promise to review the whole thing once all my requirements are done.. You had to be there to feel the brilliance.
• I've become a HUGE The Script fan. When I first heard them I thought they were this crappy Coldplay wannabe but then I turned the volume up and heard my dad's production in it. He didn't produce it, obviously, but all the qualities of something he'd produce were there and it made me tear up for some strange reason.
• Ronan Keating's cover album is out at it's number one in the UK. Not a big fan of the covers(Carrickfergus was better when Charlotte Church did it.), but hey - he's got four number one albums so you gotta hand it to him.
• Two new Mandy Moore songs are out. They're OK, but I Could Break Your Heart.... is still the best new song so far. Will be waiting for the album!
• Esmee Denters has a new song out - AND IT'S BRILLIANT. Just when I thought Gia Farrell would never come back, here's someone who sounds a lot like her! yay! hahah.
• Well, Kian Egan and Louis Walsh's STILL unnamed girl band had an Irish TV appearance the other day, singing a Dixie Chicks cover. They apparently have competition now, the new girl group with a girl who didn't get a place in the other band are rumored to record the new Grey's Anatomy theme song. This is WAR.
• Last year's Swedish Idol winner has an album out. There are some gorgeous songs on it but once again, there's no cohesion. They're nice songs to listen to though. I might review it after exams.
• Savannah Outen has a new song for this charity out and she sounds a lot like Jordan Pruitt at the start and though I will forever love Jordan Pruitt(and her utter brilliance), Savannah can be jaw-dropping at times.
• Pixie Lott got her first play Radio 2 some time back! Congrats!!!!!!
• I got re-addicted to Guy Sebastian some time back. I might do a few reviews as well... yay!
• Taylor Swift's song for the Hannah Montana movie has a video out already and may I say, it's the only good part of the whole soundtrack.
• Hold on, I thought the video for Moments That Matter was out already? Apparently not, here's a new one.
• Girls Aloud's new video is out. The album version was amazing, and I love the fact that Nicola sings first but something in the single mix and the video makes me uneasy about the whole thing. I'd love Revolution in the Head as a single though! haha.
  
  
  I guess that's it! Back to studying. Asian economics, systems of quadratic equations, uniform accelerated motion, Newton's laws of motion, Filipino short stories(which are like 10 pages each..), adverbial clauses of concession, congruence postulates, and everything else! UGH.

New Music!

Haven't been posting, sorry about that. haha.

• The new Lady Sovereign album is out. Haven't heard the whole thing yet but I'll try to whip up a review in the next few weeks.
• There's a new JLo's new single is apparently a recently leaked song, Hooked On You. I like it, it's very... American, very JLo. I love the melody, the arrangement's fine and her vocals are so-so as always so am looking forward to the new album!
• I FINALLY found the last Liberty X album! Yay! Have been listening to it for the past few days, it's amazing as always!
• There's a new Corbin Bleu song out as well but I'm not convinced. One the outside it sounds like a fairly good song but there's something about the melody that makes me uneasy, that makes me not want to listen to it. Moments That Matter is still the standout track so far. Amazing stuff, but I'm not so sure if there's enough amazing stuff on his new album to pull it through.
• Am currently addicted to Shontelle. It's late, I know but I just got a hold of her album recently and I only got the chance to listen to it a few days ago. I LOVE the songs, she's very contemporary and she sounds like all the big singers at the moment but she's not. She's got her own identity and she's got a grip on what music is right now. She's almost as amazing as Karina for me..
• Jesse McCartney's re-release is slowly coming together. There's a live version of a rumored song on it, Body Language and may I say, he's amazing. He's R&B and yet he's being himself, the artist we saw in his first two albums. Can't wait! haha!
• This year's American Idol is not that they promised us it would be, amazing. There have only been about four or five good performances so far and even those weren't as good as last year plus the fact that one guy during the first week didn't get in just because he had no 'personality' but his voice was gorgeous. I'm scared for the show, to be honest. The contestants cannot just keep on murdering these amazing pop songs and make them bland, off-key and horrible performances.
• The Black Eyed Peas have a new song out. Not a big fan, but you gotta admit, it's a very BEP song and it'll most probably be this huge hit. They're good technically, they've mastered the craft but they're personally not my taste, that's it. I do however love how after a lot of new artists keep coming out, they still manage to give us something worth listening to and something that's them.
• Am currently in love as well with the piano mix of Alesha Dixon's Breathe Slow. Love the original song but the piano mix has an even bigger contrast than the original. Alesha's voice isn't exactly smooth and the piano just flows, I LOVE it! haha. It has a lot less instruments as well.. yay!
• There's a new Mary J Blige song out, What Love Is and I'm slowly falling in love with it. Very mellow compared to Just Fine but the melody is just brilliant, it makes ma want to listen to her other albums now! Amazing vocals as usual, she better release more new stuff soon!
• Rihanna's got a new song as well, following the Chris Brown incident. It's so-so, but I've stopped liking Rihanna for a long time now. Not that I'm saying she's not a good singer or anything but I do think she's too overrated. She releases songs, she's a singer just like everyone else in the industry and she may be a good performer and all but there are people better than her.

I promise to post a little more than this past week, I've been to busy with schoolwork and getting sick and all. Will be back tomorrow with another post!

The return of fun.

That boyband love songs post will come, I just have to get my head around making it. While waiting, lemme just write some thoughts down.

I know I'm not the first to notice but I thought I'd say it anyway, pop is certainly coming back this year. It took me a few more listens to convince myself that it's real but I'm delighted by the return of fun, perky and upbeat pop songs amidst all those I-Hate-Your-Guts rock or heavy R&B stuff that had been coming out. Even with the deteriorating record sales and piracy all over the place, the return of pop will make me want to go out and buy albums even more now.

It feels like 2005 again (of course I don't really know what 2005 felt like music-wise but by the albums and the songs from 2005 that I've heard, it was a pretty good year for pop.) or even 2006.

Pop may never be like what it was five, six years ago but I can confidently say that it's getting somewhere thanks to the acts who stuck by the label during the 'down period' so to say and yes, even Disney. I wouldn't say 2008 was a bad year for pop, but I do think that there was very little of it reaching mainstream audiences but this year is different, I just know it.

Kelly Clarkson's now number one single is perky, fun American pop. Of course it's not the BSB/90's pop but it's something that when you hear it, you know it's American. It's a characteristic American song and even though I think that nothing will come close to Since You've Been Gone, this is pretty close. It's SYBG but not.

Corbin Bleu's Moments That Matter made me smile when I first heard it, and I think that's something important in a pop song, it has to somehow make the listeners happy, not just because the song is brilliant but because it's happy and it's perky and it's worth smiling for, worth supporting.

The Saturdays' Comic Relief single is fun, it's a song I want to play over and over again but I don't get sick of. Nearly 60 plays already and I'm still listening to it, it's infectious, it sticks to my head and it's brilliant. As much as I love the GA+ Sugababes Comic Relief thing, it just wasn't fun for me. I loved the Boyzone song and obviously the Westlife one because they were fun, they were uptempos with actual melodies and they sold a heck of a lot for charity.

In comes Tania Christopher, who has brilliantly made 2009's Forever. Like all the other songs I've mentioned, it's fun but what sets it apart is its obvious mainstream sound. R&B is obviously a big thing in the US and although I absolutely adore the genre, it can get repetitive. You have all these generic Usher/Beyonce wannabes coming and going with all these mediocre songs. Once in a while though, someone with all the right things shows up with the right song and blows us away. I think Tania is just that.

The song that inspired this post is the new offering from Mandy Moore's upcoming album. With the demise of perky pop, her 2007 album sounded like a bland Lily Allen without the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Don't get me wrong, the songs were gorgeous but I feel like she went from this late 90's/early 2000's pop princess to a bland "folk" singer. I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week is close to what I thought she'd be doing in 2007, and I sure as hell am glad that she's doing it now. I do hope she gets the chart success she deserves, the song is brilliant.

I believe that pop songs are songs that make you want to turn the volume up and be happy, carefree and not think for those three minutes(or more..) and these songs just prove my point.

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*freaks out*

That Lily Allen review will come, I've heard about half of the album(I was in school, I didn't have time to listen to it well!) so maybe by Friday or something I can finish up a review, I've started it already. ANYWAY
Corbin may not be able to sing live but this song is SHEER BRILLIANCE.

Disney has done it again. After all the disasters last year with Miley, Vanessa and countless others, they're finally back in my good books thanks to Corbin. No matter how juvenile they lyrics of Disney songs may seem, the melodies help keep pop alive in the US. The UK has morphed it's pop into something brilliant(like the Lily Allen album..) but what has the US given us? Countless pop/rock bands and even more R&B wannabes. Disney however, has been making pop, sometimes bad, sometimes good.

I've heard this sung live(haha.. it was err.. pleasant.), but I haven't heard the full recorded version until just now(only about 4 minutes ago..) and I was grinning ear to ear when I heard it in full for the first time. Yeah, it's processed a heck of a lot but so are most albums these days and though I don't exactly like processing, the melody of this song is just mind-blowing.

The song makes you smile, the melody is repetitive but varied in the right way and it's got just enough brilliance in the hook to stick it in your head. It's in no way annoying, you'll want to listen to it over and over and over again, just to make sure that it's really a song. haha. At least that's what I'm doing!

I feel genuine brilliance here so the rest of the album better come soon. haha.

5/5

Okkkk...

Now I'm slightly confused but happy, Corbin's new video is out! Not what I was expecting though, for the theme park and all. What really annoys me is the sound of the people screaming that's louder than the actual singing, I get distracted. Anyway, here's the video:

In other news, the new Kelly Clarkson single cover is out. I'm loving the color combination!

Huh?

Two question marks for me this morning, Happy New Year again btw! haha.

Remember when I said that I'm loving Corbin's lead single, Celebrate You? Well apparently, it's not the lead single anymore. I love Celebrate You and all, I think it's brilliant but this is so much better! Sounds even more Disney and even more like a commercial than ever and that's good! I love the piano + beat at the start, it's so friggin' catchy! haha. He looks strange though, I don't like the new look with the sunglasses.

Now as much as I love Ordinary Days and Caledonia, they'll never be singles or if they are, they'll flop. Why? 'Coz I ADORE THEM and we all know what happens to the album tracks that I adore then get turned into singles(I can give you proof if you want!) so I think they correctly picked this one. Whether it'll be successful though, I'm not so sure. I think the X Factor curse is starting but you never know, if it works for someone it just might work for Leon!

Hello 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope yours was filled with noise and food and alcohol and more food and whatever else!

Well it's official, 2009 has begun! If this year is anything like 2008, then it'll be full of amazing releases form amazing established artists and hopefully some amazing debuts this year as well. So what am I expecting this year? Here's the lowdown on what I'm expecting this year:

• First and foremost, THE NEW WESTLIFE ALBUM! I cannot believe I survived 2008 without a Westlife release(well we got a DVD, but still, NO ALBUM!) but if I waited a whole year to get an album that should've come in 2008, then I expect only greatness from the lads and that greatness means NO COVERS! As much as they've given them big hits and all, they've shown us with Back Home that they do have the ability to release amazing originals so we better get some more. Apparently, there are rumors that their version of this song will be on the album, but as of now they're all rumors. Bring on the new album, lads!
• She's given us two amazing pop songs so I'm sure Natalie Bassingthwaighte's new album will not fail to impress. If the songs are anything like Alive or Someday Soon then we're in for an amazing, possibly mind-blowing album. I've heard some Rogue Traders songs as well, it was a relatively big jump for her genre-wise, if I may say so. I wonder what the cover'll look like...
• After three long years if waiting, JoJo's new album is slated for release this year! YES! YES! AAAHHHHHHHHH! We got one song from her this year, a cover of T-Pain's(was it T-Pain? I'm not sure..) Can't Believe It. I like the song for her, and she's sounding good vocally as well. I absolutely adore the girl, her first album was amazing, her second album cemented her in the industry and I think this album will blow us all away. I'll be waiting!!!
• Just a few days ago, Corbin Bleu's first single off Speed Of Light leaked and I was in awe, Celebrate You is an outright amazing song! Although I'm a little disappointed with the title track, I think if there are at least four or five good tracks and two or three amazing ones then I'm OK. Can't wait!!
• So I heard that Aly&AJ are planning their third release(typo! sorry!). We haven't heard any new material from them since Insomniatic and there are no rumors about this and that or no snippets of songs so I'm still very clueless about the release. Still, I loved their previous two albums so as long as they don't do a 360 change then I'm OK.
• I'm waiting for albums from Samantha Jade and Bayje as well, those two girls are amaaaaaaaaazing! The leaked Samantha Jade songs are amazing and Bayje's carrier single's brilliant. Love it! haha.

New Music!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas Day, so let's get back to the regular stuff! New stuff has come out over the holidays, mostly from my blogger friends, and I have to catch up!

• First off, can I just say, one album I'll be eagerly awaiting next year is Corbin Bleu's. The lead single was announced, it's called Celebrate You and I got a hold of it already. IT'S AMAZING. The start reminds me of Forever, like an ad for something. The song as a whole(more so the lyrics..) reminds me a lot of something that if sung by a girl, could be in a chick-flick like Princess Diaries or The Prince & Me, but it just works for him. If it was sung by a girl, I don't think it would be this marketable but I would've loved it just as much. This guy either has a great production team and lots of money put into him or he really has a better sense of who he is as a singer. ANYWAY, if his album is filled with stuff like this, I can't wait!
• During another one of our long chats, my friend BeE from Pop Nation(check her blog out, it's amazing! haha..) introduced me to this girl, Claudia Cream. Strange name, but the song I heard, Candy(not to be confused with the Many Moore song..), is pure, utter genius. It reminds me a lot of an Ashley Tisdale song I can't quite put my finger on. I know it sounds like an Ashley song, but I can't remember which. It's got a similar hook and the instrumental's very similar. Still, I love the melody and can you believe she's had five albums? I couldn't either when I first found out.. haha.
• I finally got a chance to hear Natalie's debut album thanks to another one of my friends, Gui from Pop Music Zone(another amazing blog, visit it!) over the Holidays and I just have one thing to say. I love the album, but she reminds me A LOT of Cassie, as in everything from the songs to the voice to the somehow drastic image change for the second album. I loved the single, Goin' Crazy when I knew nothing about music(I used to hear it a lot on the local music channel..) but now that and the rest of the album remind me a lot of Cassie. I know she came first, but I heard Cassie's album first. Still, it's kinda strange but I love the album anyway! haha. Me being strange, forgive me.
• Finally, after a lul in releases, Samantha Jade has a new song called All In Your Head. It's sounds very different from what she's done, but I think this matches her voice a lot more than the other songs(though Step Up will forever remain one of my favorite songs..) and since she hasn't released an album yet, I think the experimentation's working! I love the melody for a start, I think it's drop-dead gorgeous.
• Thanks to Mel, I'm now, truly a Soluna fan. I LOVE the album, I adore it and it's never leaving my iTunes library for as long as I live!
• The single mix of Issues, the Saturdays' new single, is definitely more bass-heavy, I don't know if it's more suitable for radio or what but I kinda like this mix, it's got more of a contrast now, but I love it either way, the song itself is just amazing!(oh and my ring tone at the moment is the chorus of Work! haha, love that song!)
• I was a bit too busy with Holidays and the countdown to mention this but I got a hold of an S Club 8 track I'd never heard before, called Here We Go(not to be confused with the GA track..) and I LOVE IT! Just a little lyrics tweak and it could easily be a Christmas song but it's not! At least I don't think it is.. Amazing song though, why hadn't I heard it earlier?
• I'm still kind of baflled at how good NLT are at a capella work, they could easily rival Westlife! But of course, Westlife will win! How can they not with Shane's amazingly smooth, strong voice on lead? haha.
• I thought the TOTP Christmas special wasn't gonna happen? Apparently, it did! Will have to watch it sometime before New Year.

Anything else I missed? I hope not..

# 14: Corbin Bleu - Fear Of Flying

I actually have no idea where this song will be, but I love it so yay!

I think Corbin Bleu's first album was amazing, there were some amazing songs on it(including an OPM cover, who'd have thought of that?), but if this was on the album, it would've been light years better than all the other tracks.

It's current but it's Disney but it's brilliant. It's got a very recognize-able hook and these strange sounds at the start, which are both cool and strange to listen to. His voice is like a weaker Drew Seeley, I think it's the best way to put it. It's got the nasal thing, but I'm not so sure if his voice is processed or not. I think it is, but it might not be since I haven't heard him sing live yet.

This guy knows how to move with the trends while retaining his identity. His first album was very 2007, and this song is very 2008. He knows who he is so he can easily manipulate that and make songs that'll move with the times.

Brilliant, right? Of course!

New Music!

School for me's starting tomorrow, so let's recap on stuff that's come out since the last post!

• A new Taylor Swift song just came out, and it's confirmed my thoughts, Taylor Swift is going to wow us with her second album. If we all thought her first album was amazing, this one's looking to be mind-blowing!
• Why has almost everyone in the blogging world heard the new Same Difference single in full? WHY? I'll wait, but beware, I'm not that patient!
• New Hannah Montana songs have been circulating, and I absolutely loathe them. She's trying to do something she can't, mix country with Britney-like pop. I know that kind of pop is popular now, but look at Taylor Swift! Hannah/Miley has forgotten how she became popular in the first place, nice, catchy, distinctly Disney songs. Oh, well. Let's hope there's at least one good song on the soundtrack.
• Sara Bareilles has a new live album. I'm loving it! Obviously, I adore the songs! Some new songs were included, and I'm once again loving them!
• Not directly related to music, but Kian Egan from Westlife, Anthony Costa from Blue, Kenzie from Blazin' Squad, some guy from East 17, Jenny Frost from Atomic Kitten, Mutya Buena from the Sugababes, A girl from All Saints and someone from this 80's girl band were all on Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong. I love the part when Ant and Coleen mimed Flying Without Wings in mid-air! Plus the fact that Kian was there(eep!).
• A new Corbin Bleu song's out. It's an OK song, but it's slowly growing on me.
• I'm loving Amy Diamond's Music In Motion. Seriously! I might review it later in the week if I have the time..
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte's new single, Alive is amazing! I wonder if her album will be any good..
  
• Not so hot about this week's episode of Britannia High, but it might get better later in the series. No particular songs that I'm loving, and the dance routine in the canteen was all too predictable. But Nicola and Kimberly(GA!)'s visit was nice. But Danny(is it Danny?) screwed the whole thing up. Gar.
• Mariah Carey has a new song, but I haven't heard it yet. Downloading at the moment, so it'll take a few minutes. Will edit the post when I've listened to it already. EDIT: I don't like the song. It's a ballad, but the melody just doesn't cut it for me. Plus it reminds me a bit of When You Believe or some Spanish-like song(Westlife's I Cry? something like that..)
• The video for David Cook's Light On is out. It's a generic video, with clips of the story and Cook singing, nothing special. The song is OK, but I expected more from Cook. I adored him on AI so what happened to that guy? Right. He got controlled by a bunch of record company executives who know nothing about music!

• Darin has a new single out, and the video premiered sometime last week. The song is nice, I haven't listened to it enough to say it's amazing, but I like it.

What to expect this week:

• MAYBE a review of Amy Diamond's Music In Motion
• My very own countdown to Taylor Swift's Fearless, out next week!
• MAYBE a review of Sara Bareilles' new live album, Between The Lines: Live At The Fillmore
• Something to get us all into a Christmassy mood, maybe?