Best of 2009: June #12 - #7

June marked my slow but obvious shift to kpop but from #s 12 - 7 there's only ONE Korean artist. Can you guess who?

#12: Ariel Moore with Alexandria Moore - Stronger

Ariel Moore was the other Clique Girl - she left the band sometime this year and it caused them to become inactive, at the moment I don't think they have any new material slated for release. The girl can sing, not outstandingly well but good enough and the song has its gorgeous moments.

#11: Yohanna - Is it True?

In addition to being the very first song I added to my iTunes library in June, Is It You is a gorgeous, gorgeous song. The entire song and the arrangement in particular remind me of something straight out of an album from The Corrs and knowing that I absolutely adore them, there's no way I wouldn't fall for this song.

#10: Ashley Tisdale - Switch

It's Alright, It's OK may have been quite a big fail but there was one song that I chose to listen to after giving the album a run-through - Switch. It sounds Disney but not too Disney, it's catchy and it's pop/rock-y. I love the verses though and how everything just explodes and becomes a big party during the chorus.

#9: Se7en - Girls

Yes, it's Se7en. This was the time when I was the most focused on Rain and everything that revolved around him - including his rivals and comparisons where Se7en falls in. Earlier this year he, along with his talent company YG (home to Big Bang and 2NE1 to name a few), began an attempt to crack the US with this single. It was later halted but Girls stands to be one of those songs that made my kpop addiction - these were the stuff I was listening to early on. And it's a landmark for kpop because Se7en is still one of the few kpop artists who've actually had official single releases out. So there.

#8: Demi Lovato - Gift of a Friend

The version of this song that I like better was the one that was leaked a while before the actual track, mainly because I find the one on the album too Demi-like and I don't like Demi. The Gift of a Friend that made me stop and listen doesn't have Demi breathing every few words and she doesn't scream as much as the album version. Gorgeous melody, somewhat epic instrumentation and kudos to Demi for trying. LOL. BUT, I can't find that version on YT anymore so you're stuck with the mastered track.

#7: JoJo - 25 to Life

Listening to this months after it got overthrown by a ton of other material makes me remember exactly why I'm a JoJo fan - this girl knows what the crap she's doing. She knows how to grow and how to mature but she knows who she is musically and she knows what she has to do. An album release may be far from happening any time soon (record companies. STUPID record companies) but this is the song that gave me hope earlier this year and until now I think it's gorgeous.

Friday 'night' post: CELEBRATIONS ALL AROUND!!!

OK, it's not nighttime yet but it's Friday and my posts on Friday are always like this - deal with it.

Celebration for various reasons - personal and music-related. My exams are done - all the hard work kinda paid off. SO, I don't have homework, no projects to catch up on and nothing to study this week. Thus, I WILL BLOG A HELL OF A LOT. Yay for everyone!

I've been MIA here pretty much the whole week - Twitter and Tumblr (the sites with less critical thinking) have been my sanctuaries. There's been a ton of stuff out this week, K-pop and Western. And because it's been AGES since my last post - this one will be pretty lengthy.

The first order of business today - Send It On. It's pretty much the modern day version of the Disney Channel Circle of Friends (that were existent back when I was in elementary school more than 3 years ago..) with the 'singers' - Jo Bros, Miley, Demi and Selena and not some random bunch of actors made to sing. OK, maybe the girls started out as actresses but you get my point. Right? Right.The best part of this song? The fact that Demi Lovato sounds the most decent out of the six. The worst? The fact that Miley's in it. I'm sorry but these songs just don't go with the girl - she has a voice, yes but they're giving her the wrong songs. She doesn't sound horrid or scary but when you hear Demi's solo it makes you wonder how you were able to survive Miley. Trust me, it would sound a lot better if it was just Demi and Selena with the Jonas Brothers (even if they suck).

Selena isn't as bad as I thought she'd be either.

4/5

Time for some K-pop. I like the genre - deal with it. hahah.

The first time I heard Super Junior's contribution to SM Town I was neutral about it - not bad but not outstanding. The more I listened to it though, the more the melody stuck in my ears. To those who don't know, SM Town is basically Sooman's way of earning a ton of money without that much effort - all his artists making one gimmick-y album with an accompanying concert. The music videos are usually low-budget like mirages of old performances (like this years') and the concert is padded with current/recent singles. Earns a ton of money, as always.

So all throughout this morning I was listening to the song thinking it was absolute genius (and that it sounded a lot like one of my favorites on their third album) - and it actually is. It's very light and summer-y and the verses are gorgeous. Need I say more?

When I got the chance to log on and read up on K-pop (I still don't know a thing compared to other bloggers, thank you very much.), I found out that the song's a cover. Of a 2005 song from the Netherlands. Not that I find it bad or anything but I just noticed something with SM and their boybands.

The first Western SM cover I heard was SHINee's Juliette - a cover of Corbin Bleu's Deal With It. I brushed it off a bit, thinking it was just a random cover or something. The second cover I heard was DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki's Mirotic - a cover or Sarah Connor's Under My Skin. She's German, btw. The THIRD cover was from SHINee again - there's a song on their first album that's a cover of Mario Vazquez's Everytime I.. - one of the most brilliant American R&B songs ever thought of in the first place.

And now this song. OK - a possible theory is that Sooman is too greedy to pay songwriters who write original songs so he just gets a random Western song that was never a hit and translates it to Korean. Good idea Sooman, good idea.

4.4/5 - the rap and strange sounds throughout did it.

Another boyband - this time from the other side of the world.

*faints*
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
*faints*

Do you know how long I've waited for a new Westlife song? DO YOU? HUH? NO!

*faints*
*faints*
*faints*
*faints*

Whatever genre I may get addicted to, whatever boyband or girl group I may think has the most gorgeous songs, I am a Westlife fan and I forever will be. I live with hope that someday Simon Cowell will give the lads a chance to write their own songs or even just give them songs that aren't ballads or covers.Even as a fan, I will be as subjective as I can be - no biases, no prejudice in this review of the new song. I've waited long and hard for this but I will treat it like every other song I review. I PROMISE. If I give it a perfect score, then it's because it deserves it - nothing else.

At the beginning, As Love Is My Witness sounds like your standard Westlife song - ballad. I should've guessed that when they said no more covers they didn't say no more ballads. Mark's part is first - new, welcome change. My theory is correct that if you restrain him, he's a very good singer - he should honestly sing the first verse from now on (if you let him loose at the middle-8 live he might shatter your eardrums - fact). The chorus is sweet with Nicky and Kian backing. The second verse is drop-dead gorgeous - I wonder how I lived without Shane's absolutely brilliantly amazing voice. He's got one of the most refined and smoothest voices in all of pop - really. He got the middle 8, too!

Westlife taught me the importance of a good middle-8 and how much weight it has on a song. Thus, this song has a truly gorgeous middle 8. Honestly.

Over-all the melody is beautiful. It's not one of those ballads that are very resonant to my ears and even if I'm still dreaming of the day Simon comes to his senses and gives them an album full of up-tempos, they still do what they do extremely well.

One constructive comment though - change the hideous arrangement. It sounds cheap, too dated in the bad way and just plain sad - it weighs the whole song down. The melody's gorgeous and the arrangement is OK at the key change with the pretty string section but honestly, the percussion section throughout is HIDEOUS, a disgrace to put it simply. It would sound a lot nicer if they made the piano part a lot more flow-y and get rid of whatever's playing at the beginning - sounds too stereotypical and overused.

Oh, and please re-mix and re-master the vocals on this - they sound like the producers don't know what the heck they were doing with the mastering. Or maybe this hasn't been mastered yet. OOOHH - UNMASTERED! hahah.

4.2/5 - I know they can do better than this - they better.

I've finally found a Demi Lovato song I like.

I don't like Demi Lovato as a whole - I never thought I'd hear a song worthy of my time because I've heard her first album and it's not my taste. Little did I know that a mere bonus track(which are most often the best parts of American albums..) would make me change my opinion on her even just a teensy bit.

Gift of a Friend is corny and Disney-like in every possible way but that's what draws me to the song even more. The vocals are one of the main reasons why I can stomach this song - she doesn't scream that much (but still does, a bit.), use that annoying side of her voice or breathe like she's having an asthma attack (that much..) that I can't stand so if you really listen to her vocals here they're actually very good. Melody-wise this song pushes all the right buttons - it's somewhat beautiful, to tell you the truth.

If she actually stops the screaming, breathing and annoyance I'd actually be OK with the girl - she actually has a voice underneath. Now Disney, when will you stop making all your acts go haywire in one way or another? It's like that's all you know how to do. For Demi's sake, please don't ruin her anymore - I have to admit, she actually has talent.

4.4/5

# 22: Demi Lovato - Two Worlds Collide

Let me set the record straight, I didn't like Camp Rock at all. I thought it was a desperate attempt by Disney to create the new High School Musical.

Demi Lovato, poised to be the new Miley Cyrus, released an album this year, and it did relatively OK. I was kind of curious about her, so I gave the album a listen and this is probably the only track I actually liked. I liked it a lot though.

It's a slow pop/rock song in the standard Disney formula, but there's something about the melody that intrigues me. Her voice is really 'raw' on this track as well, I'm loving it.

Music.. duh..

As you know, I don't post that much since I'm a busy person but my homework's almost done, I swear!(I think I just have to cut paste some stuff on to a board and I'm done..)

ANYWAY.

Some assorted stuff. New, old, whatever's on my new iPod! Just a few stuff, I have to finish my homework!

1. DAVID COOK'S NEW SINGLE!!!!! EEEP! The reality show contestant singles just keep rolling in! I swear, I freaked when I saw that it's stream-able already, I mean, COOK!!! The song is very Daughtry meets some other pop/rock band, only this guy rocks! I've been listening to it a few times, but I absolutely adore the song. Bring on the number one and the album!

2. I got Atomic Kitten's videography and I'm reliving old memories. I only realized now how brilliant the songs were.



3. Hearing the new Girls Aloud song in high quality brings out the best in the song, I'm loving it more every day! So expect a full review from me sometime in the coming days(or weeks..), I love the song!

4. Well, Demi Lovato's new album is definitely worth more than one listen for me, very Camp Rock/'new' Disney-ish. It's a surefire top five hit, considering Camp Rock's success(although I don't really like the movie..).



5. I just heard newcomer Elise Estrada's new album(I heard she's Pinay.. don't know much about her..) and I may say, it's not that bad. I mean, if you like the standard, anyone-can-sing type of R&B songs. But there are some killer melodies in that album so if you get the chance, give it a listen!