#34: Jesse McCartney - Shake

I'll be honest with you and say that I actually enjoyed Jesse McCartney's albums - they're good, solid teen pop, and he's grown over the years, both vocally and musically. Which is enough reason for him to be one of my moderate favorites.

The catchy song thing has kind of stuck to my mindset on songs because obviously, that's what songs like that exist for - to make people remember them even when they're not listening to the song. It's as much a musical thing as it is a marketing strategy, and I've learned to accept that.

That said, Shake is one of a few representative catchy American singles on the list this year. No, his bad hair isn't forgiven and I highly doubt it will ever be, but the song is rather good.

The melody fits Jesse's vocals nicely, and he delivers it well. The arrangement is very tight and computerized, but it manages to grasp a kind of bare-sound. Hey, at least there's dynamics to the song!

Shake doesn't beat around the bush - it is what it is and it's not afraid to show it in every way possible. In some cases that can be bad, but as long as it's done with some grace and a lot of conviction, it shouldn't be a problem. Actually, it isn't.

Best of 2009: April #2 & #1

Who came out victorious in April? The songs are memorable, that's all I can say.

#2: Jesse McCartney - Crash & Burn

Whenever I listen to this song the first thing that comes to my mind is the end of 8th Grade when I was directing a short film and a friend of mine was the scriptwriter - it was our final project for the year, due a week after school ended. At the time I was just starting my Rascal Flatts addiction and my best friend had just left for Japan - it was just before my uncle died and I got addicted to Rain. So you can say that this song was a milestone - it signaled the end of my all-British pop addiction and the start of my kpop phase. Brilliant song.

#1: Agnes Carlsson - Love Love Love

Does this song even need a write-up? I think not. Pop at it's best from the queen of Swedish pop as of now - it's the perfect pop song. According to iTunes, I was listening to this a day before Crash and Burn. Cool.

That Kevin Borg album review(very short) + two single reviews(THE NEW AGNES SOOOONG!) + two really sad announcements.

Kevin Borg was one of those artists I checked out by association - he's Swedish and he won Idol. To a certain extent having the Idol label helps 'coz people like me who don't exactly watch all the shows around the world will see an artist with the label and get curious - sometimes you discover amazing new music.

So there, I gave this guy's album a listen and I was presented with amazing, standalone songs. If you listen to these songs alone, with no outside factors and blocking out all your knowledge about other songs and music in general it's actually a good album but the thing is, you don't do that. I listened to the album from start to finish and I was a bit put off but I chose the songs with good melodies, listened to them over individually and I was impressed.

He has good songs - they're gorgeous, he knows where to find them and how to sing them 'coz he has a gorgeous voice but they're all so detached from each other.

That's all I have to say about the album - and that Street Lights, Out Of Time and More Than I Do Now are probably the best on the album.
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Jesse McCartney's re-releasing Departure but you all probably know that already. Body Language(which was very eagerly awaited after a live version leaked) leaked a few days back and I was going to write a review for it today but then something better came along - the other song on the re-release. Crash and Burn will probably never be a single but it's such a gorgeous song that I at the very least should write something about it.

It starts out very simple, with a nice melodious verse and a gorgeous instrumentation but then once the chorus kicks in you realize that the verse was nothing compared to what came next. You have a very simple melody, with a gorgeous instrumentation that made me smile just like how Moments That Matter made me smile and I don't usually smile like that when I hear a song.

My only complaint with him is that he doesn't have groove and a mastery of the genre unlike say, Craig David or Lemar. When you listen to the song you won't bop your head involuntarily, you kind of have to think about when or how. But the song's amazing, better than anything on the original Departure so well done Jesse.

Everyone's been raving on and on about Agnes Carlsson's Love Love Love so it's my turn. I had it already the day it came out but I didn't get the chance to listen 'coz of tests and stuff until a little before I started writing. The verdict - IT'S BRILLIANT.

At the start it's very soft and when I first heard it wasn't that into it but my second listen was very pleasant. Then the standard Agnes style kicks in and it becomes a truly amazing song.

The song has a gorgeous melody, yes but it also takes you on a ride. It starts out slow, builds up bit by bit and by the end of the song you're left with something so mind-blowing that you won't know what hit you but you'll want to listen to it over and over and over and over again.

I'm dead serious, it's a slightly new Agnes that I simply adooooore - she should do more of these stuff. Plus the cover's gorgeous, right?
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Two pieces of news - Avenue and Same Difference are no more. Let's take time to mourn.

OK! DONE! haha, really - it's horrible news. Same Difference were dropped and Avenue split. UGH, WHY?

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!

New Music!

School's getting slightly less stressful now so lemme fill you guys in on what I've been listening to these past few days(and plus the fact that my last new music post was a disaster..).

• I just discovered a while ago that Stacie Orrico's (There's Gotta Be) More To Life was written by a girl called Lucy Woodward who apparently won an award for it. She also apparently recorded a version of it for the Japanese release of her album(which means it might have been on the album released in some other parts of Asia, including where I live! yay!) and I'm listening to it as I'm writing this. Vocally she's not as good a Stacie, I think the song sounds better sung by a smoother and more powerful voice like Stacie's and this version's a bit too lazy and rock-ish versus the very, very, VERY pop nature of Stacie's version, which I love to bits. Amazing song though, whoever sings it.(I'm listening to the Stacie version now, and I really love it heaps better than this one! haha.)
• I've heard Utada's new American song as well, Come Back To Me and I was surprised at what I heard! When I heard the pianos, I thought it would be more of a Flavor Of Live-ish ballad but it's nowhere near that. First and foremost, it's R&B which makes sense since it's for the US and right now the way into the market is R&B but somehow I still heard Utada in this song. Maybe it's because of her distinct voice or something like that but even if she is really a JPop artist and her Japanese songs are nowhere near this, it somehow still makes sense for her. The end though, sounds a lot like an Utada song(haha..). I love the verses and the chorus but I am a bit bothered by the talking(I always am, in any song, duh.). Still, amazing song and I'm curious about what the rest of her US album is going to sound like!
• So yesterday I had another chat with BeE(I always do.. haha.) and she told me about this song by Keke Palmer called Bottoms Up. She thought it was a remix of the track of the same name on her debut album but I listened to the album track then this track in question and they were nowhere near each other. I later found out that it was the theme song for some kind of movie or TV show. I love the song, the melody's amazing! Wanna hear the song? Head on over to Pop Nation!
• I don't know if I said this already but I have once again predicted a post-album single, this time for Jesse McCartney! Yup, How Do You Sleep is the confirmed third single from Departure and with that comes a remix! There's a version with Ludacris in it and apart from the fact that the intro was cut short and there are these strange noises during the bridges, I kinda like this version. The rapping is for once not that annoying, it's tasteful, I love how it wasn't just put into the song without thought, the beat was measured and all, I love it! haha.
• Well, Popjustice has heard Kelly Clarkson's new single and they're saying it sounds a lot like Since You've Been Gone! In that case, I'm even more excited to hear the song itself! I hear it's premiering Wednesday next week in the US. Fingers crossed it's got an amazing melody!
• Speaking of Kelly Clarkson, I've been listening back to the singles off Breakaway and they were absolutely, undeniably GENIUS. The album could've just been made up of those five songs and it would still sell millions. That's what they are, amazing pop songs that'll forever be remembered by my generation. I definitely think Breakaway is one of the best mainstream pop albums the US has produced in the past nine years, Idol certainly didn't get this winner wrong.
• There's a new Varsity Fanclub song out. I so can't wait for the album, the two songs I've heard so far are absolutely AMAZING!!!! Melodically and everything, thank heaven's they're getting somewhere with the album release, it's coming out this month! Now all I want are the NLT, V Factory and WESTLIFE(AAAH!) albums and my year is half-complete! haha. Me freaking out, sorry.

# 67: Jesse McCartney - Told You So

Jesse McCartney made a huge leap from Disney pop to R&B this year, but it wasn't out of place. You could hear it coming when Right Where You Want Me came out, that he didn't really like his wimpy young boyband member turned solo image, so I think it was a logical leap for him.

Told You So is one of the best songs on Departure, if not the best. It's got all the makings of a ballad-ish R&B song, but Jesse's trademark vocals just take it to another, more amazing level.

You can hear that Jesse's voice fits these kinds of songs the best, and that he clearly knows that(It's Over, the current single, has a lot of similar elements...)

I'm hoping for more brilliance from him, he's clearly shown that he can write amazing songs like this so I want more!

New Music!

AAAH! A LOT has happened since I last posted, but the concert last night was amazing, and all the hard work paid off. I'm back to posting now, but I'm a bit disconnected and what I write may be a bit stiff for my liking. I'm annoyed and pissed off so bear with me, alright?

A lot of new videos, so a lot of stuff to catch up on.

• I'm loving one of Natasha Hamilton's solo songs, Find Your Way. It's brilliant!
• The new Alesha Dixon album is out, and I was curious. I don't like the lead single, but there were a few tracks that were just gorgeous. Is it just me who thinks that the start of Hand It Over sounds a lot like the Namie Amuro track Baby Don't Cry?
• I've finally heard the new Jessica Mauboy album, and I'm in love with it. If this is how Australian music is rubbing off on me(Delta Goodrem, Ricki-Lee!!), then I seriously want to hear more!
• The video for Jesse McCartney's new single is out! The song is just amazing.

• The NKTOB single now has a video, with all the German and royalty going on. That plus the talking knights and the processed vocals just freaks me out. 

• There's a new Chris Brown song out, Believer. I don't know what it's for, but I'm loving it. Although Forever is still my favorite from him.
• Oh, the video for the second single from Catfights and Spotlights is out. Not liking the video, but I love the song! haha..

• The deluxe edition of Duffy's debut album is out, I'm gonna give the new tracks a listen sometime this week.

I guess that's it. I'm going to try and write more this week!

Jesse McCartney - How Do You Sleep?

Artist: Jesse McCartney
Album: Departure
Year: 2008
Rating: 5/5

Oh yes, Jesse McCartney. I loved him ever since 'Beautiful Soul' although at the very very beginning, back when his video was only a minute long, I thought he looked too much like Aaron Carter(the same way I thought JoJo looked too much like Lindsay Lohan and that she had a 'boys' name, to which I was wrong.. forgive me, I was seven then..) which is why I didn't pay too much attention to him. When his videos started appearing on the countdowns of the music channel, which I was addicted to back then, I started taking notice of him.

His music back then was Disney pop, so much that you could imagine every single song on his debut album on a DCOM, seriously. Then his next album grew up a bit but the pop from his first album was still there, not a very exciting or drastic growth which was what I wanted to see.

Little did I know that I had to wait 2 years before the drastic change I was waiting for came. This year, Jesse has changed his style so much that people who don't look at who's singing or don't know his voice won't know who's singing the new songs. I must say, I commend Jesse for having the courage to change his music style. 

My dad told me a few weeks back that there are two things artists can and will usually do. One, it's not change their style for their whole careers and keep on giving their fans what they want until they get sick of them. The pro to this, most of the time, artists don't loose too many fans because they get what they liked with the artist in the first place. The con? Other people, haters or people who just listen to the music will get sick after the second or third album and critics will say really horrible things about the fact that he/she has no creativity to think of anything new, bla, bla, bla.

The second one is the opposite. Artists for example, come out with an R&B album one year and suddenly their Pop a year later. This can lead to loss of a lot of fans but glowing reviews from critics because of drastic changes.

Where does Jesse fall? Into both, which is why I like him. He took it slow, built up a huge fan base who by now will stick to him whatever he does while pleasing the critics. Genius.

This song is not like any song on his previous albums, it's so R&B infused that you could imagine Usher singing it, it's fantastic. Of course, he's going to join everyone else by going R&B but at least he has the guts to change and the creativity to pull it off, which is something most artists lack these days.