Jessica Mauboy - Do it Again + Kristina DeBarge - Song On the Radio

Brief reviews today, I'm sleepy but classes were suspended AGAIN!

OK, so this is the b-side to Because - not a big fan of it but this song however, has made my day.

It's another R&B mid-tempo and the melody will make you melt but what I love about this song is that it has the edginess and groove of Been Waiting mixed with Back2U or Used2B. And it's one of those songs that subconsciously make you smile, again. Because is such a heavy song and it's not really my cup of tea so I wasn't expecting a song like this to be paired with it. The combination's good though - Do It Again is like a breath of fresh air after Because.

4.8/5
The piano at the start made me fall at this song's feet - you know I'm a sucker for songs with gorgeous piano parts at the beginning. The melody is gorgeous but her voice doesn't hit you over the head - it's just there and it's gorgeous. The middle 8 is sub-par, I was expecting something that moved me.

4.4/5

New Music!

Things have been slow with me lately, so apologies for the lack of updates.. haha. And I know some of these points are older but nothing's been happening! garr.

• Extremely late but pop band RBD are over - their last album was released a little more than week ago. They were sort of a GA for me, didn't like them at first but I kept on seeing them everywhere so I listened again and got hooked. Garr. I do love the last album, good, solid pop songs.
• Well, Untouchable is officially GA's third single from Out Of Control. Loved the song when I first heard it, still love it and I honestly hope to God that it does heaps better than TLK for the girls' sake. I agree with everyone else when I say that the single mix doesn't do any justice to the original version but oh well.
• Oh, and Been Waiting is Jessica Mauboy's third official single! yay! Was listening to it a lot over the past few days and I love the groove of the song, how you just want to bop your head to the beat - it's infectious. THIS is what I call brilliance, I didn't like Burn that much.
• New Elliott Yamin song - not a big fan of it but it's good. What I'm worried of though is that he might give us an album full of standard R&B songs - he better not.
• Idol related news - two of the now top 11 have solo albums/songs circulating the internet. A few songs from Kris Allen's pre-Idol are out and both of Matt Giraud's albums are out. I'm so-so with Kris Allen's stuff, he sounds like an older/quirky-er Teddy Geiger and so far I've heard one song from Matt's album - I don't like it.
• Ruben Studdard has a new song out and it's pure brilliance. I only have three Ruben songs in my library - one from each stage of his career and his atrocious version of FWW aside, Together is the song I personally like the most from him. Brilliant melody and it's a refreshing change, compared to this Change Me is far too 'heavy'.
• Megan Joy has possibly got to be my best bet to win Idol or even just get to the top 3. Yeah, she sounds a bit like Duffy but that's what the US scene is lacking, plus the fact that she's likable and can actually sing. If she keeps on choosing good songs I think she'll go far. Oh, and Adam Lambert can burn in that horrid 'ring of fire' for all I care - I hate him.

Exam week for me is nearing so I'll have even less time to post but don't worry - I'm off for two months after my exams!!! Which means I'll be posting like every day. Oh, and I know I said that the next special would be Soulshock and Karlin but that'll be pushed back because in preparation for the Craig David concert I'm OFFICIALLY going to - it's the Craig David special!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay!

Jessica Mauboy - Been Waiting

I was supposed to do a review on this last year but alas, I got too busy. Better late than never, right?I always stress the importance of a cohesive record that, at the same time shows that the artist can(figuratively) jump through hoops and walk on fire. Been Waiting shows just how to effortlessly do exactly that AND be contemporary enough to compete with existing music heavyweights. The album may be able to compete with the greats but when you hear the album, you know it's her and you know that's who she really is. She isn't trying to be the next Rihanna or anyone, she's being herself.

But aside from a good record, you obviously have to have a whole lot of talent. You can have the best production team, songwriters and a cohesive album behind you but without the raw talent, you won't get anywhere. What's strange for me is that Jessica didn't actually win Australian Idol. Don't get me wrong, the guy who won has a nice voice and his debut single was OK but compared to Jessica, he doesn't seem very special.

The album opens with a very strong, contemporary track - Running Back. Written by Jessica herself and the guy who gave us Delta Goodrem's Born To Try, it's a very strong R&B song that I think can go head-to-head with Umbrella any day. Amidst the very urban/R&B sound, this song still actually has a melody and a structure, which I love. Bottom line is, it's a gorgeous song and it should've gone to number one in Australia.

After the very heavy first track, Been Waiting comes along and brightens up the whole album which is another plus point on this album. You can't put one heavy track after another, people will either get really bored and not listen to the second one or won't listen to the whole album altogether. It's got a lighter instrumentation and the melody is even more structured than Running Back, it's like a proper R&B mid-tempo that can easily rival Mary J Blige.

I remember reading a review that said Burn sounded like a Britney song. It does remind me a bit of Britney but the main difference with Jessica and Britney is that Jessica actually uses her amazing voice whereas Britney sounds like she's being strangled when she sings.

Used2B is probably one of my ultimate favorites out of the already amazing album. It's a sweet mid-tempo verging on a ballad that has one of the most gorgeous melodies I've heard, somewhere around the level of Jordan Pruitt's Unconditional(and that was my favorite song of 2008 already..). I did a little research on the guy who wrote the song and he said that the perfect pop song should be around 3:40 and the first chorus should kick in before a minute, which means Used2B is the perfect pop song? haha. If Used2B is gorgeous, Back2U is brilliant. It's a cheery mid-tempo, even cheerier than Been Waiting and it's a pleasure to listen to.

Phew. That was long, lemme just run down the other tracks..

Empty reminds me of Running Back, it's got a similar sound and a similar structure but I like Empty better. Because is an Unfaithful-esque song with more beats and a snappy-er melody, it's got more bite than the Rihanna song. True to it's title, To The Floor is very dance/club-y, I can imagine it playing in a hip LA/NY club. Not a big fan of Time After Time itself but I love the arrangement, very Jessica from what I'm getting with the rest of the album.

Up/Down sounds like something that would go very well in a chick flick or fashion-related like Confessions of a Shopaholic or the Bratz movie, I love the melody and it makes you want to tap your feet and have a lot of fun. Finally, the album ends with Let Me Be Me - a song written by Britain's entry to the Eurovision, Jade Ewen. I love the melody, I think it's a gorgeous song and the verses definitely stand out more than the chorus. I don't know if it's a good thing or not but over-all, I like the song.

It's a pleasure listening to this album, it doesn't leave me hanging - if this was the only album she'll ever release(God forbid that ever happens..), I'd be satisfied but if not, I'd obviously want a lot more material.

SO, to sum up the album:
Best Track: Used2B
Better Tracks: EVERYTHING ELSE!(Yes! Even Time After Time, it has it's plus points!)
Least Favorite Track: None.
THE RATING: 5/5

# 56: Jessica Mauboy - Back2U

I admit, I was a but put off by the album cover, but then when I heard the lead single, I was in awe with her voice.

Seriously, it's hard to believe that she's got that huge a voice at that young an age. She may be quite young, but she's old enough to know how to control and take care of it, something that's extremely important.

She's got a gorgeous voice, and what makes her album an even better listen are the songs. For me, they can go head to head with Ricki-Lee's songs and they'd tie in terms of melody and arrangement.

There is however, one song that just stands out from the rest. Back2U is another R&B ballad(I seem to like a lot of them..!), and it's got a gorgeous melody that could possibly compete with my favorite song of the year(which will be revealed later this month, so be patient!) and Jessica's amazing vocals are just highlighted on this song.

Plus the fact that I love how the song shifts from a simple guitar line into this really, really beautiful song.

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!