X Factor 5 Live Show - Week 2

I was meaning to start the recaps during bootcamp, but I had tons of projects and requirements to get done, so I'm only starting it now. So what in the world did I do? I(proudly) stole a playsheet from Popjustice, watched the show on my iPod, and took pictures of my ratings on my phone(crappy camera, sorry..). Note: The MacBook shown in the pictures is not the computer I usually use. I'm lazy, so I used this, the iMac is on a desk. Wanna see? Of course you do.

(Click to actually see what I wrote)

The Boys: I think as the competition advances, Simon tries harder and harder to pattern the boys after the successful American Idol contestants. Last week Eoghan sang 'Imagine', picked by Simon. Yes, he's young like Archuleta, and yes, he's vulnerable as well, but seriously Simon, WHY TURN HIM INTO ANOTHER ARCHULETA? What really hit the home run was when Austin sang Billie Jean in the same arrangement that David C. used. Yes, someone else used the arrangement before him, but Cook made it popular again. See? See? See. Scott, on the other hand, sounded a bit Leon-ish, or like a guy in a talent show here.

The Girls: Cheryl is a good mentor! Or is it just that the girls are really good to start with? Either way, the girls were strong this week. Alexandra was so-so, not much change from last week, but still good. Laura was a step better, but my favorite of the night was Diana. Her song fit her, and she did it beautifully. Based on tonight's performances alone, I think one of the final two is in this category.

The Groups: Let's face it, whatever Louis says, he's still gearing more towards JLS. Girlband sang probably one of the cheesiest songs of the night, if not the cheesiest, and those floating globes on the display? Eeew. As much as I adore Louis for masterminding Westlife(the best boyband EVER), he did all the wrong things with his girl groups. JLS however, WERE AMAZING! OK, fangirl mode, but seriously, they can sing, they can dance, and the songs they sing go well with their voices. I can imagine next year, when Westlife release their next album and JLS(hopefully!) release their debut, A CHART BATTLE! First it was Spice Girls vs. Westlife, and next year, JLS vs. Westlife, very possible.

The over 25's: Can I just get one thing straight? DANIEL SHOULD GO! I mean, from what I see, he's trying to be another Rhydian(although Rhydian was better..), but he just can't get the personality and training that Rhydian has. Plus, the songs he sing are SO CORNY! Ruth and Rachel are light-years better in terms of vocals, but I don't see Simon's point that Ruth should sing in Spanish just because she's Spanish. Simon was well aware that Jasmine Trias(AI, Season three, didn't like her that much..) is Filipino, but he didn't tell her to sing in Filipino.

The sum-up in one sentence: Girlband went, but Daniel should've gone based on tonight's performances.

What I want to happen next week: JLS and Diana to rock again, and Daniel and any of the boys to suck, so they can go.

The Sugababes - Catfights and Spotlights

As I've said millions of times, I still think that last year's Change was a pop masterpiece, but how did the Sugababes' new album work out for me? Well here's what I think of the album.

The album as a whole just shows how much the Sugababes know about making music. I mean, they're moving towards a funkier sound, but they don't want their fans confused as to who they really are. Throughout the years, they've changed a bit, but nothing drastic, so now, if you listen over to their first album then listen to this, you'll notice the change. If you listen to Change then this though, it's not as evident. Sort of like GA.

Although Girls is a strong song, it took some time to grow on me. I mean, I've had the song for a few weeks now and I've only liked it now. Girls may be a nice song, but there are stronger songs on the album that overshadow it. Although, I think it was the right single choice, something good but not great, so it doesn't overpower the album(About You Now was an exception, that was amazing..).

You On a Good Day is a very, very, VERY good song, just a bit more and it could be amazing. I absolutely adore everything about the song! It's sort of the cross between the About You Now and Girls eras, which I think is what a lot of US acts can't do. Hanging On a Star is another great song. It's what happens when you mix amazing Swedish pop with a bit of R&B and funky elements, but once again, it's not confused. The song is very clear in telling you what it is and what it sounds like.

With them putting Side Chick on the album, could this mean that they'll be taking a shot at the US? I mean, the song is the perfect 'let's crack the US and possibly fail miserably like every other UK pop band' song. It's got a dominating US genre(R&B, which is big there right now, obviously..), and some hints of who the artist really is. But seriously, I adore the song, and if they even get a shot at the US, I'll be curious to see how they do.

Unbreakable Heart took some time to grow on me, but now that it has, it's one of my favorites on the album. It's a very deceiving song, it starts out very serious, like a ballad usually does, but then when you reach the tail end of the chorus, it just shows you a bit of what the song really is(when you reach the line 'what good is an unbreakable heart?').

EDIT:

OK, so I re-listened to the album, and another addition to my favorites is Sound of Goodbye. Another ballad, it's a very fitting song to the whole album, plus the chorus just explodes. Oh, and Every Heart Broken is a cool song as well. It'll take some time to grow on me, but it's another very strong song.

End EDIT.

And now, the bonus track, She's A Star. It's even more R&B than Side Chick, but I don't think it qualifies for 'let's break the US and....' songs, the girls don't sing enough and it's a bit not them. The song itself though is AMAZING, I adore it! Of course, I'm not about to wish that they sing more of these songs, mainly because the pop they're making right now will slowly disappear if they do.

All in all, the album is good, very strong, but there are some songs that I just don't like. There are some songs that take time to like, and some songs that you can easily get sick of. Which is why it won't get a perfect rating from me.

4.6/5

Heaps and heaps of new stuff!

Sorry for not posting in weeks, I've been so busy with final exams and projects that it was almost hilarious. But the semester's over, so for the next two weeks, expect a lot more of me! Here are the new stuff that sprouted out during my absence:

• The new Sugababes album is amazing! A favorite of mine is Side Chick, but the full review to follow.
• Popjustice released a clip of a track on the new GA album and I'm loving it as well! Yet another battle of the girl groups, GA won the single battle for me, but let's see who'll win the album battle!
• Two new Craig David tracks came out, I absolutely adore how his greatest hits album is coming together. The way he takes his old style and mixes it with the trends in R&B now puts him leagues ahead of Chris Brown and other acts in his genre.
• Leon Jackson's b-side is arguably better than the single, although maybe that's because I got a bit sick of Don't Call This Love. Let's hope he does relatively well on the charts and put Leona to shame!
• Another Taylor Swift song leaked, this time the title track, 'Fearless', which is another strong track on the album and proves once again that Taylor Swift is one of a few in her generation to get the shift from first to second album right.
• The new Take That single premiered, and may I say, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT! I didn't like 'Patience' that much, it was OK, but this new song, I'm loving. Can't wait to hear more!
• Paula DeAnda has a new song out, and it's not that bad. I loved her debut effort, so let's just see if she can get her sophomore album right.
• The new top ten is up, I haven't updated it in weeks, so a lot of movement and entrances on the chart. Check it out!

What to expect this week:

• A review of Catfights and Spotlights, the Sugababes' new album.
• My ideal Craig David GH album

I can just die and go to heaven!

OK, a lot of new music has come out from my absence... let's get this rolling! I have a video to edit and homework to do!

• The new Hilary Duff song is very, interesting. Less of the heavy dance and more of the pop she used to do, but you can sense in the song that it's an older, more mature Hilary. I personally don't like it that much, but it might grow on me with time!
• I ADORE the b-side to the Sugababes' 'Girls' better than the single itself. BUT, listening to 'Girls' and then 'Don't Look Back' is very cool. After the weight of 'Girls', with all the sampling, heavy instrumentation and compressed vocals, it's a nice balance to hear 'Don't Look Back'. This just goes to show that they thought about this single. Amazing!
• Popjustice put up a clip of Same Difference's new song earlier today and may I just say, IT'S AMAZING!!! Let's just put it this way, the last time I heard pop like this, or even remotely like this, was last year, when the Sugababes released 'About U Now', but nothing as sugary-sweet as this. It's almost or certainly HSM-level pop, and by today's industry standards, it's a heck of a lot of pop.
• And finally, Craig David's new song is proving to be one of my favorites this year. It's a lot like 'Forever', but let's face it, Craig David does R&B better. I mean, 'Forever' is, and always will be an amazing song, but Chris Brown lacks the consistency Craig David has had. I mean, 'Fill Me In' was and is still his best song for me, 'What's You Flava' showed everybody that he was versatile without loosing his style, 'Unbelievable' is a strong ballad-ish song and 'This is the Girl' grew on me. I'd give Chris Brown a few more years, and a few more 'Forever'-ish songs and the comparison will be equal but for now, I still think Craig David has the advantage. Plus, the song is DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS, and it has those standard Craig David verses before kicking into an amazing, addictive chorus. Genius.

Well, I'll post more when I get some more new music... so watch out!!

High School Musical!?

Now, we all know that the songs from each HSM movie follow a pattern based on the first movie. So what is it? Let's do a recap of the songs from the first movie and their counterparts during the second(and maybe some predictions from the 3rd movie..)

• First, there are your 'Start Of Something New' and the 'What I've Been Looking For''s. These songs are the secondary songs that Troy and Gabriella sing, second to 'Breaking Free'. The 'What I've Been Looking For''s almost always have reprises, whether it's slower or faster. In the second movie, if I'm correct there was only one song that applied to this, 'You Are the Music In Me'. In the third movie, the 'Start Of Something New' equivalent will be either 'Right Here, Right Now' or 'Can I Have This Dance' and the 'What I've Been Looking For' equivalent will be the medley of reprises.
• Then you've got your 'Get'cha Head In The Game''s, which are always sung by the guys(most often with Troy and/or Chad on lead/s) and have something to do with sports and game and competition or something to that effect. In the second movie it was 'I Don't Dance' and yet another prediction from me is that the 3rd equivalent is 'The Boys Are Back'.
• Let's move over to a Sharpay song, the 'Bop To The Top''s. This is the main Sharpay/Ryan song in every movie and in the second one it was 'Fabulous'. In the third one, it's clearly 'I Want It All', very Sharpay.
• The second Troy and/or Gabriella song are the 'When There Was Me and You''s, the heartbreak-like songs. In the second movie, it was 'Gotta Go My Own Way' and possibly 'Bet On It'. For the third movie, I'm guessing it'll be 'Walk Away', but I haven't heard it yet so I'm not really sure.
• Now you've got your 'Breaking Free''s. For the past two movies, these have always been sung at some kind of talent thingy. In the first one, it was an audition and for 'Everyday' in the second one, it was the country club's talent show. I can't really clearly see an equivalent from the third movie yet, but I think it's 'Right Here, Right Now'.
• And finally, you have your ending team spirit/resolving, 'We're All In This Together' songs. In the second movie it was 'All For One' and in the third one, I'm guessing again that it's 'High School Musical'
• Now, one song that wasn't in the first movie, but is clear in the second and third movies is a 'What Time Is It?'. In the third movie, it's predictably 'Now Or Never' and coincidentally, they were both first singles. Strange, much?
• Then we have the songs that weren't in the movies but are on the soundtracks. For the first movie, it was 'I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You' and in the second it was 'Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. I have a feeling for the third movie it's 'Last Chance' perhaps?

So, what do you guys think? Am I right or have I got anything wrong? Comment away!

Flashback: JoJo

While most pre-teens care about school, friends and fashion, JoJo was making her debut album at thirteen, something only a select few get to accomplish, let alone start. By the time she was fourteen, she had a US platinum-certified adult contemporary number one single('Leave'), beating Britney Spears as the youngest solo artist with a number one single in ANY US chart.

Only months after that feat, her debut album was released. It hit the top five, coming in at four and selling nearly a hundred thousand copies in it's first week alone. JoJo was suddenly on top of the world and at fourteen, she was probably just as overwhelmed as she was successful.

The album itself is a cool mix of R&B and mainstream pop, channeling JoJo's strengths and conveniently hiding her weaknesses, like what I think an ideal debut album should sound like. It should show people who the artist is, what he/she can do and most importantly, hide all possible flaws in production, songwriting and the vocals.

Before I heard her second effort, I thought this was all the work of the producers, except for maybe one or two songs but apparently not. Her second album was different, very different but I heard the similarities, I heard the transition of a girl to a teenager, of a new artist to an experienced one.

So what does that all mean? It means that even if she was just a young girl when this album was made, she had as much creative input with the album as she wanted to have. The album was a reflection of who she was at the time, and maybe even who she wanted to be.

The weekly recap..

Yes, here we go again!

• Well, Girls Aloud are(for me..) big news-makers(or whatever you call it..) this week, with their Live Lounge Performance of the new single AND the new video out, I absolutely ADORE them! The video is so COOL! I love it... I seriously can't wait for the album! GA vs. Sugababes? GA wins it this year!
• The Live Lounge Performance, even if Nadine was nowhere to be found, was DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS. These girls can sing... and sing well! watch it!!!!
I have the new albums from Monrose and Robin Thicke, I'll give them a listen over the weekend and tell you guys what I think in the coming week.

I LOVE the new James Morrison album, it's a very, very good advance from his first album, and to tell you the truth, the songs are still coming out for him, he's shown us who he is as a singer and now it's just all about sustaining what he's shown us.

According to my last.fm, 'Up' by The Saturdays is my most listened to track this week and coincidentally, it shoots up from number seven last week to the number one spot this week! Also quite a few new entries(GA rockets into the chart at number three with their new single 'The Promise'), a re-entry at number ten and a few tracks dropping off the countdown. Check it out!

To read on more of my favorite stuff, check out my post last Wednesday...

What to expect from me this week:

• Seriously. Some random, spur of the moment, short reviews.
• A review of Demi Lovato's new album, if I have the time..
• Another flashback, this time on JoJo's first album..
• And hopefully, some more new music!