web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Author: GG

  • Is Four A Crowd For The American Idol Judges?

    When word got out yesterday morning that American Idol was introducing a fourth judge, my immediate response was to question why. And when I found out it was songwriter Kara DioGuardi, my next response was, “Who dis?”

    Money Mike smartened me up.

    She’s a pretty popular songwriter. Her name’s probably not known much outside of industry circles, but then again, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell’s weren’t either. She’s written for Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson-basically she’s Sony BMG’s right hand girl.

    She definitely has credentials. However, if they want to make some changes to the show, I don’t think they looked in the right place. While they are definitely a batty bunch, Simon, Paula, and Randy have really good chemistry together. And adding a fourth voice either takes away some of the Simon/Ryno Seacrest back and forth (which is either the best or worst thing on the show based on your sense of humor), or it makes the show feel more rushed. They are rushed enough.

    This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License (cc-by-sa-2.0).

    Money Mike thinks it’s a change directly related to sliding ratings and it definitely could be that. But if that’s the case, I think it’s a bad move. It’s still the biggest show in America. I think they’ve made changes for the better recently. They’ve allowed the artists to play their own instruments and the show feels a little more human because of it. But changing the judges feels way too much like a publicity stunt. Mike thinks it’s there to create drama and I think he’s right. But it could create the wrong kind of drama. The kind that gets you to turn off the television.

    But the show is too iconic for it to really be hurt by anything short of Simon leaving, so I think they’ll be ok.

    Paula Abdul agrees with me though. And that’s a scary thought.

    She was interviewed by MTV.com’s Jocelyn Vena and had this to say.

    “I am concerned about the audience and acceptance. Time will tell. We’ll see.”

    She also added that having a fourth judge will take all the fun out of tie breaking and now breaking ties will probably fall into the hands of Simon.

    “I’m sure Simon will get to make the final [call]. It takes the fun out of all the hard work I do to push those kids through.”

  • David Archuleta Crushes Your Ear Drums

    David Archuleta’s single has been released, and as far as the charts are concerned, things look good for the American Idol youngster.

    According to Money Mike’s Chart Chat, Archuleta’s new single debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

    With how much love the AI folks showed Archuleta, it’s not a surprise that he charted so well. Well, maybe it was a slight surprise. As far as the quality of the song? It’s very predictable and exactly what you’d expect to hear from a young 17 year old, who even though doesn’t have much charisma, still has a really good voice. With a song titled Crush, you can imagine what it’s about. He has a crush on a girl and he wonders if she has a crush on him at the same time.

    Am I crazy or falling in love?

    Is it schmaltzy? Sure. Is it a bit weak vocally for him? Yes. But does it fit with everything else the young kids and teeny boppers are buying up these days? Yep. And that’s why it’s number two on the hot charts this week. Listen below.

    Crush – David Archuleta

  • No Plastic – At This Moment

    As I stated in February, I decided to stop buying actual CDs and buy all my music through iTunes. Let me update you on my iTunes journey.

    Money Mike and I had the same memory of Billy Vera’s hit song. I remember watching Family Ties and hearing this song and immediately thinking that Billy Vera really wanted his woman back. It was probably the first song that I actually not only heard the lyrics, but felt them. Well, maybe except part where he wonders if his old girl thought he was going to raise his hands to her.

    (I remember either watching The Grammys or the American Music Awards from that year and waiting to see Billy Vera and the Beaters perform. My dad and I saw that Bruno and the Heaters were scheduled to come up next and we laughed because we figured they just got the name wrong. Nope, that was Bruce Willis’ band.)

    My girlfriend Jessica didn’t know if she’d heard this song before. And then I went into the whole bit about the song being a major part of one of more memorable story lines of Family Ties. Then I went, wait, let me go to iTunes. Digital music folks. Digital music.

    If I could just hold you, again.

    The man was hurtin’.

    Usher’s latest and newest “grown up” album Here I Stand didn’t necessarily set the world on fire. I guess people wanted to hear more about him sleeping around on Chili. But this is a more mature Usher which means songs about fatherhood, his lack of a father, and marriage. I don’t think there’s any songs about him dissing moms as his manager though. And maybe on his next album he’ll mention hiring her back after the album didn’t sell like hot cakes.

    It’s definitely a good next step in his career. Even though his sales didn’t increase (and let’s be serious, Confessions sold a ton and topping that was going to be near impossible in this day and age) it was a strong move in my opinion. He needs to grow with his audience, but at the same time, also continue making new fans. I’m not sure he knocked it out of the park, but it was a solid record.

    It may be a bit long winded though. The CD version is 17 tracks long which is already too long. And the iTunes version is 18 tracks, with the cheesy Will Work For Love as the bonus song. Here’s his second video from the album, Moving Mountains.

    I only picked up one other thing in May, and that was the comeback single by the boys from the city. The New Kids On The Block comeback has been tracked step by step (ha!) here, with Money Mike and I both contributing. If their comeback was going to be a step back into 1990 pop music, I would’ve called it for what it was. But so far, it’s been a really smart comeback with them growing in sound and choosing songs with good harmonies. I still don’t think Jon Knight or Danny Wood do much other than show up at the studio and wave pom poms, but I think the New Kids are going to surprise some folks. Both singles have been strong and sit right between R&B and pop music, which is necessary in this day and age.

    Summertime isn’t a remake of the DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince song. No buying new kicks for the basketball court because there are girls there. It’s a song about a girl from their past who they think about in the summertime. It’s hilarious because even my kids enjoy it. And their mom was about 11 years old when the New Kids originally hit. Though my oldest can’t remember their name and keeps calling them “New Kids By The Block”. Oh well.