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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Money Mike

  • Jay-Z Tarnishes His “History” On New Single

    Wondering why Blueprint 3 has been bumped into 2009? So am I. Hopefully it’s so Jay-Z can go back to the lab and stop teasing (if that’s the correct term) us with hot garbage like his latest song, History.

    I respect that the song was written in response to Barack Obama’s historic presidential victory. I respect that Jay recites lyrics off the top of his head. But I think that a) he should have gone back to the lab and thought the song out a little better, b) he really needs to start writing his lyrics down, and c) T-Pain? REALLY?????

    Check the song out and let me know what you think. He sounded inspired on American Gangster, bought got weighed down a little by mediocre production. Here, he sounds like he flushed the eye of the tiger down the toilet.

  • The New Music Files 11/11/08: David Archuleta, T-Pain and More!!!

    Sorry I missed y’all last week. Voting (and the subsequent 7 hours of watching CNN while fluctuating between cnn.com and yahoo.com) took up the entire of my Tuesday. However, Obama’s been elected (YAY!) and I can now devote my attention towards letting you know what’s in stores-’cause today’s kind of a doozy.

    David Archuleta David Archuleta: The only other instance of a 2nd place Idol finisher coming out before the champion that I can remember was Clay coming out (ooh, play on words) before Ruben…and you all know how that one went. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I’d finally been sucked into the gooey goodness of first single Crush, but that’s where I draw the line. However, your teenage niece or cousin is probably on line at the record store already to grab this one.

    T-Pain Thr33 Rings: I think I’ve made my disdain for T-Pain pretty clear. The man can’t sing, can barely rap, and brings coonery to an all-time new level. If, with that knowledge, you still want to buy his record, be my guest.

    Taylor Swift Fearless: Carrie who? Taylor Swift is country music’s current it girl, with tons of pop appeal (hey, she dated a Jonas!). This widely anticipated second album has already spawned the huge hit Love Story and will be one of the biggest successes of the fourth quarter.

    Seal Soul: Seal is starting to put out albums with the same frequency that he makes babies!! Coming just a year after his last release, Seal’s new album features covers of classic soul tunes. The first single is a version of Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come, which has me kind of worried, but Prayer for the Dying and Love’s Divine can make up for a million ill-advised covers.

    Musiq Soulchild On My Radio: Last year’s #1 Luvandmusiq did nothing for me. Why? Because it sounded like Musiq’s last three albums. For album #5, the R&B singer tried to switch it up with the T-Pain-esque single Radio, but after that met with a resounding thud at radio, he regrouped and came back with the safest bet possible-a Mary J. Blige duet. I own each of Musiq’s first four albums, but this might be the record where the Musiq officially stops for me.

    Elsewhere: Did you know that Tracy Chapman was still around? Me neither. The folky wonder celebrates the 20th anniversary of her still-classic debut with a new album tomorrow. The 29th installment of the Now That’s What I Call Music series also hits stores, as does the first album of R&B material from Deborah Cox (did you know that she was still around?) in six years. Offensive-rap outfit Jedi Mind Tricks have a new one hitting stores today, and there are also a couple of interesting curiosities: an Enya Christmas album, an album from Kevin Costner (I’m assuming this is The Bodyguard star and there aren’t two Kevin Costners floating around, and a new Vanilla Ice album-this one featuring him tackling some of the greatest hip-hop hits of all time. I might get this just to see what a complete and total trainwreck it is.

    On the greatest hits tip, alterna-rap faves Jurassic 5 re-release their first, independently distributed record with a bonus DVD, while several of New Order‘s classic albums get the deluxe double-disc treatment. On the anniversary tip, there is a 30th anniversary edition of Cheap Trick’s Live at the Budokan, while we’re also getting a 2-disc Smiths anthology. Christina Aguilera’s Target & iTunes-exclusive greatest hits disc gets released today, as do hits packages from Enrique Iglesias (!) and Hilary Duff (!!…and didn’t she just come out with a greatest hits album like two years ago?)

    Get your full list of new releases here.

    Happy shopping!!

  • The Best You’ve Never Heard: Wheel by John Mayer

    This series caused me quite a few headaches. I mean, how in the world was I going to pick ONE shoulda-been-a-hit song out of all the albums that I’ve digested over the years? When I first put pen to paper, I was going to go for the okey-doke and pick one of the million Michael Jackson or Prince songs that weren’t released as singles. Then I changed my mind and decided to go for something a little off the beaten path, like “Shiver” from Coldplay. Finally, I decided to settle on Wheel, for the simple fact that it’s probably the song that affects me most emotionally.

    John Mayer gets a bad rap. Maybe he started his career off as a Dave Matthews clone (and there’s nothing wrong with that-I love Dave), but at this point in the game, there’s no comparison between the two at all. While I roll my eyes at the Hollywood starlet-dating tabloid-friendly side of John, his music is good enough that I’ll forgive the obvious fact that he revels in being a “star” and enjoys all the trappings that come with.

    Wheel     is the final track from his excellent sophomore album, Heavier Things,and it’s based on a simple premise that I learned nearly twenty years ago from my 8th grade teacher, Mr. Waxman. If you put good in (or, in this case, love) it will eventually come back to you. It’s acted as a soothing balm during times of disappointment and heartbreak, and also keeps me firm in the belief that even goodbyes don’t necessarily last forever.

    If you never stop when you say goodbye/Give it time, you just might find/You will wave hello again

    It’s a little hokey, sure, but how many of us base our life philosophies on hokiness? I’d be willing to bet that most of us do.

    Wheel is a pretty lengthy acoustic ballad, and I’m not 100% sure it would have even been a radio hit had it been released, but then again I never figured Daughters (probably the worst song on Heavier Things) to be a huge hit either, much less a Grammy-winning Song of the Year. The imagery used in this song is almost cinematic, and I would’ve loved to have seen a video for Wheel. As it stands, though, it’s a forgotten album track buried at the end of John Mayer’s second album, and although I think the chance may have been missed to make this song a hit, that’s OK, because I can imagine the song is my little secret. Well, after I write this, it probably won’t be as much of a secret anymore, but you get what I’m saying, right?

    Columbia Records, methinks you missed out on a smash…or at least the opportunity to have John Mayer viewed as a stellar songwriter a short time before everyone caught on.

    More On “The Best You’ve Never Heard” week
    The Best You’ve Never Heard – Introduction