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Pop Rock Nation

Author: Pop Rock Nation

  • I Waited Till 6:15 To Post This Week’s New Releases Because…

    Well, because there really isn’t anything out worth your time. To wit…
    Ashlee Simpson “Bittersweet World”: I don’t *dislike” Ashlee Simpson the way I dislike…say, Avril Lavigne. She seems like a nice enough girl, her songs are pleasant without being irritating and that whole “SNL” lip-synching thing didn’t bother me because, well…people lip-synch on TV shows all the freaking time. It’s not like she was presented as this powerhouse diva and then got her spot blown up when the tape skipped, you know?
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=GsulZKXFxK8 (the video for “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)”)
    Anyway, her third album backs away from the bratty power-pop of her first two albums and goes in a dance-pop direction, with the production provided by Timbaland and The Neptunes’ Chad Hugo, among others. I thought the first single, “Outta My Head”, was super-annoying, so I’m not going anywhere near this unless I get a freebie. However, the woman’s sold 4 million albums in her career, so it’s safe to say she has a pretty solid fanbase. She won’t be worrying about me.
    Carole King “Tapestry (Deluxe Edition)”: For a while, “Tapestry” was the biggest selling album by a female artist of all time, and rightfully so. It’s equal parts sweet soul and confessional singer-songwriter brilliance, with more than it’s share of standards. “I Feel The Earth Move”, “It’s Too Late”, “So Far Away”, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” are just some of the gems you’ll find on this album. Whether you buy this expanded edition (and I swear that it’s been remastered/repackaged half a dozen times) or just cop the original, “Tapestry” is an absolute must-have album.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5MORLi8K0 (an excellent clip of “It’s Too Late”)
    Blind Melon “For My Friends”: How can the “No Rain” guys be back?, you ask. Didn’t Shannon Hoon, their lead singer, die from a drug overdose over a decade ago? Well, yes he did, but the band has finally decided to soldier on with a NEW lead singer. Why? I don’t know. But, figuring that I didn’t care much for the band when they were popular (and when their original lead singer was alive), I think it might be a good idea to pass on this one.
    (I don’t know that there’s an updated Melon page and no way I’m subjecting you to that damn Bee Girl)
    Whitesnake “Good To Be Bad”: No, David Coverdale’s not dead. In fact, he’s back with a new Whitesnake album. However, the fact that Coverdale has got to be about 172 by now, coupled with the fact that Whitesnake’s heyday is 20 years behind them, and added to the fact that Tawny Kitaen’s probably a little too old to flitter around on top of a car anymore ends up equalling one album no one in their right mind should care about.
    (I will subject you, however, to Tawny Kitaen: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oKTiwCez6Zs)
    There’s also…
    a love songs collection by Donny Osmond, who I’d make fun of if it didn’t seem like he had so much fun mocking himself…
    Ah, all of the Replacements’ Twin/Tone albums (including “Let It Be”, which critics splooge themselves over) are remastered and reissued today with bonus material.
    “Mess of Blues”, the album singer/guitarist Jeff Healey was working on at the time of his death from cancer, is being released today…
    …and that’s the best of a weak lot, folks. Next week will certainly be better!!
    Get a full list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

  • Chart Chat: 4/20/08

    Happy 4/20, ladies and gentlemen! (If I have to explain the significance of this date to you, then never mind). Here’s this week’s Top 20 singles and albums.
    Top 20 Albums:
    1) “Spirit” Leona Lewis
    2) “Troubadour” George Strait
    3) “Sunset Man” James Otto
    4) “Now That’s What I Call Music 27” Various Artists
    5) “Accelerate” R.E.M.
    6) “Alvin & The Chipmunks” Soundtrack
    7) “All I Feel” Ray J.
    8) “Trilla” Rick Ross
    9) “When Angels & Serpents Dance” P.O.D.
    10) “Welcome to the Dollhouse” Danity Kane
    11) “Midnight Fire: A Body & Soul Collection” Various Artists
    12) “Pretty. Odd.” Panic at the Disco
    13) “Taylor Swift” Taylor Swift
    14) ” Ghosts I-IV” Nine Inch Nails
    15) “Sleep Through the Static” Jack Johnson
    16) “Daughtry” Daughtry
    17) “Jordin Sparks” Jordin Sparks
    18) “Day26” Day26
    19) “Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings” Counting Crows
    20) “Consolers of the Lonely” The Raconteurs
    Top 20 Singles
    1) “”Bleeding Love” Leona Lewis
    2) “Lollipop” Li’l Wayne
    3) “No Air” Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown
    4) “Love in This Club” Usher
    5) “Touch My Body” Mariah Carey
    6) “Sexy Can I” Ray J.
    7) “4 Minutes” Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake
    8) “With You” Chris Brown
    9) “Love Song” Sara Bareilles
    10) “Low” Flo-Rida
    11) “See You Again” Miley Cyrus
    12) “Don’t Stop the Music” Rihanna
    13) “Stop & Stare” OneRepublic
    14) “Apologize” Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
    15) “No One” Alicia Keys
    16) “Superstar” Lupe Fiasco
    17) “Independent” Webbie
    18) “What About Now” Daughtry
    19) “Sorry” Buckcherry
    20) “Damaged” Danity Kane
    This week’s chart shows the sales bump provided by the “Idol Gives Back” special. Daughtry and Jordin Sparks both move back into the Top 20 on the albums chart, Sparks’ single reaches a new peak of #3, the fifth single from Daughtry’s 4X Platinum album debuts in the Top 20 (while the fourth single, “Feels Like Tonight”, sits at #24, and Carrie Underwood follows up last year’s version of The Pretenders’ Nineties hit “I’ll Stand by You” with a version of George Michael’s “Praying for Time”, which is new to the Top 100 at #27.
    Speaking of Sparks, her debut album surpasses Taylor Hicks in sales this week, meaning that she no longer has to worry about the dubious distinction of having the lowest-selling album by an “American Idol” winner in history.
    It almost pains me to say that the only artists who can boast a Top 10 single and a Top 10 album simultaneously this week are Leona Lewis (who’s vocally gifted but a complete cipher), and Ray J. (although I admit, “Sexy Can I” is kinda catchy!). In the process, Lewis becomes the first British female artist EVER to debut at #1 on the Billboard Albums chart. Take *that*, Winehouse!!
    I was just reading a “Vibe” article (one of many proclaiming Li’l Wayne as the best thing since color television) that mentioned the fact that Wayne had yet to live up to the hype by scoring a major pop hit. Welllll…with “Lollipop” making it to #2 (in a crowd of very successful singles) this week, I guess we can safely say that Weezy doesn’t have to worry about *that* anymore!
    Um…who’s James Otto??
    How the hell did one of those TV-advertised “Body & Soul” compilations (this one featuring Alicia Keys, R. Kelly, Mario and others) make it into the Top 20??
    Speaking of Mario, his third album “Go!” has been goosed slightly since he started appearing on “Dancing with the Stars”, but at only about 275K sold since it’s December release (and no major hit single), it’s got a long way to cover before it reaches the platinum-plus heights of his last album, “Turning Point”.
    Next week, Hurricane Mariah, who should leapfrog past the 500K mark with “E=MC2”, a number that will probably not only outsell the rest of the Top 10 combined, but will also immediately place her around #7 on the list of 2008’s Top 10 Albums (granted, it’s only April, but still…). It’s a long way from “Glitter”, eh?
    OK, the charts were boring this week, I promise something better next week.

  • Friday Throwback – The Humpty Dance

    What is Digital Underground more famous for? Their huge song, The Humpty Dance, or for introducing Tupac Shakur to the world?

    In 1990, Digital Underground released Sex Packets, an album title that was based on the idea of a drug that was taken to induce orgasm. Yep, these guys were crazy. The Humpty Dance blew the roof off of my junior high school.

    – I remember arguing with folks who thought Humpty and Shock G were different people. “No way, look at that nose!” Please.

    – My good friend Young Randall dressed up as Humpty for Halloween once. One of the greatest Halloween costumes I’ve seen all time, all my life.

    – This song still bumps some 18 years later.

    – I never noticed before, but he still has the tag on his hat.

    – In the Bay Area, they played a version that was bleeped all over the place, and there aren’t any curse words in the song. I never figured that one out.

    – My old friend Joel Martinez did the greatest “Humpty Hump” ever at our school dances.

    – “People say you look like MC Hammer on crack Humpty!”

    – I really wonder if Puerto Ricans and Samoans did the “Humpty Hump”.

    – Peace and humptiness forever.