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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

music-news-from-breakups-to-the-lastest-buzz

  • First Listen: “Fresh Out the Oven” by J. Lo

    Yep, Jennifer Lopez still makes records. Who knew?

    We haven’t heard anything on the movie or the acting front from Lopez for a hot minute. Granted, she’s been busy raising kids with her hubby Marc Anthony, but let’s also face facts-her last couple of projects have been flops. Well, come 2010, La Lopez (or JelLO…as I like to call her) is coming back for that ass, and the first track from her upcoming album is “Fresh Out the Oven”.

    Lopez has created a handful of good dance tracks over the years-“Waiting for Tonight” and “Get Right” come to mind (the beat on “Get Right” was SICK), but at the end of the day she’s just another pop/dance diva, and “Fresh Out the Oven” will do nothing to differentiate her from that pack. Actually, “Oven” sounds kind of regressive, like this was left over from one of her earlier albums. Not to mention that J. Lo trying to rap is beyond laughable.

    The lyrics are pretty cliche and J. Lo has covered this territory before in songs like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”. As a 40-year old mother of two, these lyrics just don’t sound right coming out of Lopez’s mouth anymore. It sounds like she’s trying to be someone she’s not.

    With Lady GaGa conquering the pop/dance market, it remains to be seen what kind of audience Lopez has left. What do you guys think?

     

  • Usher’s “Raymond vs. Raymond” Gets It’s Wig Pushed…Up??

    It’s commonplace in the music industry for an album to be announced and then pushed back for weeks, if not months, if not…well, you get the picture. So, it’s always a surprise when an album gets pushed forward, especially in the competitive holiday market.

    Usher’s “Raymond vs. Raymond” was originally scheduled for a December release, then got bumped into early 2010, and just got bumped back up to a December 21st release. He’ll be competing against high-profile December releases from the likes of Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx and Chris Brown with this album, his sixth studio album.

    First single “Papers” is already #2 on the U.S. R&B singles chart, and the rumors are that this is an intensely personal effort, something I’m kind of on the fence about. Considering the trajectory of Usher’s career and the “stories” behind his albums, I wonder if Usher is merely creating drama to sell records? Well, whether the drama is real or manufactured, the proof will be in how good the album is, and now we’ll get to find out before 2009 draws to a close.

  • Introducing: Nneka

    My job thankfully affords me the opportunity to check out new music on a regular basis. There are a lot of artists out there that I’ve discovered because of this…artists I probably would never have known existed if it weren’t for what I do for a living. One such artist is Nneka. Nneka’s a Nigerian artist, but you’d be foolish if you were to assume her music is strictly Afrobeat. She draws from a variety of influences, including the funky yet political works of Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. I could see her working with or opening up for any variety of artists-K’naan, Wyclef Jean, Public Enemy, M.I.A., Dave Matthews Band, Vampire Weekend. While you’re dancing to her music, you’re also getting an education-much of her music is politically charged, and while her ultimate message is one of love, she pulls no punches with her lyrics or her between-song patter.

    Nneka’s debut U.S. album, “Concrete Jungle” is set for release in February 2010. I got to see her in concert last night, and she’s definitely worth checking out! Here’s a clip I pulled off of YouTube. Enjoy!!