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Pop Rock Nation

Category: People

all-about-musicians-and-the-people-who-help-them-make-music

  • New Release of the Week 3/17/09: Les Claypool

    claypoolListening to a Les Claypool album is like getting high without the drugs. The former bass player for Primus (who scored a hit with “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”) has a playing, performing and singing style that can charitably be called “weird”. After a three year absence, Claypool is back with “Of Fungi & Foe”, the most high-profile in a quiet week for new releases.

    (and see, this is what I don’t get. Take Kelly Clarkson and The-Dream, for example. Why not release them a week apart so both albums have a chance to debut at #1 and fans have a reason to return to record stores? I don’t get it. But, yeah. I said that already.)

    Also new and exciting this week…

    Gabriella Cilmi “Lessons to Be Learned”-This Australian singer was profiled a couple of months back by our own Jason Matos and is now finally getting a Stateside release for her new album.

    Marianne Faithfull: “Easy Come, Easy Go: 18 Songs for Music Lovers”-One of the most striking female voices in music returns with a covers album. I’m not sure what material is being featured here, but her dark, dramatic voice can make anything interesting, so this might  be worth checking out.

    Ray J. “For the Love of Ray J.: The Soundtrack”-After becoming addicted to “I Love New York”, I’ve managed to stay away from most of VH-1’s Celebreality shows. Brandy’s annoying little brother now has one of those shows, which is even more reason to change the dial. Not sure what this “soundtrack” features, but hopefully it’s a reminder that the dude sang before he became a porno actor/media whore.

    Superdrag “Industry Giants”- Superdrag made their initial impression back in ’96 with the song “Sucked Out”, which got an assload of MTV play and was a reasonably-sized hit on the alternative charts. After taking a break in 2003, they are back with “Industry Giants”, an album that features all the original members.

    Get your complete list of new releases .

  • Friday Throwback – Only You

    Is it really a throwback if the song is only 13 years old? Well, since that would’ve made me 19, I’ll say yes.

    112 was Bad Boy’s male R&B. Puffy (way before the Diddy) already had Total, his female group and Biggie, the man who would make him famous. He had also recently signed a new cat by the name of Ma$e who dropped what I believe to be his first Bad Boy verse on this song, the first single from the album 112.

    – Biggie just looks largely uninterested while Puff dances his ass off in the beginning of this video.
    – Game’s so tight they call it virgin.
    – Puff is still dancing while he’s in the front seat. He thought he told us that he won’t stop.
    – I wonder if they held up traffic during this shoot.
    – Just so you know, Ma$e ain’t the one that’ll pay for your phone.
    – He’s also buying things that you can’t even p’nounce. Is it odd that he’s telling people he’s buying things that they can’t even pronounce, but he doesn’t even pronounce the word pronounce correctly?
    – Where the heck did Biggie go?

  • New Video: Lionel Richie’s “Just Go”

    lionelYou’ve got to give Lionel Richie some credit. The singer-who turns 60 this year-has kept himself relevant for nearly forty years and doesn’t get the props that most other singers with his resume would. Then again, I think of things like the “Hello” video, getting his ass kicked by his (now-ex) wife after she found him with another chick, and dancing on the fucking ceiling and I realize why some people aren’t willing to give up the propers yet.

    Nevertheless, you’ve gotta give Lionel his dap for sticking around. His last album was contemporary without sounding awkward and he was rewarded with his first Gold album in the U.S. in well over a decade. When I heard that Lionel was recording with Akon, I immediately assumed the worst, but the first fruit of their collaboration, “Just Go”, is a pretty pleasant (if unsubstantial…insubstantial?) track. Coming off like a cross between Lionel’s own “All Night Long” and Jason Mraz’s recent hit “I’m Yours”, this song makes me think of white sandy beaches and strong drinks in bright colors. And anyone who can make Akon tolerable (a list that includes Gwen Stefani, india.arie and Whitney Houston) gets an extra star in my book.

    Check out the video, try not to imitate the lame choreography, and tell us what you think.

    By the way, the kid in the video is Evan Ross, whose mother, Diana, scored her last Top 10 hit in 1985 with “Missing You”, a song that Lionel wrote and produced.

    I can’t post something about Lionel without going old-school, so here’s a bonus treat for you: