Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Akon

New Video: Lionel Richie’s “Just Go”

You’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 (aÂ 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:

March 13, 2009
The New Music Files 12/2/08: Britney, Akon & (Not Much) More!

Here we are folks, the dog days of December. The list of releases has trickled to a crawl for the next couple of months, which means we’re gonna have to stretch to find five noteworthy releases some weeks-like this one. Matter of fact, I’m not even gonna try to come up with a list of five. There are exactly three albums coming out tomorrow that anyone gives half a damn about, and they are as follows:

Britney Spears Circus: She may have gotten off the crazy train, but there’s nothing to suggest that Britney’s music has undergone any sort of change in the year and change since the Platinum Blackout hit store shelves. Mindless dance pop is still the order of the day, and Britney’s vocal contributions are, as always, negligible-but have no actual bearing on whether the music within is good or not. Choice title? If You Seek Amy. Confused. Say it reallllly slooowwwww. Get it now? Yeah. Proof that all the antidepressants in the world can’t bring you class.

Akon Freedom: Fresh from dry-humping teenage girs and tossing fans into crowds (oh, and lying about his criminal past), Akon’s third album reveals more of the wafer-thin (in vocal talent as well as stature) artist’s clubby dance anthems and simple pop songs. The guest list on this album reads like a shopping list, but you can bet that the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne and T-Pain are both represented here.

Scarface Emeritus: You gotta give the O.G. props for trying, right? Half a decade since anyone gave a damn, the grandfather of Southern rap returns with his umpteenth solo album. ‘Face has flown pretty far under the radar these past couple of years (being on a label like Asylum probably doesn’t help much), but this album will appeal to just about anyone who’s bought his work (either solo or as part of The Geto Boys and Facemob) over the past 20 years.

Elsewhere, there’s a Panic at the Disco Live record out for the 7 of you who still care, and the Cadillac Records soundtrack also hits stores. The film, which tells the story of legendary blues label Chess Records, stars Mos Def and Beyonce, who sings Etta James’ At Last on the soundtrack. On the reissue tip, there’s also a Chess Records anthology featuring the original versions of the songs featured in this movie. And yeah…that’s all, folks.

Get a complete list of this week’s releases here.

December 2, 2008
“Like I Never Left”-Whitney’s Back!

I’ll admit that I’ve never been the world’s biggest Whitney Houston fan. She’s held my interest for 2 or 3 songs per album, though, and I certainly won’t deny that she’s in possession of an amazing voice. A voice that, to my ears, has gotten better as she’s aged. Her last two studio albums, “My Love is Your Love” and “Just Whitney” found her tackling material that was a bit more mature and substantial than the likes of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and those God-awful Michael Masser ballads that she started her career singing.

Whitney Houston in concert, 2007 (Photo: JKevin01)

As anyone on the planet Earth knows, Whitney’s career has been derailed by all sorts of drama: the tempestuous marriage to Bobby Brown and subsequent divorce, problems with various substances that left the former model looking like the sister of Pookie as played by Chris Rock in “New Jack City”, the fact that her daughter Bobbi Kristina is already going to need YEARS if not decades of extensive therapy. However, over the past year or so, Whitney has made several public appearances (usually in the company of her label owner/Svengali Clive Davis) and has looked damn good. While rumors of a new album have been floating for quite a while, we finally get our first taste of the scheduled-for-November release with “Like I Never Left”.

And the verdict? It’s a pretty good song, with a mellow, summery vibe. It’s not a blow-the-doors-open huge single, but Whitney’s in fine voice, the song doesn’t try too hard to align itself with current trends, and Akon (by some strange act of God) turns out to be a pretty decent duet partner. If he can do do this for Whitney, there might be hope for that Akon/MJ collaboration after all.

Take a listen for yourself. What do you think?

July 28, 2008