web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Carrie Underwood

  • What Kind Of Fu**ery Is This? Best Of Music 2007

    I hate putting these lists together. Ok, I lied. I love doing it. But it’s so hard. Putting all of the songs and albums together that I heard in 2007 into one conclusive list is tough. There are even things that came out in 2007 that I know are good, but that I haven’t even listened to enough to make a solid decision on.

    Vital Idol

    But let’s start with the American Idol stuff. I guarantee that I’m the only one thinks about Idol albums on “best of” lists like this. In 2007, a bunch of Idol albums came out with the best being Elliot Yamin’s self titled debut. Carrie Underwood followed up her big hitter rookie album with another strong album titled Carnival Ride. I’m certain more than one song on the album is about Tony Romo. Kelly Clarkson argued with Clive and released an album that’s emotional and all her own, but yikes, does that mean I have to listen to her downpour of depression? Even Katharine McPhee dropped an album that was actually decent. It bricked (and caused her to get dropped from her record deal), but it was much better than it had any right to be. In late 2006 (but they count here for me for being so late in the year), Fantasia and Taylor Hicks put out good albums, though both didn’t sell. And Hicks’ debut got him dropped from his deal. So much for the idea that all Idol winners are stars. Also, Ruben Studdard’s third album dropped and it was a mess and a half. Not surprisingly he was also dropped from his deal as well. There were others that I didn’t get a chance to listen to like Kellie Pickler and Bucky (that dude should just drop his last name).

    The two albums that dropped late in the year were from Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks and runner up Blake Lewis. While Lewis is going to get shredded because he doesn’t have a great singing voice, his album is the better of the two. It’s creative and in a style you’d expect from him. Sparks’ isn’t creative, and that’s the downfall. She’s at a weird age in which she’s too old to be Hannah Montana and too young to be a sexy songstress. I’d expect much better from her in the years to come. As for Blake, he’s probably not going to last long in this game, but he gets an E for effort. At least Break Anotha was hot.

    One Shot

    I still haven’t been able to give enough time to Lupe Fiasco’s second album, The Cool. I love the single, but in order to put it on a list like this, I have to give it more than just the random listen that I did. I apologize to Lupe. Next time, release your album a little earlier bruh.

    Big Ups

    There are a bunch of albums that I really liked, but didn’t love, or simply haven’t listened to enough to know if I love or not. Unless it’s something I know I’ll love immediately, music and me aren’t necessarily always love at first sight. Joni Mitchell’s Shine is impressive considering I wasn’t raised on Mitchell and thus haven’t heard a lot of her classic work. But when two of my closest friends both told me to give it a shot, I did. And when one of them decided to send me all the songs in e-mail, I really couldn’t say no. To say I was impressed is an understatement. I was also impressed with Bruce Springsteen’s Magic. It’s really the first album of his that I’ve given a hard listen to since The Rising. The single Radio Nowhere was genius. Chrisette Michele is an artist that didn’t get much love, and one can understand why. It’s not a pop album at all. Her I Am is an album that I had to listen to more than once in order to get it, and I don’t even think I’ve fully gotten it yet. It’s very much an R&B/soul/jazz clash that’s void of bubble gum. Joss Stone’s Introducing … is a fun album that takes advantage of her voice and gives her good material to work with. She does good stuff with not only Common, but Lauryn Hill, and no one did anything with Lauryn Hill except for her own ego.

    Maroon 5’s It Won’t Be Soon Before Long came strong out of the blocks with the funky Makes Me Wonder and stayed strong throughout. Talib Kweli and Common also hit with albums this year. Kweli’s Eardrum was consistent throughout and for rap fans, is right up there with the best hip hop releases of the year. But I thought there was definitely something missing. It might just be Kweli. I love his rhymes, but he lacks charisma, and that’s why I think I’d rather listen to a lesser rapper like Kanye, but also one who makes complete songs, even though toe to toe, he can’t flow with Kweli. Common’s Finding Forever wasn’t as good as Be, but it found many spins in my iPod. Spins? To me, The People was one of the bangers of the year. Timbaland took the “featuring …” to another level with Shock Value. It was chock full of radio ear candy. One of the things I love about Timbaland is that he simply enjoys getting people to go crazy in the clubs, but he is not afraid of experimenting with different types of artists. He’s not going to go completely left, but he’ll rock with One Republic and The Hives and then on the same album throw a bone to his old buddy Magoo. He still can’t rap though.

    Ne-Yo and Rihanna converged with Hate That I Love You and at that point, I pretty much considered them one and the same. I found Ne-Yo’s Because Of You superior to his first album. Maybe it was the title track that I loved so much. But I just found more reasons to listen all the way through. Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad was the one album that you could’ve thrown on at a party and not had to worry about changing the music for an hour. She had the biggest single in the world and seemingly grew up right before our eyes. Have you seen the video to Hate That I Love You? If not, go now. You can always come back here. I won’t mind.

     

    One Love

    The list of albums that I loved is much shorter. Though Alicia Keys hasn’t yet made that one near perfect album, she came closer to that goal with As I Am. It’s a much stronger album from a song writing perspective and as with any Alicia Keys song, you know you’ll get your goodie bag of awesome love songs. Like You’ll Never See Me Again was a brilliant second single. Jay-Z’s American Gangster and Kanye West’s Graduation were the two hip hop albums that I played most this year. With Jay-Z releases, I usually get a copy at least a week and a half before it comes out because someone had a bootleg and burns me one. Don’t worry y’all, I then go buy a copy when it’s finally released. With this one, I didn’t hear it until it dropped. I was slightly worried that it would be rushed, but after it was all said and done, it’s one of the best albums of his career. It’s on the soulful tip like The Blueprint, but is even more retro. And it also features the party jam of the year, Roc Boys (And The Winner Is …). We in the house, house, house. West’s Graduation came out of the gate with two singles that weren’t the type of radio song that you were used to. There was no Golddigger to be found. But he sampled Daft Punk and found his black Kate Moss. Stronger might’ve been my single of the year if I had a vote.

    The release date on Elliot Yamin’s debut album wasn’t circled on everyone’s calendar. But when Wait For You dropped, I knew I’d love probably everything on this album. He waits for his girl in Wait For You, sees warning signs in their relationship in Train Wreck, and then kicks her to the curb and wants to date her friend in Movin’ On. But he makes it all better with the iTunes only In Love With You Forever. Dreamgirls was probably my second favorite movie of 2006 (why Rocky Balboa of course) and even if the acting sucked (which it didn’t, and Eddie Murphy was robbed), I would’ve still loved it because of the awesome soundtrack. Even though technically the soundtrack was released in late 2006, I listened to it more than any other album in the first half of 2007. From Jennifer Hudson’s roaring rendition of Jennifer Holiday’s And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going to the bad a** Steppin’ To The Bad Side, it’s the shortest hour car ride ever. And I’ve probably listened to it no less than 35 times.

    My favorite album of the year isn’t a surprise. It’s not an original choice, but oh well. Amy Winehouse may be locked up at a looney bin with Britney Spears pretty soon, but at least someone in the looney bin will be able to sing. Ok, that was mean. I enjoyed Brit’s Blackout more than I probably should’ve and still think Break The Ice should be sent to the clubs immediately. Winehouse and producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi created soul music that simply isn’t created these days unless your name is Anthony Hamilton. Though Rehab was the hot single, Love Is A Losing Game and Tears Dry On Their Own are the real head turners. Back To Black is one of the few anythings I gave 5 stars to this year.

    Favorite Song Of The Year

    It’s true that I live in a whole different house
    But that doesn’t mean I won’t come around
    I’m still best friends with your mom have no doubt
    We’ll still make time to hang out
    I promise I won’t let you down

    I will admit to liking things that others won’t even dare listen to. One of my favorite songs of the year was the Carrie Underwood song I’ll Stand By You, which was only found on iTunes I believe. My favorite sing isn’t earth shattering and it’s not going to hit the charts anytime soon, but it was the most meaningful to me. Not simply Babyface anymore, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds penned a song that could’ve been written for me. Not Going Nowhere is a love letter to his son about why he and his ex-wife Tracy Edmonds (Edmonds-Murphy?) decided to be best friends. It really touched home with me because my ex-wife and I made a promise to each other that we would put away any hard feelings we have for each other and work to keep our family together. Our two sons are too important for pettiness and so far, we’ve done that. I live 2 minutes away from my boys, have them whenever I want, and life isn’t really all that different. The boys will have to deal with us having new significant others (and they’ve really done great in that area), but having a family with divorced parents is much better than having a divorced family. Thanks ‘Face.

    I know you feel a little scared
    I know you think it’s not fair
    And you think it’s all your fault
    But it’s not I swear
    If it wasn’t for you things could never be so cool
    So I thank you
    For being the one in our life
    That showed both of us we did something right

    (forgive the ads in the beginning)


  • 2007 American Music Awards: The Cure For Your Insomnia!!

    When I was a kid, there was one night I knew I would be allowed to stay up past my bedtime for-the American Music Awards. While I didn’t appreciate the Grammys until much later (too serious, too much non-pop music), the AMAs were the fun award show. Over the past couple of years, though, it’s gotten a bit boring. Whether it’s because the marginally talented Jimmy Kimmel has hosted for the past four years or whether it’s because a sizable chunk of winners have stopped showing up (it’s become abundantly obvious lately that winners are now notified before the ceremony, guaranteeing their appearance), the show has lost some of it’s luster. Or maybe I’m just getting older.
    Unlike the MTV VMAs and the Soul Train Awards, both of which completely jumped the shark this year, the AMAs found themselves in a holding pattern. Here were this year’s Top 5 highlights and lowlights.
    Highlights:
    1) Alicia Keys turning in a spirited performance of the remix to her hit “No One”, featuring cute choreography and guest appearances from reggae legends Beenie Man, Junior Reid and Chaka Demus & Pliers. If you were from New York (or Jamaica), you probably stood up and cheered (because all of the songs they performed were HUGE hits in the NYC area). If you were anywhere else in the country, you probably scratched your head and wondered who those folks were.
    2) Beyonce’s performance of “Irreplaceable” with country duo Sugarland. When I first heard “Irreplaceable”, I thought it sounded a little bit country. Hell, the song’s writer, Ne-Yo, said in several interviews that he wanted to write country music. But who knew it would work so well with a twangy arrangement? Hell, she’s already made a Latin album. Could Beyonce’s next step be a two-step to Nashville?
    3) Mary J. Blige, who turned out a stellar performance of “Just Fine”. MJB has come a long way from dodgy notes, shakin’ her booty while singing the song perfectly. I had to chuckle when she soft-tossed her sunglasses to the side. They must have been too expensive to chuck into the audience. While “Just Fine” in no way shape or form sounds like a typical Mary J. song, it has grown on me a great deal. It wa also funny how ABC’s cameras tried their best to shoot from the chest up, considering she was wearing a fairly sheer top.
    4) The “Soulja Boy” skit, featuring Kelly Pickler and Jordin Sparks, along with host Jimmy Kimmel. Oh come on, you didn’t laugh at that?
    5) Rihanna and Ne-Yo’s classy duet of “Hate That I Love You”. Who knew she could sing live? Rihanna did a very nice job.
    Lowlights:
    1) Jimmy Kimmel. Despite the “Soulja Boy” skit, almost everything else he did fell flat (wow, guess he really does need writers). When your comic trick bag consists of yet more jokes about Snoop getting arrested and smoking pot and a punching match with Kid Rock, you’re in pretty bad shape. Kudos for not making any Britney jokes, though.
    2) The Soul/R&B category. While I don’t have a problem with Justin Timberlake winning Favorite Soul/R&B Album over R. Kelly and Beyonce (it was certainly the best album of the three), what’s up with Rihanna winning Favorite Soul/R&B Female? Last I checked, she wasn’t exactly an R&B singer. Even SHE expressed surprise at winning the category.
    3) The Jonas Brothers-one of only two acts that lip-synched (Chris Brown was the other, and considering the choreography, I’m willing to give him a pass there).
    4) Usher’s presentation to Beyonce of the International Artist Award, in which he stumbled over the TelePrompter and the award inscription at least five times. Yo, Ush…it’s called “rehearsal”.
    5) Duran Duran’s lame performance of “Hungry Like The Wolf”. While I admire the fact that bassist John Taylor seems to have not aged in the past twenty years, it seems like Simon LeBon was more hungry than the wolf was and probably ate it.
    If you must know, it was “American Idol” night at the AMAs. Chris Daughtry (oh, excuse me. The “band” Daughtry) and Carrie Underwood won three awards each. Kelly Pickler, Jordin Sparks and Ryan Seacrest also made appearances. They tried to bring Ruben out, but he wouldn’t leave the catering tray.
    Justin Timberlake won two awards via satellite and seemed completely unenthused.
    Here’s a full list of winners:
    Favorite Male Artist, Pop/Rock: Justin Timberlake
    Favorite Female Artist, Pop/Rock: Fergie
    Favorite Group, Pop/Rock: Nickelback
    Favorite Album, Pop/Rock: “Daughtry” Daughtry
    Favorite Male Artist, Country: Tim McGraw
    Favorite Female Artist, Country: Carrie Underwood
    Favorite Group, Country: Rascal Flatts
    Favorite Album, Country: “Some Hearts” Carrie Underwood
    Favorite Male Artist, R&B: Akon
    Favorite Female Artist, R&B: Rihanna
    Favorite Album, R&B: “Futuresex/Lovesounds” Justin Timberlake
    Favorite Rap Artist: T.I.
    Favorite Rap Group: Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony
    Favorite Rap Album: “T.I. vs. T.I.P” T.I.
    Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist: Daughtry
    Favorite Alternative Artist: Linkin Park
    Favorite Latin Artist: Jennifer Lopez
    Favorite Inspirational Artist: Casting Crowns
    Breakthrough Artist: Daughtry
    International Artist Award: Beyonce
    T-Mobile Text-In Award (for favorite artist of the year): Carrie Underwood

  • 2007 American Music Awards: Random Thoughts

    To show you how much I’ve been keeping up with this stuff, the only thing I knew about this show before hand was that Jimmy Kimmel was hosting. Hopefully there will be an Adam Corolla appearance.

    • They just announced that Fergie was the hottest female pop star. That Fergalicious got me suspicious, check it out.
    • It’s not Thanksgiving, but I’m thankful that I don’t have HD yet. I bet Fergie is even scarier in HD.
    • Actually, I’m probably just as thankful that I don’t have a stereo receiver, because she’s singing Big Girls Don’t Cry live. She misses me like a child misses his blanket.
    • Now it’s will.i.am’s turn and the crowd goes completely quiet. Dude, you have to sell more than a handful of your solo record to be solo on this show.
    • The dude is trying to be James Brown and maybe if James were drunk, or had half of a right leg, he’d come close.
    • Nicole Schwarchenegger is out next and she could be naked on stage and I wouldn’t care because I’ve pretty much seen everything in that Blender spread. And I don’t like the song very much.
    • Now that was as flat an opening as I’ve ever seen.
    • I just found out that Souja Boy is on this show. Someone needs to kick his ass.
    • Speaking of Soulja Boy, he just did the Soulja Boy dance with Jimmy Kimmel, Jordin Sparks, and Kelly Pickler. I just heard the words, “Superman that ho” on the Disney owned ABC. They should be ashamed of themselves.
    • Carrie Underwood is giving out the Best New Artist award, but before she gives it out, she claims that Tony Romo had a minuscule penis and kissed like a walrus.
    • Daughtry wins by the way.
    • That boy band, Rascal Flatts is performing tonight as well. I mean, that country group.
    • The single greatest man on earth just took the stage. His name is Ryno Seacrest.
    • Adam Levine has a great voice, but if you were to point to one guy who would be proof that white guys shouldn’t shave their heads, you’d point at him.
    • Ashanti (remember her?) just presented the Male R&B award, which Akon won, and he said that T-Pain deserves this “reward”.
    • Some young cats named the Jonas Brothers are out (and the lead singer bailed trying to get to the mic). Ah, I remember them from about 15 years ago when they had blond hair and were called Hanson.
    • They introduced someone presenting as a, “number one rapper from Brooklyn” and nope, it wasn’t Jay-Z. It was FABO. I’d call that trickery.
    • Beyonce is in the audience. The Dreamgirls Soundtrack better win the soundtrack of the year. Dammit! High School Musical 2 just won. Maybe Beyonce can float some naked Vanessa Hudgens pictures out there. Wait, she already did that?
    • I really hate it that Rihanna loves Ne-Yo too.
    • Carrie Underwood just won the award for Best Female Country Artist, but this time, Faith Hill wasn’t around to give her the gas face.
    • I wonder how much they paid Beyonce to sing Irreplaceable with Sugarland? Especially the honky tonk version?
    • You know it’s a popularity contest when Daughtry beats out John Mayer in any sort of category.
    • I’m not surprised to see that Celine Dion is out here singing live. She knows she has a record to sell. But why is Lenny Kravitz out there singing live? When’s his record coming out? And where’s Denise Huxtable?
    • Who knew that Sean Kingston was really Keenan from Keenan and Kel?
    • Dancing With The Stars has really turned the clock back on Kelly Taylor. The woman looks almost fantastic enough to be married to Brandon Walsh now.
    • I’m the biggest MJ fan in the world, and I can still give Chris Brown props for his dancing. Now he just has to get that making songs that people want to hear part down.
    • Will Miley Ray Cyrus ever be able to be anything but Hannah Montana?
    • Carrie Underwood just won the very prestigious T-Mobile Text-In Award. I mean, I think Elvis Presley won that one back in ‘65.
    • Did Daughtry win again? I don’t think he’s thanked Randy or Paula yet.
    • It’s reggae night with Alicia Keys!

    I Don’t Worry ‘Cause Everything Is Gonna Be Alright

    • Carrie Underwood is cleaning up tonight. Tony Romo is in the locker room, staring at Terrell Owens’ naked backside. I wonder who’s having the better night?
    • Usher just presented Beyonce with the International Artist Award. Well, that’s what got her up there to perform with Sugarland.
    • You know, Mary J. Blige is blatantly stealing from Off The Wall era Michael Jackson with her new song Doin’ Fine, but you won’t find MJ in those stunna shades. Maybe that shade of lipstick though.
    • In 2007, how can Bone Thugs-N-Harmony win any sort of award? And more importantly, how can an award where Pretty Ricky and the Shop Boyz are also up for the same award, get on the television broadcast? You’d think that one gets presented right after Kirk Franklin wins his award that they gave out at the morning breakfast buffet.
    • You know that pop music sucks when Queen Latifah sounds ten times better live than Fergie, and the Queen wasn’t rapping.
    • Uh oh. Jay-Z’s in trouble. Rihanna just beat out Beyonce for Best Female R&B. And Rihanna thanked Jay, while Beyonce didn’t. Hmmmm.
    • Daughtry has the best selling album of 2007? Jeez, and here I thought it was Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
    • I can actually fast forward through their performance because I only heard it at the end of every single elimination episode of American Idol. Where’s Daniel Powter when you need him? Having a bad day?
    • Fergie didn’t win an award all night that didn’t have to do with her having a resemblance to a toothy animal, and she wins the big one for the females. And she even thanked Tad Hamilton.
    • Nope, no Adam Corolla tonight.