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Tag: Jessie J

  • Smokey Robinson sings with friends!

    Smokey Robinson sings with friends!

    Smokey Robinson sings with friends on his brand new duets album, Smokey & Friends!

    Hi folks. I know it’s been a few weeks since my last post. I’ve been busy with this move from Texas to Germany and am still sitting in temporary lodging. Fortunately, I still have Internet access and was lucky enough to score a review copy of Smokey Robinson’s new album, Smokey & Friends!

    Smokey Robinson has had a very long and successful career in the music business. At age 74, his voice is still in great shape as he collaborates with an eclectic variety of rock star notables on Smokey & Friends. Though I can’t yet count myself among his most ardent fans, I do enjoy some of his best known hits as well as the songs he wrote for others. I had the chance to listen to Smokey & Friends yesterday morning and I really enjoyed it.


    On this video by the Associated Press, Smokey Robinson talks about how this project came to be.

    Smokey & Friends consists of eleven tracks written by Smokey Robinson and includes duets by everyone from Mary J. Blige to James Taylor. This new album was produced by American Idol star and record producer Randy Jackson. The production on Smokey & Friends is a bit on the slick side for my usual tastes; on the other hand, it was pretty good morning music and helped me wake up.

    A jaunty organ solo kicks off the first song, “Tracks of My Tears”, which is a collaboration between Smokey Robinson and Elton John. I have always liked this song and I think Smokey and Elton work well together, although I must admit that at first, I thought Elton was Van Morrison. His voice has deepened a bit and, on this song, it almost sounds like he has an Irish accent. It wasn’t until Elton cut loose on the chorus that I recognized his voice. Still, it’s a strong effort and I like it.


    Elton John talks about making his duet with Smokey Robinson.

    Steven Tyler was a great choice for the next song, “You Really Got A Hold On Me”. This sounds like a song Aerosmith could have easily covered. This rendition has edgy guitars that give it a straight rock sound. It works very well, although Smokey’s vocal contributions are less obvious on this track.

    Next comes a very smooth and sweet rendition of “My Girl” featuring Smokey Robinson singing with Miguel, Aloe Blacc, and JC Chasez. Although I am very partial to The Temptations’ famous cover of Smokey’s song, this is a really pleasant, soulful version of “My Girl”. As I listened to these guys singing together, I was reminded of Daryl Hall and I kind of wondered why he’s not on this record too. Their voices blending together reminded me of classic Hall & Oates.

    I first heard of Jessie J. when she was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. I thought she had a pretty powerful voice during that performance. Singing “Cruisin’” here with Smokey Robinson, she offers even more power and soul. Before the song begins, Jessie J. explains that she first heard Smokey sing when she was 7 years old and that singing with him is “a dream come true”. “Cruisin’” happens to be one of my favorite songs by Smokey Robinson. To my ears, this version doesn’t surpass Smokey’s original, but I am impressed by the vocal chemistry Jessie J and Smokey Robinson have.

    I wasn’t familiar with “Quiet Storm” before I listened to this duet version, featuring John Legend. Legend and Robinson work well together on this relaxing, jazzy number; now I’m curious about the original.

    I had no idea that “The Way You Do The Things You Do” was a Smokey Robinson creation. Here, he sings it with CeeLo Green. I like this updated version of “The Way You Do The Things You Do”, which gives CeeLo Green the chance to show off his rich, warm vocals.

    The cool, sensual “Being With You” is another one of my favorite songs by Smokey Robinson. Mary J. Blige offers a sexy counterpart to Smokey Robinson’s silky voice. Though this song was originally a solo, it works great as a duet.

    I love James Taylor’s music and I know that he has a special fondness in his heart for classic hits from the 50s and 60s. “Ain’t That Peculiar” gets a Taylor makeover on Smokey & Friends, which is arranged a bit like Taylor’s most recent recordings. When this song started, I was immediately reminded of the songs on October Road. He uses lots of organ, electric guitars, and an interesting rhythm. He definitely made it his own, which I respect. It sounds like they had a lot of fun with it.

    Sheryl Crow gamely takes a turn with “The Tears of A Clown”, another classic Robinson hit. This is a solid effort; Sheryl Crow has a less tremulous quality to her voice that balances well with Smokey’s voice. Plus, I really like the song itself; it’s one of those numbers that never gets old.

    “Ooh Baby Baby” begins with an introduction by Ledisi, who joins Smokey on this very sexy hit. I have to admit, when it comes to cover versions of “Ooh Baby Baby”, I’m kind of partial to Linda Ronstadt’s take. Ledisi and Smokey Robinson give their duet more of a quiet sensuality and warmth than Ronstadt’s more torch like presentation. It’s appealing and entertaining and I can tell Ledisi is really into it.

    The last song is “Get Ready”, a great song for the morning if I ever heard one. Gary Barlow and Smokey Robinson update this into an exciting and hard driving rock song. I think they did a great job updating this hit and I really like it. It’s a great way to close out Smokey & Friends. This arrangement almost has an element of danger to it, which breathes new life into a true classic.

    Smokey and his friends did fine work with Smokey & Friends. I enjoyed listening to these duet renditions of Smokey Robinson’s classic hits and am very impressed by how great Smokey still sounds after all his years in the music business. This album also reminds me that Smokey Robinson is a great songwriter and inspires me to listen to more of his work. I know I already turned on one of his fans to this latest effort and I hope some of you out there will also give it a spin!


    Trailer for Smokey & Friends… a great place to hear some samples from this record.

  • American Idol Season 12: And The Winner Is…

    Via American Idol's YouTube channel
    Via American Idol’s YouTube channel
    On Wednesday night’s final performance show, Candice whipped Kree like she stole something.

    Much like I wrote Wednesday night on the American Idol finale 2013, there have been some terrible voting decisions by America. There’s no way Lee DeWyze should’ve beat Crystal Bowersox. And in the worst one of all, there’s no way Kris Allen could hold Adam Lambert’s jockstrap in a suitcase.

    Thus, it’s plausible that Kree (who I’ve nicknamed Kreeyore for her sourpuss performance face) can win this show. Of course, if she did, it would mean America was deaf.

    It’s time to go blog this time capsule style:

    0:11 – After the final 12 did the customary group performance opener, The Band Perry started performing Done and you know who showed up to help out. If you said Bucky Covington, you’d be wrong. It was Janelle!

    0:17 – Shots fired! After a slightly funny package about all the guys leaving early which ended up with Jordin Sparks pretending to mastermind it, she tells them that their future will be okay because Idol leftovers have been doing really well on The Voice. Zing!

    0:20 – The top 5 boys perform a medley and Frankie Valli comes out to sing Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You. Lauryn Hill must’ve been busy paying taxes tonight.

    0:29 – Our girl Mariah performed a quick medley. It’s kind of what I’ve been waiting for all season long.

    0:38 – American Idol loved them some Emeli Sandé this season. She and Amber Holcomb did a duet on stage. For some reason, Amber was wearing some camo stretch pants with gold heels.

    0:53 – I’ve determined that Keith Urban is much more entertaining while bobbing his head and singing along to other’s performances than he is performing himself.

    0:57 – Candice performed a Natalie Cole song with Jennifer Hudson and it was pretty cool to see them try to out-diva each other. Candice’s confidence is inspiring to see.

    1:05 – Angie Miller and the great Adam Lambert performed Titanium. Lambert doesn’t get enough props for how big he got after Idol. He’s the forgotten Idol superstar. Jessie J, who is Angie’s idol, showed up and performed with Angie. Mariah threw out a look that said that she wasn’t quite into Jessie.

    1:10 – After watching Angie have a blast on stage and be so charismatic, Kree must be wondering how the heck she made it to the final two.

    1:21 – Not Keith Urban shredding, Randy Jackson on bass, or Travis Barker on drums could save Kree and her performance of Where The Blacktop Ends. Kree is usually at a 3 and she ramped it up to a 5, but she needed to be a 10 on finale night.

    1:32 – Aretha Franklin performed from New York while the top five girls sang backup. I think Aretha should’ve been on the diva showdown with J-Hud and Candice.

    1:49 – Jennifer Lopez is a beautiful woman. Terrible singer, but beautiful woman. Pitbull is a terrible rapper. Terrible rapper, but terrible rapper.

    2:01 – And the winner is…Kreeyore! Okay, just kidding. America wasn’t that dumb this year.

    Candice Glover!

    One last Nicki gif for the season – will she be back?

  • The X Factor – Who Makes The Top 10?

    Willow Smith
    In my X Factor live blog last night for Popblerd, I gave out my top and bottom three based on performances.

    Top 3
    Rachel Crow, Josh Krajcik, LeRoy Bell

    Bottom 3
    Stacy Francis, Chris Rene, The Stereo Hoggz

    I hit it right on the money with InTENsity last week. We’ll see if anyone from my bottom three goes home tonight.

    If you thought Marcus Canty’s glitter jacket was a bit obnoxious last night, he’s wearing a white tux tonight during the group song. So is Rachel Crow, but she can get away with it.

    Also, in case y’all are wondering, Astro can rap. Chris Rene can’t.

    And as much as I wished it wasn’t the case, Mr. Anti-charisma, Steve Jones is back. I sort of hoped he was hit by a bus this morning and broke his foot. Alas, my terrible wishes didn’t prove true.

    LA Reid apologized for saying that Melanie Amaro’s performance wasn’t all that creative. He admitted that he was drinking a tall glass of haterade last night.

    Willow Smith is on stage performing Fireball. I have nothing against Will and Jada’s baby girl, but I’m not exactly sure what I just saw. She kind of half-rapped half-sung a mess of a song in a tight overalls jumpsuit. Rather than hit us with some of the elimination, Mr. Anti-charisma introduces Jessie J who has sold over 8 million records worldwide. She’s sold so many records that I’ve never heard of her. She’s either a Katy Perry or Lady Gaga knockoff, I’m not sure which.

    (If you watched the most recent MTV VMAs, she was the girl singing songs between commercials for the audience.)

    Finally, it’s elimination time.

    The first person in is Stacy Francis.

    Your boy Astro is also in.

    Your girl Melanie Amaro is also in. No groups are in yet and Paula is nervous.

    Marcus Canty is next, glitter jacket and all.

    LeRoy Bell is also in and Nicole is so happy that two of hers made it through.

    Rachel Crow is also back next week. Paula is now really, really nervous.

    Josh Kracjik is in. I think both of Paula’s groups are in the bottom two. She might go crazy.

    Drew is in. It’s now between Paula’s groups and Chris Rene. Rene deserves to go the most.

    Chris Rene is through. Uh oh. The Stereo Hogzz and Lakoda Rayne are in the bottom two. The groups are cursed! People don’t want to be fans of more than one person.

    Lakoda Rayne is singing No Air for their survival song. It started out very shaky, but they did their best. Their harmony was off.

    The Hogzz won me over at hello. They’re singing Michael Jackson’s You Are Not Alone. Well, at least the lead singer is. He sort of sounds like Slim from 112. To me, they are the better group, but I imagine it’s much easier to sell four fair-skinned girls to a country audience.

    LA Reid chooses to send home The Stereo Hogzz.

    Nicole admits to choosing Lakoda Rayne because of female empowerment. Ass!

    Paula chooses to not vote, and then says she’ll choose to send home Lakoda Rayne just so the Hogzz have a chance. She was an absolute nut case, crazy mess during this entire process.

    Simon is so going to send home the Hogzz. I can just feel it. He sends home the Hogzz. Damn.

    It goes to show what I said last week. America can’t latch onto groups like they can latch onto solo acts. Next year, they shouldn’t even have groups.