Alright, here is my first "reaction" post, where I'm going to type my reaction to this video I'm about to watch live into this blog post.
**Reader discretion is advised as there will most likely be foul language, inappropriate phrases, etc. etc. Not suitable for childrens and/or prude parties. //
How adorable is his face on that album art?!
Do you see his fucking face. It's so beautiful. Chiseled by the Greek Gods...
and DAT NECK VEIN DOE.
Vocals are a little weak and doesn't move me as much.
But those falsetto high notes are killin' me. So hypnotic.
People were saying this is baby making music--which I kinda get if I really think about it--but it's more like night time music, if I'm just chilling and relaxing in my bed. (Or a nice bath as my roommate put it.)
Personally, at this point I prefer "Pillowtalk" over this right now. Now THAT song is a baby making song.
People were also making comments about this high note he's about to do, so I'm excited to hear that...cause he makes me melt with those vocal runs.
....
....
Wait, is that really it? WHERE IS THE HIGH NOTE?!
LOL that girl screaming hella loud at the applause.
Yeahh....just a tad disappointed.
\\
Real talk reaction now. So this is the first time he's premiering this song (on Jimmy Fallon's show--see video below) and it wasn't that strong of a follow up to "Pillowtalk." However, it further colors me intrigued to hear what the rest of the album sounds like, and March 25 can't get here fast enough.
Speaking of all this pillow talk...my boy Travis Garland dropped a cover video of this song for his newly established "TG Tuesdays." I won't get into too many details cause this post is about Zayn's new song, but if Zayn hadn't already made this song, it would Travis' for sure.
(Also, I'm hella behind on blogging about the Grammys--been a busy week at work putting together the March issue. I'm planning on doing an in depth and lengthy post about the Grammys this weekend!)
So, of course, every one is talking about the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. What originally started as a Coldplay performance grew into Bruno Mars and Beyonce joining in. Admittedly, I was half-watching the performance cause I was live tweeting the MC Twitter.
To start, I absolutely loved the colorful lights, costuming, decor, everything that Coldplay incorporated. The band played their big hits that everyone could sing along to, and it gave me a warm feeling.
Bruno Mars (and Mark Ronson--who we currently have on the cover this month) danced his way in with hit song "Uptown Funk." He is suuuuch a good dancer and entertainer.
Next was Beyonce, storming in with her new song (and music video) "Formation." That woman can deliver a great performance no matter what. She's got the voice, the moves and the ASS. Watching her makes me wanna start dancing again. (Also, can we talked about how she dropped her music video on Saturday, performed on Sunday AND announced she's going on tour?! This girl is dropping all the surprises.)
My favorite part of the entire halftime show was Beyonce and Bruno having a dance off, and combining her music with the lyrics of "Uptown Funk." They are both great dancers and it was hard to determine who won that battle.
For the last bit of the show, a montage of past performances was shown--Paul McCartney, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and more--and everyone reminisced and remembered all the greats before tonight. At the end, the stands spelled out the inspirational message, a message we should always incorporated in our lives, "Believe in Love."
Usually, I focus on the vocals in any performance, but tonight it wasn't about them. It was about the overall presentation. Coldplay lit up the stadium with colors, Bruno showed off his moves and Beyonce strutted her fierce swagger. Each artist contributed to an awesome--but short-lived--halftime show. If they were allotted more time, I'm sure they could have fleshed out a more complex show.
Even though the halftime show had three great artists in today's industry, the best performance of the entire #SB50 was Lady Gaga singing the national anthem.
In this state of her career, Gaga has blossomed into the classiest singer ever. I love that she used "gimmicks" to put herself on the map and loved by all, and now she's taking a different direction--her endeavors with Tony Bennett, singing the Sound of Music medley at the Academy Awards.
Anyway, she could have incorporated wild antics and flashy vocals for the national anthem, but she sang it in a simplistic, beautiful way that gave me instant goosebumps and her shedding a tear. In addition, she built the song's momentum to its climax at "the land of the free"--she started soft and pretty and grew to a big voice and went to church.
Lady Gaga has always been a phenomenal singer, yet people continue to say, "Oh I never knew she could sing like that!" Guys, she was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard at age 11. Even in her early career popstar days, she had an amazing voice, but it was masked behind the costumes and the theatrics of her performances. Needless to say, she absolutely killed it, and it was a great start start to the 50th Super Bowl.
So the West Coast showing of the Grease Live TV musical just happened. This is one of my favorite musicals, one the I grew up singing along to since I was literally a little girl--I'd dress up as Sandy and wear my hair in curlers, and I have high expectations for any rendition of it. The highlight of the entire three-hour show was Danny Zuko played by Broadway star Aaron Tveit.
**Just a fair warning, this is not going to be the nicest of reviews, so if you're expecting "Everything was great!" ... might wanna move along.
My only stipulation, I have to admit...was most of the casting for this production, which wasn't on point. I won't ramble on every nit-picky casting choice, but I will touch on the ones that got to me the most. Granted, all of the performers are definitely talented as individuals, but they didn't do their characters justice, save Tveit, who seemed the most natural, spirited and charismatic.
Tveit effortlessly lit up the screen and kept me engaged every second he was on the screen. In addition, his duet with Jordan Fisher's Doody character was one of the highlights of the show. They harmonized quite nicely to the point that I wished that Fisher could have been Sandy in some way. Fisher was the biggest surprise of the night with his guitar playing and beautiful vocals.
Julianne Hough looks the part of Sandy, has a nice voice (as a country singer), is a phenomenal dancer, but her acting as Sandy was not that great....and I couldn't feel the chemistry between her and Danny (Tveit). I really did like that heartbreak ballad "Hopelessly Devoted" made its appearance later on in the story--after Danny wins the dance contest with Cha-Cha as opposed to after calling him a phony after the pep rally. It makes much more sense for Sandy to be singing that tune after the dance, and Hough sang it pretty well. No chills or goosebumps, but it was good.
Carlos Pena, formerly of Big Time Rush, playing Kenickie wasn't convincing to me either. Again, talented singer, but to me, Kenickie is supposed to be an intimidating character--one who is partners in crime with Danny and leader of the T-birds--but I couldn't take him seriously as that role.
There's no denying that Carly Rae Jepsen has made a successful career for herself as a pop star, but I'm really iffy on her branching out to Broadway. She can sing, but during her solo before "Beauty School Dropout" (by the famous trio Boyz II Men), she didn't have the strongest nor resonant voice.
I can't decide if I liked Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo. She had her moments, for sure, where I was into it, but then there were other moments where I wasn't. For example, I wasn't feeling her performance for "Sandra Dee," but she did a good job giving me goosebumps with "There Are Worse Things I Could Do." She definitely does better in Broadway singing than pop star singing, and she did awfully well considering her father passed away right before her big performance. Sending thoughts and prayers for you and your family, V xoxo
Overall, I'm rather impressed they did everything live, AND with the special surprise guest El Nino, as host Mario Lopez joked at the beginning--and he plays a rather sleezy, creepy Vince Fontaine (another let down). One setback, which is probably influenced by the time restraint and commercial breaks, is that all of the dialogue felt rushed, and the comedic timing didn't feel right. I think one decent beat of dramatic pause for some of the punchlines would have done good for them. Conversely, all the choreography was actually pretty great--captivating and clean, which was enhanced with the flowy, flirty costumes!
Going back to Rydell High in the 21st century was nice. It brought together a talented group of the stars of today--including Joe Jonas' new band outfit DNCE--and the always-great nostalgic feeling of the classics--including before-mentioned Boyz II Men. In all honesty, I probably will not watch this particular production again unlike the Travolta-Newton film rendition that I grew up on, but I really do appreciate them bringing Grease back.
How the FUCK am I supposed to sleep after hearing this sexy tune? I'm gonna be pillow talking to myself tonight.
The Internet and social media are in a frenzy with the release of Zayn's first single as a solo dude, after departing from One Direction. In addition to dropping the song, "Pillowtalk," on iTunes, there's also a racy, artistic music video (see below).
Zayn is an artist--loves painting, tattoos and spray painting, the works--and I'm intrigued he's incorporated it in the video with dripping pink paint, distorted images looking through glass, blooming flowers and naked women (obviously he's admiring the human body...)
The entire thing just made me think about a James Bond opening, with all of the distorted images and patterns. Even the big, epic chorus exploding added to that effect. Just imagine a gun artistically being fired (like in Casino Royale's opening)...the movie could be called 007: War Zone.
I used to be an avid fan of One Direction, mostly because Zayn was my favorite and he had the best voice. (There may have been times when I made inappropriate comments when he belted amazing vocal runs.) In leaving 1D, he said he would probably take his career more into the R&B territory, and I have to say that it suits him well. He shows off all those high vocals at every chorus, vocals soaring confidently, and he just exudes sex appeal.
He sings about...well, sex? Being in bed, bodies being one, being together with his lover. The lyrics don't get too graphic but just racy enough to make you squirm and nervous.
Yeah, reckless behavior A place that is so pure, so dirty and raw Be in the bed all day, bed all day, bed all day Fucking you, and fighting on
Even though it was heartbreaking news to the One Direction fans when he left, it's pretty obvious that this was always the direction he wanted to go with music in the first place. Beware kiddies, it would not shock me that there might be a "PARENTAL ADVISORY" warning on this album...Sure, he did the boy band thing well and made a career for himself, but this is truly home to him and where he thrives and I can't fault him for pursuing it--plus, he's lucky I'm into this kinda music right now.
And...seriously...who sounds that good saying the word "FUCKIN'" ?!
The Summer Set dropped a surprise yesterday with a new song, "Figure Me Out," and the announcement of a new album, Stories For Monday, which drops on April 1st. Let me say...I am ELATED that the band is coming back to the music scene.
Not gonna lie, I was getting real scared that they were gonna pull a Nightmare and the Cat and just drop off the face of the earth without notice or a formal announcement. They sure proved me wrong. However, they were on an unofficial break. Some time ago, I went to Ryan Cabrera's birthday bash in Venice and saw TSS drummer Jess Bowen performing with another band--a guest performance, no doubt, but it was just weird to see her with another group.
When TSS released their video yesterday (check it out below!), lead vocalist Brian Dales shared some personal info in his Instagram post stating that he'd almost given up on music, and the lyrics spell it out for listeners as well.
If you listen to the words, Dales legitimately tells the sad tale of my life. Not in a "like omg this song is about me" kind of way. This song is for the trekking souls who left their homes and are currently living in heartbreak city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is supposed to be the place for opportunity and chances, but 90% of the time, it just kicks you in the balls and takes a heavy toll on your emotions and well-being.
Sorry--getting distracted with all my problems; there's more to life than all that shit. The point I was making is that Dales paints the emotions very well, saying things such as:
Cuz I don’t fit in with the in crowd But I’m too Hollywood to go back to my hometown ‘Cause they think that I’m famous When I know I’m a fraud Who got too fucked up on the finer things To remember who he forgot ... I'd much rather die trying to make something sacred Than live as another YouTube sensation 'Cause I hate that they're famous For being something they're not While I’m too hung up on the things I don’t have To appreciate what I’ve got
(But really, listen to every single word he says...)
The song inspires me, and I'm sure more people, to pick up the pieces of broken dreams, broken hearts and start over again with a fresh new perspective for the future. With all of the passion played through all the instruments--especially Dales' piano playing--the song exudes uplifting vibes, and it's a breath of fresh air.
Keep it up, The Summer Set. This girl sure is glad you're back in the game and can't wait to get your album on April 1st!
If I may get cliche here for a second...this. album. is. FIRE.
Death of a Bachelor is the fifth offering from Panic! At The Disco, or...the first "solo" album of Brendon Urie. With Brendon being the last remaining member, I pondered what direction he would take the sound. Two words: Frank Sinatra. He's admitted to being a big fan and even makes a tribute to him on the album. I gotta say, he channels Sinatra quite well. (Uhh, have you seen the "Death of a Bachelor" video?) (Oh, and listen to the closing ballad "Impossible Year" !)
DOAB moves away from the traditional rock band outfit and exudes an old-timey, '20s, burlesque, whatever you want to call it, vibe. One thing for sure is that from start to end, every song is truly a jamming gem as Brendon keeps things BIG, bangin' and theatrical with blaring trumpets and pounding drums, and before you know it, the album is over. It plays through its entirety so quickly, especially with songs like "LA Devotee," speeding by like a zooming car ride down Mulholland Drive, which he literally depicts in the song.
Since this is the first time Brendon is the sole focus of Panic!, I feel like his vocals shine pristinely more than ever. He soars in the stratosphere with higher notes and a higher register, all in, what sounds like, full-chest voice--which, trust me (as a singer), is no easy feat. I'm 110% for it. Not only does he pump energy in his live performances, you can hear it on record as well, and that gets me so stoked for his upcoming tour with Weezer and Andrew McMahon, which he announced today.
Even though Panic! At The Disco isn't the same lineup or sound that it used to be, I'm glad someone is still spearheading the project. I've been listening to them since my freshman year of high school, and they will always be irreplaceable to me. Thank you, Brendon, for making this album. I absolutely adore and it will probably be playing in my car, at my office, when I work out and more for a long while.
I felt like the world stood still when the news broke out that David Bowie passed away. Everyone had a moment of silence in remembrance of him. Everyone turned back time and listened to the many years of music made by him. Everyone was united together by the loss of the great David Bowie.
Personally I was not a die-hard fan, but I was aware of his genius and respected his prestige--thank my parents for that. However, my fondest memory of him was when he was starring in the movie Labyrinth.
The movie itself is kinda weird and fantastical--an interesting adventure for Jennifer Connelly's character--and much like her in the ballroom scene (video below), I found myself mystified by David Bowie, even in his long mane.
David passed away from battling cancer for 18 months, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his album ★ (Blackstar). We got the album at the office, so I took a listen...
..he's always dubbed as someone from another world, another planet, outer space, etc. and to a degree, I agree. Again, I wasn't an avid David Bowie fan, so at first listen, I simply think his sound is an acquired taste. I hear a combination of both cinematic and fantastical qualities on this album. He has a unique sound like no other--that I've never heard--and that's not a bad thing. It leads off with a 10-minute "Blackstar," which has an eerie, melancholic vibe to it, then progresses into more upbeat songs. One of my favorite elements is his incorporation of the saxophone, which makes an appearance in almost every song. It's sooo nice to listen to.
The real tear-jerker here is "Lazarus," where he quite literally says...
Look up here, I’m in heaven
I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen
Everybody knows me now
Look up here, man, I’m in danger
I’ve got nothing left to lose
I’m so high it makes my brain whirl
Dropped my cell phone down below
And later on he says he'll be free just like the blue bird.
In the video, he's in a hospital bed singing these sad words, and it's as if he's already accepted his fate and prepped us all for his untimely passing. If no one knew who David Bowie was, they certainly do now.
There is much to be said about David Bowie, as I'm sure most people have explored on the Internet. Though I never dedicatedly invested in him and his music, I can appreciate all that he's done for music and for his fans, and I know that the world lost another great one.
