Music Is... Lupe Fiasco: LASERS

Released first March 4, 2011 in Australia - March 8, 2011 in U.S. 

Love Always Shines Everytime, Remember 2 Smile

Despite the back and forth critical reviews and responses this album has battled with, I'm actually very excited to take it head on. After some research, unbeknownst to me, Lupe was in much conflict with his now label Atlantic Records. From what I've gathered, much of the dispute rose from the lack of him being allowed to take more creative control and also him feeling that the label wants him to be a radio air-wave sensation rather than expressing what's in his heart, and remaining a genuine artist. Now don't get me wrong, he breaks the walls down lyrically by unleashing his opinions regarding common, yet thought provoking subjects. Through particular songs and broad content, he asks heavy questions such as when have you truly reached the pinnacle?, and what is enough?

Despite label issues, many tracks have been viewed by most listeners as the core pieces of this project. Songs such as "All Black Everything" and "Words I Never Said" are meant not to effect a specific audience, but more of a widespread demographic. One sounds his opinion about "racism" as "no context" and inquires as to what if certain historical events never occurred the way they did, "You would never know...You would never see...". The later hears him as he basically relinquishes a barrage of comments and observations regarding the political system and other negatives of today's society. Along with the afore mentioned, some other tracks I've taken a strong liking to are "The Show Goes On","State Run Radio" and more recently "Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)". Within all three songs, and essentially the album as a whole, I get a sense of his aggravation and frustrations along with the possibility for a more comforting view ahead. Each song has subject matter that in some form or another we can all relate to. That's one of the things I like; familiarity. Familiarity, but with an individualized twist. That's what Lupe has accomplished for me.

Commonality is something I hear way too often in much of today's music. By commonality, I mean what sells; what will be the right launching platform for a record. Formulating a manifesto in order to promote the album to the masses, one of the main declarations that initiates the spark with me is: "...We want substance in the place of popularity". Well put for me. In terms of airplay, there will probably be only a select few from the album that "make it" so to speak. I can't foresee the future, so we'll have to see what happens. I'm sure, however, that for a while to come, these songs will resonate with many people.

TRACK LISTING

Letting Go (Feat. Sarah Green)

Words I Never Said (Feat. Skylar Grey)

Till I Get There

I Don't Wanna Care Right Now (Feat. Mdma)

Out Of My Head (Feat. Trey Songz)

The Show Goes On

Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways) [Feat. Mdma]

Coming Up (Feat. Mdma)

State Run Radio (Feat. Matt Mahaffey)

Break The Chain (Feat. Eric Turner & Sway)

All Black Everything

Never Forget You (Feat. John Legend)

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http://www.lupefiasco.com/

Music Is... Mariah Carey: MTV Unplugged

Released June 2, 1992

Only 2 years give or take after her first record, this woman already had an MTV Unplugged live session. I think that makes a pretty loud statement. As powerful as her voice is already, in that stripped down acoustic environment it seems to glisten eve more. The live performance is comprised of the major hits from her previous albums "Mariah Carey" and "Emotions".

Track List

Emotions

If It's Over

Someday

Vision Of Love

Make It Happen

I'll Be There

Can't Let Go

I don't have a favorite from this list because I love them all. A highlight however, would be the surprise track "I'll Be There". The duet between her and male singer Trey Lorenz is excellent. My favorite part is where Trey sings "...you know I'll keep holding on" the second time. He holds this high, high note that's totally insane. All of the songs arrangements are a little different but nothing too drastic. For one reason or another, some don't consider this to be too good. Well, an opinion is an opinion and we're all entitled to have them. In my opinion, "Unplugged" shines as a substantial portion of her musical catalog, and there's plenty of pages.

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Ehh, because I mentioned it

Music Is... Erin McCarley: Love, Save The Empty

Released January, 6 2009

Erin McCarley is an alternative singer/songwriter that I'm not too familiar with other than one single I've been hearing lately titled "Pony(It's OK). McCarley, born January 8, 1979 in Garland, Texas, says that she has had a fairly easy childhood. Even though she was raised by two loving parents, she mentions that it gave her a sort of false sense of reality.

"It was a very happy home with very little pain to deal with...it kind of gave me an unrealistic view of everything...That's not how the world is, you know?"

 Songwriting and delivery are all very key factors for her music. She notes that the presentation and inflection that you place on the lyrics are just as important as the words themselves. I agree. Her songs hang between the line of reality and a perfect world. A kind of happy twilight zone I would call it. Though you could possibly label some of the tracks as pop, I wouldn't quite go that far. Again, more alternative. The beats aren't what I'd typically expect. A nice song is "Sticky-Sweet". A story of having that one who brightens your life a bit. On the contrary, tracks like "It's Not That Easy" and "Gotta Figure This Out" sight the feelings of becoming insecurity and uncertainty.

This album documents the hunt for the real thing in others as well as what's real in her. Not a bad debut at all and an album with no filler tracks in my opinion. Check it out.

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Music Is... Erykah Badu: Baduizm

Any sort of controversy 11, or 12 years afterward put aside, this album is golden to the fullest extent possible. Though a 1997 release, this is truly timeless. Something so creative, that it doesn't just compete with today's artists, but stands as concrete work period. Erykah has undoubtedly solidified herself as a neo-soul/R&B/hip hop...no, forget that. Ms. Badu has marked herself as simply a musical genius. Through creative jazz inspired beats, she speaks about everyday happenings and turns them into an engaging story. I love the way she pronounces the individual syllables for each word of the lyrics. Anyone can sing and sing well. However, that it factor is needed to convey the thoughts and have the listener genuinely feel it. I don't think anybody will be able to fully describe in one sentence what the it is, but when it comes to good stuff one sentence doesn't cut it.

Every track has an underlying subtlety that makes for easy listening with no friction. No song clashes with the next unnecessarily. The beats are so mellow that you can't help but head nod and bob to each one. Take the well known "On And On". Referencing what I mentioned earlier this is a prime example (for me) of that syllable bouncing. "Oh what a day What a day what a day", we can all relate to that. Familiar intro, yes. Makes you want "a cup of tea". Other tracks like "Appletree and "Rimshot(intro)" just keep the ball rollingin the right direction.

For a debut album, this sounds like she's been hit making for years on end. Anyone that has somehow manged let this one slip through their fingers, wipe the butter off immediately because it's worth catching and holding onto.

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Music Is... Aerosmith: Dream On (single)

Released January 1973

Featuring "Dream On"

Their debut album spawned their first single and one of my favorite songs in this world: "Dream On". I love it. I feel like sort of a hypocrite. Not in that I dogged these guys or anything. I like to credit myself on paying attention to the lyrics as well as the melody and beat. I feel I didn't do that with this track until a few months ago. I had always had the notion that it was a very meaningful song but as I mentioned I didn't decide to dig until a month or so into this year.

If your like me you could stand to look at a lyrics sheet from time to time. Not that I couldn't understand what he was saying per-say but seeing them up close makes things a little clearer.

every time that I look in the mirror
all these lines on my face getting clearer
the past is gone
it went by like dusk to dawn
isn't that the way
everybody's got their dues in life to pay


yeah, I know nobody knows
where it comes and where it goes
I know it's everybody's sin
you got to lose to know how to win


half my life's in books' written pages
live and learn from fools and from sages
you know it's true
all the things come back to you


sing with me, sing for the years
sing for the laughter and sing for the tears
sing with me, if it's just for today
maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away


dream on, dream on, dream on,
dream yourself a dream come true
dream on, dream on, dream on,
and dream until your dream comes true
dream on

A great song from a great band, check it out. 

Music Is... OK Go: Oh No

Released August 30, 2005

Continuing with the "Go" guys here I'm feeling good about reviewing this one too. Being the artsy person I am, I have to say I like the cover. I know its a simple floral pattern inside the letters but I can see the symmetry and I can't knock it. I feel like I'm starting in the middle considering I already spoke on the album afterward and one single before. Again from reading different reviews and opinions I see that many feel this one isn't as good as "OK Go" and that the sound fizzles out towards the end. Others say it's fantastic with very catchy melodies and lyrics. Essentially were all a work in progress. I'm a bit on the lighter side and I see a good consistency throughout. A change up, for my ears, is 'A Million Ways'. I like the tambourine with the snare. Adds a nice jingle. Damian Kulash, the lead vocalist sounds particularly good on this one. The corresponding video is very simple. Their in a backyard dancing, and in a humorous way, they are perfectly in sync. It's really good. My favorite track 'Here It Goes Again' and it's tag along video are simply a genius pairing.

A solid piece of work altogether. Nothing too headbanging or too dance. Worth your while especially if your a fan thus far. 

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Music Is... OK Go - Get Over It (single)

Released September 5, 2002

Madden NFL 2003. I loved that game. Through the initial introduction of EA Sport's EA Trax, I heard this song for the very first time. I was rummaging through the games features for quite a bit of time before this track rolled around. I loved it and still do. 'Get Over It'. The title pretty much says it all. Listening to the song a few more times, it reminds me of 'We Will Rock You' by Queen. I'm not sure if that was the inspiration but there are some similarities to me. Very contageous beat. For a 2002 release, it was surely a breath of fresh air. In the early 2000's there was a sameness in the musical world that was a little boring. As far as I'm concerned, change is good and necessary.

Their latest release "OK Go: Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky" contains a sort of funk/rock tone meshed with this mellow, easy listening vibe. It's fantastic. I'll have to review this one soon. For now "get over it".

Get It: Single 

Get It: album

Music Is... Converse Skateboard Square - 1° Dia

I stumbled across this video courtesy of TheHabitat101. He's someone I follow on YouTube and I had to give him a shout out. He always "favorites" and uploads some of the best skate clips I've seen and I couldn't leave em' out. So the video here is from Converse Skateboard. I'm not 100% sure of the location but I'm guessing it's either Mexico or South America, namely Brazil. The opening credits are in Spanish I believe, but don't hold me to that. From the credits you gather there are 15 skaters or "skatistas" (love that), 5 photographers and 5 video-makers. Much respect to these guys for doing what they do. I skate very little but I realize the amount of intense hard work, practice and dedication it takes to harness these skills. MUCH RESPECT. Check it out.

Music Is... Marsha Ambrosius: Late Nights & Early Mornings

I tell ya, I feel kinda behind sometimes. Only after looking up a little background info on her did I realize she was one half of the British duo Floetry. Hello!...Despite releasing a few mixtape albums, "Late Nights & Early Mornings" released March 1, 2011, is her first solo studio album. Just as a little backdrop, Floetry formed due to the love that both her and Natalie Stewart had for basketball. Through that competition they developed a friendship amongst each other. Both attended different colleges but remained in touch and music was always at the forefront of their conversations. 3 Plus 1, an all female poetry performance group founded by Stewart, began receiving some recognition throughout England. The group split due to reasons I'm not sure of, but Marsha and Natalie remained in tact. Followed through by an invitation to a spoken word night, Floetry was conceived.

Solo wise, Marsha has been featured on tracks with many artists, from Jamie Foxx to Earth, Wind & Fire. The styling of this album falls into a very neo-soul/Rn'B vibe. It's all about falling in and out of love, relationships and everything that they entail. Every song, from beginning to end speaks on these aspects very emotionally. Another thing I'll comment on is that none of the beats deviate your attention from the subject or her voice. Each track is really clean cut, with no overly complicated sounds. Simple, and straight to the point. Favoring a track early, I'd say I like 'Chasing Clouds'. This track has a nice off-set beat, something that's growing on me more and more. Moreover, as with every track, the beat and her vocals compliment each-other with drowning themselves out. With contributors such as Lauren Hill and Alicia Keys, her style shines through with no hesitation.

Overall, I say it's a solid album. Hopefully there's more to come.

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