Category: Pop (Page 122 of 216)

Charlotte Sometimes: Waves and the Both of Us

May 16, 2008 / David Medsker

Bar none the sauciest pop record released this year, the songs on Waves and the Both of Us, the debut by 20-year-old Charlotte Sometimes (name taken from the book and not the Cure song, thank you) are deceptively complex. The airy, hook-laden melodies flow innocently enough, but the lyrics are thick with sex, jealousy and contempt, like Natalie Imbruglia singing songs from Jagged Little Pill. The title track, for example, sounds like a prom theme, until Charlotte instructs her subject, “I take off your shirt /You pull up my skirt,” then informs him that he “better slide into me.” Now take into account the slick, within-an-edge-of-its-life production by S*A*M and Sluggo (with some much-needed assistance from Jack Joseph Puig, a.k.a. The Man with the Golden Ears), and you have a record whose mind is very much at odds with its body. Unless, of course, they’re targeting oversexed teenagers, in which case they hit the bulls-eye. As contemporary pop records go, this is definitely smarter and catchier than the usual drivel, but pray your daughter doesn’t hear it until she turns 25. (Geffen)

Charlotte Sometimes MySpace page

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock Babes

Curtain Call: New Songs From Past American Idol Finalists: Volume 2

May 16, 2008 / Mike Farley

The first edition of this compilation of former “American Idol” contestants was pretty bad, and while Volume 2 is itself pretty bland, the songs as a whole are a little better this time around. This round of singers is also moderately talented, but you can’t listen to this album without feeling like you’re hearing glorified karaoke. Maybe it’s the production, maybe it’s the arrangements, or maybe it’s the talent compared to everything else being released in the pop world, but there is just something missing. Alaina Alexander from Season 6 delivers three tracks that probably won’t have you humming along, and her voice isn’t all that memorable either. Rudy Cardenas, also from last season, has three distinct styles on here — R&B/pop/Jason Mraz, rock, and sappy ballad — and the third one is so bad that it evens out the fact that the first two songs are pretty decent. Then there is Sarah Mather from Season 4, who has a decent enough voice, but the songs are only average. Finally, Gedeon McKinney chose to write all of his own material, which was not a good idea. McKinney’s material is very amateurish, and brought the rating of this whole set down a full half-star. So we’re halfway with these four Volumes, and by this time next year, it’s likely that you’ll all have forgotten about these four singers from Volume 2 the same way you did when their seasons on “Idol” ended. (LABEL: Artists Addiction/Rocket Science)

Website: www.artistsaddiction.com

Alternative, American Idol, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Frank Sinatra: Nothing but the Best

May 9, 2008 / David Medsker

Think of it as the Chairman of the Board’s version of those 1 albums that Elvis Presley and the Beatles released a few years ago. Granted, the songs collected on Nothing but the Best are not all Number One singles – in fact, it’s startling to see how many of these well-known songs didn’t even crack the Top 40 – but this is as bulletproof as Reprise-era Sinatra compilations get. “Strangers in the Night,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” “A Very Good Year,” “My Kind of Town,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “Theme from New York, New York,” they’re all here. Of course, this album has no reason whatsoever to exist – Sinatra’s catalog has gone through the “reissue, repackage, repackage” machine more than anyone outside of, well, Elvis and the Beatles – but if you are one of the ten people left that do not own any of Sinatra’s music, you have officially run out of excuses. (Label: Reprise)

CD QuickTakes, Pop

Audiocrash: Time Sensitive Material

May 9, 2008 / Captain Capm

You can tell that Guy Strzepeck and Craig Maseratti, the duo who form Audiocrash, are really trying here on their album Time Sensitive Material. But perhaps they’re trying too hard. Honestly, it’s hard to think of the last time I’ve heard a CD where the lead singer sounds as corny as he does on this disc. Guy is straining far too hard for the cool rock dude sound in his voice, going for one of those raw, throaty deliveries that sounds like the kind of thing Trey Parker hilariously parodies on any given episode of “South Park” or in the “Team America” flick. Songs like “Captain America” and “I Can’t Feel You Anymore” is the stuff bad rock nightmares are made of. Then there’s the production, which is just too damn sterile for its own good. This undoubtedly has to do with Maseratti handling all the instrumental and production duties himself. The songs sound like they’ve been suffocated in some sort of plastic coating with no room to breathe. Still, I suppose you can’t fault them for trying, and the music overall isn’t as bad as the worst I’ve heard. Perhaps their live show is better, but as far as what these guys have to work with on this CD, they’re honestly not going to get very far. Another DIY demo gussied up to look like a finished work. Pass. (Label: Dirty Garage Records, 2008)

Audiocrash MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, Pop, Rock

Your Vegas: A Town and Two Cities

May 9, 2008 / David Medsker

In today’s age of needing a “spin” or a “hook” in order to make a product appealing, Leeds quintet Your Vegas is refreshingly gimmick-free. Their Editors-meets-Keane form of epic pop rock doesn’t try to change the world or reinvent the wheel; indeed, they seem perfectly content to take turns rocking out (“Aurora”) or inciting a lighter/cell phone-waving moment (“How the War Was Won”). And while these songs show an impressive level of songcraft in their arrangements and sky-high choruses, many of the songs are missing that extra umph to push them to the next level. It’s all extremely pleasant while it’s playing, but much of it will be forgotten once it’s finished. Still, there is talent here, so here’s hoping they step up on album number two. (Label: Universal/Republic)

Your Vegas MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, Pop, Rock