Jennfer Lopez Regains Greatness On New Album

Jennifer Lopez released her eighth album A.K.A last month and it's great. After a few decent albums, Lopez finally stepped up her game.
Whether aiming at the dance floor on songs like "Booty" which features Pitbull, Lopez is at her best. "Tens" which is a bonus track on the deluxe edition features Jack Mizrahi is a dance anthem about fashion and attitude. The album's best song is the title track which features T.I. The song is a hip hop anthem about leaving a lover behind.
"Now I'm Mrs. never stick around/ A.K.A/ Never hold you down/ A.K.A/ Can't figure it out/ A.K.A/ You don’t know me now, oh/ You don’t know me now," Lopez sings with attitude during the chorus.
"I Luh Ya Papi" which features French Montana is an ode to Latino men and sex. "Acting Like That" is a slow hip hop song that features Iggy Azalea. "First Love" is a poppy song about finding true love.
A.K.A. also houses some of Lopez's most effective ballads. "Never Satisfied" is an R&B ballad about Lopez being hard to please in relationships. "Let it Be Me" is a gorgeous acoustic love ballad.
While most of the songs on this record are great some could be done without. "Worry No More" featuring Rick Ross is stupid and a waste of time. "Emotions" is an overdramatic ballad that doesn't really go anywhere. Both of these songs are nowhere near as good as the original first single that was later scrapped for the album, "Live it Up" which featured Pitbull and was a fun dance anthem about living life to it's fullest and having a good time. For the life of me I can't figure out why this song wasn't huge. It had the perfect carefree attitude and club ready sound that should have made it a shoe in at Top 40 Radio.
While there are these unfortunate mistakes, Lopez still shines on tracks like bonus tracks "Same Girl" featuring French Montana, "Troubleaux" which features Nas and the best bonus cut "Exertease (Ready Set Go)."
This album mixes in all of Lopez's strengths and explores many different genres. This is a victory for Lopez. While sales have been low for this record I have hope that this record will eventually explode and a big hit single will bring new life into the album.

Mariah Carey Is Not Elusive On New Album

Mariah Carey released her fourteenth studio album Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse in May. While the album has a few hiccups, it's mostly great.
The album opens strangely enough with the gospel influenced ballad "Cry." The song is a gorgeously sad breakup song that leads well into the next track "Faded." The midtempo R&B number is classic Mariah and features some killer pipes from the "chanteuse."
"Dedicated" features Nas and is all about the old school days.
"I'll just sit right her and sing that good old school shit to ya," Carey sings."
"#Beautiful." is up next. The album's first single which features Miguel is a nice soulful sound and is definitely one of the album's best songs. "Thirsty" is up next and is a hip hop leaning track that features lyrics about an ex lover who is thirsty for attention. This is also one of the album's best songs. Up next is "Make it Look Good." This song is a soulful track with harmonica from Stevie Wonder and it's great.
The album continues with the third single "You're Mine (Eternal)." This song is a decent song from Carey and sounds like it could be off any of her last few albums. It's nothing special but it's a good song all in all. Next up is the fourth single "You Don't Know What to Do," which is a disco track that features Wale. This song is a fun danceable break from the more hip hop and R&B leaning tracks.
The next track is "Supernatural" which features Carey's children under the moniker "Dem Babies." The song is kind of sappy but cute at the same time. Carey is added to the list of singers like Beyoncé and P!nk who have had their children on songs.
"Meteorite" continues Carey's descent into disco. It's a catchy song and should be a single if Carey's label has any sense. "Camouflage" is an unnecessary ballad that I really don't remember much about. "Money" features Fabolous and is a great song that recalls Carey's early music. "One More Try" is a George Michael cover and is a decent ballad and Carey really makes it her own. The album closes with "Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can't Give Up Now)" which is a gospel song that is a tribute to Reverend James Cleveland.
The deluxe edition bonus tracks include two songs that were on Carey's last album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. "It's a Wrap" which features Mary J. Blige." The song really wasn't much to write home about but Blige's new vocals really add to the song. "Betcha Gon' Know" features new verses written and performed by R. Kelly. This song was better without Kelly's vocals but it is still a decent remix. The album's other bonus track is the album's second single and former title track "The Art of Letting Go." The song is another gospel inspired song that deals with a breakup. The song starts out with a piano but halfway through the breakdown kicks in with guitars and percussion. The song is great and should have been more successful as a single than it was.
Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is not Carey's best album but it is an amazing comeback after a five year break. Here's to Mimi reclaiming her crown.

Kelis Finds New Sound On New Album

Kelis has always been experimental. From the Neptunes produced rock/R&B/dance/hip hop hybrid of her first three albums to the hip hop inspired fourth record, Kelis Was Here,  Kelis always was outside the box. Then in 2010 Kelis released Flesh Tone which was a dance album that while it was good, was a step back for the singer.
On her sixth album Food, out last month, Kelis has a more throwback soul sound that mixes in rock and electronic elements. Gone is the aggression of her debut single and first hit "Caught Out There." Gone is the sexuality of her biggest hit "Milkshake" and the attitude of "Bossy."
The album starts with three of the album's best songs. "Breakfast" is a joyous love song that starts the album off right.
"So much of who we are/ Is who first taught us how to love," Kelis sings.
First single "Jerk Ribs" is a great track that is soulful with great percussion and a killer saxophone melody. Next is the album's best track "Forever Be." The song is also the poppiest on the record. It's catchy and Kelis' label would be foolish if this wasn't the next single off of her album.
The next song is a boring ballad "Floyd." This song has good vocals from Kelis and a good chorus but the song isn't as great as the previous three tracks. Kelis keeps things midtempo on "Runnin.'" The song is better and has very honest.
"How can I forget you/ You're never late/ You're always right there to my rescue," Kelis sings.
"Hooch" picks things up with a faster tempo and more danceable melody. This song is a highlight of the album. "Cobbler" is very similar keeping the up-tempo part going.
Next is another highlight. "Bless the Telephone" is an acoustic cover of a song by Labi Siffre. It's a duet with Sal Masekela who is the album's only featured artist. The song is soft and vulnerable, something Kelis rarely is.
"Friday Fish Fry" is up next. This up-tempo track has Kelis' most soulful vocals on the album. The song has a Western vibe to the instrumentation. "Change" is another low point of the album. The song is decent but doesn't stick out compared to the other songs.
Second single "Rumble" is another highlight. The song discusses her divorce from rapper Nas. The album hits another snag with "Biscuits n' Gravy." This song is a piano based ballad that is boring and starts out too slow and never really picks up. The album closes on a high point with "Dreamer." This song is a very graceful ballad. It's one of the best songs on the record and it is a great idea to close the album with this.
Kelis keeps changing her sound up and Food is no exception. Hopefully on her next album she keeps up the experimentation.

Jay-Z Finds "Holy Grail" On Twelfth Album

Jay-Z announced his twelfth album a few weeks ago and with no single released it in an exclusive deal with Samsung to release the album a few days before the actual release.
While his last album The Blueprint 3 was his best album, Magna Carta... Holy Grail isn't anywhere near as great.
The album doesn't have any bad songs, but some songs are better than others. The best songs on the album are "Holy Grail" which features Justin Timberlake, "Ocean" which features Frank Ocean and "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt" which features Rick Ross.
Jay-Z's wife Beyoncé is featured on several songs including "Tom Ford," "BBC" and "Part II (On The Run)" which is meant to be a continuation of the song that started their love "'03 Bonnie & Clyde."
The album could use more guest appearances as Jay's solo songs tend to blend together. "Picasso Baby," "Somewhere in America" and "Heaven" are all great tracks and could very well be singles.
"BBC" and "Holy Grail." "BBC" features vocals by Nas, Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland and a funky beat. "Holy Grail" is an epic rap song. Timberlake's verse and choruses are about a backstabbing lover while Jay's verses are usual hip hop fare. The song, which features a sample of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
"Can't even take my daughter for a walk/ See em by the corner store, I feel like I'm cornered off/ Enough is enough,, I'm calling this off," Jay raps during the second verse. He's talking about the paparazzi and the stresses of fame. It's moments like this where we are let into the personal life of Jay-Z that work on this album.
The strange Mommie Dearest sample in "Jay Z Blue," a song about his daughter. While the sample at first seems weird and creepy, upon further listens it's clear that the sample is about irony. He won't let his daughter go down the route of abuse. He would never hurt her and he wants to be a good father. It's all about his insecurities as a new father.
All in all, Magna Carta... Holy Grail is a great album. It isn't the most groundbreaking album or the best rap album, but it shows that Jay-Z is a legend and isn't going anywhere.

Nelly Furtado gets back to business on new album

Nelly Furtado's hip hop/dance/R&B masterpiece Loose was released six years ago and in that time she recorded a Spanish album and released a greatest hits album with two lame new songs. Furtado is back with her new album The Spirit Indestructible. While Loose was produced almost entirely by Timbaland, Timbo doesn't make a single appearance on this record. Spirit was produced by Darkchild and Salaam Remi.
While the album does have some weak points, altogether it's still an amazing record. Songs like "Circles" and "The Most Beautiful Thing" which features Sara Tavares, a Portuguese singer, are simply weird and "Miracles" is pretty boring but the other songs on the album more than make up for these shortcomings.
Songs like "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)," "Waiting For The Night" and the title track are all great. "Bucket List" is an adorable song about wanting to fall in love. Another amazing song is the third single "Parking Lot." The song is a banger and recalls Furtado's teenage years hanging out in parkings lots. "High Life" which features Ace Primo is a hip hop song about living the high life. Another great song is "Something" which features Nas.
The best song on this album would have to be "Believers (Arab Spring)." The pop-rock anthem about trying to spread love to the world sounds like Alanis Morrisette covering Lacuna Coil. The song is different from anything Furtado has done and should definitely be a single. It would expose Furtado to a whole new audience.
All in all this album is a huge step forward for Furtado, hopefully it doesn't take her a few more missteps before her next amazing album.