tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76170420903218892202024-03-04T23:11:26.643-08:00Pryde and SoulAn avid pop music fan from the Beatles to Kylie Minogue. I'm fascinated with the recording industry and the Billboard charts. I love doing album and concert reviews. I have a fascination with all things British, and the dance/pop scene in Europe. Illustrator and photographer too visit my site at <a href="http://www.philfogel.com">www.philfogel.com</a>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-51069360077512880252017-12-24T11:35:00.000-08:002017-12-25T13:18:37.878-08:00Party like it’s 2017 Bananarama at the Apollo Eventim London<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Concert: November 20th 2017</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9Btkyz54DN1yIvULhR1AvG_bQz7CGrJ7b1ig78OE7PQmdWD2EFb8kxo-M1VXfPrHE44JU2TF1Kl4_NBHMsiDla0Wu3GxQoZ4vdla4CT-hHWXyxrh8WZB58VGpzxNHaz9yZwVZuzT8jaa/s1600/23592019_10210753852544589_4669468941285138808_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9Btkyz54DN1yIvULhR1AvG_bQz7CGrJ7b1ig78OE7PQmdWD2EFb8kxo-M1VXfPrHE44JU2TF1Kl4_NBHMsiDla0Wu3GxQoZ4vdla4CT-hHWXyxrh8WZB58VGpzxNHaz9yZwVZuzT8jaa/s400/23592019_10210753852544589_4669468941285138808_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Mike Devery, London Apollo Hammersmith</span></b></td></tr>
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I’m not sure I can justify in words how this concert and
experience meant to me but “time of my life” and “Absolutely Fabulous” seems
the best I can come up with. Being a huge Bananarama fan since the early days
of Cruel Summer I’m probably a bit biased, but I’m far from the only one giving
it raves reviews. It was one big fantastic dance party. From the moment Sara,
Keren, and Siobhan stepped on the stage with the lost Supremes classic “Nathan
Jones” the crowed stood up and never sat down. There was no distracting
elements, no circus going on, just a video screen, a live band and three best
friends celebrating and singing all the hits, fan favorites and more. The girls
especially Siobhan looked like they were having the time of their lives, you
could see the comradery and fun coming through unlike some pre-fabricated bands
that seem to be just going through the motions. It felt like I was watching my
best friends on stage reminiscing through the best years of their life. For
those critics that see the girls as just karaoke singers this couldn’t be
further from the truth. I never understood why so many people put powerhouse
singers above all else, sometimes you just need to sing the damm song, no need
for a millions vocal runs or voice athletics, which I sometimes find gets
tiresome. The set list was a dreams come true, with Siobhan coming on board I feared
we might not hear songs like “Nathan Jones” or “I Want You Back” because she
was replaced with Jacquie on those singles, but we got them and more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Mike Devery, London Apollo Hammersmith</span></b></td></tr>
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The
biggest surprise and most poignant moment was when the three sang “Cheers Then”
and Siobhan briefly left the stage, leaving Sara and Keren to start belting out
the mega Shakespeare’s Sister (Siobhan’s post Bananarama group) hit “Stay”. Speaking
of vocal ability, Marcella’s Detroit part of that song is far from easy to sing
and the girls did a beautiful job, the biggest applause though came when
Siobhan entered the stage to sing her part. The image of them holding hands at
the end in silhouette in front of the moon image on screen was so powerful,
that some fans actually had <span style="text-align: center;">T-Shirts made with that image taken from shots of the previous shows. </span><span style="text-align: center;">I didn’t think it could get any better but after Stay, Siobhan announces that it was her turn to choose a song, it was her favorite track the girls did after she left the group, my favorite track too, “Preacher Man” which should have been a bigger hit from the Pop Life album. They did fan favorite singles including their social conscious songs “Rough Justice” and “Trick Of The Night” which had to be added back into the show after fans pestered Sara on twitter to bring it back when it was cut after the opening show of the tour. There were many songs that sounded better than the versions they recorded back in the day, including their first demo, the Latin tinged Swahili song “Aie A Mwanna”, “Really Saying Something” and the Fun Boy Three duet “It Ain’t What You Do” which was slightly revamped with a fantastic swing 1950’s vibe. “I Can’t Help It” and “More Than Physical” was slightly disco-fied, even “Shy Boy” sounded better with the three girls each taking on separate verses while the other two did harmonies and back up. Nothing was a much fun as the Stock Aiken and Waterman section where most of the gay male audience broke into every dance and choreographed move they did from “I Heard A Rumour”, to “Venus”, and “I Want You Back”, it was a sight to see especially when some fans had the moves down pat, better than the girls. The few casual fans in the audience looked around a bit perplexed wondering if they missed the memo or why they weren’t in on the secret. The London show was filmed for a DVD release coming out in May, at one point during “Boy Trouble” the cameraman was filming next to me and turn the camera on me. “Boy Trouble” is the one song I don’t know well and to compensate I tried to do one of my Michael Jackson spins, but the floor was a bit slippery and I almost fell, the cameraman gave me a thumbs up anyways, now I’m wondering if I’ll make the cut, if not I’ll be happy to relive this incredible night, guilty as a girl can be.</span><br />
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<b>Meet and Greet:</b><br />
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My experience was multiplied because before the show I got the chance to meet the girls and get my picture with them. The girls were absolutely amazing, stunningly gorgeous, and kind. I told them I came from Canada and I was there to celebrate my 50th birthday, Keren said something along the lines of “I looked great for my age”. They loved the T-shirt I designed for the concert, carefully checking out all the details.They graciously accepted the colour pencil tribute portrait I made of them. I had 3 prints done and was hoping I could give each girl a copy, they even posed with the prints in my picture.I was so nervous that I barely heard what they said to me, my friend Mike who was waiting in line, heard that Keren hilariously said, (about the portrait I drew), that her head isn't that big. The photographer took many pics, including some of me as I was handing the prints to them. He even photographed me and Mike and our T-shirts as we stood in line. I thanked Siobhan for coming back and thanked Keren and Sara for keeping the legend of Bananarama alive. My hands were still shaking for about a half hour afterwards, I couldn’t calm down. While we were at the bar waiting for the show to start I was told that producer Pete Waterman was there, I was nervous but got the courage to go up and tell him I was a big fan and loved his music, he shook my hand. There were quite a few celebrities in the audience; I came this close to meeting Rick Astley only finding out afterwards he was there. <b style="text-align: center;">I’d like to thank the amazing Mike Devery for giving me this fabulous opportunity of a lifetime, cheers mate.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Me and Mike before the show, London</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">My colour pencil portrait</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Some of the crazy fabulous fans before the show, London</b></td></tr>
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<b>The Fans</b>: I do have to say that my experience was that much richer because of
all the fans I met from around the world, sharing that experience with them
made it all the more incredible. The Saturday before the show there was a gathering
for us to meet and it didn’t stop there, I met so many beautiful, kind and
fabulous people throughout my trip of the UK. Bananarama really do have the
greatest fans.<br />
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<b>Cardiff St David’s Hall:</b><br />
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I was lucky to see the show a second time in Cardiff, this time I was closer to the stage in 4<sup>th</sup> row and I could see all their quirky interactions and facial expressions. The show was just as fabulous but the big difference was the audience, they seemed to be more restrained, subdued, a lot more seemed to be casual fans, nobody got up at the first song, everybody stayed quietly seated. When the girls finished the opener “Nathan Jones” they looked a bit perplexed and almost annoyed, thankfully they urged everybody to get up and dance. Bananarama is not a like going to the opera, it’s a party, a celebration, a time to let go.</div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-21339909794132987632017-05-14T11:44:00.001-07:002017-11-07T19:47:39.502-08:00Wow: It was 30 years ago today…<div class="MsoNormal">
It was 1987, I was in college, still listening to Madonna,
Whitney Houston and George Michael; Kylie was still a year away from releasing
her first album, but my favorite girl group crush would release their ultimate
pop masterpiece simply titled “Wow”.<br />
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Let’s go back a bit, Bananarama first appeared on my radar
in 1984 with “Cruel Summer”, their first top ten in North America, it was a
cute little song with 3 confident girls having fun, but by 1986 the game would
change. Their 3rd studio outing “True Confessions” featured one of the ultimate
80’s cover songs “Venus”, originally recorded by 60's group Shocking Blue, the
girls revamped the track along with superstar producers and Hit Factory makers Stock, Aiken &
Waterman, they made the perfect pop combination. The girls loved Stock Aiken &
Waterman’s previous work with the Dead Or Alive song “You Spin Me Round” and
wanted that same hard edge euro dance sound for “Venus”, that coupled along
with the super sexy and sultry video made them superstars and the song went
straight to the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100. My best friend Chris and
I had taken Jazz Dance as one of our gym electives in college, we were
hilariously the only two guys in the class and our final dance routine was done to
none other than “Venus”. Bananarama had other hits along the way like my favorite
of the time “Trick Of The Night”, and “Robert De Niro’s Waiting”, but none
would have an impact in North America.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPOyhLFav2MTeoZ2nG-SHaSAsVzy9Idm1QLi-rqKsJHCAa20ZazxqnGhRvrsMzaEqy7aO8Iz1w6CNxj4y_WodhD1yrDwJohfbE3rRmdjtj5NBA3P7EZymYB4WJJe26pWGbM15PK0yktL2/s1600/tc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPOyhLFav2MTeoZ2nG-SHaSAsVzy9Idm1QLi-rqKsJHCAa20ZazxqnGhRvrsMzaEqy7aO8Iz1w6CNxj4y_WodhD1yrDwJohfbE3rRmdjtj5NBA3P7EZymYB4WJJe26pWGbM15PK0yktL2/s200/tc2.jpg" width="200" /></a>“True Confessions” only had two songs produced by Stock, Aiken & Waterman but when it was announced that they would write, produce
and arrange their entire next album I was beyond excited. The album “Wow” was
co-written by the girls, who fought with Stock, Aiken & Waterman along
the way, the producers were not used to writing songs with their artists. Unlike
most pop groups today Bananarama were not a prefabricated band. They formed in
1979. Sara and Keren were best mates since early grade school. When Keren moved to London Sara followed and met Siobhan in college studying fashion journalism, together they rented a flat and as they say the rest is history.
They managed themselves for the most of the time, they insisted to write or
co-write their songs, designed they look, nobody told them what to wear, they
were sexy, but strong and confident women, without just being arm candy for
men.</div>
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“I Heard A Rumour” the first single that preceded the "Wow" album was not a disappointment, the song became their 3<sup>rd</sup> and final top ten in North
America going to #4. The album was a juggernaut and it had a unity unlike their
previous efforts. “Love In The First Degree” my favorite song, became their
biggest hit in the UK, Berry Gordy the founder of Motown said it was the
closest anybody had to come to the Motown sound. Unfortunately after putting
out 4 studio albums, 20 singles and living together for 9 years a split began
to happen. Siobhan decided she wanted to pursue a different sound and went on
to form Shakespeare’s Sister, their performance of “Love In The First Degree”
at the Brits Awards in 1988 would be their last together.</div>
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Like The Supremes the group that inspired them, they would continue with a new<sup> </sup>member named Jacquie
O’Sullivan. I have to admit this was an exciting time for Bananarama fans. They
were inducted in the the Guinness Book Of World Records as the all-female group
with the most chart entries in the world. The album “Wow” still had some hit
singles left in it, so Jacqui’s voice was added to the super fab “I Want You
Back” making it a number 5 smash in the UK. It was at this point I started realising
the differences between the UK and American charts, none of their singles would
chart in Canada or on the Billboard Hot 100. I started shopping at import record
stores picking up all the UK 12” Bananarama singles I could find, I sadly
couldn’t hear these hits on the radio but I could play them all I wanted. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPNhTVib444k8P036evDfisyGRKG22TXb5B-dSv8veACyBTsWDbIL3Ve-HYiSABrBCXqHZ7yu9ZSOywZQk1ZVRq_S8eScKlssytzf5tRfpVpqPX6y2PyWAVT-AtDvBeFTAbGuVa-vomo6/s1600/5912568474_1bb0254ac3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPNhTVib444k8P036evDfisyGRKG22TXb5B-dSv8veACyBTsWDbIL3Ve-HYiSABrBCXqHZ7yu9ZSOywZQk1ZVRq_S8eScKlssytzf5tRfpVpqPX6y2PyWAVT-AtDvBeFTAbGuVa-vomo6/s200/5912568474_1bb0254ac3.jpg" width="200" /></a>In
1989 the girls recorded a cover of The Beatles “Help” for UK’s Comic Relief charity,
alongside comedians French & Saunders who parodied them as “Lananeeneenoonoo”,
the song along with the hilarious spoof video became another top 3 hit in the
UK. That year they released their Greatest Hits Collection with a fab new song “Love
Truth & Honesty” and re-released another track from the “Wow” album, a
cover of The Supremes song “Nathan Jones”, the original was recorded by the
70’s version of the group when Jean Terrell replaced Diana Ross. It was this
song that led me to discover the “70’s Supremes” and those forgotten but
fabulous albums that were made after Diana left the group, it made me a
superfan of that era.</div>
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Keren, Sara & Jacquie toured North America in 1989 and
luckily Montreal was part of the schedule but sadly their only Canadian date. Along with
my best friends Chris & Ernie we saw that fabulous show at the Metropolis Club on
March 22<sup>nd</sup>. A year later Banarama would continue on with one of
their best albums “Pop Life” but the imperial phase of them having hits would be over as the grunge
90’s were ushered in. In 1991 Chris and I saw Siobhan and Marcella Detroit as
Shakespear’s Sister at a small club at the corner of St, Laurent and St Catherine
called the Dome. I remember being so close to the stage that every time
Marcella would swing her guitar around while playing I had to duck as I was afraid
of getting hit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPpUjgEDFEf5nI0ZcXpcRl61awMISavN5eZJjWTFKYHbDvOViw-_AqeDxqlcqCwu0WHIhgyljbREo3SYyG_hlrODk4mW_Jf3iZBYPIlCDVhwYRUIGtvnLMbv-6JNk7uSzG50-yC-J63-e/s1600/ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="My ticket from the 1989 show" border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPpUjgEDFEf5nI0ZcXpcRl61awMISavN5eZJjWTFKYHbDvOViw-_AqeDxqlcqCwu0WHIhgyljbREo3SYyG_hlrODk4mW_Jf3iZBYPIlCDVhwYRUIGtvnLMbv-6JNk7uSzG50-yC-J63-e/s320/ticket.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ticket from the 1989 show</td></tr>
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After 3 years Jacqui would quit Bananarama and best friends
Sara & Keren continued on as a duo. They reunited in 1992 with Stock &
Waterman (minus Aiken) for the Abba-esque “Please Yourself” album. In 1995 the
small Canadian record label “Lime” released “Ultra Violet” and they appeared
alongside a dozen artists at the Montreal Forum to promote the album. They only
sang 2 songs, the new single “Every Shade Of Blue” and “Venus”, but there I was
with my best friend Chris, we were probably the only two real fans there to see
Bananarama as the other artists and audience members were much younger. I remember
holding up the program booklet from the 1989 concert which I brought along with
me, Keren caught my eye then pointed to me saying “I’m sure you’ll know this song”
as they went into “Venus”. They released a few more albums from 2006’s comeback
“Drama” to the recent “Viva” in 2009. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was floored when I found out this month that Siobhan
was reuniting with them and going on tour. I can’t wait to see them live for the
first time as a group. Thank you Sara, Keren & Siobhan, for all the music,
the videos’ the dance routines and the fabulous times I’ve had in my living
room singing and dancing along. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Note: If not for Bananarama I might have never discovered
Kylie Minogue. I remember my best friend Chris going into that same import record
shop buying her 12” single “I Should Be So Lucky” based solely on the fact it
was produced by Stock, Aiken & Waterman, that started a whole new obsession
and passion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-64303347009225800572017-02-11T14:08:00.000-08:002017-02-11T14:11:16.036-08:00Madonna, Dance Music, Dancers and Kevin Stea<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMRS_xMe7rFNQf8Dbi9Q3o2RfGrEdDv3QL4TrtrLr14t8XXRENP3Uj9UZur_lndMbDN7pIofN_LLsNnb2nL2C4u2eeDuF8tLSnUbBj-goSbSlQ6JUVfTK29e_NWA9jE7gXh15FbT28osk/s1600/strike+a+pose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpMRS_xMe7rFNQf8Dbi9Q3o2RfGrEdDv3QL4TrtrLr14t8XXRENP3Uj9UZur_lndMbDN7pIofN_LLsNnb2nL2C4u2eeDuF8tLSnUbBj-goSbSlQ6JUVfTK29e_NWA9jE7gXh15FbT28osk/s320/strike+a+pose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salim, Oliver, Carlton, Kevin<br />
Luis, Jose, and (Gabriel in spirit)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thursday night I attended the showing of the documentary “Strike
A Pose” at the Victoria Film Festival. In 1990 Madonna hired seven male dancers
for her Blond Ambition Tour, they taught her to Vogue, were featured in that
iconic video, but more importantly they were the subject of her film, the
behind the scenes documentary “Truth Or Dare” which came out a year later. The film
was one of the biggest documentaries at the time and those seven dancers were thrown
into stardom. “Strike A Pose” takes a look 25 years later
into the lives of those dancers. I had no idea till I was seated at the cinema
that one of those dancers Kevin Stea would be present for a Q&A session. I
was so excited and all I could think about throughout the film was what I could
say to him. “Truth or Dare” was the first representation of gay men I had ever
seen, this was a time when Ellen, Will & Grace etc.… didn’t exist, but
there on the big screen was gay men openly living their lives, going to gay
pride parades and just being themselves, some of us saw our first male on male kiss. I
still remember seeing the film in 1991 with a close friend and I remember our
reactions and talking about the dancers afterwards, I remember having a crush
on dancer Salim "Slam" Gauwloos although I had no idea I was gay. Two years later I
came out as a gay man and a few years after so did my friend. I always wondered
through the years what happened to those dancers and now we get to see. The film
is joyous and heartbreaking at the same time, as we discover that some of them
were HIV positive and were struggling with this dark secret, while touring in a
show that was all about “Expressing Yourself”. Some were not completely out or
comfortable, Gabriel Trupin had asked Madonna to cut that famous kissing scene
with Salim, but she refused, he tried suing her, sadly in 1996 he lost his
battle with AIDS. Others sued her for a breach of contract, money they were
owed, a sad but not uncommon tale for many in the showbiz industry, while others
just lost their way with drugs and life. Seeing the six remaining dancers get
together at the end was pure joy, it’s was nice to see that they were all OK
all these years later and that they were still “family”. Oliver Crumes’ stood
out for me in the original documentary as he was the one straight guy of the
crew, as gay men we have our own prejudices, as I always wondered if he was
really a closeted gay man and came out years later, but there he was still
straight, his reactions to finding out that some of his friends were HIV
positive was very moving, I could feel his pain.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8czAhQZJkIjsqxflawj9BHnnM4mlVFbrMyfvXU8qnWxIeCzCqjIgMMlbOoJ7ImIQtK4gqt14Yc6q-qt5MAbRWTOGYZVf-aE-pfx8NMX6G42YrQCEN0iTmheYEORz-8OXNndS2uRk-Q8U/s1600/kevin+stea+for+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8czAhQZJkIjsqxflawj9BHnnM4mlVFbrMyfvXU8qnWxIeCzCqjIgMMlbOoJ7ImIQtK4gqt14Yc6q-qt5MAbRWTOGYZVf-aE-pfx8NMX6G42YrQCEN0iTmheYEORz-8OXNndS2uRk-Q8U/s320/kevin+stea+for+blog.jpg" title="Kevin Stea and I" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Stea and me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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When the film ended I made a straight line to the front row
hoping to meet Kevin. Kevin was the associate
choreographer for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour and became the dance captain, when he left the tour he was broke but then went
onto work with some of the biggest iconic stars including Michael Jackson his
sister Janet, Lady GaGa, Celine Dion, Prince and David Bowie to name a few, he
has starred in numerous commercials and films. I was so nervous when I
approached him, I told him what it meant to me, seeing him and the other dancers
on screen back in 1991, I was wearing my George Michael T-shirt and asked him
about George, and I quickly got a pic with him. There was an event at the Copper
Owl club afterward, a dance party to benefit AIDS Vancouver Island, I wasn’t sure
I was going to go but when I heard Kevin was attending and that there would be
a “Vogueing” session I quickly changed my mind. I was there alone, many others
were in cliques, so I sat at the bar for about a half hour staring at my phone,
Madonna's music was playing but nobody was dancing. Kevin was sitting at a table
talking to a few people but afterwards I noticed like me he was sitting alone. I turned around and said “How come no one is
dancing”? We chatted for a good 20 minutes if not more, I didn’t want to seem like a stalker so I told
him I didn’t want to take up too much of his time, he told me never to
apologize for that and we kept on talking, he was a real gentlemen and a class
act. When the Vogue lesson started we moved towards the dance floor, I didn’t
end up Vogueing but afterward I danced nonstop for over an hour, it was one Madonna
song after another, they even played one of my favorite album tracks from True Blue
which was never a single “Love Makes The World Go Round”. At one point I was
hoping they would play a bad Madonna song so I could take a break. Kevin was
mostly chatting with others during this time but then they starting playing
other artists, he finally came on to the dancefloor when Prince’s Let’s Go
Crazy was played. Talking with him about music, dancing and life was a dream
come true but I really wanted to dance with him. The dancefloor was really
small, there were only a few people between him and me, then Michael Jackson’s “Black
Or White” came on, I was thinking, do I dare dance up to him? It took me to halfway
through the song to get the courage, at that time we were in a circle of
people, I pushed my way through and busted my best Michael Jackson moves,
including a few spins, I thought I was going to fall flat on my face or hit someone
but I got through it, he started dancing to my moves, and I heard a few cheers,
when the song ended I thanked him and he hi-fived me. It wasn’t till the next
day that I found out going through his website that Kevin worked and danced on
the video for “Black Or White”, my reaction was “OMG what was I thinking!”. If
this wasn’t on my bucket list it, it is now, mission accomplished. I wanted to
stay longer but I had work the next day, I went to get my coat, I saw Kevin
sitting at the bar so I went up to say goodbye but again we ended up chatting
for a while, then I stayed to watch the dance competition which he judged, a
final goodbye and I was on my way. This was truly a night to remember. Thanks
to Jose, Luis, Carlton, Salim, Oliver and Gabriel for being an inspiration all
those years ago and to Kevin who was so gracious and has inspired me then and
now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-76419130790525840962017-01-07T16:11:00.000-08:002017-01-08T09:23:39.260-08:00Listen Without Prejudice Volume 4<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsnR3nOQMuo8B1TZZENfjQIzafUkM0SPkH8IHTszoftTw-a7hgT0SZE9PgBJ03TItJ-ZnW8UQIFEm6PHvJyRM9yRLMFP_KcyPFcz1r-X2Rg1qwk6QPbi2LpW4r2_sBB5UI6BzVP_hGr90/s1600/8b88f3facb9a470ca494a6fae550f34f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsnR3nOQMuo8B1TZZENfjQIzafUkM0SPkH8IHTszoftTw-a7hgT0SZE9PgBJ03TItJ-ZnW8UQIFEm6PHvJyRM9yRLMFP_KcyPFcz1r-X2Rg1qwk6QPbi2LpW4r2_sBB5UI6BzVP_hGr90/s200/8b88f3facb9a470ca494a6fae550f34f.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wham! George Michael <br />
and Andrew Ridgeley<br />
Photo by Tony McGee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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To say I’m a huge fan is an understatement but I never
really realised how big of an impact his lyrics, music and life had on me. My
all-time favorite group and artists are The BeeGees, when Maurice and Robin
Gibb died I was devastated, but I didn’t feel the same as when George died,
maybe because they were older than me, not part of my formative high school
years, but I felt that the BeeGees had come full circle with their last album
“This Is Where I Came In” in 2001. I was also devastated after Michael Jackson
died but his life was plagued with so many issues and I was so far removed from
his reality. George‘s career, in my opinion was cut way too short, he was only
53, his last studio album of new material dates back to 2004’s album “Patience”,
I’m still waiting for a follow up. When I got the news about George on
Christmas Day I just crawled up in bed and cried. I was already emotional
because Christmas reminds me of my mom who I lost around the festive time, so
my emotions were running high, I had just posted some pictures of her on
Facebook, I was feeling a bit down, then 15 minutes later the news about George
popped up on my newsfeed, it was all I could bare. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyB5EPDPENRDRe05S094stLHQc5uLbaRbPPltoLRU_5aTZ6acJWdKpiHi8Y50DGhB1Io3RBEX_eLdAhTtLhmS3yxzqB7wru7-xM3Wnt-VwhgUwuUrLV5NdxDjwUTrBu8BA6KqPKvwXp-_H/s1600/philarc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyB5EPDPENRDRe05S094stLHQc5uLbaRbPPltoLRU_5aTZ6acJWdKpiHi8Y50DGhB1Io3RBEX_eLdAhTtLhmS3yxzqB7wru7-xM3Wnt-VwhgUwuUrLV5NdxDjwUTrBu8BA6KqPKvwXp-_H/s200/philarc2.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me circa 1987-1988</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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1985 was my graduating year from high school and outside of
Madonna Wham! was all the rage. My best friend Chris Dardzinski and I were
Wham! I first met Chris in grade 4, like George Michael I was the new student
arriving mid-term, and in the same way Andrew Ridgeley was assigned to be
George’s guide in class, Chris was assigned to me, we became inseparable closer
then brothers. I remember walking into the local record store, Madonna’s “Like
A Virgin” and Wham! “Make It Big” albums were on display, Chris bought “Make It
Big” and I bought the Madonna album, we would then make cassette tapes for each
other so we could have both. Chris and I couldn’t sing or play any instruments
but by High School, we dreamed of being pop stars, we photographed ourselves
like photoshoots for record covers; we even wrote songs or rather poetry and
compiled them into imaginary albums. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing
“Wake Me Up Before You GoGo”, “Everything She Wants”, or the mega song
“Careless Whispers”, all went to #1, but my favorite at the time was the #3 hit
“Freedom”, not the George Michael song from 1990 but the song that accompanied
the music video from their historic concert in China. Despite many writing them
off as bubble gum pop stars, George knew how to write a hit and channel the
magic of Motown. Looking back today those songs are still classics, and not as
simple as some would believe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPTc4O-GhrJU3B_xJFlTmx-XUZPubBu0EVYkI_3VUVsUUe7S6-jgu4n_cOL3ZGzg3lKeOHIOaBRIRHEm8X3WIU2mqDpTN925sJOSry85-0hWiN9GT4U73Ve5gN8KQy9awtyL0azW_4457/s1600/chrisD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPTc4O-GhrJU3B_xJFlTmx-XUZPubBu0EVYkI_3VUVsUUe7S6-jgu4n_cOL3ZGzg3lKeOHIOaBRIRHEm8X3WIU2mqDpTN925sJOSry85-0hWiN9GT4U73Ve5gN8KQy9awtyL0azW_4457/s200/chrisD2.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris circa 1987-1988</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As we started college everybody was growing up, but as Chris
and I remained friends I was shocked at the news of Wham! splitting up. Their
final album “Music From The Edge Of Heaven” is still my favorite. I remember
walking into the record store and buying it, I loved how side one of the vinyl
with the 4 up-tempo tracks was called “The Hot Side” while the other
side with the ballads was called “The Cool Side”. More importantly was the music, only
eight songs long but eight amazing songs. "I’m Your Man" is probably my favorite upbeat
Wham! song, when I saw George in the music video with the brown hair, cropped
beard, tambourine and gloves I wanted that look, it wasn’t long before I grew a
beard although not a neat as George’s. “A Different Corner” from the same
album, credited to George as a solo artist is one of his best tracks, a
beautifully haunting ballad with heart wrenching lyrics <i>“Take me back in time maybe I can forget, turn a different corner and
we never would have met, would you care?”</i> Another favorite of mine is an
album track called “Blue (Live In China)” I had no idea at the time that this
song was originally the B-Side to their early single “Club Tropicana” then called “Blue (Armed With Love)”, but from
the first few notes I fell in love with it. Chris and I kept writing more song
lyrics throughout college and like Wham! we decided to fake-spilt up and write
our own albums. The song “Blue (Armed With Love)” was on my first solo imaginary
record along with my other originals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxylivi1bXwgbG6kEMoOtgT3IuJ6mrR8Mqg77eT8Tf7usBmddITwGNfti8yt97fBShtWZ1tklxAVOagl51q5tCeqoAwmtrdwuqwVJn4sQGnwqU8Jebiji1T-hRX1XVdjO0pWzxwGUm9n3t/s1600/GeorgeMichaelFaithAlbumcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxylivi1bXwgbG6kEMoOtgT3IuJ6mrR8Mqg77eT8Tf7usBmddITwGNfti8yt97fBShtWZ1tklxAVOagl51q5tCeqoAwmtrdwuqwVJn4sQGnwqU8Jebiji1T-hRX1XVdjO0pWzxwGUm9n3t/s200/GeorgeMichaelFaithAlbumcover.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Faith" album</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were both waiting for George’s next musically chapter to
arrive but in the meantime 1987 brought us my all-time favorite duet, the chart
topper “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” by George and Aretha Franklin. I still
can’t help singing George’s part whenever I hear it. Then Faith happened and
everything just exploded, at this time Chris and I had both graduated from
College. I have to admit I wasn’t an immediate fan of his new sound it was a
bit too R&B for me. I was not enamoured with the lead single “I Want You
Sex”, which was plagued with radio and MTV bans including Aretha Franklin who
vowing to never sing with George again. It took some time but I got to love
songs like “Father Figure” “One More Try,” “Monkey”, and the title track, four #1 singles from one album was quite a
feat in those days. Two of my favorite songs from the album were the only two
non singles, “Look At Your Hands”, and “Hand To Mouth”. Both Chris and I saw
Michael’s legendary Faith tour at The Olympic Stadium, unfortunately it’s one
of the worse places for a concert sound wise but we were thrilled to see him.
The album went on to win Album Of The Year at the Grammy’s, there was no stopping
George.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq02Q4DJ9VKoRglzgh358ZguhVn6803ReFX-QMCtuRunH5VGkR62m1vD6p47mX5bzxXJLPWkSQmuIaw23FjhlxZCnBVMcPfzHCEFIsdzemyQPTmymrHU5WrPu1EoIhbspqlmY6lRhR2c-D/s1600/me+and+chris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq02Q4DJ9VKoRglzgh358ZguhVn6803ReFX-QMCtuRunH5VGkR62m1vD6p47mX5bzxXJLPWkSQmuIaw23FjhlxZCnBVMcPfzHCEFIsdzemyQPTmymrHU5WrPu1EoIhbspqlmY6lRhR2c-D/s320/me+and+chris.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and I circa 1992-1993</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1990 was a huge year of musical change, the 80’s was gone,
the sound of pure pop was giving way to Grunge and R&B. I remember walking
into my local HMV and seeing no more vinyl records just lots of cassettes and
CD’s, my musically tastes were changing and so was George Michael’s. That’s why
George’s new album “Listen Without Prejudice Volume One” just blew me away. To
this day it ranks at #2 for my all-time favorite album, just under The BeeGees
1975 record “Main Course”. “Listen Without Prejudice” was exactly the music I
wanted to hear, incredibly produced with beautiful melodies and either personal
or social conscious lyrics. George never gets credit as a record producer but
he was one of the best, on his albums he did it all, the writing, the
arrangements, the production and in some cases most of the instrumentations
with just a few session players he trusted. “Praying For Time” is probably one
of the greatest songs ever written, a commentary on social injustices <i>“The rich declare themselves poor, And most
of us are not sure, If we have too much, But we'll take our chances, Because
god's stopped keeping score, I guess somewhere along the way, He must have let
us alt out to play, Turned his back and all god's children, Crept out the back
door…”</i> it went to #1 but with no video and George’s dispute with Sony
nobody remembers it. The track most people remember from the album is the
incredible “Freedom 90”, George’s plea to rid himself of all those pre-fabricated
images, listening to the lyrics now we can’t help but wonder if his oppressed
sexual orientation wasn’t hinted in the song. The album contains so many of my
favorite songs, “Something To Save”, “Heal The Pain” whom he wrote for Paul
McCartney, they even recorded a duet of the song for his compilation Hits CD
“Twenty Five”, the haunting rendition of Stevie Wonder’s They Won’t Go When I
Go, the war torn "Mothers Pride, “Cowboys and Angels and “Waiting For That Day” the final
single that should have been a huge hit but never was. I loved how the album
ended with the Reprise song “Waiting” I hadn’t seen anybody do that sine the
BeeGees.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpwrsG4A0YdCF04jyl-WIrhpaN5PfOORkAoygLPEi7JLYOo5-IWiMWj0iCxMvINPGLxQJlqgm6YkCe1m97zPY3Kgo4sGvdb7vNBiMPBgGpEzEemSWMA0u0jK6-VqGIVe5upgrQrqoCvIV/s1600/fastlove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpwrsG4A0YdCF04jyl-WIrhpaN5PfOORkAoygLPEi7JLYOo5-IWiMWj0iCxMvINPGLxQJlqgm6YkCe1m97zPY3Kgo4sGvdb7vNBiMPBgGpEzEemSWMA0u0jK6-VqGIVe5upgrQrqoCvIV/s200/fastlove.jpg" width="197" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George "Fastlove" Cover 1996</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 90’s were a huge adjustment for both me and George, in
1993 I came out as a gay man while George had also come to this realisation, he
kept it hidden for quite some time. His 1996 album “Older” gained him a bit of
a comeback in the UK where it outdid the Faith album, in the US the haunting
single “Jesus To A Child” and fabulous dance track “Fastlove” kept him in the
top ten of the Billboard charts, to some of us this album confirmed he was gay
with the non-too subtle lyrics and drastic change in looks. Perhaps for George
this was fine, since he could have a career but didn’t have to deal with
craziness of mega stardom. We both lost our mothers to cancer whom we loved
dearly, unlike George I never got to talk to my mom about my sexual
orientation; I came out a year after she passed. My mother's death was a huge
black hole for me, George seemed to suffer a similar fate especially when
combined with the loss his first lover Anselmo to AIDS. George finally “came
out” publicly in 1998 in that much too talked about bathroom incident, which in
my opinion has overshadowed his musical output and place in music history. Both
Chris and I wondered about George’s sexuality over the years but now we had
confirmation and an out in your face song and hilarious video called “Outside”
which mocked his arrest and made no doubt of the fact that George was like me, a
proud gay man. At this time Andrew Ridgeley had long traded his superstadom life
for a quiet retreat with his wife Keren from Bananarama. Like art imitating
life Chris stopped writing songs and compiling album, I kept it going
throughout the 90’s and the early 2000’s turning my lyrics to the struggles of
me losing my mom and becoming a gay man. Chris got married in 1998 and just 2
years later would be the last time we were friends. In 2008 I was lucky to see
George’s absolutely incredible concert “Live 25” at the Bell Center in Montreal;
it was the concert I waited 25 years to see, I couldn’t help but think of Chris
at the show, I wonder if he was there. To this day I still don’t completely understand
what happened; Chris decided to give up an entire part of his life and most of
his friends including me. It’s been over 16 years since we’ve spoken, every so
often, a song, an artist or a place reminds me of him. I’ll never understand
how such a close friendship could just be erased. George Michael’s death has
reminded me all over again, I mourn George Michael, I mourn my best friend, I
mourn my grad years and college, and all the wonderful music we’ll never hear
from George. So again I ask: Take me back in time maybe I can forget, turn a
different corner and we never would have met, would you care? <o:p></o:p></div>
Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-10892075483681236232016-08-03T14:10:00.001-07:002017-01-08T09:11:58.200-08:00Celine Dion: Bell Centre Montreal August 1st 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEGe4pJy1pfGNcELoxUuJsIgw6GZqAyJyt1ssQ-X6p5cn6mkBOezMFOnyyyzLbbn6OFmV6_CQE7EOr-piEwXu81d81bYriK0Y_1R6OaJQNIi1HCQH1MkWKsMtZUxFkAM3_NXIMEd5qjSf/s1600/celine+dion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEGe4pJy1pfGNcELoxUuJsIgw6GZqAyJyt1ssQ-X6p5cn6mkBOezMFOnyyyzLbbn6OFmV6_CQE7EOr-piEwXu81d81bYriK0Y_1R6OaJQNIi1HCQH1MkWKsMtZUxFkAM3_NXIMEd5qjSf/s320/celine+dion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It was an honour and privilege to see this show. Celine’s
mini tour of the summer of 2016 will be talked about for many years to come. <span style="text-indent: -24px;">I have to admit I was not thrilled when I first saw the setlist from Belgium and France,
my setlist would have been quite different, so many of my favorite songs were
missing, and many were rarer album tracks and songs she doesn’t often sing. I
would have replaced 10 songs with others, but what I heard totally blew me away.
I was excited to see a show of hers mostly in French, because let’s face it her
French recordings with a few exceptions totally outclass her English repertoire
in soul and artistry. Her Las Vegas show is all very “American” high gloss
while this show had emotion, subtlety and class. Without singing a note Celine
walked on stage, after reciting a snippet of the poem, "Trois Heure Vinght"</span><span style="text-indent: -24px;"> behind a hidden screen to a 10
minute ovation. She could barely start the first song and new single “Encore un
soir”. The song was written by her long time songwriter and collaborator Jean-Jacques
Goldman. She asked him to write her one more song, this time about the passage
of time as a tribute to Réne. She stood on stage for 2 hours, no wardrobe
change, Celine wanted to spend as much time and sing as many songs she could
for her fans. She could barely hold back the tears especially when she sang “Et
je taime encore” the applauses stopped her right before the refrain for a good
5 minutes. Her orchestra with a full string section was breathtaking; this is
what a real concert should sound like, no theatrics, just fabulous music, and an
incredible vocalist, the real original definition of a “Diva”. She premiere a
new song which was voted by the public to appear on her new album, written by unknown
songwriter Daniel Picard, the song “À la plus haute branche” was stupendous;
you could hear a pin drop. Even songs like « Tous les blues sont écrits
pour toi » which is not a favorite of mine sounded better than the record
and will make me revaluate them. <span lang="FR-CA">“L'amour existe encore” and “Pour que tu m'aimes encore” </span>was sung with <span lang="FR-CA">maturité
and </span>beautiful <span lang="FR-CA">vocal </span>restraint<span lang="FR-CA">. </span>One of the cleverest moments of the night was her new version
of “Naziland, ce soir on danse” from Luc Plamondon’s big rock opera Starmania. Céline
had asked her producers to figure out a way to incorporate Réne’s favorite TV
show and theme song “Law & Order” into a song, when she explained it I
thought it was crazy but the result was fabulous. When I heard the first notes
of “Dans un autre monde” I couldn’t help but get up and dance, but as I looked
around the forum I could see I was only one of 5 in the stands standing up and
boogieing, most preferred to sit as it was a ballad heavy list. One of the evenings highlights was the acoustic medley of "</span><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Apprends-moi
/ Tous les secrets / Ne bouge pas and Valse adieu", Celine along with her back up singers and a few </span></span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">musician, did a type of campfire sing along which was as worthy as the full orchestra tracks, the ending with just her and the singers doing "Valse adieu" was incredible, it took me a few minutes to realize it was all accapella. I did get up
again when she sang “Love Can Move Mountains” into “River Deep, Mountain High”.
She obviously did the huge English hits “Because You Loved Me”, “It's All
Coming Back to Me Now” which morphed into “The Power of Love”. I cried when she
sang “It's All Coming Back to Me Now”, it reminded me of the last concert of
hers I saw in 1996 with my then best friend Chris D. my friend has chosen to no longer be around
and it just stirred up emotions. She covered “Purple Rain” and her new recorded
version of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”. As a unique twist to our night, she
asked us for a favour at the encore. She had to record “My Heart Will Go On” for
an American TV show and asked if we could be part of it. The show briefly stopped
as she explained that there would be camera cue’s, she would talk to the
American audience in English, then sing the song. She asked us to light up the stadium with our
cell phones, hoping that we had enough power left over; that along with glow
sticks they were selling at the kiosque produced an incredible sight. The show
ended with her love and peace pledge “S'il suffisait d'aimer”, she then sang an
accapella snippet of “Vole” and faded into the background as the lights went
down.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />I really hope this concert is recorded and is set to appear
on CD and DVD, not everybody got the chance to see it live, and some of us want
to experience it again.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Merci Celine,<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Setlist</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Trois
heures vingt (A cappella snippet)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Encore
un soir<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Je
crois toi<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">4.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Qui
peut vivre sans amour ?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">5.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Immensité<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">6.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Et
je t'aime encore<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">7.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Pour
que tu m'aimes encore<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">8.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Terre<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">9.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">À
la plus haute branche<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">10.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Ordinaire (Robert
Charlebois cover)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">11.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Because
You Loved Me<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">12.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->It's All
Coming Back to Me Now / The Power of Love<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">13.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Le vol d'un ange<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">14.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">L'amour existe encore<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">15.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Apprends-moi / Tous les secrets / Ne
bouge pas / Valse adieu<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: small;">(Acoustic) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">16.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Tous les blues sont écrits pour toi<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">17.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Dans un autre monde<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">18.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">Naziland, ce soir on danse<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">19.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Purple
Rain (Prince cover)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">20.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Love Can
Move Mountains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">21.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->River
Deep, Mountain High<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">22.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The Show
Must Go On (Queen cover)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: small;">Encore:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">23.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My Heart
Will Go On<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA">24.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR-CA">S'il suffisait d'aimer</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="text-indent: -18pt;">25.<span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Vole </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">(A cappella snippet)</span></span></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-55783510148402389622016-07-17T08:52:00.004-07:002017-12-25T20:59:07.176-08:00Celine et Moi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="">A family friend once told me "You always knew she would be a huge superstar". Truth be told I never realised how big she would become, I just thought she had a phenomenal voice and I loved her music.<br />
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Celine Dion first captured my attention back in 1987. I was working in a department store in Laval on the north shore of Montreal Quebec. Celine and her mom could often be spotted shopping at the store, in those days, while being a Quebec celebrity she was wasn’t the huge paparazzi draw she is now, so it was common to spot her around town.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvlOzm0d_UVzlY5ibV4GDsa7911sGq8Y1tw07b1YQH14NfApfWGP6af9TgVPsQ9BqDa3mmEk6f-CaYZtP_1z6EAm1NYk4EeO0yBCMdRP4bfP54LPtxKyzAFu8e5JUshd357Tqz58boZcR/s1600/IMG_0012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvlOzm0d_UVzlY5ibV4GDsa7911sGq8Y1tw07b1YQH14NfApfWGP6af9TgVPsQ9BqDa3mmEk6f-CaYZtP_1z6EAm1NYk4EeO0yBCMdRP4bfP54LPtxKyzAFu8e5JUshd357Tqz58boZcR/s200/IMG_0012.jpg" width="196" /></a><span lang="">Celine’s album "Incognito" was stocked in the store and the record would play over the store’s speakers. "Incognito" was the first record of Celine’s I bought and it would start a long love affair with her music and concerts. I knew she previously had a career in Quebec as a "young child" singer, I knew she sang that song "Une Colombe" for the Pope’s visit, but she was never really on my radar. "Incognito" was her first "adult" French album for Sony Records, only 8 songs long, normal for that time era" but every song stood out, no filler in those days. One track that really got my attention was "Jour De Fievre", it was different to the usual ballad type song she would sing, it had a type of gusto and grit in her voice with a dancy edge. <br />
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As fate would have it Celine was hired to advertise a commercial jingle for my workplace, does anybody remember "Montreal c’est ma ville mais Simpson c’est mon style"? To premiere the ad all of Simpson’s employees were invited to a special show at the Theatre St Denis in Montreal. I remember waiting in line to get in, while others just kind of sauntered in, I was the first to run up to the front of the stage and got a seat right up front. She only sang 4 songs and premiered the new ad, but my jaw dropped at her voice. I was always cynical and under the impression that most artists got their voices fixed in the studio for their records, that nobody could sound that good but there she was just a few feet in front of me and she blew me away. I remember right after the show I went up to the stage, clutching her vinyl record I brought with me and asking the two guards if I could get an autograph. They oddly responded "Celine est dans sa douche", "Celine is already in the shower", so I left with no autograph but that would not be my last chance.<br />
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A few years later Celine premiered on English TV in Canada at the Juno’s singing "Have A Heart" an English translation of her song "Partout Je Te Vois" from her "Incognito" album, her performance was the talk of the show and this would launch her international English career. </span></div>
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In 1990 that song was featured on her first English album "Unison" but another song "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" would be the breakthrough. As a kid growing up I would spend my Sunday mornings listening to Casey Casem’s American Top 40, I wouldn’t leave the house till he got to #1. I knew how hard it was for a Canadian artist to have a top ten hit, let alone an unknown French Canadian. Despite loving "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" I never though she would succeed on her first try, but my jaw would drop again when the song cracked the top 40, then the top ten, all the way up to #4.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3kIROK_zyvMcTRNMYsL0bElRFADm9-38Oz5zRtjlHCF7OJyHkooiU5Yt2h03PelJrT33opYzVnroB3ZuzwPXPr4ETd7A9H62xh5CKW8bj89d0LAoEzFlsaiz6wt_Ixh8C6F7S2wpWOqi/s1600/celine+dion+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3kIROK_zyvMcTRNMYsL0bElRFADm9-38Oz5zRtjlHCF7OJyHkooiU5Yt2h03PelJrT33opYzVnroB3ZuzwPXPr4ETd7A9H62xh5CKW8bj89d0LAoEzFlsaiz6wt_Ixh8C6F7S2wpWOqi/s320/celine+dion+web.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
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Not long after the album Unison was released, I was attending the international car show at the Montreal Olympic Stadium, I was supposed to meet up with some friends, they were late, I was bored but I always had my camera with me, an old SLR with film, no digital in those days. At one point I turned around and was shocked to see Celine at the Chrysler booth signing autographs, she was the spokesperson at the time but I had no idea she would be there. I knew I had to get a shot of her but I was so nervous, so I hesitated, at one point she got up to take a break and as she was walking out I got enough courage and asked if I could take her picture. I wasn’t sure the shot would come out, but to this day, while not being the sharpest picture I ever took it’s one of my favorites. She looks fabulous and glamourous, it’s not the most posed shot either, I snapped it pretty fast, not giving her much time to smile. <br /><br />I did get her autograph and took another shot of her signing. I finally found my friends, I probably talked their heads off about seeing Celine and getting her picture, but none seemed as trilled as I was.<br />
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At this point I was transferred to work in Downtown Montreal for the Hudson’s Bay Department store. I worked as a greater, security guard at the front entrance. I remember one day this lady came up to me asking if I knew where the coat check was. She was wearing sunglasses and a kerchief was covering her hair but I thought there was something familiar about her, it wasn’t seconds later that a bunch of follow employees came up to me to ask what Celine wanted, it figures her biggest fan wouldn’t recognize her, it still makes me laugh to this day.<br />
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<span lang="">As her English career started soaring her French Recording career, would take a huge leap forward. Celine’s 1991 album "Dion Chante Plamondon" consisted of songs entirely written by well renowned French lyricist Luc Plamondon (Starmania). That album would make the French community around the world take notice and move her from just a pop singer to a serious interpreter of song. The album covered some of Plamondon’s most famous songs like "Les blues du businessman" and "Un garçon pas comme les autres (Ziggy)" a #2 hit in France, he also wrote 4 new songs for her including’ L’amour existe encore" which remains a huge favorite and considered one of his best.<br />
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Celine could have easily faded away as a one hit wonder in the USA, but as she was preparing her sophomore English album, Disney came to her with the opportunity of recording "Beauty & The Beast". If you hadn’t heard of her before, there was no escaping the film and this song. The duet with Peabo Bryson climbed up to #9 on the Billboard charts and in 1993 won them a Grammy award for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" <br />
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To launch the new album in Montreal, Celine would appear at another department store, this time Eaton’s for a signing session. I knew this was my chance, I had two 8 x 10 prints done of that fabulous picture I took of her at the car show. Along with my best friend, we waited in line. I not only got her to autograph that fabulous photo I took, but I gave her a copy, and this time I got my picture with Celine.<br />
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I doubt Celine still has that picture but I still got mine. Her eponymous album titled "Celine Dion" went on to produce the Billboard Chart #4 single "If You Asked Me To", while songs like "Love Can Move Mountains" was #1 in Canada. Both written by Diane Warren they were not their last hits or collaborations together.<br />
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In April of 1993 Celine played 6 nights at the Montreal Forum, I saw her not once but twice. I already had a ticket for the 6th of April, but as I left work downtown on the opening night of her shows I passed by the concert forum. There were scalpers as usual selling tickets, I hate scalpers and as a rule I never buy from them, but it was 5 minutes to show time and they didn’t seem to be able to sell all their tickets, I got a ticket for under the value, I paid $25 for a $35 ticket and for once cheated the scalpers who sell for ridiculous high prices and in those days were actually breaking the law. <br />
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<span lang="">From this point there was no stopping Celine. Her next album "The Colour Of My Love" produced her first #1 Billboard Hot 100 Hit, "The Power Of Love". The song was a cover but neither it’s originator Jennifer Rush (who had a #1 in the UK with the song) or others like Laura Branigan or Air Supply could make it in the States. On the 30th of March 1994 I saw one of her 6 concert nights at the Theatre Du Forum.<br />
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In French Celine would record the album that would become her opus and benchmark. Simply title D’Eux, a play on words meaning "Two", "Them", "About Them" or "From Them". The album was mostly written by French singer songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, and went on to become the biggest selling album in French history. It’s hard to explain the difference between Celine’s French and English repertoire, but most fans consider her French music of a higher art. Her English albums are usually written and produced with a huge committee of people while albums like D’Eux are more of a concept album, one or 2 people and tightly produced. </span><br />
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The music has less of a standard middle of the road, pop chart appeal, the big epic type ballad with the huge soaring voice in every song is not present. In French they seem to restrain her voice and use it where it is necessary in the song, the lyrics are pure poetry. Listing to it today songs like "Pour que tu m'aimes encore", or my favorite "Destin" are not dated but remain classics. In 1998 Jean Jacques and Celine would repeat this feat with her next French album "S’il Suffisat D’aimer" meaning "If Loving Were Enough", the title track along with others would become classics that she still sings today.<br />
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<span lang=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8MiWu8mjkzzfv_udaU8_C7mGjpZOx9tTd8jZQk6KU5h10zVN2sQOg5Om6NimIEUSDEr-XT7iWcaQK5YO-3JgiOwI_azcF0uvwUoGqhNmoa-XfBvnQ6PdCxBHlGZW1nV6WQoltC4Uk4x-/s1600/IMG_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8MiWu8mjkzzfv_udaU8_C7mGjpZOx9tTd8jZQk6KU5h10zVN2sQOg5Om6NimIEUSDEr-XT7iWcaQK5YO-3JgiOwI_azcF0uvwUoGqhNmoa-XfBvnQ6PdCxBHlGZW1nV6WQoltC4Uk4x-/s200/IMG_0003.jpg" width="198" /></a></span></div>
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If D’Eux was her French opus, her next album "Falling Into You" would be her English one. The first single, the Diane Warren written tune "Because You Loved" was already #1 on the Billboard Charts. I remember buying the CD, coming home and again my jaw dropping again as I heard "It’s All Coming Back To Me Now" from the first note of the song I was hooked with this fantastic Jim Steinman jem, it’s still my favorite English song of hers. Not only would it become one of her biggest selling albums but it won two Grammy’s including the coveted "Album of the Year Award" beating out Mariah Carey’s fabulous "Daydream" album. In 1996 my best friend and I would see her "Falling Into You" tour at the newly built Molson Center now the Bell Center, for a sold out show. <br />
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Many casual fans seem to only remember the next song and she is forever positively or negatively attached to it. Nothing was bigger than Titanic Movie and "My Heat Will Go On". Her album "Let’s Talk About Love" sold over 31 million copies around the world going diamond status in Canada and selling over 10 million in the US. While she hasn’t surpassed these sales with her more recent outputs she still releases fabulous records and plays to sold out shows.<br />
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There’s one last thing that I need to say about Celine and the music industry. I’ve noticed over the years that sadly many huge megastars and certain musical genres, are easy targets for backlashes. The "Disco Sucks" era with the BeeGee’s, along with the infamous burning of disco albums at the Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979 is one prime example, Celine while not as severe, is another example. I get friends and family members going "ick" or "yuck", "Why would you spend your money on her or go to her shows". My boss calls her a freak. Speaking of work, we play music in the store, we are allowed to bring our own CD’s and playlist, but I am forbidden to play Celine. I once made a holiday mix on my Ipod, I just dumped all the Christmas songs together, when by accident one of her songs came on and I was given the dirtiest of looks and told to take it off. We’ve played the gamut at work from jazz, country, rock, Taylor Swift to even Led Zeppelin. <br />
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I’ve never understood this phenomenon. I can understand not liking certain music genres or songs, I do too, but why this type of angry distain? Isn’t there enough hate in this world? It seems to be more than just her music, but why? Celine doesn’t do anything crazy or horrible, she isn’t into drugs, or over partying, she hasn’t broken the law or been to jail, yet these clean cut artists are always ridiculed and considered less than their contemporaries. Some people don’t seem to like her personality but I think she is fabulous, always funny, down to earth in interviews although sometimes too truthful, she works hard to put on a great show, she doesn’t seem to be a diva (in the bad sense), and she seems to treat her company of workers very well. Yes her life story is very much public and always out here, but the recent passing of her beloved Rene and that hardship only makes her more human and relatable in my opinion. <br />
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I love Celine, I love her music and nobody can take that away from me. Because of life’s circumstances, The "Falling Into You" tour was the last time I saw her in concert, it’s been twenty years. This August we will meet again at the Bell Center in Montreal, a long time waiting.</span><br />
<br />Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-65612976791046885372016-01-05T18:28:00.003-08:002016-01-05T18:40:01.114-08:00Top Ten of 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got lazy last year and never got around to writing a review for my top ten albums, maybe I just got tired writing detailed reviews for each album or maybe it wasn’t a very inspiring year for music. I thought it was time to post both my 2014’s and 2015’s top list. It seems fitting putting those two years together in one blog since a few of those albums from Sam Smith, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran crossed over and could be on either list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Best Albums of 2015</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HfPoaJ77XlN9H4Ko77OHpHjt4FSqhXOE04OZcpzd5pK7ifmABMQTIW3nA6xMrpJa2Dtw-zHCsSl3nQQtzKLJQZtBhleQ6PsgZNXkinlMAnxDof0x0qukseJ0He1ZNFtyr1O7a1pePvbq/s1600/duran-duran-paper-gods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HfPoaJ77XlN9H4Ko77OHpHjt4FSqhXOE04OZcpzd5pK7ifmABMQTIW3nA6xMrpJa2Dtw-zHCsSl3nQQtzKLJQZtBhleQ6PsgZNXkinlMAnxDof0x0qukseJ0He1ZNFtyr1O7a1pePvbq/s200/duran-duran-paper-gods.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.“Paper Gods” Duran Duran:</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The boys are like a
very fine wine, they only get better with age. This album is not as
cohesive as their predecessor “All You Need Is Now”, but it is one hell of an album, from the opening anthem “Paper Gods” it is superbly recorded and produced. The album is
much more modern sounding then anything they done in years, from the vinyl groove of “Pressure Off” produced by legend Nile Rodgers to the best cut “Last
Night in the City” which makes you want to never leave the dancefloor. For
those wanting the classic “Duran” sound “Face For Today” and the “Save A
Prayer like”, “What Are The Chances” fit the bill. The album’s opus “You Killed
Me With Silence” with its “Chauffeur” like atmosphere, and odd verses against
the chorus is one of their best. One of my favorites “Sunset Garage” is the
first time I’ve seen Duran channel the Motown sound and to suburb effect, I
could have easily seen the Temptations covering this. “Butterfly Girl” is kind of an
odd track but it’s heavily drum sounds give it a bit of “Power Stations” feel.
Yes there are a few missteps like “Dancephobia” with Lindsey Lohan, and the
album kind of loses steam at the end but it still a very fine wine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckPZR-9ym47NMX-lkzU8opn0MWZP4G5C0jItln40Vot2SdomcxIDbKMyAkgqNhL52lqdiORynKq3KmFBkhUhDZ-r6EDvzunMlZTapaWG0-L1Z7CkzOo98wp0CT2pfXVnZlQnI5sXL4ROT/s1600/rh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckPZR-9ym47NMX-lkzU8opn0MWZP4G5C0jItln40Vot2SdomcxIDbKMyAkgqNhL52lqdiORynKq3KmFBkhUhDZ-r6EDvzunMlZTapaWG0-L1Z7CkzOo98wp0CT2pfXVnZlQnI5sXL4ROT/s200/rh.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.“Rebel Heart”—Madonna”: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 19 songs I find the
album a bit long, but pruned down to about 12 tracks, it’s her best album since
“Ray Of Light. From the singles “Living For Love” to “Ghosttown” which should
have been huge hit, this album puts Madonna in ripe form. Best tracks include
the autobiographical “Joan Of Arc”, Devil Pray” and the title song, this is the
direction Madonna should take, the song “Rebel Heart” is her most heartfelt and
endearing ever. “Body Shop” is a cute retro style “True Blue” song that only
Madonna can pull off. I’m not a fan of tracks like “Bitch I’m Madonna” "Iconic"or “Holy
Water” but then some would argue that those are more like “Madonna” the the rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFc5drWktbiwjvOzGPBsHNgqoQZMBWq7TiQUrEJWGvqa5CJfcgbPLf87lYgtXmMvJDD-vDFbYH9gUiaZQvNtCOTdezH6xHjb99RHrHfqA4GriFiNTDxLjvPvjLVVgNCEPAoNTDaLO9bSR/s1600/MIKA_cover_album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFc5drWktbiwjvOzGPBsHNgqoQZMBWq7TiQUrEJWGvqa5CJfcgbPLf87lYgtXmMvJDD-vDFbYH9gUiaZQvNtCOTdezH6xHjb99RHrHfqA4GriFiNTDxLjvPvjLVVgNCEPAoNTDaLO9bSR/s200/MIKA_cover_album.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -36pt;"><b>“No Place In Heaven”—Mika:</b> Excellent album from
one of the most underrated pop musicians. Best tracks include “Good Guys”, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -36pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -36pt;">the hilarious poppy “All She Wants” about a
mother longing more for her son and the dancefloor track “Staring At The Sun”.
The album has it’s tragic but beautiful storytelling with the Freddy Mercury
inspired “Last Party” and the superb title track. If you haven’t checked out
Mika please do so.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">“</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nkK3YAZ3RYfW4JQSok_dF4R-JaqVTKXZ2RGhg0NeagOPdBSzZmueyzvW0eCPx6S74JcK1Fv5Igbq5ARw_EWBLgO6LKCX1hyphenhyphen9WHZ6IUPS3i7WLmJdVkLXSsG7xgCexRZ4_IPPUPOTJTVW/s1600/one-direction-made-in-the-am.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nkK3YAZ3RYfW4JQSok_dF4R-JaqVTKXZ2RGhg0NeagOPdBSzZmueyzvW0eCPx6S74JcK1Fv5Igbq5ARw_EWBLgO6LKCX1hyphenhyphen9WHZ6IUPS3i7WLmJdVkLXSsG7xgCexRZ4_IPPUPOTJTVW/s200/one-direction-made-in-the-am.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">4. Made In</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>The AM”-One Direction: </b>Manufactured or not they make good pop records,
with every album they seem to grow up just a bit. Lead single “Drag Me Down”
written by their songwriting team of Julian Bunetta and Jamie Scott is one of
their finest singles. Unfortunately, they chose 2 of the worst tracks to follow
up, “Perfect” and “Infinity” are OK but they don’t compare to what follows. “If
I could Fly” or “History” could have easily replaced them. All members of the
group seem to have their hand in co- writing most of the songs. They channel a
retro Fleetwood Mac groove on the fab “What A Feeling” and just as lovely is “I
Want To Write You A Song”. Two of my favorites, the totally different “Never Enough” and
the Harry Style co-written beatle-esque “Olivia” could have put the
group in another league above the typical boy band.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiWc5ItbTUfJla6XPDOjk1K66PWe8uOYGneqKUfw9jTRZrg48KNdshLGzIRJT7wAUiEwhEOjEMjWwpJXMlN2dZMOLLCznbwS1IlloMOvt6ORfRjthNspb3IdqvYDSg_2HqmLXsftF6ViV/s1600/711Qha%252Bw8GL._SL1425_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiWc5ItbTUfJla6XPDOjk1K66PWe8uOYGneqKUfw9jTRZrg48KNdshLGzIRJT7wAUiEwhEOjEMjWwpJXMlN2dZMOLLCznbwS1IlloMOvt6ORfRjthNspb3IdqvYDSg_2HqmLXsftF6ViV/s200/711Qha%252Bw8GL._SL1425_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. “X”--Ed—Sheeran: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A funky rhythm
and soul album that infuses rock, pop and rap. Ed knows no boundaries; he does
everything to perfection from the emotional ballads of “The One”, “Photograph”
and “Thinking Out Loud”, to his beautiful falsetto and craftsmanship </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as a
musician. I prefer Ed when he gets down
with the tracks like “Sing” and “Don’t”, it’s hard to believe that a ginger
white guy is this funky.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq5qk1UgGL1Hy3eh9O4SbbY5HLerQiBJPtXzhuZY8jhDkgDd6CrlVBIILD0JdAur3oSrY-8y4BNg69kAdclwt4RNNCzcH5B7H1zIq4K63CSpXsW3hcxqJf_9amZ_OdQr_rvDO9jgpc3nB/s1600/MI0003979518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoq5qk1UgGL1Hy3eh9O4SbbY5HLerQiBJPtXzhuZY8jhDkgDd6CrlVBIILD0JdAur3oSrY-8y4BNg69kAdclwt4RNNCzcH5B7H1zIq4K63CSpXsW3hcxqJf_9amZ_OdQr_rvDO9jgpc3nB/s200/MI0003979518.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX_EEa186kuZ5TUPPYTLJJhNSSLSvThc70UsERPi9QutA7ZUtdDf2AVSs8o2JxBzKfSC15wN7ZgaKLB6ED3sdzqowg_rR8H8nhDv9_Jl5Gp5wAdFCVcUW0MQXRmBCXDa5m5T1vfYI4-nE/s1600/JanetJackson_Standard-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaX_EEa186kuZ5TUPPYTLJJhNSSLSvThc70UsERPi9QutA7ZUtdDf2AVSs8o2JxBzKfSC15wN7ZgaKLB6ED3sdzqowg_rR8H8nhDv9_Jl5Gp5wAdFCVcUW0MQXRmBCXDa5m5T1vfYI4-nE/s200/JanetJackson_Standard-2.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6.</b><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“L’orchestre Symphonique De
Montréal”—Mika:</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Team up one of the most underrated pop stars with Montreal’s
incredible Symphonic Orchestra and you get one of the most fabulous sounding
albums. This project proves just how talented and what a great songwriter Mika
is, even odd chosen tracks like francophone “Boum Boum Boum” are perfect.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIbJwIjDJDyJFTxmh62ibetyPBpf_ENqlORc35RydpWxVfnCgc9bJeu3VCiGspg0V89xx4mGP1FTPpZWqD-ofZKieNSxio13fqkXfSDDm_Lq_Mrrjou8jccD8zUHRGxy-UMzZyjz32xUZ/s1600/Taylor_Swift_-_1989.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIbJwIjDJDyJFTxmh62ibetyPBpf_ENqlORc35RydpWxVfnCgc9bJeu3VCiGspg0V89xx4mGP1FTPpZWqD-ofZKieNSxio13fqkXfSDDm_Lq_Mrrjou8jccD8zUHRGxy-UMzZyjz32xUZ/s200/Taylor_Swift_-_1989.png" width="200" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />7. </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>“Unbreakable”—Janet Jackson:</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -36pt;"> Jimmy Jam
and Terry Lewis return to produce her best album in over two decades”. On the
title track they turn Janet’s velvet vocals and sprinkle their magic slow jam
groove that moves throughout the record. Janet uncannily channels her brother
Michael on the fabulous “The Great Forever”. Favorite tracks include “2 B
Loved”, “Shoulda Known Better” and the retro “Jacksons 5/Escapade” “Gon' B
Alright”.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_2r0k5e3Lp8XA6DdAvhKgdrQudX1bCPo27Ag-5EjIJYUURSMwd_PpyWZgF7U7CV0-aWyZOV5ipey-XNbhVSbaCuMXlaSyCSkmHrgxBN1_LS1UoqgQ3RCp5DmtsCP4mqys1XferPXgrPj/s1600/11831764_962380863808334_9100678295635895234_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_2r0k5e3Lp8XA6DdAvhKgdrQudX1bCPo27Ag-5EjIJYUURSMwd_PpyWZgF7U7CV0-aWyZOV5ipey-XNbhVSbaCuMXlaSyCSkmHrgxBN1_LS1UoqgQ3RCp5DmtsCP4mqys1XferPXgrPj/s200/11831764_962380863808334_9100678295635895234_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />8. "1989"--Taylor Swift: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What can I say about this album that
hasn’t been said. Like it or not it’s a pop juggernaut. From the solids hits “Blank
Space”, “Shake It Off", “Style” and “Wildest Dreams”, producer Max Martin and Swift
made a blueprint to the perfect pop album and put the music industry back on it’s
feet. The one misstep is the childish nursery rhyme “Bad Blood” whom without
Swift's name and billion buck video, in my opinion, would have never hit #1. My
favorite is still “I Know Places” co-written with Ryan Tedder.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCp-mKPO6T92NTp9GTgsZc6v5SzDsbBRi2weG4GgxxLOjCYhWLAKaVIvfRuzSwyYF9XNXsOEWuabYCn9Jn3Al_Mkdq7_Uc_PqmP9nDz3hzSfAUmJIx5RUj7-syL766yOgZ9bAYwJaA9-D/s1600/o-STEVE-GRAND-ALBUM-COVER-570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCp-mKPO6T92NTp9GTgsZc6v5SzDsbBRi2weG4GgxxLOjCYhWLAKaVIvfRuzSwyYF9XNXsOEWuabYCn9Jn3Al_Mkdq7_Uc_PqmP9nDz3hzSfAUmJIx5RUj7-syL766yOgZ9bAYwJaA9-D/s200/o-STEVE-GRAND-ALBUM-COVER-570.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />9. “Get Up”—Bryan Adams: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Produced by ELO’s Jeff Lynn, Bryan puts
out another fantastic album. Opener “You Belong To Me” is a rockabilly Traveling
Wilburys type record, but the rest of the album is all Adams. The retro
sounding rock anthems “Go Down Rockin’” and “That’s Rock And Roll” could have
easily followed up “Reckless” back in 1985. “We Did It All” could be up there
with some of his biggest hits as well as lead single “Brand New Day”. “Don’t
Even Try”, feels like a long lost early Beatles record. In case you want
to hear what the some of the song would sound like without Lynn’s production,
Adams give you 4 acoustic tracks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10.“All American Boy”-Steve Grand:</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> One of the biggest Kickstarters campaigns, Steve Grand delivered a great album to his fans and backers. They dubbed him the “gay country singer” but I would place him more in the Bryan Adams area of music. The title track was one of my favorite songs a few years ago and he follows it up with superb tunes like “Stay”, “Say You Love Me”, and “Time”. A bit out of place on this album but my favorite, is the dance anthem “We Are The Night”, maybe he can one day do a full hi NRG album. Looking forward to hearing what Steve does next.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best Singles of 2015</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Marvin Gaye”--Charlie Puth and Meagan Trainor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Ghost”—Ella Henderson</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Drag Me Down” One Direction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> “Ghosttown”—Madonna</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> “One Call Away”--Charlie Puth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Living For Love”—Madonna</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Last Night In The City”—Duran Duran featuring Kieza</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Pressure Off” Duran Duran featuring Janelle Monae and Nile Rodgers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> “More Then Silence” Culture Club</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sugar”—Maroon 5</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sing” Ed Sheeran</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Uptown Funk”—Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Albums of 2014</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHhsluC1Ks6_3CG5edUupwPvifG05c437LBH7m4mpktjRFTsLT2ldQOvGT8ItL4Da_dK4qAkADef0k9P-ZF4TBu7NutQI0iETY7nVyjOeyoKT6S4OzL9-qh0ZdxRDDq8GGVjrFoo5eZmP/s1600/81MymylRr-L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHhsluC1Ks6_3CG5edUupwPvifG05c437LBH7m4mpktjRFTsLT2ldQOvGT8ItL4Da_dK4qAkADef0k9P-ZF4TBu7NutQI0iETY7nVyjOeyoKT6S4OzL9-qh0ZdxRDDq8GGVjrFoo5eZmP/s200/81MymylRr-L._SL1500_.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. "50 St. Catherine's Drive" Robin Gibb</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA6YPjDOyUyQj3HMMxQbu0x0eW6OY4XGMK1eYyc5bJx_of0KN4nEiuAMj637g47Cq8dwtfveKe8LcrqK6s3vU-aHUuUrbjYnw8keWO3YAELP1-x7hyVJub_wjeBFhb8iaXj2Llsi4gs0H/s1600/Jessie_J_-_Sweet_Talker_%2528Official_Album_Cover%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXA6YPjDOyUyQj3HMMxQbu0x0eW6OY4XGMK1eYyc5bJx_of0KN4nEiuAMj637g47Cq8dwtfveKe8LcrqK6s3vU-aHUuUrbjYnw8keWO3YAELP1-x7hyVJub_wjeBFhb8iaXj2Llsi4gs0H/s200/Jessie_J_-_Sweet_Talker_%2528Official_Album_Cover%2529.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. “Sweet Talker”Jessie J.</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMrXlwoyuDZDOehXqBCPaA5EhOHHdksDUtdBdgOEA-COMKQ2AEv8Qox6MxdhfooygEX2c6ZrrBwpPefb1kN698eg3o0IJ9lHjci1X6AE3BdPi2cgFvCQ2FqKTDtuIfdAspqVU0SCV6zi/s1600/81KQP4RRKHL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMrXlwoyuDZDOehXqBCPaA5EhOHHdksDUtdBdgOEA-COMKQ2AEv8Qox6MxdhfooygEX2c6ZrrBwpPefb1kN698eg3o0IJ9lHjci1X6AE3BdPi2cgFvCQ2FqKTDtuIfdAspqVU0SCV6zi/s200/81KQP4RRKHL._SL1500_.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. “In The Lonely Hour” Sam Smith </span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UfnPimc4zaGq2p8xzpFS7nwp8ER4vVhpXA1eP5oVOQkJrsbV5xX6DiWbWBp8mBdVX3iwSddfk7i7WRBLzSYHx13oUla4Qx0rGEG6BwZRvKyNZ0ThZFiU2JdNMt5CIXpVaje8jmcjZOuP/s1600/high-hopes-album-bruce-springsteen-1389043820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2UfnPimc4zaGq2p8xzpFS7nwp8ER4vVhpXA1eP5oVOQkJrsbV5xX6DiWbWBp8mBdVX3iwSddfk7i7WRBLzSYHx13oUla4Qx0rGEG6BwZRvKyNZ0ThZFiU2JdNMt5CIXpVaje8jmcjZOuP/s200/high-hopes-album-bruce-springsteen-1389043820.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. “High Hopes” Bruce Springsteen </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJwio_2xPY9YqdufdMrPBMDdiJqlg1GPdYJE07J8lDbKTT40dSHsfSDNihHLD2G46bvaqbB7EYQ9g-eNTRPe0MoVRd329WoCzFhR6Yz5JJ6-c5MlpB6LMpy14pgH2pFQ80hvtjUH-k8q0/s1600/michael-jackson-xscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJwio_2xPY9YqdufdMrPBMDdiJqlg1GPdYJE07J8lDbKTT40dSHsfSDNihHLD2G46bvaqbB7EYQ9g-eNTRPe0MoVRd329WoCzFhR6Yz5JJ6-c5MlpB6LMpy14pgH2pFQ80hvtjUH-k8q0/s200/michael-jackson-xscape.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. “Xscape” Michael Jackson</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWpX-zwmOmh1KmqeeiWPmhsr9YI3F4vWu5G761zW_iil9Hq6V8OBh8NhBOZMFqp5E2aH91K1fezsHkrLkLmA7w6cg8EX7Rtw9bVgC8gc2m3aJbP9LKzqRZWosFEIhLllWwQwI7w2MUCVk/s200/81uy8egc1rl-sl1425-1394827955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. “Kiss Me Once” Kylie Minogue </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bhjPVjno400EwCkkZFxc7i8LcOh2VlydGSxZ06FpbrueVb1ohsY97lZXH9VkO4EhMq62URkbv_f3SMJMVXC5o9NbWv04xDb3CowhXbwDn2Hud5eHhlKmNjtcOfQR8Q23jx_shz0Mx8Di/s1600/U2_Songs_of_Innocence_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bhjPVjno400EwCkkZFxc7i8LcOh2VlydGSxZ06FpbrueVb1ohsY97lZXH9VkO4EhMq62URkbv_f3SMJMVXC5o9NbWv04xDb3CowhXbwDn2Hud5eHhlKmNjtcOfQR8Q23jx_shz0Mx8Di/s200/U2_Songs_of_Innocence_cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. “Songs Of Innocence” U2</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_dNfEPKlz9eExPFrZzcP6-RZ9Qw4NYOFsbdy3xPXAj743MFDd1EA3JkoTcsPkwBzrnIVcMRAPjdWDTIKaAVaWrhjdvoX7tm2jQdusfH1m70k_Yyip_PtI3trAIshk-PT84Kc5mjCqSTc/s1600/Olly-Murs-Never-Been-Better-2014-1200x1200.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_dNfEPKlz9eExPFrZzcP6-RZ9Qw4NYOFsbdy3xPXAj743MFDd1EA3JkoTcsPkwBzrnIVcMRAPjdWDTIKaAVaWrhjdvoX7tm2jQdusfH1m70k_Yyip_PtI3trAIshk-PT84Kc5mjCqSTc/s200/Olly-Murs-Never-Been-Better-2014-1200x1200.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. “Never Been Better” Olly Murs </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBS-rUxgwht9fpS_42QWH73TJnQwfeGRxsS-Z-K1h88xD10xkp9IXgqrlfoOOlwe2qrg1apGWtymFLi6NtpWkOY5HjDRfJtaSiWIjpWGBMrFO9RmG6b3r3-Ky8pGQL8qXgBwibil9MwWQe/s1600/one-direction.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBS-rUxgwht9fpS_42QWH73TJnQwfeGRxsS-Z-K1h88xD10xkp9IXgqrlfoOOlwe2qrg1apGWtymFLi6NtpWkOY5HjDRfJtaSiWIjpWGBMrFO9RmG6b3r3-Ky8pGQL8qXgBwibil9MwWQe/s200/one-direction.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. “Four” One Direction </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu164hWyH68Xn7pCfF1G7t5wTWCF-1MGjd1nXYYWIVQgjQDUnR_f1uNV5jgAmA_9trd8mq2DQr6bJYtRZU7kLbuDKEkmiZfeORZdNFjVCJkRlxkqec-wbUr0ydKpNzMbaF5x3mputWIMzf/s1600/Take_That_III.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu164hWyH68Xn7pCfF1G7t5wTWCF-1MGjd1nXYYWIVQgjQDUnR_f1uNV5jgAmA_9trd8mq2DQr6bJYtRZU7kLbuDKEkmiZfeORZdNFjVCJkRlxkqec-wbUr0ydKpNzMbaF5x3mputWIMzf/s200/Take_That_III.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. “3” Take That </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Singles of 2014</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alan Freeman Days--Robin Gibb</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love Never Felt So Good--Michael
Jackson</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay With Me—Sam Smith</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let It Go-Idina Menzel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take Me To Church—Hozier</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Masterpiece—Jessie J.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)—U2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Night Changes--One Direction</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up-- Olly Murs & Demi Lovato</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m Not The Only One—Sam Smith</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Into The Blue-Kylie Minogue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrapped Up-Olly Murs</span></li>
</ol>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-39778388294066197092014-06-30T11:31:00.001-07:002014-06-30T12:55:47.052-07:00Heart Goes To Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrqJr9HW1y46rTb4D-mGDCLf-DCUEtEILsFrOSCNFUuiakvydJM7uq51OU2zX3WUvUowmbeow1Y71QYyI3jZP_nIrL1swHwprxGoq0PrBalFbCGXXHTBL-Rrmc7Qe_3TTxEOotX1efWMb/s1600/heart-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrqJr9HW1y46rTb4D-mGDCLf-DCUEtEILsFrOSCNFUuiakvydJM7uq51OU2zX3WUvUowmbeow1Y71QYyI3jZP_nIrL1swHwprxGoq0PrBalFbCGXXHTBL-Rrmc7Qe_3TTxEOotX1efWMb/s1600/heart-jpg.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></a></div>
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Within minutes of the 8:00 starting time Nancy Wilson was
already on stage banging out the chords of “Barracuda”, seconds later Ann Wilson
arrived and just knocked the house down, it didn’t stop for another 12 songs.
Ann’s voice is absolutely incredible, songs like “What About Love” and "Crazy On
You" sounded even better than the record. On “What About Love” she did some inflections
and emotional singing that the sterile studio produced record version doesn’t
have. She never missed a beat, her voice never faltered, all power but not
overdone, it’s all live no lip synch here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nancy always seems to be overshadowed but she must be one of
the finest guitarists out there, male or female. On the last Heart song “Crazy
On You” she was just stunning with her guitar intro but the best was the jump
and kick she gave at the opening chords wow, you’d never believe she was in her
60’s. Nancy isn’t a slouch at singing, far from it; I love her lead vocal songs as much as
Ann’s. Like a fan girl I rushed up to the front stage when she did my favorite “These
Dreams”, I was singing and miming the lyrics, she looked down on me and smiled,
that made my day. There was even 3 couples slow dancing up front. Her guitar playing on Paul McCartney “Let Me Roll” (while not
my favorite McCartney song) was just as impressive. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Can we talk about “Alone” there no words to describe it you
must hear Ann singing it live. On “Dreamboat Annie” she did a beautiful flute
solo. She played a few other instruments including guitar and an autoharp on a
new song called “Heaven”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After the Heart set Ann told the audience there was a 20
minute intermission, not a Hollywood 20 minutes but a real 20 minutes, a Victoria
20 minutes, that didn’t stop people from coming back late, although the line up
at the washrooms were crazy. Speaking of the audience, Victoria has one of the
suckiest. Who sits at a rock concert especially with Heart and Led Zeppelin songs.
You don't want to stand during the song fine but at least stand up and give Ann
and Nancy (who are in the 60's rocking out like they are in their 20's) a
standing ovation after the song, seriously! They only stood up at the end for “Crazy
On You”, while most on the floor stood up for the Zeppelin set, the other off the
floor audience did not, not even during Kashmir.</div>
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Speaking of Zeppelin, The girls opened the second set playing acoustic
guitars with “The Battle of Evermore” a song that perfectly fits their catalogue, and
then they were joined by Jason Bonham on an incredible 7 song set, that didn’t seem
like a tribute but an authentic take. Who needs Robert Plant when you got Ann
Wilson (just kidding!) Wow. Her voice on “No Quarter” was stunning, they seemed
to have had some sort of echo or reverb on her mic, it was hauntingly beautiful.
“The Immigrant song” was sort of fun but “Kashmir” was incredible. The ending
with “Stairway To Heaven”, backed by Seattle's Total Experience Gospel Choir
was a show stopper.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough “Heart”, I
would have loved to have heard big songs like “Never” but they seem to be
shying away from their 80’s repertoire. Let’s hope they keep on rocking so they
can come back and play those songs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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SETLIST<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. Barracuda<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. Heartless<o:p></o:p></div>
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3. What About Love<o:p></o:p></div>
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4. Dreamboat Annie<o:p></o:p></div>
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5. Straight On<o:p></o:p></div>
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6. Little Queen<o:p></o:p></div>
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7. Let Me Roll It (Wings cover)<o:p></o:p></div>
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8. Heaven<o:p></o:p></div>
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9. These Dreams<o:p></o:p></div>
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10. Alone<o:p></o:p></div>
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11. Mashallah<o:p></o:p></div>
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12. Magic Man<o:p></o:p></div>
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13. Crazy On You<o:p></o:p></div>
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INTERMISSION<o:p></o:p></div>
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Led Zeppelin songs with Jason Bonham on drums<o:p></o:p></div>
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14. Battle of Evermore <o:p></o:p></div>
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15. No Quarter <o:p></o:p></div>
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16. The Ocean <o:p></o:p></div>
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17. Immigrant Song <o:p></o:p></div>
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18. Kashmir <o:p></o:p></div>
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19. The Rain Song <o:p></o:p></div>
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20. Stairway to Heaven <o:p></o:p></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-12080402638397117682014-01-03T18:09:00.000-08:002014-01-03T19:25:13.134-08:002013 The Year In Review<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: 0cm;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2013 was a
year full of catchy pop dance oriented music and controversies. Robin Thicke
and Miley Cyrus brought us both, they danced and twerked with two of the biggest songs of the of
the year. Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” spent 12 weeks at #1 and ended up at #2 on
the year end HOT 100 chart, in the UK he had the best-selling singles of the year.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart started factoring in <span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 23px;">YouTube streaming data ,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; line-height: 23px;">on-demand audio streaming, and online radio streaming, this along with radio plays and digital sales</span> turned songs like Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” and Baauer’s the “Harlem Shake” into huge
hits. You could not go anywhere without hearing New Zealand’s young alternative
artist Lorde and her hit “Royals” which spent 9 weeks at #1. The rap duo Macklemore
& Ryan Lewis kept going strong with their first LP “The Heist”, “Thrift Shop”
not only topped the weekly charts but it topped the year end Billboard chart
while their other #1 hit “Can’t Hold Us”
ended up in the top 5. Their most important song “Same Love” might have stalled
outside the top 10 at #11 but it’s message on equality and pro-gay marriage
stance rang throughout the world. On the year end Billboard album chart, no surprise
is Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience” at #1 followed by Taylor Swift “Red”
and One Direction’s “Take Me Home”. The UK boyband topped the charts again at
the end of the year with their 3rd LP “Midnight Memories”, but enough about Billboard,
what about my thoughts, there were so many releases at the end of the year, a few of them battled out for the last spot.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Random Access Memories--Daft Punk</span></b></div>
<!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p>
</span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeAR7fpm9pUdR4PvV8wOVYX1Bk8YGLX7tAMLMf45_5THnmqtQerARIMpV7ZNP1316SFzQwu0btgpo10CBF48tuPU0HgBwr1FVl4D7oFmOpzxn2LNl9rqFWgkTWoSwc1wvz4O7sB9K7LUm/s1600/4e6c6fb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeAR7fpm9pUdR4PvV8wOVYX1Bk8YGLX7tAMLMf45_5THnmqtQerARIMpV7ZNP1316SFzQwu0btgpo10CBF48tuPU0HgBwr1FVl4D7oFmOpzxn2LNl9rqFWgkTWoSwc1wvz4O7sB9K7LUm/s200/4e6c6fb2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to admit I’m not usually a fan
of records that are vocal-lite, but there’s no doubt what album deserves the
top spot this year. French EDM duo Daft Punk takes the best of their 90 dance
oriented sound and infuses an old school production to create an absolutely
timeless record. The album was recorded with real instruments, a full orchestra
and choir which gives their sometimes robotic sound a warm feeling. They also
hired some of the music industry’s biggest producers to work with them. Nile Rodgers
(Chic, Diana Ross, Madonna) gives them the chart smash and best song of 2013
“Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself To Dance”. Rodger’s signature guitar licks and
melodies are unmistakable infectious and pulls you right in, both songs
co-written and sung by Pharrell Williams just can’t get any better. The album’s
other opus “Giorgio By Moroder” tells the story of the king of Eurodance and
music maker of Donna Summer”, with no vocals aside from his little prologue
story the song goes on into dancefloor bliss, mixing the sounds of the 70’s
with, as Moroder expresses, the “sound
of the future”. Many of the songs like “Within”, the relaxing “Motherboard” and
“Beyond” take you on an atmospheric trip, the latter begins with a beautifully
orchestrated segment and settles into a Daft Punk –esque groove. I could easily
see their music as a score to a major film or story. “Instant Crush” featuring Julian
Casablancas of the Strokes, and “Fragments of Time" featuring Todd Edwards
both sound like lost forgotten 80’s synth records. Then there is the odd “Touch” sung by American
composer singer/songwriter and actor Paul Williams known for writing for the
Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, and the theme to the Love Boat TV show. The song
is a slow groove, a 70’s acid trip mixed with “vocoder” style vocals,
sandwiched between emotive vocal verses that sound like the Phantom Of the
Opera rising. This isn’t a hard beat high BPM house album; all the sounds are
filtered and sophisticated, robotic yet somehow organic at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2) Electric—Pet Shop Boys</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the sophisticated slow jam
album “Elysium” released just a year ago the boys come back with their 12<sup>th</sup>
studio album. Produced by Stuart Price, "Electric" is a high octane dance floor banger that
piers half their ages could only wish for. From the opening “Axis” the albums 9
songs takes you on a fabulous journey. From the Soviet-esque catchy “Bolshy” to
“Love Is A Bourgeois Construct”. The latter based on Michael Nyman’s classical
piece “Chasing Sheep is Best Left to Shepherds” is magnificent, and fits right
up there with some of their best songs, like “Go West” it a gay dance floor anthem
and a broken heart song with tongue and cheek-y lyrics that only Neil can
deliver <i>“love is a bourgeois construct so
I've given up the bourgeoisie”.</i> <i>It's
a blatant fallacy You won't see me with a bunch of roses promising fidelity
Love doesn't mean a thing to me”. </i>The albums centerpiece for me is
“Thursday” featuring UK Rap artist Example whose vocals blend very smoothly
with Neil. The song has a beautiful melody and all the 80’s bells and whistle
of a signature Pet Shop Boys song, but one that could easily play on the radio today. Then
there’s the odd cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Last To Die” but like their
other covers (“Always On My Mind” or U2’s “Where The Street Have No Name”) they
turn it into a new song with a four on the floor dancebeat, a fantastic backing
chant and in my opinion a more effective vocal take by Tennant then by
Springsteen. After listening to it, one wonders if they are talking about its
original intent, the Iraq War or perhaps the Aids epidemic? “Fluorescent”, “Inside
A Dream” and the final track “Vocal” could fill the clubs and keep the kids
dancing all night long, but unlike most EDM music their songs soothe and groove
with you, they have an organic natural feel<i>.
</i>The only track I don’t like is “Shouting In The Evening” a bit too dudstep
for me but maybe the kids will like it.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) Right Place Right Time—Olly Murs</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbn3W7-Tts_QE7sdp9nJuloLu_asrplMa_lCaoWc-_C_qejIpf4Kr83ZEPlSlM6pxUNx-M588zKxXhSXy_x2hsaZ7BKsDjKO44EtWqkfYevm8QcRbdWgGMbjob4uvNbigFy-WeQ12cioX/s1600/olly-murs-right-place-right-time-1348837177-custom-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNbn3W7-Tts_QE7sdp9nJuloLu_asrplMa_lCaoWc-_C_qejIpf4Kr83ZEPlSlM6pxUNx-M588zKxXhSXy_x2hsaZ7BKsDjKO44EtWqkfYevm8QcRbdWgGMbjob4uvNbigFy-WeQ12cioX/s200/olly-murs-right-place-right-time-1348837177-custom-0.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A UK X-Factor runner up, Olly has
proven that a TV product can put out a credible album. Writing alongside some hefty
pop songwriters, Wayne Hector, Claude Kelly and Steve Kipner, Olly hold his
own. His 3<sup>rd</sup> studio release opens up with the fantastic orchestral
gem “Army Of Two". The Canadian release includes the hits “Heat Skips A Beat”
and “Dance with Me Tonight” from his sophomore album, but even the original UK
edition without them has lots of nuggets. The first single “Troublemaker” sound
like a Maroon 5 copycat but who cares, the songs thumping drums and groove is
infectious, I don’t usually like guest rap artists but Flo Rida only adds to
the charm of the song without feeling like it was on add on. “Dear Darlin”
“Hand on My Heart” and “Loud and Clear”, a beautiful uptempo ballad cements
Murrs into a modern crooner à la Robbie Williams, and way better then Robin
Thicke. Yeah a few of the latter tracks are filler but even “Hey You Beautiful”
is fun. “What A Buzz” missing from the Canadian edition is worth seeking out,
Only Olly can make a song about binge drinking with the lyrics “What A
beautiful buzz about the girl I might love” cute. The fabulous title track
could have been his X-Factor winning song but sometimes coming in second is
better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Swings
Both Ways—Robbie Williams</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not a
fan of swing music that’s why this album took me by surprise. A big part of
it has to do with Robbie reuniting with his long time music partner Guy
Chambers, in my opinion his music hasn’t been the same since. Another saving
grace is that the album is half covers and half originals like “Shine My Shoes”
and the first Single “Go Gentle”, an ode to his daughter to beware of men, which is both cute and touching, the song is more big band/pop then swing, musically it
reminds me of his old hits like “Feel. I’m not usually a fan of artists
reinterpreting their old hits but “Swing Supreme” is just genius, I think I like
this version better than the original “Love Supreme”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Robbie is
joined by some of his friends including X-Factor and “Williams wannabe” Olly Murs on the
appropriate I Wan'na Be Like You, Lilly Allen joins him on a acoustic cool
rendition of “Dream A Little Dream”, Michael Bublé sizzles on “Soda Pop” but
Kelly Clarkson eclipses them all on “Little Green Apples”, her voice is
absolutely gorgeous and surprisingly restraint, I actually had to check the
credits twice to make sure it was actually her. The album’s opus is the title
track featuring Rufus Wainwright, which sounds like a long lost movie duet, à
la Fred Astaire and Gina Rogers but gayer if that is possible. Robbie has never
shied away from making fun of himself or the rumours of his sexuality with
Rufus proclaiming: “<i>Now Robbie, everybody
swings both ways, from the butchest, the bandits, the fairest, the faggots and
singers…Face it Robbie you’re a little bit gay”. “</i>Snowblind” and “Minnie
The Moocher” are the low points but even “Puttin' On The Ritz which I’ve heard
many times before makes you want to get up and dance. The Wizard Of Oz’s “If I
Only Had A Brain” is cute and quaint. There’s something about Robbie’s personality
that rubs off into his music and makes you wanting more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5) A--Agnetha Fältskog </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jRJJDkGZrPm6okJDFH_bf4IP6b3qAM5I_klERlO8ryh64wTotaD8AKLVZVdjcsg6U6UeTnmc3FCF302zFTFCZ3LplDVyOJLXY5BUw5h-H2rsPcGIu8GlcUX53CblLuZcgogZYhZC_w8z/s1600/Agnetha+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jRJJDkGZrPm6okJDFH_bf4IP6b3qAM5I_klERlO8ryh64wTotaD8AKLVZVdjcsg6U6UeTnmc3FCF302zFTFCZ3LplDVyOJLXY5BUw5h-H2rsPcGIu8GlcUX53CblLuZcgogZYhZC_w8z/s200/Agnetha+A.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not counting
her 2004 cover album “My Colouring Book” this is the X-ABBA’s first album of
original material since 1987’s “I Stand Alone”. Produced and co-written by
Jörgen Elofsson (Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson) who crafted what
could be the closest to a new ABBA album we probably will ever get. His best
material did not go to Britney or Clarkson, so it’s no wonder that Agnetha fell
in love with the demos and agreed to do a full album. There something
special about Agnetha’s voice, sweet, clear and beautiful, she sounds the same
even after all these years. She doesn’t scream a song to death like the modern
divas but polishes and caresses her voice over the melody. “The One Who Loves
You Now” and “When You Really Loved Someone” are pure Swedish pop magic, if
sung by a 20 something singer they would be huge hits. “Perfume In The Breeze” is
breathtaking while the ballad “Flower” is beautifully heartbreaking. Oddly the
weakest song on the album is the Gary Barlow duet “I Should've Followed You
Home”, it just seem more generic then the rest. “Past Forever” and many of the
songs seem written for her or about her ABBA years and failed relationships. If
you are looking for disco or dance look no further than the marching, thumping Voulez
Vous-ish “Dance Your Pain Away”. “Back On The Radio” is a cute ode to her fans,
while she may not be setting the charts on fire we can be happy that she is
still singing. Jörgen did one thing that Benny and Bjorn couldn’t, he convinced
her to write a song, the final track “I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed”
shows that she was more than just a pretty voice and face. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">6) Since I Saw You Last—Gary Barlow</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Only his 3<sup>rd
</sup>full solo album, Take That’s lead singer/songwriter works his magic
skills. The album leads off with the fabulous piano driven “Requiem”, a Robbie Williams
co-written Beatles-esque tune”. Lead single "Let Me Go", and final track “More
Than Life” are inspired by the popularity of folk/pop groups like Mumford & Sons but I'm happy that the rest of the album stays away from this sound. Keane’s keyboardist Tim
Rice-Oxley joins Gary on the rock stadium ballad “Jump”. The album’s
centerpiece is the Elton John duet “Face To Face”, one of 3 songs co-written by
John Shanks, Elton sounds fabulous on this piano driven uptempo number. “G_D” is
a beautiful heartfelt look at modern society, religion and morals, <i>“If you found God and he gave you hope /
Would you tell the world or save your soul. If you found God, would you take
him home / Would you open the curtains or keep them closed”. </i>The cute
melodic boyband track<i> </i>“Small Town
Girls” will make heats flutter, his voice on this track proves why he was
chosen as the lead singer of Take That. The excellent “6th Avenue” sounds like
he is channeling the best of Billy Joel, too bad popular music is too EDM
to accept this type of song. “We Like To Love” for me is the weakest track, a
bit boring although it does sound a lot like an old Take That songs, I could
hear Mark Owen singing this, the ending with just the piano and his falsetto is
really pretty. The album gets back on track with “This House” and the title
track, Gary sings <i>“I’ve made my peace with what may
happen / Accepted I won’t be in fashion”, </i> in response to the criticism of being “settled in” or too middle of the road, but why should these songs be any less
valuable then the latest hip hop, dubstep or rock metal invasion. If you want
wretched emotions check out the touching “Dying Inside”. The Deluxe edition
includes 3 extra songs, the first 2 are filler but the last one “The Song I'll
Never Write” is worth checking out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> <b>7) </b></o:p><b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Word
Of Mouth—The Wanted</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cross
between a boyband and the sound of Colplay The Wanted seem to always play second
fiddle to the mega group One Direction. Word
Of Mouth is their 3<sup>rd,</sup> 2nd or 1<sup>st</sup> album depending which
country you are from. There are so many different versions from a 12 track
regular edition to a 16 to 18 song deluxe editions that it’s hard to know which
one to review. In North America the album includes the 2 years old smash “Glad
You Come” while it omits the dance club hit “Chasing The Sun” which is on the UK
CD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s go
with the newer songs. The album opens with the sing-a-long bar drinking anthem “We
Own The Night” followed by “In The Middle” and “Out Of Reason” both are solid
pop songs but they don’t compare to the next 3 tracks. “I Found You” released earlier this year is a
thumping EDM dance track with one of the best falsetto of the year. The Dr Luke
penned “Walks Like Rihanna” had mega-hit written all over it, why it didn’t
happen is beyond me. “Show Me Love
(America)” is absolutely lush with a beautiful string arrangement and orchestra.
The next few tracks go into deeper dance club territory with the generic
“Summer Alive” and even harder dubstep “Glow In The Dark”. Check out the last
song on the regular edition “Everybody Knows”, it's one of the most honest songs
on the album. The boys have a spattering of co-writing credits throughout the
album but I was surprised this wasn’t one of them. The song written by pop hit
makers Steve Mac and Claude Kelly feels tailor made. The extra 6 tracks
unfortunately don’t match up to the rest of the album. The album needs a bit
more cohesiveness, but with so many pre-single releases and a two year plus
recording time, it’s no wonder it feels thrown together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">8) </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">20/20
Experience Part One—Justin Timberlake</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another slickly
produced album by Timberlake and Timbaland. Unlike their previous effort this
isn’t hard dance but a slow romping jam excursion with songs like the beautifully
orchestrated “Pusher Love Girl”, and “Spaceship Coupe”, it then moves into
Barry White territory on “Strawberry Bubble Gum. I love the jazz infused
sophisticated pop songs like “Suit & Tie”, the horn sections are fabulous,
but I could really do without Jay-Z, I don’t see what his rap adds to any song.
The album is chalk full of hits from “Tunnel Love” to the Grammy nominated “Mirrors”.
“Let The Groove Get In” is a nice change of pace, a Cuban inspired Gloria Estefan type of song. I realize his absence from the music scene prompted JT to
release a “Part 2” album a few months later, but I wish he would have pruned it
down to one album of best tracks including the amazing song on Part 2 "Take Back The Night” inspired by the 70’s
groove of The BeeGees, it would have made one hell of an album. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">9) </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Loved
Me Back To Life—Celine Dion</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few
low key albums, Celine comes back with a vengeance. A change in her singing and
approach is evident with the incredible “Water and A Flame”, her voice isn’t
over powering like usual but subtle, warm and rich, it has texture that she
hasn’t had before. “Somebody Loves Somebody” is the type of pop I’ve been
waiting for her to make, modern current but not too far away from her roots.
The Title track ventures slightly into dubstep but I find it a bit overproduced,
not digging the stuttering “I-I-I-I-I’s”, I think it was a misfire to release
it as the first single. The Ne-Yo written duet is absolutely fabulous, and he
really holds up to Celine’s vocals, a feat which is not easy, the song is a
huge hit in the making. “Beakaway” and “Didn’t Know Love” are beautiful and emotional
ballad either could be singles. “Save Your Soul” keeps the album going strong
with cool slice of R&B groove just as good as her contemporaries. “Thank
you” is not single material but another good track, unfortunately this is where
the album starts losing steam. I love Stevie Wonder's song “Overjoyed” but
I hate this production by “Tricky” Stewart and his team on this duet, they slow
it down to a syrupy, drippy version that just clogs my ears. The album’s other
cover Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” is poignant when Celine explains why she
covered it but it just doesn’t sound right. The Walter Afanasieff produced
“Always Be Your Girl” and Diane Warren’s “Unfinished Songs” are good but they venture back into her safe repertoire.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> 10) </o:p><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Closer To
The Truth—Cher</span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0JSZguJnvUoccr3xVnt8_rU4cRHYhVVBQGWSVuFOShjl8eSo-zWWlMv1OPdy9WLQZovx4xzTZ5O-KHLV2XMAXTdyREZ2HRCLbWjf9BF-MEgTmDhnGrPoTVdkcRmonPI2aYJvvD9rAOqL/s1600/cher-closer-to-the-truth-album-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0JSZguJnvUoccr3xVnt8_rU4cRHYhVVBQGWSVuFOShjl8eSo-zWWlMv1OPdy9WLQZovx4xzTZ5O-KHLV2XMAXTdyREZ2HRCLbWjf9BF-MEgTmDhnGrPoTVdkcRmonPI2aYJvvD9rAOqL/s200/cher-closer-to-the-truth-album-cover.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn’t
enamored at first with this album but it has to do with the first 2 tracks and
lead singles “Woman’s World”, and “Take
It Like A Man”, both tracks are a bit dance generic, I love the sentiment on
both but outside of the 2AM rave party they don’t offer much musically. The album
doesn’t start cooking till the 3<sup>rd</sup> song “My Love” a beautiful
melodic song that while is in dance mode I could easily see making a great ballad.
“Dressed To Kill” “Red” and “Lovers Forever” continue the club oriented side of
the album and a nod to her gay fans. What I like to call side 2, tracks 7-11 turn
into a rock/pop oriented sound. The Pink penned “I Walk Alone” is one of the
standout songs. It starts off with a country riff, turns into rock/pop on the verses
and then goes slightly dance on the refrain, it sounds eclectic but it all works
together beautifully. “Sirens” is the centerpiece on the album, a beautiful
wind sweeping ballad. “Favorite Scars” sounds like it was tailor written for her,
while “I Hope You Find It” originally sung by Miley Cyrus seems to have found a
new home, way better in Cher’s repertoire. The album ends off with another
great track “Lie To Me” written by Pink. There’s no doubt that Cher and her
team had 2 ideas for this album, one for the dance clubs, the other more in
style with her 80’s music. I’m fine with that, I just wish they would have opted
for different singles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Top Singles of 2013<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.
<!--[endif]-->Get Lucky--Daft Punk <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2.
<!--[endif]-->All-American Boy--Steve Grand <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3.
<!--[endif]-->Same Love --Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
featuring Mary Lambert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4.
<!--[endif]-->Troublemaker--Olly Murs <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5.
<!--[endif]-->Walks Like Rihanna --The Wanted <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6.
<!--[endif]-->Take Back The Night --Justin Timberlake <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7.
<!--[endif]-->Love is a Bourgeois Construct--Pet Shop Boys<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8.
<!--[endif]-->Wrecking Ball --Miley Cyrus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9.
<!--[endif]-->Story Of My Life--One Direction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10.
<!--[endif]-->Show Me Love (America)--The Wanted <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">11.
<!--[endif]-->Face To Face--Gary Barlow and Elton John<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12.
<!--[endif]-->King Of Everything—Boy George<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13.
<!--[endif]-->Popular Song--Mika and Ariana Grande<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">14.
<!--[endif]-->Burn--Ellie Goulding <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">15.
<!--[endif]-->Thursday --Pet Shop Boys <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">16.
<!--[endif]-->Loud & Clear--Olly Murs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">17.
<!--[endif]-->Gypsy--Lady Gaga<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">18.
<!--[endif]-->Army Of Two --Olly
Murs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">19.
<!--[endif]-->I Hope You Find It--Cher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20.
<!--[endif]-->Incredible (Duet With Ne-Yo)-- Céline Dion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21.
<!--[endif]-->Dance Your Pain Away--Agnetha Fältskog <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">22.
<!--[endif]-->Mirrors Justin Timberlake<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">23.
<!--[endif]-->Go Gentle--Robbie Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">24.
<!--[endif]-->In A World Like This--Backstreet Boys<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">25.
<!--[endif]-->Half of Me--Geri Halliwell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-64725447435031095852013-10-07T22:23:00.002-07:002013-10-08T18:02:19.267-07:00Pet Shop Boys Queen Elizabeth Theatre October 3rd 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmLmD3P3CcmJEvA42T3M-mLnXU3jn9mJOSLlsPEd5Kgz6Y_lkp98XK3jmT7IGXRON6fYGKbib_wmH4-JIEInb7EifNiXaRSEykCK6zYj0FVhF_HhaYhbgLpQ-MKbdxCVRKsvypw22YOBc/s1600/image.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmLmD3P3CcmJEvA42T3M-mLnXU3jn9mJOSLlsPEd5Kgz6Y_lkp98XK3jmT7IGXRON6fYGKbib_wmH4-JIEInb7EifNiXaRSEykCK6zYj0FVhF_HhaYhbgLpQ-MKbdxCVRKsvypw22YOBc/s320/image.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
Two albums in less than a year, a world tour and the “boys”
are still going strong. At 8:10 the show opened up with a shear curtain
covering the theater stage, you could see Neil and Chris’ outline over flashing
graphic images like out a video game with rushing tunnels transporting us to
another dimension, all to the the sound of their new album opener and dance
club banger “Axis”. The curtain stayed up for a mash up of "One More Chance” from
their first LP with “A Face Like That” from the underrated “Elysium” project, their
last for Parlophone records. The projection screen was well done but the crowd
was happy when the curtain fell to the sounds of “Let’s Make Lots of Money…”
from then on everybody stood up and never sat down.<br />
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The Boys have a large repertoire to choose from, this show
could have easily been a greatest hits tour, while many hits were played it’s
obvious the Boys are doing it for the die hard fans, many cuts from the two new
albums were played along with some lesser known hits like “Miracles”, “Rent”,
the B-side “I Get Excited”, and their glorious dance version of Bernstein and Sondheim's “Somewhere”. I have to admit a few of these songs seemed to go over
the heads of the audience which to my surprise was a mixed bag of young/old
straight and gay. While some might have been lost to the unknown tunes, the incredible laser
show kept most of the audience mesmerized, one thing you are never bored at a Pet Shop Boys concert. They had two dancers which were OK but
didn’t seem to always dance in unison. Tennant who almost had as many exotic wardrobe
changes as Cher (a rubber jacket made out entirely of straws and a metal bulls
head hat covering his face) seemed in great form although he sounded a bit hoarse at the beginning
of the show, his voice sounded better on the newer tracks as oppose to songs
like “West End Girls”. “I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing” preceded by the “Rite of Spring” was my favorite highlight but the winner of the night artistically was “Love Etc.” with both Neil and Chris strapped to vertical beds while images of moving bodies where projected below their heads.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0uK4MTWSgPaHI1QwCSaJZqxV5GOohi4u6jzqMoRxLcpODBisJjgodBLLmi-oKNetIhHDP3iPqnS5avMYlapPbAjfNLe00hc8mx6qUcAJqPyy3l7L-SxSjM18sVH93Wg2DFWypeiTc9EO/s1600/1377462_10151598352726403_473145023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0uK4MTWSgPaHI1QwCSaJZqxV5GOohi4u6jzqMoRxLcpODBisJjgodBLLmi-oKNetIhHDP3iPqnS5avMYlapPbAjfNLe00hc8mx6qUcAJqPyy3l7L-SxSjM18sVH93Wg2DFWypeiTc9EO/s320/1377462_10151598352726403_473145023_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Neil who usually seems stiff in concert finally seemed to loosen up at the end with “It’s A Sin”, and then let the audience sing almost the entire version of “Domino Dancing” but he came right back with<i>“ I think you might
know this one”</i> before going into the fan favorite cover of “Always on my Mind”,
and the encore “Go West”. The show ended with the appropriate “Electric” LP
album closer “Vocal” Neil sings: <i>“I like
the people, I like the song, this is my kind of music, they play it all night
long, I like the singer, he’s lonely and strange, every track has a vocal</i>…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
…how true.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <b>Setlist </b></o:p><br />
<o:p><b><br /></b></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Axis
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One
More Chance / A Face Like That <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Opportunities
(Let's Make Lots of Money) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Memory
Of The Future<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHchojEpD2VgXtgUa3dt-UziL-KR5FqyRDYe95L3RtnKfv4NITyFZhvfKXEvldML-gIRELVwfum09IFYoijjejajRgwRlP3rt3tdxv-Y8JTxTaFzdRkxbfZFK8CbqN84dwzi7OpHqoF61l/s1600/1377462_10151598352726403_473145023_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Fugitive
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Integral
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I
Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind of Thing <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Suburbia
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I'm
Not Scared <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Fluorescent
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->11.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->West End
Girls <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->12.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Somewhere <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->13.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Leaving <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->14.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Thursday <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->15.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Love Etc. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->16.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I Get
Excited (You Get Excited Too) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->17.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Rent <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->18.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Miracles <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->19.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->It's a Sin
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->20.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Domino
Dancing <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->21.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Always on
My Mind <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Encore:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->22.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Go West <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->23.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Vocal<o:p></o:p></div>
Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-22826265254717133812013-07-13T19:34:00.000-07:002013-07-13T19:43:48.852-07:00Pat Benatar Rocks Victoria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPC836B3ip-Cei7WlNGUCy74MZVksJd1OAEWbj1cON_ugA4eHrQAUzB2HdXnS0sqpoFv2-Mxkvdb5ZPjjXmeXPrCBUfd_vjWkBDAf_FEcGlMUxci5D1Cz9FdKQ0p30YR6XrLNqvurKMv4/s1600/9c07aadb7a730777894a5eb20022cf84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPC836B3ip-Cei7WlNGUCy74MZVksJd1OAEWbj1cON_ugA4eHrQAUzB2HdXnS0sqpoFv2-Mxkvdb5ZPjjXmeXPrCBUfd_vjWkBDAf_FEcGlMUxci5D1Cz9FdKQ0p30YR6XrLNqvurKMv4/s320/9c07aadb7a730777894a5eb20022cf84.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She’s been
doing it the hard way for almost 35 years and she is still going strong. Pat
Benatar now headlining with her “guitarist guru” husband Neil Giraldo is taking
concert goers by storm. Neil has been by her side since the beginning; he wrote
quite a few of their hits and produced her signature sound. The two are
absolutely adorable together. After watching their stage banter and the
wonderful “behind the scenes” music segments which is part of the show, it only
makes sense that he shares the marquee. Her voice has a bit more rasp to it but
is still incredible as ever, she’s like a good wine that just gets better with
age, she puts to shame just about any artist from the past 2 decades. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The show
called for 7:30 and ten minutes in (which seemed needed to get people to their
seats) she hit the stage playing for about an hour and a half. From the first
licks of “All Fired Up” the show never stopped rocking. I have to admit I was a
bit confused since they advertised the Victoria show as an acoustic one, but for
once am I glad that was a false advertisement, acoustic can be cool but Benatar
fans like to see her rock. In 1986 at the height of her career, my best bud and
I got tickets for her “Seven The Hard Way” tour at the Montreal Forum. That’s
why when she said this next song is from “Seven The Hard Way, I reverted to
that 19 years old kid seeing Benatar for that first time, as “Sex As A Weapon”
started I could not help but mimic the video with my hands in “The Supremes”
stopping motion. I wanted to dance but nobody was getting up, Victoria audiences
really suck, how can you be that subdued at a Benatar concert? By the time “Hit
Me With Your Best Shot” came on a few of us got up and never sat down. My only
complaint is that I found the setlist at 13 songs a bit short. Most concerts at
this price usually have close to 20 songs. She sang her 4 top ten singles from “We
Belong” to Love is a Battlefield but a few other hits like the fabulous “We Live
For Love”, Fire and Ice, and “Shadows Of The Night” a favorite, was missing. Promises
In The Dark was a definite highlight, I never really loved the song that much
till that night. “Hell Is For Children” was poignant and incredible, she
mentioned they sing that song at every show and will continue to do so until
this horrible crime stops. Some of the deeper cuts like “Everybody Lay Down” was
fab, but “So Sincere” and “Let’s Stay Together” could have been replaced with
so many better options, anything from Tropico or Seven The Hard Way. What I
wouldn’t give to hear “Run Between The Raindrops”. The finale which incorporated
Jonny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” with “Heartbreaker” was genius; maybe she should
cover the song on a future album? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All
Fired Up <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Invincible
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So
Sincere <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sex
As A Weapon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Promises
in the Dark <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We
Belong <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hell
Is for Children <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
Better Run <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hit
Me with Your Best Shot <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Love Is a Battlefield <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Encore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Everybody Lay Down <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let's Stay Together</span><br />
13. Heartbreaker / Ring
of Fire / Heartbreaker</div>
Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-41580768965215069022013-06-01T00:37:00.000-07:002013-06-01T00:51:13.929-07:00Sting Back To Bass Tour Victoria Save On Food Memorial Center<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd-rReUlluTYAWkkJwi_oxZh0TjuqubCtlW5lG1LnEBaO4RTaQfYwzybNkm3Q1BwPlAl8jwma2xFCHswOGIUPxlEgaUq7YhtH-9tXHoq7dZ1BuFFVYHYYde8QkHCJkzRy2vhigVKDwqHV/s1600/4fcf617ce92fe.preview-620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZd-rReUlluTYAWkkJwi_oxZh0TjuqubCtlW5lG1LnEBaO4RTaQfYwzybNkm3Q1BwPlAl8jwma2xFCHswOGIUPxlEgaUq7YhtH-9tXHoq7dZ1BuFFVYHYYde8QkHCJkzRy2vhigVKDwqHV/s320/4fcf617ce92fe.preview-620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t be late to Sting’s Back To Bass Tour, the show called
for 8:00 and at exactly 8:10 without any opening act or build up, he is on stage
playing the first bars of <b>“If I Ever Lose My Faith In You”</b>. Not sure if it’s
the Save On Food Memorial venue, the incredible band or both but sound and acoustics were the best I’ve ever heard in a long time.<b> “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”</b>,
sounded better the original recording. I could hear every sound and instrument
clearly. His voice hasn’t aged; it was pristine, he held some long notes that
only a few Idol divas can do that took me by surprised. He was definitely in
top form rocking the stage like it was the 80’s, the band was superb check out
the incredible violinist that does a few solos. <b>“Englishman In New York”</b> had an
brief instrumental remix break that I just loved. Most songs sounded faithful,
but I was a bit disappointed with<b> “Wrapped Around Your Finger”</b>, I’m, not a fan
of slowing down songs, it sounded like a drugged down reggae version, however the
light show during the song was really cool. <b>“Roxanne”</b> was slightly different
but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, then in the middle of the song it took
a strange jazzy turn only to go back into the original by the end, I can’t
forget the blinded red light that shined throughout the song. My big complaint
always goes to setlist. He did a big cross section of his career but there was
too many album tracks that I didn’t find that interesting, I could have done
without <b>“I Hung My Head”</b>, <b>“Driven To Tears”</b>, <b>“Next To You”</b>, <b>“Heavy Cloud No
Rain”</b>, and <b>“The Hounds Of Winter"</b>, from his least successful album<b> Mercury Falling</b>,
I know there is a fine line between just doing Greatest Hits and fan favorites
but I felt he lost the crowd, are any of these liked that much? Why would he completely ignore his Grammy
nominated hit making solo record <b>“The Dream Of The Blue Turtles”</b> he did not play
one song from it, Does he hate <b>“If You Love Somebody”</b> that much? <b>“All This Time”</b>
is cute but he could have done so many other singles instead. He did 2 encores,
<b>“Desert Rose”</b> followed by <b>“King Of Pain”</b> and <b>“Every Breath You Take”</b> was just magical.
The show ended with the mellow moment of <b>“Fragile”</b>, just a few minutes shy of 2
hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A review by the <a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/music-review-sting-brings-his-best-stuff-1.309070">Times Colonist</a> said he played <b>“Walking On The
Moon”</b> but unless I was sleeping I do not remember him playing it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Setlist:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1. If I Ever Lose My Faith
In You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2. Every Little Thing She
Does Is Magic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">3. Englishman In New York<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">4. All This Time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">5. Demolition Man<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">6. I Hung My Head<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">7. Fields Of Gold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">8. Driven To Tears<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">9. Heavy Cloud No Rain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">10. Message In A Bottle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">11. Shape Of My Heart<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">12. The Hounds Of Winter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">13. Wrapped Around Your
Finger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">14. De Do Do Do, De Da Da
Da<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">15. Roxanne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">1<sup>st</sup> Encore<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">16. Desert Rose<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">17. King Of Pain<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">19. Every Breath You Take<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> ENCORE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">20. Next To You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">21. Fragile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-43975292844351592092012-12-30T10:10:00.000-08:002014-01-03T19:07:11.369-08:002012 The Year In Review<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">For a year with a lot of
“pop music” I actually found it difficult to choose the ten best. There were
many good albums but nothing really blew me away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I flip flopped back and
forth with the #1 position any of my top 5 could have filled the bill but I
believe that the Scissor Sisters and Mika produced superior products and
interesting outputs. A few albums surprised me like Lionel Richie’s country
“Tuskegee”, which become one of the top ten selling albums of the year in the
USA, and Kylie Minogue’s “Abbey Road”, I did not think I would like either of
them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">A few albums missed my top
ten like Taylor Swift’s “Red” which had some great tracks but I found needed
more pruning, The Wanted’s North American EP, and One Direction who had two albums chart at #1, “Take Me Home” could have made my list but I thought their
first effort had better tracks. The most surprising is two of my favorite divas
not making my list. The first is Madonna, I originally liked “MDNA” but it
quickly wore off, she really needs to rethink her music for her next album.
Then there’s Celine Dion who French album “Sans Attendre” just didn’t cut it
for me despite the great single “Parler A Mon Père”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The single charts were much
more interesting than the albums charts, they were ruled by Riahnna, Marron 5,
Fun, Gotye (who topped the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the year), Taylor Swift
and Canadian Idol Carly Rae Jepsen (who didn’t cover “Call Me Maybe”),
unfortunately I found her full length album really disappointing. There were
great singles by the Scissor Sisters, Mika, One Direction and Ke$ha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Top Ten Albums of 2012</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_caSfufDqCKl2u3o8xfBZp_RV5Iiu68BqZrKRxKHEM7anhMNXfp6kcLrfiID8wv1H7zT4Blxre68qI5omTEl1IdpoC09_US0lNpbijUj6JlsvsM_7W2G8SFJNysx-bTTsIcw6oRutgZPR/s1600/music_scissor_sisters_magic_hour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_caSfufDqCKl2u3o8xfBZp_RV5Iiu68BqZrKRxKHEM7anhMNXfp6kcLrfiID8wv1H7zT4Blxre68qI5omTEl1IdpoC09_US0lNpbijUj6JlsvsM_7W2G8SFJNysx-bTTsIcw6oRutgZPR/s200/music_scissor_sisters_magic_hour.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>1) Magic Hour—Scissor Sisters</b><br />
<br />
</span></u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Their
best effort since their debut album the “Sisters” keep delivering solid,
exciting and fabulous music, from Jake’s plead to his lover on the sultry “Baby
come home” to their Calvin Harris collaboration “Only The Horses” one of the
best dancefloor tracks of the year, so much better than “We Found Love” which
Harris gave to Rihanna. “Inevitable”
produced by Pharrell Williams for the Neptunes is lush and gorgeous, Jake’s
falsetto evokes memories of the BeeGees at their best, while “The Year Of Living
Dangerously” feels like a James Bond theme, maybe they could replace Adele next
time. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The album is a bit of a
mixed bag “San Luis Obispo” is a typical Spanish/Island flavoured ditty but hey
if Madonna could do it why can’t they? While never boring some of the tracks
like “Keep Your Shoes On”, and “Shady Love” which I find mildly annoying
especially Jake’s attempt at Hip Hop, are kind of hit and miss, but a “Sister”
miss is still better than a chart hit by any other. </span><br />
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</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Self Control” turns to the house beats of the 90’s, while the average “Best In Me” is kind of forgotten by the end of your listen. Luckily the last 2 songs get back on track with the beautifully haunting “The Secret Life of Letters” and “Somewhere” the Pet Shop Boys-esque dance jam that is pure bliss, this song should have been a single.</span></span><br />
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Then there’s “KIKI”, who would have thought that this would be the song
everybody including Hollywood’s stars would be clamoring about. The little Ms
Matronic jam, with nothing but pulsating drums over her complaints about having
her “par-tee” closed down even took the TV show Glee by storm, yet despite all
that the Sisters have yet to produce a hit single in the USA. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUzqRzBgUs9V3HwBjJM4b1nuue1910rPHaj1R-XgFC1HHb4yjJD7PC9cCmJ1bqY5X3_gpqJCQG-jX8Q8r9QTzx1F-52xiafeV1o0gQZ3519nuLFAJ5K-KTdGDRaJEJpaJY8yxuKXz6UYe/s1600/mika-the-origin-of-love-535x535.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUzqRzBgUs9V3HwBjJM4b1nuue1910rPHaj1R-XgFC1HHb4yjJD7PC9cCmJ1bqY5X3_gpqJCQG-jX8Q8r9QTzx1F-52xiafeV1o0gQZ3519nuLFAJ5K-KTdGDRaJEJpaJY8yxuKXz6UYe/s200/mika-the-origin-of-love-535x535.jpeg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>2) The Origin Of Love—Mika</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">When you open a Mika album
you never know what you are going to get, but melody and lots of fun are a
given. This album his 3<sup>rd</sup>, feels a little more grown up and less
sugary pop, but he hasn’t lost his sense of wonder, poetry or joy. Many
collaborate with him including some of the industry’s best. Nick Littlemore
from the Australia dance duo Pnau lends a hand for a many of the songs including
the fabulous title track whose melody and lyrics <i>“Love is a drug and you are my
cigarette, love is addiction and you are my Nicorette”</i>, “sticks in your head like
glue, but once the breakdown/guitar verses kicks in, its bliss, this song has
everything from pulsating drums, a double chorus <i>“to the one I love…”</i>, too bad
it’s too unique for radio. “Lola” is a fun synth 70’s bass line romp but
following it is my favorite track “Stardust” produced by Benni Benassi, a fantastical
dance floor pulsating jam over Mika’s fab falsetto. “Make You Happy” whose
video was filmed in Montreal, has a beautiful synth and string arrangements
melded over an auto tuned muffled chorus which produces a really nice effect. “Underwater” is
a stunning and haunting piano electro ballad, a song begging to be a big film
score. “Kids” sound like an old familiar 70’s classic tune but updated to our
time, while “I Love You When I’m Drunk” is a fun take on his love life. “Step with
Me’ is a bit too formulaic for me but I give two thumbs up to the track
“Popular Song” with Priscilla Renea, both authors give a big “middle finger” to
their haters in high school with a cheeky silly synth song. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">“Heroes” is a heartfelt and
bittersweet song especially in this time of civil war around the world,
<i>“fighting someone else’s’ war”</i> Mika’s sing <i>“Your blood on me, my blood on you”</i>,
<i>“Heroes aren’t meant to survive”</i>. The moment doesn’t last long as Mika breaks
up the sombre tone with Pharrell Williams for “Celebrate” a Madonna-esque dance
floor anthem perfect to dust off the sadness.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Included is Emily the
English version of his fabulous French song “Elle Me Dit”, whose friends tells
him to stop wasting his life, get off his ass and do something with his life,
write a song, make a million dollars, while he might not be making millions or
having many hits, he and I are having lots of fun, eh Emily?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>3) Elysium—Pet Shop Boys</b></span></u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
Nobody does smooth electronic dance music like the boys, from the opening track
“Leaving”, you feel like you are covered in a warm and fuzzy blanket of beats.
We aren’t talking about hit you over head like Guetta or Calvin Harris but
soothing melodies. A departure and less “pop” then their previous effort “Yes”
this album takes a few listens to get into. Unfortunately it starts off in my
opinion with a few week tracks. “Invisible’ is a little too low key for me. The
single “Winner” picks it up a bit and it only gets better from there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I love how the boys they
both don’t take their status too seriously, they get cheeky and make fun of
themselves with the inspired story “Early Stuff” about a cabbie who chats
them up on a ride <i>“You've been around but you don't look too rough, And I still
quite like some of your early stuff” </i>Neil sings<i> “Those old videos look pretty
funny What's in it for you now, need the money?"They say that management never
used to pay, honestly you were ripped off back in the day”</i>. Then there’s “Ego
Music” at first listen I found the song annoying, but I think that was the
point, this song most likely about Kanye West and his rapper buddies<i> “Ego
music, it’s all about me”</i> , <i>sense of entitlement…”</i> How ironic that the boys
hired Andrew Dawson (Kanye’s album engineer) to produce the album.<br />
<br />
“A Face Like That” and “Hold On” bring us back to the old PSB’s, I love the
latter whose choir like atmosphere are matched along with the cheeky lyrics <i>“Hold
on hold on or the world will end today”</i>. "Breathing Space" and "Give It A Go" are
just middle ground but the album really shines with 2 songs buried at the end.
“Memory Of the Future” is a Pet Shop Boys opus, Neil sing <i>“It’s taking me all
of my life to find you”</i> his voice surrounded with swirling magical, melodic
synthesizers, covering him in a warm blanket of pure bliss. “Requiem in Denim
and Leopard skin” is like finding an old Pet Shop Boys gem that was lost in a
vault, unfortunately the song sounds like a happy “goodbye” from the boys, let
hope this is not the case.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b><br />4) Up All Night—One Direction</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Only Simon Cowell can turn
five unknown twinks, into the world’s biggest superstars. It might not last
long but he knows how to get what he wants from the best in the business. From
the brilliant debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” the album is filled with
great slick and fun produced pop songs, almost any song could be single
material. “One Thing” is just as good as it’s predecessor and the title track
was screaming to be released</span><i style="line-height: 115%;"> “Katy Perry’s on a plane, she’s on a plane”</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> they
sing over a thumping beat as good as any of Perry’s hits. “More Than This” and
“Taken” fill the slots for pretty ballad which don’t sound kiddy but grown up band. “Tell Me A lie” penned by
Kelly Clarkson” is a rocking rolling dance gem along with the Beatles/Take That
sounding “I Want”. Even the songs they co- write like “Everything About You”
holds up to the other tracks. The album ends off with 2 of the best </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">tracks</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> “Save You
Tonight” and "Stole My Heart" which is one
the best dance songs of the year, I don’t understand why they released a 2</span><sup style="line-height: 115%;">nd</sup><span style="line-height: 115%;">
album so quickly instead of releasing this as a single, a wasted opportunity.</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>5) Overexposed—Maroon 5</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Inspired by their mega hit
“Moves Like Jagger” the new album produced by hit maker Max Martin (Backstreet
Boys, Kelly Clarkson, and many others),
venture the boys into a pop infused dubstep album, from the opening reggae
influenced song “One More Night” which spent 9 weeks at #1 to their previous
single “Payphone”, the album is jammed packed with winners. “Daylight”, “Lucky
Strike” (with Ryan Tedder) and “Love Somebody” with its clever synth 80’s hook
are future hits in the waiting. “The Man Who Never Lied” is a sly rocking
thumping dance romp with Adam trying to convince himself it’s OK to not tell
the truth. “Ladykiller” is olf Maroon 5 with a funky baseline, less production and more vocals, but “Fortune
Teller” and “Tickets” goes right back into dubstep. Favorite track is the
Shellback produced “Doing’ Dirt” which feels like a long lost 70’s disco gem crossed
with the Sugababes “Red Dress”. Could Maroon 5 be the crowned kings of the
dancefloor? Maybe so. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">If you get the deluxe edition be sure to check out </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">their fabulous</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> jazzed up version of </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">Prince's</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> "Kiss".</span></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>6) Tuskegee—Lionel Richie</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The idea of Lionel Richie
doing a country album might confused the average music listener, but if you
were more attentive you would see that his songs like “Stuck On You” and “Deep
River Woman” are pure Country, not to mention the mega hit “Lady” which he penned
for Kenny Rogers. For this project Lionel got some of country’s best singers
and musicians to duet with him. When I first heard snippets of the album I was
a bit disappointed but after hearing the full LP I love it. R&B staples like my favourite “You Are”
with Blake Sheldon are just as good if not better, this guitar flavoured
version only adds to the song without taking away any of the original magic.
“My Love” with Kenny Chesney, “Sail On” with Tim Mcgraw and “Stuck On You” with
Daruis Rucker are perfect. “Deep River Woman” with Little Big Town, in my
opinion rivals the original sung with Alabama back in 1986 on his “Dancing On
The Ceiling album”, the harmonies here are gorgeous, this song needed this
production. A song that should have been a bigger hit “Just For You” is another
stand out with Billy Currington. “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland,
is an interesting mix but I’m not sure their vocals work well together while
“Easy” with Willie Nelson sounds like it could have been written for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">I only wish it was less of a
Greatest Hits list, “Dancing On The Ceiling” and “All Night Long” do not
translate into country, Lionel what were you thinking? Even Rascal Flatts
couldn’t country-fi “Ceiling”. “All Night Long” gets saved by going more island
flavoured then country with the help of Jimmy Buffet and some cool Hawaiian
like steel drums. “Say You Say Me” with Jason Aldean is another oddity that
doesn’t translate well. I read all about
the lengths Lionel went through to get Shania Twain to record “Endless
Love”, but I don’t think their vocals match well plus did we really need
another version? I never liked the Mariah Carey Luther Vandross one, nothing
compares to the original with Diana Ross. Speaking of vocals, despite the guest
list nobody sounds as good as Lionel singing his own songs, his voice still
sounds great, unlike Kenny Rogers who’s losing it, I would have preferred a
solo version of “Lady” instead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1GF34lxPOblOno9i4KZ9VcvWlSz-hL366ZvSnuG1-PIdRS2b7SA1XZGQ-TQwmYQOQrukYStIeot0r6re5-VtkvvEAxqEdWLeVyklTLYD8wBoyY7InavFEVGkVL1OLgmtTRMhyphenhyphenwD4bbgo/s1600/eltonpnau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii1GF34lxPOblOno9i4KZ9VcvWlSz-hL366ZvSnuG1-PIdRS2b7SA1XZGQ-TQwmYQOQrukYStIeot0r6re5-VtkvvEAxqEdWLeVyklTLYD8wBoyY7InavFEVGkVL1OLgmtTRMhyphenhyphenwD4bbgo/s200/eltonpnau.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>7) Good Morning To The
Night—Elton John VS Pnau</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">What happens when you take a
modern electronic Australian duo and give them Elton John’s early classic masters
to play with? You get this little ingenuous piece of heaven. I’ve never like sampled
music, but this album is a whole new ballgame. Elton actually hired the duo
Pnau when he heard their previous recordings and fell in love with their music.
These are not remixes but total reconstructions of his songs. I find that
remixers have gotten quite lazy, Pnau have definitely set the bar high. Every
song has a familiar feel but sounds shiny and new, Pnau have created a certain
atmospheric charm, unlike modern remixes which seem to only hit you with bass
and sound and no melody. Trying to figure out which parts of what song they
used is also part of the fun, they didn’t used his most famous material, the
title track, a UK dance hit, borrows from 'Mona Lisa' and 'Mad Hatters' and 7 other
tracks. “Sad” feels like a long lost disco classic, it doesn’t sound like a
remix but rather a sophisticated new song. “Black Ice Stare” feels like a lost reggae
classic, while “Foreign Fields” is a fantastic take on Elton “High Flying Bird”,
“Telegraph to the Afterlife” slows down to a Beatlesque acid trip and “Phoenix”
take on Elton’s “Grey Seal” to new heights. Only 8 tracks long the album leaves
you wanting more.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReK4ObxHnH58DK4XSbGDFqfl_bDQXhDJckchYTIk64a1xG5Jn2B6hSoaRcJicAvQXeeTPGwLbg2Tj8NkT8BUj-0f2gvaHFr009Lun7hOUb9mUeRTlbGWi-LNhuiFNkCA4s4e0LZ4tZqZD/s1600/216916_10151345380080116_1564333419_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhReK4ObxHnH58DK4XSbGDFqfl_bDQXhDJckchYTIk64a1xG5Jn2B6hSoaRcJicAvQXeeTPGwLbg2Tj8NkT8BUj-0f2gvaHFr009Lun7hOUb9mUeRTlbGWi-LNhuiFNkCA4s4e0LZ4tZqZD/s200/216916_10151345380080116_1564333419_n.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>8) The Abbey Road
Sessions—Kylie Minogue</b><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I thought I was going to be disappointed,
after all who needs a jazzy acoustic album of Kylie’s dancefloor classics? Kylie
is not known for her vocal prowess, but this album definitely delivers. While
some songs are misses, “On A Night Like This” just doesn’t have enough melody
to work, and who needs “Slow” slower, really? Opening track like “All The Lovers”
proves how good a song really is. “Better The Devil You Know’ is fab but we’ve
heard this version in concert before same goes for “I Believe In You and “I Should
Be So Lucky”. “Never Too Late” is absolutely fabulous, a forgotten gem that </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">translates</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> well, same goes for “Finer Feelings”, interesting how most Stock
Aiken and Waterman tracks work well into many mediums and genres proving
that a good melody counts. While I think that “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”
should be banished to never be heard or recorded again, I actually love this
version, the strings/violins are beautiful. Love At First Sight is cute. I was worried
that we would get the snooze jazzy version of “Locomotion” but luckily we get a
somewhat upbeat version. Having Nick Cage record his vocal for “Where The Wild
Roses Grow” was a definite delight, but the true gem is the only new song “Flower”
a fan favorite which up until now was only sung in concert, the sad song (as
most fans speculate), about her longing to have a child, is emotional and poignant.
</span><br /><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Too bad songs like “Spinning Around”
which sounded fabulous when she sang it at the Proms concert was not included
and “Wow” and “In My Arms” were only bonus tracks on certain editions. I would
have preferred less of a hit package and more lost classics that suited the
genre.</span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbsjXFaIbg2R27Yfzr8MCo5hYfhyJASplIiDDYXGCGzjAYj0swCDOL6k148dBFuFNF1YLlhkaE1rYq-pZ7gJCopJxDOptxCBG2fVPuBuJ7s0u2iB0bBEjd8hr0FATuCirVTpnea1WElAt/s1600/take-the-crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbsjXFaIbg2R27Yfzr8MCo5hYfhyJASplIiDDYXGCGzjAYj0swCDOL6k148dBFuFNF1YLlhkaE1rYq-pZ7gJCopJxDOptxCBG2fVPuBuJ7s0u2iB0bBEjd8hr0FATuCirVTpnea1WElAt/s200/take-the-crown.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u style="line-height: 115%;"><b>9) Take The Crown—Robbie Williams</b></u><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /><u><b><br /></b></u><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">After a return to Take That greatness
Robbie delivers another solo album, he claims this is the album he wanted to do
instead of “Reality Killed the Video Star” which I actually liked. While “Take
The Crown” it’s no “Sing When You’re Winning”, or “Escapology”, it’s a valiant
effort.<i> “They said the magic was leaving…”</i> he sings on the opening track, “Be A
Boy”, he still has some magic with the #1 saccharine sweet cutesy UK hit “Candy”,
and the synth 80’s inspired “Shit on the Radio” which reminds me of Queen’s “Radio
Gaga”. “Gospel” sounds a bit like early Robbie rebel but it doesn’t come close
to anything on his first 2 albums. “Different” the required power ballad is likable
enough like “Feel” or Come Undone”. The
next 2 tracks are probably my favorites, “All That I Want” is an 80’s funky electro
sounding piece that could make a good single and “Hunting For You sound more
authentic than anything else on the album, Robbie’s vocals and falsetto really
shines. “Into The Silence” could be another power rock ballad but it tries too
hard and sounds overproduced. “Hey Wow Yeah Yeah” is just filler in my opinion,
I don’t get it. “Not Like The Others” is a bit of return to form, the music
reminds me of good old Robbie but after 3 to 4 songs I’m getting tired of
lyrics about his sex life.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The bonus track “Eight
Letters” originally written and sung by Take That proves that Robbie should
just stay with the group who are producing better pop songs and albums.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sXfyx5B9QI1jUHroWlG0YTnGwk27pepmJRhMYlGOwsbGAl1XJTcA___etXX76nwOFxHtHYDUgVuJwgi75xaG1o6NuksFbAO0lQson7h9xyjc0QwfbmMiUjHFs0_vN8-AEPaSYxil5jjj/s1600/tumblr_marzpjqTmc1qjffalo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sXfyx5B9QI1jUHroWlG0YTnGwk27pepmJRhMYlGOwsbGAl1XJTcA___etXX76nwOFxHtHYDUgVuJwgi75xaG1o6NuksFbAO0lQson7h9xyjc0QwfbmMiUjHFs0_vN8-AEPaSYxil5jjj/s200/tumblr_marzpjqTmc1qjffalo1_1280.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>10) Ke$ha—Warrior</b><br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">My guilty pleasure of the
year. A Dr. Luke/Max Martin production I was actually expecting more, but it’s
Ke$ha, trashy, brassy and fun. “Die Young” is the catchiest pop song of the
year, “<i>I hear your heartbeat, to the beat of your drums…”</i>, Ke$ha definitely goes
to the beat of her own drum and she sings, raps and vomits glitter all over the
dancefloor. I almost wish she would give up the silly raps and autotune, the
fabulous country pop track “Wonderland” proves that she can sing and write a
great song, but unfortunately the other stuff has become her signature.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Highlights
are the catchy guitar driven “Crazy Kids” (wishing she would of deleted the awful
rap parts) , and the unusual garage/rock duet with Iggy Pop “Dirty Love”, who
can’t like a song that name checks Rick Santorum and cockroaches and how they “do
it”, no auto tune here. Her voice sounds great on “Thinking Of You”, a big “f*ck
you” to her ex, is as good as any mad Taylor Swift song but much more fun. “Whenever
You Are” could be another single with it brassy baseline and catchy chorus. So
many tracks could be singles including “I Only Wanna Dance With You” a collaboration
with The Strokes, “Supernatural” with it’s beautiful haunting verses and a brassy
pounding chorus, and “All That Matters (The Beautiful Life)” a thumping 90’s
Ace Of Base like track. The regular edition album ends of with a haunting Phil
Collins like ballad “Love Into The Light”, another testament that she is more
than just a silly pop singer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Best Singles of 2012</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">1.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Only
The Horses—Scissor Sister<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">2.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">What
Makes You Beautiful—One Direction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">3.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Glad
You Came—The Wanted<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">4.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Sad—Elton
John VS Pnau<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">5.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">We
Are Never Ever Getting Back Together—Taylor Swift<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">6.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Flower—Kylie
Minogue<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">7.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Parler
A Mon Pere—Celine Dion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">8.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Call
Me Maybe—Carly Rae Jepsen<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">9.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Memory
Of The Future--Pet Shop Boys<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">10.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Origin
Of Love—Mika<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">11.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Little
Things—One Direction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">12.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Troublemaker—Olly
Murs<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">13.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Celebrate-Mika<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">14.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">One
Thing--One Direction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">15.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Die
Young—Ke$ha<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">16.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Let’s
Have A Kiki--Scissor Sisters<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">17.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Live While We’re Young-One Direction<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">18.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Chasing
The Sun—The Wanted<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">19.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Baby
Come Home-Scissor Sisters<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">20.<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;">Diamonds--riahnna</span></span></div>
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Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-51533719403327870372012-06-24T20:01:00.002-07:002012-06-24T20:07:23.357-07:00The Scissor Sisters rock Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTZ03_ev1qHZKyvQKVKqQh5VHy6hOWwbSzmEezB-ujh_gYfHQKEJlunVUHySubjQQ58D2IYn5q91EHB5np5_VB_M5vOI_WOSLfEH0xNUW4SybaEmKZa80WjOw_Uoj-CeGTaSqmbRdqOSE/s1600/IMG_7430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTZ03_ev1qHZKyvQKVKqQh5VHy6hOWwbSzmEezB-ujh_gYfHQKEJlunVUHySubjQQ58D2IYn5q91EHB5np5_VB_M5vOI_WOSLfEH0xNUW4SybaEmKZa80WjOw_Uoj-CeGTaSqmbRdqOSE/s200/IMG_7430.jpg" width="150" /></a>
Vancouver or “Vagina” as Jake calls it, (it’s his pet name for the
city) had a magical hour and a half as the Scissor Sisters rocked, danced and
poured their heart on stage, from the opening fab<b> “Any Which Way”</b> to the
closing <b>“Music is The Victim”</b>, Jake and Anna gave it their all, by the middle
of the show they were sweating buckets but looked like they were having the
time of their life and so was the audience. Because of their style of disco
glam and retro music we often forget what a great rock band they are, from Babbydaddy
on the keys and bass to the Del Marquis who rocked his socks off with his
guitar work on songs like Ms. Matronic’s <b>“Kiss You Off”</b>. They did a wonderful
job of alternating with Jake and Ana taking turns on the vocals, I love how
Jake joins the back up singers when Ana is on lead. Speaking of, those back up
girls were fabulous, incredible voices that complemented but didn’t overtake
the lead singers.
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My only is complaint is that the music seemed to drown out Jake
wonderful falsetto vocals, it often seemed too loud or distorted to the point
where I could not hear the words they were singing, for example I could not
make out Ana’s part on <b>“Any Which Way”</b> which is a shame, it’s hilarious, one of
my favorite tracks <b>“Invisible Light”</b> did not sound good at all. I really wish they would play venues with better sound. For me it was
OK since I know their songs but for my partner and most of the crowd it was
their first time seeing the Sisters and some might not be as familiar.<br />
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I must admit I did not like <b>“Let’s Have A Kiki”</b> when I first heard the new album, but hearing it live was absolutely fabulous, the crowd went wild
when it came on like it was one of their biggest hits, the whole vibe and
choreography was superb. The few ballads like <b>“Inevitable”</b>, <b>“Mary”</b>, and <b>“The
Year Of Living Dangerously”</b> gave the group time to breathe and<b> </b>nicely offset all the other high energy numbers
Like <b>“I Don’t Feel Like Dancin'”</b>, <b>“Take Your Mama",</b> <b>"Comfortably Numb", </b>and their hot new number "<b>Only The Horses".<br /><br />
</b>The Sisters have a way of making you feel like you are at a private
concert. They love to banter with the audience and they notice us,
even describing outfits and pointing out members of the audience which they
noticed throughout the evening. If you've never caught this band before
find them on tour you won’t be disappointed.</div>
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<b>Setlist</b></div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Any Which Way </div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep Your Shoes On </div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Baby Come Home </div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Skins </div>
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kiss You Off </div>
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6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Inevitable </div>
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7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Take Your Mama </div>
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8.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Year of Living Dangerously </div>
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9.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let's Have a Kiki </div>
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10.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Comfortably Numb </div>
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11.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Invisible Light </div>
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12.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shady Love </div>
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13.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Skin This Cat </div>
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14.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mary </div>
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15.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I Don't Feel Like Dancin' </div>
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<b>Encore</b></div>
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16.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only the Horses </div>
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17.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Music Is the Victim </div>
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</div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-18548405140303601842012-04-06T13:36:00.000-07:002012-04-06T13:50:36.081-07:00Lionel Richie Goes Country On Tuskegee<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA">The idea of
Lionel Richie doing a country album might confused the average music listener,
but if you were more attentive you would see that his songs like<b> “Stuck On You”
</b>and <b>“Deep River Woman” </b>are pure Country, not to mention the mega hit <b>“Lady”</b>
which he penned for Kenny Rogers. For this project Lionel got some of country’s
best singers and musicians to duet with him. When I first heard snippets of the
album I was a bit disappointed but after hearing the full LP I love it. R&B staples like my favourite <b>“You Are”</b>
with Blake Sheldon are just as good if not better, this guitar flavoured
version only adds to the song without taking away any of the original magic. <b>“My
Love”</b> with Kenny Chesney, <b>“Sail On”</b> with Tim Mcgraw and<b> “Stuck On You”</b> with
Daruis Rucker are perfect. <b>“Deep River Woman”</b> with Little Big Town, in my
opinion rivals the original sung with </span><st1:state><st1:place><span lang="EN-CA">Alabama</span></st1:place></st1:state><span lang="EN-CA"> back in 1986 on his “Dancing On The
Ceiling album”, the harmonies here are gorgeous, this song needed this
production. A song that should have been a bigger hit <b>“Just For You”</b> is another
stand out with Billy Currington. <b>“Hello”</b> with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland, is an
interesting mix but I’m not sure their vocals work well together while <b>“Easy”
</b>with Willie Nelson sounds like it could have been written for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I only wish
it was less of a Greatest Hits list, <b>“Dancing On The Ceiling”</b> and<b> “All Night
Long”</b> do not translate into country, Lionel what were you thinking? Even Rascal
Flatts couldn’t country-fi “Ceiling”. <b>“All Night Long”</b> gets saved by going more
island flavoured then country with the help of Jimmy Buffet and some cool
Hawaiian like steel drums.<b> “Say You Say Me”</b> with Jason Aldean is another oddity
that doesn’t translate well. I read all
about the lengths Lionel went through to get Shania Twain to re-record <b>“Endless
Love”</b>, but I don’t think their vocals match well plus did we really need
another version? I never liked the Mariah Carey Luther Vandross one, nothing
compares to the original with Diana Ross. Speaking of vocals, despite the guest
list nobody sounds as good as Lionel singing his own songs, his voice still
sounds great, unlike Kenny Rogers who’s losing it, I would have preferred a
solo version of<b> “Lady” </b>instead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-9757079120644935092012-03-30T12:21:00.000-07:002012-03-30T12:31:26.737-07:00Madonna MDNA album review<br />
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Madonna was never a poet but the lyrics on this album
make her other efforts <b>“Like A Prayer”</b> and <b>“Ray Of Light” </b>sound like
Shakespeare, but this is Madonna and it’s all about the dance. Gone is the
R&B Timbaland beats, replaced by the swirling layers of electronic masters
<b>William Orbit </b>(Ray Of Light), and <b>Benni Benassi </b>who opens the album with <b>“Girl
Gone Wild”</b>, a nice little club song that sound very Madonna by numbers, if only
the refrain wasn’t so awkward sounding. I was excited when I first heard that
<b>Mika</b> was writing a song for the album, but he is only one of 8 other songwriters on <b>“Gang Bang”</b>, not sure why this is a fan favourite, I can’t see it being a
single with the lyrics <i>“Bang Bang shot my lover in the head”</i>, the best part is
the long outro with Madonna going <i>“Drive Bitch”</i> which would have to be edited
for radio format. The next two tracks are my favourite and strongest on the
album, the multi layered dancefloor <b>“I’m Addicted”</b>, Benassi outdoes himself on
this track where we never want the song to end. Then there’s the Martin
Solveig produced, simple but pop-tastic</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> <span lang="EN-CA"><b>“Turn Up The Radio"</b>,
both could be potential singles. Despite being the lead single <b>“Give Me All
Your Luvin’”</b> almost sound out of place, like it doesn’t belong on the album.
Here’s where we get into a bit of filler, Not a fan of <b>“Some Girls”</b> with it’s
odds beats, <b>“Superstar” </b>is cute and reminiscent of her song <b>“Spotlight” </b>and
that era, but it’s nothing special, her lyrics <i>“You’re my Super Duper Star" </i>don’t help”, then there’s the dire Nicki Minaj duet <b>“I Don’t Give A” </b>enough
said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The album gets back on track with Orbits <b>“I’m A
Sinner”</b> sounding very much like a mash up of their hits <b>“Beautiful Stranger”</b>
and "<b>Ray Of Light"</b>, I love the religious spoken bridge. <b>“Love Spent”</b> starts off a
bit odd with a bango intro but it turns into a pretty downbeat track and heartfelt
lyric. We’ve all heard her beautiful song <b>“Masterpiece”</b> from her film W.E. but
I wasn’t expecting the closing song <b>“Falling Free” </b>to be just as good or even
better, it’s reminds me of one of her best ballads<b> “Promise To Try”</b>, these
tracks show that Madonna can write a lyric do the slow jams as well as the
dance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">The deluxe version comes with a bonus disc of 4 new
songs and a remix of <b>"Give Me All Your Lovin’"</b>. Why <b>“Beautiful Killer”</b> was cut
from the regular album version is beyond me. It’s one of the better tracks and
should have replaced the horrible <b>“I Don’t Give A”</b>. <b>“I F*cked Up” </b>and <b>“Best
Friend” </b>are B-side material at best, but the cute piss take <b>“B-day”</b> is
adorable, maybe it can replace the traditional one, one day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-90018986479387934192012-02-02T12:14:00.000-08:002012-02-02T16:19:55.212-08:002011 the year in music reviewI thought 2011 was a difficult year for music. For me anyways, 6 months in and I didn’t think I would have a top 3 let alone a top 10, but as usual a flood of albums come out by the end of the year. The year was dominated by the unlikely superstar Adele who against all odds and all trends dominated the pop scene. Along with heavy weight <b>Lady GaGa</b>, <b>Katy Perry</b> and <b>Riahnna</b> who thanks to producer <b>Calvin Harris</b> had the longest running #1 song of Billboard of the year, “We Found Love”. Many hidden gems not played or overlooked, like veterans <b>Duran Duran</b>, who came back with one of their best albums “All You Need Is Now” and <b>Erasure</b> with “Tomorrow's World”. <b>Gloria Estefan</b> went back to her dancing roots or should we say WEPA!. Up and comer Frankmusik delivered a great album along with <b>Darren Hayes</b> towards the end of the year. While some years I’m torn which albums will make the cut, this year I was looking to fill my list.<br />
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<br />
<center><b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Ten Albums of 2011</span></b></center><br />
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<b>1) Born This Way-Lady GaGa</b><br />
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The album is a <em>in your face</em> stomping dance/electro beat extravaganza from the dancetastic <strong>Marry the Night</strong> to the closing song. My only complaint is that it’s a little bit overproduced but subtlety has never been GaGa’s strongpoint. Some of the tracks like the mega hit <strong>Born This Way</strong> sound too noisy, too many overlapping beats, guitar and synths, sometimes less is more. Almost every song has a killer hook that drags you right in, <strong>Judas</strong> seems unconventional and strange at first but then the chorus kicks in and you’re hooked. Many reviewers are complaining that unlike her style and dress her music is not innovative but I disagree, she is a pop singer trying to write pop songs not experimental music.<br />
<br />
<span class="bodytext">The regular album has 14 tracks and the special edition 17; while some feel it could be pruned down, very few feel out of place or like bonus or filler tracks. The themes revolve around self acceptance, pride, and Catholicism. Most fans seem to have different favourites. The best in my opinion are the two tracks all the way at the end. <strong>Yoü And I</strong>, The only slow jam is a classic in the making, however I prefer the stripped down live version I’ve heard on TV, the album track is produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange, (Shania Twain’s producer) who turns it slightly more into a country song, guitars are supplied by Brian May of Queen who adds a little <strong>We Will Rock You,</strong> like I said less is more. <strong>The Edge Of Glory</strong> ends up on a positive note with one of the best dance song of the year, it features a great sax solo by Clarence Clemmons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, people have been talking about the similarities of the title track to <strong>Express Yourself</strong>, but “Edge” sounds so much more like Cher’s <strong>Song For The Lonely</strong>. <strong>Americano</strong> is a beautiful little tale about her meeting a young Mexican girl, yes it has the cheesy Spanish guitar influences, and sound like it’s from a Sopranos wedding, but we love it. Her childhood is represented with the beautiful self empowering and danceable anthem <strong>Hair</strong>, along with the retro disco <strong>Bad Kids</strong> about her insecurities as a youth. Her faux German song <strong>Scheiße</strong> comes complete with fake German lyrics but it still hooks you right in with mad beats you only hear at some late night rave party. The album has a definite 80’s vibe; <strong>Government Hooker </strong>channels the synth/industrial Brit pop, the wonderful retro pop <strong>Fashion Of Love</strong> which should have been on the regular edition, and <strong>Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)</strong> whose chorus sounds like powerhouses Pat Benatar or Heart. <strong>Electric Chapel</strong> sound like something that could have come from Duran Duran’s repertoire think <strong>Electric Barbarella</strong>.</span><span class="bodytext">My least favourite tracks are the sluggish and haunting <strong>Bloody Mary</strong> and the robotic <strong>Heavy Metal Lover</strong> whose music is blips and bleeps, but even then, they still have a certain charm that pulls you in after a few listens, maybe this is the experimental music that most reviewers have wanted. GaGa has a way of infusing the best of her musical influences to produce some of the best pop music of the day. The song <strong>The Queen</strong> sums up her title, for how long she stays remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it will be an absolutely fabulous freakin’ ride.</span><br />
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<img class="floatLeft" height="150" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/duran.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /><br />
<b>2) </b><strong>All You Need Is Now--Duran Duran</strong><br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">Producer Mark Ronson wanted to create the follow up to <strong>“Rio”</strong>, well there was a follow up it was called <strong>“Seven And The Ragged Tiger”</strong>, I would call Duran’s new album <strong>“All You Need Is Now”</strong> as Rio part two. The title track definitely stands out with the contrasting ruff verses and unmistakable Duran chorus. Best tracks are <strong>“Blame The Machines”</strong>, and <strong>“Being Followed”</strong> which follows right on track and formula, and the beautiful airy <strong>“The Man Who Stole A Leopard” </strong>who seems to have stolen the intro to <strong>”The Chauffeur”</strong>. Best guest star on the album is Scissor Sister’s own Ana Matronic who rap/sings on <strong>“Safe (In The Heat Of The Moment)”</strong> her part is very reminiscent of Blondies 80’s hit <strong>“Rapture”</strong>. The fan favourite seem to be <strong>“Girl Panic!”</strong> with their big signature drum sound and <strong>“Girls On Film”</strong> vibe. I’m not a fan of <strong>“Leave A Light On”</strong> which tries too hard to be <strong>“Save A Prayer”</strong>, I prefer the other ballad <strong>“Mediterranea”</strong> which while suffers a similar fate is a better song. The rest of the album kind of loses steam. <strong>“Other’s People Live’s” </strong>is cute in this obsessive age of “Fame” and the bonus track <strong>“Networker Nation”</strong> falls into our internet age, but they do nothing new or inventive. <strong>“Too bad You’re So Beautiful”</strong>, and <strong>“Runway Runaway”</strong> again feel like paler versions of a <strong>“Rio”</strong>. The 2 instrumental tracks<strong> “A Diamond In the Mind”</strong> and <strong>"Return To Now”</strong> are nice and makes you wonder what the title track would have sounded with full orchestral strings. The Best Buy bonus tracks didn’t grabbed me at all and I can see why they were cut from the album.</span><br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">Mark is a genius he and the boys definitely succeeded in creating a retro homage; it’s uncanny to listen to this record. It’s like they pieced together different Duran sounds from their early years to create each song, but I liked the fact that Duran actually evolved and experimented. If this was the real follow up to Rio would we have had <strong>“Notorious”</strong> <strong>Arcadia</strong>, or even <strong>“The Reflex”</strong>? It’s a great pop album but I prefer their 2004 opus <strong>“Astronaut”</strong> which was a comeback and a return to their signature Duran sound, but it sounded fresh and new with better songs.</span></span><br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"> <img class="floatLeft" height="149" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/bruno.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span><br />
<b>3) Doop Wops & Hooligans—Bruno Mars</b><br />
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This album came out in late 2010 but like the recent Grammy nomination for best album, I too just discovered it. Bruno Mars has to be one of the most talented newcomers on the music scene. A singer songwriter and music producer who started his career as part of the <strong style="font-weight: normal;">The Smeezingtons</strong> production team, writing and singing the hook to the hit songs <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“Nothing On You”</strong> by B.o.B and Travie McCoy’s <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“Billionaire”</strong>.<br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">His debut album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” delivers 10 perfect slices of R & B pop which has a retro feel but modern production, there’s no filler. His voice and incredible falsetto bring us back to the Motown crooner’s day with the #1 hits <strong>“Just The Way You Are”</strong> and<strong> “Grenade”</strong>. Bruno is Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and the Temptations all rolled up into one. He rocks and channels Stevie on songs like<strong> “Runaway”</strong>, delivers reggae tinged pop on the fun<strong> “Lazy Song”</strong>, and <strong>“Liquor Store Blues”</strong> with help by <strong>Damian Marley</strong>. Unlike most music today his songs are infused with an infectious melody from<strong> “Count On Me”</strong> to <strong>“Marry You”</strong> which as been covered from everybody to Glee. One of the stand outs is the final song <strong>”The Other Side”</strong> where he gets a little help from Cee Lo Green who returns the favour as Bruno co-wrote Cee Lo’s big international hit <strong>“F*ck You (Forget You)”</strong>. It’s hard to really categorize the album, he has so many influences but they all fuse perfectly together.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"> <strong><img class="floatLeft" height="150" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/di-it-in-the-am.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></strong></span></span><br />
<strong>4) Do It In The AM—Frankmusik</strong><br />
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<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Frankmusik’s</strong> sophomore album takes a definite new turn, gone is the 80’s retro sound of his fist album replaced by a more modern production. From the first track <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“We Collide”</strong> the album stomps and bleeps on the the dancefloor, but what isn’t gone is his sensibility to create a melody and infectious hooks like the <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Colette Carr</strong> duet “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">No I.D</strong>.”, a modern day <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“You’re the One That I Want”</strong> which is clearly shown in the inspired <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“Grease”</strong> homage video. Label mates, <strong style="font-weight: normal;">The</strong> <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Far East Movement </strong>joins him on the title track, while <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Natalia Kills</strong> helps him out on the delicious “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">No Champagne”, </strong>an R&B dancefloor groove waiting to be a single. Not just a great producer and songwriter but Frank has a beautiful voice and falsetto which can be heard on songs like “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Footsteps”</strong> and “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Wrecking Ball”</strong> another infectious pop tune. The pre-single<strong style="font-weight: normal;"> “The Fear Inside”</strong> is a bold electronic dance stomper, a shame it went unnoticed.<br />
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Frank knows just the right recipe to create a song that twist and turns never being boring like the tracks “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Break Light”</strong>, “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Struck By Lightning”, </strong>or<strong style="font-weight: normal;"> Ludicrous </strong>almost any track could be a single. This is probably why Erasure chose him as their producer of their latest effort. (See #5 below).</span><br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"> <strong><img class="floatLeft" height="150" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/tw.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></strong></span><br />
<strong>5) Tomorrow’s World—Erasure</strong><br />
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Produced by newcomer electronic wizard Frankmusic, Erasure delivers a delicious pop slice of 9 songs. “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Be With You”</strong>, “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Fill Us With Fire</strong>” and “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot”</strong> are some of the best dance song of the year. They swirl stomp and combust to the dancefloor heaven and fit perfectly with any of their greatest hits. The next tracks “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">What Will I Say When You're Gone?”</strong> And “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">You've Got To Save Me Right Now” </strong>take a slightly slower romp but deliver the signature sound and the beautiful vocal of <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Andy Bell, </strong>some say his voice has changed, they have auto-tuned it a bit like most music today which is a shame, but I think he still sounds great, check out his beautiful signature falsetto on <strong style="font-weight: normal;">“When I Start To (Break It All Down)”</strong>. “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">I Lose Myself”, </strong>takes me back to the alternative 80’s when Vince Clark’s first band<strong style="font-weight: normal;"> Depeche Mode</strong> where on the charts. “<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Then I Go Twisting</strong>” takes a different turn into a more modern sounding romp and we kind of wonder will this be their last album with lyrics like “<em style="font-weight: normal;">Then I go insane, I'm bored of this modern town, Sick of this techno Monophonic sound”</em> . Ironic that many reviews have panned the album for being the “same old” and offering nothing new, but there is nothing wrong with a fun filled well produced dancetastic album.</span><br />
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Note:</b> a well worth deluxe edition features a second disc of remixes and demos that let you hear how some of the songs evolved to the final product<br />
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<span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><img alt="" class="floatLeft" height="135" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/secretcodes.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span><br />
<span class="bodytext"><b>6)</b></span><span class="bodytext"> <strong>Secret Codes And Battleship—Darren Hayes</strong></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Darren Hayes had great success as the lead singer of Savage Garden but his solo career is completely underrated. His last album </span><strong>This Delicate Thing We’ve Made</strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is in my opinion one of the best pop albums around. While it’s hard to top that album this effort is still top notch, more radio friendly then the previous, </span><strong>Secret Codes</strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> brings me back to the days of Savage Garden. From his soaring beautiful mesmeric voice on the opening track </span><strong>“Taken By The Sea” </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">the album delivers. Filled with pop tunes that have atmosphere and meaning. The first single “</span><strong>Talk Talk Talk”, </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">“</span><strong>Don’t Give Up”</strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">, and the delish “</span><strong>Clearly Love” </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">are pop perfection but the album is so much more. The melancholy opuses “</span><strong>Block Out The Sun” </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">and</span><strong> “Bloodstained Heart” </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">is Darren at his finest</span><strong>, </strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">with lush instrumentations, a falsetto one would kill for and lyrics that make you feel his hurt, Adele’s got nothing on him. Only Darren can take such lyrics as “</span><em style="font-weight: normal;">Nobody knows where this razor has been If you want something broke you better give it to me Because I can make you hurt</em><span style="font-weight: normal;">”, and turn it into a catchy little melody along with the song “Stupid Mistake”, it just drags you right in. Darren gets some help from the renowned Walter Afanasieff who co-writes and produces the beautiful ballad “Roses”.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">Not included on the album but check out the great <strong>Hall & Oats</strong> Mix of <strong>“Talk, Talk, Talk”</strong> which incorporates their hit <strong>“Out Of Touch”</strong>.</span></div><div><br />
</div></div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><strong><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><img class="floatLeft" height="140" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/mlh.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span></strong></span><br />
<strong>7) Miss Little Havana—Gloria Estefan</strong></div><div class="bodytext"><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">Gloria’s first English album since 2003, although I wouldn’t label this album as unilingual, some of the lyrics and all the music is pure Latin infused dance .The album goes back to her roots from her early days of Conga. The songs are filled with lots of salsa, horns, bongos, whistles and every flavour of the Spanish world, every song has so many overlapping sounds and rhythms, sometimes too much like first single “<strong>Wepa</strong>” which can come off as annoying but after many listens it grows and becomes infectious, you have to move, “Resistance is futile, you have been assimilated”. The first 9 songs tell the tale of a young Cuban girl who arrives in Miami and gets her heart broken. To tell the story Gloria hires the help of Pharrell William who brings a modern club production, favourite tracks are the disco “<strong>Make Me Say Yes”</strong>, the title track and the pretty ballad “<strong>Time Is Ticking” </strong>which bring memories of<strong> “Anything For You”</strong>. The last 4 songs are produced by Gloria’s hubby Emilio, my favourite being the tongue and cheek vaudeville tune <strong>Hotel Nacional </strong>where she sings<strong> </strong><em>“Drama’s on like Susan Lucci, It’s time for hoochie coochie”</em> and check out the retro dancefloor ditty <strong>“Make My Heart Go”.</strong> Gloria is no longer a mainstay artist and too bad that radio will probably ignore her, but this album can definitely compete with her contemporary successors.</span><br />
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</div><div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><img class="floatLeft" height="150" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/adele.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><span class="bodytext"><b>8) 21--Adele</b></span></div><div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
A throwback to the 60’s but yet modern, Adele is a powerhouse singer who wears her heart on her sleeve, she puts it all there from the mega single “<strong>Rolling In The Deep”</strong> to “<strong>Someone Like You”. </strong>She has a style all her own, part pop, part jazz, part sassy on songs like my favourite “<strong>Rumour Has It” </strong>or her cover of the Cure’s<strong> “Lovesong”. </strong>The rest of the album is very homogenous, melancholy and can get a tad boring, you really have to be in the mood to listen to it.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"> <img class="floatLeft" height="137" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/mc.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="bodytext"><span class="bodytext"><b>9) Walk In Beauty—Marie Christine</b><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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Montreal has a new diva and her name is <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Marie-Christine</strong>. Discovered by Canadian superstar <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Corey Hart.</strong> It took Corey 5 years to find his first artist and after hearing her for the first time he signed her right on the spot for his new record label "Siena".<br />
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The record is separated into 2 parts, <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Soul Red</strong> which has a more slick pop 80’s produced sound and <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Soul Blue</strong> leaning towards a more R & B sound, although with CD’s that only have one side and digital music that randomizes on an ipod it seems pointless, but I like when artists actually put some thought into their records and it’s a nice nod to the past which fits well to the retro sound of the project. The introductory <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Girl In Shades</strong> is a new quirky take on Corey’s<strong style="font-weight: normal;"> Sunglasses At Night</strong>, this works so much better when the original writer has a hand in it, then the sampling, interpolation, and stealing that is used in current music by other artists. The second single and first video <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Totally Random</strong> is pure pop delight that stick in your head after hearing it once. She does a few covers including a sultry seductive version of Prince’s <strong style="font-weight: normal;">I Wanna Be Your Lover</strong>, a great reggae version of Squeeze’s song<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Tempted</strong> featuring <strong style="font-weight: normal;">GoldenChyl</strong>, and <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Keep On Running</strong> a <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Stevie Wonder</strong>song not often remembered, Corey even manages to get Stevie to appear on the record, all of these tracks would make excellent singles. Most of the other tracks are written and produced by Corey including the title <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Walk In Beauty </strong>a haunting but powerful ballad with a positive message, my favourite <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Port Au Prince</strong> featuring <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Luck Mervil</strong>, and <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Silence</strong>, a song Corey originally wrote for <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Celine Dion</strong>.<br />
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>Marie-Christine offers a few of her own penned tracks the best being the jazzy, snazzy pop groove<strong style="font-weight: normal;"> Get Out</strong> and the slow jam <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Let Yourself Go</strong>. The playing length of the CD opened the doors to more tacks and music, but I would have pruned down this CD from 15 to 12 tracks leaving the beautiful ballad <strong style="font-weight: normal;">All I Ever Do</strong> to close out the record. A very promising first record, I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next endeavours, I hope she evolves but doesn’t change too much, I’d hate to see her trying to do the sound du jour, she’s too sophisticated for that.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">Marie-Christine offers a few of her own penned tracks the best being the jazzy, snazzy pop groove<strong> Get Out</strong> and the slow jam <strong>Let Yourself Go</strong>. The playing length of the CD opened the doors to more tacks and music, but I would have pruned down this CD from 15 to 12 tracks leaving the beautiful ballad <strong>All I Ever Do</strong> to close out the record. A very promising first record, I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next endeavours, I hope she evolves but doesn’t change too much, I’d hate to see her trying to do the sound du jour, she’s too sophisticated for that. A very promising first record, I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next endeavours, I hope she evolves but doesn’t change too much, I’d hate to see her trying to do the sound du jour, she’s too sophisticated for that.</span><br />
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</div><div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><img class="floatLeft" height="150" src="http://www.philfogel.com/phil2012/music2012/sophie.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 20px; border-bottom-right-radius: 20px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 2px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 2px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-left-radius: 20px; border-top-right-radius: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 2px; box-shadow: 2px 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 15px;" width="150" /></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><span class="bodytext"><b>10) Make A Scene—Sophie Ellis-Bextor</b></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">After many delays and leaving her record label to start her own, Sophie finally delivers her 4th LP. I loved her fantastic 3rd LP<strong>“Trip The Light Fantastic”</strong> so I was hoping to love it just the same but I’m finding this album just OK. It’s all very dance electronica but it’s a bit too homogenous and some of it sounds dated. The best tracks were already released more then a year ago, the<strong> Freemasons</strong> production <strong>“Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)”</strong>, <strong>“Not Giving Up On Love”</strong> by <strong>Armin Van Buuren</strong> and Bittersweet. “<strong>On And On”</strong> is OK “<strong>Starlight”</strong> is cute. She tries to get experimental with the title track but the opening beats are just annoying. Sophie still sounds great, if only she could get better material.</span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><span class="bodytext" style="font-size: large;"><b>Top Singles of 2011</b></span></center><center><span class="bodytext"><b><br />
</b></span></center><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;"></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">1) Edge Of Glory—Lady GaGa</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">2) Moves Like Jagger—Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">3) Born This Way—Lady GaGa</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">4) Rolling In The Deep—Adele</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">5) No I.D. Frankmusik featuring Colette</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">6) Call Your Girlfriend—Robyn</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">7) Block Out The Sun—Darren Hayes</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">8) Without You—David Guetta featuring Usher</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">9) You and I--Lady GaGa</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">10) Talk Talk Talk—Darren Hayes</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;">11) We found Love –Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="bodytext" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></div></div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-14236929034288146752011-11-04T15:04:00.000-07:002011-11-04T15:12:18.785-07:00Totally Random: Montreal's New Diva Marie-Christine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoW6vBSQTajx92KCzzmHm4W_uDnFPoaE1K4QZvkpI4tWYxsO1s0KgPGIJViNZRm_J8EKNZF8YG5DVqU4KPYsWfVkpPZIK7kNrwwmM53-XDp6jBuWUeV5c_uGsDJRRezfyel2tPyRzAGEn/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoW6vBSQTajx92KCzzmHm4W_uDnFPoaE1K4QZvkpI4tWYxsO1s0KgPGIJViNZRm_J8EKNZF8YG5DVqU4KPYsWfVkpPZIK7kNrwwmM53-XDp6jBuWUeV5c_uGsDJRRezfyel2tPyRzAGEn/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Montreal has a new diva and her name is <b>Marie-Christine</b>. Discovered by Canadian superstar <b>Corey Hart.</b> It took Corey 5 years to find his first artist and after hearing her for the first time he signed her right on the spot for his new record label "Siena". <br />
<br />
The record is separated into 2 parts, <b>Soul Red</b> which has a more slick pop 80’s produced sound and <b>Soul Blue</b> leaning towards a more R & B sound, although with CD’s that only have one side and digital music that randomizes on an ipod it seems pointless, but I like when artists actually put some thought into their records and it’s a nice nod to the past which fits well to the retro sound of the project.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">The introductory <b>Girl In Shades</b> is a new quirky take on Corey’s <b>Sunglasses At Night</b>, this works so much better when the original writer has a hand in it, then the sampling, interpolation, and stealing that is used in current music by other artists. The second single and first video <b>Totally Random</b> is pure pop delight that stick in your head after hearing it once. She does a few covers including a sultry seductive version of Prince’s <b>I Wanna Be Your Lover</b>, a great reggae version of Squeeze’s song <b>Tempted</b> featuring <b>GoldenChyl</b>, and <b>Keep On Running</b> a <b>Stevie Wonder</b> song not often remembered, Corey even manages to get Stevie to appear on the record, all of these tracks would make excellent singles. Most of the other tracks are written and produced by Corey including the title <b>Walk In Beauty </b>a haunting but powerful ballad with a positive message, my favourite <b>Port Au Prince</b> featuring <b>Luck Mervil</b>, and <b>Silence</b>, a song Corey originally wrote for <b>Celine Dion</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">Marie-Christine offers a few of her own penned tracks the best being the jazzy, snazzy pop groove<b> Get Out</b> and the slow jam <b>Let Yourself Go</b>. The playing length of the CD opened the doors to more tacks and music, but I would have pruned down this CD from 15 to 12 tracks leaving the beautiful ballad <b>All I Ever Do</b> to close out the record. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA">A very promising first record, I’ll be looking forward to hearing her next endeavours, I hope she evolves but doesn’t change too much, I’d hate to see her trying to do the sound du jour, she’s too sophisticated for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CA"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PyXreoi8fH0" width="420"></iframe></span></div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-32088594368608949192011-06-13T11:53:00.000-07:002011-06-13T12:07:28.217-07:00Natasha Bedingfield Concert Review Philadelphia TLA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKHniGzmTXrgChta5RXyZHz9nfni8YsNnUagNifjL67qruneW1mSBQww1bvKOLfXu1rw5CJkAxLAiB1tYuXjKApFbA1UaMZj_RjkHI0PRv3zuB4oE7hHeo5hQcm0VqzN4YS-TNXD_UsHz/s1600/nat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSKHniGzmTXrgChta5RXyZHz9nfni8YsNnUagNifjL67qruneW1mSBQww1bvKOLfXu1rw5CJkAxLAiB1tYuXjKApFbA1UaMZj_RjkHI0PRv3zuB4oE7hHeo5hQcm0VqzN4YS-TNXD_UsHz/s200/nat1.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>Natasha Bedingfield was welcomed back to South Street with a 21 song setlist of poetry, heart and class that delivered. There are no gimmicks, no dancers or fancy graphics on a screen, just Natasha and her incredible band. Her vocal ability is so underrated and hearing her in concert you’ll realize that she puts to shame any “Idol” or manufactured pop star of the day. I was never a fan of Prince’s <b>“Purple Rain”</b> but who would have thought that a little white British singer could tear the house down with that song, it’s one of two cover tracks she does on tour including the Police’s <b>“Sending Out An SOS”</b>. She rocked the house with <b>“All I Need”</b>, <b>“A Little To Much”</b> and <b>“Run Run Run”</b>, new tracks from her album <b>“Strip Me”</b>, but one of the best parts of the show was when her band steps down around her and they do an intimate acoustic set with <b>“Angel”</b>, <b>“Soulmate”</b>, and an audience request<b> “Wild Horses”</b>. My only criticism was the set list, I would have deleted old tracks like<b> “I Bruise Easily”</b> which put us to sleep, and new songs like <b>“Try”</b> and <b>“Count Fall Down”</b>, for better tracks like her album's lead single <b>“Touch”</b> strangely missing and the fabulous <b>“No Mozart”</b>. The show ended with her new single <b>“Weightless”</b>, a great rendition of <b>“Recover”</b> a song that wasn't a favorite of mine till now, and her signature hit <b>“Unwritten”</b>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiES1Hu61jEmTyAIJJGAvi0EJjgv5ey4cMJTH_zcP3dXA29-jQjdkkvGCvUPd0oEMV-tkEQVrB3O3OTBjzCe-aeTI9d7q2rMNT2uyWwY2samkROnGqj8CS-_GVbatzSc_sMSKDSSrzVhz/s1600/nat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiES1Hu61jEmTyAIJJGAvi0EJjgv5ey4cMJTH_zcP3dXA29-jQjdkkvGCvUPd0oEMV-tkEQVrB3O3OTBjzCe-aeTI9d7q2rMNT2uyWwY2samkROnGqj8CS-_GVbatzSc_sMSKDSSrzVhz/s200/nat2.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<b>Set list</b><br />
<br />
1. Neon Lights <br />
2. Little Too Much <br />
3. These Words <br />
4. All I Need <br />
5. SOS (The Police cover) <br />
6. Single <br />
7. I Bruise Easily <br />
8. Strip Me <br />
9. Run-Run-Run <br />
10. Can't Fall Down<br />
<b><br />
Acoustic section</b> <br />
11. Angel <br />
12. Soulmate <br />
13. Wild Horses<br />
14. Try <br />
<br />
15. Purple Rain (Prince cover) <br />
16. Pocketful of Sunshine/(We're All Mad)<br />
17. Love Like This <br />
18. Put Your Arms Around Me <br />
19. Weightless <br />
20. Recover <br />
21. UnwrittenTroystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-50665174119413255422011-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:002011-05-28T13:59:46.982-07:00Born This Way Lady GaGa Album Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2ReTrHrJufybrHEsnaE9RzfRckj9S0cYA4l6gtlfJ9X-FSa2oBOFUTdQEe9nG_QtVhL28Ks0cPWJ4r5QMwpckFJN6f1B5UM3P0_w53v9QOL8hSerpPYAbb9MGOX3yoObNbNX96pBT9n8/s1600/born-this--way-cover-motorcycle-gaga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2ReTrHrJufybrHEsnaE9RzfRckj9S0cYA4l6gtlfJ9X-FSa2oBOFUTdQEe9nG_QtVhL28Ks0cPWJ4r5QMwpckFJN6f1B5UM3P0_w53v9QOL8hSerpPYAbb9MGOX3yoObNbNX96pBT9n8/s200/born-this--way-cover-motorcycle-gaga.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The album is a <i>in your face</i> stomping dance/electro beat extravaganza from the dancetastic <b>Marry the Night</b> to the closing song. My only complaint is that it’s a little bit overproduced but subtlety has never been GaGa’s strongpoint. Some of the tracks like the mega hit <b>Born This Way</b> sound too noisy, too many overlapping beats, guitar and synths, sometimes less is more. Almost every song has a killer hook that drags you right in, <b>Judas</b> seems unconventional and strange at first but then the chorus kicks in and you’re hooked. Many reviewers are complaining that unlike her style and dress her music is not innovative but I disagree, she is a pop singer trying to write pop songs not experimental music. <br />
<br />
The regular album has 14 tracks and the special edition 17; while some feel it could be pruned down, very few feel out of place or like bonus or filler tracks. The themes revolve around self acceptance, pride, and Catholicism. Most fans seem to have different favourites. The best in my opinion are the two tracks all the way at the end. <b>Yoü And I</b>, The only slow jam is a classic in the making, however I prefer the stripped down live version I’ve heard on TV, the album track is produced by Robert “Mutt” Lange, (Shania Twain’s producer) who turns it slightly more into a country song, guitars are supplied by Brian May of Queen who adds a little <b>We Will Rock You,</b> like I said less is more. <b>The Edge Of Glory</b> ends up on a positive note with one of the best dance song of the year, it features a great sax solo by Clarence Clemmons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, people have been talking about the similarities of the title track to <b>Express Yourself</b>, but “Edge” sounds so much more like Cher’s <b>Song For The Lonely</b>. <b>Americano</b> is a beautiful little tale about her meeting a young Mexican girl, yes it has the cheesy Spanish guitar influences, and sound like it’s from a Sopranos wedding, but we love it. Her childhood is represented with the beautiful self empowering and danceable anthem <b>Hair</b>, along with the retro disco <b>Bad Kids</b> about her insecurities as a youth. Her faux German song <b>Scheiße</b> comes complete with fake German lyrics but it still hooks you right in with mad beats you only hear at some late night rave party. The album has a definite 80’s vibe; <b>Government Hooker </b>channels the synth/industrial Brit pop, the wonderful retro pop <b>Fashion Of Love</b> which should have been on the regular edition, and <b>Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)</b> whose chorus sounds like powerhouses Pat Benatar or Heart. <b>Electric Chapel</b> sound like something that could have come from Duran Duran’s repertoire think <b>Electric Barbarella</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA5gsQOdDCTZgywMOYXGwsFDFz2PZHy3WKs33JGWl0tf-YWSptyfiqg4qUdlIQ6jJmEd6dd5MivwadX2MwfKg4wF5IIN-OfxEGcCqldM0vkh_6hlW-ixZA0TQjI7W_CajGd9IGHJ2VfRG/s1600/lady-gaga-born-this-way-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXA5gsQOdDCTZgywMOYXGwsFDFz2PZHy3WKs33JGWl0tf-YWSptyfiqg4qUdlIQ6jJmEd6dd5MivwadX2MwfKg4wF5IIN-OfxEGcCqldM0vkh_6hlW-ixZA0TQjI7W_CajGd9IGHJ2VfRG/s200/lady-gaga-born-this-way-cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My least favourite tracks are the sluggish and haunting <b>Bloody Mary</b> and the robotic <b>Heavy Metal Lover</b> whose music is blips and bleeps, but even then, they still have a certain charm that pulls you in after a few listens, maybe this is the experimental music that most reviewers have wanted. GaGa has a way of infusing the best of her musical influences to produce some of the best pop music of the day. The song <b>The Queen</b> sums up her title, for how long she stays remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, it will be an absolutely fabulous freakin’ ride.Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-45428332243588538042011-04-15T11:11:00.000-07:002011-04-15T11:11:40.666-07:00From Tigers to Leopards Duran Duran comes full circle: Review All You Need Is Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQen6GyHI6RfFM4HT-TdKiuHHNtCiioxsUo4gSnt_AWw1AJK4I-Dr414kWJWa1L8RmoTpWC282gcT0Tgkss6niG-uus_M0Br-lquObdf7m2PI1tmS4ZhgKHfSYFcRITDPUJkxJXTOhyphenhyphen8Om/s1600/Duran-Duran-All-You-Need-Is-Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQen6GyHI6RfFM4HT-TdKiuHHNtCiioxsUo4gSnt_AWw1AJK4I-Dr414kWJWa1L8RmoTpWC282gcT0Tgkss6niG-uus_M0Br-lquObdf7m2PI1tmS4ZhgKHfSYFcRITDPUJkxJXTOhyphenhyphen8Om/s200/Duran-Duran-All-You-Need-Is-Now.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Producer Mark Ronson wanted to create the follow up to <b>“Rio”</b>, well there was a follow up it was called <b>“Seven And The Ragged Tiger”</b>, I would call Duran’s new album <b>“All You Need Is Now”</b> as Rio part two. The title track definitely stands out with the contrasting ruff verses and unmistakable Duran chorus. Best tracks are <b>“Blame The Machines”</b>, and <b>“Being Followed”</b> which follows right on track and formula, and the beautiful airy <b>“The Man Who Stole A Leopard” </b>who seems to have stolen the intro to <b>”The Chauffeur”</b>. Best guest star on the album is Scissor Sister’s own Ana Matronic who rap/sings on <b>“Safe (In The Heat Of The Moment)”</b> her part is very reminiscent of Blondies 80’s hit <b>“Rapture”</b>. The fan favourite seem to be <b>“Girl Panic!”</b> with their big signature drum sound and <b>“Girls On Film”</b> vibe. I’m not a fan of <b>“Leave A Light On”</b> which tries too hard to be <b>“Save A Prayer”</b>, I prefer the other ballad <b>“Mediterranea”</b> which while suffers a similar fate is a better song. The rest of the album kind of loses steam. <b>“Other’s People Live’s” </b>is cute in this obsessive age of “Fame” and the bonus track <b>“Networker Nation”</b> falls into our internet age, but they do nothing new or inventive. <b>“Too bad You’re So Beautiful”</b>, and <b>“Runway Runaway”</b> again feel like paler versions of a <b>“Rio”</b>. The 2 instrumental tracks<b> “A Diamond In the Mind”</b> and <b>"Return To Now”</b> are nice and makes you wonder what the title track would have sounded with full orchestral strings. The Best Buy bonus tracks didn’t grabbed me at all and I can see why they were cut from the album.<br />
<br />
Mark is a genius he and the boys definitely succeeded in creating a retro homage; it’s uncanny to listen to this record. It’s like they pieced together different Duran sounds from their early years to create each song, but I liked the fact that Duran actually evolved and experimented. If this was the real follow up to Rio would we have had <b>“Notorious”</b> <b>Arcadia</b>, or even <b>“The Reflex”</b>? It’s a great pop album but I prefer their 2004 opus <b>“Astronaut”</b> which was a comeback and a return to their signature Duran sound, but it sounded fresh and new with better songs.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=kylieminogusc-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004TANJG4&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=kylieminogusc-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004L49K20&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-47052833789003704782011-03-01T09:16:00.000-08:002011-03-01T09:16:51.588-08:00You Gotta Have Faith:George Michael Faith Remastered Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG68NyyncmmFPz8G-HXbrTu29kQstMKSB_J1ccTuhHRBq6vHjdvUajZpDYDWgC0vKVgVX26JJwTcTLmFQCx5iUkzTRHM2jDUKmBX7VktHbTayLKftXz03P0EElljInpn8kuP1xK3KjYgH7/s1600/51gS-9UcW7L._SS400_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG68NyyncmmFPz8G-HXbrTu29kQstMKSB_J1ccTuhHRBq6vHjdvUajZpDYDWgC0vKVgVX26JJwTcTLmFQCx5iUkzTRHM2jDUKmBX7VktHbTayLKftXz03P0EElljInpn8kuP1xK3KjYgH7/s200/51gS-9UcW7L._SS400_.jpg" /></a></div>It was 1987 the heyday of 80’s music, I had just turned 20, my life was changing and like me George Michael was turning to another direction. Leaving behind his bubble gum pop image of <b>Wham!</b>, Michael set his ship alone with a new R&B American sounding album and a new image that would become iconic, the leather jacket, sunglasses, stubble, and blue jeans. I have to admit I was quite shocked at the new sound and did not take an immediate liking to it. I loved the Brit pop sound and melodies of <b>Wham!</b> from <b>Careless Whispers</b> to W<b>ake Me Up Before You Go-Go</b>. His duet the year before with Aretha Franklin my all time favorite <b>“I Knew You Were Waiting For Me”</b> was a step away from Wham! but not quit as hardcore as what was to come next. Songs like <b>“Hard Day”</b> had a brassier edge, baseline and sound that propelled Michael up the R & B charts where he became the first white male solo artist to hit #1.The album was preceded by the controversial single <b>“I Want Your Sex”</b>, tame by today's standard but MTV refused to play it and despite the video's plea to be about monogamy Aretha vowed to never sing with Michael again. <b>I Want Your Sex</b> stalled at #2 but the next 4 singles all hit #1. <b>“Faith”</b> took a slight turn into country, <b>“Father Figure”</b> was a masterful R & B opus which still holds up today, the coming of age ballad <b>“One More Try” </b>a song often copied but never equaled showed his vulnerable side, and finally the dance Jam <b>“Monkey”</b>. The last single <b>"Kissing A Fool"</b> made the top 5, a beautiful pop jazz number years before Michael Bubble made that music cool. Short by today's standard 10 or 11 tracks depending if you count part 1 and 2 of I Want Your Sex but the quality was all there, the other album tracks like <b>“Hand To Mouth”</b> George's commentary on the Reagan and Thatcher era, and <b>“Look At Your Hands”</b> are in my opinion just as good if not better then the singles.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhOrlZ02EORyDHhvmpjhEgJRa6WM93xrMlOqNfDY_fjqidCNZfGukTKXGRqq6FVWnzK8dwG22Fo7UmbzO6tzMCkXN0J4dgaIQLtfp0BMFKjOJ_Zf1No6XtzzzIKAUI_93pk28Z-VBnIrX/s1600/faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhOrlZ02EORyDHhvmpjhEgJRa6WM93xrMlOqNfDY_fjqidCNZfGukTKXGRqq6FVWnzK8dwG22Fo7UmbzO6tzMCkXN0J4dgaIQLtfp0BMFKjOJ_Zf1No6XtzzzIKAUI_93pk28Z-VBnIrX/s200/faith.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Most fans seem to be split on the remastering; you'll notice that this master is not as loud or compressed as most re-releases tend to be, it's nice and clean without changing it much, the way it should be, the biggest difference I noticed was on “<b>Hand To Mouth”</b> which sound much more crisper, less bass, you can hear every sound. The second disc of bonus songs seem like was mastered slightly differently, louder. The Shep Pettibone Remix of <b>“Hard Day”</b> is gorgeous, this is the full version and not the edited one of the original CD and cassette. It also includes two wonderful Stevie Wonder covers used as B-sides, the song <b>"Fantasy"</b>, two instrumentals, and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis remixes to <b>"Monkey"</b> which were hard to find on CD back in the 80’s, I always felt cheated every time I listened to the album after watching the video with the pumped up version.<br />
<br />
The release comes in 3 versions, a very affordable 2 CD edition with the bonus tracks, a pricier special edition that has the 2CD’s, a DVD with interviews, the videos re-synched with the new audio, a 40 page booklet, and a mega box edition that cost a fortune with an expanded booklet, rare prints and a vinyl copy of the album.<br />
<br />
The album went on to win the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year and sell over 20 million copies. While I much prefer his following effort <b>“Listen With Prejudice Volume One”</b> and consider it to be his songwriting peak, <b>“Faith”</b> is a milestone in his career and a benchmark in the history of popular music.<br />
<br />
<b>Check out the pic of me above from 1988 trying to recreate the album cover LOL <br />
<br />
For fun here is my Youtube review, you can see the packaging and me dancing silly. <br />
</b><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="400" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/y1Z08jwihas" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-80764773538526247002011-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:002011-02-04T09:14:46.658-08:00Robyn Body Talk Concert: Electric Factory Philadelphia February 3rd 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXgbKNXGSS-AFd3IBTj3QkB7m-jxgTYC7fWR9ObLhu91oQve7uO12BtNk2rktkZ5_4paGmLsfaChUubMN2r40Ir8EzZnGoZ-3e5DxMwmAo0_J4ltPyJC3k2QOpTr3UMyER_1EdsQPdK-Q/s1600/robyn-body-talk-pt-1-2-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXgbKNXGSS-AFd3IBTj3QkB7m-jxgTYC7fWR9ObLhu91oQve7uO12BtNk2rktkZ5_4paGmLsfaChUubMN2r40Ir8EzZnGoZ-3e5DxMwmAo0_J4ltPyJC3k2QOpTr3UMyER_1EdsQPdK-Q/s200/robyn-body-talk-pt-1-2-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Robyn is like a ball of energy from the first moment she hits the stage to the time she leaves. She blasted off the evening with <b>“Time Machine” </b>and transported us to her reality. From the <b>“Fembot”</b> who has feelings to the confident woman who sang this past year at the Nobel Peace prize concert. On songs like <b>“Call Your Girlfriend”</b>, and <b>“U Should Know Better”</b> Robyn doesn't mince her word, she's fierce and strong but so adorable that you just want to put her in your pocket and take her home. Most of the track list comprised of songs from her recent triptych release “Body Talk” with only 4 tracks from her back catalog. I got to stand on the left side right up at the stage and the energy was amazing. The crowd never stopped dancing with favorites like<b> “Indestructible”</b> and<b> “Stars 4-Ever”</b> where everybody was singing along.<br />
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Robyn was backed by two sets of drummers and two sets of keyboard wizards. I'm not a fan of the sound at the Electric Factory it's always very bass heavy, but last night it sounded the best I've ever heard. On songs like her mega hit <b>“Dancing On My Own” </b>you could hear every intricate little sound that makes the song so fabulous. Unfortunately Robyn seemed to be having technical difficulties, she was motioning at her sound tech during a few songs and was holding her ear piece while singing <b>“Hang With Me”</b>, if there was a problem the crowd and I certainly didn't hear it. My only complaint would be that sometimes the music would overpower her beautiful voice which was showcased on the last song, an acoustic style version of her top ten pop hit from the mid 90’s <b>“Show Me Love” </b>with a surprise intro to Abba's <b>"Dancing Queen"</b>. Dancing Queen indeed!!!!<br />
<br />
Note: at $25 a ticket ($35 with online booking fees) it was a steal.<br />
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Setlist<br />
<br />
1. Time Machine <br />
2. Fembot <br />
3. Cobrastyle<br />
4. Dancing On My Own <br />
5. We Dance to the Beat <br />
6. Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do <br />
7. Love Kills <br />
8. The Girl and the Robot <br />
9. Indestructible <br />
10. Call Your Girlfriend <br />
11. Stars 4-Ever <br />
<br />
Encore:<br />
12. Get Myself Together <br />
13. Dancehall Queen <br />
14.With Every Heartbeat<br />
<br />
Encore 2:<br />
15. U Should Know Better <br />
16. Konichiwa Bitches<br />
17. Hang With Me<br />
<br />
<br />
Encore 3:<br />
18. Dancing Queen (intro)/Show Me LoveTroystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-73879871567694870762011-01-10T10:15:00.000-08:002011-06-13T11:58:33.075-07:00Top Albums and Singles of 2010<div align="center"><b>2010 the year in music review<br />
<br />
</b></div>In a year where pop music was back it was unusual hard for me to find 10 top albums, as usual a flood of releases came in at the end of the year. The year was packed with great pop dance singles while albums kind of suffered. In North America The chart were ruled by <b>Eminem</b>, <b>Rihanna</b>, <b>Justin Beiber</b>,<b> Katy Perry</b>,<b> Taylor Swift</b>, <b>Kei$ha</b>, <b>Lady GaGa</b> continuing from last year, and the cast of a little musical show called Glee. Who would have thought that their acapella version of “<b>Teenage Dream</b>” would rival its creator's Perry.<br />
<br />
<div align="left">In The UK<b> Robbie Williams</b> shocked fans by reuniting with his boyband<b> Take That</b>, <b>Kylie Minogue</b> was back on track with her dance Opus Aphrodite, and a new electronic group<b> “Hurts”</b> reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys came onto the scene.<br />
<br />
</div><div align="left">The <b>Scissor Sister</b> came back into form with the <b>Stuart Price</b> produced “<b>Nightworks</b>”, Stuart produced 3 albums on my list . Swedish electronica/dance artist <b>Robyn</b> wowed us with not one or two but three albums and showed us she does beats and melodies better then most of her contemporaries.<br />
<br />
</div><div align="left">By the end of the year all things came full circle. <b>The Beatles</b> came back into our heads and hearts as their catalogue was finally available on Itunes, and just before the year's end <b>Michael Jackson</b>'s estate released an album of unreleased songs. The debate will go on forever, for or against releasing the material, but let's face it most us fans were curious and wanted to hear it.<br />
<div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><b>Top Albums of 2010<br />
<br />
</b></div></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOaQxf4qKBRjHJlNcmn3ydoKZqcEiMQOBT2F6MEFfsVfY4tHlSS98Yy7n3JUPzXngINETnft8KJ-s0iT0iCSAZyBmGSGvIxbMpEquWxbMXtyEvLLWq4PZvhu5w5aW3ni5lARy19R9YiAG/s1600/kylie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOaQxf4qKBRjHJlNcmn3ydoKZqcEiMQOBT2F6MEFfsVfY4tHlSS98Yy7n3JUPzXngINETnft8KJ-s0iT0iCSAZyBmGSGvIxbMpEquWxbMXtyEvLLWq4PZvhu5w5aW3ni5lARy19R9YiAG/s1600/kylie.jpg" /></a><b>01 Aphrodite—Kylie Minogue </b><br />
<br />
Her album “<b>X</b>” was criticized for being un-cohesive, (I loved it and don’t get all the fuss) for her 11th studio production “Aphrodite” Kylie enlists the help of dance music wizard Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers, Scissor Sisters) to produce a tightly woven piece of dance floor heaven. The album opens up with one of Kylie’s most hypnotic songs “<b>All The Lovers</b>” and like the video it places her at the top of her game, like the Goddess of music amongst her adoring fans.<br />
<br />
</div>From there on the disc doesn’t stop from the soon to be smashes “<b>Get Out Of My Way</b>” and “<b>Put Your Hands Up</b>”. Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters fame offer the frisky “<b>Too Much</b>” and Stuart does a great job on the heavenly “<b>Looking For An Angel</b>” and “<b>Better Than Today</b>”. The less successful tracks are the slower “<b>Everything Is Beautiful</b>” and “<b>Illusion</b>” I would have replaced both with the Xenomania produced songs “<b>Mighty Rivers</b>” and “<b>Heartstrings</b>” which ended up as bonus songs on Itunes and the latter on the Japan version of the album. Best tracks are the title song with it’s African flavoured drum beats, and anthem <i>“I’m fierce and I’m feeling mighty, I’m a golden girl, I’m an Aphrodite Alright.. alright!”</i>, and the last song tucked away at the end “<b>Can’t Beat This Feeling</b>” which sums up the album.<br />
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“<b>Aphrodite</b>” is up there with her best albums “<b>Light Years</b>” & “<b>Rhythm Of Love</b>” and dare I say better then<b> “Fever”</b>. <b>9/10</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHYyplMhGR0qwdN2ynFKnBk-9-lTs82BHp8ZKU0V8UG0LXOAg2g-eYs-rWEcO1g-f4DBiOasoeX66Ut5gcwEbjcYJQV_Yidjy4hZCiBSv_D2kj8lCBrIPAQRIsOhjV2BZvszmX2-qToSD/s1600/bodytalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlHYyplMhGR0qwdN2ynFKnBk-9-lTs82BHp8ZKU0V8UG0LXOAg2g-eYs-rWEcO1g-f4DBiOasoeX66Ut5gcwEbjcYJQV_Yidjy4hZCiBSv_D2kj8lCBrIPAQRIsOhjV2BZvszmX2-qToSD/s1600/bodytalk.jpg" /></a><b>02 Body Talk--Robyn</b><span class="style21"><br />
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3 times the charm for Robyn who released 3 records this year. Part 1 & 2 of this EP trilogy only wet our appetites for more. The Final <b>Body Talk</b> compilation has produced one of the finest albums of the year. From the Grammy nominated dance anthem <b>“Dancing On My Own”</b>, to the other singles<b> “Hang With Me”</b> and the beautiful orchestrated <b>“Indestructible”</b> make this Swedish Pop star Queen of da beats. Robyn can take the best of the old school groove and mix it with a new twist; she has a style all her own and doesn’t mince her words like most throw away modern pop stars. Songs like <b>"In Your Eyes"</b> has multiple layers of rhythms and grooves that give it a full large band quality to it. She can go all out pop for <b>“Time Machine”</b>, dip into reggae with the delightful <b>"Dancehall Queen"</b>, or dish it out with Snoop Dogg on <b>"U Should Know Better"</b> (“then to F*ck with me”). <b>“None Of Dem”</b> and<b> “We Dance To The Beat” </b>strips her sound down to the essential primitive beats, a beat all her own but enticing enough to make you just want to jump in and dance. The only song missing to make the perfect record would have been the track <b>“Cry When You Get Older”</b> from Body Talk Part 1. <b>9/10</b></span><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhGLX86FvVZRr7A0dN4pA4IwUX4F-oUYdCXIvNCR0T61Bi9HHA8btH5IQIOW3i_IJlgQdeDGyHkIht9qXuNGEaIhqoqT861SXCQFoaZhehlI6mkW5Ab1TzKVRYqAU8aVecpka8wHx4rLF/s1600/progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhGLX86FvVZRr7A0dN4pA4IwUX4F-oUYdCXIvNCR0T61Bi9HHA8btH5IQIOW3i_IJlgQdeDGyHkIht9qXuNGEaIhqoqT861SXCQFoaZhehlI6mkW5Ab1TzKVRYqAU8aVecpka8wHx4rLF/s1600/progress.jpg" /></a><b>03 Progress--Take That<br />
</b><br />
The first six tracks is the start of a solid album. It open's up with the mega single “ <b>The Flood”, </b>one of the few songs that make them sound like a full fledge arena rock group. On track two Robbie and Mark vocals blend perfectly as they rock the dancefloor on their urgent cry “ <b>S.O.S”</b>...<i>“Liberate your son's and daughter, some are G_ds some are monsters”...</i>this is no longer the sugar sweet boyband of he 90's who made it's success on ballads by Gary Barlow. Williams and producer Stuart Price head this ship. Price who has produced albums for The Killers, Madonna and Scissor Sisters gives it an overall electronica feel which you can hear on tracks like the bubbly but not sweet <b>“Happy Now” </b>and <b> “Wait”. </b>The best track is the Mark and Robbie political protest song <b> “Kidz” </b>, Stuart's bleeps and blobs make it border on Depeche Mode mixed with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation, unfortunately due to the recent student protests in the UK this favoured 2nd single was pushed to 3 rd place in favour of <b>S.O.S </b>. Despite Robbie's stalker-ish lyrics the Beatles-esque melody <b>“Pretty Things </b>” is a nice slice of synth-pop.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately the album looses steam on the latter 5 tracks where each member takes a stab at singing solo. <b>“Affirmation” </b> is a clever little tune lyrically reminiscent of Darren Hayes and Savage Garden but Howard Donald has really weak vocals and he can't seem to hit the notes on the refrain. Mark Owen's “ <b>What Do You Want From Me” </b> is no where near as good as his contributions to previous albums. Robbie's steampunk electro rockin' <b>“Underground” </b> and Gary 's cute <b>“Eight Letters” </b>which samples Ultravox's <b> “ </b><b>Vienna </b><b>” </b> are just OK. Oddly my favourite solo is Jason Orange's hidden track <b>“Flowerbed”. </b>A valiant effort, my only complaint is that their best new composition, the Gary and Robbie duet <b>“Shame” </b> was used on Robbie's recent Greatest Hits and not saved for this album. <b>8.5/10<br />
</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqYdDG5itd9OdUaQ4mwaaPEUVRt0EOlRrW4i4jTPT6H8fRLd1K-8ChKauQwhR0WjT-dMZ_uNectE5xcWC36Oh-mpTo9xBRLClzSr-A7FXR-9gQsZfSxfmHF288nyPg_jvLa9NcLKax8cP/s1600/michael.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqYdDG5itd9OdUaQ4mwaaPEUVRt0EOlRrW4i4jTPT6H8fRLd1K-8ChKauQwhR0WjT-dMZ_uNectE5xcWC36Oh-mpTo9xBRLClzSr-A7FXR-9gQsZfSxfmHF288nyPg_jvLa9NcLKax8cP/s1600/michael.jpg" /></a><b>04 Michael--Michael Jackson<br />
</b><br />
I thought I would like a song or two but I’m blown away at how a set of unreleased demos can rival most modern releases. The album doesn't really have a theme or concept but these ten tracks are superbly produced and carefully made to sound like a Michael Jackson record. Producers Teddy Riley, "Tricky" Stewart, Akon and others did a superb job piecing together the tracks to create a finished product.<br />
<br />
The opener <b>Hold My Hand</b> a duet with Akon, the only song not penned by Michael was recorded in 2007 and just completed; proves that Michael can have had a modern hit. <b>Hollywood Tonight</b> is very reminiscent of the <b>Dangerous</b> era and has all the Jackson signature vocal beat boxing groove. <b>Keep Your Head Up High</b> is a lush gorgeous inspirational ballad that could easily be his new <b>Man In The Mirror</b>. On <b>(I Like) The Way You Love</b> we hear a bit of his genius, a rare recording of Michael explaining how he wants the song to sound imitating the drum beats and instrumentation with only his vocals. It goes right into the full lush production making this beautiful Motown style groove sound magical. <b>Monster</b> another song about the pitfalls of Hollywood, while not the best track on the album it still gets you grooving. I could have done without the 50 Cents rap cameo but apparently Michael had wanted to work with him on his new record. <b>Best Of Joy</b> sound eerily familiar like a long lost 80’s R &B ballad that could easily be part of his Greatest Hits. <i>“Everybody wants a part of Michael Jackson”</i> he sings on <b>Breaking News</b>, making fun of how media would tear him apart, but the urgency of the beats suggest he was more then just laughing. <b>I Can’t Make It Another Day</b> teams up Michael with Lenny Kravitz to produce a heavy rock “<b>Dirty Diana</b>” groove. The last 2 track were taken from around the time of “<b>Thriller</b>”. <b>Behind The Mask</b> is a haunting robotic dance groove that sample’s Japanese Electropop pioneers Yellow Light Orchestra’s song of the same name, <i>“Who Do You Love?...Where is your soul, where did it go?”</i> Michael screams with his signature Hee-Hee’s. The closing track <b>Much Too Soon</b> is a beautiful country style ballad reminiscent of <b>Gone Too Soon</b>, I don't understand why it was never used. it could have been a huge hit.<br />
<br />
To the reviewers who slammed the album saying it's just slim pickings from someone who was a perfectionist, and Michael would have never released them … well Michael's slim pickings is miles beyond the drivel that gets released as a record these days. <span class="style13"><b>8.5/10<br />
</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f8YYblBr3Mk4ewGvRmDXVxE8XBejK1t9SZJUk0eIA_lhmgl_eEGpFW0CiA7Gbh5bPntfEWgTfjG_pB18PvetviiwdCv4e0bcA4LH9UTAfzfkE1M-KKKoJtuvw66sICH9Ir2TA-2yptoy/s1600/hurts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3f8YYblBr3Mk4ewGvRmDXVxE8XBejK1t9SZJUk0eIA_lhmgl_eEGpFW0CiA7Gbh5bPntfEWgTfjG_pB18PvetviiwdCv4e0bcA4LH9UTAfzfkE1M-KKKoJtuvw66sICH9Ir2TA-2yptoy/s1600/hurts.jpg" /></a><span class="style26"><b>05 Happiness--Hurts<br />
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Hailed as the new Pet Shop Boys, UK duo Hurts debut <b>"Happiness </b>” is not a stomping dance music album but a sophisticated electronica soundtrack, think Depeche Mode which they channel on the single <b>"Better Than Love” </b>. From the opener<b> "S</b><b>ilver Lining” </b>to the beautiful orchestrated ending track <b> “Water” </b>they deliver a delightful atmospheric sound with emotional lyrics and pretty melodies reminiscent of the 80's new wave movement. The dark but hopeful <b>"Wonderful Life” </b> reminiscent of the Jimmy Stuart X-mas film has a character contemplating suicide; the track is without a doubt one of the best singles of the year. <b>"Blood Tears & Gold" </b>channels a bit of Erasure, while the track <b>"Sunday" </b>leans on U2 <b>. </b>The album never gets boring with the gospel tinged choired <b> “Stay” </b>and <b> "Devotion" </b>which features pop princess <b>Kylie Minogue. </b>Lead singer Theo Hutchcraft's vocals are glorious and soar on tracks like <b>"Evelyn" </b>and <b> "Water" </b>. Their music isn't as sweet, danceable or happy as the likes of Ke$ha, Katy Perry or Lady GaGa but it's well crafted and sophisticated which will unfortunately will keep them off the radio in North America. <span class="style30"><b>8/10<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqKJXgprv_vDZGYP4GduY9OEn1QoZYbWfJA0Ejc6oRdbGtFr5-6MyZBXqudtYm4ne3fiPpzA5BYwpkU0s025IWg3Sg88KRdRtn4n2jYGWiS-vmJ8XGlKP-53IwrVHw7Hzj5sg2mQD66F_/s1600/nightworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqKJXgprv_vDZGYP4GduY9OEn1QoZYbWfJA0Ejc6oRdbGtFr5-6MyZBXqudtYm4ne3fiPpzA5BYwpkU0s025IWg3Sg88KRdRtn4n2jYGWiS-vmJ8XGlKP-53IwrVHw7Hzj5sg2mQD66F_/s1600/nightworks.jpg" /></a><b>06 <span class="style23">Nightwork--Scissor Sisters </span></b><span class="style23"><br />
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</span>After a disappointing sophomore album Scissor Sisters get back to basic as their 3rd album “<b>Night Work</b>” takes its influence from Giorgio Moroder and the late 70’s early 80’s dance grooves. From the Robert Mapplethorpe cover butt shot to the bright magenta colours this disc is unmistakably gay. Produced by dance wizard <b>Stuart Price</b> (Madonna, The Killers, Kylie Minogue), is a tight album with only the lead single <b>“Fire With Fire”</b> feeling out of place. Not sure why it was chosen, but it does have an Elton John quality to it, not unlike their previous mega hit,<b> “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”</b>. Best track is<b> “Invisible Light”</b> the Pet Shop Boys-esque fabulous six minutes of disco trance heaven with special guest Ian McKellen, (think of Vincent Price’s part in Thriller) the song was chosen as a buzz song before album came out, a real mistake not to release it as an official single. <br />
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Other fun grooves are<b> “Any Which Way” </b>a 70's flavored R & B Jam, the title track which sound like a cross between the Cars and Flashdance's "Manic",<b> “Something Like This”,</b> and<b> “Running Out”</b> which sounds eerily familiar to The Cure. Ana Matronic’s sultry vocals take the lead on the electronic 80’s sounding “Skin This Cat”. There’s no doubt the disc with songs like<b> “Skin Tight”</b> which segues right into <b>“Sex And Violence”</b> were influence by lead singer Jake Shears trip to Berlin Germany, where he “cut loose” after suffering from burn out.<br />
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The only thing missing from this set is a real killer commercial single, but then the Sisters have never been main stream, and remain a cult favorite in North America. <b>7.5/10</b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqKJXgprv_vDZGYP4GduY9OEn1QoZYbWfJA0Ejc6oRdbGtFr5-6MyZBXqudtYm4ne3fiPpzA5BYwpkU0s025IWg3Sg88KRdRtn4n2jYGWiS-vmJ8XGlKP-53IwrVHw7Hzj5sg2mQD66F_/s1600/nightworks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKmC_0R7pDu6p_Qnq-prsBYfaoZqCR9dViNz6TJeVcZ3QRU2QpoL-6KA4-qgVY76zq1MJibwEtzYQ22x5MoNzoKvPazGwMzGiX-3p4ukpDz1LDwTDgUTiNc_mb9A1zsLYQOKso9L9BQPK/s1600/annie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKmC_0R7pDu6p_Qnq-prsBYfaoZqCR9dViNz6TJeVcZ3QRU2QpoL-6KA4-qgVY76zq1MJibwEtzYQ22x5MoNzoKvPazGwMzGiX-3p4ukpDz1LDwTDgUTiNc_mb9A1zsLYQOKso9L9BQPK/s1600/annie.jpg" /></a><b>07 A Christmas Cornucopia--Annie Lennox</b><br />
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I never thought a Christmas album would ever grace my top 10 list but this is the best Annie Lennox has sounded in a long time, her voice is absolutely glorious on tracks like <b>“Angels From The Realms of Glory” </b>and haunting on <b>“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” </b>which is quickly becoming my favourite version. Annie didn't pick the typical sweet saccharine X-mas songs and her arrangements are refreshing and superb. Annie enlist the help of the incredible African Children's choir on more then half the album, and she gives track like <b>“Lullay Lullay (The Coventry Song)”</b>, and <b>“As Joseph Was A Walking” </b>an African rhythm makeover, For those looking for original material the last track <b>“Universal Child”</b> is a beautiful song written by Annie herself. <span class="style13"><b>7.5/10</b></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKmC_0R7pDu6p_Qnq-prsBYfaoZqCR9dViNz6TJeVcZ3QRU2QpoL-6KA4-qgVY76zq1MJibwEtzYQ22x5MoNzoKvPazGwMzGiX-3p4ukpDz1LDwTDgUTiNc_mb9A1zsLYQOKso9L9BQPK/s1600/annie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNad4qUe-NXgx6o7W86Il98paaozyCIqeDl4Dl-8gZYV3b2x-7oq1mmTxGHvylJXb3SoYJBh9pIZnseBkcymJ7HWIDsUx5CeDXwPPPGbvC0qD4aXyD9tB4cY0-Y_iAD3bRw_oR-z3KOEG/s1600/kelis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNad4qUe-NXgx6o7W86Il98paaozyCIqeDl4Dl-8gZYV3b2x-7oq1mmTxGHvylJXb3SoYJBh9pIZnseBkcymJ7HWIDsUx5CeDXwPPPGbvC0qD4aXyD9tB4cY0-Y_iAD3bRw_oR-z3KOEG/s1600/kelis.jpg" /></a><b>08 Flesh Tone--Kelis</b> <br />
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Taking a completely new direction Kelis drops her mainstay of Hip Hop for an electronica synth house celebration to produce some of the best dancefloor anthems of the year. The short 9 track album is just perfect, from the first song it grabs you right in for 37 minutes of pure ecstasy and bliss. This isn't a sweet pop record but something you would hear in a hard core dance club, while her vocals are not soaring like most Diva's her husky voice blends just perfectly with the music.<br />
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The album grooves and grinds to the <b>22th Century </b> with the help of French producer David Guetta on the fabulous first single “ <b>Acapella” </b>a dance floor rhythmic anthem written for the birth of her son and <b>“Scream” </b>dealing with emotions of her splitting with hubby Nas. She spouts fireworks with Italian dance king Benny Benassi on the “ <b>4th of July”, </b>and <b>Emancipate </b>. On <b>“Home” </b> she takes us to another universe of lights and blinding beats of desire. The album ends with the poignant and most commercial track <b>“Song For The Baby” </b>. Unfortunately this project will probably alienate her older fans and is not made for American radio, but as she sings in <b> “Brave” </b><i>“I'm super cool, but now I'm super strong, I've got nothing to loose”. </i><b>7.5/10</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_s0fKDX_fH03UtmqrtVSYdnHQOoYqf3B1UUj1C4WrFUirx7n0E97QtqhJotnR7BJTnLYYjTuRULbDj5nIGZBTLuzsPCoO0dFFioLxx26fGOembicBGHOCIivvIcJnR2e7tp-HMxIQOVk/s1600/Teenage-Dream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_s0fKDX_fH03UtmqrtVSYdnHQOoYqf3B1UUj1C4WrFUirx7n0E97QtqhJotnR7BJTnLYYjTuRULbDj5nIGZBTLuzsPCoO0dFFioLxx26fGOembicBGHOCIivvIcJnR2e7tp-HMxIQOVk/s1600/Teenage-Dream.jpg" /></a><b>09 Katy Perry--Teenage Dream</b><br />
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“Don’t bore us get to the chorus” is the mantra of Perry’s album producers Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) and Max Martin. Luke is the new superstar songwriter who has produced mega hits for the likes of Kelly Clarkson (Since You’ve Been Gone) and Pink. Martin reigned supreme in the late 90’s and produced the magic behind The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. You would think that somebody like Perry would be right down my ally but my problem with Perry is that she doesn't come off as genuine; it feels like she is going through the motions, doing what will make her popular.<br />
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The songs stick in your brain like a bad toothache with hits like<b> “Teenage Dream”</b>,<b> “Last Friday Night”</b> and the summer anthem<b> “California Gurls”</b>. The best track is the faux rock Heart sounding song<b> “Circle The Drain” </b>it’s one of the few track that seems genuine, the lyrics actually sound like Perry wrote them from personal experience of a lover who falls victim to drug abuse. <b>"Fireworks"</b> is a cute dancefloor tune, while<b> “Peacock” </b>with its cleverly hidden subject matter has one of he most annoying choruses in over a decade<b>. “The One That Got Away”</b> is the last good song on the album. The rest is kind of weird <b>“E.T” </b>sounds like Russian faux lesbians T.A.T.U., her pronunciation of the title makes her sound drunk. She tries to be arty with <b>“Pearl”</b> but it doesn’t quite work. <b>“Who Am I Living For?”</b> seems like filler and <b>"Hummingbird Heartbeat"</b> sound like <b>“Teenage Dream” </b>part two, or is it the other way around? Why must producers always program a boring ballad at the end of an album like <b>“Not Like In The Movies"</b>? Snooze…<br />
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Interestingly Luke said that the # 1’s “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls” where last minute additions to the album and he had to convince the label to halt the release till those 2 songs were completed. I wonder how big the album would have been without them. <b>6.5/10</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOd9KP14rcy3ozh9jDhQC08zHBkncl6UjP-W0Bh04nOyxjLVTaviWtnjh65cDAhsxguF7dvEwM9U9vEY8eHTBGg_r9hjmIhHSvfaMvdMRyH3W1SmSu8yCiLNUDfqFtSs2o85ZyzxWb4rq/s1600/stripme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOd9KP14rcy3ozh9jDhQC08zHBkncl6UjP-W0Bh04nOyxjLVTaviWtnjh65cDAhsxguF7dvEwM9U9vEY8eHTBGg_r9hjmIhHSvfaMvdMRyH3W1SmSu8yCiLNUDfqFtSs2o85ZyzxWb4rq/s1600/stripme.jpg" /></a><br />
<b>10 Natasha Bedingfield--Strip Me</b> <br />
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She's a young, hip, has a unique voice, doesn't need auto tuning and always has something interesting to say, but Natasha seems to have a hard time keeping success. For her 4th outing Natasha works with an array of producers like <b>John Shanks</b>, <b>Ryan Tedder</b>, and <b>Andreas Kleerup</b> of Robyn fame. I must admit on the first listen I was a bit disappointed. Her last album <b>“A Pocketful Of Sunshine”</b> was fabulous, this album is well polished but it seems to be missing something especially that one huge radio single that could propel it. The album runs like marathon of upbeat female empowerment, at her best she rock off with Kevin Rudolf on the dancable<b> “All I Need”</b>, and make's you smile on the catchy pop Ryan Tedder collaboration<b> “Neon Lights"</b>. Ryan's other song, the title track and 2nd single is a great anthem but like most of the songs it sounds like something we've heard before. I love Natasha's signature vocal tone and lyric delivery which can be heard on songs like <b>“Weightless”</b> and the fabulous dancefloor single <b>“Touch” </b>, unfortunately even with the benefit of being the star of a big commercial campaign for Nevea it still bombed on the charts. <b>“Run Run Run”</b> and<b> “No Mozart”</b> are cute but tracks like <b>“Can't Fall Down” </b>,<b> “Try”</b>, <b>“Break Thru”</b> and<b> “Recovery” </b>seem more like filler. <span class="style13"><b>6/10</b></span><br />
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<div align="left"><br />
<span class="style13"><b>Singles of the year </b></span><br />
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</div><ol><li align="left"><b>All The Lovers--Kylie Minogue </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Shame—Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Facing A Miracle—Taylor Dayne </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Release Me—Agnes </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Get Outta My Way—Kylie Minogue </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Hang With Me—Robyn </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Teenage Dream—Glee Cast </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Gave It All Away—Boyzone </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Acapella—Kelis </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Dancing On My Own—Robyn </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Higher -Taio Cruz featuring Kylie Minogue </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Better Then Love—Hurts </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Fireworks—Katy Perry </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Lights Out—Rick Astley </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Wonderful Life—Hurts </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Hold My Hand—Michael Jackson featuring Akon </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>All You Need Is Now—Duran Duran </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>I like It--Enrique Englesias Featuring Pitbull </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Bulletproof—La Roux </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>Touch—Natasha Bedingfield </b></li>
<li align="left"><span class="style14"><b>Break My Heart—Taio Cruz </b></span></li>
<li align="left"><b>Dynamite--Taio Cruz </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Better Than Today—Kylie Minogue </b></li>
<li align="left"><b>4th of July—Kelis </b></li>
<li align="left" class="style26"><b>Just The Way You Are--Bruno Mars</b> </li>
</ol></div>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7617042090321889220.post-51072699707667249742010-12-29T09:38:00.000-08:002010-12-29T09:39:12.069-08:00Robyn--Body Talk Album Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvICHFWlwNZmocfZ3x6AIv914pjBxFRo93Xi_PRXD7kQVVPv6bxRzmVsz80EZ8wjPLETN3UafpPVNBECC9E-K-_3RT9LeZ6wMX1VgtKNil59ez8ANJyFfKtWaH4XlU2r1WTG7a0c0WkbjR/s1600/1290507330_robyn-body-talk-itunes-version-2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvICHFWlwNZmocfZ3x6AIv914pjBxFRo93Xi_PRXD7kQVVPv6bxRzmVsz80EZ8wjPLETN3UafpPVNBECC9E-K-_3RT9LeZ6wMX1VgtKNil59ez8ANJyFfKtWaH4XlU2r1WTG7a0c0WkbjR/s200/1290507330_robyn-body-talk-itunes-version-2010.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">3 times the charm for Robyn who released 3 records this year. Part 1 & 2 of this EP trilogy only wet our appetites for more. The Final </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">Body Talk</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;"> compilation has produced one of the finest albums of the year. From the Grammy nominated dance anthem </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">“Dancing On My Own”</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">, to the other singles </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">“Hang With Me”</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;"> and the beautiful orchestrated </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">“Indestructible”</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;"> make this Swedish Pop star Queen of da beats. Robyn can take the best of the old school groove and mix it with a new twist; she has a style all her own and doesn’t mince her words like most throw away modern pop stars. Songs like </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">"In Your Eyes" </span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">has multiple layers of rhythms and grooves that give it a full large band quality to it. She can go all out pop for </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">“Time Machine”</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">, dip into reggae with the delightful </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">"Dancehall Queen"</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">, or dish it out with Snoop Dogg on </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">"U Should Know Better" </span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">(“then to F*ck with me”). </span></span><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">“None Of Dem” </span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">and <b>“We Dance To The Beat” </b>strips her sound down to the essential primitive beats, a beat all her own but enticing enough to make you just want to jump in and dance.</span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">The only song missing to make the perfect record would have been the </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">track</span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial";"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;"> “Cry When You Get Older”</span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;"> from Body Talk Part 1.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "Helvetica", sans-serif;">Robyn is touring Canada and the USA again starting at the end of January. Her energetic shows is a must see.</span></span>Troystarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412862059083259532noreply@blogger.com1