Pryde and Soul

Totally Random: Montreal's New Diva Marie-Christine

2011-11-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Montreal has a new diva and her name is Marie-Christine. Discovered by Canadian superstar Corey Hart. 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".

The record is separated into 2 parts, Soul Red which has a more slick pop 80’s produced sound and Soul Blue 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 Girl In Shades is a new quirky take on Corey’s Sunglasses At Night, 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 Totally Random 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 I Wanna Be Your Lover, a great reggae version of Squeeze’s song Tempted featuring GoldenChyl, and Keep On Running a Stevie Wonder 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 Walk In Beauty a haunting but powerful ballad with a positive message, my favourite Port Au Prince featuring Luck Mervil, and Silence, a song Corey originally wrote for Celine Dion.

Marie-Christine offers a few of her own penned tracks the best being the jazzy, snazzy pop groove Get Out and the slow jam Let Yourself Go. 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 All I Ever Do 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.

Natasha Bedingfield Concert Review Philadelphia TLA

2011-06-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

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 “Purple Rain” 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 “Sending Out An SOS”. She rocked the house with “All I Need”, “A Little To Much” and “Run Run Run”, new tracks from her album “Strip Me”, 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 “Angel”, “Soulmate”, and an audience request “Wild Horses”. My only criticism was the set list, I would have deleted old tracks like “I Bruise Easily” which put us to sleep, and new songs like “Try” and “Count Fall Down”, for better tracks like her album's lead single “Touch” strangely missing and the fabulous “No Mozart”. The show ended with her new single “Weightless”, a great rendition of “Recover” a song that wasn't a favorite of mine till now, and her signature hit “Unwritten”.

Set list

1. Neon Lights
2. Little Too Much
3. These Words
4. All I Need
5. SOS (The Police cover)
6. Single
7. I Bruise Easily
8. Strip Me
9. Run-Run-Run
10. Can't Fall Down

Acoustic section
11. Angel
12. Soulmate
13. Wild Horses
14. Try

15. Purple Rain (Prince cover)
16. Pocketful of Sunshine/(We're All Mad)
17. Love Like This
18. Put Your Arms Around Me
19. Weightless
20. Recover
21. Unwritten

Born This Way Lady GaGa Album Review

2011-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

The album is a in your face stomping dance/electro beat extravaganza from the dancetastic Marry the Night 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 Born This Way 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, Judas 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.

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. Yoü And I, 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 We Will Rock You, like I said less is more. The Edge Of Glory 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 Express Yourself, but “Edge” sounds so much more like Cher’s Song For The Lonely. Americano 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 Hair, along with the retro disco Bad Kids about her insecurities as a youth. Her faux German song Scheiße 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; Government Hooker channels the synth/industrial Brit pop, the wonderful retro pop Fashion Of Love which should have been on the regular edition, and Highway Unicorn (Road To Love) whose chorus sounds like powerhouses Pat Benatar or Heart. Electric Chapel sound like something that could have come from Duran Duran’s repertoire think Electric Barbarella.

My least favourite tracks are the sluggish and haunting Bloody Mary and the robotic Heavy Metal Lover 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 The Queen 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.

From Tigers to Leopards Duran Duran comes full circle: Review All You Need Is Now

2011-04-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Producer Mark Ronson wanted to create the follow up to “Rio”, well there was a follow up it was called “Seven And The Ragged Tiger”, I would call Duran’s new album “All You Need Is Now” as Rio part two. The title track definitely stands out with the contrasting ruff verses and unmistakable Duran chorus. Best tracks are “Blame The Machines”, and “Being Followed” which follows right on track and formula, and the beautiful airy “The Man Who Stole A Leopard” who seems to have stolen the intro to ”The Chauffeur”. Best guest star on the album is Scissor Sister’s own Ana Matronic who rap/sings on “Safe (In The Heat Of The Moment)” her part is very reminiscent of Blondies 80’s hit “Rapture”. The fan favourite seem to be “Girl Panic!” with their big signature drum sound and “Girls On Film” vibe. I’m not a fan of “Leave A Light On” which tries too hard to be “Save A Prayer”, I prefer the other ballad “Mediterranea” which while suffers a similar fate is a better song. The rest of the album kind of loses steam. “Other’s People Live’s” is cute in this obsessive age of “Fame” and the bonus track “Networker Nation” falls into our internet age, but they do nothing new or inventive. “Too bad You’re So Beautiful”, and “Runway Runaway” again feel like paler versions of a “Rio”. The 2 instrumental tracks “A Diamond In the Mind” and "Return To Now” 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.

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 “Notorious” Arcadia, or even “The Reflex”? It’s a great pop album but I prefer their 2004 opus “Astronaut” which was a comeback and a return to their signature Duran sound, but it sounded fresh and new with better songs.

You Gotta Have Faith:George Michael Faith Remastered Review

2011-03-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

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 Wham!, 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 Wham! from Careless Whispers to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. His duet the year before with Aretha Franklin my all time favorite “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” was a step away from Wham! but not quit as hardcore as what was to come next. Songs like “Hard Day” 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 “I Want Your Sex”, 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. I Want Your Sex stalled at #2 but the next 4 singles all hit #1. “Faith” took a slight turn into country, “Father Figure” was a masterful R & B opus which still holds up today, the coming of age ballad “One More Try” a song often copied but never equaled showed his vulnerable side, and finally the dance Jam “Monkey”. The last single "Kissing A Fool" 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 “Hand To Mouth” George's commentary on the Reagan and Thatcher era, and “Look At Your Hands” are in my opinion just as good if not better then the singles.

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 “Hand To Mouth” 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 “Hard Day” 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 "Fantasy", two instrumentals, and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis remixes to "Monkey" 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.

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.

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 “Listen With Prejudice Volume One” and consider it to be his songwriting peak, “Faith” is a milestone in his career and a benchmark in the history of popular music.

Check out the pic of me above from 1988 trying to recreate the album cover LOL

For fun here is my Youtube review, you can see the packaging and me dancing silly.

Robyn Body Talk Concert: Electric Factory Philadelphia February 3rd 2011

2011-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

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 “Time Machine” and transported us to her reality. From the “Fembot” who has feelings to the confident woman who sang this past year at the Nobel Peace prize concert. On songs like “Call Your Girlfriend”, and “U Should Know Better” 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 “Indestructible” and “Stars 4-Ever” where everybody was singing along.

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 “Dancing On My Own” 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 “Hang With Me”, 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 “Show Me Love” with a surprise intro to Abba's "Dancing Queen". Dancing Queen indeed!!!!

Note: at $25 a ticket ($35 with online booking fees) it was a steal.

Setlist

1. Time Machine
2. Fembot
3. Cobrastyle
4. Dancing On My Own
5. We Dance to the Beat
6. Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do
7. Love Kills
8. The Girl and the Robot
9. Indestructible
10. Call Your Girlfriend
11. Stars 4-Ever

Encore:
12. Get Myself Together
13. Dancehall Queen
14.With Every Heartbeat

Encore 2:
15. U Should Know Better
16. Konichiwa Bitches
17. Hang With Me

Encore 3:
18. Dancing Queen (intro)/Show Me Love

Top Albums and Singles of 2010

2011-01-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

2010 the year in music review

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 Eminem, Rihanna, Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Kei$ha, Lady GaGa continuing from last year, and the cast of a little musical show called Glee. Who would have thought that their acapella version of “Teenage Dream” would rival its creator's Perry.

In The UK Robbie Williams shocked fans by reuniting with his boyband Take That, Kylie Minogue was back on track with her dance Opus Aphrodite, and a new electronic group “Hurts” reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys came onto the scene.

The Scissor Sister came back into form with the Stuart Price produced “Nightworks”, Stuart produced 3 albums on my list . Swedish electronica/dance artist Robyn wowed us with not one or two but three albums and showed us she does beats and melodies better then most of her contemporaries.

By the end of the year all things came full circle. The Beatles came back into our heads and hearts as their catalogue was finally available on Itunes, and just before the year's end Michael Jackson'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.

Top Albums of 2010

01 Aphrodite—Kylie Minogue

Her album “X” 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 “All The Lovers” and like the video it places her at the top of her game, like the Goddess of music amongst her adoring fans.

From there on the disc doesn’t stop from the soon to be smashes “Get Out Of My Way” and “Put Your Hands Up”. Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters fame offer the frisky “Too Much” and Stuart does a great job on the heavenly “Looking For An Angel” and “Better Than Today”. The less successful tracks are the slower “Everything Is Beautiful” and “Illusion” I would have replaced both with the Xenomania produced songs “Mighty Rivers” and “Heartstrings” 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’m fierce and I’m feeling mighty, I’m a golden girl, I’m an Aphrodite Alright.. alright!”, and the last song tucked away at the end “Can’t Beat This Feeling” which sums up the album.

“Aphrodite” is up there with her best albums “Light Years” & “Rhythm Of Love” and dare I say better then “Fever”. 9/10

02 Body Talk--Robyn

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 Body Talk compilation has produced one of the finest albums of the year. From the Grammy nominated dance anthem “Dancing On My Own”, to the other singles “Hang With Me” and the beautiful orchestrated “Indestructible” 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 "In Your Eyes" has multiple layers of rhythms and grooves that give it a full large band quality to it. She can go all out pop for “Time Machine”, dip into reggae with the delightful "Dancehall Queen", or dish it out with Snoop Dogg on "U Should Know Better" (“then to F*ck with me”). “None Of Dem” and “We Dance To The Beat” 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 “Cry When You Get Older” from Body Talk Part 1. 9/10

03 Progress--Take That

The first six tracks is the start of a solid album. It open's up with the mega single “ The Flood”, 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 “ S.O.S”...“Liberate your son's and daughter, some are G_ds some are monsters”...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 “Happy Now” and “Wait”. The best track is the Mark and Robbie political protest song “Kidz” , 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 S.O.S . Despite Robbie's stalker-ish lyrics the Beatles-esque melody “Pretty Things ” is a nice slice of synth-pop.

Unfortunately the album looses steam on the latter 5 tracks where each member takes a stab at singing solo. “Affirmation” 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 “ What Do You Want From Me” is no where near as good as his contributions to previous albums. Robbie's steampunk electro rockin' “Underground” and Gary 's cute “Eight Letters” which samples Ultravox's “ Vienna ” are just OK. Oddly my favourite solo is Jason Orange's hidden track “Flowerbed”. A valiant effort, my only complaint is that their best new composition, the Gary and Robbie duet “Shame” was used on Robbie's recent Greatest Hits and not saved for this album. 8.5/10

04 Michael--Michael Jackson

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.

The opener Hold My Hand 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. Hollywood Tonight is very reminiscent of the Dangerous era and has all the Jackson signature vocal beat boxing groove. Keep Your Head Up High is a lush gorgeous inspirational ballad that could easily be his new Man In The Mirror. On (I Like) The Way You Love 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. Monster 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. Best Of Joy sound eerily familiar like a long lost 80’s R &B ballad that could easily be part of his Greatest Hits. “Everybody wants a part of Michael Jackson” he sings on Breaking News, making fun of how media would tear him apart, but the urgency of the beats suggest he was more then just laughing. I Can’t Make It Another Day teams up Michael with Lenny Kravitz to produce a heavy rock “Dirty Diana” groove. The last 2 track were taken from around the time of “Thriller”. Behind The Mask is a haunting robotic dance groove that sample’s Japanese Electropop pioneers Yellow Light Orchestra’s song of the same name, “Who Do You Love?...Where is your soul, where did it go?” Michael screams with his signature Hee-Hee’s. The closing track Much Too Soon is a beautiful country style ballad reminiscent of Gone Too Soon, I don't understand why it was never used. it could have been a huge hit.

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. 8.5/10

05 Happiness--Hurts

Hailed as the new Pet Shop Boys, UK duo Hurts debut "Happiness ” is not a stomping dance music album but a sophisticated electronica soundtrack, think Depeche Mode which they channel on the single "Better Than Love” . From the opener "Silver Lining” to the beautiful orchestrated ending track “Water” they deliver a delightful atmospheric sound with emotional lyrics and pretty melodies reminiscent of the 80's new wave movement. The dark but hopeful "Wonderful Life” 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. "Blood Tears & Gold" channels a bit of Erasure, while the track "Sunday" leans on U2 . The album never gets boring with the gospel tinged choired “Stay” and "Devotion" which features pop princess Kylie Minogue. Lead singer Theo Hutchcraft's vocals are glorious and soar on tracks like "Evelyn" and "Water" . 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. 8/10

06 Nightwork--Scissor Sisters

After a disappointing sophomore album Scissor Sisters get back to basic as their 3rd album “Night Work” 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 Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers, Kylie Minogue), is a tight album with only the lead single “Fire With Fire” 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, “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”. Best track is “Invisible Light” 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.

Other fun grooves are “Any Which Way” a 70's flavored R & B Jam, the title track which sound like a cross between the Cars and Flashdance's "Manic", “Something Like This”, and “Running Out” 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 “Skin Tight” which segues right into “Sex And Violence” were influence by lead singer Jake Shears trip to Berlin Germany, where he “cut loose” after suffering from burn out.

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. 7.5/10

07 A Christmas Cornucopia--Annie Lennox

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 “Angels From The Realms of Glory” and haunting on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” 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 “Lullay Lullay (The Coventry Song)”, and “As Joseph Was A Walking” an African rhythm makeover, For those looking for original material the last track “Universal Child” is a beautiful song written by Annie herself. 7.5/10

08 Flesh Tone--Kelis

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.

The album grooves and grinds to the 22th Century with the help of French producer David Guetta on the fabulous first single “ Acapella” a dance floor rhythmic anthem written for the birth of her son and “Scream” dealing with emotions of her splitting with hubby Nas. She spouts fireworks with Italian dance king Benny Benassi on the “ 4th of July”, and Emancipate . On “Home” she takes us to another universe of lights and blinding beats of desire. The album ends with the poignant and most commercial track “Song For The Baby” . Unfortunately this project will probably alienate her older fans and is not made for American radio, but as she sings in “Brave” “I'm super cool, but now I'm super strong, I've got nothing to loose”. 7.5/10

09 Katy Perry--Teenage Dream

“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.

The songs stick in your brain like a bad toothache with hits like “Teenage Dream”, “Last Friday Night” and the summer anthem “California Gurls”. The best track is the faux rock Heart sounding song “Circle The Drain” 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. "Fireworks" is a cute dancefloor tune, while “Peacock” with its cleverly hidden subject matter has one of he most annoying choruses in over a decade. “The One That Got Away” is the last good song on the album. The rest is kind of weird “E.T” sounds like Russian faux lesbians T.A.T.U., her pronunciation of the title makes her sound drunk. She tries to be arty with “Pearl” but it doesn’t quite work. “Who Am I Living For?” seems like filler and "Hummingbird Heartbeat" sound like “Teenage Dream” part two, or is it the other way around? Why must producers always program a boring ballad at the end of an album like “Not Like In The Movies"? Snooze…

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. 6.5/10

10 Natasha Bedingfield--Strip Me

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 John Shanks, Ryan Tedder, and Andreas Kleerup of Robyn fame. I must admit on the first listen I was a bit disappointed. Her last album “A Pocketful Of Sunshine” 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 “All I Need”, and make's you smile on the catchy pop Ryan Tedder collaboration “Neon Lights". 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 “Weightless” and the fabulous dancefloor single “Touch” , unfortunately even with the benefit of being the star of a big commercial campaign for Nevea it still bombed on the charts. “Run Run Run” and “No Mozart” are cute but tracks like “Can't Fall Down” , “Try”, “Break Thru” and “Recovery” seem more like filler. 6/10

Singles of the year

All The Lovers--Kylie Minogue
Shame—Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow
Facing A Miracle—Taylor Dayne
Release Me—Agnes
Get Outta My Way—Kylie Minogue
Hang With Me—Robyn
Teenage Dream—Glee Cast
Gave It All Away—Boyzone
Acapella—Kelis
Dancing On My Own—Robyn
Higher -Taio Cruz featuring Kylie Minogue
Better Then Love—Hurts
Fireworks—Katy Perry
Lights Out—Rick Astley
Wonderful Life—Hurts
Hold My Hand—Michael Jackson featuring Akon
All You Need Is Now—Duran Duran
I like It--Enrique Englesias Featuring Pitbull
Bulletproof—La Roux
Touch—Natasha Bedingfield
Break My Heart—Taio Cruz
Dynamite--Taio Cruz
Better Than Today—Kylie Minogue
4th of July—Kelis
Just The Way You Are--Bruno Mars

Robyn--Body Talk Album Review

2010-12-29T09:38:00.000-08:00

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 Body Talk compilation has produced one of the finest albums of the year. From the Grammy nominated dance anthem “Dancing On My Own”, to the other singles “Hang With Me” and the beautiful orchestrated “Indestructible” 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 "In Your Eyes" has multiple layers of rhythms and grooves that give it a full large band quality to it. She can go all out pop for “Time Machine”, dip into reggae with the delightful "Dancehall Queen", or dish it out with Snoop Dogg on "U Should Know Better" (“then to F*ck with me”). “None Of Dem” and “We Dance To The Beat” 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 “Cry When You Get Older” from Body Talk Part 1.

Robyn is touring Canada and the USA again starting at the end of January. Her energetic shows is a must see.

Hurts--"Happiness" Album Review

2010-12-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hailed as the new Pet Shop Boys, UK duo Hurts debut “Happiness” is not a stomping dance music album but a sophisticated electronica soundtrack, think Depeche Mode which they channel on the single “Better Than Love”. From the opener “Silver Lining” to the beautiful orchestrated ending track “Water” they deliver a delightful atmospheric sound with emotional lyrics and pretty melodies reminiscent of the 80's new wave movement. The dark but hopeful “Wonderful Life” 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. "Blood Tears & Gold" channels a bit of Erasure, while the track "Sunday" leans on U2. The album never gets boring with the gospel tinged choired “Stay” and "Devotion" which features pop princess Kylie Minogue. Lead singer Theo Hutchcraft’s vocals are glorious and soar on tracks like "Evelyn" and "Water". Their music isn't as sweet, dance-able 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.

"Michael" Jackson He Is Forever

2010-12-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

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.

The album opens up with Hold My Hand a duet with Akon, the only song not penned by Michael was recorded in 2007 and just completed; this beautiful song proves that Michael can have had a modern hit. Hollywood Tonight is very reminiscent of the Dangerous era and has all the Jackson signature vocal beat boxing groove, the ending with the whistling of the melody is divine. Keep Your Head Up High is a lush gorgeous inspirational ballad that could easily be his new Man In The Mirror, hearing his “Woh” screams in the background with the choir is hair raising. On (I Like) The Way You Love 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. Monster is another song about the pitfalls of Hollywood, some of the background vocal by Michael was song through a PVC tube, not the best track on the album but 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. Best Of Joy sound eerily familiar like a long lost 80’s R &B ballad that could easily be part of his Greatest Hits. “Everybody wants a part of Michael Jackson” he sings on Breaking News, making fun of how media would tear him apart, but the urgency of the beats suggest he was more then just laughing. I Can’t Make It Another Day teams up Michael with Lenny Kravitz to produce a heavy rock “Dirty Diana” groove. The last 2 track were taken from around the time of “Thriller”. Behind The Mask is a haunting robotic dance groove that sample’s Japanese Electropop pioneers Yellow Light Orchestra’s song of the same name, “Who Do You Love?...Where is your soul, where did it go?” Michael screams with his signature Hee-Hee’s. The closing track Much Too Soon is a beautiful country style ballad reminiscent of Gone Too Soon, I don't understand why it was never used, it could have been a huge hit.

This should have been the album he released in 2001 instead of “Unbreakable”. We'll never know how these songs would have sounded had Michael finished them, but I do not believe that his vocals are fake. To fit his vocals with the final musical production the producers admitted that they had to slightly modulate Michael's voice. If they are fakes than Sony Music produced one the best albums of the year and the imitator should be given a record contract. 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 these songs… well Michael's slim pickings is miles beyond the drivel that gets released as a record these days.

Don’t bore us get to the chorus: Katy Perry Teenage Dream Review

2010-10-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

“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.

The songs stick in your brain like a bad toothache with hits like “Teenage Dream”, “Last Friday Night” and the summer anthem “California Gurls”. The best track is the faux rock Heart sounding song “Circle The Drain” 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. "Fireworks" is a cute dancefloor tune, while “Peacock” with its cleverly hidden subject matter has one of he most annoying choruses in over a decade. “The One That Got Away” is the last good song on the album. The rest is kind of weird “E.T” sounds like Russian faux lesbians T.A.T.U., her pronunciation of the title makes her sound drunk. She tries to be arty with “Pearl” but it doesn’t quite work. “Who Am I Living For?” seems like filler and "Hummingbird Heartbeat" sound like “Teenage Dream” part two, or is it the other way around? Why must producers always program a boring ballad at the end of an album like “Not Like In The Movies? Snooze…

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.

Robyn, Kelis, Dan Black, and the Far East Movement at the Trocadero

2010-08-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

The show comprised of 4 acts. The openers, The Far East Movement and Dan Black were not my cup of tea but they didn’t play long, the problem is that it took forever to set up between each act and Robyn didn't come on till 10:45. I saw her 2 years ago at the TLA and her show ended at that same time.

I have to admit I was never a fan of Kelis or her mega selling song "Milkshake", but I love the dance music direction she is now taking. She looked fabulous in a skin tight silver shimmer dress and a matching wig that looked like it was borrowed from Cher. Her set was mostly centered around her entire new album “Flesh Tone”, fans of her earlier R & B hits were probably disappointed as she did bits and pieces of her old hits mashed-up as if to say that was yesterday. I didn’t care since I love the new album. Her mash-up of Madonna’s Holiday and Milkshake was fabulous and made the song bearable. She belted out mash-ups of covers including Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” and Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Sign Your Name” which I think she should record. Highlights were the fab "4th Of July (Fireworks)" and “Acapella”. She played for an hour and after her set I was drenched and needed a shower.

You could tell Robyn was headlining by the time she hit the stage, but like her new EP “Body Talk Part 1” her set felt like only part of a show. I guess for $20 I can’t complain. She was a ball of lightning dancing all around and enjoying the energy from the crowd. I found the sound too bass-y but that could be because I was right up at the stage facing the speakers on the side. The set list at 11 songs was a bit short. I’m not surprised she didn’t do her 90’s teen material but she left off recent key songs like “Handle Me” and her brand new video and single “Hang With Me”. Instead she did “Dream On” from her self titled opus, and the track "Don't F*cking Tell Me What To Do" which I really don’t like and a new song from her forthcoming EP. I know artists like to change things up a bit, but I didn't like this version of "Who's That Girl" and in my opinion she destroyed one of my favorite tracks "Be Mine". Highlights were "Cry When You Get Older" the fab “Dancing On My Own” and the reggae tinged “Dancehall Queen". The show ended at 11:45.

Before the show started for 10$ you could buy a CD from one of the artists (I bought The Kelis one since I already had Robyn's) with that you got a CD from Cherrytree Music including a 47 min megamix with songs from Kelis, Robyn, Agnes, La Roux , Ellie Goulding, etc and a wrist band that enabled you to stay after the show, meet and greet all the artists and get a poster signed. I thought it was a great deal so I bought it, but it ended so late. I waited in a super crazy line up line and by 12:15 neither Kelis nor Robyn came out, I needed to catch my last subway home so I left and didn't get to meet them.

I much preferred her concert from 2 years ago which seemed longer and she did some acoustic tracks which showcased her vocals. Like I said I guess for $20 I can't complain.

Robyn’s Setlist

1. Fembot
2. Cry When You Get Older
3. Cobrastyle
4. Dancing On My Own
5. Who's That Girl?
6. Dancehall Queen
7. The Girl & the Robot
8. Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do
9. Be Mine

Encore:
10. Dream On
11. With Every Heartbeat

Can’t Beat The Feeling: The Aphrodite Album Review

2010-07-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Her last album “X” was criticized for not being very cohesive, (I loved it and don’t get all the fuss) so 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 “All The Lovers” and like the video it places her at the top of her game, like the Goddess of music amongst her adoring fans.

From there on the disc doesn’t stop from the soon to be smashes “Get Out Of My Way” and “Put Your Hands Up”. Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters fame offer the frisky “Too Much” and Stuart does a great job on the heavenly “Looking For An Angel” and “Better Than Today” which got previewed on her North American tour. The less successful tracks are the slower “Everything Is Beautiful” and “Illusion” which I would have replaced with the Xenomania produced songs “Mighty Rivers” and “Heartstrings” 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’m fierce and I’m feeling mighty, I’m a golden girl, I’m an Aphrodite Alright.. alright!”, and the last song tucked away at the end “Can’t Beat This Feeling” which sums up the album.

“Aphrodite” is up there with her best albums “Light Years”, and “Rhythm Of Love” and dare I say better then “Fever”.

Night Work: Scissor Sisters Album Review

2010-07-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

After a bit of disappointing sophomore album Scissor Sisters get back to basic as their 3rd album “Night Work” 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 Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers, Kylie Minogue), is a tight album with only the lead single “Fire With Fire” 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, “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”. Best track is “Invisible Light” 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.

Other fun grooves are “Any Which Way” a 70's flavored R & B Jam, the title track which sound like a cross between the Cars and Flashdance's "Manic", “Something Like This”, and “Running Out” 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 “Skin Tight” which segues right into “Sex And Violence” were influence by lead singer Jake Shears trip to Berlin Germany, where he “cut loose” after suffering from burn out.

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.

Robotic Dance: Body Talk Part 1 album review

2010-07-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm aware that Robyn is releasing 2 more EP albums this year but after waiting as long as 5 years for some fans this disc of only 8 tracks is a bit disappointing and leaves you wanting more. I don't like songs that do more talking then singing, the first track “Don’t F*cking Tell Me What To Do” is just too repetitive, and the swearing doesn't help. The next 7 tracks are unmistakably Robyn, from the attitude to the phrasing to the electro beats. Lead single “Dancing On My Own” picks up from where her 2007 hit “With Every Heartbeat” left off. Best tracks are “Crying On My Own”, and the reggae flavored “Dancehall Queen” (one of two songs not self penned). “Hang With Me” is a nice break and a beautiful acoustic ballad with a sweet melody. The last song “Jag vet en dejlig " (I know a lovely rose) is a lovely cover of a traditional folk song from

Sweden

The songs on the album don't quite hook you in like her last self tilted opus but it's a far cry from the teen singer who sang “Show Me Love” and was the precursor to Britney Spears.

White Elephants and Lemonade: Kylie's All The Lovers

2010-06-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Marshmallows, a white elephant and an orgy on Grand Boulevard can only mean one thing Kylie's new video is here, and it smoking hot. Muchmusic.com have the online exclusive for Canada and then the Canadian TV broadcast premieres on Thursday. It will premiere in the USA on Wednesday on Yahoo.com. If you are lucky you might find it unofficially on Youtube before EMI takes it down. It will be up on Youtube officially before the end of the week.

The video features the Goddess Kylie never looking better on a pyramid/Mount Olympus of “lovers” making out with her at the top as she sings “All The Lovers, that came before they don't compare to you”. It has lots of guy/girl, girl/girl and guy/guy action, it's all pretty tame just kissing and touching with over a hundredth of white underwear clad people, but I can't help but wonder if the USA will censor or choose not to play it. The giant balloon elephant and her playfulness with her “lovers” point to not taking the video all too seriously. Fun, fabulous, and gorgeous all you can expect from a Kylie video.

You can vote for the song on http://www.chumfm.com.com for the next 2 days, on the right side of the page when you scroll down you'll see the new Kylie track ALL THE LOVERS. You need to listen to the song IN FULL and then vote.

Other places to vote
Montreal Virgin Radio: http://montreal.virginradio.ca/music
Calgary http://www.vibe985.com/shows/requests
Edmonton http://www.thebounce.ca/requests.asp

All The Lovers is released on the 13th June on Digital Download, and the 28th June on 2xCD and 7" Picture Disc Vinyl! Taken from the fantastic forthcoming album Aphrodite, CD released July 5th in the UK and July 6th in Canada and the USA, Digital Download, CD+DVD+Online Experience Edition and 12" Vinyl.

For all the latest Kylie news www.kyliecanada.com

3 Diva’s To Compare

2010-05-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia ended it’s week long LGBT Equality Forum in style with the Sunday Out at the Piazza at Northern Liberties. Closing the show was 3 new dance music pop divas.

First on stage was Samantha Marq, I love her song “Supergirl” (you can download it for free from her website www.samanthamarq.com I ended up paying for it on Itunes, but I thought it was worth it.) Samantha was the one out of the 3 that impressed me the most, she's got a great voice. Like the others she just had a backing track for the music, but I could actually hear her sing, and the music and background vocals didn’t drown her out. She sang 2 other songs, one was a new one that didn’t really stand out but on the 3rd one she called people to come up on stage and dance with her and her rapper.

You would think some artists might be afraid to do that but not Samantha. I find it funny that at this type of event everybody was so into showing off that they danced without interfering with her singing or performing. Speaking of namesakes she has a kind of Samantha Fox vibe in looks and music and she comes across as very friendly and sincere.

Next up was Kristine Elezaj, sorry to say she impressed me the least. Yes she is super hot especially in the skin tight glitter outfit and the DJ presenter kept remarking on it ad nauseam, but she reminded me too much of Britney Spears and even had the mic head set. Her dancers were fun but I’m not sure how much live singing she did and the backing track completely drowned her out. Her songs were OK but nothing blew me away.

The evening ended with the much anticipated Agnes Carlsson. In her home country of Sweden she won their version of American Idol in 2005 and has 3 albums and many top ten hits to her name. I liked her material the best. She sang “Love, Love, Love”, then her 2 dance stompers, “On and On”, and the #1 Billboard club hit “Release Me”. Her dancers were hot but again the backing track kind of drowned out her vocals, she has a great voice it was just hard to hear.

I loved that both Samantha and Kristine stayed around after their performances to talk to people and take pics, which I didn’t do because I waited for Agnes to come on hoping she would do the same, however after her performance she was hurriedly whisked away. There was only about a dozen people following after her down the street to take pics, not sure why she felt the need to leave so quickly, it’s wasn’t like a crowd of hundredths waiting around. I did follow the crowd, and was lucky enough to get a picture with her just before she motioned that she needed to go inside to fix her make-up, she said she would come back, but I wasn’t so sure, although her limousine seemed to be waiting outside. I managed to ask her when her album would be coming out in the USA, she had a hard time understanding me but finally responded “after the summer”. For now you can buy her single “Release Me” in various mixes on Itunes or Amazon. Outside of the album mix, I recommend the Jason Nevins Remix.

I hope the Equality Forum bring us more musical guests next year.

2009 the year in music review

2010-01-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

2009 the year in music review

2009 was an exciting year for music with acts like Lady Gaga busting on to the scene and bringing the dance/electronic sound so popular in Europe to the shores of the USA. Acts like Taylor Swift and The Black Eyed Peas dominated the Billboard charts breaking all kinds of records, and the reality shows like American Idol seemed to be revived with the likes of Adam Lambert.

Despite all the excitement I felt that the “album” suffered. Aside from my top 3 albums the rest of my top ten just kind of blends together and was kind of hard to place in order. I always feared that the digital age would make the “concept album” obsolete I hope that doesn't happen.

Lady GaGa continues to blow me away from her debut “The Fame” to her EP “The Fame Monster”. She has musical talent, style and can actually sing live. Mika has the talent but seem to be unable to break into the charts. Some efforts by established artists like Robbie Williams and Bananarama left me a bit disappointed, while The Pet Shop Boys and Whitney Houston delivered the goods. Reality stars Blake Lewis and Adam Lambert surprised me with their albums. Too bad Blake's sophomore album has got no support and barely sold.

Note qualifications: Lady GaGa The Fame was released in late 2008 but only gained recognition in the USA in 2009. Since she decided to release her 8 new tracks as a separate EP called The Fame Monster it qualifies as well and charted separately on the Billboard charts.

Top Albums of 2009

01 The Fame--Lady GaGa

A heaven of dance and electronic GaGa knows how to write a pop song with hooks and melodies that drag you right in. I have to admit I was first put off by "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" but the album is quite solid. My favourite tracks are the slower jams "Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" , "Paparazzi", Summerboy and "Boys, Boys, Boys" her ode to Mötley Crüe's hit "Girls, Girls, Girls. Her version could well become a gay anthem. "Paper Gangsta" has a great melody and a driving keyboard line throughout the song that is just delicious, the lyrics “Sometimes I felt so Def in the Jam”, “don't want no paper gangsta won't sign no monkey papers I don't do funny business not interested in fakers” could the song be about her record deal with Def Jam that fell apart? The only odd song is the ballad "Brown Eyes" which seems lost on the record. 9/10

02 The Boy Who Knew Too Much--Mika

Mika knows how to write a catchy tune and his sophomore album delivers the good. Mika borrows the best from pop music, although sometime you have to wonder if he doesn't take too much, the opening track and first single “We Are Golden” sounds a lot like Belinda Carlisle's “Heaven Is A Place On Earth”. The album just gets better with the tongue and cheek cabaret style of “Blame It On The Girls” and the wonderful falsetto gem and possibly the best track “Rain ”. Mika's lyrics are not empty and have a kind of whimsical and satirical style on songs like “DR. John”, “ One Foot Boy” and the circus themed “Boy Toy”, but when you peal away the happy melodies you're left pondering what is he really talking about? “I See You” slows the album down along with the reggae style "Blue Eyes". “Good Girl Gone” sounds like he sampled the magic of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Mika's music is probably too gay and sugar pop to be played on American radio stations but his albums are never boring, his music leaves you singing and dancing and wanting more. 9/10

03 Heatbreak On Vinyl--Blake Lewis

I never took him seriously but Mr. Lewis sophomore effort is a delicious slice of dance/electronica. The album is a throwback to the 80's without sounding dated. The music is catchy and has melodies to match the beats. Best track are the title track, a wink to those who remember the record store, “Binary Love”, “Sad Songs” and “Freak“."left My Baby For You” showcases Blake's hidden falsetto and sounds like it was plucked out of the early 80's techno era. “Rebel Without A Cause” sounds like a mix of Sting and reggae. The album is superbly produced, cohesive, and not in the way where all the tracks blend as one. Each has its own style. A shame the album sold so poorly and got no publicity. 8.5/10

04 I Look To You--Whitney Houston

“Million Dollar Bill” penned by Alicia Keys opens the album, a homage to the R & B groove of 70's and from there the album doesn't disappoint. Favourite track is Leon Russell's “A Song For You” which start off slow and builds to a dance floor anthem. There was a bit of confusion as to which song would be the first single, “I Didn't Know My Own Strength” penned by Diane Warren was a contender and then dropped in favour of “I Look To You”. I usually like Warren's song, the lyrics are very meaningful to Whitney but there is something off with the vocal arrangement, it's like the lyrics don't fit the music. When reviewing an artist with a voice like Whitney I usually concentrate on the songs because she's not a songwriter and is usually at the whim of her songwriters, but it's no secret that Whitney has abused her vocal chords probably from smoking drugs through the years. Her voice is not what it used to be, you expect her to soar or crescendo on some of the songs but it never seems to happen, whether it was written that way or not it leaves you wondering. On the positive side her voice has a new raspy edge to it which gives it character and life. Lyrics like “I've acted out my love in stages with ten thousand people watching” come across as autobiographical, you get the feeling that all the songs were written for her. You can't help but see the similarities to her life from the track “Nothing but Love” to the closing number “Salute” her swan song to Bobby Brown. “I Look To You” is great collection of songs and one of her most cohesive albums. 8/10

05 Yes--Pet Shop Boys

20 years later the boys are still putting out excellent pop music and remain masters at dance and electronica. This time around they hire Brian Higgins and his power machine Xenomania (Sugababes, Girls Aloud) to help co-write and produce some of the tracks. The team up produces a very cohesive, although sometimes homogenized modern pop album. Best tracks are “Did You See Me Coming?” with its beautiful guitar backing, “Beautiful People” and “Pandemonium” which sounds like classic Pet Shop Boys (think “Can You Forgive Her’). The album gets beautifully haunting with “All Over The World” a track that borrows from Tchaikovsky Nutcracker and the poetic war song “Building A Wall” where Neil sings "There's no where to defect to any more, I'm building a wall A fine wall Not so much to keep you out More to keep me in". Many have said this is their best since their 1993 album "Very" 8/10

06 The Fame Monster (EP)--Lady GaGa

GaGa was only suppose to write a few extra tracks as bonus songs for her debut album's re-release but after writing a few more she decided to release an EP of 8 tracks. From the explosive catchy “Bad Romance” the album is just as good as any full track CD. “Alejandro” has shades of ABBA, Speechless is an epic ballad and a huge hit in the waiting. The dancefloor burns up with the Depeche Mode flavoured “Dance In The Dark” and the Beyonce duet Telephone. GaGa has a way of mixing the best bits of pop music to create a unique vision and sound. 8/10

07 For Your Entertainment--Adam Lambert

Adam's debut album produces a mix of sound and vision, but lacks a bit of direction. “Music Again”, “Sure Fire Winner" and the Teddy Riley penned “Aftermath” follow the rock path and direction you would expect from him. “Sure Fire Winner” reminds me of the 80's stadium songs and “Pick You Up” throws a dash of Broadway into the mix. All songs would make great singles but instead his record label released the Britney-esque dance track “For Your Entertainment”, and the Pink penned track “Whataya Want from Me” which I think are horrible choices. My favourite song is the operatic ballad “Soaked”, Adam's vocals soar to epic proportions, the song is beautifully produced but probably not radio friendly. Linda Perry's pretty ballad “A Loaded Smile” slows the pace down. The album goes back into dance territory with “If I Had You" and the Lady GaGa catchy contribution “Fever”. The album closes with the opus 2012 film track ”Time For Miracles”. You can tell a lot of time and production went into this album and produced a pretty good effort from a karaoke contest winner. 7/10

08 Reality Killed The Video Star--Robbie Williams

I was looking forward to this album but I find it a bit underwhelming. Robbie says he's back to big ballads a la ”Angels” but the album is missing his signature spark, the kick he usually has. I love the opening track “Morning Sun” which he wrote last minute after Michael Jackson's death, and “Blasphemy” which he co-wrote with long time collaborator Guy Chambers, the song was actually a leftover from his Escapology album from 2003. I wish he would have gotten back with Chambers and written more songs. The rest of the album blurs together all very nice, but nice is the last thing you want on a Robbie Williams album. 6.5/10

09 Complete Me-Frankmuzik

Frankmusik remind me of Howard Jones, and the electronic artists of the 80's. His single “Confusion Girl” is an absolute delight and so much fun in an era of homogenised music. His songs are quirky and catchy like “Better Of As 2” and “3 Little Words”. “When Your Around”, which contains an interpolation of The Stranglers "Golden Brown" has a Depeche Mode quality to it. The album slows down with the tracks “Complete Me” and the more successful “Vacant Heart”. “Time Will Tell” mixes synths with borrowed loops from “Put The Needle On The Record”. He has a nice voice and his falsetto can be pretty but sometimes it can become grating. Unfortunately some of the music can come off sounding repetitive and annoying like the opening track “In Step”, “Gotta Boyfriend?” And “Done Done” where the synthesizers over power his voice too much, but how can I not like an artist who wrote a song called “Wonder Woman”. 6.5/10

10 Viva Bananarama

After 25 years I still love Bananarama, they don't take themselves too seriously and still produce fun pop music like their 2006 album “Drama”. Their follow up was supposed to be an album of cover tracks but they started writing so many new songs and changed their mind. Their new single “Loves Comes” produced by Ian Masterson delivers all the goods and was hopeful to a great album. “Love Don't Live Here” could make an OK single and “Dum Dum Boy” is fun but the rest of the album becomes a bit too homogenised and uses too much auto-tuning, I'd rather hear the girls voices and less manipulation, the song “Twisting” is just grating. I love some of the digital bonus tracks like the cover versions of “Voyage Voyage”, and “The Sound Of Silence”. 6/10

Singles of the year

01 Heartbreak On Vinyl----Blake Lewis
02 How Do You Sleep?----Jesse McCartney
03 We Are Golden----Mika
04 Confusion Girl----Frankmuzik
05 Bad Romance----Lady GaGa
06 Blame It On The Girls----Mika
07 Sad Song----Blake Lewis
08 Celebration----Madonna
09 Million Dollar Bill----Whitney Houston
10 Love Comes----Bananarama
11 Just Dance----Lady Gaga
12 Time For Miracles----Adam Lambert
13 About A Girl Sugababes
14 Evacuate The Dancefloor----Cascada
15 Did You See Me Coming----Pet Shop Boys

The Golden Boy

2009-11-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Mika "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" Album Review

Mika knows how to write a catchy tune and his sophomore album “The Boy Who Knew To Much” delivers the good. Mika borrows the best from pop music, although sometime you have to wonder if he doesn’t take too much, the opening track and first single “We Are Golden” sounds a lot like Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth”. The album just gets better with the tongue and cheek cabaret style of “Blame It On The Girls” and the wonderful falsetto gem and possibly the best track “Rain”. Mika’s lyrics are not empty and have a kind of whimsical and satirical style on songs like “DR. John”, “One Foot Boy” and the circus themed “Boy Toy”, but when you peal away the happy melodies you’re left pondering what is he really talking about? “I See You” slows the album down along with the reggae style "Blue Eyes". “Good Girl Gone” sounds like he sampled the magic of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Mika’s music is probably too gay and sugar pop to be played on American radio stations but his albums are never boring, his music leaves you singing and dancing only wanting more.

The Boy Who Sang Too Much

2009-11-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Mika at the Electric Factory Philadelphia October 18th 2009

I have to start off by saying I really hate the venue, the sound at the Electric factory is not amazing and it's almost impossible to get to if you don’t have a car. Trying to cross under the vine expressway is dangerous (especially when the traffic lights are not working) and trying to get a taxi on the way back home was not fun.

The show starts with his band mates sitting on a couch with their backs to the audience (Mika if you are reading this you need to buy a new couch, this one is a bit torn and worn). They are watching cartoons on TV which gets interrupted by a newscaster played by actor Sir Ian McKellen (Lord Of The Rings) announcing that a lunched rocket ship is having technical difficulties, the next thing we see are the curtains opening, the band mates takes their places on a stage which is decorated with white orbs like planets hanging from the ceiling. An astronaut enters in one of those huge outfits from the late 60’s, he undresses to unveil none other then Mika himself in only a pair of white boxer shorts.

I was relieved when he dashed away to quickly dress up. The audience was filled with girls from the ages of 10-16, I was surrounded by them and their mothers, I felt out of place like I was at a Miley Cyrus concert.

Continuing on his love of the circus Mika was dressed in a splashy outfit part jester part rock star, he brought a huge suitcase on stage full of accessories with glasses and hats which he used throughout the show and for the song Boy Toy a marionette was brought up on stage. Mika puts on a very energetic show bopping from one side of the stage to the other, playing the piano and even using a garbage can as makeshift drums. On the opening song Relax he almost fell flat on his ass but quickly regained his posture and dusted himself off. The crappy sound of the Electric factory kind of drowned out his vocals but on songs like the beautiful Happy Endings from his debut LP he sounded great. For Big Girls Are Beautiful they plucked out 3 shapely girls from the audience before the show, dressed them in colourful outfits and had them dance on stage. Mika seemed impressed at how many people knew the words to album tracks like Billy Brown and One Foot Boy that have never hit the airwaves in the USA. Highlights included the fan favourite We Are Golden, Rain and Love Today, where he got everybody to close their eyes and jump up and down. I was horrified that he tried this, I kept my eyes open trying not to get crushed. Mika ended the concert like his previous tours with the song Lollipop with giant white balloon balls falling from the ceiling, and fans screaming for more.

Setlist

1. Relax
2. Big Girls Are Beautiful
3. Stuck in the Middle
4. Dr, John
5. Blue Eye
6. Touched You
7. Pick up off The Floor
8. One Foot Boy
9. Blame It On The Girls
10. Happy Endings
11. Billy Brown
12. I See You
13. Rain
14. Love Today
15. We Are Golden
16. Toy Boy
17. Grace Kelly
18. Lollipop

Like a pure white diamond she shines on and on…

2009-10-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Kylie Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom New York City October 12th & 13th

It’s hard to review Kylie Minogue’s North American tour without thinking I might be a bit biased, but after seeing over 70 plus concerts in my life I can easily say that her concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom on October 12th is one of the best show I have ever seen. From the moment she descended on a giant skull singing “Light Years” dressed in her finest sci-fi gear you were mesmerized into Kylie’s world. She doesn’t just stand there and sing, her show was a kaleidoscope of colours, sliding walls, visual projections, dancing, and performances that could give Madonna a run for her money. The show was like going to a Broadway play about Kylie’s life story, so much was happening that it was hard to take it all in one viewing. For someone who is not a dancer Kylie moved around a lot and performed acrobatics as her dancers carried her or as she walked on their hands in the air with ease as if she was gliding across the floor. Did I mention the shower scene with the guys? Enough said.

If anybody thought she can’t sing just listen to her on her ballad section with songs like “White Diamond” or “Confide in Me”, I was surprised myself at how great her voice was. I never thought I would hear in North America songs like the encore "Better The Devil You Know", or "Shocked", and "What Do I Have To Do" which were featured in the medley. The great surprise of the evening came towards the end when she was asking for requests and the audience started chanting “Your Disco Needs You”. She sang the full song acapella with the audience singing along and even doing the back up vocals, the look on her face was priceless, she even sang the opera part at the end which I didn’t think was her voice on the record, I was wrong. The show had an incredible set list, I couldn’t complain even if some key songs were missing. To make it special for her North American fans Kylie premiered a great new song from her forthcoming album called “Better Than Today”.

I saw the show again on her last night. This time she didn’t sing “Your Disco Needs You” but kept “The One” from the original set list and as a special gift sang the jazzed up version of “I Should Be So Lucky” before she ended with “Love At First Sight” where I was drowned in confetti singing “I’m in love, I’m in love…

I waited 20 years but it was well worth the wait.

Check out all the latest Kylie news at www.kyliecanada.com

SETLIST

LIGHT YEARS
SPEAKERPHONE
COME INTO MY WORLD
IN YOUR EYES

MEDLEY: Shocked / What Do I Have To Do? / Spinning Around
BETTER THEN TODAY New song

LIKE A DRUG
BOOMBOX / CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
SLOW
2 HEARTS
RED BLOODED WOMAN (WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW)
CHEER SQUAD SEGUE
WOW

WHITE DIAMOND
CONFIDE IN ME
I BELIEVE IN YOU

BURNING UP / VOGUE
THE LOCOMOTION
KIDS
IN MY ARMS

BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
YOUR DISCO NEEDS YOU (Acapella) (October 12th only)
THE ONE (October 13th only)
I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (October 13th only)
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

It's A Celebration

2009-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

“34 songs that changed the world” is the tag line to Madonna new Greatest Hits compilation coming out September 29th. Not sure if all those songs changed the world but Madonna did change the face of pop music and became the blueprint to many wannabe Diva’s and female singers.

I still remember Holiday rising up the Billboard Charts in 1983 and peaking at #16. I thought she was black because of Shannon's hit Let The Music Play which was out at the same time, the songs to me sounded similar and I knew Shannon’s was black so I assumed so was she. When Madonna released her next song Borderline I was shocked to see a blonde white woman in the video. Borderline was her first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and it just got better, by the time Lucky Star went top 5 they had to shelve her next album to let her first one run its course.

Like A Virgin exploded onto the scene in my graduating year of High School, I was completely hooked. The album produced 4 top 5 single, plus hits from elsewhere like the #1 movie tracks Crazy For You and my favorite dance song Into The Groove. Her Icon status was cemented with albums like True Blue which produced 5 top 5 singles and my favorite album Like A Prayer. Her songs like Express Yourself, La Isla Bonita, and Papa Don’t Preach were Iconic. Madonna could dance but could also write powerful songs with an emotional message like Live To Tell or Oh Father. She finished the 80’s with the gay dance anthem Vogue, a song that today still gets everybody on the dance floor. Her videos were groundbreaking and breathtaking and her concerts like the Blond Ambition tour were a spectacle. She pushed sexuality to the forefront but not as a victim but as a powerful woman in control of her sexuality.

Madonna was definitely my pop goddess but by the 90’s she started getting too serious artistically and lose the carefree attitude she had. I found it hard supporting an artist that charges $400 a ticket. $32.50 in 1987 to see her Who’s That Girl tour does not equal $400 in 2009. Her Erotica album was OK but I never really liked Bedtime Stories. I became interested again with her 90’s opus Ray Of Light produced by William Orbit, by then it was hit or miss depending on which producer and songwriters she would use. Her best material in my opinion was in the 80’s with songwriters Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard. I never liked French remixer Mirwais’s production on albums like Music and American Life. 2006 Confession On A Dancefloor produced by Stuart Price was a step in the right direction and a return to her past.

Madonna has ended her long contract with Warner music, her last studio album Hard Candy with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland came in with mixed review by critic and fans. While It’s not her best I thought it was better then some of her 90’s output. Celebration a 2 CD set is her last contractual album with Warner and I don’t envy the producers or management who had to decide which songs would make the final cut. Madonna fans have been bitching for years complaining about tracks that have been omitted from her previous compilations The Immaculate Collection and GHV2. She has sixty eight top 40 hits in the UK, forty eight in the USA, thirty seven have made the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and twelve made it to # 1. Forty of her songs have topped the Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs Chart, the most by any artist ever. Let’s not start about which remix or edit of a particular song should be used. The fight about album version versus remixed 12”/dance version/extra beats, has been going on since Shep Pettibone remixed the entire Immaculate Collection CD.

Just as impressive if not more a DVD collection with 47 of her videos will also hit the store shelves. Did your favorite song, video and mix make the final cut?

CD1

01 Hung Up (Album Version) 5:36
02 Music (Album Version) 3:45
03 Vogue (Immaculate Collection Version) 5:16
04 4 Minutes (Radio Edit) 3:09
05 Holiday (Album Version) 6:08
06 Everybody (7" Edit) 4:11
07 Like A Virgin (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:09
08 Into The Groove (Album Version) 4:45
09 Like A Prayer (Album Version) 5:42
10 Ray Of Light (Radio Edit) 4:33
11 Sorry (Radio Edit) 3:58
12 Express Yourself (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:59
13 Open Your Heart (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:49
14 Borderline (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:58
15 Secret (Radio Edit) 4:28
16 Erotica (Radio Edit) 4:30
17 Justify My Love (Album Version) 4:54
18 Revolver 3:40

CD2

01 Dress You Up (Album Version) 4:02
02 Material Girl (Album Version) 4:00
03 La Isla Bonita (Album Version) 4:02
04 Papa Don't Preach (Album Version) 4:29
05 Lucky Star (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:39
06 Burning Up (Album/Video Version) 3:42
07 Crazy For You (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:44
08 Who's That Girl (Album Version) 3:58
09 Frozen (Album Version) 6:18
10 Miles Away (Radio Edit) 3:43
11 Take A Bow (Album Version) 5:20
12 Live To Tell (Album Version) 5:51
13 Beautiful Stranger (Album Version) 4:20
14 Hollywood (Album Version) 4:22
15 Die Another Day (Album Version) 4:36
16 Don't Tell Me (Radio Edit) 4:09
17 Cherish (Immaculate Collection Version) 3:50
18 Celebration 3:35

DVD Track Listing:

1) Burning Up
2) Lucky Star
3) Borderline
4) Like A Virgin
5) Material Girl
6) Crazy For You
7) Into The Groove
8) Live To Tell
9) Papa Don't Preach
10) True Blue
11) Open Your Heart
12) La Isla Bonita
13) Who's That Girl
14) Like A Prayer
15) Express Yourself
16) Cherish
17) Vogue
18) Justify My Love
19) Erotica
20) Deeper and Deeper
21) Rain
22) I'll Remember
23) Secret
24) Take A Bow
25) Bedtime Story
26) Human Nature
27) I Want You
28) You'll See
29) Frozen
30) Ray Of Light
31) The Power Of Good-Bye
32) Beautiful Stranger
33) American Pie
34) Music
35) Don't Tell Me
36) What It Feels Like For A Girl
37) Die Another Day
38) Hollywood
39) Love Profusion
40) Hung Up
41) Sorry
42) Get Together
43) Jump
44) 4 Minutes
45) Give It 2 Me
46) Miles Away
47) Celebration

Million Dollar Voice

2009-09-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Whitney Houston "I Look To You" album review

The album opens up with “Million Dollar Bill” penned by Alicia Keys, the song is a wonderful homage to the R & B groove of 70’s and from there the album doesn’t disappoint. My favourite track is Leon Russell’s “A Song For You” which start off slow and builds to a dance floor anthem. There was a bit of confusion as to which song would be the first single, “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” penned by Diane Warren was a contender and then dropped in favour of “I look To You”. I usually like Warren’s song, the lyrics are very meaningful to Whitney but there is something off with the vocal arrangement, it’s like the lyrics don’t fit the music. The beautiful title track written by R. Kelly was kept for 10 years by Clive Davis until he felt it was right for Whitney, or rather until she cleaned herself up. When reviewing an artist with a voice like Whitney I usually concentrate on the songs because she’s not a songwriter and is usually at the whim of her songwriters, but it’s no secret that Whitney has abused her vocal chords probably from smoking drugs through the years. Her voice is not what it used to be, you expect her to soar or crescendo on some of the songs but it never seems to happen, whether it was written that way or not it leaves you wondering. On the positive side her voice has a new raspy edge to it which gives it character and life. Lyrics like “I've acted out my love in stages with ten thousand people watching” come across as autobiographical, you get the feeling that all the songs were written for her. You can’t help but see the similarities to her life from the track “Nothing but Love” to the closing number “Salute” her swan song to Bobby Brown. “I Look To You” is great little collection of songs and possibly one of her most cohesive albums.

Meet The Beatles

2009-09-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

In the fall of 1980 I bought my first stereo system and record player with my bar mitzvah money. It was a Lloyd’s system I bought it from my uncle who worked for the company. I’m not actually sure if my mom let my uncle take my money or not, I remember her arguing with him about payment. My mother went out and bought me a few album albums as gifts, one was John Lennon’s “Double Fantasy” the other was “Meet The Beatles”. I was not yet born when Beatlemania hit the shores of North America but I knew who the Beatles were, and understood their place in history. I grew up hearing their songs everywhere. I remember my friend Victor playing their anthology songbook on guitar and singing along. Playing that 33 1/3 vinyl record in my living room for the first time was like being transported back to 1963, my enthusiasm for the recording industry only grew from there.

29 years later on September the 9th 2009 I went to my local record store, they were having a Beatles party and picked up the new remastered edition of “With The Beatles”. The nostalgia happened all over again. You might notice that while the picture on the album sleeves is the same the title and track listing is different, it’s almost a different album. When Capitol Records released the Beatles in North America they amalgamated some of their earlier original UK albums to create hybrid collections. Their first Capitol album in North America had songs from both the “Please Please Me” and “With The Beatles” LP, and the single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” which was not on any LP at the time. The US version “Meet The Beatles” was released on CD for the first time in 2004 as part of “The Capitol Albums, Volume 1” box set.

As I was writing this blog I was made aware that Canada had it own version called “Beatlemania With The Beatles” It has the same tracklisting as the UK version but the cover had added text on the front and it was only released in mono. Canada didn’t get any Beatles albums in stereo till 1965.

I’ve been hearing many people ask recently what is the difference between the Beatles mono and stereo LP’s? Is one better? To answer that question I referred to one of the Beatles biggest expert and fanatic my friend Andy G., here’s what he had to say....

“Neither is better, they’re just different. The thing is that unlike most bands, the Beatles didn't just use mix downs of the stereo versions for the mono releases, George Martin made completely different mixes. So the mono isn't just "like adding the two sides of the stereo together", some of them have different instrumentation, different speeds, different takes of the song even. For example on "With the Beatles", "Money" has a different intro in mono, and parts of the mono are from take 6 while the stereo is all take 7.

Some albums (or songs even) I prefer the mono version, some the stereo. There's no real "better" overall though. The mono and stereo versions of "With The Beatles" were actually originally released (in the UK) on the same day, the mono wasn't first.”

I’m happy that the Beatles are getting the remastered treatment, they deserve it, it sounds great and the photos and liner notes are superb, my only is gripe is that over the years I’ve collected many of the Beatles CD’s which were originally released in 1988. I don’t suppose that Capitol/ EMI Records would create an exchange policy? I guess not.

It is still fun to know that in this day of digital download and throw away electronics that buying and listening to an album originally released in 1963 can still be exciting.

With The Beatles
Side A
It Won't Be Long Lennon/McCartney
All I've Got To Do Lennon/McCartney
All My Loving Lennon/McCartney
Don't Bother Me Harrison
Little Child Lennon/McCartney
Till There Was You Wilson
Please Mr. Postman Holland

Side B
Roll Over Beethoven Berry
Hold Me Tight Lennon/McCartney
You Really Got A Hold On Me W. Robinson
I Wanna Be Your Man Lennon/McCartney
Devil In Her Heart Drapkin
Not A Second Time Wilson
Money Berry/Gordy/Bradford

Meet The Beatles
Side A (LP)
I Want To Hold Your Hand Lennon/McCartney
I Saw Her Standing There Lennon/McCartney
This Boy Lennon/McCartney
It Won't Be Long Lennon/McCartney
All I've Got To Do Lennon/McCartney
All My Loving Lennon/McCartney

Side B (LP)
Don't Bother Me Harrison
Little Child Lennon/McCartney
Till There Was You Wilson
Hold Me Tight Lennon/McCartney
I Wanna Be Your Man Lennon/McCartney
Not A Second Time Wilson

Atlantic City Boy

2009-09-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Pet Shop Boys Concert Review

Over 25 years in the business and the boys are still in top shape and can outdo many of their modern contemporaries. They put on a fabulous visual show but it started late and the sound wasn’t great. The doors opened at 8:00 but they didn't grace the stage till 9:50 and that was after their computer technician was testing and arranging the generated images on the screen for about 10 minutes. It was a small venue and it was great seeing them up close but the acoustics had too much bass and it almost drowned out Neil’s vocals, the venue with a low ceiling did not seem to be made for good sound.

They always have interesting set lists which include hits, fan favourites and lesser know songs. I would have replaced “Jealousy”, and the “Two Divided by Zero” medley which seem to lose momentum after Go West. The dancers, choreography and visuals were superb especially when the wall in “Building A Wall” came crashing down to reveal the back drop to “Go West”, who would have though that simple boxes could create such imagery. Many of the songs had bits and pieces of other songs, "Domino Dancing" is listed on the set list but it’s just a line or two from the song. There were so many mash ups I probably missed a few. I wish they would have sung the full version of “Closer To Heaven” which sounded beautiful in acapella. I was grateful that they added “New York City Boy” a favourite of mine which they never usually do. The crowd seem to go crazy for “Always On My Mind”, “Suburbia” and "Se A Vida E". They did 5 songs from the new album most went over well especially “All Over the World” (It would make a great single). “The Way It Used to Be” is nice on CD but it got lost in concert, I would have preferred to have heard “Beautiful People” which is being released as a single in Germany.

They did not sell out, I was able to buy tickets the night before and the room was not full. It was a strange crowd, there were some die hard fans but I don’t think Atlantic City was typical of their audiences. A fun visual concert, I’d be curious to see it in a different venue.

1. Heart
2. Did You See Me Coming?
3. Pandemonium/Can You Forgive Her?
4. Love etc.
5. Building a Wall/Integral
6. Go West
7. Two Divided by Zero/Why Don't We Live Together
8. New York City Boy
9. Always on My Mind
10. Closer to Heaven/Left to My Own Devices
11. Do I Have To?
12. The Way It Used to Be
13. Jealousy
14. Suburbia
15. All Over the World
16. Se A Vida E/Discoteca/Domino Dancing/Viva la Vida
17. It's a Sin
18. Being Boring
19. West End Girls

Love Comes: The Banana's are still FAB!

2009-08-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

After 25 years there's no stopping these girls. Bananarama have signed a deal with Fascination Records (Girls Aloud, Sophie Ellis-Bextor) and are back with a fabulous new song Love Comes written by Sara, Keren and master dance producer Ian Masterson (Kylie & Dannii Minogue). Check out the FAB video, I can't wait for the album.

Love Comes is out September 6th and their 10th studio album Viva is out on the 14th. The album contains 7 new tracks written by the girl and 3 cover songs. As of now the album will be released in the UK, no word if it will be released in the USA or Canada but you can pre-order it along with the single on their site www.bananarama.co.uk/

Viva the tracklist

1. Love Comes
2. Love Don’t Live Here
3. Rapture
4. Seventeen
5. Twisting
6. Tell Me Tomorrow
7. The Runner
8. Extraordinary
9. Dum Dum Boy
10. S-S-S-Single Bed
11. We’ve Got The Night

Remember The Time

2009-06-30T20:51:00.001-07:00

It was the summer of 1983, I was 15 years old. My days were spent at my mother’s cottage just an hour outside of the city. I remember going to buy the Thriller album with my mom it was vinyl 33 and a third, CD’s were many years away let alone digital music. The album had already spun five top ten single and would go on for a record seven. It was Jackson mania, Billie Jean, Beat it, the moonwalk and those video’s were groundbreaking. I remember dancing on the balcony trying desperately to master the art of spinning around like Michael did. Anybody who knows me, can tell I learned to dance from the Michael Jackson school. This was my era my “time”, growing up in one of the most exciting and innovative times in music.

When his follow up “Bad” came out in 1987 I was already all grown up, and heavily into buying my own music. Bad is still my favourite Jackson album, unlike Thriller he wrote most of the album himself. I found the tunes had so much more energy and drive. Smooth Criminal is still my favourite video and song followed by Man In The Mirror penned by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard. How fitting that this week Man in the Mirror is the highest new entry at #11 on the UK charts and could be #1 next week.

Being a Jackson fan over the years was not easy as his life decayed into a circus of rumours, weirdness, and his face constantly morphing. Not much of it bothered me until the scandals and allegations of child abuse appeared. Now no one will ever know the truth. I actually stopped listing for a while. I felt ashamed every time I would hear Billie Jean at a wedding or event not knowing if I should dance or not.

June 25th had mixed emotions for me. It was the death of an era, my years growing up, a time of innocence. No doubt Jackson had a troubled childhood. He became the biggest star in the universe but I wonder was it all worth it to have it decay and fade out at 50. Was he really happy? His comeback was literally just around the corner with 50 concerts planned in the UK, but that was not meant to happen. A truly sad ending. Now I listen once again to those drums and the famous baseline that started it all...

Did You See Them Coming?

2009-06-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Review: Pet Shop Boys album “Yes” (Released on 23 March in the UK and April 21 in the USA)

20 years later the boys are still putting out excellent pop music and remain masters at dance and electronica. This time around they hire Brian Higgins and his power machine Xenomania (Sugababes, Girls Aloud) to help co-write and produce some of the tracks. The team up produces a very cohesive, although sometimes homogenized modern pop album. Best tracks are “Did You See Me Coming?” with its beautiful guitar backing, “Beautiful People” and “Pandemonium” which sounds like classic Pet Shop Boys (think “Can You Forgive Her’). The album gets beautifully haunting with “All Over The World” a track that borrows from Tchaikovsky Nutcracker and the poetic war song “Building A Wall” where Neil sings "There's no where to defect to any more, I'm building a wall A fine wall Not so much to keep you out More to keep me in". Many have said this is their best since their 1993 album "Very" 8.5/10

The Boys will be kicking off their North America tour at the end of the summer in Montreal and continue throughout the month of September.

Aug 29—Montreal, Canada (Metropolis)
Sept 1—New York, NY (Hammerstein)
Sept 2—New York, NY (Hammerstein)
Sept 3—Washington, DC (Constitution Hall)
Sept 5—Boston, MA (House of Blues)
Sept 6—Atlantic City, NJ (House of Blues)
Sept 9—Miami, FL (Fillmore)
Sept 10—Tampa, FL (Tampa Bay PAC)
Sept 11—Orlando, FL (House of Blues)
Sept 12—Atlanta, GA (Chastain)
Sept 14—Chicago, IL (Chicago Theater)
Sept 15—Milwaukee, WI (Pabst Ballroom)
Sept 19—Vancouver, BC (Vancouver Centre of Performing Arts)
Sept 20—Seattle, WA (Moore)
Sept 22—San Francisco, CA (Warfield)
Sept 23—San Francisco, CA (Warfield)
Sept 24—Los Angeles, CA (Greek Theatre)
Sept 26—Las Vegas, NV (Joint)

After 20 Years The Wait Is Over...

2009-05-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe it true but it's posted on her official website kylie.com Kylie is touring North America in only 6 cities including Toronto and NY.

8 years ago I started kyliecanada.com to get Kylie played on the radio in Canada and the USA. My ultimate goal was to have her tour North America, and now it's happening.

06.05.2009
Kylie's North American fans will finally get a chance to experience the pop superstar live in concert when her 6-city tour kicks off in Oakland, San Francisco on September 30th!

Over the course of her extraordinary 20-year-career, Kylie has undertaken 8 sold-out world tours including last year's KylieX2008 tour which traveled to 21 countries throughout Europe, South America, Dubai, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, generating an estimated $70,000,000 in ticket sales. Kylie couldn't be more excited about her first ever tour through North America.

"I've wanted to tour in America and Canada for years," admits Kylie, "I know that fans have been waiting a long time for this and I'm thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived."

Kylie's eagerly-awaited North American concert debut is being produced by Los Angeles-based concert promotion firm Bill Silva Presents (BSP).

"Kylie has such a successful career outside of North America that it has taken quite a while to find a window in her schedule for the U.S. and Canada," said Silva. "Her amazing fans in North America will be well rewarded for their patience when they experience her show and its entire spectacle. We are confident in the tour's success, and hope that Kylie will make this the first of many tours to our shores."

Tickets will go on sale in each market on the weekend of May 15, however early access to tickets in the U.S. will be available to American Express Cardmembers beginning this Thursday, May 7, through Ticketmaster. Members of Kylie's mailing list via her official website www.Kylie.com will receive an exclusive email that contains information of special ticket pre-sale offers.

Kylie Minogue North American Tour

30/09 Fox Theatre - Oakland, San Francisco Bay Area
01/10Fox Theatre - Oakland, San Francisco Bay Area
03/10 The Pearl 'Palms Resort & Casino' - Las Vegas, NV
04/10 Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CA
07/10 The Congress Theater - Chicago, IL
09/10 Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON
11/10 Hammerstein Ballroom - NYC, NY
12/10 Hammerstein Ballroom - NYC, NY
13/10 Hammerstein Ballroom - NYC, NY

Bronson's Chart Run Is Over

2009-03-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

After 16 years with Billboard magazine chart Guru Fred Bronson has left the HOT 100. Bronson is considered by many to be “America's foremost music chart journalist”.

In 1993 Fred took over Chart Beat in Billboard magazine from it’s originator Paul Grein, the column later moved to full digital in 2005 on the web. He started Chart Beat Chat online in 1996 where I was happy to get a few of my letters printed. He has written several books including the awesome Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits, and The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, and has written for many music award shows and a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Fred’s column was not just about the record breaking songs or how many weeks it spent at number one. He had a way of writing and infusing his personality and music history into his column that made you feel like you were chatting with an old friend. He loved to make you discover new or old music you may not have heard before. Fred is probably the reason why I love writing album and music reviews and why I started blogging on the web. His last column on March 5 was a shock to many, he sites the economy saying “I didn’t plan on such an early exit, but these are tough economic times and that is just a reality, even though ending this long assignment seems surreal to me, too.”

The new Chart Beat column which is a mix of different writers just doesn’t have the same appeal or heart, it comes off feeling cold, Billboard made a big mistake. Fred’s weekly chat will be missed by many.

Recycle Round

2009-02-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

I have no problem with artists doing cover songs, then can even turn a disco hit into heavy metal but why do they have to sample an old hit to create a tune? The obvious answer would be because most artists these days have no creativity.

The new #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 is by macho rap artist Flo Rida called “Right Round”. I find it so ironic that it samples one of the gayest songs ever “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead Or Alive. Their lead singer Pete Burns was one of the biggest Transgendered stars of the 80’s next to Boy George. The song was a campy dance floor classic co-written and produced by the UK’s hit factory team of Stock/Aiken/Waterman, who catapulted people like Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue and Bananarama to superstardom.

The comments on Youtube on their respective videos is hilarious, people calling the Dead Or Alive version “faggy” but loving the new Flo Rida song, some don’t want to believe that the Dead Or Alive version came first. The original is a classic this new version is not.

The original “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” by Dead Or Alive

Flo Rida’s “Right Round”

Grammy Duets

2009-02-09T11:42:00.003-08:00

The performances on the Grammy Awards last night were smoking, the odd pairings turned out to be quite interesting. My favourites included Justin Timberlake and Al Green singing “Let’s Stay Together” and Smokey Robinson, Jamie Fox, Ne-Yo and the last remaining member of the Four Tops paying tribute to the legendary group. Even pairing up Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers proved fruitful. Katie Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” was the pop portion of the evening, arriving in a giant banana surrounded by fruit. I felt her vocals were a bit off and I couldn’t help thinking this should be Kylie up their performing and not her. There were so many performances, that you almost forgot it was an award show. The Grammy’s gave out 108 awards this year yet they only showed about a dozen on air. I realise that most would rather see the performances but they could have shown at least a handful more.

I don’t understand the Album and Record of the year going Robert Plant & Alison Krauss for “Raising Sand”, they won 5 Grammys in all. Coldplay picked up 3 for Song of the Year, Best Rock Album and Group for "Viva La Vida". Jennifer Hudson picking up her first Grammy for Best R & B Album was the poignant moment of the evening, after losing her brother and mother who were killed this year. Best New Artist when to Brit singer Adele who won 2 Grammy’s last night for her song “Chasing Pavements”, and her fellow country-woman Duffy picked up the Best Pop Vocal Album for “Rockferry”. My biggest disappointment of the evening was Kylie Minogue not winning Best Dance Electronic Album, I was hoping that if Kylie didn’t win at least it would be Cyndi Lauper or Robyn but the award went to Daft Punk for their album "Alive 2007" they picked up another award for Best Dance Recording for “Harder Better Faster Stronger”. For a list of all the winners go to www.grammy.com

I’m not usually into gossip but for those wondering, Rihanna and her boyfriend Chris Brown both cancelled their performances. Brown is being investigated by the police for allegedly assaulting an unidentified woman Saturday night, the woman in question is believed to be none other then his girlfriend Rihanna.

New Pet Shop Boys

2009-02-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

New Pet Shop Boys single "Love Etc" to be released March 16th from the forthcoming album "Yes" which drops March 23rd, co-written and produced by Xenomania.

Xenomania are the hot producers/songwriters in the UK at the moment, they have written many hits for the Sugababes, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Girls Aloud, Dannii and Kylie Minogue. Their leader and founder Brian Higgins co-wrote "Believe" for Cher before he started his own label.

The song was posted on Youtube but EMI Records pulled it off, you would think they would want it promoted no? Record companies are really stupid sometimes.

I really like the song, love the boys choir in the background, it's very catchy. Too bad that radio probably won't play their music. If you're not 20 or the sound du jour you'll never never get on a playlist or chart.

Stealing From The Brits

2009-01-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

Many artists do cover songs but it really annoys me when American singers cover recent British hits. So much great British music goes unnoticed in North America. It’s a good strategy to cover a hit unheard of in the USA, but I would rather the original artist get the credit. Jessica Simpson's ex Nick Lachey new single is "Patience". The song is a cover of Take That’s big #1 comeback song. It won a Brit awards for the quartet as best single last year. It’s not like Nick put a new twist on the song it’s very similar, but it doesn’t come off as genuine as when it's sung by it’s songwriter, Take That’s lead singer Gary Barlow. You be the judge.

Take That-Patience

Nick Lachey-Patience

Going GaGa For The Lady

2009-01-14T05:30:00.000-08:00

Fame Lady GaGa the album review

The new number one song in the USA and the UK is Lady Gaga's "Just Dance". Who you ask? Her real name Joanne Stefani Germanotta she’s a 22 year old singer/songwriter from New York City. She has written songs for the Pussycats Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids On The Block. She considers herself a performance and visual artist sighting Andy Warhol for inspiration.

The record is so European sounding that I was shocked to find out she is American. Has electronic dance music finally conquered the North American market? Gaga definitely knows how to write a pop song with hooks and melodies that drag you right in. Her influences are David Bowie and Queen (her name was chosen from their hit "Radio Gaga"), but aside from the title track I don’t hear the influence on her record which is mostly heavy club and dance rhythms. I have to admit I was first put off by "Just Dance" and her new song "Poker Face" which I found annoying but the album is quite solid. My favourite tracks are the slower jams "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)", "Paparazzi", "Summerboy" and "Boys, Boys, Boys" her ode to Mötley Crüe's hit "Girls, Girls, Girls". Her version could well become a gay anthem. "Paper Gangsta" has a great melody and a driving keyboard line throughout the song that is just delicious, it reminds me a bit of Mika, the lyrics “Sometimes I felt so Def in the Jam”, “don’t want no paper gangsta won’t sign no monkey papers I don’t do funny business not interested in fakers” could the song be about her record deal with Def Jam that fell apart?

The only odd song is the ballad "Brown Eyes" which seems lost on the record. It looks like I have my first entry for top albums of 2009.

2009-01-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

2008 the year in music review

The Billboard charts and playlists of 2008 were dominated by R&B and rap artists like Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and TI but it saw an insurgence of dance and pop music. Acts like Kate Perry (I Kissed A Girl), Pink, Natasha Bedingfield and as I'm writing this, Britney Spears (Circus) and Lady Gaga (Just Dance) are charting in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The women kept dominating with newcomer Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and left over from last year Rihanna. Unfortunately my favourite diva Kylie Minogue couldn't break out from Europe and land a hit across the ocean. (For those wondering her album X is listed in my top list from last year). Madonna teamed up with Justin Timberlake and had only 4 Minutes to save the world. Coldplay came back with a huge 1 and the teeny boppers went wild for the Jonas Brothers. Unfortunately some of my favourite albums didn't impact the charts, Donna Summer and Cyndi Lauper put out stellar albums and my favourite of the year Robyn had minor success in the USA. All in all not a bad year lets hope the charts keep getting more diversified in 2009.

Top Albums of 2008

01 Robyn--Robyn

One of the best pop dance album's of the new millennium, every song is ace. I love the fact that Robyn remembers to incorporate beautiful melodies to back up her beats from Be Mine, Crash and Burn Girl and Bum Like You. Who can sit down with tracks like Handle Me, Who's That Girl and the 1 smash With Every Heartbeat. If you want something different try Cobrastyle and Konichiwa Bitches. This is how you make a great pop album. 9.5/10

02 Pocketful of Sunshine--Natasha Bedingfield

If at first you don't succeed…the album is actually a hybrid of best songs (Soulmate, Backyard) from her previous UK album "NB" and adds 7 urban funky tunes for the US market. From the uplifting top 5 title track to Put Your Arms Around Me Natasha delivers a great pop album. She has a beautiful voice and sings with affection and emotion. Natasha knows how to string lyrics into modern poetry that sound more sophisticated then just a pop song. Check out the adorable Freckles or the haunting Pirate Bones. 9/10

03 Departure-- Jesse McCartney

I never thought I would buy a Jesse McCartney album, I had no idea who he was. The skinny white kid delivers an R & B album better then some of his black contemporaries. From the top ten hit Leavin' to the beautiful ballad Not Your Enemy he's like a modern Michael Jackson check out Running Away. Best tracks are How Do You Sleep, My Baby and Relapse which are screaming to be hits, I can't get enough of them. Even when he slows the groove down on Into Ya, Makeup or I Told You So he hits the mark. 9/10

04 Hard Candy--Madonna

I thought I would hate this album but it's not that bad. My biggest criticism is that hot producers Timbaland and Pharell overpower the songs with too many beats and unnecessary raps like Kanye West on The Beat Goes On, I much prefer the demo version which has more lyrics. Best songs are She's Not Me, the Justin Timberlake duet 4 Minutes, and Miles Away again less production would have been better. It's not her best album but it's not her worst that title goes to American Life and Bedtime Stories. 8.5/10

05 Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends--Coldplay

My first Coldplay album, I had a hard time placing it in the top ten. I absolutely fell in love with the song Viva La Vida when I saw the Ipod commercial for the first time. Unfortunately the rest of the album doesn't sound much like it. Best songs are Violet Hill, Strawberry Swing and the Instrumental first track Life In Technicolor, I wonder why they didn't put lyrics to it? Coldplay are an acquired taste some of the song are a bit too slow for me. 8.5/10

06 Crayons--Donna Summer

Her record label wanted her to do covers but Donna refused and lucky for us because she produced and wrote a kick ass dance album. From Stamp Your Feet to I'm A Fire Donna shows us why she is Queen on the dancefloor. Fame (The Games) sounds modern and 80's cool all at the same time, she dabbles into a bit of Reggae with the title track and Driving Down To Brazil . Be sure to pick up the Circuit City edition which has the bonus track It's Only Love a throw back to her's 70's groove. 8/10

07 Bring Ya To The Brink--Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi hooks up with European producers to delivers a non stop dance album with a 70's and 80's retro flavour. Song like Into The Nightlife, Set Your Heart and my favorite Same Old Story will keep you pumping on the floor till the last call. 8/10

08 Spirit-- Leona Lewis

The winner of UK 's X-Factor (their version of Idol), the mega single Bleeding Love and a push by Simon Cowell proved to be a huge success. She has a great voice and could be the next Whitney or Mariah. Best tracks are Better In Time and the upbeat Forgive Me. The rest of the album falls into the usual R & B fluff you hear on the radio. Only time will tell if she lasts or fades into obscurity. 7.5/10

09 Delta-- Delta Goodrem

Australian singer/songwriter's 3rd album. Best tracks are the piano power ballad In This Life, Believe Again, and God Laughs. Delta tries to dance it up with You Will Only Break My Heart but she's best at the slow tracks. The USA version contains her 1 smash hit Born To Try from her first album. 7.5/10

10 Change--Sugababes

I know the album was released in late 2007 and they have a new one out now but I only discovered this CD recently and I haven't bought the current one. Despite going though many Changes the girls deliver a really fun pop album. From the 1 smash About You Now to my favorite Denial they know how to produce pop. Other great tracks include Back When, Changes, and My Love Is Pink. 7.5/10

Singles of the year

01 Viva La Vida Coldplay
02 In My Arms Kylie Minogue
03 Bleeding Love Leona Lewis
04 The One Kylie Minogue
05 Pocketful Of Sunshine Natasha Bedingfield
06 With Every Heartbeat Robyn
07 4 Minutes Madonna & Justin Timberlake
08 Who's That Girl Robyn
09 War On War Sam Harris
10 Wow Kylie Minogue
11 In This Life Delta Goodrem
12 Leavin' Jesse McCartney
13 Believe Again Delta Goodrem
14 Denial Sugababes

Grammy Nominations for Best Dance Electronic Album

2008-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

George Michael Amazing

2008-07-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

I saw George Michael Friday night at the Bell Center in Montreal. Fuckin' amazing. I think I can finally retire from seeing concerts. Well it's not like Kylie will ever tour North America.

OK maybe I won't retire ;-)

No opening act George Michael graced the stage at 8:15 singing "Waiting (Reprise)" behind the screens, as he said "Here I Am" the doors opened to a crowd that was already standing and cheering 10 minutes before the show even started. He sang for over 2 hours 23 songs with a 20 minute break in between. The screen projections which reached almost up to the ceiling were breathtaking.

He banged out "Fastlove" and "I'm Your Man". His voice sounded incredible especially on songs like "One More Try" and one of my favorite songs "A Different Corner". The crowd went wild for "Everything She Wants" and "Kissing A Fool". The highlight had to be "Outside". Preceding the song were visuals and audio of helicopters that felt like they were coming right at you. George then blasted on the stage in full cop uniform, the crowd went wild. You could tell this was a show for his fans he included many lesser know hits like "Star People" and "Spinning The Wheel", which halfway through the song he did the remix version. On "Flawless (Go To The City)" he turned the Bell Center into one big dance club.

This has to be one of the best concerts I have seen in my long career of concert going, with the exception of a few ballads the crowd stood on their feet the whole time. My preferred set list would have had less cover songs but with so many songs who can complain. My only complaint is that he didn't sing "Praying For Time", it's one of my all time favorite song. He sang it on American Idol this year and was on the set list for the show a few dates back.

The seats I had were probably the best I've ever had at the Bell Center. 29 rows back on the floor right in the middle. For the encore "Freedom 90" I walked right up to second row and saw him up close, I almost died.

If you can get tickets to this show go!

Bell Centre, 07/18/2008
SET LIST:

First Half

Waiting (Reprise)
Fast Love
I'm Your Man
Father Figure
Hard Day
Everything She Wants
One More Try
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Easier Affair
Too Funky
Star People

Interval
John & Elvis video

Second Half

Faith
Spinning The Wheel
Feeling Good
Roxanne
Kissing A Fool
Amazing
Flawless
Outside
Different Corner
Careless Whisper
Fantasy

Freedom 90
Freedom Reprise
Link

Natasha Bedingfield Live at the Fillmore my review

2008-06-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

I saw Natahsa Bedingfield last night at the Fillmore in Philadelphia with opening acts The Veronicas and Kate Voegele. I could have sworn I was at a Miley Cyrus concert. It was all girls aged 12-18. I consider Natasha a more adult oriented act. Most seemed to be there to see the Veronicas. The crowd went wild when they came on, when the group asked if anybody knew who they were just about everybody on the floor except for me and a few parents raised their hands. I stayed against the wall for the first 2 acts. An 18 year old Asian kid asked me who I was chaperoning I annoyingly told him I wasn't, and that I was a huge Natasha fan. Then I said do I look that old…he kept apologizing

I got closer to the stage when Natasha started, by the encore I was right up there. She sounded and looked amazing. She came on at 9:30 and played till about 10:45. She did all the best tracks from her new album, "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Pirate Bones", "Angel", "Backyard", and all the hits. She sang the track "Wild Horses" from her first CD. I never really cared for the song but she did an amazing acoustic version that sounded so much better the recorded one, it was the best sounding vocal of the night. I taped it but the sound quality on my video cam does not do it justice. She did an amazing version of Madonna's "Ray Of Light", asking if those that knew the lyrics would sing along. You could hear a few people like me singing. I don't think most of the young audience knew the song and it's not one of Madonna's oldest it's from 98.

They were giving away 100 passes to meet and greet Natasha after the show but you had to buy something. I didn't like any of the t-shirts, they were pricey and I already had her latest album. If they had a DVD I would have bought it. At one point I went back but all the passes were gone. I was also worried if I stayed I would get home too late or not make the train or bus. Not a bad show for only $25.

Tracklist (Not completely sure of the order)

Piece of Your Heart
Say It Again
These Words
Soulmate
Single
Angel
Wild Horses
Ray Of Light (Madonna Cover)
Pirate Bones
Put Your Arms Around Me
Love Like This
Pocketful of Sunshine
Backyard
Unwritten

Madonna’s Hard Candy My Album Review

2008-05-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's Madonna's final album with Warner Records, the first in a long time where she has given up her reigns of production and goes with "Hot" producers like Timbaland instead of finding the up and coming ones. I'm kind of spilt with this album. I find the production too noisy and cluttered. Some of the songs go on too long and I could do without the rap guest spots. I have to admit that the album is a lot less R & B then I feared and is more pop friendly.

Candy Shop is OK but does she really need to sing "my sugar is raw sticky and sweet". I love 4 Minutes but it's the magic of Justin Timberlake that makes the song leaving Madge to be his backing vocalist.

Give It To Me and Heartbeat are cute and catchy.

I originally heard Miles Away covered by Youtube star Mr. Boogie and I instantly loved the song it sounds very Madonna like however I hate the production on the album, there is too much clapping noise throughout the song. This song really needs to be redone I can hear it as an acoustic track.

She's Not Me is one of the best tracks It pokes fun at all the Madonna imitators in a retro disco "Ring My Bell" beat, then goes into a pseudo Beatlesque bridge, turn into Donna Summers Bad Girls complete with the whistles, then goes on too long with vocals by Pharrell Williams.

Not sure what to make of the song Incredible it's fun but has a really annoying synth/drum loop that overpowers the entire song, again the song goes on too long with vocals by Pharrell Williams, sometimes less is more.

I prefer the demo I heard of the Beat Goes On to the finished product. They got rid of a lot of lyrics including a bridge leaving almost nothing left. Then they added the Kanye West rap which I really don't care for, it doesn't fit the song at all.

The album loses it's momentum in next 2 songs. I'm not crazy for Dance 2night although it's supposed to be a retro dance tune. Spanish Lesson could have been a good song but it's all over the place. It's indicative of the album, there are great pieces but all the pieces don't fit together properly.

The last 2 tracks are co -written by Justin Timberlake. Devil Wouldn't Recognize You is not a bad song it remind me of his hit "What Goes Around Comes Around". The last track Voices start of with this weird Queen vocal intro then ask "who is the master who is the slave". A great question to ask about who 's direction really produced the album. This is my least favorite cover artwork of hers, it doesn't look sexy but cheap...maybe that was her intention.

The album sounds better after a few listens. I like it better then American Life and Bedtimes Stories two of my least favourite Madonna albums. If it stands the test of time remains to be seen.

Robyn Album & Concert Review

2008-05-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

My review of Robyn's new album and her concert at the Fillmore

What an amazing show. This was my first time on South Street and at the Fillmore. It's a small venue that holds about 1000 people. When I got there at 7:45 there was only about 25 people in front of the stage and another 30 at the bar I felt bad at first. I would say about 300-400 showed up.

Robyn came on at 9:15 and played for an hour. I was so close to the stage at the end some girls let me in front so I could take pictures. The crowd was having so much fun. She had a hard time singing the soft heartbreak ballad "Eclipse" because so many people were yelling "We Love you Robyn", she started smiling. Her cover of Salt & Pepa "Push it" drove the crowd wild as did "With Every Heartbeat" and "Who's That Girl". She came back for an encore with a percapella version of her old hit "Show Me Love", I wasn't crazy about this version, her vocal where amazing but the tingy percussion/drums was kind of off. She did "Keep The Fire Burning" which I love from her 3rd album. Fans kept on screaming so she came out again and did "Be mine" the Acoustic version from her Rakamonie EP.

Setlist not sure of the order...

Cobrastyle
Who's That Girl
Handle Me
Konichiwa Bitches
Buffalo Stance/ Push it/Sexual Eruption—Medley or rather bits of the songs
Be Mine!
Bum Like You
Crash And Burn Girl
With Every Heartbeat w/ Kleerup
Eclipse
Jack You Off
Dream On
Show Me Love
Keep The Fire Burning
Be Mine (Acoutic Version)

Life In Concert Motion: Mika at the Electric Factory January 31 2008

2008-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

I saw Mika in Montreal last year at the very small Club Soda, he rocked then and was even better in Philadelphia. He has added new elements to the show, gigantic puppets, blow up character dolls from his cartoon album artwork and big girls that come out dancing. I'm surprised he was able to do all this at Phillly's Electric Factory. It's not much bigger then the Club Soda. He just played the Bell Center in Montreal, I would have loved to have seen that show which has a full proper stage.

Mika went on at 9:35. His voice was bang on and he didn't stop through a set of 14 songs. His energy is electric. His show is a must see. I just watched his DVD "Live In Carton Motion" and it just doesn't capture the excitement and energy of being there live. This was his first ever USA concert and he mentions how he and his band were a bit nervous. Mika tells the story of how a big record exec said that his song "Billy Brown" would never get released in the US. The song tells the tale about a friend who was married and then falls in love with another man. He's told the story in Toronto and other cities but you could tell by his tone that it meant so much more telling it to the American crowd.

You wouldn't know that he's never had a hit in the US from the girls with Mika t-shirts waiting in line to everybody singing the words to all his songs. With the exception of the Canadian bonus track "Erase" he did the entire album, and premiered two new songs "Holly Johnny", and "How Much Do You Love Me?" A big fan of Annie Lennox and Eurythmics, he covered "Missionary Man", I don't think most of the audience knew the song. Funny before the show started "Sweet Dream (Are Made Of This)" was playing and everybody sang along, he also sings the song on his DVD.

The highlights: the crowd went wild for "Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)" the gorgeous ballad "Happy Ending" and "Love Today" is always spectacular in Concert. The ending was a kaleidoscope of colour and fun. Mika and his band come out in full animal outfits and perform a skit (I can't describe it you have to see it too funny). Then they blast into the song "Lollipop" with tons of streamers, balloons, and balls of all colors floating in the air filling up the venue. At 11:00 is was all over.

Setlist...I tried my best but the order might not be exact.

"Relax, Take It Easy"
"Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)"
"My Interpretation"
"Billy Brown"
"Any Other World"
"Stuck In The Middle"
"Holy Johnny"
"Ring Ring"
"Missionay Man"
"Happy Ending"
"How Much Do You Love Me?"
"Love Today"
"Grace Kelly"
"Lollipop"

Top Albums Of 2007 the year in music review

2008-01-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

2007 the year in music review

2007 was the year of the Umbrella ella ella, even I couldn't escape the success of the Rhianna track. The song ended up at 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 countdown of 2007 following Beyonce's Irreplacable at 1. Fergie ended the year with 5 top 10 single from her debut album The Dutchess, and 2 songs in the top ten of the year. American Idol winner Chris Daughtry and his band notched Billboard's biggest selling album of 2007.

The year started off big with a big bang with newbie Mika and the comeback of the decade as Brits Take That reformed. It started slowing down and as usual and picked up speed a few months ago for the Christmas rush. I really wish artists wouldn't do the Christmas release, too many albums come out, some fall by he way side, and I never know if I should qualify the album for this year or use it for next year. Annie Lennox and Darren Hayes turned out stellar albums. In the end all the Divas turned out in full force for a great year. Of course Kylie is back.

Top Albums of 2007

01 Life In Cartoon Motion--Mika
It's not very often that an album blows me especially a debut effort. This album is like nothing you will hear on the radio. It's a mixture of Freddie Mercury, The Beatles and Scissor Sisters all rolled up into one. Mika's a singer songwriter that can tell a story and write beautiful melodies with hooks that grab you right in. He voice is incredible it goes from a wisper to a falsetto effortlessly. The production and arrangements is superb. Every tack is great from the debut hit single "Grace Kelly" to the Beatles influenced "Billy Brown", The big choir songs Any Other World" and "Happy Ending" send chills up my spine. If you want to dance "Relax (Take It Easy)" and the single "Love Today" delivers in spades. The album is like a fantastic journey, no song is skip worthy. 9.5/10

02 This Delicate Thing We've Made--Darren Hayes
Out of 25 songs on this double disc there are only 2-3 songs I don't like the rest just brilliant. Darren's voice is gorgeous and the melodies are beautiful. My favourite would be Listen All You People which could end up becoming an anthem. I love songs that have this positive energy about change, the hook is so catchy. A lot of the album deals with the idea of space, time and dimension, including 2 great tracks Waking The Monster and How To Build A Time Machine. Listening to this album is like reading a really great novel or watching a movie, I love albums that tell a story and this album delivers in spades. For the fans of Savage Garden songs like Sing To Me , and the fabulous first single On The Verge Of Something Wonderful won't disappoint. Every listen I discover a new song 9/10

03 Songs Of Mass Destruction--Annie Lennox
After a few disappointing solo efforts Annie comes back in full force with a breathtaking album. This project is on par with her releases for Eurythmics. My favourite track is Ghost In The Machine which brings back the "kick ass" attitude of their albums like Revenge. Her voice is haunting and gorgeous on tracks like Dark Road , and Smithereens. Womankind and Sing has the making of classic anthems like the 80's hit Sisters are Doing It For Themselves. Welcome back Annie 8.5/10

04 Kylie X--Kylie Minogue
After 40 demos leaked on the net Kylie X (named by her fans) is paired down to 13 tightly produced tracks. Kylie sounds best when she is doing "Kylie". Songs like Calvin Harris's track In My Arms, Stars and The One are as good as any of her PWL classics. I like her less when she ventures into Britney territory with vocal manipulation on Speakerphone, and Heart Beat Rock. Cosmic and No More Rain are a welcome change of pace. Knowing she had to fight to get the beautiful athem No More Rain on the album makes you wonder. The album takes a few chances with the lazy/rock first single Two Hearts and the Serge Gainsbourg sample of Bonnie and Clyde in Sensitized. The only songs that don't work are the Rn/B inspired All I see and Nu-Di-Ty. This album will keep you Wow-ed on the dancefloor 8.5/10

05 Taking Chances--Celine Dion
A slightly new direction for Celine as she leaves the dance floor, for a more mature rock/ballad sound. The title track written by Eurythmics Dave Stewart and Kara Dioguardi is a diamond of a find. The Best tracks are the Shakira inspired song Eyes on me, which is oddly place on this project and Shadow of Love. The haunting This Time produced by Ben Moody of Evanescence is gorgeous. Canadian Rocker Aldo Nova adds his touch throughout the album with the catchy Hooked On A Feeling and the rock power of Fade Away. Celine does an amazing raspy jazzy voice on the song That's Just The Woman In Me to the point where you're checking to make sure it's really her. The 16 track CD could have been paired down to fewer tracks. Her foray into Rn'B with Ne-Yo on A song For You just doesn't work. 8.5/10

06 Light At The End Of The World--Erasure
I liked a few tracks from Erasure back in the 80's but I never really got into them. This new album is pure dancefloor bliss. It blasts off with Sunday Girl, one of the finest dance songs in ages and the album just keep on going. The melodies and music is heavenly and Andy Bell's voice if just as beautiful as it was 20 years ago. So many great track, If I Could Fall In Love With You, Sucker For Love, Storm In A Teacup, Fly Away. Too bad radio won't play them. 8.5/10

07 Beautiful World--Take That
After a decade, Britain biggest boy band returns with the biggest comeback in UK history. This time the album is written and song by all four members (Sorry Robbie Williams is not here), unlike previous efforts which were headed by lead singer/songwriter Gary Barlow. The result 2 1 singles Patience and the Beatlesque Shine. The music has a mature grown up quality and proves you can go beyond the dance routines of a boy band. Great album favourite tracks include the title track, Like I never Love You At All, Mancunian Way and Wooden Boat. 8.5/10

08 Trip The Light Fantastic__Sophie Ellis-Bextor
After a disappointing sophomore album Sophie is back on track. From the start of Cathy Dennis's lead song Catch You, the album transports you to the world of neon colours and BPM's. From the Euro track I Can't Dance, to the 70's inspired Your Love Is Here. Best track is the Blondie inspired China Heart. 8/10

09 Back To Black--Amy Winehouse
She took the UK by storm in 2006 and now North America has been captured under her spell. It's too bad that her music has been overshadowed by her personal life. A throw back to the 60's, her sound is an infusion of jazz and Motown. Best tacks are Rehab, You Know I'm No Good, the haunting title track, and the Supremes/Diana Ross inspired Tears Dry On Their Own. 8/10

10 N.B.--Natasha Bedingfield
After a stellar debut album I had high hope for Natasha's sophomore disc. The album has some great tunes but nothing is as radio friendly as the mega hits Unwritten or These Words from her fist album. The lead single I Wanna Have Your Babies didn't start this project off to a great start. The best tracks are Say It Again, the haunting Pirate Bones, Backyard, and (No More) What Ifs. The album has been re-tooled in the US with the new single Love Like This with Sean Kingston but at this writing the song has stalled in the top 20. 7/10

Singles of the year

01 Grace Kelly--Mika
02 Sunday Girl--Erasure
03 She's Madonna--Robbie Williams
04 Love Today--Mika
05 Shine--Take That
06 On The Verge Of Something Wonderful--Darren Hayes
07 Big Girls Don't Cry--Fergie
08 If I Could Fall In Love With You--Erasure
09 Change--Kimberley Locke
10 Sing--Annie Lennox
11 Out Of Control (Song For Mutya )--Mutya Buena and The Groove Armada
12 Two Hearts--Kylie Minogue

Please feel free to post your top picks

Mika Live In Montreal At The Club Soda

2007-03-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

I got tickets for Mika's Club Soda performance last night and what a fluke. I called around noon but was told there would probably be none available. I tried the internet around 1:30 and was shocked when it worked I was able to get 2 tickets. When I went to pick them up I found out that the guy working the booth made a mistake. He was supposed to give the left over tickets back to the promoter but accidentally put them back in the system. If I hadn't logged on at that specific time I would have never gotten them I thanked the guy very much, I hope he didn't get into much trouble. For once a fan got tickets and not friends of the promoters which is the usual case.

My Review

Many years from now I'm going to be able to say that I saw Mika on his first concert tour in a small venue. What an amazing concert. He blasted on stage with his dance hit "Relax (Take It Easy)", I don't think he ever relaxed till the end of the show. The crowd was going crazy you would have thought that he was doing his greatest hits and not just his first album. He does some of the show singing and dancing around the stage like Mick Jagger with songs like "Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)", on others he is playing the piano for "My Interpretation" and "Stuck in the Middle" but he is just as energetic. Classically trained Mika is the real deal. The crowd went wild when he did "Love Today", it's supposed to be his next single but you would have though that it was already his biggest hit. There was only 2 songs the crowd didn't seem to know, he did the hidden track on his album (which isn't my favourite) and a song I didn't know. I wish he would have done "Happy Endings" or the amazing track "Any Other World" instead. The only complaint was that it was too short he played about an hour coming on at 9:30 and finishing at 10:30. He did eleven songs the encore was "Lollipop", they threw big balloons in the audience and of course lollipops, it looked like New Years Eve. I don't think he expected this tour to be so big he probably just wanted to do a small promotion tour for the album.

During the show he mentioned that he arrived in Montreal on Saturday and enjoyed the St-Patrick's Day parade on Sunday. He told the story of his trip to the HMV record store. He went up to the cash to buy his album and the clerk said $12.99 thank you, NEXT! (meaning no one recognised him) He then said that they needed to do some more work here. LOL

Setlist

1. Relax (Take It Easy)
2. Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)
3. My Interpretation
4. Billy Brown
5. Over My Shoulder (hidden track on CD)
6. Unknown song (not on album)
7 Stuck In The Middle
8. Ring Ring
9. Love Today
10. Grace Kelly
11. Lollipop

Scissor Sisters Live At The Metropolis

2007-03-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

When I got to the Metropolis last night I noticed that scalpers were not selling tickets but asking to buy. The show was obviously sold out. I was shocked when I got in to see how many people were there. When I saw the "sisters" in 2005 there were about 10 people waiting early outside to get in. I was able to watch that show right up at the stage only a few inches from their guitarist Del. This time I couldn't even get to the stage. I must be getting old, after waiting over ½ hour squished and becoming claustrophobic in the middle of the crowd I moved to the back of the dance floor just before they came on. I was too far to get any pictures.

Unfortunately the sound was not good. It was very bassy and the music seemed to drown out Jakes vocals. This is probably the venue's fault. It's not the first time that sound at the Metropolis has been off. When I saw their show at the Spectrum in 2005 they sounded great. Unfortunately that venue is being closed down and the group is not big enough to play the Bell Center. I though maybe it was just me, but I could hear the guy in front of me telling his friend that the Spectrum show sounded so much better. It's a real shame because they put on an amazing show, the "sisters" don't just stand around and sing a song, they entertain like no one else. The sound didn't seem to bother the rest of the crowd because they went crazy and seemed to love the show. The crowd went absolutely wild when they did "Filthy/Gorgeous", interesting because I don't think that song was a hit or got much airplay here. The only really lull in the show was the song "Transistor" not sure why they included it in their set since it's a bonus disc song and not on the album. Even slow songs like "Land Of A Thousand Words" was well received but it didn't match the excitement of "Comfortably Numb" my favourite track "Lights", or the finally "I Don't Fell Like Dancing". Jake said "I love Canada and Montreal we sold more fucken' records here the in the entire USA our own homeland."

Like I though Jake and Ana complained of Montreal's cold weather. Ana wanted to know how we cope with it. I wanted so much to tell them that that it was a fluke, that every time they come to Montreal it's been the coldest day of that year. Jake said he was going to show us his dick but it was so cold that it went back up inside his body LOL On that subject Ana talked about a complaint they got from an Australian mother who took her kids to see their show. Ana replied" What does she expect from a group called the Scissor Sisters whose name and logo is a term for a lesbian sexual position." The group is not shy on any subject. My favourite quote of the night was when Ana asked what does FAG stand for. Answer: Filthy and Gorgeous to which they segued into the song. LOL

I hope the cold doesn't stop them from coming back maybe next time they will be big enough to play the Bell Center.

Don't get me started on how long the wait for the coat check was... more then 45 minutes. I almost missed my bus.

The setlist

They came on at 9:30 and played till 11:00

1. ??
2. Laura
3. I Can't Decide
4. She's My Man
5. Tits On The Radio
6. Lights
7. Skins
8. Kiss You Off
9. Filthy/Gorgeous
10. Everybody Wants the Same Thing
11. Land of a Thousand Words
13. Transistor
13. Comfortably Numb
14. Take Your Mama
15. I Don't Feel Like Dancin'

Top Albums Of 2006

2007-01-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

The music of 2006 was up & down. Many of the albums I was waiting for from artist like Robbie Williams and Scissor Sisters were OK but did not blow me away. A few veteran artists like Elton John & Lionel Ritchie surprised me with stellar albums. I did manage to find a few new dance acts, the Brit born German act Cascada and the Danish group Infernal who burned up the dance floor with their hit "From Paris To Berlin". While Elton's "The Captain & The Kid" was my favourite disc it was hard to place an order to the other albums.

Some of the big Pop artists of the year included Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake bringing Sexy Back, Sean Paul, Gnarls Barkley & the Pussycat Dolls burning up the charts. My discovery of 2005 Brit singer Natasha Bedingfield broke into the US charts with her top 5 hit "Unwritten", the song ended up being # 6 on Billboards top songs of 2006. Canadian Daniel Powter scored the # 1 song of the year in the US with "Bad Day", thanks to American Idol who played the song every week after a contestant got booted off. Speaking of Idol winner Carrie Underwood had the biggest album in the US with "Some Hearts". In The UK the Scissor Sisters scored big with a # 1 album and single.

The Worst: don't "Wind It Up", someone please tell Gwen Stefani that "The Lonely Goatherd" from the "Sound Of Music DOES NOT make for a good pop song.

Top Albums of 2006

01The Captain & The Kid--Elton John
In my opinion, one of his best albums. Part 2 to his 1975 classic "Captain Fantastic and The Dirt Brown Cowboy", it continues the story of Elton's & Bernie Taupin's rise to success. The music however sounds more like a homage to the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road " album with shades of "Candle In The Wind". The album blast off with "Postcards From Richard Nixon" (the best cut) that give me chills every time I hear it. It puts you right in '75 when Elton & Bernie visit America for the first time. Another favourite "Tinderbox" recalls the split between the 2. Every track is great which culminates in the autobiographical title cut.

02 Taller In More Ways--Sugababes
UK Pop/R&B girl group follows in the steps of Banarama. Like the "Nana's" they were school friends who started a singing group and they co-write most of their music. This is their 4th studio album and their best with great pop tracks like the #1 "Push The Button" and "Ugly" written with Dallas Austin. The girls team up with dance producers Xenomania for the fab "Red Dress" & Ace Reject. Originally released in 2005 the album was re-released in 2006 with a new member Amelle. Unfortunately only one original member is left and this could spell the end of the group.

03 Everytime We Touch--Cascada
Brit born/German singer Natalie Horler joins forcers with DJ/producers Yanou and DJ Manian to produce a great club/dance album. The single "Everytime We Touch" goes mainstream and break into the US top 10. My only complaint is that the album sounds all the same, there is one exception the great ballad "Another You' which showcase Nathalie's vocals. Favourite tracks include the Roxette cover "How Do You Do" and Kim Wilde's "Kids In America".

04 Coming Home--Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie puts the young guys to shame as he shows them how it should be done. Still sexy & cool with funky tracks like "Up All Night" & "All Around The World" that will keep you dancing on the ceiling and beyond. He slows it down with the hit "I Call It Love", the haunting "What You Are" and my favourite "Coming Home". Don't forget a bit of reggae with "Stand Down". A great album that will keep you up all night.

05 Rubebox--Robbie Williams
After a disappointing melancholy album last year Robbie is back with "Rudebox". This definitely a more upbeat dance album but I'm not a fan of all the rapping he does. The best tracks are the 2 "Pet Shop Boys collaborations, "She's Madonna" and "We Are The Pet Shop Boys". I wish he would have done a full album with them. The rest is kind of hit and miss. The song "The 80's" is cute but the follow up "The 90's isn't as much fun. "Never Touch That Switch & the cover "Lovelight" are dance floor fun.

06 Ta-Dah--Scissor Sisters
I love the lead single "I Don't Feel like Dancing" which collaborates with Elton John, maybe that's why I find the rest of the album a bit disappointing, it's very different. The album has a "vaudeville circus" sound. The tunes aren't as catchy or disco-y as their debut effort.

07 Fundamental--Pet Shop Boys
The Boys are back with 80's producer Tevor Horn. While it's not my favourite album of theirs (I find it a bit too subdued) they are still masters at dance music and synthesizers. Best tracks are "The Sodom & Gomorrah Show", "Integral", and the Dianne Warren penned epic ballad "Numb".

08 Never Say Never--Kim Wilde Remember British singer Kim Wilde? She hit #1 with "You Keep Me Hanging On" in the 80's, in the UK she had a long career of hits. I'm not usually big on artists covering their own songs but I love this album. The new rock version of "You Came" is so cool. Only 6 out of the 14 songs are remodelled covers the rest are all new songs and they are as good if not better then her old hits. The new single "Perfect Girl" rocks on. "Together We Belong" and "Forgive Me" will burn up the dance floor while & "Baby Obey Me" & "Fly" is perfect "pop". Too bad the album has only a limited release in Germany and some parts of Europe .

09 Loose--Nelly Furtado
The biggest Canadian success story of 2006 with # 1 mega singles in the UK ("Maneater") and the US ("Promiscuous"). Nelly is turning into a truly worldwide artist, but is it at the price of selling out as she teams up with Justin Timberlake's producer Timbaland? Other stand out tracks are "Glow", and the hit "Say It Right".

10 Back To Bedlam--James Blunt
The Brits are back with breakthrough artist James Blunt and his mega #1 hit "You're Beautiful". Love him or hate him the album has great tracks like "High" and "Wiseman". It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

11 From Paris To Berlin--Infernal
Danish dance act consisting of Lina Rafn & Paw Lagermann. This is actually their 3rd album which was propelled into international status when their hit "From Paris To Berlin" started burning up the dance floors. The song was even re-recorded as "From London To Berlin" for the 2006 World Cup. The album is one big clubland and a touch of Europa with tracks like "Fairytale", "From The A To The B" and "Keen On Disco". Look out for the Australian Tour Edition which come with a bonus CD of live tracks and remixes.

12 Somewhere Else--Eva Avila
She could be the first Canadian Idol success story. Her first CD delivers with an R&B pop feast of songs. Stand out tracks include "Some Kind Of Beautiful" which is screaming to be released, "Old Love Song" and the Alicia Keys like "Weak In The Knees". Looking forward to see what she does next.
Honorable Mentions

Singles of the year
01 Unwritten--Natasha Bedingfield
02 I Don't Feel Like Dancing--Scissor Sisters
03 Red Dress--Sugababes
04 Jump--Madonna
05 Everytime We Touch--Cascada
06 From Paris To Berlin--Infernal
07 You're Beautiful--James Blunt
08 The Bride--Elton John
09 I Call It Love--Lionel Ritchie
10 What's Left Of Me--Nick Lachey
11 Lovelight--Robbie Williams
12 Promiscuous--Nelly Furtado

Elton John's Captain & The Kid Tour in Montreal

2006-11-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

I had great seats on the floor only a few rows from the back, the only problem was that Elton's stage was too low to see properly. Luckily I had the aisle seat so I could peak out in the aisle or dance.

Elton does not have an opening act and does a 2 & ½ hour show with 24 set songlist. I remember Elton jumping all over the piano and stage when I saw him in 91-92. Elton didn't interact with the audience that much. He is still the most amazing piano player & musician but last nights performance was a lot more subdued. It had a great set list despite not hearing such favourites as "Made In England", "Club At The End Of The Street" Or "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" As usual Elton pretty much ignores his 80's & 90's catalogue. I was happy he included the 80's gem "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" but was surprised when he was straining his voice and couldn't hit the notes. I had heard rumours that he was losing his voice. He had trouble with another song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" a great fan favourite track from the "Honky Château" album. Interesting that on the songs from the new album he sounded great. A friend of mine mentioned that he should have better organised his set list. He did a lot of slow stuff in the middle and all the fast stuff at the end. As a huge fan of the new album I loved the middle where he showcased 4 songs from the new album, "Postcards From Richard Nixon" & "Tinderbox" was for me the highlights of the show. Some surprise songs where "I Want Love" from his 2001 critically acclaimed album "Songs From The West Coast" and "Believe" from "Made In England" which sounded heavenly and beautifully orchestrated. The rest of the show was filled with his 70's hit era.

Elton's musicians consisted of 2 original players from his 70's band Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone. The only change in set list from the London Ontario show was that he omitted the new song "The Blues Never Fade Away" and replaced it with "Daniel". The stupid Bell Center wouldn't let anybody rush up the middle aisle to the stage. What's the point of having floor seats if you can't do that *annoyed*, how I miss the old days.

Setlist

Funeral for a Friend
Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie and the Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
Believe
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Take Me To The Pilot
I Want Love
Postcards From Richard Nixon
Tinderbox
The Bridge
The Captain and the Kid
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word
Rocket Man
Daniel
Levon
Crocodile Rock
The Bitch is Back
Saturday Night's All Right (For Fighting)

Encore
Candle in the Wind
Your Song

Pet Shop Boys in concert at Place Des Arts Montreal

2006-10-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ok before I start I need to get this off my chest. They didn't do one song from my favorite Pet Shop Boys album "Nightlife", NOT ONE!! They didn't sing "New York City Boy"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not be late at a Pet Shop Boys concert. The show was scheduled for 8:00PM and they started at 8:10. The show was very artsy in a theatre kind of way which fitted right in at Place Des Arts. The decorations were "minimal" with a stage backdrop that was in 3 sections that could be moved to change scenes, or project images or video's. They had a few dancers and back up singers and just Neil and Chris with his keyboard and lap top. No actual band, Chris Lowe does all the music.

The concert started off a bit week with the slow "Psychological" one of my least favorite songs from the new album. I kind of wish I was a bigger fan because the show was filled with lots of lesser know album tracks, b-sides and surprises like the song "Shopping" an album track from "Actually" which followed "Minimal", both songs spell out the title and they sound so alike. I guess they thought they were cute by doing them back to back. I was surprised to hear "Suburbia" one of my favorite early songs. I don't like sitting at concerts but this venue seems to be made for that. The show started to pick up steam when they did the song "Heart", it was as if someone gave everybody permission to stand up and dance thank G_D. There was a 20 minute intermission I guess to go along with the theatre theme.

When they came back they did the new Diane Warren ballad "Numb", I don't like the slow stuff but this sounded and looked great with the black & White images on the screen. I was shocked to hear songs like "Flamboyant" (one of 2 new songs from their Greatest Hits CD "Pop Art") and "Dreaming Of The Queen" from the "Very" LP.

The fans seemed to love the set of "Se a vida é" which I don't know well, and "Domino dancing". In my opinion the highlights were "You were always on my mind", "Where the streets have no name/Can't take my eyes off of you" where they were joined by cowboy dancers dressed in gold shiny outfits, and the show stopper, "The Sodom and Gomorrah show". For the encore they did "So hard", "It's a sin" which was so cool and they ended with the usual "Go west". I thought that with all the applause they were going to come back on but no the lights went up.

There were so many people there I knew. It was a lot of fun.

The setlist

Psychological
Left to my own devices
I'm with Stupid
Suburbia
Can you forgive her?
Rent
Minimal
Shopping
Dreaming of the Queen
Heart
Opportunities
Integral

Intermission
Numb
Se a vida é (with a bit of Single)
Domino dancing
Flamboyant
Home and dry
You were always on my mind
Where the streets have no name/Can't take my eyes off of you
West End girls
The Sodom and Gomorrah show

Encore
So hard
It's a sin
Go west

Samantha Fox in Concert the Medley Montreal

2006-07-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Photo by Troystar

Samantha Fox blasted on to the stage of the Medley Montreal on July the 4th singing "I Wanna Have Some Fun" and boy did we. She had an all female band and 4 very cool dancers. Sam was in top form rockin the whole stage and flirting with both her female and male dancers. She sported a sultry leather clad outfit which very early on became a halter top and short shorts. You should see her legs wow she must really work out.

I'm always the one to complain that I'm too far away but can one be too close. The Medley is a very small venue. The person in front of me had their arms on the stage yes that close, no barriers. At some point I had her thrusting her hips in my face and when she did "Touch Me" everybody reached out to touch her me included but I quickly pulled my hand back out of fear of touching her breasts by accident...yes THAT close. Yes I did get to touch her twice...her hands. During "I Only Want to Be with You" she sings the line. "You stopped and smiled at me, and asked if Id care to dance", I reached out and she grabbed my hand and we swayed back and forth, I guess you can say I danced with Sam.

The best part (my friends will get a laugh out of this). During the song "True Devotion" to which I know all the lyrics. Sam shoved her microphone in my face, I was so startled that I completely blanked out forgot the lyrics and all I could think about is dont sing youve been told how bad you sing. You should have seen the look on Sams face when I backed down and motioned no. She tried the same thing with a girl to my left and she had the same reaction. Sams face said it all fine you dont want to sing. I met the girl later and she admitted that she didnt know that verse of the song. There was this Asian guy next to me with 2 friends. He also got the microphone shoved in his face but during "Naughty Girls" and he went for it. He was so cute but it was off key and both he and Sam cringed, he was so embarrassed afterwards. I told him thats why I didnt sing lol. I got to hang out with him and his friends later while waiting for Sam after the show.

Sam sang a lot of old songs like "True Devotion", "I Surrender", "Love House" and "Nothing Gonna Stop Me Now" which sounded strange rocked up and devoid of the SAW sound. The show showcased her new album "Angel with and Attitude". Some of the song choices like "Cause & Effect" (not a favourite of mine) and "Confessions" (the first song she ever wrote) were surprising while she omitted my favourite track from the new album "The Power". She closed the show with "I Only Wanna be With You" which rocked the house. She came back on to encore with "Do Ya Do Ya (wanna please me)" and finally "Touch Me". She started the song in a sultry jazzy way which I thought was cool and then rocked it to the originally version. The crowd went wild.

Unfortunately like many small venues there was sound problems during one song Sam kept motioning to the sound guy to fix it.

The setlist

01 I Wanna Have Some Fun
02 You and Me (new LP)
03 Cause and Effect (new LP)
04 I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night)
05 Nothing Gonna Stop Me Now
06 Confessions (album track from I Wanna Have Some Fun LP)
07 Destined To Be (new LP)
08 To Be Heard (new LP)
09 True Devotion
10 Angel with An Attitude (new LP)
11 Naughty Girls
12 I Give Myself to You (new LP)
13 Nice and Slow (new LP)
14 Love House
15 Dreams Unfold
16 I Only Wanna Be With You

Encores
17 Do ya Do Ya (wanna please me)
18 Touch Me