Rihanna - Where Have You Been

Rihanna strikes again...



Rihanna's new video for Where Have You Been lies somewhere in the mix between her very best (We Found Love) and her less inspiring choices (like Rehab or We Ride). Taking elements from her previous work - the throbbing effects seen in Umbrella, the darker set seen in Disturbia and some of the styling from Rude Boy - this is bound to be a smash.

Having watched three 'Making Of' videos it's clear that a lot of time and effort went in to making this (in complete contrast to the video for You Da One). It's got great lighting, make up, special effects, costumes, set, dancing and everything - what isn't to love? Hopefully this video will be enough to propel the song to the top of the charts and give the 'Talk That Talk' campaign a healthy boost after the dwindling success of the previous three 'singles' You Da One, Talk That Talk and Birthday Cake. This was my favourite track off the album when it dropped and I have just been waiting for it to get a release. I probably prefer Roc Me Out and We Found Love slightly more at the moment but it's amazing how a good video can really help a song grow on you again.

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Hit The Lights

I am a bit obsessed with this song....



Spyke

When I say I'm a little bit obsessed with the song, I mean that since discovering the song just before my exam I have played this song 124 times (and counting). The track is actually the third and final single from the band's third album which have all gone top 20 here in the UK. Before hearing it I was very unaware of Selena Gomez's music output or even that she was the frontman of the band. I'd just heard about her as Justin Bieber's girlfriend, obviously making her the envy of many a teenage girl. What she really needs is her Party In The USA, a global smash that will transform from Disney Channel star to pop phenomenon in her own right.

This is fun, energetic and I just love the lyrics. They speak of those missed opportunities, people you let go, the adventures you didn't have and those dreams that never came true. It's all about embracing life and just living it to its full potential. A second video for the track just recently been released, so hopefully there's a chance that this pop track can become quite the hit.

Alexandra Burke - Let It Go

Wasn't 2008 a great year for the X Factor



Spyke

I have three issues to raise with the latest Alexandra Burke release:

1

It's called 'Let it Go' which is awfully similar to the title of the Ne-Yo and Calvin Harris single that is heading for #1 this week in the singles chart (though it may well just stall at #2).  There's a reason that Tulisa has recently changed the title of her debut single from 'We Are Young' to 'Young' and that's so people don't get confused.  I know which of the two I'd rather listen to.

2

It all just looks so cheap. The thing I loved about the whole Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love release is that Leona was treated like a star. There was no sending her to Saturday morning TV to play with kids, there was no asking her to Music Channel chat shows; she was a star. Just like you'd never dream of treating Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston like that; why treat Alexandra any different. When you look at this video it just screams one word at me 'CHEAP' 'CHEAP' 'CHEAP'.  Rihanna may use the tube and the Pussycat Dolls did love grinding those poles but Alexandra Burke really doesn't do anything for the London Underground.  Plus her outfits just look rather tacky - there are ways to do classy videos on a budget and this is not it.  I just keep wondering when the Picadilly line might stop for her.

3

Just listening to the song it doesn't really sound like her. Alexandra has a great voice and the X Factor showed the nation that, so I don't understand why her record company feels the need to auto-tune her to that extent.  It wasn't until I saw her in the 'Elephant' video that I really believed she was behind the song.  Then again I thought 'The Silence' was a vocal triumph and yet that has been her only single to miss the top 10 so far - so what do I know.

Top ten songs of the month

It's been an amazing few weeks for pop...

McLovin

First up, I just want to say 'apols' to Craig for my lack of McSpyMusic action the past couple of months. I hope this post somehow makes up for it. Second, one of the reasons I haven't written many reviews is that I'm in love with so many songs at the moment, it's been impossible trying to choose which one to concentrate on. So here's my top ten songs of the past few weeks, which have managed to make Gotye's rein of terror feel like a distant memory...

10. Rita Ora feat Tinie Tempah - 'RIP'

I haven't decided if I prefer this one or 'How We Do (Party)', but seeing as the UK are getting this one first, I'll 'plump' for this. Tinie's Borders bookshop joke makes me smile every time (lame, I know), while Rita Ora is clearly the best thing that's come out of pop this year.

9. Scissor Sisters - 'Only The Horses'

Calvin Harris continues on his quest to become the most sought after producer since The Guetta, and the Sisters makes their best comeback single since, well, their last one. Which was amazing. 

8. Madonna feat Nicki Minaj - 'I Don't Give A'

'MDNA' feels harder work than it really should be (although I knew what I was letting myself in for when I bought the double-disc deluxe edition). But this is a bit more interesting than the other album tracks. I love the middle eight bit where she goes 'I tried to be a good girl' through to Nicki's rapping 'There's only one Queen, and that's Madonna. BITCH!'. 

7. Nicki Minaj - 'Pound The Alarm'

Speaking of Nicki, 'Pound The Alarm' makes me feel giddy and woozy and slightly nauseous and my ears hurts when I listen to it too much which is ALL OF THE TIME. 

6. Justin Bieber - 'Boyfriend'

I didn't really find the high standard of 'Boyfriend' that surprising, seeing as some of the album tracks on his Christmas album were so good. However, I am aware that I was the only person who bought it in the UK, so it's nice that people are talking about a song of his rather than his dodgy driving or new haircut for a change. 

5. Jennifer Lopez feat Pitbull (of course) - 'Dance Again'

I like this a lot more than 'Get On The Floor', the pre-chorus is Abbaesque in all the right ways, and even the Pitbull rap I find endearing. (The second one, not the first one where's he's all 'oh your girl only goes one way does she now?'. Shut up Pitbull.) 

4. Conor Maynard - 'Can't Say No'

I was thinking the other day about how music history might have been so different if, say, Craig David had travelled into the future, stolen this song off Conor, and released this instead of 'What's Your Flava?' as his second album comeback single. He'd probably have messed it up with the follow-up, but still, this would have rocked 2002's world. 

3. The Saturdays - '30 Days' 

I didn't think much of this at first, but with each play it reveals a subtle depth and warmth that was lacking on some of their last album's 'oh will this do?' attitude (although I still reckon 'White Lies' should have been a single). 

2. Carly Rae Jepsen - 'Call Me Maybe'

Shock! Carly isn't at the top! Well okay, 'Call Me Maybe' is clearly incredible and will probably end up as my favourite song of the year, but for the time being I thought someone else deserved a turn at Number One. 

1. Cheryl - 'Call My Name'

I know Craig isn't convinced yet, and I've only listened to it three or four times so far. But I've been humming the chorus all weekend, and it clicked with me in a way a song hasn't since, well Carly Rae Jepsen. So not long really, but for the time being 'Call My Name' sneaks into pole position. Calvin's done it again. 

(EDIT:  I really like the new Nelly Furtado song too.)

Maroon 5 Feat. Wiz Khalifa - Payphone

My initial thoughts . . . 



Spyke

Given that I'm meant to be revising at the moment I'll keep this brief:

1. As far as songs named after random objects go I must say that I think this song is about on a par with Domino, better than Telephone but obviously not a patch on Umbrella.
2. This is great.
3. I can't help but feel the band look awfully bored on the single cover and can't help but feel they are stood in front of a green screen with no idea that someone has put a cast-off Mika album artwork behind them.  However yes that is the single cover; the joys of the digital age is that artists need no longer put any effort into their single artwork.
4. This is a hit.
5. Is the rap really necessary?  I don't know if I like this guest feature: it's not like Wiz Khalifa is a new judge on The Voice US (which will be premiering the first live performance this week).
6. This is awesome.
7. I have always preferred Maroon 5's ballads and slower tracks like She Will Be Loved or Won't Go Home Without You over Makes Me Wonder.  Yet this track really does have a summery and infectious beat about it which I can't help but tap my feet along to.
8. Who uses payphones these days anyway?

Labrinth Feat. Emeli Sande - Beneath Your Beautiful

From Labrinth's debut album...



Spyke

When it comes around to revision time I always like to download a few new albums and just leave them playing in the background as I sit and attempt to sift through many a past paper. Last week saw the release of both Nicki Minaj's 'Roman Reloaded' and Labrinth's 'Electronic Earth' so after downloading them both I set down to get some Stats learnt. Needless to say that Ms Minaj's work with RedOne wasn't the most calming influence so I skipped over to try a bit of Labrinth.

After starting his solo career with three top 5 smashes I was expecting big things but unfortunately the album just didn't deliver as much as I had hope. The auto-tuned sound that works so well on the recent Last Time just gets rather over used to minimal effect throughout the album. Plus as much as Earthquake is an absolute tune, I don't think the album needed three versions of it on - but thanks. With all of Simon Cowell's pull you'd have thought there might have been a couple of exciting established remotely interesting guest stars but alas not - clearly One Direction and their mission for global dominance must be keeping him busy.

So by the end of the album you can imagine my surprise at hearing this beautiful track featuring Emeli Sande. A track that would have fit in perfectly on the Emile's own debut 'Our Version of Events' but not really on a computer generated sounding 'Electronic Earth' album. I would be very surprised if this doesn't get released as a single sometime soon. The two artists' voices just harmonize and complement each others so soothingly It did take me a few listens for me to grasp the concept of the song looking 'beneath your beautiful' but it really is a radio friendly tune that has potential to become another top 5 single for them both.

The only bit which sounds a bit off is when they both try and sing 'Take it off now Girl/[Boy]' at the same time and you wonder who's singing what. Other than that it's great.

Drake Feat. Rihanna - Take Care

It's FINALLY here...



Spyke

After months of waiting the video for Drake & Rihanna's sequel to What's My Name has arrived. Here are my top ten favourite bits about it:

1. The awesome slow-mo effects
2. The beefed up production; the drum beat is so dominant that it reminds me a bit of Kanye's Love Lockdown
3. The Bull
4. The Fish
5. The Blue Jay
6. The epic views of the snow capped mountains
7. The chemistry between Drake and Rihanna, especially at 1:26 and 3:33 as they embrace each other as Rihanna sings "I'll Take Care of You"
8. The simplicity of the video, it's a very understated song and I find the video is really effective at enhancing it
9. The fire and dancer that come in during the breakdown bit - which makes a little bit more sense now
10. The split second at 3:24

Nicki Minaj - Marilyn Monroe

This track deserves a post of its own...

Spyke

Out of the 22 tracks on Nicki Minaj's Roman Reloaded this one is definitely the gem in there for me. I think this is the type of ballad that I've been waiting for Rihanna to deliver for a few albums now. At the moment I can't quite decide what it is about the track that just makes it so superb. Like the rest of the album it is just so well produced, with the beautiful twinkling of the piano runs and majesty of the synths accompanied by the thudding drum beats.

I think after the success of 'My Week With Marilyn' on the big screen I can't help but feel this is shouting out for a single release. While Nicki's lyrics are at times quite ridiculous, you can really feel the passion and effort that has been put in here to empathise with the late Marilyn Monroe. Now I don't think we're at the point of asking 'What would Marilyn do?' but I like the idea of where this track is coming from.

"If you can't handle my worst, then you ain't getting my best"

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Time to check out Nicki's sophomore album



Spyke

When you see the title 'Pink Friday - Roman Reloaded' you could be forgiven for thinking that Nicki Minaj was just re-releasing a(nother version) of her debut album 'Pink Friday'. That's certainly what I thought she was doing; but given that Super Bass was already off the Deluxe edition and there had been quite a few new tracks around I was beginning to wonder how long this track list was going to be! There are in fact 22 tracks (including bonuses) on 'Roman Reloaded'. Any album which features a snippet of 'Oh Come Oh Ye Faithful' in the opening track is guaranteed to deliver you plenty of WTF moments.

In one sense it is an album of two halves. To begin with we get a weak follow-up for the R&B rapper Nicki we grew to love in her debut. With plenty of guest features from the likes of Beenie Man, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron and Rick Ross to name but a few there is definitely a deliberate attempt to stick to her roots. However the beast has been somewhat tamed; listening to Roman's Revenge with Eminem on her debut scared me a bit to begin with but you could really sense the passion and fight within Miss Minaj. The best feature on the album once again comes courtesy of Drake -Champion is easily the bast track in the first half of the album and makes a great follow up to their Moment 4 Life.

After the awful Sex In The Lounge we hit the second half of the album with Starships blowing up as track #10. Given Nicki's success with both Super Bass and Til The World Ends you can't blame her for going down the route that definitely sells but my has she camped it up from here! As Starships is currently enjoying a great chart run in the UK, I can see this album delivering her some rather large HITS! I almost feel at times she has stolen a few Ke$ha demos here and hired the likes of RedOne to boost the production. After Starships we get Sound The Alarm, which really gets all guns blazing and throws literally everything at you. I didn't think you could ramp up the production much more than on Starships but this does put it to shame!

Just like David Guetta's Nothing But The Beat, the second half of Roman Reloaded is absolutely packed with huge songs and brimming with energy. Once we reach track 19 we unfortunately reach the annoying Stupid Hoe to spoil things a bit. But if you've invested in the Deluxe Edition you'll get the massive Turn Me On (feat. Guetta), the proposed lead single Va Va Voom and the lovely Masquerade to end on a high.

So whatever your feeling towards Nicki Minaj, you can definitely take this track listing and get yourself a nice EP of music to your taste: whether you want to camp it up to max, dance to party pop hits or just enjoy the R&B rapping Nicki does so well. It may come as no surprise that this album is expected to debut at #1 in the US next week with some rather large numbers!

Far East Movement Feat. Justin Bieber - Live My Life [Party Rock Remix]

LMFAO get their infectious beats on another potential pop hit



Spyke

Now I'm not saying that the fact that We Found Love was playing as we walked into the Ice-cream Cafe didn't influence our decision to sit down but it probably did play a part. With my mum visiting me in London for a couple of days we were just on way back from a trip to my local swimming pool and had stumbled upon this new Cafe which had some irresistible looking cakes in the window. The place was half empty but we sat down with our tubs of Movenpick icecream; I had Caramelita, my mum had Vanilla. As we continued to catch up I couldn't help but notice this track being playing overhead. Slotted neatly between We Found Love and Part Of Me this song couldn't have felt more at home.

I had remembered listening to the original edit when it flew to the top US itunes on its first week of release - a feat we can probably associate with Bieber-fever. However back then the track just didn't sound that impressive, and in The Far East Movement's search for a second global smash I suspected they hadn't quite found it with this. I don't really know what it is that LMFAO do to get the world shufflin' and thinking it's sexy (and knowing it) but they certainly do have a talent for getting those infectious beats into our heads.

Even though the Bieber effect had given it a great boost to begin with it wasn't aiding in appealing to a larger audience. After sending a friend this track I got a quick 'Why did you send me a Bieber track? x' response! Rather amusingly they text me half an hour later saying 'I can't stop listening to that track x'. After hearing Justin's new single Boyfriend, I sense the teen heart-throb is wanting to take a more mature approach to his teen-pop image but let's just hope it turns out a bit more Justin Timberlake than Joe Jonas for his sake.