Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Every Time...


How fortunate it is that I decided to research Demi Lovato, just to see news about the album.

1) It's being released in 9 days, on the 14th of May, yay!
2) You can listen to it now. At Lovatics Speed Up Time. Yes. Very clever.

Again with the early release! Hey, I am not complaining. So - here's my full album review! I am literally writing my review as I listen to the songs for the first time, so this is my true first impression.

Heart Attack - Like I said in my previous review, I loved this song. Her voice, the lyrics, the statement, everything. It's catchy, it's cool.

Made in the U.S.A. - I would normally give this a giant thumbs up, but after Heart Attack's insane vocals, it sort of falls flat. After hearing Skyscraper, it's a bit hard to go back to something so typical and normal. This song could have been sung by anyone else and sound the same. The goodness is in the beat and tune. But overall, eh.

Without the Love - I thought this was Never Gonna Happen for a good 15 seconds. I really like this song. Younger people may not get the baseball joke (get me home like DiMaggio. Is she a Yankees fan?) but I really love the rest of this. I love the lyrics, and though it isn't a fun dancy song, it is perfect for a drive or to listen to whenever. It's too good for background music, but it isn't the best song on the album.

Neon Lights - This is a sure hit. Like Made in the U.S.A. it could have been sung by anybody else, but it's so good! I began to (try) to sing along the very first time I listened. It's perfect to dance to, sing to, background music, not background music...it's such a great, fun song. Super thumbs up.

Two Pieces - This song is incredible. The sound is intense - the beat, the music, and her vocals. The lyrics are sweet, and I could totally foresee this song becoming a hit and actually surviving time. This. Is. It.

Nightingale - I was sort of apprehensive hearing the title to this song. I knew it would be slower than the previous ones, but it could be great...or not. But as it goes on, it's clear that the song is a beautiful romantic one, and it's exactly what everyone expected from her. Elegant, amazing vocals, and if you are like me, you may cry. So far, it seems to be the best song.

In Case - First two second impression: perfect placement. After Nightingale you can not put any old song afterwards. Once again, her vocals put everybody else in the world to shame. Including Carly Rose Sonenclar. This song is less intense than Nightingale, but it is still amazing.

Really Don't Care ft. Cher Lloyd - Back to the jam! The fact that Cher Lloyd is on it makes it way better than it already is. Next note: the chorus is a bit stupid, but her voice power makes up for that. Definitely a dancing in your living room or bedroom song.

Fire Starter - First line: um, excuse me? What does that mean? In fact, for the first minute of this song, I could not stand it. Two minutes in, I am still not a fan. I don't think the lyrics are meaningful, the beat is energetic but not great, and...well, it doesn't sound like anything special.

Something That We're Not - Totally sounds like something that One Direction would release. The lyrics are pretty good, and her voice range, as far as tone goes, is great. But like Fire Starter, I am not a fan.

Never Been Hurt - WOW. This song is that one that you are either going to love or hate. She does some INSANE stuff with her voice here. I didn't even know that was possible. I personally love it, especially after the last two ones. The lyrics are fair, her voice is amazing, the beat is great and will be a great asset for it's chart position. I am on team love. As in Lovatics. As in I love this song. The music video is the breaker here - if she does a bad forgettable video, this song will die alone. If she makes an incredible unique one, it will be very popular.

Shouldn't Come Back - If you stop and listen to the song, it will have a shocking effect on you. I was not expecting this. Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the emotion that Demi pours into the song is amazing. It's one of the strongest songs here, and the power of it reminds me of Skyscraper.

Warrior - The final song. Forget what I said about Shouldn't Come Back. This is Skyscraper mixed with Alicia Keys. It is the perfect ending to the album, and the best track. In gymnastics terms, this is the outstretched arms and smile after a routine with a few mess ups, a few impeccable back handsprings, and some amazing flips with no name.

My final comments: I recommend this album. There are like four tracks which I would not spend money on if they were singles, but overall, this is a very good album. Earlier, Demi said that her next album (this one) would be a tell-all, and while I definitely do not see that in some of these tracks, in the other half, the confession theme is very clear.

Note: This is a first impression review.

Becky G's new single, The New Futures, and Popularity

Finally another one! It seems like Becky is really getting into the rhythm of releasing singles, and this one is just as good, albeit different, from her other stuff. She still raps, then sings the chorus, but the beat is very different from her previous stuff. What I like best is that while the music definitely leans more to more mainstream music, but she still keeps her old rap style (meaning lyrics that aren't "typical" but not too weird either). I also love that she continues to keep her heritage in her videos, and even though this song isn't about that, the video is. The song is very catchy, and definitely fun to (try) to sing along to. I do think they autotuned it a bit weirdly - not so she sounds electronic, her voice just sounds a bit higher and...off. Still though. All I have to say is Play It Again.

If you're a fan of Alt-Rock as well as Pop, then I definitely have a new band to satisfy you. The New Futures are VERY new. As in, the only way to hear their music is to a) buy their debut single on iTunes or listen to three songs on their website. You're welcome. The only song that has been released, and therefore their debut single, is Sunshine (which is funny because they're from Seattle), and I definitely recommend it. The song has a grungy sound, but not so much that it alienates pop lovers. It just adds a lot of edge and makes it sound very cool. Ocean is less intense, and though it definitely has a nineties influence, it is more modern. Story is the third song, and from the opening it's easy to tell that it is the most mellow of the three. I'm not usually a fan of mellow songs, but this one is pretty good. Out of the three I would say Ocean is the best, but all of them are good enough to be worth checking out!

To be honest, Ariana Grande always bothered me as a singer. Not just because she was weirdly orange in one of her videos, but none of her songs really seemed genuine. They were just...wrong.

Well, I don't know how well she connects to the theme of getting back at popular kids who bullied less popular ones, but her collaboration with MIKA, called Popular Song is all about that. And I love it. J'adore. Te Amo. First of all, I love sorta dark creepy things that are reminiscent of haunted houses, but I love and own and constantly listen to the soundtrack of Wicked. So when the pair sang a verse from Glinda's song Popular, I loved it even more. Even better - the beat is catchy and the lyrics are great. Really, I  just love everything about it.