Tag Archives: #R&B

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March 30, 2018

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Entertainment, Fan Art Fridays

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Fan Art Fridays: Chloe x Halle

chloe x halle bailey fan art

Okay, I know I’m a little late with this, but my ears just got around to finishing Chloe x Halle’s new album, which was very well orchestrated, IMO.

Titled The Kids Are Alright, the album features a great mix of R&B, pop, and trap. It’s been a while since I’ve thoroughly enjoyed an entire album that’s rooted heavily in R&B, so I give these sisters kudos.

I’m not even going to lie, there were times I zoned out at work while listening to some of these tracks and thought I was listening to Beyoncé. It makes sense, as Beyoncé was an influence for the album and the girls are signed to her label Parkwood Entertainment.

Here are my fave tracks from The Kids Are Alright:

“Down” – I swear this was in an episode of grown-ish (which both Chloe x Halle star in and are amazing on, btw) and I went nuts trying to find this song online but couldn’t because it wasn’t officially released yet. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THAT THIS IS THE SONG. I may never know.

 “Happy Without Me” – I love the way the girls voices sound so comforting and sisterly together as they sing the word “me.” I think it really ties up the sad nature of the situation described in the song and makes the ending seem optimistic, as it should.

“Galaxy” – I almost feel kind of bad for this guy they’re sending into the galaxy because of the jungle beat. Like, is this some sort of Jurassic Park galaxy? Will he survive? Do we want him to?

Enjoy this fun fan art I found on Instagram of Chloe x Halle by ghostnovas, inspired by an image of the sisters with their hair tied together. The sisters posted it on their Instagram account in 2016. The cartoon version of Halle Bailey looks super realistic!

Listen to The Kids Are Alright on Spotify.

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July 24, 2014

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This Week in Music: Troye Sivan’s First Ever Single “Happy Little Pill”

It has been a very exciting passed couple of hours for fans of South African/Australian YouTuber Troye Sivan.

His first single, “Happy Little Pill” from his upcoming album TRXYE dropped last night, and it is so freaking good!

The track has a certain element of light R&B. Combined with Troye’s smooth vocals, the song is definitely a crowd pleaser.

“I wrote this song during a bit of a rough time for someone super close to me, and for myself, and it still means as much to me as the day i wrote it, and i’m still as in love with it as the day i wrote it (which is rare for me!!). I couldn’t be prouder to be giving it to you guys today :’),” he wrote in the Tumblr post where he posted the Soundcloud link to the single.

I really love the songs instrumentals, especially the small bit of synth playing throughout the beginning and chorus that gives the song a breezy summer vibe. The song features some amazing imagery, in the hook before the chorus where he sings,

Tight skin, bodyguards
Gucci down the boulevard
Cocaine, dollar bills and…

Just pure brilliance.

This song will have to be our “happy little pill” until the release of TRXYE on Auguust 15th.

My question for Mr. Sivan is: will there be a music video to accompany this masterpiece?

Enjoy the song on Soundcloud.

 

 

 

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December 10, 2013

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Album Review: Jesse McCartney’s ‘In Technicolor (Part 1)’

In Technicolor Part 1

After three years of silence in the music industry, Jesse McCartney is back with his new EP In Technicolor (Part 1), out today, December 10, 2013.

For those of you who are a bit puzzled, the answer is yes, Jesse McCartney is the kid that used to look like this:

Except now he’s 26, his hair is dark brown, and his music has more of an R&B feel instead of the pop tunes he sang back in the 2000s.

In Technicolor (Part 1) is a short EP of four songs, totaling 12 minutes.

The EP begins with the introductory 1:41 track “In Technicolor (Part 1).” The first chorus hits home, as McCartney sings,

Get a job, pay the rent,
Rinse, wash, repeat do it again, oh
We all live in a black and white world
But let’s face it, while time’s wasting,
We’re all here with the same motivation,
Trying to find that someone who sees your worth.

This verse sets up the premise for the song, which is the concept of living a life with the main goal of finding someone to be with as it all unfolds. This person makes your dreary, everyday, black and white world turn technicolor.

How beautiful!

“Back Together” and “Tie the Knot” sound very Justin Timberlake, with their funky, upbeat, R&B feel, complete with trumpets and bass guitar melodies.

“Tie the Knot” features some impulsive elope-sounding lyrics. “I’m ready, you’re ready, we’re ready, been ready / Come on girl let’s tie the knot,” he sings excitedly. Is there something you’re not telling us about you and Katie Peterson’s relationship status, Jesse?

The EP concludes on a serious note with “Checkmate,” the only ballad on the album.  “You are gonna lose ’cause you chose to make the moves you make” is the lyric in the chorus that stands out the most.

It’s nice to hear Jesse McCartney’s voice back on the market again. I’m assuming there will be a part 2 to this sometime in the near future?

Please don’t take another three years to release it, Jesse!

Listen to In Technicolor (Part 1) on Spotify.

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November 4, 2013

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This Week in Music: Justin Bieber’s Music Monday Track “Bad Day”

Bad Day Art

Justin Bieber’s new Music Monday track, “Bad Day,” dropped early this morning at 12:01 am.

Music Monday is Bieber’s new way of releasing his album. Every Monday from October 7th until mid-December, fans get a song from the singer, totaling ten brand new tracks.

As his manager, Scooter Braun stated in an interview with Billboard:

“Justin had this complete body of work that was very different from the stuff he had done in the past — very R&B-driven, personal songs, not necessarily songs that he was thinking of as radio records. That’s why he called them ‘journals.’ They’re very, very personal to what he’s been feeling over the last six months, going through a tough time. If you listen to the lyrics in these songs — “Heartbreaker,” “All That Matters” — he’s pouring his heart out. When I looked at that, I looked at it as, “He didn’t write one journal.” He wrote them in different days, [with] different emotions at different points, and I wanted people to experience what he was feeling, week to week… As each week comes, people will have a different type of song, and understand the different experience he’s going through week to week.”

Said “journals” sound like a mating call to his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, as he sings songs such as “Heartbreaker” and “Recovery” to beg her forgiveness.

Bieber’s now mature voice might drive the ladies absolutely insane. His voice coach has worked miracles to bring his boyish charm to manhood.

Monday, November 4th’s song released for the series is called “Bad Day,” echoing the infamous David Powter tune.

Bieber’s “Bad Day” begins with a sweet, romantic guitar melody. The song is more of a ballad with its slow tempo and legato vocals.

Justin Bieber goes the extra mile to show off his voice with a nice falsetto in the hook as he sings, “Didn’t waste any time /  Like you had already made up your mind,” and later, “And I didn’t think it was over / Until you walked away.”

This song is the shortest of the series so far, coming in just under 2:30. The other Music Monday tracks are over three minutes long.

The R&B feel of “Recovery” and “Heartbreaker” fit Bieber’s style better. “Bad Day” didn’t really strike a chord with me this week.

Enjoy “Bad Day” and the other Music Monday tracks on Spotify.

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October 30, 2013

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Album Review: Yuna’s ‘Nocturnal’

yuna

Yuna’s second album is finally here!

The Malaysian singer’s new album, Nocturnal, released on October 29th, 2013, has proven to be a step up for the artist. She’s back with some very sassy tunes just a year after the release of her first self-titled 2012 album, Yuna.

Yuna is an album characterized by very soft, sweet sounds with songs like “Lullabies” and “Tourist.” Nocturnal is definitely a slight turn away from the sweet innocence that Yuna brought to fans back in 2012.

Yuna opens the album with “Falling,” because she must assume that after hearing her voice for the first time, listeners will “keep falling” for her voice.

She’s right. You will.

The ballads on this album are “Lovely Intermission,” “I Want You Back,” “Call Everyone,” and “Colors.” The song “Colors” features profound lyrics, and the sentiment shines through beautifully as Yuna’s sweet voice sings “Don’t let all the colors fade away.” It is clear in this song that she is begging a lover to stay and continue to bring color to her life.

Some of the more upbeat tracks on this album include “Rescue,” “I Wanna Go,” “Bravest Thing,” “Come Back” and “Hanging On.” The track “Come Back” is medium tempo, with a beat held by the snare, sounding like a cute hand clap. “Hanging On” is one of the more interesting tracks on the album, as it features an oriental sound of bells and gongs in the background, intro, and outro.

Nocturnal also features two songs of the R&B genre. “Escape” and “Lights and Camera” are quite different from Yuna’s previous album. You can’t help but want to escape with Yuna’s voice as she sings “I could use an escape” on the track “Escape.”

“Someone Who Can” is a track that screams sassy. On this beautiful track with rapid violin melodies in between the chorus and verse, she sings about moving on to another guy since the one she’s with doesn’t treat her the way she knows she’s supposed to be treated. This track is also featured on NPR‘s “Fall Music Preview.”

You go, girl!

My absolute favorite on this album is “Mountains.” The ukelele chords have an intriguing Bollywood influence mixed with a Westernized violin melody. The way she sings the lyrics of the song are just so sassy!

Overall, I enjoyed Yuna’s new album, but I will admit that if I had to choose between Nocturnal and Yuna, I think I’d choose Yuna.

Enjoy the album on Spotify!

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August 13, 2013

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Album Review: Parachute’s ‘Overnight’

Today marks the release of Parachute’s new album Overnight!

overnight

I’ve been in love with Parachute ever since a friend got me hooked on their song “She is Love.” Since then, I’ve also been hooked on “Mess I Made” and “All I Know.”

Now Parachute is back with a brand new album that I am listening to for the first time as I write this review. So, all of my opinions will be first impressions.

As soon as I heard the first song on the album, “Meant to Be,” I knew this was going to be a good album. I just love lead singer Will Anderson’s voice! The lyrics as so captivating, as he sings,

“When I found you
You could run so fast
You never really wanted love
And it couldn’t really hold you back.”

This song set the bar high for the rest of this album.

I had already heard “Can’t Help” and “Hearts Go Crazy” before the album was released. “Can’t Help” is one of those love sick songs with an addicting piano melody. I love the bell sounds in the song “Hearts Go Crazy.”

“Drive You Home” was kind of a let down for me, because the intro led me to believe that it was going to be a really slow tempo ballad, but it isn’t. I think the song would have been better if it were slower.

“Hurricane” has a bit of an R&B feel. The drum is like a heartbeat throughout the song. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. Will Anderson’s falsetto is great in this song.

I really like the beat of the song “Overnight”, the song that the album is named for. They layer some really cool beats, including the cool guitar rift and snare on the chorus. I also love it when “I should be sleeping” repeats for the bridge.

I think “Didn’t See it Coming” is the most creative and catchy song on the album. I love the talking bits, especially when he says, “And I was told don’t speak with your mouth open / But I couldn’t help it…” I also love how Will Anderson goes up the scale as he sings the word “coming” in the chorus. This song is brilliant, and will most likely be stuck in my head all night.

“The Other Side” is a sweet, slow ballad. Anderson sings “Darling don’t look back, no need to worry / I’ll be here waiting on the other side.” So heartwarming. “The Only One” is also a ballad, although the lyrics are much more powerful than “The Only One.” The chorus is so beautiful:

“Standing by the bedroom door
Staring at an empty face
I can see it in your eyes
Some things you can never change
Nothing else that I can do
While I’m waiting for the end to come
I know youre gonna walk away
But you should know that you’re the only one
You’re the only one.”

The way the word “one” echoes at the end of each chorus really gets to me.

The song “Waiting for that Call” will have your feet tapping and your head bobbing up and down. I love the slight raise of volume on some of the lyrics. Anderson even swears in this one. It was well placed, though.

“Disappear” is really heavy on the acoustics. I guess they decided to focus more on the lyrics for this one.

I’m not going to lie, I was kind of weirded out when I heard the intro for the last song on the album, “Higher.” Its a mixture of crashing sounds, combined with a church choir and a loud guitar. I kind of like it.

In general, I think this album was alright. Parachute tends to grab me with 3-4 songs every album, so I guess this time my favorites are “Meant to Be,” “Didn’t See it Coming” and “Waiting for that Call.”

Check out the album on Spotify!

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August 5, 2013

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This Week in Music: Naya Rivera’s “Sorry” ft. Big Sean Teaser

naya sorry

The first week of August brought to us a hint of Glee when Santana, played by  Naya Rivera, released a thirty-second teaser for her new song “Sorry.”

 

“#SorrynotSorry,” she added in a later tweet.

Very fitting.

The song features Naya Rivera’s boyfriend, rapper Big Sean.

Not a fan of that guy.

Or of this song, unfortunately.

#SorryverySorry.

The song has an R&B feel with a funky saxophone beat. In the teaser Naya Rivera proves to us she’s Spelling Bee material by spelling out the word “sorry” twice.

The teaser ends with a male voice shouting, “B*tch!”

I’m quite disappointed.

As a Glee fan, I’ve been in love with Santana’s vocals since she sang “Valerie” at sectionals.

Why you no stick to jazz pop Naya?!

It’s like her voice was made for Amy Winehouse type songs, yet she denies it by trying to go all R&B on us.

In summary, this is the “Sorry” teaser:

sorry comment

Couldn’t have said it better myself, MarichKaulitz.

Now its your turn to decide how you feel about Naya Rivera’s sample of “Sorry.”