Sleigh Bells – Rill, Rill

Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale is pretty good. I didn’t like the first single so I expected the album to be trash. If you like pop at all, when was the last time Brit released a bad 1st single? This album is her first dance album. A few of the songs, like my favorite song: Criminal has tinges of r&b.

Excerpt from Rolling Stone’s review since I’m not a music critic:

Femme Fatale may be Britney’s best album; certainly it’s her strangest. Conceptually it’s straightforward: a party record packed with sex and sadness. Max Martin and Dr. Luke, the world’s two biggest hitmakers, are responsible for seven of 12 songs: big melodies and bigger Eurodisco thumps. But other producers go nuts, tossing the kitchen sink at Britney. The Bloodshy-helmed “How I Roll” is sputtering, oddly beautiful techno. In “Big Fat Bass,” Will.i.am turns Britney into a cyborg obsessed with low-end. (“The bass is getting bigger!” she exults.)

Download: Criminal, Big Fat Bass, Till The World Ends, Inside Out

If you like Britney’s single “3″, you’ll LOVE this album. Check Femme Fatale Deluxeout today!

My Chemical Romance – SING

My Top 5 Albums of 2010(revised)

6. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (honorable mention)

5. Robyn- Body Talk

4. Sara Bareilles – Kaleidoscope Heart

3. Tracey Thorn – Love and Its Opposite

2. Christina Aguilera – Bionic

1. Taylor Swift – Speak Now

I never thought I would go back to being a Taylor Swift fanatic. I loved her first album and then I was disappointed by everything else…until now. This is more of an emotional pick but even if I’m 100% objective, I have to say Taylor’s album is pop perfection. I miss really good pop music.

I lived with “Speak Now” from November 2010 – January 2011. I listened to it everyday and everywhere. It was where I was in my life at that time. Now it is sort of hard to listen to. (Told you this was an emotional pick!). I don’t want to go back to December. December and January sucked for me. I want to go back to January 2010. But I can’t and this is a music blog.

“Dear John” is the weakest track on the album but it has its moments. “Haunted” gives me chills. “Better Than Revenge” is the best pop track. If you love pop, try Speak Now. Her lyrics are better. The new “rifts” she does with her voice sold me. (I know “But can she do that live?” blah blah).

The Grammy’s are this Sunday. I thought I didn’t care until some station (E!) showed Miranda Lambert rehearsing and I got very pissed. I guess I do care. I don’t want to see rehearsals or know too much. I don’t care who wins (besides Miranda Lambert, of course!) because my peeps didn’t get nominated. How could Tracey Thorn make every critics best list but get ZERO nominations? That doesn’t make sense. Whatever.

From last year’s show:

Back to the podcasts – You must download Metric’s Live @ the 9:30 concert. It is FREE and um, AMAZING. (I’ve always had a way with words). I don’t know how to link to iTunes. Just search for Metric’s podcasts. It is under NPR.

Since then I’ve given up on all things Apple. The best MP3 player ever was the 32GB creative zen. It lasted for 3-4 years which is forever in MP3 player land. Unfortunately they stopped making them as soon as I brought mine. Right now I have a 8GB Zune. With all due respect 8 gigs is like nothing to me. What am I going to do with the rest of my music? I love to shuffle and 8 gigs won’t even hold 1/4 of my music…I’m considering getting a Apple iPod classic 160 GB Black (7th Generation) NEWEST MODEL or a Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum). I trust Zune even though I did have one crappy MP3 player experience with them. But it was only 1GB (lol) and it was the first version. That thing didn’t last a month.

I’m having the I-want-to-carry-all-my-music-around blues but I’ll get over it.

Today I brought FOUR new digital albums. All of them under $5.00. Thanks Amazon.com.

Robyn – Body Talk [Explicit] [+Digital Booklet]

Sara Bareilles – Kaleidoscope Heart [+Digital Booklet]

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Explicit]

Metric – Fantasies

No, I’m not a Kanye fan but I’ve only heard good things about this album. Just when I thought I had “My top ten albums of 2010″ figured out.

Oh yeah, the Grammy noms are out. :/

I’ve listened to the latest Sugarland album a few times. It is devoid of depth, filled with mediocre lame “inspirational” lyrics but surprisingly listenable. I guess they will never be as good as their debut. I wish Kristen H. had never left the band. It is apparent she wrote MOST of the lyrics.

I was going to say that I’m not surprised that Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” sold over a million copies. She was everywhere so I expected at least 600k in sales. But considering her last album “Fearless” wasn’t that good, I am kinda surprised. I must be the only person who doesn’t get that album at all. IMO, it had 3 good tracks. I’m not a hater. I loved her first album. I haven’t heard much of “Speak”. I have heard “Dear John” and it is growing on me.

EDIT: I’ve listened to Speak Now. Like it! The best decision she made was to not use co-writers like she did on “Fearless”. I love Mean, Enchanted & Better Than Revenge. Btw, the album is not country at all but I like pop-rock.

Some good country

Mindy Smith – One Moment More

I’m also enjoying Lori McKenna. I can’t find her stuff on youtube. Check out her song Confetti.

John in VA Beach 7/2010

Just read every fan’s Mayer concert review. DITTO. blah. blah. Happy blahs. I’m thinking about going to see him every summer. But I only go to 1-2 concerts a year. So it depends on who else is on tour.

My favorite parts of the concert were him letting the audience (me too!) pretty much sing all of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, his banter and the best was War of My Life. I hate to admit this but I always thought of WAR as an album track…until I went to that concert. What he said during the song really resonated with me. For the next 2 months, whenever I would have a bad day I would listen to WAR. I love when a concert experience changes my feelings of a song.

The setlist:
01: Chest Fever -> Vultures
02: Crossroads
03: No Such Thing
04: Ain’t No Sunshine
05: War of My Life
06: Heartbreak Warfare
07: Waiting on the World to Change vs Perfectly Lonely
08: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
09: Who Says
10: Do You Know Me
11: Raspberry Beret
12: Good Love Is On The Way
13: Thank Yous
14: Half of My Heart -> Don’t Stop Believing
15: Encore
16: My Stupid Mouth (acoustic)
17: Why Georgia (acoustic)
18: Edge of Desire

Music recommendations coming in 2 weeks or less.

Tomorrow night I will see the musician I’ve dreamed of seeing for 8 years. He is in my top 3 of people to see. I never think I’m going to see anyone in my top 3. The top 3 changes so it is pointless to name them but John has been in the top 3 since I rented “Any Given Sunday” (live concert DVD) in early 2002 (?). I’ve been obsessed ever since.

He is the one of the greatest guitar players of our time. I’m so freaking excited!! And nervous…I can’t explain the nervousness. If you know me you get it.

I’m really hoping for 3×5. It is by far by favorite JM song. I know he usually does not play it so I’m not counting on it. I would just die if he played the full version.

I’m hoping to hear at least one of these songs:

1. 3×5
2. Inside Your Atmosphere (in my dreams!)
3. Clarity
4. My Stupid Mouth
5. In Repair

…but to see John Mayer live. OMG. I would be fine with him just playing the guitar for 90 minutes. I need to get a grip. I’m out of control. I don’t care how it sounds. This is how I feel about his music.

I hope more music is coming from Solange.

I haven’t been keeping up with music much these days. Recently I did try to find some new stuff…Nothing really grabbed me. But there is one song I can’t get out of my head: “I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend” by Nina. She is a popular Filipino singer. I’ll just copy her bio from her website

Marifil Niña Girado, best known simply as Nina, is a Filipino singer, songwriter, record producer, commercial model, TV and radio personality. Girado has released multi-platinum records in the Philippines and is also known as the “Asia’s Soul Siren”. She is sister of singer Filbert “King” Girado, Jr. She has released seven albums and performs at bars such as Taboo Ultra Lounge, Bagaberde Grill, Hard Rock Cafe, 19 East, Club-O and can be seen on TV via the musical variety show ASAP on ABS-CBN. She can be heard on her weekly radio show on Wave 89.1 radio station, “Renditions of the Soul”.

If you like pop music, you’ll love her. Here is a grainy version of her video:

I’m sure there is a better version but I don’t have the time to search the net for it. She has a cover album and a live album where she covers Aerosmith and Aaliyah. I’m excited to hear more from her…if I can find it. Search the net and give her a try. You can find some videos on her facebook page. I think I discovered her on last.fm can’t remember. Enjoy.

Edited to add: Woohoo! I found Nina’s music on Amazon. (probably on itunes as well…) The MP3 albums are regularly priced. The 3D version is priced as an import. I would recommended Nina Live or if you just want a song to try for 99 cents go for “I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend”.

Recommended to pop lovers & ballad lovers. Do I have to mention Celine Dion? I’m not a huge fan of hers but if you like her, you will love Nina. She is compared to Mariah Carey a lot but I don’t know…yet.

I will be posting about Nina more because I love discovering new musicians and I’m a music geek!