Would You Hold It Against Britney?

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Monday, January 10, 2011

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Today is a day to be marked in history as the day Britney premiered her new single, Hold It Against Me (a day early too!). It hit New Zealand's iTunes store today to the surprise of many fans eagerly awaiting tomorrows premier date.


Does it deliver? Yes. Definitely. The clearly European dance influenced track thuds and whooshes along for a full 3 minutes and 52 seconds of amazing-ness. Complete with distinct Britney vocals, fresh Dr Luke and Max Martin production and a heavy dub-step breakdown half way through. After the breakdown, you're treated to the full beat, synths and chorus until the track collides to a sudden finish.

If this is a taste of what is to come on the yet-to-be-titled seventh album from Ms Spears, then bring on the March release date already! This has clearly got fans in a complete frenzy, and it's gone down a treat!
Take a listen yourself to the track, which is on YouTube below... ENJOY (but forgive the slightly warped quality and pitched vocals, this is done for obvious reasons!)

Review: Rihanna - Loud

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

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The 22 year old Bajan beauty, Rihanna, has finally released her fifth studio album following on from last year's somewhat dark but brilliantly crafted "Rated R" record. This time around Rihanna herself promised a much louder, sassier, fun and flirty album. Things are looking up already from the high colour, bright album artwork. Fresh out of the video from her launch single, Only Girl (In The World), the artwork follows the same theme, big fields, colourful materials, bright make-up and Rihanna's new trademark red hair. Let's see if the music follows suit...





1. S&M - The opening track, a StarGate produced affair, kicks things off hard with a heavy dance beat and euphoric production. After the opening chants, Rihanna's distinctive vocals  launch the verses which ooze attitude. Onto the chorus which has an addictive hook, and takes a popular playground chant and gives it a rather more adult theme, which is of course the theme of the track, S&M. For those who are rather wet behind the ears to this kind of thing, google it (maybe not google images first though, or whilst at work!) The whole ensemble is extremely danceable, addictive and gets things off to a great start. 9/10

2. What's My Name? (feat. Drake) - This is the second single from this campaign, with the video recently hitting the world wide web.  Things are calmed down slightly from the previous track, but this still keeps up with it's heavy hip-hop beat and opening vocals from Canadian artist Drake. The vocals here from Rihanna are a highlight for me, as she sounds great and her Barbados roots shine through in her accent, akin to what we heard on Rihanna's earlier albums, "Music Of The Sun" and "A Girl Like Me". The pace of the track may be slower, but this certainly doesn't trip up for it, and should be another smash hit for Rihanna's assault on the charts. 10/10

3. Cheers (Drink To That) - Straight away this track opens with a familiar sample, namely Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You". I think this is supposed to be a feel-good, no cares tune, but it does come off a little low-mood and mellow to me. That being said, I can imagine this being one of the last tracks played in the club and getting everyone up dancing. The mid-tempo beats and lyrics of the verses and chorus don't do much to lift the mood of the track, and whilst this isn't a skippable track, it unfortunately falls a bit flat and is slightly unmemorable especially if the Avril sample wasn't there. Album filler, but still good album filler 7/10

4. Fading - This is a typical "Rihanna ballad", with the heartfelt lyrics, staple piano backing yet still managing to hold a top-tappable beat. Along the same lines as Take A Bow, the theme here is the break-up of a relationship. The extra production of the track makes it interesting, especially after the middle-eight section where this extra jazzy synth is added to the mix. The lyrics have a slight frustrated feel to them, making this not a sad song but a bit of a more positive affair. Rihanna sounds great here as well. 9/10

5. Only Girl (In The World) - After this track's domination of the charts recently, this is instantly recognisable as the launch single for this campaign and is currently being played everywhere. An up-tempo dance track, the production values are high, provided by StarGate again, the lyrics are catchy and the beat hits in all the right places. Rihanna bellows out the chorus and gives this track that extra power, that I think only she could provide. Euphoric, danceable, and has clearly been another smash hit for Rihanna worldwide.  10/10

6. California King Bed - The first "proper" ballad on the album, and the last as well. The opening guitar riffs always reminds me of Alanis Morissette's "Ironic"...but that's irrelevant I guess, for now. Rihanna chimes into the track with gentle vocals found similarly on her earlier ballads, for example "Unfaithful". There is a small vocal build-up to the chorus, where a beat joins the track and it turns into a bit of a power-ballad. The rest of the track plays out as expected and then electric guitar riffs intertwine in with the middle-eight and closing chorus repeats, making this quite memorable towards the end. The track does feel a little out of place between the previous track and the next, and may have been better suited towards the end. 6.5/10

7. Man Down - Sirens and a reggae sounding chords open this track up, and you know at this point that the track is going to get a bit crazy, which always seems to work for Rihanna. The reggae theme is kicked off again with the introduction to the verses and also the choruses as well, and Rihanna's vocal delivery reeks of her Barbados roots yet again, which suits the track so well.  The infectious part of this song is the chorus and it's kicked off each time by Rihanna delivering a very fitting-to-the-theme "rum pum pu pum", of course mimicking the sounds of gun shots. This might be showing a bit of a nasty side to Rihanna though, but I like to think that the lyrics contain a metaphorical gun, and in actual fact Rihanna is singing about saying no to a man. Still, crazy and full of attitude, this is another highlight 9/10

8. Raining Men (feat. Nicki MinajMinaj who always causes a bit of chaos in a tune. This is by no means a bad thing, as the track is infectious and very catchy, with the playschool "eeny, meeny, miney, mo's", teasing chants from Rihanna, a heavy hip-hop beat and crazy lyrics in the verses. This is another clear highlight on the album and I really hope it will make a great future single as I can imagine the video similar to "Rude Boy" but cranked up to "hands-in-the-air-crazy", which is always a good thing too. 10/10

9. Complicated - This track starts of slow but grows into much more than typical ballad material. Rihanna's vocals here are loud and powerful, and almost verge on a bit shouty, but luckily just stop from falling over the edge into unpleasant. The backing track is fairly quiet to begin, yet by the time the second chorus starts the track comes into itself and adopts a slight electro dance beat. Saying this, the track is a little repetitive by the end but I think it realises this and comes to an abrupt stop just in time. Like "Cheers" found earlier on the album, this is a bit of an album filler, but a decent one none-the-less. 6.5/10

10. Skin - I can't help but feel this track fell out of the "Rated R" campaign sessions. It opens with a dark vibe and keeps it up through-out the remainder of what's on offer here. Unfortunately, to me it doesn't fit in with the feel of the album. It's a low-tempo, grungy track with quick, quiet vocals and minimal production. It feels wrong being on here, and would at best be album filler for her previous album. This is the only track I now skip on every listen. 5/10

11. Love The Way You Lie (Part II) (feat. Eminem) - Everyone will know the first "part" to this track, which was a huge hit for Eminem and featured Rihanna's vocals for the chorus. This time around, Rihanna switches it up with her own verses and re-recorded chorus, with guest vocals from Eminem. The beat is different from it's predecessor, yet goes with the track just as well and keeps it an interesting and fresh experience from Part I. Some of the production is recycled and helps keep the ties with its counterpart. Eminem's additional verse is basically an additional, unreleased part to his version and holds the aggression and theme of the track like the first time around. A welcome addition to the end of the album. 10/10

Overall rating: 8/10
A quick release hot off the heels of "Rated R", this album definitely has a much lighter feel to it but doesn't feel rushed. I wouldn't say it has all of the sass and fun that it was hyped to have, but it's clear Rihanna has transitioned from the darker times of her life and is now enjoying life again. There is a theme to the album, also reflected in the artwork and track list, but a few tracks pull it down for being a bit dull or throwaway. Additional tracks for different packages of the album include Love The Way You Lie (Part II) again but a piano ballad version, and also an awesome remix of Only Girl (In The World) which keeps all of the euphoric charm of the original track but pumps the dance beat up a bit. Does it top the almighty "Good Girl Gone Bad"? No, but I don't think it tries to. The single choices are obvious for this campaign and it contains a fresh enough selection of tracks for this to go down as another success for the ever progressing Rihanna.

Review: Nadine - Insatiable

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Saturday, November 13, 2010

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Maybe slightly unfairly, following on the heels of Cheryl Cole's Messy Little Raindrops review, fellow Girls Aloud group-mate Nadine Coyle is about to get the same treatment.
Nadine's first foray into the solo realm, Insatiable, hit shelves on 8th November 2010 exclusively through the supermarket chain Tesco, released through her own label Black Pen Records.
Unfortunately the album artwork initiated my main thoughts on the presentation of the album and it is one which reeks through the delivery of it too, self indulgence. With those words ringing, it's on with the music...








1. Runnin' - This opening tracks starts things off sounding like a bit of a Girls Aloud "B-side" track. Luckily it becomes a bit stronger and comes into itself by the time the chorus hits. Of course, Nadine sounds great, she always does. Her vocals sound tamper tree and natural, which is nice to hear. The production in this track is also great, and I love the synths that open the track and continue throughout. A good start. 7.5/10

2. Put Your Hands Up - The track starts off well, as another up-tempo tune and things get better for the chorus. There is just the right amount of production found here and also a little vocal production as well, but it is not over done and used well. It's a bit of a feel good track, and Nadine sounds like she had a good time recording it. It falls a bit flat on the middle-eight which purely consists of "Ahhhh's" but then kicks back into the hard beat and great chorus repeats for the end of the track, complete with Nadine ad-libbing all over 'em but not over-doing it. 8.5/10


3. Chained - From the start of this track you get the feel of how it is going to pan out. A pleasant beat and instrumental twangs, but a bit dated and a bit boring. Nadine sounds good, for most of the part, but starts with the vocal acrobatics which is a bit unnecessary on a track like this. The whole thing sounds a bit ploddy, the verses are messy and the chorus gets a bit repetitive by the end of the song, and isn't made any better being covered up with ad-libs at the end. 5/10

4. Insatiable - The title track, and first single from the album. This is a standout from the whole album and probably it's main highlight. The track hits hard, Nadine sounds powerful, and the beat plus brass make it a very strong track. The digital production thrown in adds to the mix and keeps it up to date pop and not too "jazzy" sounding. It takes a pinch of rock too, with the electric guitar building up towards the end. Just try not to watch the video as it taints your perception of the track a little, as those words "self indulgent" crop up again. 10/10

5. Red Light - Following a similar pattern from the previous track, Red Light hits hard again with its strong beat, synths, brass and vocals. The verses are strong but the chorus is a bit dragged out, luckily it's not repeated too much. The middle-eight sounds very reminiscent of previous Girls Aloud material though, and you're just waiting for the other's to chime in with their vocal input. The track fades out to that electric guitar again, which saves us from that loooong chorus. 8/10


6. Sexy Love Affair - A sexy love affair is definitely what is not going to occur with this track. Nadine seems to have felt some desire to half whisper / rasp out her vocals on this song, and it doesn't sound experimental or edgy, it just sounds, wait for it...self indulgent. The lyrics are awful and are half down to Nadine as she co-wrote this (and all of the album actually) so maybe when she made the bad decision to rasp out this track, she also felt the desire to write a bad song? She succeeded. This track could have worked as a short 30 second interlude, but no, not like this. 2/10

7. Lullaby - This one opens purely with Nadine's vocals, now that she's cleared her throat and stopped with the raspy silliness. It then builds up with a military sounding snare beat and then blooms into a decent sounding melody and backing track. The lyrics are much better here if maybe a little cliche and typical of your "my man is gone, I'm missing him, he will return, I still love him" theme. The track doesn't stand out as amazing but is certainly not awful either. It is forgettable, but nice while it lasts. 6/10

8. You Are The One - Again this track opens purely with Nadine's vocals. Unfortunately they sound, again, self indulgent and like she's trying so hard to sound amazing. I wish she'd realise she sounds better when she doesn't try so hard. The track doesn't really pick up, being a ballad, but to the point where it just becomes boring. A bit of a guitar strum and bashing of a drum, the usual ballad stuff here, just with Nadine straining over the top. Skippable. 2/10

9. Natural - Another ballad here, same stuff as before with nothing to note. No, I lie, a piano is the focal instrument as opposed to the guitar strums from the previous track. Nadine sounds good and doesn't try to impress us, which is all that makes it an improvement from You Are The One. Listen to half of it, get the first chorus out of the way, and then skip as you're not missing anything. 3/10


 11. Rumours - Ooooh another ballad. I don't have anything against ballads, really, just split them up a bit. And make good ones too... Oops! On sample this time we have Nadine's voice, Nadine's voice, a drum, a piano, Nadine's voice, a violin and Nadine's voice. The last minute of the track is the best part though and the ballad starts to work perfectly, just a little too late. 4/10

12. Unbroken - Hello raspy vocals again! This time mixed with her normal vocals, maybe trying to create the illusion of two people singing? Or even amazing vocal talents? No, it just sounds messy, but I get what Nadine was going for here which was the illusion of amazing vocal talents sounding like two different people. This track is your typical "dinner party" track, and will sound fine if played at a low volume over dinner discussions and small talk. If you're just listening to the album in any other situation too, this goes down like a lead balloon. This falls in the up-beat Ballad category, but the up-beat soon turns to crazy keyboard jazz towards the end and ruins the entire track, or what was left to ruin any way. Off, now. 1/10

13. Make A Man Out Of You Yet - The closing track here, and this one was purely written by Coyle alone. The track opens with a piano melody and strings, and then in comes Nadine to sing her carefully written words. Then in comes the guitar for the awful chorus accompaniment. Once that's out of the way the track adopts the typical ballad beat, plod, plod, plod. Unfortunately Nadine just comes off as self indulgent again, and very snobby doing so, implying she is the woman to make a man our of men. No, Nadine, no. Stop, eject. Done. 1/10

Overall rating: 5/10
This was never going to work out well really, was it? The accepted vocal power house of Girls Aloud, making a solo album, could only end one way and it is the way that opened the review, self indulgent. The album starts of well, with good and very good points, then just flops for the remaining two thirds of the experience. It just scraped a five out of ten though, as it has produced one very good single and Nadine has clearly put work into it, writing or co-writing all of the tracks and releasing it off her own back, so credit to her for that. Maybe it could have told her something though, when bigger record labels didn't want to release it? If you do a follow-up Nadine, less of the self indulgent vocals, no self indulgent video to your launch single, and a less self indulgent photo shoot for the artwork.
In fact, to close, how about just getting back in the studio with Girls Aloud where your talents, which are clearly there, are better utilised and you come over a more likable pop star.

Review: Cheryl Cole - Messy Little Raindrops

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Saturday, November 13, 2010

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Better late than never, here's the review for Cheryl's second studio album, Messy Little Raindrops. Released 1st November 2010, this is the followup to Cheryl's multi platinum first record, 3 Words. This record expands on the highlights of the first one, and takes that R&B sound that's featured prominently throughout 3 Words and creates a full album like it with much less Will.I.Am (thank the lord!) There are other collaborations and featured artists on the album too, which I believe shows Cheryl's growing status not only in the UK but internationally.
The album artwork is a bit of a cop out though, and as much as Cheryl continues to look stunning, the photo shoot is uninspired and the post-processing is unimaginative. Still, on with the music...


1. Promise This - The album's lead single, Promise This was the fasted selling single in the UK within 2010 (so far!) and shot straight in at number one. Up-tempo and danceable it's easy to see why. The theme of the track is similar to the material written for her first album, and centres around love. With the catchy french nursery rhyme lyrics featuring prominently throughout the track too, this is bound to get stuck in your head. 10/10

2. Yeah Yeah (feat. Travie McCoy) - The first collaboration on the album, Yeah Yeah continues the up-tempo beat with a 90's dance sounding piano chord running through, but brings it up to date with sirens and vocal effects. This is definitely an "album track" though, as it lacks excitement and I find myself getting bored of it half way through. Travie McCoy (of previous Gym Class Heroes and now solo fame) fails to bring much to the track as well. 5/10

3. Live Tonight - The first of two tracks Will.I.Am has touched on this album and luckily this doesn't sound samey and generic like the majority of his catalogue he's produced. I'd class this as an up-tempo ballad. Sombre lyrics and vocal delivery but a pleasing backing track make this listenable and not one for skipping, but still falls into "album track" category. 6.5/10

4. The Flood - This is penned to be the second single from the album, and will make a great Christmas release. A strong ballad and Cheryl sounds great on it (if slightly over produced with the auto-tune!) The verses sound vulnerable and build up to a crashing chorus, which is fitting for a track titled The Flood. This makes up for the slightly generic beat the track adopts, but the track is everything it needs to be. 9/10

5. Amnesia - Back into the up-tempo realms, Amnesia sounds very R&B with hints of the old UK Garage genre. The verses are a little weak but the chorus is catchy and is complimented by the twangs and production of the backing track. The track is danceable and possibly single worthy, especially with some great remixes. Just try not to cringe at the middle-eight section of the tune, as Cheryl sounds a bit strained in her delivery. I try every time! 8.5/10

6. Everyone (feat. Dizzee Rascal) - Once this track kicks off, the beat is hard and instantly gets you moving. Strangely, the verses are much stronger than the chorus but this doesn't detract from the track too much. Dizzee eventually chimes in with a signature rap which acts as the tracks middle-eight section. The track does seem to abruptly fade out at the end though, and I think this would have better suited a heavy buildup finale instead. Still, another strong track. 8/10

7. Raindrops - This acts as the title track for the album, and is a mid-tempo plodder. The lyrics and Cheryl's delivery are spot on but the track lacks a lot of punch and the auto-tuning on Cheryl's vocals can grate hard at times. There is a military sounding snare throughout the track, similar to her previous hit "Parachute", but used much less effectively. The track doesn't seem to go anywhere and before you know it, it's over, which is a shame as there are a few really "pretty" parts of the track which get lost. 5/10

8. Hummingbirds - Sticking with the mid-tempo feel, Hummingbirds does what Raindrops should have done and makes for good listening. The lyrics again are pretty and Cheryl's delivery suits the track. There is a stronger beat to this track than the previous, with lots of production featured including a music-box style "jingle" and clapping. The track really builds up towards the end, throwing in all the production used in the track at once and makes for a nice crescendo of sounds. Definitely a highlight! 10/10

9. Better To Lie (feat. August Rigo) - This J.R Rotem produced track sounds very American, and features vocals from songwriter August Rigo known for working with Justin Beiber (cringe), Iyaz and JLS. This does have a bit of a generic R&B beat to it, but it works so why fix it if it ain't broke? The lyrics are great, and is delivered from Cheryl and August as a couple arguing with each other. The twist in the lyrics also play with the notion of it being better to lie (as the title suggests!) then telling the truth, which is a different spin on the usual "stop lying, why are you lying, I'm leaving you" theme. A great track to listen to and another highlight of the album. 10/10

10. Let's Get Down - The second of Will.I.Am's tracks on the album, starting with what sounds like a great danceable beat, the track is thrown into dullness as soon as the tiny sample from Brandy's "Full Moon" is over. The lyrics are abysmal, Cheryl sounds awful, and the track never gets anywhere or achieves anything. This could have been another hit single, but turns out to be a completely wasted opportunity. If you're still listening half way through, Will.I.Am then pipes in too. Lovely...! Always a skipper for me unfortunately. 2/10

11. Happy Tears - This is another mid-tempo track, and seems to reference Cheryl's recent hard times in life with her marriage and illness. I guess we knew there was going to be mention of it somewhere on the album... and luckily it isn't cheesy and cliche, it works to make a enjoyable track. The beat keeps it from getting boring, and the lyrics turn inspirational as the track goes on. An album track, but an enjoyable one. 7/10

12. Waiting - One of the best is saved until last here, which isn't usually the case for most albums. Waiting samples Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles", and makes great use of such a popular song. The track is danceable, singable, likable and repeatable (as in, to play over and over as opposed to sounding repetitive!) and more importantly makes you feel good when listening to it. The lyrics take a bad situation and shine light on it, to make everything seem not so bad. Is it slightly cheesy? Yes. Do I care? No. 10/10

Overall rating: 7.5/10
This is definitely an improvement over Cheryl's first album, which wasn't overly bad anyway. The departure of every track being produced by Will.I.Am works as one of it's greatest strengths as it sounds less samey and doesn't have his vocals plastered all over it. There are amazing moments on it, namely the closing track and other points scattered in before that, but the rest still stays mediocre. This raises the question as to whether Cheryl is really that credible as a solo artist, without her Girls Aloud group-mates. She's clearly popular with the fans, she's clearly a hard worker and wants to make it herself, and she clearly looks the part. But there's so many times when her vocals are not the focus of her music, and a lot of her songs could be sung by anyone and still be amazing / good / bad / awful equally as if she were singing.
Still, this is not a debate I wish to have, as I love Cheryl none-the-less, so to close, she has made an improvement from her first record and shows no signs of stopping. It didn't race to number one in the album charts for no reason!

Cheryl Cole - Messy Little Raindops (Album) - Sampler

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010

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As Cheryl Cole prepares to release her second album on 1st November 2010, check out the album sampler below to get a taste of what you're in for when it drops.

I will, however, take the time to sum things up for everyone briefly in the following short statement...

"AMAAAAAAZING!!!!111111oneoneone"

I have had the chance to give the full album a good listen over the past few days and will continue to until my copy is delivered next Monday when I'll have a review here for you on the release date (and not before!). Until then, heed that word above and get ready for it...

Olly Murs - Thinking Of Me (Single) - Video

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Monday, October 25, 2010

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Following the success of his debut single Please Don't Let Me Go, X-Factor 2009 runner-up Olly Murs has unveiled the video for his second single, Thinking Of Me.
The track follows the same sound and style of his debut release, and still keeps that summery vibe regardless of of the fact that summer is now over. The vocals are still up to Olly's high standard but hugely let down by the awful lyrics. The theme tells the story of an old love in which Olly is recalling memories from their time together, and although they are no longer a couple the old love is still thinking of him. It's cheesy but is works purely on the fact that this is Olly Murs and he can pull it off.

The video itself has less of a story to it than the previous video, and is comprised mainly of different shots of Olly dancing about on posts and fences (held up by strings, or super human abilities? This is still up for debate...!) whilst singing about his memories. Every now and then, he catches the eye of a woman who always ends up looking like his past love. It's less interesting to watch than the video for Please Don't Let Me Go but who needs scenery, the video has OLLY MURS in it for flip sake, that should be enough to watch!

The single drops on 21st November 2010 in the UK, followed by Olly's debut album on 29th November 2010. Check out the video below and let me know what you think...!

Olly Murs - Please Don't Let Me Go (Single) - Video

Posted by Ryuke | Posted in , | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010

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Olly Murs, X-Factor 2009 runner up, it set to release his debut single "Please Don't Let Me Go" on 29th August 2010. The track has been floating about over the radio for a few weeks now and substantial hype is building, and rightly so as it is a bit of a tune! Slight reggae-ish pop with a strong summer chillout sound may contribute to making this release a chart smash for Olly.

The video has just premiered, and to match the summery vibe to the track, is set at an old English manor party. Olly looks slightly edible, there is a small dance routine by the backing dancers, Olly wears a hat (of course!) and looks edible, there is a little bit of humour thrown in and at the end of it, Olly still looks edible.

Keep your eyes open for it on the music channels the upcoming weeks / months, as this is sure to be around for a while! Check it out below...

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