weekend:

feature round up

Apr 5th, 2009; 7:10 pm (GMT+8) 0


Our feature editor, Rickified have been hard at work coming out with contents for our site. Watch out for his all new column - Rickified's Rants.

A recap of features posted this week:

Coming up:
  • The Saturday's Album Review
  • Flo-Rida's Album Review
rickified's rants:

Sugababes - My Love Is Pink

Apr 3rd, 2009; 3:12 pm (GMT+8) 2


From the 'Change' era, 'My Love Is Pink' is only being released as a promo single by digital download, I really don't get it. This song is definitely single material. 'Denial' is an ok single choice after this.

I think this album and 'Catfights And Spotlights' are flops. Due to the Amelle curse I guess, ever since she joined the group, Sugababes only produces moderate hits. Albeit good, but not fantastic. 'MLIP' is co-written by 2 of the 'babes, Keisha and Heidi, with Xenomania, who produces this song too. At least the song is remixed by Stonebridge.

Another underrated song, 'Never Gonna Dance Again', which is also produced by Xenomania, is being overlooked too. 2 of the best cuts of the album not being physically released as chart singles, it's a huge mistake. I missed Mutya with the group, that's the best line-up of Sugababes ever.

Never Gonna Dance Again

My Love Is Pink


*Side note* - Congrats to Lady GaGa, having number 1's with 'Pokerface' in the US and UK this week. =) Love GaGa always. Number 1 for 'LoveGame' too I hope. =)

And due to having 2 consecutive number 1's in the US Billboard Hot 100 for her first 2 singles for her debut album, it made chart history. Christina achieved that too with her debut album with 'Genie' and 'What a Girl Wants'. =)


dirrty feature:

Utada's "This Is The One" Album Review

Apr 2nd, 2009; 2:50 pm (GMT+8) 2




Being Utada's 3rd English studio album ('Precious' was way back in 98/99, 'Exodus' had a cult following in 04/05), this marks another foray into the English market and I must say if this album doesn't succeed, mainstream listeners are definitely deaf in the ears.

As compared with 'Exodus', (Entirely produced by Timbaland!!!) which is kinda dark sounding, 'TITO' (Short form for 'This Is The One') is that one record that is absolutely divine in mainstream stardards. Released in Japan on March 14th physically and digitally and in the US on March 24th digitally and a physical release on May 12th. The album is doing well on the Itunes chart in US btw. =)

First Impressions

rickified - PERFECTION!!!! With her wicked sense of humour in the lyrics (Utada writes all of her songs and co-produced them), it's a breathe of fresh air in the stale English Market in recent years (with the exception of Lady Gaga). =)

This album has a soul of it's own and the essence is in the lyrics and the melodies. Born in the US, she has Japanese Blood and her English is very fluent. 'TITO' is very smooth sounding, track after track. Destined to be a classic, this album is a MUST listen for anyone at least once in their lives. And for the first time, I'm gonna go a full track review. It's only 10 tracks, believe me that once you listen, you won't regret. Once you acquired the album, read the lyric book and listen to the Cd at the same time. You'll discover magic.

dirrtysean - Rickified seems very enthusiastic with this album. To me, PERFECTION (all caps) is a very strong word to use. LOL. But i have to say, im liking this album. Definitely way more than BoA's. To be perfectly honest, i dont know much bout Utada at all. Automatic was the only song i knew. Which i happen to hear while watching her music video when i was very very young. Maybe 10 years ago?

So how would i describe this album? It's Urban-ish with a hint of Pop. Thanks to Stargate and Chris Steward (better known as Tricky) she managed to archieve someting more mainstream as she wished. Although this album is not bad, but it suffers from a ton of slow paced songs (a total opposite of BoA's). It can be a bit boring for me. This album in general is very Stargate-y -A typical Stargate project. Which leaves me a lil blend at times.

Tracks

  • On and On
    rickified - An excellant album opener, a pulsating club-ready song. Sounding abit like Ciara in her '1,2 Step' days. 'Honeys, if you're gay, burn it up, like a gay parade / Honeys, if you're straight, bump it up, take it away'. The lyrics are fabulous with a capital F.A.B. Need me say more. My fave track btw. =)

  • Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence - FYI
    rickified - Samples Ryuichi Sakamoto song with the same name. Listen to the song. You'll find the sample familiar. =) Utada puts the FYI for tongue in cheek purposes. Sounds strange at first, but it's great. 'We're sipping Chardonnay from 2pm on a working day', that's so me!!!
    dirrtysean - The title songs weird to me! I thought it would be a Merry Christmas song! With Happy Holiday cheers thrown in! But its a christmasy song at all. I like the "chingaling chingaling what what" hook!

  • Apple and Cinnamon
    rickified - Simple and innocent rhymes with apple and cinnamon. This is the Utada we come to know and love. Her brillance is incomparable.

  • Taking My Money Back
    rickified - 'Every day every night you were out with your boys getting high. While I worked hard to pay the rent, and my girls said I should lose you. But I'm stuck with you, cuz you promised to change.' I'm sure everyone could relate to this. =)
    dirrtysean - Sounds like Destiny's Child's Bills Bills Bills. The title almost sounds the same aint it?

  • This One (Crying Like a Child)
    dirrtysean - A VERY stand out track. Ever wonder why she named her album, This is the One? Probably from a lyric of this song, "This, This is the One". Indeed this is the one which will either make her or break her.
    rickified - A midtempo R&B track. A song pining for your other half. Kinda heart-wrenching.

  • Automatic Part II
    rickified - An introductory song about Utada, always knew it that capri has a sense of humour. =) 'Do you like the way I rhyme, it's pretty darn clever. Used to be a virgin, now I'm with Island Def Jam.' IDJ better promote this album well!!! Or else....
    dirrtysean - I was hoping it to be more bouncey and dancey. The lyrics of the song makes a good opening song for this album or mayb a lead single. But if produced properly it will make a good single. I prefer the beats of the original Automatic. Fave line "Used to be a virgin, now I'm with Island Def Jam".. if you get wat she means...

  • Dirty Desire
    dirrtysean - Utada loves our site dirrtyremixes.com that she makes a shout out to us and called us a dirrty desire ;) LOL! I CAN SO WISH RITE!
    rickified - 'During my 9 to 5, I'm thinking 6 and 9s.' I'll leave the imagination to you people. Heh. =)

  • Poppin'
    rickified - Another club-ish song. Cute lyrics. =)

  • Come Back To Me
    rickified - This song is 'We Belong Together' with more rhythm. A good first single choice. The remixes are da bomb though. Especially 'Haji and Emanuel' and 'Tony Moran' remixes.
    dirrtysean - When i was reviewing this album, this song came up while i was walking through an underpass. i got chills while imaginary flashbacks started playing on walls. The song does reminds me of a true story.. kinda ;)

  • Me Muero
    rickified - In Spanish, this song is about lamenting the loss of a lover. Another song that we all could relate to. Actually, we all could relate to this album. =)


Final Verdict

dirrtysean - Lyrically ingenious. She likes to rhyme her lyrics. She even confessed it in Automatic - "Do you like the way I rhyme, it's pretty darn clever"... Finally, after listening to this album so many time, I felt that Utada is very Tech Savvy!. Words like Blackberry, Myspace, j-peg, harddrive, ringtone and mp3 are in her lyrics.

rickified - With correct and entensive promotion, Billboard Number 1. If only people took the time to listen to it, they'll love it. That is, if it's promoted enough so that the masses knows there's this album out there. The online community is very supportive of this album.

As taken from an article, John Farley of the Wall Street Journal says, "The only thing that stands in the way of Utada and stardon in the English market is really good marketing because the talent is there."

Buy this album. I swear with my name that you all won't regret it. At least spin it once before you guys pass the verdict. Something this good doesn't comes frequet in one's lifetime. For a perfect album like this, it deserves a perfect score. And I have evidence to support it. =) When in doubt, comment about it and i'll gladly reply. =)



Rating
dirrtysean:      
rickified:        



Purchase "This Is The One" on Itunes



rickified rants:

Ne-Yo Feat. Utada - Do You

Apr 1st, 2009; 2:59 pm (GMT+8) 0




CRAP!!! I've got PUNKED too. SEANNIE, you'll get it from me!!!

Anyways, in transition to tmr's review of Utada's album, am gonna rant about this single. Released as Ne-Yo's 2nd single from his 2nd album, 'Because Of You'. In an interview, Ne-Yo said that this song is the 2nd part to his song, 'So Sick', from his debut album. What's with all the seconds anyway???

There are 2 remixes to this song. (2 again!!!) One's featuring Mary J. Blige and the another with Utada. The Utada version was released in digital format only in Japan.

This song is a classic Ne-Yo styled song. Smooth and sultry. This is what R&B/soul music should be like. The song describes about questioning an ex if he/she ever thinks about him/her anymore. I could relate to this song i guess. Missing my ex at times. It's crappy being single. Life gotta move on though. Ok, I'm digressing. The vocals from Utada doesn't spoil the song really. It's like both parties missing each other. =)

Enjoy the song. It's a rare find btw. =)

Ne-Yo - Utada Version

Ne-Yo - Mary J Blige Version


dirrty feature:

BoA's "BoA" Album Review

Mar 31st, 2009; 1:30 pm (GMT+8) 0




'BoA', originally titled 'Look Who's Talking' (a track name off the album), is BoA's debut English album and her 12th studio album (inculding Japanese and Korean albums). This album marks her foray in the US market. It is released on March 17th in the US.

rickified - Being an all uptempo track album, it suffers slightly as there's no ballads/slower songs to showcase BoA's vocals. This gal can really sing, as I'm sure most Asians are familiar with her. Backed by top notched producers like Sean Garrett and Bloodshy & Avant, this album is of a certain standard, definitely. As a dance-pop album, it leans towards the Urban side. The Bass is sufficient enough for my liking, which is essential for an addictive song/album. I actually like every song to be honest. =X

dirrtysean - This album reminds me of Britney Spears' Blackout 2.0. You'll sure going to get a blackout from it. As what rickified said, its an uptempo album. With tracks tailored for the clubs. There's not a single slow song!

Tracks
  • I Did It For Love
    rickified - 2nd single. If this song doesn't set the clubs on fire, I dunno what else could.
    airotcivqueen - Sung with Sean Garrett is my favourite in the whole album.
    dirrtysean - To me, its the bestest and hottest track in her album. If her album has only this song. i will give it a full 5 star rating...

  • Energetic
    rickified - Another club banger. As stated by it's title. Uncredited vocal contribution by Sean Garrett.
    airotcivqueen - As the title suggests, the song is ENERGETIC.
    dirrtysean - The lyrics of Energetic is cheesy but a lil bit addictive. But this track sounds just like her other track - Hypnotic Dancefloor. Sometimes i'm not sure which track i'm listening too.. lol

  • Did Ya
    rickified - My fave song of this album. "You shoulda love me right when you had me." "You shoulda love me right but you didn't, did ya." It gets stuck to your head immediately. As the lyrics suggest, it's about moving on and for those who doesn't appreciate you.

  • Look Who's Talking
    rickified - For commenting purposes, this song is co-written by Britney. Sounds like it could fit in the 'Britney' album era. BoA carries this song well though. =)

  • Eat You Up
    rickified - 1st single. Love the Asian version of the vid to bits!!! I wanna dance like her. LOL. A warm up single, it is very successful among the online community even without any promotion back then except for the vids. The song peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play.
    airotcivqueen - Produced by Henrik Jonback who also wrote for Britney and Madonna, has interesting beats and is easy to get the song stuck in your head, however, if you are the type that is anal about bad English, BoA would sound less than good here.


Rating
dirrtysean:      
airotcivqueen:
rickified:        


Final Verdict
rickified
An obvious flaw that I could complain about this album is the vocoder used. She sounds like a female counterpart of Kanye in comparison with his recent album. HELLO!!! She can sing and dance at the same time and she doesn't need to sound robotic, unless it's about the effects, which sounds distorted at times. This album is a grower too. Once it hits you, it would be on heavy rotation and you can't stop. Trust me. Otherwise, it's a good album for a night out and to warm up before clubbing. =)

For the haters out there, try putting your own shoes in hers and see that it's tough to sing and dance at the same time. At her age now, she's uber professional and she deserves the success that she has now. =)

airotcivqueen
Overall, I think the album has energised, jumpy tracks, which are easy to listen. Although, Boa could really do with some language improvement, but we can't blame her. She is Korean. Anyway, I'd say this is a pretty good album, basing on the fact BOA only does Korean/Japanese albums usually. As for whether to spin it or trash it, I'd say spin it, fortunately, her songs are pretty fast beat mainly, which covers up her not very polished English, but the tracks are still groove worthy, also, for a fact the videos for some of the songs are really hot, she possesses
great dance moves! Also, her plan to enter the US market has proven to not be a failure, because her lead single has charted up to number 8 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play.

dirrtysean
BoA, also known as Beat of Angel... Judging from this album, i dont see or hear any angel.




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