Rated Run The World (Girls) - I caved.

Beyonce, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. My sincerest apologies. Be bffs again ye?

So... I caved and have fallen for the Queen B charm of 'Run The World (Girls)'. I slated it at first, but because I genuinely thought it was horrific. Now that I've watched the Billboard Awards performance 100 times and the music video even more, I have a new found appreciation for it. It's actually quite a fun, catchy, ass shake inducing track with bite. It's still, by no means, in the top 5 Beyonce songs of all time, but it's acceptable.

I am excited about 4, although not loving the album title. A tad unimaginative BB. The artwork is hot though.

Rated Born This Way - it's here

It’s potentially the most anticipated album of the decade; Born This Way is finally here. With tonnes of euro-pop charm, bloody weird electro production and some startlingly fantastic moments this has potential to be one of the most unique pop albums since Madonna’s “ground breaking” Ray of Light. 

Lady Gaga erupted into pop consciousness with ‘Just Dance’ in 2008 and then the record breaking/setting ‘Poker Face’, both of which have become contemporary pop anthems. Her initial collection of songs, The Fame, sold over 20 million copies throughout the world. Its sound was quite pop standard, laced with some rnb to keep it brimming with attitude. This commercial, rather chart safe sound soon dissolved however, into the euro-pop styling of the immense ‘Bad Romance’, lifted from the 1.5 album The Fame Monster. With this evolution in Gaga’s sound it became clear that there was something quite special coming next. It's here.

 Born This Way opens with ‘Marry the Night’, homage to Gaga’s nights cruising the New York City underground club scene and how it served as escapism from the sorrows of life. With a soaring electro chorus she beautifully blasts, “I’m gonna marry the night, leave nothin’ on these streets to explode”.

Next up is the single that divided fans, ‘Born This Way’, which is one of the album highlights (but by no means reflective of the album’s sound as a whole). “No matter gay-straight-or bi, lesbian-transgender life, I’m on the right track baby I was born to survive”, has become the key line from the pro-gay anthem. It’s not all about being gay though, this is a song with a dynamic message of equality and self-love, cleverly written and catchy as fuck (I get to swear, Gaga would approve).
Things get dark, dirty and very Berlin discothèque with the hugely anticipated ‘Government Hooker’. Kicking off in semi-operatic fashion the song decends into a decadent array of synthy growls and electric twitching, as Gaga speaks, “Put your hands on me, John F. Kennedy, I’ll make you squeal baby, as long as you pay me”. I’m not quite sure if there’s any intellectual, political message in here, but who cares when it sounds this cool?

Rated Run The World... a bit.

Ok, so I said I hated this song a couple of weeks ago. I still don't love it and it didn't move my world when it blasted through the speakers on Saturday night, but this performance at the Billboard Awards the other night is epic. Beyonce still cracks the jaws of all other performers out there right now, she's just got bite that not many others even have half of. The song is mildly more pleasant to my ears now, but still...it's by far my least favourite Beyonce single since 'Video Phone' with Lady Gaga.

Rated Robyn - Why did I miss you?

Devastated that I missed out on a performance like this last October. She is, truly, one of the greatest artists around at the moment. Utter awe.

Rated Yasmin!

There's a new girl knocking about the charts right now and I absolutely love her. Her name is Yasmin and she's fit, like really fit. The (almost) sexuality conversion aside, this girl also writes and sings some damn good rnb songs. Loaded with soft echoing synths and buffed up with a superb Freemason's remix, her new single 'Finish Line' is brilliant and currently picking up substantial airplay as well as a decent chart debut of #13. Her previous single, 'On My Own' was a great way to unleash her talent on the country, with a stunning sounding chorus and an unescapable hook. Her voice is refreshingly smooth and understated. Strafing away from the roaring of other female singers out there (Beyonce and GaGa) and staying strong sounding enough to avoid the weaker, whiny sound of other rnb singers like Alesha Dixon, she lands in the perfect spot.

She first popped up on the Devlin track 'Runaway' and since then she's been garnering popularity, fast. Check out the videos below, I challenge you not to be impressed or fall instantly in love.

PS: Love the hat.

Rated The Edge of Glory.

One week to wade through until the most anticipated album (of my life) arrives and gives us all the power to walk on water. Born This Way is hurtling towards us from the Gagaverse. For some perspective, I am a Lady Gaga fan, but I am by no means biased in my opinions of her music. The Fame for example, was a brilliant pop album, let down by some ill-chosen tracks that didn't gel well into it as a whole. This was rectified by the fantastic Fame Monster, which spawned great pop hits like 'Alejandro' and 'Bad Romance'.

Originally released as a promo/taster for the incoming album of life, 'The Edge of Glory' has torn up pop charts all over the world, without having an official release as a single. Kicking off with the pumping of a heart beat, the euro-pop stylings of the 2011 GaGa thump soon after. "I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you", blasts GaGa with some startling vocals. She roars her way through the track, which proves itself to be more exhilarating than the two official singles from the album combined. It's a definite classic, not just for the Lady, but of all time. Well composed, structured, written and most importantly sung, this is a bloody tremendous pop song.

Rated California King Bed

Loud has, so far, provided us with uptempo, feisty, booty shaking beauties. 'Only Girl' is, perhaps, Rihanna's most anthemic song to date and 'What's My Name?' and 'S&M' are sexy, sassy songs about the kinky stuff and a little bit of love, obviously. The big debate amongst her burgeoning fan base was "what will she release next?". Apparently the US is getting the epic reggae inspired 'Man Down'. Not us though, we're getting a ballad, a country ballad. It's not all as bad as you think. In fact, 'California King Bed' contains Rihanna's strongest vocals so far and the most authentically emotional performance she's given since 'Russian Roulette'. "In this California King Bed, we're ten thousand miles apart", sings Ri on this song about the crumbling foundations of a failing, yet intense romance. It's a bloody brilliant song and is one of the main reasons why Loud is a must have album.

Check out the lovely video too. Just lovely.

Rated Judas Vidz.

So the Judas video dropped this evening and I love it. It's exactly what I expected and in a totally good way. Poor Gaga is being criticised by followers as trying too hard and being predictable. If she released a video of her sitting bareback on a Sheep's back playing a banjo, they'd complain then too. The fact is that this chick doesn't need to "try hard", she's beyond that stage now. She has so much $ that she could "order China as a takeaway". She piled on the madness in the early stages of her career but that was necessary to garner attention. Now, it's standard Gaga and I don't see why we should expect anything else. Otherwise, she wouldn't be Lady Gaga would she?

WATCH IT HERE

Rated Run The World?

I've been waiting for Beyonce's new solo material, eagerly, since the release of her I Am... tour DVD last Christmas. I saw said tour twice within 12 months and it was absolutely incredible. There's no doubt that Beyonce is the greatest live performer of our generation, regardless of whether you like her music or not, she is a bloody brilliant entertainer.
With an array of superb singles under her booty (Crazy In Love, Deja Vu, Single Ladies and Sweet Dreams to name a few) I expected something huge from the queen; something so big it would make the Royal Wedding cower in its significance.

Unfortunately, Run The World (Girls) is about as satisfying as having nail varnish remover poured into your eyes. Maybe a bit over-dramatic, but this is a horrendous mess. It's written a bit like an Independent Women Part 3, only when she wrote it she was out of her mind on Es (not literally-lawsuit averted). The song samples Major Lazer's Pon Di Floor, which sounds incredible in a club and no doubt Beyonce's sampler will sound just as exciting and base pounding as the original when it's accompanied by vodka shots. The main issue is that it just doesn't gel, at all. The song is tired and the subject matter is getting boring now. We know you love an independent woman B, but write about something else for Christ's sake! Beyonce's vocals aren't sounding their best here, with the production calling for lots of shouting rather than intricate harmonies and when the song occasionally breaks down to reveal the soul sound we're used to, it sounds nice but feels like a pointless filler to break up an annoyingly repetitive track. Run the world? Run me over more like.

I pray that this is just a mishap, all great artists have them, even Beyonce (apparently). The new album has to offer better than this, otherwise it's going to be a catastrophic musical disaster in the shadow of the brilliant, talent showcase that was I Am... Sasha Fierce.


1.5/5