Radio Rant: David Guetta ft. Usher – Without You

Posted on December 4, 2011 by bgibs122

Hello, and welcome to Radio Rants. Who’ve we got today?

Today’s tune comes from David Guetta’s Nothing But the Beat project, where the French DJ teamed up with some of today’s biggest hit makers to produce hyperactive club songs. Some worked, and some didn’t. Anyway, before I’d heard it, I thought “Without You” could  have gone either way; Usher and Guetta are both very talented artists, but they don’t always make the best decisions. At their best, we get “When Love Takes Over” or “Yeah”, but when they strike out, there’s “Little Bad Girl” and “OMG”. Well, let’s take a look.

The nice thing about David Guetta is that at this point, he’s not going to surprise us. His songs are hyperproduced house meets pop affairs that draw on beats, effects, synths, and every now and then, strings, electric guitar, and piano. Dude’s not going to do an unplugged album anytime soon.

While his past Nothing But the Beat singles have been all rush with little substance, “Without You” has some texture and craft to it. Built around an electric piano part that I swear is “All My Friends” meets “I Gotta Feeling”, the song adds sprinkling synths and a light but steady beat while strings build up into the chorus. The chorus, centered in danceable but restrained drums and featuring an airy synth, also soars. The build is denser in the second verse with more prominent strings, and with Usher leading the way (more on him in a moment), it’s very effective. Overall, it’s a well-produced song that invokes a bit of wistfulness, but still manages to be upbeat and catchy.

Usher, like D.Guetta, has fumbled in the past by making bad collaboration choices, but the two seem to be a good fit. Guetta’s production seems to suit his artists; someone who doesn’t do a lot behind the mic ends up buried on the dancefloor, but he’ll let confident artists take all the room they need. Factor in that Usher is one of the best male vocalists in the pop scene today, and you have evidence that “Without You” should be good.

And it is. The first verse, like the music behind him, builds into the chorus, where he sings along with some of the higher synths. It’s the kind of chorus written for stadium-sized crowds. One of the many advantages Usher has over his other competitors is that the guy can wail while not sounding forced or lame; he can slip in and out of his falsetto easier than most. And he uses that to his advantage on the second verse, where he hits the high notes and sounds truly heartbroken. Jason DeRulo should just quit after hearing this.

Now, how does “Without You” do in terms of lyrics? Well, it’s kind of…a blank slate. It never really misfires, but there’s no heft to the lyrics at all, either. They’re repeated lines of “I can’t _____ without you”, and that’s it. The lyrics aren’t trying especially hard at all, and it’s my guess that they’re just there to give Usher something to wail. And, to that extent, they work. With a less expressive vocalist, or one that couldn’t express with as much finesse, the song would fall flat.

But, as it stands, “Without You” is one of my more favorite pop hits in recent memory. David Guetta puts in some solid production, Usher embarrasses almost every other guy singer on the charts, what’s not to like? Honestly, aside from lyrical inertia, the only other complaint I have is that I feel like the song could use a little more everything; maybe a bridge or something for these guys to really go to work, but that’s about it.

Wait, is that two positive Radio Rants in a row?

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2012 Grammy Award Nominations and Predictions

Posted on December 2, 2011 by bgibs122

Tonight, or last night if I’m not able to finish this in one go, the nominations for the 54th Grammy Awards went up. And while the Grammys don’t have the same heft as, say, the Oscars, where’s the fun in being a music geek if we don’t make predictions, eh? The full, 74 award list is here.

1. Record of the Year
Adele – Rolling in the Deep
Bon Iver – Holocene
Bruno Mars – Grenade
Mumford & Sons – The Cave
Katy Perry – Firework

Prediction: “Best Record” is for what song has the best production; which song has the best sound. “Firework” is the only one I can take out of the running without too much thought; the production is a little too thick, and the Grammys favor rustic sounds (last year’s winner was “Need You Now”). I’m going to give this one to “Rolling in the Deep”, but “The Cave” or “Holocene” winning wouldn’t surprise me, either.

Album of the Year
Adele – 21
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Rihanna – Loud

Prediction: Let’s start with the obvious: Where the fuck is Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? Came out late last year, universally loved, topped multiple year-end lists across the mainsteram-indie spectrum? Anyway, the obvious choice here is, again, Adele, but after getting kind of snubbed twice, Gaga shouldn’t be ignored here, either. Also worth noting are the Foos: they have the highest Metacritic score of the bunch, and the Grammys were favoring guitars last year when Arcade Fire won with The Suburbs. But still, I’m giving this one to Gaga, Foo Fighters and Adele take second.

3. Song of the Year
Kanye West – All of the Lights
Mumford & Sons – The Cave
Bruno Mars – Grenade
Bon Iver – Holocene
Adele – Rolling in the Deep

Prediction: My gut instinct here says “All of the Lights” most, and “Grenade” least of all. At the same time, though, “The Cave” and “Rolling in the Deep” have a strong draw, and both have AwardBait qualities (vocal technicality, intricate instrumentation, big emotions). Part of me wants to throw this one to Mumford & Sons, but I’m not sure they have the pull to come through. This one goes to “Rolling in the Deep”, “All of the Lights” and “The Cave” as a backup.

4. Best New Artist
The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Prediction: I know my bias is showing, but the sentence, “Grammy award winning artist Skrillex” is just too grim to be a reality. This one goes to Bon Iver.

5. Best Pop Vocal Album
Adele – 21
Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer
Lady Gaga – Born This Way
Bruno Mars – Doo-wops & Hooligans
Rihanna – Loud

Prediction: Minus a Foos album and plus one Cee Lo, this is Album of the Year all over again. I think in the pop realm, the category’s a bit more even; this one could go any way, honestly. Gaga for the win, but Adele could have it, too.

6. Best Rock Album
Jeff Beck – Rock N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You
Wilco – The Whole Love

Prediction: Compared to last year, we have a relatively young bunch in this category. “I’m With You” was nothing special, nor was “Come Around Sundown”. “Rock N’ Roll Party” is such an obvious outsider, I’m tempted to peg it as a winner because it’s a well-respected artist doing the classics in homage of a legend. Actually, yeah, let’s go with that one, with the Foos/Wilco on backup.

7. Best Alternative Album
Bon Iver- Bon Iver
Death Cab For Cutie – Codes & Keys
Foster the People – Torches
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Prediction: Bon Iver seems like the obvious choice, given the high nominations Bon Iver has all around, but consider that last year, Arcade Fire won Album of the Year, but lost here to The Black Keys. Radiohead will probably get this one, or Bon Iver, either way.

8. Best Rap Album
Jay-Z/Kanye West – Watch the Throne
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV
Lupe Fiasco – Lasers
Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Prediction: Open and shut case, MBDTF walks away with it clean. But realistically, I’m fine with any non Carter IV entries getting it.

9. Best Country Album
Jason Aldean – My Kinda Party
Eric Church – Chief
Lady Antebellum – Own the Night
George Strait – Here For a Good Time
Taylor Swift – Speak Now

Prediction: Swift stormed the Grammys with Fearless, but Strait’s got years of prestige on these youngsters, and they’re the only two major contenders in the category. Aldean and Church promote middle of the road “country boy” material, and Own the Night was, by most accounts, coasting by off Need You Now‘s success. Strait or Swift, either way; Speak Now threatens to be underrated. Well, as underrated as you can get when you sell a million in a week.

10. Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Danger Mouse
Paul Epworth
The Smeezingtons
Ryan Tedder
Butch Vig

Prediction: Danger Mouse could make it two in a row, but Epworth has Adele under his belt, and The Smeezingtons have done some of the freshest pop production in years. Butch Vig might as well get a Lifetime Achievement, and his work on Wasting Light was top notch besides. The Smeezingtons take first, Vig takes second.

So, there’s my list of guesses. Watch the Grammys in February to see how wrong I am!

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Album Review: Drake – Take Care

Posted on November 30, 2011 by bgibs122

Despite a roster 15 deep, the Young Money imprint is really carried by three stars: Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Outside of a few early collaborations, Minaj has never been especially attached to Wayne, but the same cannot be said for Drake. Lil Wayne took Drake on as a pupil, and guided him through his first major mixtapes and Thank Me Later. The two have had a clearly defined master-apprentice relationship.

Oh, how times are changing.

While Drake has hallmarks of Lil Wayne/Young Money style, I’ve always thought he (especially since Thank Me Later) owed much more to Kanye West. Part of that is in terms of rap and style; like West, Drake has a knack for throwing punchlines in that don’t always land, but also, 808s & Heartbreak did as much for Drake’s career as Lil Wayne flying him to Houston did. Moody, navel-gazing rap had been done before, but 808s‘ cold electropop isolation had an impact on the mainstream that none had had before.

It’s an impact that made the commercial success of a record like Take Care possible. On some level, Take Care was always going to be an artistic success; Drake said that the album’s title comes from how involved he was able to get in the creative process and not  rush a record out like on Thank Me Later. In ways, this album focuses on the less commercial themes of Drake’s debut; anyone looking for a sequel to “Over” is going to be disappointed, and Later‘s chilly aloofness has been transformed into full-blown isolation.

Plenty of that isolation comes from main producer Noah “40” Shebib. He draws on downtempo dance sounds and late-night style R&B, giving Take Care both texture and momentum. Opener “Over My Dead Body” is nothing short of gorgeous, filled with tinkling synth piano and an enhanced female vocal. “Marvin’s Room”‘s reverb and swell heavy production makes the song feel as far removed as Drake sounds; 40 and Drake work so well together because 40 knows how to express in music what Drake expresses in words. 40 oversees Take Care‘s lush production, but he isn’t afraid of letting other producers sit in the chair as well; other longtime Drake collaborator Boi-1da pops in for lead single “Headlines”, and veteran Just Blaze contributes the throwback R&B heavy hitter “Lord Knows”.

Another aspect of Take Care‘s isolation is that for a 2011 high-profile rap release, it runs remarkably low on guest appearances. Hell, Lil Wayne had to get bailed out by Tech9, Busta Rhymes, and Andre 3000 among others on Tha Carter IV, and I’m surprised Drake himself didn’t pull a back muscle from carrying Wheezy single “She Will” all by himself. While Thank Me Later‘s collaborations felt like marketing ploys to help an up and coming artist, Take Care‘s guest roster fits Drake comfortably. Rihanna drops by for a surprisingly low-key performance on the title track (Take Care‘s only obvious single), where she plays a forgiving lover to Drake. Rick Ross adds to the pomp of “Lord Knows”, and Andre 3000, living proof that talented rappers don’t have to give a fuck about rap speed,  saves Lil Wayne (again) off a fumble on “The Real Her”. “Make Me Proud”, which sounds the most like a Young Money song,  features Nicki Minaj in a comfortable cameo with a few solid lines.

If the Grammys or anyone gave out an award for Most Improved Performer, that thing’d be Drake’s in a heartbeat. As a persona, his exists on Take Care as two compelling opposites: the narcissist, womanizer, and egotist that we expect from big rap names, and the introspective, honest, and borderline sensitive guy from (as he always reminds us) Toronto. However, there’s nothing separating the two; he’ll brag about himself in one line, then ponder it for the next one. It’s less “More money, more problems” and more “More money, same problems”.

I don’t know if he’s had an extended performance schedule, or what got into him, but his work on Take Care outstrips his prior output by a mile. His flow is more developed and nuanced, and he sounds more confident singing as well. Punchlines still abound, but the hashtag rap (“I could teach how to speak my language, Rosetta Stone”) is mostly done away with, and when it shows up, it’s actually funny (see: “Man, all of your flows bore me, paint drying”).

The big complaint I’ve heard from fans is that Take Care is too slow. Honestly, I don’t see it. Yeah, it’s a slowburner, but the guy’s an upper-class former child actor; staying in the dated idea of “rappers must be hard” limits the genre. Jay-Z, he ain’t. That, and honestly, he’s more interesting when he slows down and mixes the rapping and singing. And besides, he raps his ass off on cuts like “Underground King”, “Headlines”, and “HYMR” (and most songs have at least one solid verse), sounds truly pissed on “Lord Knows” when he says, “I know that showing emotion don’t ever make me a pussy”.  Take Care‘s major flaw is that it’s in dire need of an edit; few 80 minute albums justify their existence, and this record is not one of them. But on one hell of a sophomore album, I’ll let Drake take his time, four stars out of five.

tl;dr: “Tha Cater” who, now? 4/5.

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Radio Rant: Katy Perry – The One That Got Away

Posted on November 27, 2011 by bgibs122

Hello, and welcome to Radio Rants.

Yep, “The One That Got Away”. Somewhere around “Firework”, I told myself that I wouldn’t deal with Katy Perry unless she got into the Top 5 or so, but this song finally limped its way up to number 10 in the Hot 100, and that’s good enough for me. In the year plus that I’ve done this site, I don’t think I’ve had to write about any artist more than Katy Perry, and yes, I find that fact depressing. Like pop chart cohorts Rihanna and Britney Spears, Katy Perry’s success stems more from savvy PR work and marketing than high quality music. This was especially clear on “Last Friday Night”, her least successful Teenage Dream single that I hypothesize only went to number one on the strength of it’s video. Combine that with the fact that for awhile Katy Perry was out of the Top 10, and I think “The One That Got Away” might be her last single from this album. So how does it hold up?

Alright, let’s look at what has always been Katy Perry’s problem spot: the lyrics. In the past, her lyrics have come across as dumb and vapid, a love song to herself, used poor metaphors, and not thought out their own true meaning. So, what are we looking at? “Summer after high school when we first met/We made out in your Mustang to Radiohead” Doing the math on when K.Per graduated means that “Idioteque” was the big Radiohead song at the time so, uh, have fun with that.

“Used to steal your parents liquor and climb to the roof/Talk about our future like we had a clue” Oh, shit. That’s…that’s actually pretty sharp. In fact, looking at these lyrics, I can’t see a lot wrong with them. “The One That Got Away” could be seen as a sequel to “Teenage Dream”; the song starts with “Let’s be together forever!” lyrics like getting matching tattoos and promising to always be together, but then later saying how, “It’s time to face the music/I’m no longer your muse”.

Then, of course, we have the chorus: “In another life/I would make you stay/So I don’t have to say/You were the one that got away”. Again, that’s nothing bad. A little Taylor Swift-style possessive and self-serving, and it doesn’t shoot for “Someone Like You” levels of sad, but it works. The music behind the chorus is fittingly sweet and kind of sad (while still overproduced). Actually, who did the production here?

“The One That Got Away” is produced by Max Martin and the always contemptible (see: 2008 and onward) Dr. Luke. The two show restraint and craft for this song, letting it build from a spiraling piano riff and poppy drum beat. That combo makes up the meat and potatoes of the song, but soft synths, bass, occasional strings and extra percussion creep in throughout the song. There’s no immediate hook, and the song doesn’t feel like it was made to be a single.

If “The One That Got Away” has decent production and lyrics, how does Katy herself do? The problems that dogged her on previous singles (reaching out of her range, sounding disengaged) aren’t an issue here, and she manages to wring some emotion out of “The One That Got Away”. Yeah, her voice still gets kind of grating at times, but all in all, she does a good job, she sings pretty well on the post-chorus.

I said in an earlier blog that “The One That Got Away” could be a pretty good single, and I think it is. It reminds me a lot of Lady Gaga’s “Eh, Eh” in that it doesn’t try to be anything more than a pop song, and for that reason succeeds. Is it a little toothless? Yeah, and it could be seen as being a bit dull, but for something that was never meant to be more than an album cut, it’s pretty good. I’m not sure it’ll go to number one, but it’s still worth a listen.

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